Page 17 of Bachelor CEO

“Seems I need something for which to beforgiven,” Chase replied.

“This is the best way to proceed for both ofus…” Miranda suddenly realized he wasn’t listening. Instead, all of hisattention was focused on her mouth. He reached forward and tugged her to him.

The man can kisswas the last recognizable thought Miranda managed before she startedwhimpering in response to the delightful plunder of her lips. Then she waskissing him once again, overcome with the desperate need to get as close to himas possible.

One of his hands slid up to her neck, theother moved to cup her breast, covered only by the thin T-shirt fabric. Herbreath caught and her body twitched as his fingers found pleasure points andsent heat pooled between her legs. Then coolness suddenly descended as Chasepulled away and got to his feet.

Miranda covered her breasts with her arms,realizing she could have easily made love to him right here on the dock, out inthe open under the stars.

“See you Tuesday,” he said, the slight rasp inhis voice the only hint that she’d had any physical effect on him at all. Hethen strode off the dock and up the hill, leaving his shoes behind.

She stared at the loafers, resisting the urgeto toss them in the lake and watch them sink to the murky bottom. He’d switchedpassion on and off once again, the jerk! Worse, she’d let him.

She trembled as she stood, determined to getoff the dock before he reached his room and could see her from the window.

Grabbing her own shoes, she fled barefoottoward the cabin.

CHASE STOOD IN THE shadows by the lodge andwatched her escape. He needed to go back for his shoes. He also planned to jumpinto the cold lake. Kissing her had made him hard as a rock. He’d wantednothing more than to lay her back and sink himself deep inside her.

He grimaced. Miranda Craig’s idea of forgivingand forgetting was ridiculous.

Hearing her cabin door click shut, he walkeddown to the lake. Never had he been this affected by a woman. Sure, he lovedhaving sex. But kissing Miranda had felt different, and not because she wasforbidden fruit, or he had some Neanderthal idea of proving to her who wasboss.

Maybe it was his need for dominance that hadled to the kiss, but once his lips had touched hers he’d forgotten all aboutcontrol. He’d forgotten his anger and suspicion. He’d forgotten, once again,that she was the enemy.

He’d never experienced such overwhelming,mindless passion before. Too bad the circumstances around her arrival in hislife were so terribly wrong.

He reached the dock, stripped down to hisboxers and dived in, letting the cold water soothe his soul.

Unfortunately, he knew that instead of findingclosure by kissing Miranda, he’d simply opened a whole new can of worms.

Chapter Five

As if responding to the weekend’s upheaval,on Tuesday morning the heavens opened and the skies above Chenille pouredsheets of hard, pelting rain.

Miranda gathered her umbrella closer, but thestrong wind whipped underneath and blew it inside out, the thin metal frame nomatch for nature’s wrath.

She fought to tug the umbrella back into itscorrect shape. Despite her raincoat, by the time she’d reached the main doorsof McDaniel Manufacturing, she was drenched.

A quick glance in the mirror of the lobbybathroom showed that her short black hair had frizzed. Her carefully appliedmakeup had washed away, and her mascara had proved exactly why it was soreasonably priced.

She quickly combed her hair. Nothing she coulddo about that—it would stay wet. She made a few quick repairs to her makeup,refusing to be late on the first day of work. Her instructions were to meetChase in approximately…

Miranda quickened her pace. She had threeminutes to reach the executive floor. She dug into her purse, removedthe key card she’d received Friday and swiped her way through security and intothe elevator that would take her to the seventh and highest floor. She’d touredthe premises already, and her feet flew as she reached her office, where,leaning against the door frame, Chase waited. He glanced at his watch.

Inwardly she cursed. She’d wanted a fewmoments to compose herself before she went to meet him.

Instead, here he was, lounging in her doorway,looking better than any man had a right to. Gorgeous and sexy as hell. The darkblue suit showed off his broad shoulders and the red power tie drew attentionto a chest with muscles too well defined to be completely hidden beneath hisshirt.

She snapped her gaze upward, but not beforehis lips curled into an infuriating grin. He knew she’d been looking, and thatshe liked what she saw.

Her only hope was that she affected him, too.But he didn’t appear to be aroused so much as amused. Obviously, whateverpassion they’d shared was in the past. She’d said “start over” and Chase wasclearly ready to do just that.

“Thought I’d take the stress off and meet youhere,” he said easily, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “So are youready?” he asked, his brisk tone all business.

She blinked. She couldn’t let physicalattraction distract her. She’d been in control of her life for far too long tolet something as silly as a knee-jarring kiss throw her off track.

“Let me just put this on my desk,” shereplied, hefting her leather briefcase, an expensive gift to herself uponlanding the job. It had been her one indulgence.

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