The Boss's Marriage Plan (Proposals & Promises 2)
Slowly breaking the kiss, he lifted his head only a couple inches, his gaze sweeping her flushed face. Still nestled snugly in his arms, she was aware that he was breathing rapidly, that his eyes were dilated, his heart beating hard against hers. He was as aroused as she was, in control but reluctantly so.
She touched her fingertips to his jaw almost wonderingly. “Does this feel weird to you? Shouldn’t it feel strange?”
His lips curved upward. “Maybe it should. But it doesn’t. It feels...good. Right.”
“To me, too,” she confessed. “Maybe the strange part is that it doesn’t feel weird.”
He chuckled and set her a couple inches away from him. “I’m not quite sure how to unravel that statement, but I think I’d better go.”
She blinked. “You’re leaving?”
His voice was just a little rough when he nodded and said, “It’s either that or I’m going to start trying to get you out of that pretty red dress. I’m not sure we’re quite ready for that step yet.”
Though a surprisingly insistent part of her wanted to argue, rational discretion prevailed. She scooted back another couple inches and reached up with unsteady hands to smooth her hair. “You should go,” she agreed, pleased that her voice was reasonably normal. “We do have to work in the morning.”
She walked him to the door to lock up behind him. With a hand on the doorknob, she smiled up at him, giving in to an impertinent impulse. “Scott? For the record—you wouldn’t have to try very hard. With the dress, I mean.”
His eyes widened, then narrowed. “You’re determined to make me suffer tonight, aren’t you?”
She patted his cheek. “Just saying.”
His smile was decidedly lopsided. “So this is how it’s going to go, huh? You’re going to make me jump through a few hoops to prove myself worthy?”
Even though his amusement was obvious, she grew serious. “I know you’re teasing—as I was—but let me make this clear. I don’t play games. I don’t expect you to prove anything to me. Outside the office, we’re not boss and employee, but equals. Full partners. Yes?”
He matched her serious tone when he replied, “Absolutely. I’ve said from the start this has nothing to do with business. I expect you to speak your mind, state your wishes, read me the riot act when I deserve it, without fear of any professional repercussions.” And then he looked thoughtful. “Actually, that’s pretty much the way you act in the office, too. You’ve never been intimidated by me, have you?”
She thought fleetingly of that first interview so long ago, but merely smiled. “Not that I’d let you see.”
He chuckled, then leaned over to brush his lips lightly across hers. “And now you know why I’m convinced we make such a great team, inside the office and out. Thanks for the omelet, Tess. It was delicious.”
“You’re welcome. Good night, Scott.”
He hesitated for just a few moments longer and then gave a decisive nod and let himself out. Tess released a long breath and listened through the door as he walked away. Only when she could no longer hear him did she head for her bedroom to change out of the red dress and into her nightclothes. For the sake of her peace of mind, she made a deliberate effort not to imagine what it would have been like if Scott had been the one to remove the dress.
Chapter Six
As Tess had expected, no one seemed to find it newsworthy that she accompanied Scott to the Best Burger reception. It was their biggest regular client, and everyone knew she’d interacted frequently with representatives from the chain. Andy and Lana, their architect and cost estimator, had already left for the reception, so PCCI would be well represented.
The reception was drop-in and very informal. Tess had met most of the higher-ups in the fast food chain’s echelon at one time or another. Aware of her function as valued assistant to Scott, they welcomed her warmly to their base of operations. The owner of the chain even introduced her to a district manager as “the glue that held PCCI together.” Grinning, Scott said he couldn’t dispute that assessment. He stayed by her side during the hour they mingled, but she doubted anyone thought they were actually there as a couple rather than a work team. Still, as Scott had said, it was good for people to get accustomed to seeing them together in a variety of settings. They stood by the food table—laden, of course, with snacks available at any local Best Burger restaurant—chatting with a variety of local businesspeople, and when they thought they’d accomplished their purpose in coming, they made a gracious escape.
“That went well,” Scott proclaimed in his car on the way back to the office, sounding almost smug about it. “This whole dating thing is turning out just fine, wouldn’t you say?”
Tess laughed. “Scott, I refuse to ackn
owledge that as a date.”
He slanted a grin her way. “Was the Holiday Open Home a date?”
“More so.”
“How about the baby shopping trip followed by the barbecue dinner?”
“Less so.”
He chuckled. “So by your definition, we’re just barely in the honeymoon part of this relationship.”
Her heart gave a little jerk, though she didn’t know whether it was in response to the word honeymoon or relationship. Maybe it was something about the words used in combination. But because he was kidding, she chuckled and said, “Yes, I suppose.”