tried romance. She’d crashed and burned. Scott had been engaged. It hadn’t ended well. So maybe he was right that a union based on common goals and interests was much more fitting for, as he’d said, people like them.
He gave her one of the quick, crooked smiles that almost always made her melt inside, even when she’d been annoyed with him. “Or you could always go to your parties with boring, no-chemistry Glenn.”
She pointed a finger at him. “It’s not wise to tease me about something you overheard while eavesdropping on a private conversation.”
He held up both hands in a gesture of surrender. “You’re right and I apologize. But will you think about what I suggested?’
“I’ll think about it,” she agreed after a moment.
Looking satisfied that she hadn’t shot down the idea out of hand, he nodded and pushed away his plate. “Great. Just let me know what you decide.”
As far as he was concerned, apparently, the new business at this impromptu meeting was concluded.
She had no doubt that if she presented good reasons why she thought it best to decline, he would accept her answer graciously and they would go on with their professional lives exactly as they had before. But maybe she needed to give his suggestion a bit more thought before she reached that conclusion.
Declining dessert, she gave the excuse that she had things to do that evening. The silence wasn’t quite as comfortable during the short drive back to the office in Scott’s car. She suspected that was why he turned on the radio to a station already playing nonstop holiday music.
“I left my tablet inside,” she said after he parked next to her car. “I’ll just run in and get it.”
“I need to collect a few things, too. I’ll walk you in.”
She’d left the Christmas lights on when they’d gone out, so they were greeted by the cheery glow of the tiny white bulbs on the tree and garlands, an unnecessary reminder of the upcoming festivities. She glanced at Scott. It was all too easy to imagine herself walking into her cousin’s party with him at her side. Her sister, especially, would be stunned to see Tess with her handsome, socially prominent boss.
Was that really a good enough reason to risk upsetting the solid working relationship they’d built between them during the past six years?
Needing a distraction, she glanced around the reception area and noticed a strand of garland had slipped from the light fixture behind the desk. She rose on tiptoes to fix it, but Scott stepped up to help her, reaching over her head to secure the end into the cluster of greenery and glitter.
“Thanks,” she said, smiling automatically up at him.
Her smile faded when their gazes met and she realized just how close he stood to her. So close she could almost feel the warmth and energy radiating from him. So close she could see the sudden heat reflected in his dark blue eyes. It was a look she’d never seen there before during all the times they’d been alone in the office together, all the late nights and long weekends and holidays when they’d given up personal time to work toward the mutual goal of making the business successful and profitable.
He took a half step nearer, so that they were almost but not quite touching. His voice sounded deeper than usual when he said, “We’ve agreed that come Monday this conversation never happened, if that’s the way you want to play it. With that caveat in mind, there’s one more experiment I think we should try to help you make up your mind.”
That was the only warning of his intention as he dipped his head down to hers. He stopped with his lips only a whisper away from hers. “Say the word and I’ll back away now,” he murmured, his warm breath brushing her skin. “Or we can satisfy our curiosity and give you just a little more to think about while you make your decision about my proposition.”
She couldn’t even argue about that “our curiosity” comment. He’d know she was fibbing if she denied that she’d ever wondered what it might be like to kiss him—a real kiss, this time, not an accidental brush of lips.
“This never happened?” she asked in a husky whisper, letting her hands rest against his broad chest.
His lips curved into a smile. “Totally your call.”
The temptation was too great. A chance to find out what it would be like to share a kiss with Scott without worrying about the consequences? Maybe it wouldn’t be quite as easy as he made it sound, but for once in her safe, responsible life, she gave in to a reckless impulse. It took only a shift of her weight to bring their lips together.
Maybe Scott had intended for it to be a quick meeting of lips, merely a sample taste of what could be—but it turned quickly into a kiss that made her knees go weak. He wrapped his arms around her and drew her more firmly into his embrace. Gripping his shirt, Tess tilted her head to provide better access for both of them, her lips parting and softening beneath his. Heat coursed between them, surging through her veins to sizzle in her pounding heart. She felt her toes curl in her shoes, the kiss affecting her literally from head to heel.
Her pulse raced frantically by the time they broke apart. For a moment Scott looked as disoriented as she felt, blinking as if to bring their surroundings into focus. It seemed that he, too, had been surprised by just how good the kiss had been.
Maybe they shouldn’t have conducted that particular experiment here at the office, she thought with belated qualms. She might never again stand in this particular spot without remembering how it felt to be held against that hard, strong body, their mouths fused, their hearts pounding together.
Maybe once all the Christmas decorations were put away, once the place looked normal and completely businesslike again, it would be easier to wave this off as a holiday anomaly.
Maybe.
Scott tugged at the unbuttoned collar of his shirt as if to loosen it, then glanced up at the garland they’d just straightened. With a slightly lopsided smile, he asked, “Did you tuck a sprig of mistletoe into that thing, by any chance?”
Clearing her throat, she tried to speak in the same light tone he’d used. “No mistletoe. Just a little fake balsam and holly.”
“The whole place looks great. You did a nice job decorating.” He scooted backward as he spoke, looking around the office as if suddenly fascinated by the holiday touches. Did he regret the kiss, or was he giving them both time to mentally process what had just happened between them? She couldn’t tell from his profile, and he wasn’t meeting her eyes.
She pushed back her hair and took a steadying breath. “I’d better go now. I have some things to do at home.”
After a moment, he turned to face her, his expression still inscrutable. “We’re okay?”
“We’re okay,” she assured him, touched by the hint of anxiety she thought she detected in his voice, though it didn’t show on his face.
“And you’ll think about the things I said?”
“Of course I will.” As if she’d have any other choice.
“You
