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“Like Michael.”
He canted his head in acknowledgement. “Like Michael. But it’s also a hard and fast rule I follow. I don’t…date employees. It never ends well.”
“You know that from personal experience?”
“I’ve seen it first hand, and I’m currently in a somewhat precarious position with the board.”
More than a little curious, she wanted to press but held back. It wasn’t her place. And she’d heard the rumors about the board, specifically Richard Silverman, looking for excuses to demean him. Maybe she should rethink her future goal of being part of that group. She’d never been particularly great at politics, and there seemed to be a lot of that, at least here.
“Which leaves us with working together and trying to deny the attraction then.” As much as she wanted to peel back his layers—and clothing—this was the best for her career.
Again, he nodded.
She took a deep breath, stood up, and reached across the table. “Deal.”
He stared at her hand for a long moment, then reached out. As soon as they touched, the heat that suffused her almost made her want to change his mind, to grab onto him and convince him, no matter how bad the choice might seem intellectually. She even glanced at the table, envisioning laptops flying as they were swept away by overwhelming need.
His gaze followed hers, and he groaned. “Don’t even think about it.” He let go of her hand and sank back into his chair, mussing his perfect hair as he ran his hands through it.
Cupping her cheeks to cover the raging heat filling them, Rowan looked away to keep him from seeing. Was she that transparent that he’d figured out where her mind had gone? She sat down, too, trying to get a handle on everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. The intensity of this time with him threatened to overwhelm her. Her body craved what he offered, while her mind dealt her an emphatic no.
The same war was going on inside him, if what he’d told her was true. She believed him, especially after that kiss this morning. She raised her hand to her mouth, rubbing softly to revive the feeling.
“Don’t do that.”
She looked up, her hand frozen in place. He let out a painful sigh, then stood slowly, holding his coffee cup, not afraid for her to see his physical reaction to her. “I’m getting more coffee, then we can go over what we’ve come up with so far.”
She lowered her hand. “Good idea.” Safe ground.
He lifted his cup higher. “Want some?”
“Yes, but I doctor mine. I can get it, after I, umm—” She pointed toward the bathroom.
“No problem.”
She escaped to the bathroom and splashed water over her still-warm face. In the mirror, the woman who stared back at her looked like she’d just run a marathon, except her hair was down. When had she pulled the hairband out? She ran a hand over the long, curly strands she’d never been able to fully tame. Gerard had always been seen with sleek women. Straight-ironed hair or up in some slick do.
But he liked her curls?
Reaching for another hair tie, she pulled it back as well as she could.
And he liked her without makeup?
She grabbed her bag and applied a light coat of mascara and blush.
Anything that would be a hindrance. If he liked it, she needed to do the opposite. It was the only way she’d—they’d—get through this weekend.
Feeling fortified, she went to the kitchen, made a cup of coffee, and headed back to the table, where Gerard had moved to seat himself on the same side as her. She gulped.
“It’s the only way we can show what each of us has done.”
“Agreed,” she said. “But no kissing this time.”
Did his eyes darken for a quick moment before he covered it up? He chuckled. “I’ll try to keep my hands and lips to myself.”
This was not going to be easy. She settled into the chair next to him. For the next several hours, they managed to dive into the project and meld their ideas into a solid proposal. He’d even complimented her on the graphics.
“I was skeptical, but I see your vision now. The company group picture on the front and all the glimpses into family inside… You’re right. It’s a good approach. I think this will work well.”
