Page 14 of Snowbound in Her Boss's Bed

Men were not supposed to both be as rich as he was and look the way he did.

Where was the equality in that?

He needed more flaws than the habit of delivering criticisms with the bluntness of a baseball bat.

He should not have been blessed with the kind of voice that belonged on television, nor should he have had the physical features to match.

He should not have had bright azure eyes, as clear as a glacier.

He should not have worn his hair long so that its soft mink-brown waves framed and feathered around his face and thick broad shoulders.

He should not have had full lips and straight dark brows, or his incredible height.

He was supposed to be an arrogant software guy approaching midlife.

Instead, he was attractive even when his behavior wasn’t.

And after three hours that were supposed to have only been two, it had finally short-circuited her.

Miri was exhausted—by his energy, his exactitude, his commands, his gorgeousness and her reactions to it all.

For his part, Mr. Silver had the decency to look a bit worn himself.

Looking at his watch, he frowned, the expression flaring in his cool blue stare not the surprise of a man caught unawares by how much time had passed but the irritation of a man used to total control, especially over the clock.

He was offended that time had gotten away from him.

Well, good, Miri thought. It’s about time someone other than me was offended.

“It cost an unexpected hour, but we made excellent headway.” She didn’t know why she made an attempt to comfort him when he could stand to be reminded that the elements didn’t bend to his will, but she did, adding, “It will be just like you said on the phone. We won’t need to connect again until the night of the gala.”

He only nodded absently, frown still firmly in place, lost in his own thoughts.

Well, if he wasn’t pleased with their progress and lack of need for further contact, Miri was.

They’d done good work, which, simple as it was, was something she took pride in.

She wasn’t made for last-minute flights on private planes and private meetings with billionaires. She was made for working in an office with a shared break room that was always stocked with baked goods.

She was made for water coolers and event planning and proving her value by showing the funders a good time.

She was made for good work, intimate dinners with longtime friends, quiet nights at home curled up with a good book and finally establishing some real independence in her life.

In all of that, she was not, as the afternoon had made painfully obvious to her, equipped to withstand the onslaught of an ice king richer than most world leaders and hotter than an A-lister.

Was it any wonder she was losing control of her mind?

And to make matters worse, she still had to brave the perilous and freezing journey through the snow to get back to Mr. Silver’s plane and private runway.

Once she was on the plane, though, she would be able to breathe a sigh of relief away from the hawklike blue gaze of Mr. Benjamin Silver and focus on the warm and relaxing evening ahead of her.

Where, thank God, there will be wine, she reminded herself.

Miri sighed out loud in anticipation, and Mr. Silver gaze shot to her, a quizzical look in his eyes.

He really had the most arresting eyes.

Miriam would not have been surprised to learn he could see straight through everyone he encountered.

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