She bit her lip. He was doing it again. Enthusiastically barreling along without giving her much chance to respond. She knew how to break in, how to get his attention and make her point. Even if he didn’t agree, he always listened and respected her opinion—but she didn’t for the life of her know what she’d say if she stopped him just then. She was literally struck speechless.
After a moment, Scott grimaced and made a little sound that seemed self-chiding. “You’re completely gobsmacked by all this, aren’t you?”
“That’s one way to phrase it,” she managed to say fairly steadily, though her pulse rate was still fluttering like crazy.
He reached across the table to lay his hand over hers. “Sorry, Tess. You know how I get when I’m inspired by an idea.”
She knew exactly how he got. Which was why she was suddenly so nervous.
He squeezed her fingers. “It’s just something to think about. You have to admit it makes sense, but I won’t take offense if you decide you don’t want to try it. Nothing will change between us, if that’s what you prefer.”
Her attention was drawn to their joined hands. His was strong, tanned and very warm. She’d always admired his hands, secretly studying them as his capable fingers had flown over the keyboard or tablet screen. Her own felt suddenly small and soft beneath his, feminine to his masculine. She found herself mesmerized by the contrasts, the sensations, the intimacy of that contact.
What on earth was wrong with her? Though that medicine-fueled embrace had been a definite glitch, it wasn’t as if Scott never touched her. He was in the habit of patting her shoulder when he was particularly pleased with her or high-fiving her when a job was completed satisfactorily. But now, with just this casual hand-holding, she was suddenly transported back to inarticulate appreciation of just what an attractive and compelling man he was. The thought had always been present at the back of her mind, but she’d kept it firmly locked behind professional boundaries she had never expected to cross.
Maybe they had both lost their minds.
“Why don’t you think about it for a couple of days?” Scott suggested after another moment of silence. “We could start slow, attend a party or two together, see how it feels. We’d figure out what to say to anyone who questions us. Whatever happens, nothing has to change at work. This would be a totally separate experiment.”
Experiment. The word cut through the daze that had temporarily engulfed her. She drew her hand from beneath his and picked up her soda again, holding the cool glass in a firm grip to control a slight tremor. “I’ll think about it,” she said evenly, “but I’m not sure it’s a good idea to mix business with personal pursuits. From my observances, it’s rarely successful.”
“Maybe for people like us it’s exactly the right way to go about this. Thoughtfully, practically, logically. As adults who share common goals and common interests, not starry-eyed kids too caught up in fantasy to give serious consideration to the future.”
People like us. This could be the least romantic discussion of dating and potential marriage she’d ever had, she thought, frowning down at the now unappetizing food that remained on her plate. Not that she’d ever expected romance from her prosaic employer. Okay, maybe she’d let herself daydream a time or two, especially in those early years, but she’d long since convinced herself she was completely happy with her comfortable friendship with Scott. Now he was suggesting changing the parameters of their relationship, carrying the success of their business collaboration into a personal partnership. And while she was utterly—well, gobsmacked by the proposition, she had to admit that a part of her recognized the unassailable logic of his idea.
She’d tried romance. She’d crashed and burned. Scott had been engaged. It hadn’t ended well. So maybe he was right that a union based on common goals and interests was much more fitting for, as he’d said, people like them.
He gave her one of the quick, crooked smiles that almost always made her melt inside, even when she’d been annoyed with him. “Or you could always go to your parties with boring, no-chemistry Glenn.”
She pointed a finger at him. “It’s not wise to tease me about something you overheard while eavesdropping on a private conversation.”
He held up both hands in a gesture of surrender. “You’re right and I apologize. But will you think about what I suggested?’
“I’ll think about it,” she agreed after a moment.
Looking satisfied that she hadn’t shot down the idea out of hand, he nodded and pushed away his plate. “Great. Just let me know what you decide.”
As far as he was concerned, apparently, the new business at this impromptu meeting was concluded.
She had no doubt that if she presented good reasons why she thought it best to decline, he would accept her answer graciously and they would go on with their professional lives exactly as they had before. But maybe she needed to give his suggestion a bit more thought before she reached that conclusion.
Declining dessert, she gave the excuse that she had things to do that evening. The silence wasn’t quite as comfortable during the short drive back to the office in Scott’s car. She suspected that was why he turned on the radio to a station already playing nonstop holiday music.
“I left my tablet inside,” she said after he parked next to her car. “I’ll just run in and get it.”
“I need to collect a few things, too. I’ll walk you in.”
She’d left the Christmas lights on when they’d gone out, so they were greeted by the cheery glow of the tiny white bulbs on the tree and garlands, an unnecessary reminder of the upcoming festivities. She glanced at Scott. It was all too easy to imagine herself walking into her cousin’s party with him at her side. Her sister, especially, would be stunned to see Tess with her handsome, socially prominent boss.
Was that really a good enough reason to risk upsetting the solid working relationship they’d built between them during the past six years?
Needing a distraction, she glanced around the reception area and noticed a strand of garland had slipped from the light fixture behind the desk. She rose on tiptoes to fix it, but Scott stepped up to help her, reaching over her head to secure the end into the cluster of greenery and glitter.
“Thanks,” she said, smiling automatically up at him.
Her smile faded when their gazes met and she realized just how close he stood to her. So close she could almost feel the warmth and energy radiating from him. So close she could see the sudden heat reflected in his dark blue eyes. It was a look she’d never seen there before during all the times they’d been alone in the office together, all the late nights and long weekends and holidays when they’d given up personal time to work toward the mutual goal of making the business successful and profitable.
He took a half step nearer, so that they were almost but not quite touching. His voice sounded deeper than usual when he said, “We’ve agreed that come Monday this conversation never happened, if that’s the way you want to play it. With that caveat in mind, there’s one more experiment I think we should try to help you make up your mind.”
That was the only warning of his intention as he dipped his head down to hers. He stopped with his lips only a whisper away from hers. “Say the word and I’ll back away now,” he murmured, his warm breath brushing her skin. “Or we can satisfy our curiosity and give you just a little more to think about while you make your decision about my proposition.”
She couldn’t even argue about that “our curiosity” comment. He’d know she was fibbing if she denied that she’d ever wondered what it might be like to kiss him—a real kiss, this time, not an accidental brush of lips.
“This never happened?” she asked in a husky whisper, letting her hands rest against his broad chest.
His lips curved into a smile. “Totally