“But the ultrarich guy fighting for justice is more Batman than James Bond,” she said, struggling to mirror his coolly amused demeanor.
A quick flash of a sexy half grin graced his face, and Jax’s breath caught, her world tipping sideways.
“Except Batman was a vigilante operating outside of the law.” Clearly playing along, he crossed his arms, his dress shirt stretching across broad shoulders. “And for the record, I prefer the tux to tights.”
The planted image did nothing to right her still-spinning world as she pictured his muscular legs encased in formfitting fabric. And the thought of a man in tights should not be turning her on.
“Interesting visual,” she murmured, her tone holding an embarrassingly husky quality.
Their eyes locked.
Time stretched.
And Jax struggled to shore up her body’s defenses against the attraction she’d just let slip. She could tell by the wary look in Blake’s eyes.
Big mistake, Jax. Big mistake.
Right now climbing into a car and riding across town with the man hardly seemed like a good idea. But without her vehicle, she was stuck in his house with no means of escape, even for a brief reprieve.
She swallowed hard and bit the proverbial bullet. “I was hoping you could give me a ride to the impound parking lot.”
He pressed his lips together, either biting back a smile or suppressing a groan of irritation. Jax wasn’t sure which would be worse.
“I’m free this afternoon,” he said, and she sighed, relieved that the car ride would be delayed. “I have some work to finish this morning. But first we need to discuss the terms of our employment agreement,” he added.
Her heart slipped to her belly.
Damn. And escape had been so near at hand.
When he headed toward the door, she sighed and followed him into the hallway, praying his office was as big as the living room. Because, as she’d learned in the limo, being confined in a small space with the lethally sexy Blake Bennington was an assault on her senses she was ill-equipped to deal with. All she wanted was to survive the contract negotiations without adding to her growing list of embarrassing moments.
But given her interactions with the exasperating hottie to date, she wasn’t holding out much hope.
* * *
Blake leaned back in his leather chair, elbows on the armrests, fingers steepled just beneath his chin. Fortunately, his monstrous desk separated him from Jax as she paced back and forth, reading through the contracts.
Sporting threadbare jeans and a Madonna T-shirt—did the woman own anything that didn’t have a face plastered on it?—she looked fresh and surprisingly at ease in his office of hunter-green and dark leather furniture. Her unruly hair had been whipped into submission, a long braid extending down her back, streaks of gold intertwined with the honey tones. At first glance he’d thought the restrained hairstyle would help control his growing appreciation for her looks.
But he’d been wrong. Because the graceful neck along with her loose-limbed, lissome body conjured images of her dance routine gone awry. And the reminder of her hips swinging to the Latino hip-hop song was hardly conducive to controlling his appreciation. Not to mention the husky voice radiating from the capricious female earlier in the living room. The voice that had broadcast that she wanted him, too...
A slow burn took up residence in his gut, heating him from the inside out. Ignoring his own desire was a lot harder now that he was certain it was returned.
Jax finished reading and halted beside his desk, her clear skin kissed by the sun and radiating health. Hazel eyes assessed him doubtfully as she set the contracts in front of him.
“Is this really necessary?” she said.
“It’s a fairly standard employment contract.”
She leaned her hands on his desk, which had the unfortunate effect of placing her breasts closer to eye level. “Seems like an awful lot of words just to say I’m hired, explain a few rules and list my hourly rate,” she said doubtfully.
Studiously ignoring the view, Blake reached for the document. “No one should enter into employment without laying out the terms of their agreement.”
Maintaining his businesslike demeanor was difficult enough after spending ten minutes admiring her features. And he wasn’t above admitting a few fantasies had been entertained by the sight.