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Zara’s lids lowered a touch, from the alcohol or from the double meaning she’d taken from his words. Had he subconsciously said that just for her benefit? Maybe, maybe not, but he wasn’t sorry now that the words were out.
“This morning, when we...you know...”
“Had sex,” he finished when she trailed off. He had no clue where she was going with this, but he knew exactly what topic she was dancing around when she couldn’t even say the words.
“Yes. I didn’t handle that very well.” Her fingertip toyed with the binding running along the outer cushion; her eyes remained fixed on his, though, which only made her sexier, to realize that she wasn’t afraid to face this head-on.
“I don’t know,” he amended. “I think you handled the sex perfectly.”
A flirty smile spread across her lips. “I meant afterward. I’m not used to such a giving lover. I didn’t know how to react, and with you being my boss, I thought it was easiest to just ignore everything and try to pretend we were on the same level playing field as before we stripped out of our clothes.”
Braden didn’t say a word. The wine was apparently making her more chatty than usual, and now that she was discussing the proverbial elephant in the room, he wanted to know what she had to say.
“I guess I should’ve said thank you,” she added quickly. “Circumstances have us here together, and you could’ve been selfish, you could’ve totally ignored me after, but you didn’t. You were...”
“If you say nice I’m going to be angry.”
“Sweet.”
Braden groaned. “I would’ve rather been nice.”
He eyed her for another minute, more than aware of the crackling tension that had just been amped up in the past two minutes.
“I’m trying to thank you,” she went on, talking louder to drown out his mumble. “It’s refreshing to know there are guys like you out there.”
Guys like him? He wanted to laugh, he wanted to confess just how ruthless he truly was and he wanted her to never look for a man like him in the future. Yes, he’d been caring in bed; yes, he’d rescued a cat. Those were qualities any man should possess. Braden didn’t go above and beyond. For one thing, her pleasure brought him pleasure. Call it primal, territorial, whatever. When Zara had been turned on, that made him all chest-bumping, ego-inflated happy because he’d caused her arousal, her excitement.
“Does that mean you’re looking for a guy who will treat you right, and you’re done with the asshats you’ve been dating?” he asked.
“Maybe it means I want you to show me again how a woman should be treated.”
Braden froze. The bold statement slammed into him. Nothing much could catch him off guard, but this woman kept him on his toes.
“Your wine is talking,” he stated, attempting to blow it off, give her an out in case she hadn’t meant to say that aloud.
“Maybe so,” she admitted. “Or I’m just saying what I’ve been thinking all day. Every time I’d look at you or accidentally touch you, I’d think back to how amazing this morning was. Even though a relationship would be a huge mistake, I’m finding it rather difficult to stay over here while you’re in my bed.”
Had the heat cranked up more in here? Braden was sweating after that speech she just delivered.
Zara stretched out even more on the chaise and rolled on to her back, staring up at the ceiling as she continued to talk. “Wanting you isn’t new, though. You know what you look like. I’m sure women throw themselves at you all the time. I don’t want to be that typical, predictable woman.”
“Baby, you’re anything but typical and predictable.”
Her soft laugh wrapped him in warmth. “I’ll take that as a compliment and I like when you call me baby. But I meant that I wanted you when I first saw you, but this job had to take precedence and I refused to be so trite as to hit on my boss.”
Oh, he would’ve loved had she come into his office that first day and had her way with him. Before his fantasy carried him away too much, Braden concentrated on her as she continued.
“Then I was mortified you had to see that whole incident with Shane, but when you and I were dancing, I wasn’t thinking about Shane. I was thinking how great you smelled, powerful and manly.”
Braden smiled into the dim light. She would be so embarrassed tomorrow when she woke and realized all she’d verbally spewed out tonight. But there was no way in hell he was stopping her.
