He didn’t seem to be in a hurry to look away either. The corner of his lip was still lifted, his head tilted to one side. He had such delicious lips when they weren’t twisted into a scowl. They held a hint of cruelty to them, but a fullness, too. And for a moment she wondered what they’d feel like on hers.
Focus, Becca.
Her eyes were feeling dry. Itchy. She had to clench her teeth in an effort not to be the first to blink. Her heart was racing, her legs squeezed together in an effort to ignore the warmth pooling deep inside her.
Why was she so attracted to this man? If he’d stood and pulled her over the desk right now she wouldn’t have protested. Just the thought of it made her breath catch.
Her eyes were as arid as the desert. It hurt not to blink. And damn Daniel Carter was still half-smirking at her with no effort at all. He was going to win.
She didn’t like that feeling at all.
“I want you to apply for the job.”
The words didn’t register at first. She was too busy blinking to take them in. But then her breath slowed and the rush of blood through her ears calmed down, enough for her to realize that he’d spoken.
And what he’d said.
“Are you okay?” The half-smile turned into a full smile as the other side of his mouth lifted. He was actually smiling at her. For the first time in two weeks. Becca gave a mental fist bump because it felt like she’d just won a gold medal.
“I’m fine.” Apart from the blood heating up her cheeks and the pulse between her thighs, that was. “I was just wondering why you want me to apply when your opinion of me is so low.”
The corner of his eyes crinkled. “Who says my opinion of you is low?”
“You said, and I quote, ‘my best isn’t good enough’.”
“Maybe I don’t think you’ve given us your best yet. And I only said you should apply for the job. Not that it’s yours.”
He was so damn irritating. Becca inhaled sharply and looked at him. This time she blinked slowly, letting him know she wasn’t starting another staring battle. She needed all her energy for talking. “So let me get this straight. You don’t think my best is good enough. You think I’m too young to be a lead distiller. And I’m too friendly with the staff and have a sweet tooth.” Irritation washed over her.
He lifted an eyebrow. “On the plus side you have a very good memory.”
“Thanks. I think. So why do you want me to apply for the job?”
“Because my mother asked me to give you a chance.”
“Do you always do everything your mother tells you to do?”
He laughed. “Are you asking if I’m a momma’s boy?”
She shrugged, even though she’d never met somebody less like a momma’s boy in her life. “I was just wondering.” She kept her voice nonchalant, even though it was taking a concerted effort not to show her surprise at his amusement. It was a game she was playing to win. “Because I’m not sure I want to work for a guy who takes all his direction from his mom.”
He was smiling now. As though he was enjoying the back and forth as much as she was. Becca knew it was dangerous. He was the boss, he owned the business, if she pissed him off she could lose her job.
But he didn’t look pissed off. He looked entertained.
In a weird and totally messed up way, she was, too.
“How about we agree that I want you to apply. Does that work for you?”
“What if I don’t want to?” She arched an eyebrow.
For the first time he looked disconcerted. It was subtle, of course. A blink. A shift of his hands. The wavering of his smile. “Don’t you want to?”
Of course she did. Even if it meant working closely with Mr. Hyde, because she still wasn’t sure there wasn’t a sweet Dr. Jekyll lurking beneath his pretty face. She loved her work. And she had a lot of ambition, even if people thought she was just a friendly, easy-going kind of woman.
The thought of being involved in this project made her skin tingle. Almost as much as the thought of working closely with Daniel Carter did.
“I’ll think about it.” She lifted her chin, her gaze steady.