Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 104185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
“It’s work stuff,” he said. “Our website is down.” He signaled to the bartender he’d like another. “There’s a licensing form our customers are supposed to have completed by the eighth. Which, you know, is tomorrow.”
Technically today, but I kept the comment to myself.
“I’m not IT,” he added. “There’s nothing I can do about it.”
I stayed quiet, watching as the bartender prepared the new drink.
Seth must have felt the same tension I did, but he pressed on. “So . . . did I mention your dress is pretty?”
I smiled again. “Do you do that often?” I asked. “Speak at conferences?”
“Yeah, about every other month. We’ve got a new storage tank safety system for anhydrous ammonia that’s revolutionary.”
I could only imagine the face I made. I hadn’t a clue what he was talking about.
“It’s got all sorts of new features and capabilities,” he continued, “like an auto shut off valve, and how talking about it will make you seem like the most boring person in the world.” He pressed his glass to his lips, drank a swallow’s worth, and then blew out a breath. “This guy’s giving me my money’s worth. My Manhattan’s almost undrinkable.”
His phone on the bar top vibrated again, and relief filled his expression when he checked the screen.
“Crisis averted. The site’s already back up.” He slipped his phone into his jacket pocket. “So, what do you do for fun?”
I blinked. “I, um, enjoy reading.”
“Yeah? What kind of books?”
“Romance.”
It didn’t elicit the response I was used to receiving. There was no judgmental look or sly smile or question if I was reading smut. He simply nodded, and his gaze drifted back to the television.
His voice abruptly fell to a hush. “Can I tell you a secret?”
I swallowed thickly. “Sure.”
“I’m not so good at the ‘getting to know you’ conversations.”
I laughed lightly. “I don’t know, you seem fine to me. But please know, that’s coming from someone who is absolutely terrible at small talk.”
His expression was playful and dubious, like he couldn’t disagree more. He tilted his head a slight degree, as if considering something. Then the decision was made and he moved, closing the gap between us so he could set a hand on the small of my back.
I broke the gaze first, surprised and bashful. The mesh made it feel like I was wearing nothing at all, and his warm hand touched my skin in an intimate way. He lowered in, so his mouth was near my ear.
“What do you suggest we do about this, Laurel?” His voice was hushed and like velvet.
I went wooden. How had his hitting on me gone from zero to sixty in less than two seconds? It set off an alarm in my head.
“Uh, I . . . don’t know.” It was an honest answer at least, but it came out breathless and timid and I wished it had been something strong.
“Neither of us is good at this.” He grinned. “I say we skip it.”
“And do what instead?”
“Hey, it’s late and it’s been a long day. Maybe you want to go upstairs,” his voice dripped with innuendo, “and lie down.”
I sucked in a sharp breath, reeling. Too fast, and way too much.
“Thank you for the drink,” I blurted as I abandoned him at the bar.
I’d expected he’d have to close out his tab, and that would help me make my getaway, but I was only a few yards from the elevator when I noticed hurried footsteps. I glanced over my shoulder—
He was chasing after me, a wicked grin smeared on his face.
2
LAUREL
Seth didn’t speak until the elevator doors closed, sealing us in together. He stood closer this time. To the casual observer we might have appeared to be a couple. They probably wouldn’t have noticed how rapidly I was breathing or know how fast my heart raced.
“I’m sorry if I came on too strong,” he said.
The air around us was thick and suffocating.
“It’s fine,” I lied.
As we reached our floor, his hand again settled in the hollow of my back, and he used it to guide me through the doors like he was a gentleman. But his touch made me flinch, and the look he gave me now said he was anything but a gentleman.
It was a thousand doors to the end of the hall. I made it three-fourths of the way before he curled his fingers around my wrist.
“What’s the hurry, darling?”
Because I’d practically sprinted to get away from him. His grip forced me to turn and gaze up at him. His expression was devilish. Indecent. It hinted at the things he wanted to do to me . . . and that?
It made my heart jerk to a stop.
He didn’t seem to notice. He slid his free hand up to cradle my face and pulled me in until he could seal his lips over mine.