“You should show a little more caution in the future.” His eyebrows crept higher. “Next time you might be dealing with someone who isn’t so trustworthy.”
“You exude trustworthiness. And at the risk of sounding like a lawyer basher, I doubt you learned that skill in law school. Are you a former Eagle Scout?”
“No.”
“Boy Scout?”
“No.”
“Come on, fess up.” Perched on the desk above him, she leaned closer, as if to share a secret, and shot him a teasing smile. Her sweetly spiced scent filled his nose, eliciting sensual visions, and his heart began to work harder at her proximity, even as he fought to maintain a calm expression. “In your youth you helped little old ladies cross the street, right?” she said.
Hardly. He’d spent his younger years with a rebellious streak a mile wide. And he’d fought long and hard to subdue the genetic tendencies his sister and mother wielded without a care. But his carefree days were long gone.
Blake calmly asked, “Are you going to sign the agreement or not?”
Delicately arched eyebrows pinched together in amusement. “I’m just here to help Nikki with her daily activities and drive her around. What could possibly go wrong?”
Lips twisting wryly at her words, his mind filled with the possibilities. But it was only one that consumed his mind. He could slip up, get lost in the sexual fog that enveloped him every time she was near.
His voice grew rough at the thought. “A great many things could go wrong.”
The worst of which would involve touching this woman.
As she held his gaze, the amused glint in her eyes slowly faded, replaced by something else, and tension billowed thick around them. He had the distinct impression she was finally considering just how...wrong, for lack of a better word, this living arrangement could become.
Or perhaps his traitorous libido had finally made itself known to the woman.
Frowning, she nibbled at a corner of her mouth, and Blake’s eyes were drawn to the process before moving on to her partially parted lips. Pink, soft and infinitely kissable lips. Which ultimately proved his downfall.
Because when her amused smile returned, he knew she’d caught him staring.
Fantasizing.
Her tone of voice and her words gave her away. “Would you feel more at ease if we inserted a no-kissing clause?”
Instantly, desire flared. Incinerating his thoughts. And every cell in his body demanded he pull her head down and take that too-sassy mouth with his. The seconds passed agonizingly slow, blood surging as the internal battle raged.
Lust versus reason.
Need versus duty.
Selfish college frat kid versus responsible adult.
Sweat prickled along his hairline as Blake mentally built a case against the insane craving to pull her onto his lap and give in to the fierce urge. Most notably, he needed a woman who fit with his life. One who was predictable. Rational. Jax was clearly neither of these. So why was he still contemplating kissing her?
Annoyed at himself, he removed a pen from the brass container on his desk, holding it out to Jax. “That won’t be necessary. Let’s just make sure everything goes smoothly.”
After a moment’s consideration, she took the pen and dropped her attention to the contract, scrawling her signature along the bottom with a carelessness that matched the woman herself. For a moment, he was distracted by the glimpse of the lacy pink bra beneath her shirt. The gentle cleavage. A view that was cut off when she pushed off his desk and stood, tossing the pen next to the contract.
“If that’s all,” she said, “I’m rejoining Nikki at the pool.”
Relieved, he gave a curt nod. “I’ll find you when I’m ready to drive you to your car.”
His gazed lingered on the agile swing of her long legs and the gentle sway of her hips as she exited, and he tightened his grip on his pen...doubting the sanity of hiring Jax. Which was confirmed when he caught a glimpse of their employment contract, where, right after he’d listed the job description and duties, Jax had added a single line: No kissing allowed.
With a groan, he leaned back in his chair, trying to decide if he should feel relieved he’d just solved his Nikki problem. Or alarmed he’d created an even bigger one with Jax.