“And that’s a bad thing?”
“It is when you wager five thousand dollars and a night with me on the turn of a roulette wheel.”
“You could have said no.”
“I’m not the sort who backs down from a challenge.” He grazed her collarbone with his fingers. “But you know that, don’t you? In fact, you’d probably counted on it.”
“Are you accusing me of something?”
He followed her neckline to the start of her cleavage. There, he picked up the gold locket he’d seen her wear many times. The piece of jewelry had never fascinated him when it had rested against fabric. Against her skin…that was another thing entirely.
“You played me.”
“Hardly.”
“You knew the instant I walked into the bar that I wanted you and you took advantage.”
“Wait. Are you trying to tell me that I took advantage of you?” Her husky laugh made him mad with wanting. “Is that even possible?”
“It’s possible.”
Comprehension dawned in her eyes. “You want me.”
He reached between them and cupped her breast, kneading the round contours. “I think we’ve established that.” He eased his hips forward, letting her feel how much.
Her lashes fluttered and her breath hitched. He knew what would happen if he kissed her. They’d never make it to dinner, and he had two-dozen people converging on the restaurant at that very moment. This was his leadership summit. He was supposed to be playing host.
“And in your mind that’s bad because what keeps your world all nice and tidy is me, working as your assistant.” Her voice gained strength as she ferreted out all his secrets. “But you think I’m sexy.”
“Missy.”
She ignored his warning growl. “And you want to make love to me again.”
“We have dinner reservations.”
“The fact that you won’t let yourself must be what’s driving you crazy.” She fanned her hands across his abdomen, nails digging into his muscles. “I’m not driving you crazy. You’re driving yourself crazy.” Raising on tiptoe, she breathed in his ear. “Let yourself go, Sebastian.”
Yesterday at the pool she’d made it clear she wanted him. He sure as hell wanted her. Telling himself he was keeping his distance to restore their relationship to a professional level had kept him from acting on his desire for her. But she’d hinted last night that she was close to accepting a job offer.
Once she was gone out of his life, how long before he would no longer be tortured by the longing to skim her curves and spend hours drifting kisses over her skin?
“I can’t.” He pulled her hands away and pinned them to the wall. “People are waiting for us.”
“Typical.”
“What does that mean?”
“You always do the right thing. The thing everyone expects.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“It gets old pretty quick. I offered you a free pass for one night of uninhibited sex—sex without expectations of anything more—and it’s as if the whole thing made your world a bad place to be. You need to loosen up and learn to have fun or you’re going to miss out on all the wonderful things life has to offer.” She drew a deep breath and kept going. “Everybody at Case Consolidated Holdings lives in terror of not being completely perfect. Have you ever wondered why we’ve had so much staff turnover in the last year? It’s because working for you makes people crack up.”
Had she just called him a tyrant? “You’ve survived for four years. It can’t be that bad.”
“Survived?” She stared down her nose at him, a monumental feat, considering he towered over her by at least eight inches. “Do you think surviving a job is something I should be grateful for?”
Perhaps not. “What do you suggest I do?”