As his head came back up her body and their eyes connected, she stopped breathing. Please don’t come near me, she silently begged. If he wrapped his incredible arms around her, she’d be lost. She was completely aware they were alone in the middle of the woods, with zero chance of interruption.
“I’m going to change,” she muttered and slowly edged her way past him, bolting for her room. She shut the door with a sigh of relief, then leaned against it while she got her breathing under control. He’s just a man, for goodness sake, she berated herself, as she layered on her pajamas. The cabin was toasty warm with the fireplace blazing, but she had a chill and thought the more clothes the better. If she wasn’t so hungry she’d stay in her room the rest of the night to avoid temptation.
Cassie stepped into the living room and followed her nose to the tiny kitchen, where Max was washing potatoes.
“Do you often run around barely dressed?” he asked.
“I was perfectly covered. I just forgot to take my pajamas with me to the bathroom,” she defended herself. It was none of his business what she did or didn’t wear, anyway, though she was burning with embarrassment that he’d call her on coming from the bathroom in nothing but her robe.
“I didn’t say there was anything wrong with it,” he said, then his lips turned up in a mega-watt smile that had her knees trembling. He was sexy all the time, but when he really tried, he was devastating. Only a couple days, she chanted in her head.
She hadn’t wanted to take the time to blow dry her hair, so threw it up in a quick braid. She’d sit by the fire and it would dry in no time. She wasn’t wearing any makeup and her pajamas were a few sizes too large, since she didn’t like tight things on her when she slept. She knew she looked like a teenager and there was zero reason for him to be looking at her like she was on the dessert menu.
“What have you prepared so far?” she asked, trying to distract him from staring a hole through her.
“I have a couple steaks in the oven and was just getting the potatoes ready,” he answered. She went to the fridge and rifled around, trying to find something healthy to go with the meal. She found an assortment of salad items and began pulling them out.
“They stocked the cabin well. I’m impressed,” she spoke again, uncomfortable with the silence.
“My client recommended this place. He said they take care of their guests,” he spoke in a knowing tone, as if he could read her mind. She really hoped he couldn’t because she thought about him naked, in her bed, doing wonderful things with her, at least ten times a day.
She began chopping vegetables while her mind wandered. She realized, as she stood there, that she’d never had a man at her house before. She’d never done something so simple as to prepare a meal with the opposite sex. Max was humming a song she didn’t recognize, and the scents were drifting around them. She found she liked the sensation of cooking with someone else. She had to remind herself this was strictly business, not a date, before she got too comfortable in her little fantasy.
“You can go relax in the living room if you’d like. I can finish this,” she offered. She didn’t want him to leave but she was getting too comfortable with their domestic roles.
“Nope, I’m known for my excellent steaks. I can’t leave them or they’ll get ruined,” he said with another of his signature grins.
“Suit yourself,” she told him as if it didn’t matter one way or the other. As they prepared dinner in the small kitchen he seemed to brush up against her no matter how she moved about. His hip would graze hers one minute, then he’d reach into a cupboard above her, his chest sliding along her back. By the time they finished making the meal she’d be reduced to a pile of ashes.
“You seem awfully nervous. Haven’t you ever cooked a meal with a date before?” he asked.
“This isn’t a date - we’re only here for work. Technically, on this trip you’re my boss, so saying things like that doesn’t help me to feel more comfortable,” she scolded him. She needed to remind both him and her of that fact.
Her little speech wiped the cocky grin from his face. He sent her a glare, seemingly not happy about her pointing out the facts to him.
“Sorry, I didn’t need to snap like that, it’s just that we’re in this cabin, and I’m nervous,” she admitted. She didn’t want to fight with him - she just wanted to create some distance, before she ended up jumping on the counter and demanding he take her. Why couldn’t she just be like Darcy Undermost, back in high school, who would jump any guy that asked? She was thinking that at least the girl got some pleasure, even if everyone called her a slut.
She could see he accepted her apology when his sexy smile overtook his features and he moved forward, brushing her forever disobedient hair out of her face. His fingers lingered, as they often did when he performed the task.
Max barely kept himself from taking her in his arms. He could see her relief that he accepted her apology. He didn’t want to fight with her, either. He was sick of fighting with her and himself. He decided he needed to end the torture for both of them. He knew she was interviewing him, and technically for this trip he was her boss, but he couldn’t seem to think anymore when she was around. He never had office affairs, never slept with an employee, but this was a special case and he was losing the battle to resist her.
He found he enjoyed her company, he liked how she wasn’t afraid to stand up to him. Most of all, he liked that she wasn’t pulling out all the stops to seduce him. As a matter of fact, she was doing just the opposite, hiding her body beneath the unflattering pajamas, not wearing make-up, or even trying to appear sexy.
She’d be disappointed to know none of it was working. She looked far sexier to him in her flannels than she would’ve looked in lingerie. She just had a natural sex appeal that wouldn’t stop calling to him, and in the remote cabin he had no desire to fight it. He felt the tightening in his pants, and turned from her.
“Would you like a glass of wine?” he asked. She nodded her head, yes. He was sure she was thinking the same as him - maybe a little drink would help calm the nerves. He sure hoped so, or he wouldn’t make it past dinner.
They both went back to their tasks, but it wasn’t long when he felt the need to be close to her again. He gave up all pretenses of keeping away.