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“Such a smooth talker.”
Damn it, she was getting the upper hand. “Let me try this again.” I lowered my voice and edged my mouth close to her ear as another couple took their seats directly behind us. “Our kiss was electric, Siena. You felt it too, right?”
Silence.
“Don’t deny what happened when I kissed you,” I whispered.
She quirked up an eyebrow. “Youdidn’t kiss me.Ikissedyou.”
“Same diff. I know you felt it.Youknow you felt it. I felt it too.” Was I babbling? I was babbling. It seemed like I was totally babbling.For fuck’s sake, Blaire. Get your shit together. You can do better than this.
“I’m not going to be another notch on your belt, Michael. Clearly, you have enough of those already.”
Michael Blaire, badass in the boardroom and in the bedroom, became a blathering idiot in the presence of Siena Moretti.I had to try to come back from this. “You’re not a notch, Siena. Jesus, c’mon. You know there’s something between us.”
“Like what?” She tilted her head. “Friendship?”
“There’s something more between us than beingjustfriends.”
“Yeah, but I feel like every time we turn around, we’re starting over again. We’re finally in a good place. Let’s not make a mess out of things. I don’t need any more complications right now. The other night was fun. But let’s just focus on dealing with the hotel, at least for the sake of my grandparents.”
“I agree. I don’t want to screw things up with you.” I was a bit disappointed, but I didn’t want to fuck this up by being more demanding or persistent than she seemed to want right now.
“We need to set some boundaries.”
“You really are a ballbuster, aren’t you?”
She laughed. “I can be.”
“Can be?” I needed to get us on the same page. I didn’t want her thinking I was just trying to use her for sex. It was more than that. I genuinely liked her. I respected her even. “Look”—I tried focusing—“you’re a headstrong woman. You’re not a pushover. You’re smart, dedicated. I—”
She cut me off. “Michael, I’m going to be honest. I’m attracted to you. But I have too much going on for me to think about things too deeply. I don’t want or need complicated right now.”
“I understand.”
“Good.” She looked at me directly in the eye. I could feel her sales pitch coming. “Let’s just deal with things as they come. Keep things casual and friendly. I can’t risk getting hurt, or starting something new right now, especially with someone like you.”
“What do you meansomeone like me?”
“Someone I’m in business with. Been there, done that. And learned my fucking lesson.”
I took a moment considering what she’d said. “All righty.”Fuck, not again!
She chuckled. “So, I think a no-strings-attached approach would work best. For me, at least. All righty?” she mocked, tilting her head playfully.
Wow. This was different. I was used to women trying to lock me down. Siena was turning the tables on me, using a page out of my own playbook. “So, you’re saying if we can agree on things—”
“Yes. Exactly.”
“Okay, you’re the boss. You set the rules.”
“It’s simple. No strings attached. Let’s just enjoy things as they come. But no confusing business withus. I won’t back down about the hotel.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to.”
“Good. I don’t want you to think that just because I’m attracted to you, I will stop fighting you about the designs. I still believe in what I said and what I want. What I think is best for Monarch. For my family.” Despite all of herkeep this casualtalk, I could still feel her pull to me.
“You can trust me, Siena. I hope you know that. And if you don’t know it yet, then I’ll prove it to you. I want the best things for you. I hope you believe me when I say that.” I leaned into her, a breath away. Her chest was rising and falling, her pupils dilated. I could see the temptation in her eyes. I wondered if she could feel mine. “But just know, I won’t back down either.”
