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Her husky voice slammed into him with the same force as the teasing glint in those striking eyes the colour of dew-dampened moss, leaving him with the same floundering feeling he’d only experienced once before when a ton of sand had caved in on a site.
Now, like then, the breath squeezed from his lungs and he had no idea whether to struggle against the odds or give in to the inevitable.
For right at that moment, he knew he could struggle all he liked against the fierce attraction between them and he’d be powerless to stop it, just like he’d been unable to hold back that sand avalanche.
Ignoring her soft laughter, he shrugged into his jacket. “Come on, I’ll take you home.”
“I’ll take a cab but thanks for the offer.”
Her flirtatious smile would’ve tempted a saint, and considering the thoughts crowding his brain at the moment were far from heavenly, he needed to get out of here.
“Fine. I’ll wait while you call one. Let’s go.”
She laid a tentative hand on his arm and he jerked to a stop, staring at her hand like it was a cattle prod. It had the same effect, giving him an electrical zap when he least expected it.
“This has been a bit of a crazy day for me all-round and I’m sorry for overstepping the mark back there.” She ran her other hand through her hair and he yearned to do the same, to see if the luscious red-gold locks felt as silky as they looked. “I’m prone to doing impulsive things when I’m nervous.”
Leaning forward until their noses almost touched, he murmured, “Do I make you nervous?”
Her eyes widened ad she inhaled sharply, her tongue darting out to moisten that full bottom lip he’d gladly taste again, and he had his answer before she spoke.
Dropping her hand, she stepped back and he stifled a sigh of disappointment.
“This job is important to me so yeah, after you virtually put me on notice earlier, I guess I am nervous.”
There she went again, surprising him with that intriguing mix of bold bluntness combined with cautious hesitancy. He’d noticed how she’d changed the subject earlier, deftly switching the focus onto him, uncomfortable when he’d been delving into what made her tick, and he had the strangest feeling that her confidence was an act. Something—or someone—had put a susceptible chink in her sassy armor. What, or who, caused that vulnerable air that clung so delicately to her despite her bubbly façade?
He’d give anything to find out…but he wasn’t going there, remember?
“So that totally explains why I kissed you.” She gnawed on her bottom lip and clutched her bag tight. “Nerves.”
“Uh-huh,” he said, seeing the spark of desire in her eyes and not calling her on it.
There were more than nerves at play here.
She knew it.
He knew it.
“You’ll see. I’ll be back to my professional best tomorrow.”
His lips twitched at the memory of her ‘professional best’ earlier that day. “I look forward to seeing that,” he said, captivated by the earnest set of her mouth, the determined gleam in her eyes, and wanting more than anything to throw his business versus pleasure ideals out the window and haul her back into his arms.
“Good.” She tilted her chin up, her defiance as enchanting as the hint of timidity he glimpsed beneath.“Trust me, you won’t be disappointed. I’ll be the best damn tour guide you’ve ever seen.”
“I look forward to that.”
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only thing he looked forward to—just the thought of seeing her rock into the museum tomorrow was enough to put a spring in his step—and with a shake of his head, he propelled her out the door, determined to bundle her into a cab, head home, and lose himself in a mountain of boring paperwork.
Anything to take his mind off this intriguing woman and the memory of her scintillating kiss.
ChapterFive
Beth bounced into work the next day humming an old song about getting a party started under her breath.
A tad late, considering it had well and truly started last night around the time she’d lost her mind and kissed Aidan.
And wow, what a kiss. As far as kisses went on a scale of one to ten, it scored a massive eleven.
