‘Of course.’ Relief was stamped into each breathless word. ‘How could I forget? It was a beautiful night.’
‘How’s the banker, by the way?’
‘Banker?’ A small frown notched between her brows. ‘Oh, you mean Chester. He’s a stockbroker.’
‘I didn’t ask what he was. I asked how he was.’
‘He’s good. I think he’s good. Anyway, moving on...’
Unbelievable, he thought with growing incredulity. She was not going to acknowledge Friday night at all. And that left him in a bit of a quandary because not only did he want to mention it, but he also wanted to repeat it.
Not a good idea, Samuel. You’re her boss now.
‘Maybe I’m not ready to move on,’ he found himself saying, regardless of what he’d just told himself. ‘Maybe I want to explore things some more?’
‘Explore things?’ He’d admire her poise more if that pulse at the base of her throat wasn’t fluttering like a trapped bird trying to get away from a hungry cat. ‘Why would you want to explore anything about Chester Harris?’
Sam shook his head and told himself to back off. Whether she knew he had been the one she had been urging to take her on Friday night or not didn’t matter. He had to let that go. Stop obsessing over it. If he wasn’t careful he’d make this whole thing more important than it needed to be and that should have been more than enough to cool his interest in her.
More than enough to stop him from wanting to slip beneath the polished, professional facade this woman wore as convincingly as she had worn the black lace mask on Friday night and find out if the fire that had burned so brightly between them was for him and him alone.
‘Don’t stop. Please, don’t stop.’
His jaw flexed. Because, as irrational as it might be, he wanted her to admit that she had known exactly who she had welcomed into her stunning body, and he wanted to have her there again. Hot and wet just for him.
But he couldn’t do that. She worked for him. Even more reason he should use his brain and let this thing between them die a natural death.
Which meant no more leading questions about what that kiss had meant to her two years ago, and no informing her that he knew she was the woman he had held against a wall and buried himself deep inside until he’d seen stars last Friday night.
Watching her now, he told himself to take a very large step backwards. His feelings—whatever they were—for Ruby Clarkson didn’t belong in the office. Or in his head.
He’d been back in the country for three days, he was hardly looking for any kind of relationship, and on top of that Miller would probably deliver his balls on a plate if he started something with her best friend, only to drop her a week later.
A best friend who looks like she would rather stick hot needles in her eyes than start something with you, Ventura.
‘Sam?’
Her confused voice broke into his thoughts. ‘What?’
She frowned across at him. ‘I asked if you agree with me.’
No, dammit, he didn’t agree with her. Especially when he’d been so lost in thought he hadn’t even heard her. ‘Agree with what?’ he barked, coming to a stop in front of her desk, his fingers digging into his hipbones.
‘That we should forget all past—’ she cleared her throat, moving a document from one side of her desk to the other ‘—interactions between us if we’re going to work together.’
When he didn’t immediately respond she lifted her gaze to his, one eyebrow raised in query as if they were discussing the merits of cucumber sandwiches. Her cool regard was like waving a red rag at a particularly irate bull and Sam ignored all his earlier good advice to himself to back off and went straight for her jugular. ‘Friday night,’ he said with a savage smile. ‘Did you enjoy yourself on Friday night?’
A swift tide of emotion darkened her eyes and then she blinked and it was gone. When she spoke her voice was as steady as an ocean liner, her brow puckered with just the right amount of confusion as to appear genuine. ‘Why would you ask me about Friday night?’
God, she would make a formidable opponent in court, he thought with unwilling admiration, his ego slightly mollified by the overactive pulse still thrumming at the base of her neck.