I sit up straight in the chair, not knowing what to expect. Then the door swings open, and all the color drains from my face. Gabriel Maddox is strolling into the office. Of course, it’s Gabriel. Why wouldn’t it be?
He has a heart-stopping smile on his face, no doubt in response to my gaping mouth. He’s wearing a perfectly tailored gray suit, one that somehow manages to make him look larger than I thought. He looks good. Better than I remember, but somehow I know I was trying to suppress that little detail. He moves lithely across the room, sitting down gracefully on the black leather sofa. Even the way he moves is sexy. A vision of him moving like that in bed flashes through my mind quickly before I make it disappear. I stand up and walk around the desk, clearing my throat in a desperate attempt to show my annoyance.
“I should have known this had your name written all over it,” I say dryly.
His eyes flit appreciatively over my body. He has that look again. The one that could literally melt me with its intensity.
“You look positively sinful in that dress, Victoria,” he murmurs huskily. “And don’t even get me started on what those glasses are doing to me.”
I feel my face flush. How can he talk to me like this? He is so blunt. Obviously, he’s a man who is used to getting what he wants. Well, not this time.
I cross my arms and give him a disinterested glance. “What do you want, Gabriel? Are you just going to keep hiring me for pointless projects to satisfy your bizarre infatuation with me?” I choke on the words as they come out of my mouth. I did not mean for them to sound so…. arrogant.
He laughs at my candor. “Why do you find it odd that I should be infatuated with you, Victoria?”
“Because…” I place my hands firmly on my hips. “I’m sure you have all sorts of women falling at your feet. It’s quite obvious to me that you’ve never heard the word no in your life. So why me? Is it the thrill of the chase? Because I can tell you that no matter what, it’s still only going to end one way.”
“And what way is that, Victoria?” he replies salaciously. “With me inside you?”
“Um,” I gulp. Yes, please. I shake my head. What the hell am I doing? Why does his talking to me that way turn me on? I need to get him out of here, quick.
“You know, for such a beautiful woman, you seem to have no idea of your effect on men.”
I ignore his last comment, trying to hold my ground. “I could just quit.”
“And disappoint Mr. Berger?” he asks playfully. “How do you even know that I had anything to do with this job? Perhaps it was just sheer coincidence that you were hired to work here, directly across from my building. And perhaps it was just a coincidence that my office happens to be one floor up from this one, and I just happened to notice you.”
I gasp as I spin around and look up. Oh my God. I can see his office from here. Why didn’t I see it before? That means he could see me this morning… in all of my book sniffing glory and everything.
“That is so…”
“Convenient?” he lifts his brow.
“I was thinking more along the lines of creepy.” I laugh jokingly.
His mouth draws into a hard line as he stands up and stalks across the room. He stops within an inch of my body, the heat radiating from him nearly melting my core. Good God this man can be intimidating. But I refuse to back down. I can do this. I can totally do this.
“I want you, Victoria,” he says brusquely. “Against my own will. So just tell me what I have to do to make it happen, then we can stop all these games.”
Against his own will? What the hell is that supposed to mean?
I feel a shiver run down my spine as he leans in closer, his hot breath caressing my skin. I want him too. But I can’t. This is a bad idea, all around. I have to stay strong. I close my eyes and catch the intoxicating scent of his cologne. Sweet and spicy. God the man smells even better than I remember.
“I… I.. Gabriel, it’s just,” I try to formulate a sentence. But the heady scent of his cologne and his close proximity are making it impossible to think.
And then abruptly he steps back, much to my disappointment. I was kind of enjoying our little standoff.