A Little Peek

My newest release – EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW – comes out on Tuesday. I thought this might be a good time to give you another little peek.

His hand fell from the doorknob as he straddled the inside/outside threshold to his office. “Why are you still here?”

“I wanted to catch up.”

Of all the odd things she’d said to him during their short time together, that was one of the oddest. “On what?”

“Work.”

He conducted a quick visual search and didn’t see a folder or any other sign of business. She shifted her weight around and her gaze did a quick dart to her desk. The whole fidgeting thing struck Forest as out of character. If anything, the Jordan he’d seen pulsed with a coolness vibe. That immering heat was one of the many things he found so attractive about her. But something had her bouncing around now.

“Jordan, I hand out the assignments. If Wen is piling on enough to keep you here at—” Forest checked his watch as a new wave of exhaustion from his ninth consecutive sixteen-hour workday crashed over him. “It’s almost ten.”

“By that logic, you should be home, too.”

“It’s not really the same thing. I own the place.”

She waved her hand. “Either way, I’ll let you go.”

“Or we could finish our conversation.” He had no idea why he said it. Well, some idea, but the timing was pretty screwed up.

She stopped in midturn. Didn’t look at him, but didn’t run, either. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” She made the comment to her feet.

“Because?”

She faced him then. “You mentioned kissing.”



He took in her wide eyes and the way she clenched her hands together in front of her. Whatever internal battle waged in there had her cheeks a rosy pink. He decided to take that as a good sign of something. “I’d rather do it than talk about it.”

“I doubt your HR department would approve.” Yet she took a step toward him.

The urge to reach out rammed into him with the force of a house. But he’d made his move. There couldn’t be any doubt that he wanted more than dictation from her. She had to initiate here. Give him some sign. Any damn sign—hell, he’d settle for that blinking thing—and he’d pick it up from there and run with it.

“Again, I own the place.” A fact that kept slipping by people for some reason.

“So, the rules don’t apply to you?”

She seemed a bit confused about the rules. Maybe a bit obsessed, as well.

Damn, everything about this woman turned him on. Even the usually annoying shit. Maybe it was the combination of the quick mind and mouth with those slim skirts and mile long legs. The combination built the anticipation inside him until the pressure behind his zipper threatened to explode.

He focused on the least sexy document on the planet instead—the employee manual. “I don’t have a prohibition against interoffice dating.”

Those sexy lips twisted in a frown. “Do you want to be sued?”

“The people who work here are grown-ups. They attend all sorts of seminars on workplace behavior.” Forest had no idea how they got on this subject, but as long as they were… “I’ve had executives date before and sneak around until their attempts at subterfuge ended up wasting time and frustrating

the hell out of me.”

“That’s very romantic of you.”

He leaned against the doorway, ready to slam on the brakes or reach out for her. He just needed her to send up a flare so he knew which way to go. “If they want to sleep with each other, and both agree and know the terms, I’m not getting in the way.”

At his words, a definite heat flared in her eyes. “I’d guess that’s a very unique business position.”

“I’m not sure what that means.”

“Just when I think I get you…” Her voice trailed off, but her steps didn’t falter. She walked until she stood right in front of him.

A simple lift of his hands and he could touch her. Damn, he wanted to touch her. Kiss her. Lick her. Drag her to the ground. Any combination of those worked fine for him.

Instead, he forced his mind to stay in the moment. “Yes?”

With one last sweeping glance into the office behind him, she balanced her hand on the wall closest to his shoulder. “Fine.”

“Excuse me?”

“Let’s stop dodging. Kiss me.”

Sweet Jesus. The woman constantly zigged when he thought she’d zag. “Here? You’re sure?”

“I’m a big girl, Forest. I know what I want. At this second, you kissing me is at the very top of the list.” Her other hand went to his tie, traveled from his neck in a sure line to his stomach. “But it’s just one kiss.”

She had to be kidding. No way would that ever be enough.

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