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That was when he fully realized she couldn’t resist him. And he wasn’t going to let her try.
He crossed to where she stood and murmured, “Fine. Skip the apron.”
Maxi laughed softly, her eyes sparkling. “Mind out of the gutter, buddy. We still have work to do tonight.” She grabbed her laptop bag and took it back to her desk. She packed up her documents and computer, then said, “I’ll meet you in the reception area.”
He headed to his own office to collect his overcoat and work-related items. Then met up with Maxi. As they took the elevator to the underground garage, she gave him her home address and the general directions to her condo.
“Bring your laptop with you,” she reminded him. “Lots to do.”
Ryan didn’t balk.
They were spending twelve to fourteen hours a day together. Immersed in corporate minutiae, sure. But with every second that slipped by, they were both learning so much about each other. How they each responded to certain situations. How they each related in similar ways during crises. How they gelled mentally on some initiatives and challenged each other on others.
He left the parking garage and traveled to her condo complex, stopping along the way to pop into a grocery store for a box of condoms and a bottle of wine. Then he continued on to her place. Eager about what he might discover there…
* * *
Maxi buzzed Ryan into her building and greeted him at the door in a black satin bra, boy-shorts, and black leather thigh-high boots.
“Holy shit,” he muttered as he took her in, his jaw falling slack.
She smiled deviously. “Turns out, I’m not the all-work-and-no-play type.”
“And here I was, prepared to do whatever necessary to convince you of it.”
Her head inclined to the side, and she confessed, “I actually wanted you to talk me into all of this. But that’s taking the easy way out, isn’t it?”
“I can’t say I know for sure,” he admitted. “This is all pretty new to me.”
“Surprisingly, to me, too.”
Yet since Monday, she’d been regretting her decision for them to back-burner their scorching affair. Every time he’d cornered her at the office, she’d realized that he regretted it as well. And continued to pursue her. Which made her even hotter.
So maybe it wouldn’t be the end of the world if they gave their spontaneous romance a shot.
Hell, it’d worked out smashingly for Lola and Alex.
And things were progressing steadily at Staci Kay, so perhaps Maxi and Ryan really were capable of balancing a personal and professional relationship.
Because, honestly, Ryan was just too damn tempting to keep saying “no” to.
He grinned at this change in direction. Said, “Well, then, we’ll have to figure it out together. You therefore might appreciate these.” He reached into the pocket of his overcoat and pulled out a small plastic bag that he tossed toward her.
She caught it and inspected the contents, her smile widening. “A man who’s well equipped for anything. Nice.”
“And there’s wine.” He showed her the bottle.
“Good wine, even. Stag’s Leap cab. Very nice.”
Maxi stepped deeper into the foyer of her condo so that he could enter—and so that no one caught a glimpse of her, scantily clad, from the hallway.
As she closed and locked the door, Ryan set the wine on the sleek, glass-topped table in her entryway, which boasted a large dried floral arrangement she’d had custom-made when she’d moved in. A huge spray of jewel-toned flowers and foliage in a shimmery silver vase.
Ryan shrugged out of his overcoat and hung it on the rack in the corner.
“May as well take your suit jacket off as well,” she suggested with a coy look. “No need for the tie, either, unless you have the strong desire to bind my wrists. Then, by all means, keep it close at hand.”
Heat flashed in his eyes. He stripped off the jacket. Removed his tie and stuffed it into his pants pocket.
