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“Thanks.”
His gaze went over her body before he replied. “You resemble your mom, but to tell the truth, you’re prettier.”
She didn’t know what to say to that, so she stayed silent. As he moved closer, her body temperature spiked. “Why only the one picture of your parents?”
“My dad died six years ago, he had a heart attack. My mother and I don’t speak.”
“I’m sorry.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’m not terribly close with either of my parents. They’re both workaholics. I don’t think having a child was part of their plan. I learned long ago to stay out of their way.”
Her heart went out to him. She, better than anyone, understood the need for a parent’s love. “My dad and I were close; he was very loving. Mom always had a rather depressing outlook on life though. I never quite lived up to her expectations.”
His gaze held a wealth of emotion as he stared down at her. “Her loss.”
Lydia shrugged. “Surely you didn’t come here to talk about my parents.”
A muscle in his jaw twitched. “No, I wanted to know if you were serious about coming back to work.”
“Yes. I’m sorry for storming out the way I did. I’m just feeling stressed.”
“It’s my fault.” He reached out and stroked her cheek. Lydia had to bite her lip to keep herself from leaning into his touch. “You work too hard, Lydia.”
“It’s a high-stress job.” She cleared her suddenly dry throat. “More vacation time would be helpful.”
“I agree. I’m sorry for not thinking of it sooner,” he murmured.
“Is that all you wanted, Mr. Gentry?”
“No,” he whispered as his fingers continued to caress her cheek. Lydia had never felt so turned on by a mere touch. “I wanted to ask you something. And I want you to be honest with me.”
“I’m always honest with you,” she said, unable to contain the desire coursing through her.
“Are you attracted to me, Lydia?”
Lydia put her hand against his chest in attempt to push him away. He didn’t budge and she suddenly became pleasantly distracted by the hard body beneath her fingers. “You’re my boss,” she squeaked. “This isn’t appropriate.”
When he dropped his hand and stepped back, giving her distance, Lydia knew she should be grateful he wasn’t going to push her, but she already missed the connection.
“I know,” he growled. “I shouldn’t even be here. Staying away didn’t seem like a good idea either though. I’ve tried that and it hasn’t worked out so well.”
Lydia recognized his disgruntled tone, but she couldn’t allow him to breach her defenses. It would be way too easy to lose herself in a man like Dane. “I don’t know what you want from me.”
He shoved his fingers through his hair, a scowl marring his handsome features. “I want to know the truth. I want to know that I’m not the only one fighting an attraction here.”
Lydia looked down at the floor and took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. She should tell him to leave. Keep things professional. She should never let him see how vulnerable she could be to him. “Please,” she groaned.
He stepped forward and cupped her chin, forcing her to look at him. “I’m not going to push for more just because you admit you’re attracted to me, sweetheart. Just put me out of my misery. I’m begging here.”
The sincerity in his chocolate brown gaze tore at the last threads of her defenses. “I call you Mr. Gentry because it reminds me that you’re my boss and I shouldn’t let my feelings get in the way of work,” she admitted.
Dane smiled and leaned down, placing a gentle kiss to her forehead. “And how’s that working for you?”
“Not well,” she muttered as she pushed her glasses higher on her nose.
He chuckled. “It doesn’t seem to matter how hard I try, Lydia, I still can’t seem to stop thinking about you.”
Lydia couldn’t believe her ears. Surely she was dreaming. “You think about me?”
He dropped his hand and stepped backward. “If I told you I’ve fantasized about you, would it shock you?”
