And she smelled terrific. Something in his brain caught her perfume and he knew he’d smelled that scent before, but he couldn’t place it. Rose? No, not that. But something flowery. Something fresh and alive. Something that made him think of….
He couldn’t place it, but it there was something so familiar about that scent. “Where are you from?” he asked his voice husky and deeper than normal. He watched her face but wouldn’t give her enough room to feel comfortable. He knew he should step backwards, but there was just something about the way that she smelled that kept him close, made him want to move closer and eliminate all barriers between them, both physical and psychological.
Damn, he loved a mystery!
Sierra was instantly wary, not wanting to let him connect her past with his. She couldn’t tell him that she’d grown up in Chicago, knowing that his company was headquartered there. He would ask too many questions and she most likely couldn’t answer any of them without giving him more clues to her past. And more specifically, clues to the connection they shared. “I live over off of Golden Road.”
He immediately was aware that she’d told him where she currently lived and not where she used to live. So she didn’t want him to know about her past? Interesting. It only added to the puzzle that was quickly growing around this lovely woman.
He could tell by the stubborn jut of her chin that she wouldn’t reveal anything else at the moment. He almost smiled with anticipation. This woman would be his, he thought with a determination he hadn’t felt in a long, long time. In fact, he hadn’t felt this strongly about a woman since he’d left the hospital six years ago, determined to find the mystery woman who had sat beside him almost constantly. She’d disappeared when he’d regained consciousness and he hadn’t been able to find a trace of her.
Interesting that they were both brunettes, he thought. Regardless, he wanted this woman with an intense desire and he was confident that feeling was reciprocated. He just had to understand why she was resisting the attraction.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked, shifting slightly so that she was standing on her own. Not by choice. If it were up to him, he would have pushed her back, pressing her up onto her desk and then he could bend down and kiss her neck, smell that perfume again.
Instead, he stepped backwards and gave her space. She quickly stepped away from him, putting a chair between the two of them.
“Go?” she asked, her eyes wide with confusion while she gripped the back of the chair. “I wasn’t planning to go anywhere.”
“We’re going out to dinner,” he said firmly. He chuckled when she pulled her head back as if she thought he was crazy. “You don’t read your e-mail messages very often, do you?”
She ignored his question that seemed irrelevant. “Why would I be going out to dinner with you?”
One side of his mouth went up but he once again suppressed his amusement. “The message stated that anyone who had missed the lunch because they were too busy would have an opportunity to talk with me during dinner and get out any questions they might have.”
She reared back in horror. “What? No! I don’t…that is, I didn’t mean…” Boy had her plan to avoid him backfired!
He reached up and pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “You didn’t mean to have any sort of association with me. Is that what you’re trying to say?”
“Yes!” she almost sighed with relief that he completely understood and didn’t seem to be offended. And then she realized what she’d just admitted to and shook her head. “No. I’m sorry, that came out wrong. I didn’t mean to say that…”
He moved closer, his eyes gentle as he looked down into her anxious, blue eyes. “You didn’t mean to admit that the attraction between the two of us is so strong that you’re having trouble focusing?”
She blinked and started to shake her head. How could he know that? “No. That isn’t what I was going to say.” And it wasn’t. She’d never admit that to him. Good grief, she wouldn’t even admit it to herself!
“You were going to tell me that you’re sorry that you missed the lunch today? And that you have many questions about how the firm is going to move forward with new management, right?” He took her hand in his, causing her body to begin that embarrassing trembling once again.
He was already leading her out the door, handing her the purse that she’d just dumped beside her desk earlier that day. With his hand on the small of her back and his towering height, she was too flustered to rally her senses and stop their forward momentum.
She took her purse, holding it in front of her as if it were some sort of shield that could ward off the impact his closeness had on her. She shook her head, denying what was actually happening. “But I don’t want to go to dinner with you.”
He didn’t laugh at her outburst but continued to walk her out of her office and down the hallway. “Of course you don’t.”
She didn’t get the sense that he was going to let her out of it though. “Mr. Harrison, I really don’t…”
Drake pressed the button for the elevator and turned back to face her. “You have several projects that are ongoing at the moment and you don’t have time, even though you put in more hours than anyone else in the firm. So I understand your reticence to take any time off, but I’m going to have to insist in this situation.” He couldn’t resist touching her arm when the janitorial staff pushed their carts down behind her. She wasn’t aware of their approach but it gave him another chance to touch her, even if it was only her slender arm as he shifted their stance so the large, heavy carts could pass by them. “But you’re going to be on a very big project next week. So you really need to understand the ins and outs of what’s happening, all the changes that will be occurring.” Tonight would have nothing to do with explaining his management, the changes or even the project he planned to put her on next week. It was only about the two of them getting to know each other better. But if he told her that, she would run away, scared out of her mind.
The doors to the elevator closed and she blinked, wishing she could think more quickly. Normally, she was able to put a man in his place easily, usually with just a simple look that said, “Don’t even bother.” If words were needed to discourage a man, she was quick witted and cutting, showing her displeasure at any man who invaded her personal space.