Page 27 of Snowbound in Her Boss's Bed

Because right now, his eyes smiled as he spoke, striking Miri with just how warm and deep they could be. The contrast between them now and their typical icy sharpness made it even seem possible that he burned hotter on the inside.

But that was ridiculous, of course, because he was Benjamin Silver, billionaire software developer.

He wasn’t a man whose passions burned.

He was a man cold enough to become rich.

Miri tried to remind herself of that—and to believe it—despite the fact that she was too comfortable with him and enjoying herself too much to give it any backing.

“Well, as evidenced this afternoon with your impressive plans, it is clear you have excellent taste and discernment.”

Her cheeks warmed at the compliment, but Miri tried to focus on the work part of it. “Thank you. As much pressure as there is, I’m looking forward to the gala.”

Staring at her, his stormy eyes changed once more, deepening and heating even as they conveyed respect. “It will be unlike anything the foundation has done before. People will be talking about it for months to come.”

She didn’t know if it was the wine or the fire or the compliments, but she was overheating.

She leaned forward to set her glass on the table and stretched her arms upward as she came back, saying, “As long as everything goes according to plan, of course. I might be often right, but occasionally things don’t go according to my plans.”

Eyeing her with amusement clear in his gaze, he asked, “Such as?”

“Well, let’s just see here,” she began, listing with her fingers as she dared a cheekiness that she certainly wouldn’t have had had they still been in his office. “Going with classic options for the gala dinner, nearly marrying my high-school sweetheart, running away to join the circus and flying out for a brief meeting with Mr. Benjamin Silver are just a few that come to mind,” she said, openly naming some of her most disastrous ideas alongside the storm to soften her joking about the fact the she was stuck here when they were both still dealing with the fallout—trusting the part of himself that he had shown her multiple times now, the part with a strong enough sense of humor that he was willing to laugh at himself.

He did not disappoint.

“Yes,” he said, mock serious. “It does seem that some of your plans go awry. Thankfully, it’s only the terrible ones. That dinner, for example...” He trailed off, grinning at her. “At least in that case you had me to lead you back to excellence.”

Miri’s bark of laughter was natural and loud, even as she rolled her eyes—for a moment entirely forgetting that this was not a close friend she spoke to and instead was Benjamin Silver—her body shaking with mirth. “It’s so refreshing to meet a humble rich man,” she said, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.

“We’re a rare breed,” he said with a glint in his eye that was as seductive as it was humorous.

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed like this.

It was hard to believe that the Benjamin Silver was the same man who’d just made her laugh so hard she cried.

He was nothing like she had imagined and all the more fascinating because of it.

He certainly made it hard to turn away from him, sable flowing locks and all.

So she didn’t. She just watched him. Was there to witness that glint of something more turn sly.

“So, what happened to the high-school sweetheart?” he asked, one corner of his mouth lifting higher than the other, revealing a hint of his sparkling white teeth, and Miri cringed, somehow still smiling.

For the first time in their acquaintance, he asked a common question.

She couldn’t blame him, though. It was human nature.

Whenever the subject of her former engagement came up, questions always followed—and she’d been the one to bring it up.

She usually didn’t, though.

In fact, the only times she had in the past had been with those she’d wanted to maintain a clear and open slate with.

Mr. Silver seemed to exist in a world with different rules—even the ones she set for herself.

And she couldn’t find it in herself to be mad.

Grimacing for effect, she said, “I changed a lot in early college, and after all of that, he said he could no longer envision me as the mother of his children.”

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