Did I tell you that earlier?”
It had been so long since she’d been complimented on how she looked Kasey had no idea how to respond. When in doubt, and she was so in doubt, it was best to keep it simple.
“Thank you.”
Unnerved by the warm appreciation in his eyes Kasey looked down at her tangerine halter-neck dress skimming her curves. Her two-inch heels just took her past Aaron’s shoulder. He was a big man and his masculinity made her feel intensely feminine. Something else she was unfamiliar with.
“Happy New Year.”
Kasey murmured the words back as a haunting melody drifted from the ballroom onto the balcony and swirled around them. Aaron’s fingers touched her hip and Kasey felt heat pouring from him and burning through the thin fabric of her dress.
“Would you like to dance?” he asked, his deep voice raising goose bumps on her skin.
Aaron didn’t wait for her reply. His hand slid around to rest on her lower back and he curled his other hand around hers, lifting it to hold it against his chest. Kasey felt his lips on her temple and wondered why, even though they were dancing outside, there was no fresh air. He was so warm, so solid, she thought as they swayed in place. Then Aaron’s foot slid between hers and they were gliding across the empty balcony under the light of a Texas moon. The man sure could dance, Kasey mused as he spun her out and brought her back in, closer than before.
“You smell so good,” Aaron whispered into her hair.
Her mouth curved into a smile. “I’m glad you approve.”
Aaron pulled her hand up and raised her fingers to his mouth. His gentle kiss on the tips of her fingers sent heat skittering through her. “There’s much I approve of, Kasey, and we both know that I’m not talking about your résumé and your references.”
Kasey lifted her eyes to his face and saw his wry expression. She couldn’t help noticing the desire in his eyes. And in his pants.
Aaron flicked the end of her hair with his index finger. “Since your arrival I’ve spent far too much time thinking about whether you’d feel as good as you look or whether your hair is as soft as I thought.” He rubbed a strand of her shoulder-length hair between his fingers. “It is. And it’s a fascinating color... I can’t describe it. It’s brown but not, red but not.”
According to her stylist, her hair color was a rich, light auburn, but Michelle had always called it ginger spice. If all things were normal, if her best friend hadn’t slept with her husband, Michelle would be the person she’d confide in about dancing with this sexy guy under the midnight blue Texas winter sky.
Don’t think about her, them, the past!
Carpe diem, Monroe. Carpe diem...
Kasey laid her cheek on Aaron’s chest and swayed along with him. This is nice, she thought. She felt relaxed and comfortable, intensely aroused, and pretty. She hadn’t felt any of those things for a long time.
Aaron dropped her hand and his big arms pulled her closer. Every muscle in her body tensed as his hard length pushed into her stomach. Undeterred, he just gathered her against him, his hands flat against her lower back. “Relax, Kase, nothing is going to happen.”
Damn, Kasey thought. It was the start of a new year and she really wanted something magical to happen. She wanted to feel his mouth on hers, to see if he tasted as delicious as he looked. She wanted those big, warm hands skating across her skin, wanted his mouth on her breast, on her stomach, maybe lower. She sighed. She wanted to feel what Aaron-induced pleasure felt like.
Bottom line? She wanted him.
“What if I want something to happen?” Kasey blurted out the words. She considered taking them back and forced herself not to. Aaron was a grown man. If he didn’t want to get naked with her, he was adult enough to say so. But the action in his pants told her the thought had crossed his mind a time or two, as well.
This isn’t a good idea, her overcautious brain insisted. You want to work for him, you want to move to this festive town and to put some distance between you and your old life. Sleeping with your boss is not, on any planet or within any galaxy, a good idea. Besides, you’re still sad, a little broken, still bruised.Hopping into bed with Aaron, with anyone, wasn’t a good idea. Feeling the twin urges of defiance and recklessness, Kasey’s heart went to war with her head.
With Aaron, she didn’t feel like the discarded wife, the foolish, naïve friend. In his arms, she remembered the confident woman she used to be. She felt desired and alive.
And they hadn’t even got to the really good, rolling around naked, part yet.
Aaron put a little space between them. His expression turned contemplative, his eyes speculative. “What are you suggesting, Kasey?”
God, was he expecting her to draw him a picture? Suddenly feeling shy and out of her depth, Kasey placed her hands against his chest and tried to push him away, but he didn’t move an inch.
“No, don’t run away,” Aaron said, his deep, husky voice soothing her agitation. “I just want us to be clear on what we are doing here. I want you to work for me, Kasey, and I don’t want to lose you as an executive assistant because we want to scratch an itch.”
She wanted to take the job. She did. The enormous salary would allow her to rent that fairy-tale cottage she’d fallen in love with in downtown Royal and would pay for her shoe and book habit. She wouldn’t need to dip into her savings or the divorce settlement Dale agreed to pay for being a cheating douchebag dick. This job sounded interesting and challenging. But she really, really wanted to see what was under Aaron’s perfectly tailored suit and blindingly white shirt.
“That’s a sensible argument...” Kasey said, trailing off. Then she lifted her eyes to look into his. Be brave, Kasey, take a chance. Start off the new year with a bang. Metaphorically. And, maybe if the gods of good sex liked her, literally. “But on nights like these we aren’t supposed to be sensible.”
You’re making a mistake—remember you can’t trust your own judgment. You’ve made so many mistakes trusting men and people before.
Shut up, boring brain.
“One night, Kasey. A few hours to burn whatever we are feeling for each other out of our systems.” Aaron’s words echoed her thoughts. “I’m leaving for a skiing trip tomorrow and will only be back in Royal on the seventh. You can think about taking the job. If you do, this won’t happen again. Ever. We’ll be boss and employee.”
Boss and employee. Kasey leaned back, knowing he’d hold her as she forced herself to think. Difficult to do when she was so desperate to say “to hell with it” and feel.
But she was an adult and she had to walk into this situation, his arms and his bed, with her eyes wide open and her head on straight.
A week’s break would give them some time to clear their heads, to practice their “I’ve forgotten what you look like naked” attitude. They were adults, they could do this.
Kasey nibbled the inside of her cheek. She wanted to burn the memories of Dale away, to finally exorcise him from her life, and she wanted to do that with Aaron.
