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Yet rather than being appalled, he silently applauded her bravado and her loyalty to her cousin. Her concern for her cousin’s professional reputation surprised him. Not many people would care or make such a big sacrifice—like taking on a job totally unsuitable—for family.
He should know. His parents had never altered their schedules for him a day in their self-absorbed lives.
“Well?”
Her smooth brow puckered and he wondered if her skin felt as velvety-soft as it looked. He’d fantasized about how she’d feel ever since that kiss at The Loft the other night, though in his dreams he didn’t just stop at feeling.
He imagined how she’d whisper his name as he caressed every inch of her body, how she’d moan as he tasted her, how she’d plead for more as she arched against him as he entered her…
“If you’re going to make me wait for your answer, I guess it’s not so bad if you look at me like that.”
Snapping back to attention he stared at her, the faint pink of her cheeks and the knowing smile playing about her lips telling him she knew exactly what kind of effect she had on him.
Damn it, he shouldn’t even be contemplating this. Taking her back meant more than just work and they both knew it. But he needed something in his life, a touch of exuberance, of excitement, something to make his blood fizz. The kind of thing that Beth had going on…in spades.
When she entered a room, everything seemed brighter. When she opened her mouth and dropped one of her typical gems, everything seemed funnier. And considering stepping into the CEO job for his father wasn’t quite as satisfying as he’d imagined; he needed a spark in his life and that spark was Beth Walker.
Knowing what he was about to do was absolute madness but desperate to get some of his old enthusiasm back, he said, “Fine, you can have your job back.”
One of her eyebrows formed a perfectly inverted V. “That’s it? I’ve got my job back?”
“That’s it.”
Though it wasn’t and he knew it. They both knew it.
There was no denying the chemistry between them any longer, especially as they’d both admitted it. And while he’d been a stickler in the past for not mixing business with pleasure, he now had no choice. He had to make an exception to his general rule, because his gut instincts screamed Beth Walker was worth it.
“Fantastic.” She clapped her hands and beamed, her signature dazzling smile hitting him like a punch to the gut, leaving him winded.
When she smiled at him like that, it wasn’t only sparks that shot through him but a cartload of fireworks, the whole damn exploding shebang.
“You’re the best, Professor.”
With her lips curved in a sassy smile, a cheeky glint in her sparkling eyes, and the lingering scent of peaches and vanilla clinging to his lapel where she’d grabbed him, he knew he was in way over his head. And loving it.
“Now that you’re reinstated, I have a job for you.”
“Name it.” She snapped her fingers, all bright-eyed enthusiasm.
“Actually, it’s not too arduous and doesn’t involve carrying around any encyclopaedias of knowledge.”
“Sounds like a piece of cake.”
Her gaze drifted longingly toward the front counter brimming with baked goods and he briefly wondered if she was as passionate about anything else as she was for desserts.
Damn, he had it bad. He knew this would happen. As soon as he’d acknowledged their attraction, he couldn’t stop thinking about getting physical with her.
Clearing his throat, he said, “It’s company policy that the head curator accompany the CEO to the yearly fundraiser for the museum. It’s a silent auction, pretty boring by all accounts, and seeing as your cousin can’t make it and you’re filling in for her tours, you’ll need to step up. Think you can handle it?”
“No worries.”
She sagged in relief and he chuckled.
“Let me guess. You thought I was going to ask you to clean Steggy.”
Her brows creased into a cute frown. “Steggy?”
“The stegosaurus skeleton in the entry foyer. You know, that pile of old bones you walk past every day?”
