Page 68 of Red Wine and Roses

“I’ll volunteer for that assignment,” said Connor. He winked at Piper, and she had to hide a smile at the way Cameron’s eyebrows came down.

Mary Ellen dragged Connor away before Cameron could say anything.

“What do you think?” he asked when they’d gone.

“What about?”

“Do you want to stay on?” He was still tense and seemed angry.

“Not if you’re going to be like that.”

He closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I can be a jealous asshole at times. It’s no excuse, but it’s only because I want you all to myself.”

She smiled. “You do?”

“Yes. I do. What do you say we get out of here? We can go out for dinner if you like, or we can go home.”

“To your place?”

He nodded. “Stay with me?”

“I’d love to. Do you realize I’ve spent every one of the last seven nights in a different bed?”

He chuckled. “I think we need to put a stop to that. I think in the future I’d like you to spend every night in my bed.”

She met his gaze. From the look in his eyes, he wasn’t just talking about sex. But maybe she was getting carried away. “I’d like that.” It was up to him how he interpreted her answer, but she didn’t mean just for the sex either.

When they got to his place, Piper wandered around while he poured them each a glass of wine. It was very tastefully—and expensively—decorated. “Did you have a designer do all this for you?”

He came to her and handed her a glass. “No. It’s all me.” He smiled. “I told you; I’m known for having exquisite taste.”

“Thank you.”

“Do you want me to stay?” She blurted out the question that had been bothering her all the way back to his place. Hell, it’d been bothering her all week. Did he want her here? Did she want to stay? Would it work between them if she did—or if she didn’t?

A lump of disappointment settled in her stomach when she saw the look on his face. She held up a hand. “It’s okay. I understand. I wasn’t asking you to let me stay. I just wanted to know how you feel.”

He took hold of her hand and led her to the sofa. “I do want you to stay, but it’s complicated.”

She tried to blink the tears that had come out of nowhere. “I know. You’re not supposed to fraternize with your employees.”

He frowned. “Where did that come from? I’m saying what I want from you is complicated, and that I need you to understand who I am—and who I’ve been—before you decide if you want to stay.”

“What do you want from me that’s so complicated? Sex isn’t complicated. We just do it.”

He put his fingers under her chin and tilted her head up until she looked him in the eye. “I know there’s nothing complicated about sex. What’s complicated is that I want so much more than that with you.”

“I want more than that with you, too.”

He smiled. “I was hoping you did, but I wasn’t sure.”

“Well, now you know. But where does it leave us? I could be an employee who you have sex with. It sounds like I wouldn’t be the first.”

He dropped his gaze, but he didn’t disagree.

“But can we be together and me work for you—you be my boss? That doesn’t seem to fit right.”

“I know, but I don’t know what to do about it. If you work here, we get to be together more.”

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