‘No, Liss.’ Resisting the temptation to rub the back of his neck, he pushed out of his seat and grabbed a folder on his bookshelf. ‘That’s not it.’
‘I believe you.’ She pressed her lips together but the sparkle of humour in her eyes betrayed her. Rising up on tiptoe, she pecked his cheek and murmured, ‘Don’t work too hard. Or too late.’
Sophie stopped dead outside Jared’s door, a café latte in each hand. The sight of the petite but gorgeous Titian-haired female kissing his jaw had her stomach knotting in a strange way. So his almost-flirty conversation this morning had been her imagination. The imagination she’d told him she didn’t have.
Her imagination was working just fine now.
As she watched the redhead turn towards the door, Sophie’s inner turmoil grew. The girl must be at least a decade younger than him.
And Sophie could cast stones? Hadn’t Sophie been years younger than Glen? So young, too young. Too young to know the dangers of falling for the wrong type of man. All she’d wanted was an escape, to feel safe, to belong with someone. To matter. Instead, she’d jumped from one disaster into another.
Before Sophie could analyse her way out of the instant over-reaction, the girl caught sight of her and smiled. ‘Hi.’ Her aquamarine eyes sparked with feminine curiosity and friendly interest and Sophie couldn’t help but like her even though her stomach was tied in double knots.
‘I’m sorry,’ she murmured. ‘I’ll come back.’
Jared looked up, bright eyes finding hers. ‘No, it’s okay, come in. Melissa, this is Sophie.’
Sophie propelled herself towards Jared’s desk with a breathy kind of, ‘Hi.’
He leaned across and rescued the listing lattes from her stiff fingers. ‘Liss brought some fried rice by.’
‘That was kind.’ Ridiculously relieved for the second time today, Sophie smiled back, her gaze darting between the two but finding no resemblance. Charm and charisma obviously ran in the family, however. ‘Pleased to meet you, Melissa.’
‘Likewise.’ Her voice practically bounced with enthusiasm as she stepped back. ‘I’ll leave you two to get on with whatever…’ With a glance at her brother, she swung her bag onto her shoulder, then smiled at Sophie on her way out. ‘Get Jared to bring you over some time.’
‘Ah…hmm. Bye for now.’
Was there some sort of conspiracy going on? She could have reiterated that she was temping for the day, that they weren’t dating, but she’d been there, said that, this morning. Now hot, flustered and empty-handed, she made an abrupt about-turn as Melissa passed, murmuring, ‘I’ll just get those reports…’
When she reached her desk, she pressed both palms on its smooth cool surface and took a deep calming breath. Closed her eyes a moment and listened to the muted office sounds as the few staff still remaining closed down computers or chatted outside the elevator bank.
Why was everyone so interested in Jared’s social life? More incredible and disturbing were suggestions that she be involved. The fact that he shared a place with his sister surprised her. Surely a man like him would have his own apartment and want to do his own no-doubt-frequent ‘entertaining’ without a kid sister around, even if said sister was practically an adult?
Sophie didn’t care what Pam said, a man with that much sex appeal must have women falling over themselves to get his attention. Pam had meant the workplace, where he was by all accounts legendary for his strict workplace ethics.
And this was the workplace.
Ergo, anything remotely flirty or sexual was off-limits.
Their quick trip to Coolangatta this morning had been a time-out away from the office, Sophie reasoned, hence a little more relaxed. A teensy bit flirty even. But since they’d been back around mid-morning he’d certainly been all business, barely noticing her except to slide some paperwork across her desk to be mailed just before he disappeared around lunchtime for the rest of the day.
Satisfied—and relieved—that the next couple of hours would be no different, she’d lifted the documents and files she’d organised for the evening’s session off her desk and turned…to find Jared watching her from the doorway.
And looking anything but business.
The sun had set but the high-rise office was still bathed in the sky’s ruddy reflection, painting his skin a swarthy bronze, contrasting with his shirt, which glowed like a white-hot coal. Against the files, her fingers twitched with the itch to stroke his skin and discover if it was as warm and firm as it looked.
As it had felt in her dream.
Sophie inwardly moaned that if she hadn’t dreamt about him she wouldn’t be having these totally inappropriate thoughts. She prided herself on being a professional. She did not gaze at her boss as if she wanted to lick her way up the side of his throat, over his prominent Adam’s apple, along his firm afternoon-shadowed jaw to that luscious-looking mouth…