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Authors: Karen Docter
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Bittersweet chocolate. She moaned. Reality was never this good.
Tess moaned again when she woke up and stared directly into turbulent, sea green eyes. “Sweet mercy, you’re real!”
Dragging her fingers from Dan’s hair, she scrambled off her office couch, her breasts heaving. With embarrassment. With unfulfilled desire. Her subconscious had a hell of a lot to answer for…as soon as it stopped laughing. “I’m sorry that I, that you—”
Staggered by the force of Tess’s passion, Dan rose from his kneeling position and spoke without thinking. “I’m not.”
Her tousled hair, mussed linen suit, and startled eyes caught at something deep inside him. Caught and yanked hard. He’d gently touched her shoulder to alert her to his presence, and she’s assaulted him with a knockout kiss that ripped an erotic path to his toes and back to places he dare not think about without a bedroom nearby.
Watching her walk in stocking feet behind the protection of her desk, he muttered. “I’m a firm believer in dessert after dinner. The sweeter, the better.”
Tess’s quick glance told him he should have spoken more quietly. “I didn’t mean to kiss you like that.”
A little devil tweaked Dan’s curiosity. “You didn’t mean to kiss me? Or you didn’t mean to kiss me like that?”
“I didn’t mean to kiss you at all! I was thinking of someone else.” Tess glared at her swivel chair, as if expecting to find it occupied, before she dropped into it. “What are you doing here, Dan?”
He wished he knew. The reminder about her lover, Anthony, was the slap in the face he needed. “We missed you at the restaurant.”
“Oh, no. I was supposed to—”
“ Attend A Touch of Silk & Satin ’s pre-opening dinner party.”
It irritated him he’d noticed her empty chair tonight. That his interest in the celebration waned once he realized she wasn’t going to show up. He’d spent the evening battling between an order to put her from his head and his need to check on her. Need won. The Tess he knew would never blow off a business dinner.
Whether he had a right to or not, he was concerned about her. If the shadows under her eyes were any indication she needed sleep a lot more than the meal she’d missed. “It’s after eleven, Tess. Why are you still here?”
She stiffened. “How’d you get in? I locked the office after everyone left.” Her brows descended in puzzlement. “Or was that last night?”
This woman needed a keeper. “The doors were not locked,” he said, his voice sharp. “Anybody could have barged in here to find you alone in these back offices.”
Tess bolted to her feet. “Nobody did, so stop yelling. If I need help, I’m perfectly capable of screaming.”
Walking around the desk, Dan blocked her exit. “The mall is empty, except for the four-man maintenance crew and one lone security officer.”
He drew close enough to feel the silky warmth radiating off her skin. His tone softened, but managed to sound more menacing. “Right now, those five big, strong men are having coffee together in the food court halfway across the mall. I saw them when I drove around here.
“So, scream. Let’s see how long it takes them to hear you.”
“Stop it, Dan.” She glared at him. “You don’t have to scare me to make your point.”
He clenched his fingers to prevent them from gathering her to him. He was afraid he’d never let her go again, and he’d already seriously overstepped the bounds of their relationship. “You should be scared,” he growled. “If I were your Anthony, I’d wring your pretty neck for taking such risks.” Then, he’d drag her off to bed where she could get some sleep...eventually.
Turning his back on the forbidden images that sentiment provoked, he walked back to the coffee table in front of the couch. When he returned, he set a Styrofoam container and matching cup on her desk. “The restaurant boxed up your prime rib. There’s chocolate cake in there, too. I
Tess moaned again when she woke up and stared directly into turbulent, sea green eyes. “Sweet mercy, you’re real!”
Dragging her fingers from Dan’s hair, she scrambled off her office couch, her breasts heaving. With embarrassment. With unfulfilled desire. Her subconscious had a hell of a lot to answer for…as soon as it stopped laughing. “I’m sorry that I, that you—”
Staggered by the force of Tess’s passion, Dan rose from his kneeling position and spoke without thinking. “I’m not.”
Her tousled hair, mussed linen suit, and startled eyes caught at something deep inside him. Caught and yanked hard. He’d gently touched her shoulder to alert her to his presence, and she’s assaulted him with a knockout kiss that ripped an erotic path to his toes and back to places he dare not think about without a bedroom nearby.
Watching her walk in stocking feet behind the protection of her desk, he muttered. “I’m a firm believer in dessert after dinner. The sweeter, the better.”
Tess’s quick glance told him he should have spoken more quietly. “I didn’t mean to kiss you like that.”
A little devil tweaked Dan’s curiosity. “You didn’t mean to kiss me? Or you didn’t mean to kiss me like that?”
“I didn’t mean to kiss you at all! I was thinking of someone else.” Tess glared at her swivel chair, as if expecting to find it occupied, before she dropped into it. “What are you doing here, Dan?”
He wished he knew. The reminder about her lover, Anthony, was the slap in the face he needed. “We missed you at the restaurant.”
“Oh, no. I was supposed to—”
“ Attend A Touch of Silk & Satin ’s pre-opening dinner party.”
It irritated him he’d noticed her empty chair tonight. That his interest in the celebration waned once he realized she wasn’t going to show up. He’d spent the evening battling between an order to put her from his head and his need to check on her. Need won. The Tess he knew would never blow off a business dinner.
Whether he had a right to or not, he was concerned about her. If the shadows under her eyes were any indication she needed sleep a lot more than the meal she’d missed. “It’s after eleven, Tess. Why are you still here?”
She stiffened. “How’d you get in? I locked the office after everyone left.” Her brows descended in puzzlement. “Or was that last night?”
This woman needed a keeper. “The doors were not locked,” he said, his voice sharp. “Anybody could have barged in here to find you alone in these back offices.”
Tess bolted to her feet. “Nobody did, so stop yelling. If I need help, I’m perfectly capable of screaming.”
Walking around the desk, Dan blocked her exit. “The mall is empty, except for the four-man maintenance crew and one lone security officer.”
He drew close enough to feel the silky warmth radiating off her skin. His tone softened, but managed to sound more menacing. “Right now, those five big, strong men are having coffee together in the food court halfway across the mall. I saw them when I drove around here.
“So, scream. Let’s see how long it takes them to hear you.”
“Stop it, Dan.” She glared at him. “You don’t have to scare me to make your point.”
He clenched his fingers to prevent them from gathering her to him. He was afraid he’d never let her go again, and he’d already seriously overstepped the bounds of their relationship. “You should be scared,” he growled. “If I were your Anthony, I’d wring your pretty neck for taking such risks.” Then, he’d drag her off to bed where she could get some sleep...eventually.
Turning his back on the forbidden images that sentiment provoked, he walked back to the coffee table in front of the couch. When he returned, he set a Styrofoam container and matching cup on her desk. “The restaurant boxed up your prime rib. There’s chocolate cake in there, too. I
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