He looked her up and down, then his eyes lingered on her bare legs and she saw his jaw clench.
‘Is it too short? It’s too short.’ She should have gone for the mid-calf green instead of the above-the-knee. Thoughtless under the circumstances. ‘I’ll ch—’
‘It’s not too short.’ He cleared the huskiness from his throat and a little of the tension eased from his features. ‘It’s fine just the way it is. You look lovely.’
‘Thanks. So do you. Well, not lovely exactly,’ she babbled on. ‘More smart, savvy businessman.’
‘I’m not sure how smart and savvy this businessman’s going to be this evening.’ Flicking off the TV with the remote, he crossed to her, curled hard fingers around her upper arms. ‘I didn’t play it too damn smart back there in the bathroom.’ His olive-green eyes turned to unreadable slate and he dropped his hold as if he’d been stung.
Her cheeks burned, sparks shot through her bloodstream. Her body was already clamouring for an encore of his sexpertise and he regretted it?
Jared clamped his jaw shut. She looked like a fantasy in that nude-coloured dress and black shoes. And if he stood here a microsecond longer looking into those molten amber eyes and knowing he was responsible for putting the heat in them, he’d lose his tenuous hold on control and his smart savvy business reputation really would be a memory. Turning away, he strode to the door. ‘Let’s go.’
The deal was in the bag. Jared already knew. The groundwork had been done over the past month and tonight was more of a social event.
Sophie was the perfect PA and partner. She involved Trent’s wife Tania in girl talk, leaving him free to discuss plans and possibilities with Trent, but was eerily able to switch to business when he needed her to. She’d obviously swotted up on the information over the weekend because she was conversant and up-to-date with the project.
It had been a terminally long dinner, but Trent was meeting them tomorrow to show them over the property and sign off on the deal.
But then their hosts wanted to show them a little local hospitality and it was on to the newest supper club to listen to the latest jazz/blues trio over a cheese and wine nightcap.
It was torture sitting so close to Sophie that he could smell the soap she’d used—the soap he’d used, actually—and not being able to touch her the way he wanted to. Not as a boss but as something more. For the short time they had before she left he wanted to know Sophie better. A lot better.
A couple of times their thighs had bumped beneath the table and their eyes connected—a brief clash of heat—before she shifted position and resumed conversation. With Tania, with Trent. Not him. Since this was business, his business, there was nothing he could do about it now, and she knew it. She was driving him mad. Payback, no doubt, for the way he’d left the situation hanging on their way out this evening when he’d dropped her arms as if she had some terminal infectious disease.
He had a few ideas for payback himself.
It was nearly midnight before they said their goodnights to the clients. The journey back to their accommodation took less than five minutes. During that time Sophie went into PA mode with tomorrow’s plans. A meeting at ten to discuss a new project, a couple of client follow-ups, signing the deal with Trent…
He knew it backwards; he’d given her the instructions for the damn schedule in the first place.
He pressed the remote and the security door rolled up, rolled down as he drove through and parked undercover at the side of the house. He killed the engine. Unclicked his seat belt with unnecessary force. ‘That’s enough.’ She stopped speaking immediately. ‘Your PA duties are over for the evening.’
‘Okay.’ She chewed on her lip a moment, then turned to face him, disengaged her own seat belt.
He couldn’t read her eyes in the dimness. ‘Sophie. Honey.’ He caressed the side of her face. Noticed his fingers all but trembled. ‘You misunderstood me earlier when I said what happened in the bathroom wasn’t a smart move.’
She tilted her head to one side, as if to say ‘go on’.
He caught her face between his hands. ‘If I’d touched you again I’d’ve had you on the floor with that dress up around your ears before you could blink and we’d never have made it to dinner.’
She gave a tiny gasp and her fingers worked at the neckline of her dress.
He shook his head. ‘If that sounded crude, I apologise. You’ve been driving me to distraction all evening. All week. I’m going crazy. Do you know how hard it’s been all evening? Watching you and not being able to touch you?’