‘Apparently we’re free to leave after the keynote is finished,’ he continued. ‘Before that, though, there is a bit of mingling to be done.’
It wasn’t the mingling she was worried about. ‘I...I...’
Have an appointment with a tub of ice cream? Have to wash my hair? Do my nails?
‘You what?’ he asked, nonchalantly leaning against the side of her desk and piercing her with a dark look. ‘Can’t think of anything worse than spending an evening alone with me?’
‘I hardly call attending a business function an evening alone with you.’
‘I wouldn’t either. So why the look of dismay?’ His eyes raked over her face. ‘Disappointed that it’s not an evening alone, perhaps?’
The memory of what had happened between them a week ago, of how she had responded to him, lay hot and heavy between them.
‘Of course not.’ Her chin rose as she fought to slow her heartbeat. ‘But what if I already have a date for tonight?’
‘‘Then you’ll have to cancel it,’ he said so softly she knew it wasn’t a suggestion.
She wanted to tell him that if she really did have a date she’d do no such thing, but the look in his eyes stayed her. ‘Fine.’ She huffed out a breath. ‘Fortunately for you, I believe that work is more important than anything else anyway.’
‘Work is never more important than anything else,’ he said with such conviction she felt a little taken aback. ‘But regardless, this is a work function and your commitment to the firm is duly noted.’
‘Lucky me.’ She closed the law-review tome she’d been consulting earlier with a thud. ‘Which hotel is the conference being held at? I can meet you there.’
‘No need.’ He straightened away from her desk, his eyes cool. ‘I’ve ordered a car.’
Stuck in the back of a car with Sam Ventura during rush-hour traffic...
‘Terrific,’ she said with a wide smile.
* * *
Sam tuned out the keynote speaker’s lengthy address and tuned into the blonde sitting beside him. Not hard when his body was already so aware of her it ached.
While he’d been interstate the previous day he’d decided to ignore the searing attraction between the two of them. He’d already witnessed her turning the other way in the corridor when she saw him coming more than once and it annoyed the hell out of him. What did she think he was going to do? Throw her over his shoulder and drag her into the nearest office to ravish her? He’d already told her that he never mixed business with pleasure and it was a code he’d never broken.
Before.
A moody scowl twisted his lips. The truth was, he still wanted her badly and he didn’t care about the fact that she worked for him. He didn’t care about anything other than taking her and watching her shatter in his arms again until the only name she could form on her well-sated lips was his. It wasn’t a desire that made sense, given the strength of it, but it wasn’t one he seemed able to fight either.
Much to his consternation.
The whole idea of being led around by his passions was anathema to him. Yes, he went after things he desired, and yes, he was usually successful in achieving them, but he wasn’t a risk-taker like Tino, or a win-at-all-costs guy like Dante. He was the easy-going brother. The one least likely to feel deeply about anything or anyone.
Except when it came to Ruby Clarkson.
He took a healthy swallow of the cabernet sauvignon in his glass, easing out a slow breath. The woman was turning out to be a conundrum, and ignoring the stunning attraction between them only seemed to drive his need for her even higher. Would one more night together resolve that? One more night on his terms to work this crazy attraction out of his system. He didn’t know, but his body liked that idea a whole lot more than it did avoidance.
He noticed Missy Lawson, the chairman’s newly divorced daughter, bearing down on him and glanced at Ruby. She had her hair loose, the shiny golden strands like twin curtains framing her perfect face, her black dress, long enough to be demure in the office, short enough that it showed off her sensational legs. It made a man think about setting his fingers to the zipper at the back and sliding it slowly downward.