“It is,” I agreed, but my mind was whirling with this new information. So maybe Abby wasn’t quite as uninterested in me as I had thought she was. Was she attracted to me? Or just attracted to the idea of me, that picture that the tabloids created?
She didn’t seem to put much stock in what the paparazzi said about me, though. Maybe, somehow, she liked me for the guy I really was? And maybe all her cool disinterest in me was nothing more than an attempt to stay strictly professional.
Which was something that I, too, should be doing. I couldn’t touch her. She was my employee, and not only that, but she was a damned good advisor. I didn’t want to risk losing her. Especially not over something like that.
Still, I couldn’t help but smile at her. “Thank you,” I said gently, reaching out to brush my fingertips lightly across the back of her wrist.
She looked up at me in surprise. “For what?” she asked.
“For not thinking that I was just an arrogant playboy,” I said, shrugging at her. “For sticking with me even in spite of your brother and everyone else cautioning you that you should find a better boss than me.”
Abby shook her head, and that same emotion was back in her eyes for another brief instant. What was she thinking? If only I knew. Abruptly, though, she cleared her throat, looking meaningfully toward my desk. “I guess we should start looking at those documents if we’re going to be ready by nine,” she reminded me.
“Right,” I said, taking a step away from her as I realized how close we were standing, alone there in my office. I walked quickly toward my desk, putting the piece of furniture between us so that my body couldn’t betray my real feelings.
She had defended me to her brother. She had told him that I wasn’t just some playboy who had hired her because I wanted to sleep with her. I’d better start acting like it.
Chapter 14
Abby
I WATCHED AS DANIEL moved across his office as though he couldn’t get enough space between us. He awkwardly shuffled some of his papers, carefully not making eye contact with me. But it was as though with that simple, light touch on the back of my wrist, the sexual tension between the two of us had reached a crescendo. I slowly walked around toward him, noticing how dark his eyes got.
It should have made me uncomfortable. I shouldn’t be trying to sleep with Daniel of all people. He was my boss. Not only that, but as Matt and Leanne had cautioned me, he had a reputation for being a total player. A one-night stand with him was nothing I wanted to get involved with.
And yet.
That light touch on the back of my wrist hadn’t made me feel uncomfortable. Instead, it had only left me wanting more. Once, I would have thought that maybe he didn’t find me attractive enough to kiss. But now, from the uncomfortable look on his face, I could tell that it was just the opposite. Oh, he definitely found me attractive. He was just as nervous about this as I was.
Wasn’t that interesting, for someone with as much experience as he had with women? But then again, I was pretty sure I was right, that he had never slept with one of his employees before. Surely that would have made the tabloids. Surely I would have heard about it if so.
Not because I followed the tabloids that closely. Bu
t it would have shown up when Matt and Leanne were looking into the guy, and they would have had something to say to me about it. Right?
As I walked closer to Daniel, I could see his hands twitch at his sides, like he wanted to reach for me but was trying to hold himself back. I gave him time to back away, though, and he didn’t. It was like we were hanging there, caught in some strange suspense, each wondering what the other person was thinking, what they were planning on doing.
I wanted him to kiss me, I realized. I wanted him to pull me close to him, so that my body was pressed against his. I wanted him to bend down and press his lips against mine.
Why, though? Why was I so desperate for him to take this further? I knew, logically, that it was a terrible idea. That the last thing I needed was to start something like that with my boss. I just wasn’t the type of woman to have one-night stands, and I definitely wasn’t about to screw up my future over a guy like Daniel. I didn’t need to compromise my professionality.
And yet, I still couldn’t seem to pull away from him. I was well inside his personal space, my eyes locked on his lips for a long moment. I hadn’t felt desire this intense in ages. Maybe ever.
My eyes flickered up to meet Daniel’s, and I saw he was staring at my lips in turn. I bit my lower lip uncertainly, and I could hear his sharp intake of breath. Everything froze for just a second. Then, he made a quiet noise of determination and stepped closer to me, bending down and kissing me hard.
That first kiss was over almost as quickly as it had started, just a quick press of his lips against mine. Then, he pulled back, looking down into my face, as though he wasn’t sure whether I really wanted this. Whatever he saw in my eyes, though, must have convinced him otherwise.
He cupped my cheek in his warm palm, running his thumb along my jawline, and then he was kissing me again. This kiss was gentler, more sensual, his lips moving against mine, slowly drawing my mouth open so that his tongue could slip inside. There was heat to it, despite the tenderness of his touch, heat that made my skin feel as though it were on fire. I shivered and pressed closer to him. In the process of moving my feet, I stubbed my toe against one wheel of his office chair, tripping and falling heavily against him with a muttered curse.
Daniel caught me easily, but just like that, the moment was gone. We broke apart, both shocked and surprised. I couldn’t meet his eyes. I knew that I was the one who had started this. If I had just stayed on the other side of the office, let him keep that space between us, this never would have gone as far as it had.
He was my boss. Not only that, but we worked together every day. I wasn’t going to be able to forget that kiss we had just shared, but at the same time, I knew it could never happen again. It had been a mistake in the first place.
I took a hasty step back, but it was Daniel who apologized first. “I’m sorry for that,” he said, and when I chanced a glance up at his face, I saw that he was carefully avoiding eye contact with me.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I know that we can’t...do that.”
Daniel shook his head sharply. “I’m the one who overstepped,” he insisted. “I’m the one who kissed you.”