With a shrug, she scrambled to her feet to put books to rights quicker than he would’ve thought possible. Obviously she wanted to get out of there—and away from him—fast.
To make himself focus elsewhere, he swiveled on his heels to survey what she’d done. The section looked totally different. She’d reorganized the placement of the shelves in a circular pattern around a central reading area and grouped the books alphabetically under new headings. Now inspirational romances were far away from spicy, with a buffer of sweet to help them play nice. The glass tables sparkled, the wood shelves gleamed. The whole area invited a reader to curl up and daydream over a book, the vision he’d always had for the store.
“You have a real knack for this.”
She didn’t respond. When he turned back and saw she was still shelving, he realized she probably hadn’t heard him. The music was deafening. He tapped her shoulder and she jumped a foot, the movement sliding her glasses down her nose.
He smothered a smile. At least he wasn’t the only jumpy one.
“What is this?” he asked, waving a hand as she adjusted her glasses. “The music?”
“Oh. The Fugees. Lauryn Hill’s amazing.”
He didn’t argue with her assessment but he did link his fingers around one wrist weighed down with a chunky gold bracelet. “We’re alone?”
“Yes.” She gave him a small smile he couldn’t quite decipher. “No witnesses.”
Kelly’s mouth was soft and pink, an irresistible lure. He leaned down to nibble her lower lip, transfixed by the trepidation in her expression. Did he really affect her that much? She never seemed nervous about anything. He knew he should back away but he sank in deeper instead.
He tugged on one of her ponytails and drew her closer. Sliding his tongue between her lips, simulating what he wanted to do with his cock, made his balls draw tight to his body. Their tongues coiled in a sensual glide and their bodies lined up perfectly, her breasts mashing against his chest, the vee of her thighs cradling his growing erection.
She kissed him the way he felt—as if she were drowning and his air fed the last breath she’d take.
With effort, he smoothed his palm down her hip and eased away, just far enough to see her dazed eyes. His heart gave a hard bump but he didn’t kiss her again. It wasn’t fair to her. Hell, it wasn’t fair to him, not when he knew he couldn’t follow through on anything but orgasms.
You could, if you didn’t think so damn much.
“Was that a kiss hello or goodbye?”
“Hello.” His fingertips whisked over the smear of dust on her temple. “I missed you at the club.”
If she had any clue how much that admission cost him, she didn’t let on. Her gaze sharpened. “Did you find someone else to…entertain you in my absence?”
The smartest answer would be none at all. But he couldn’t let her believe the worst. “No.”
“Not even Nina?”
“Most definitely not Nina. My only company was a gin and tonic.”
“I tasted the gin.” She whipped her tongue over her lips and made him ache anew. “And the lime.”
He rubbed her cheekbone. Why couldn’t he stop touching her? Other than the very real possibility he’d considered that she wouldn’t ever allow him to touch her again. Not after the spectacular mess he’d made of last night. “So dusty books enticed you more than my body, hmm?”
“I wasn’t sure you’d be there. After last night, I wasn’t sure of anything.”
“I overreacted. You were just making jokes, teasing me like you always do and I took it too seriously.”
She slitted her eyes. “So you left me in bed because you didn’t think I was funny?”
“More like you picked a very sore subject.”
“Which one? Your age or the sleeping with the boss thing?”
He cleared his throat. “Let’s just say I’ve been involved in that sort of setup and I didn’t appreciate your take on it. How’s that?”
“Typically evasive, but I’d expect no more from you.” She took a definite step back, the loss of her warmth as abrupt as a slap.
“Look, Kelly, haven’t you ever done something you regretted and want to forget?”