Flirting With The Boss. Tina Beckett

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       CHAPTER NINE

      SOMETIME around dawn, Jace woke suddenly, aware he wasn’t alone in bed. And it wasn’t his bed. He blinked and raised his head from the pillow to find Lori beside him. He bit back a groan as images of last night came flooding into his mind.

      He’d come looking for her, afraid she’d been stranded in the freak storm. He found her all right, and had given in to temptation. They’d made love last night. Right now her sweet body pressed against his had him aching again.

      He lay his head back on the pillow. Why did she have to come into his life now? He didn’t have anything to offer her. Not a future anyway. He couldn’t let anyone distract him from getting custody of Cassie.

      Lori stirred, then rolled over and peered at him through the dim light. Her soft yellow hair was mussed, but definitely added to her sex appeal.

      “Hi,” she said in a husky voice that had him thinking about forgetting everything and getting lost in her once again.

      “Hi, yourself.”

      She pulled the sheet up to cover her breasts. “I guess this is what they call the awkward morning-after moment.”

      He knew Lori well enough to know that she wasn’t the type to jump into bed with just any man. That wasn’t the type he needed right now. “The last thing I want to do is make you feel uncomfortable,” he said, and leaned toward her. “It’s just us, Lori.”

      She glanced away shyly. “I haven’t had a relationship since college.”

      He found that made him happy. “That’s hard to believe.” He touched her face. “You’re a very beautiful woman, Lorelei Hutchinson.”

      “Thank you.” She glanced away. “I didn’t have time for a personal life. Gina and Zack needed me.”

      “I take it Gina’s ex has caused her and you a lot of trouble.”

      She nodded. “Sober Eric had a mean streak, but when drunk he was really scary. Even with his obvious abuse, it took a lot to convince Gina that the man would never change. Then one day he went after Zack and she finally realized how dangerous he was. That’s what it took for her to go to court and testify against him. After that Eric threatened to come after her.” Lori’s large eyes met his. “That’s why it was so hard for me to come to Destiny. When my father made the stipulation in the will about staying a year, I wasn’t sure if I could.”

      “I’m glad you did,” he told her, unable to stop touching her. His hand moved over her bare arm, her skin so soft.

      She looked surprised. “Is that because I rescued your project?”

      “No, it’s because you’re beautiful and generous.” He decided not to fight whatever was going on between them any longer. He leaned down and brushed his mouth over hers, enjoying that she eagerly opened for him. He drew back and added, “You’ve also taken time with Cassie. Before we moved here she didn’t have much female attention.”

      Lori wasn’t sure what she’d expected this morning, but not this. “It’s easy to be nice to her. Cassie’s a sweet girl.”

      “Hey, what about me?”

      She wrinkled her nose. “I wouldn’t call you sweet. Not your disposition anyway.”

      “Maybe I can change your mind.” He caressed her mouth again. “Is that any better?”

      “Fishing for a compliment?”

      He shifted against her. “How about we continue this without conversation?”

      Though Lori wanted the same thing, they needed to get home. “Shouldn’t we think about heading back?”

      “It’s barely dawn.” He started working his magic as his mouth moved upward along her jawline. “What’s your hurry?” His tongue circled her ear. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”

      She gasped, unable to fight the sensation. “No, it’s just that it’s …” She forgot what she wanted to say as his lips continued along her neck. “Don’t we need to leave?”

      He raised his head and she could see the desire in his eyes. “I want to do one thing right and it only involves the two of us.” He arched an eyebrow. “But if you’d rather go out in that cold weather and start digging out, I’ll do it. Your choice.”

      Lori knew what she wanted, all right. This man. But the fear was that she could never really have him. Last night and these few early hours might be all she would ever have. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his mouth down to hers. “I choose you.”

      Two hours later, Jace stood at the railing on the cabin porch, drinking coffee. The sun was bright, reflecting off the ten inches of snow covering the ground. The highways would be plowed by now, but not the private road that led to the cabin. He had four-wheel drive on his truck, so they could probably get out and make it to the main road. It better be sooner than later before he got in any deeper.

      He had no regrets being with Lori. Making love with her had been incredible. He’d never felt anything like it in his life. Even the best times during his marriage hadn’t come close to what he’d shared with Lori.

      In just the past three weeks, he’d come to care about this woman more than he had any business doing. But he had strong feelings for Lori and that scared the hell out of him.

      Worse, there was no guarantee and he couldn’t even offer her a future. He had no extra money. Hell, he needed to rebuild his business. He had to get things settled with the custody issue before he could have a personal life. The question was, would he be able to walk away from Lori? Did he want to?

      The front door opened and she stepped out. “I wondered where you went.”

      “Sorry.” He pulled up the collar on her coat and kissed her. “I was just figuring out if we can make it back to town.”

      “I wouldn’t mind getting stuck here a few more days,” she admitted. “It’s beautiful.”

      He wouldn’t mind pushing reality away for a little time with this woman. “That would be nice, but we both have jobs to do. Family to take care of.”

      “Oh, gosh. Gina. I bet she’s going crazy with worry.”

      “Tim called her last night.”

      “She’ll still worry, and be afraid.”

      Jace wondered who worried about Lori. Seemed she took care of everyone else. “Gina and Zack have Wyatt McCray, Lori. He’ll protect them.”

      “I know,” she said with a smile.

      His heart began pounding in his СКАЧАТЬ