Read Online Midnight Under the Mistletoe by Sara Orwig - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Sara Orwig
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that still blazed. Her sudden kiss had shocked and electrified him. It had
been a spunky, devil-may-care, I’ll-show-you challenge that he would never have
expected from her. If he could have burned to cinders from a kiss, he would have
with that one. His reaction had definitely not been casual and she knew it. She
had more than proven her point. She had driven it home with a wrecking ball.
She had a backbone and he suspected she was as strong-willed as
he. Not his kind of woman in any manner except physically. She had been aghast
over his plans for a solitary Christmas. He would bet the ranch he hadn’t heard
the last on that one. She would want to take him home with her for Christmas.
The whole thing would be humorous and he could ignore it easily, except she was
getting to him in a manner he hadn’t thought possible. The hot kisses he had
labeled “casual” blasted his peaceful life with constant fantasies about holding
her and making love to her.
He wasn’t concentrating well on his work. It took real effort
to avoid eating lunch or dinner with her. He had offered this exercise time when
he should have left the office, worked out with only Nigel and let her continue
with her secretarial duties. Common sense said to either practice more
self-control or get rid of her.
His lusty body just wanted to seduce her.
Frustrated, he returned to working out.
At one point he paused, glancing over to see Emma running on
the treadmill. She was going at good clip, had an easy stride and looked as if
she had done this before. She looked fit and tempting. The T-shirt clung, the
blue darker where it was damp with perspiration. She had a sexy bounce as she
ran and her long legs were as shapely as he had imagined.
With a groan, he returned to his weights. When he stopped, she
had finished and had a towel around her neck as she stood talking to Nigel. He
smiled, glancing at Zach who waved Nigel away as a signal he was leaving the
gym. Since Zach was finished, Nigel headed for the door and, without a glance,
Emma followed close behind.
Zach hung behind. He hobbled out of the gym, wanting his foot
to heal so he could get back to normal. He went to shower, wrapping his foot in
a plastic boot and keeping it out of the shower to avoid getting it wet.
He constantly thought about taking her out when his foot healed
and taking her to bed even sooner. If he didn’t want to complicate his life,
that would not happen. She definitely would have her heart in an affair,
something he had always avoided. In spite of what he knew he should refrain from
doing, he could not keep from wanting to be with her and fantasizing about
it.
Heat climbed, erotic images of Emma in his arms tormenting him.
She was getting to him in ways no other woman ever had. So far, her resistance
had been almost nil until he offered to double her salary. He suspected they
both had acted impulsively. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing his excellent
secretary and to be truthful to himself, he just didn’t want her to go out of
his life yet. She hadn’t been able to resist because she was trying to save
money to finish her college courses. Had part of her wanted to stay because of
the attraction?
Out of the shower, he decided not to go back to the office. He
could work somewhere else in the house the rest of the day and keep space
between them.
He ate dinner alone as he had most nights of his adult life. He
had had affairs, but they had usually been brief, casual, on-and-off
relationships. His job added to his solitary life. Tonight, he was restless,
still drowning in thoughts of Emma. Finally, he had enough of his own company
and went to look for her, hoping she had not shut herself in her room for the
night.
But she had. He had to remember it was for the best.
Four
M onday, they returned to their regular work
routine. Late that day local meteorologists began to warn of a large, early
storm from the west predicted to reach Texas on Thursday or Friday. Each
been a spunky, devil-may-care, I’ll-show-you challenge that he would never have
expected from her. If he could have burned to cinders from a kiss, he would have
with that one. His reaction had definitely not been casual and she knew it. She
had more than proven her point. She had driven it home with a wrecking ball.
She had a backbone and he suspected she was as strong-willed as
he. Not his kind of woman in any manner except physically. She had been aghast
over his plans for a solitary Christmas. He would bet the ranch he hadn’t heard
the last on that one. She would want to take him home with her for Christmas.
The whole thing would be humorous and he could ignore it easily, except she was
getting to him in a manner he hadn’t thought possible. The hot kisses he had
labeled “casual” blasted his peaceful life with constant fantasies about holding
her and making love to her.
He wasn’t concentrating well on his work. It took real effort
to avoid eating lunch or dinner with her. He had offered this exercise time when
he should have left the office, worked out with only Nigel and let her continue
with her secretarial duties. Common sense said to either practice more
self-control or get rid of her.
His lusty body just wanted to seduce her.
Frustrated, he returned to working out.
At one point he paused, glancing over to see Emma running on
the treadmill. She was going at good clip, had an easy stride and looked as if
she had done this before. She looked fit and tempting. The T-shirt clung, the
blue darker where it was damp with perspiration. She had a sexy bounce as she
ran and her long legs were as shapely as he had imagined.
With a groan, he returned to his weights. When he stopped, she
had finished and had a towel around her neck as she stood talking to Nigel. He
smiled, glancing at Zach who waved Nigel away as a signal he was leaving the
gym. Since Zach was finished, Nigel headed for the door and, without a glance,
Emma followed close behind.
Zach hung behind. He hobbled out of the gym, wanting his foot
to heal so he could get back to normal. He went to shower, wrapping his foot in
a plastic boot and keeping it out of the shower to avoid getting it wet.
He constantly thought about taking her out when his foot healed
and taking her to bed even sooner. If he didn’t want to complicate his life,
that would not happen. She definitely would have her heart in an affair,
something he had always avoided. In spite of what he knew he should refrain from
doing, he could not keep from wanting to be with her and fantasizing about
it.
Heat climbed, erotic images of Emma in his arms tormenting him.
She was getting to him in ways no other woman ever had. So far, her resistance
had been almost nil until he offered to double her salary. He suspected they
both had acted impulsively. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing his excellent
secretary and to be truthful to himself, he just didn’t want her to go out of
his life yet. She hadn’t been able to resist because she was trying to save
money to finish her college courses. Had part of her wanted to stay because of
the attraction?
Out of the shower, he decided not to go back to the office. He
could work somewhere else in the house the rest of the day and keep space
between them.
He ate dinner alone as he had most nights of his adult life. He
had had affairs, but they had usually been brief, casual, on-and-off
relationships. His job added to his solitary life. Tonight, he was restless,
still drowning in thoughts of Emma. Finally, he had enough of his own company
and went to look for her, hoping she had not shut herself in her room for the
night.
But she had. He had to remember it was for the best.
Four
M onday, they returned to their regular work
routine. Late that day local meteorologists began to warn of a large, early
storm from the west predicted to reach Texas on Thursday or Friday. Each
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