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A multitude of emotions hit her. Guilt, panic, curiosity, need, lust.
Lust.
How could she feel lust for a man she hadn’t seen in years? And not just lust like “I’d like to do it with you,” but lust like “I’m going to rip off your clothes and have you, right here, right now.”
Crazy lust that consumed rational thought.
Oh, she was in so much trouble.
She stared into blue eyes identical to her son’s and shook her head, backing a few steps farther into Daniel’s office. “I should leave.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” He stepped toward her, all predatory male with his female quarry in sight, making her feel small and claustrophobic.
Why did he look at her that way? Like he wanted to kiss her? She’d been prepared for indifference or anger or just about anything other than his sexual interest.
That she’d never dared let herself consider.
“Why would you leave?” he asked, his long, lean frame dominating the room and drawing her gaze to how his scrubs outlined his broad chest and narrow hips. “You just got here.”
“I don’t think I can do this.” She fought to keep a businesslike façade, but knew under the circumstances it was a losing battle. In truth, she trembled on the inside and couldn’t decide if from fear or desire.
“This?” A dark blond brow arched.
She put her hand to her temple, realized what a tell-tale motion she’d made and dropped shaking fingers to her side. “Work with you.”
He shrugged, drawing emphasis to the muscles bunching beneath the short sleeves of his scrub top. “It’s just a week.”
Just a week? Ha. Look at what a mere hour had done.
Fifteen years’ worth of telling herself she didn’t need him, that she’d imagined how intensely he affected her, crumbled to leave her defenseless and exposed. How was she supposed to survive an entire week of forced proximity?
As it was, she’d likely spend the rest of her life trying to purge the image of Daniel, all testosterone-oozing grown man, from her mind. Trying to forget eighteen-year-old Daniel had been bad enough. The sexy specimen in front of her would require a full-blown case of amnesia.
“I’ll contact Cardico,” she thought out loud. “Tell them something has come up, that I’ve got to go home.”
“Home being Atlanta?”
Absently, she nodded, then paused. She shouldn’t tell him anything. What if he followed her? Found out about Ryan?
She was being silly. What reason would Daniel have to follow her?
Her blood hammered in her ears, making thinking difficult, but she assured herself she had no worries about Daniel following her. Not once in fifteen years had he shown any sign he regretted stepping out of her life. She may have been the one to end things, but he’d let her go without putting up a fight.
“Surely working with me for one week isn’t that bad? None of the other Cardico employees have had complaints.” He looked all too relaxed for him to have been the one surprised by their meeting. “You might recall that I’m quite adept at teaching you new things.”
How dare he bring that up? Probably as he’d intended, memories of Daniel teaching her body how to please and be pleased flooded her mind.
“Just think of all the things I can teach in a week,” he continued in a low, husky voice.
“I’m not a silly, easily seduced virgin anymore, Daniel. I’m a grown woman.”
His eyes raked over her, making her acutely aware of her grown-woman body. “Exactly.”
She took another step back and bumped into his desk.
Nowhere left to run.
She’d prepared for this, and yet he had her on the retreat. Had her brain foggy with need unlike any she’d ever known, not even for him.
