Page 25 of Tempting Her Forbidden Boss

‘Where did you get it?’

He tilted his hand so it caught more light.

‘I’ve never seen a clip like that.’

‘It’s a brooch—I got them to convert it.’

‘Got who?’

‘The jeweller.’

Oh, no. Her instinct was right—and no way could she accept something so expensive. ‘Alex, I—’

He moved so close she could smell him—fresh and citrussy and so yummy she had to shut her mouth to stop herself drooling over him. His hands were firm on her head as he swept her hair back and pressed the clip into place.

He didn’t move away once it was done. His hands dropped but he stayed.

She looked up at him. His eyes were a vivid green and a small smile tweaked his lips—as if he knew how much she liked it. She shook her head but he spoke first, not giving her the chance to say no.

‘It looks better on you than it would on me.’

Alex marched five paces away from her—putting the stainless-steel bench between them. Breathing space—he needed itnow.But he couldn’t stop staring. He’d seen many black evening dresses in his time. He’d seen them long, short, high cut, low cut, backless, strapless, sleeveless, braless, sequined, sparkly, matte, smooth, velvet, silk, satin. He’d seen them twirl and he’d seen them creased. He’d helped slide zips both up and down. And he’d seen many of them slither to the floor.

But he had never, ever seen a black dress like hers. It fitted so perfectly. Utterly emphasising her petite, hourglass frame—cupping her full breasts, hugging her deliciously narrow waist and sweeping over those curving hips. Her short bob was sleek and glossy and there was that lock that slipped from behind her ear and curled on her cheekbone and he’d just had to deal with it—because if he didn’t he’d spend the night tempted to swish it back with his teeth. His trawl of the jewellery stores had paid off. Now the clip sparkled, but not half as much as her eyes.

She was stunning.

‘We should get going.’ He didn’t recognise his own voice. Apparently he had laryngitis now.

Ten minutes later Alex looked for the fiftieth time from the road to her, his head clear of all the confusion that had fogged it for this past week. His focus was sharp—on one thing: getting close to Dani. The urge to conquer was all-consuming. Driving every other thought beyond the mountains and into the sea. Right now, having her was all that mattered and damn the stupid complications.

It was amazing how someone so small could inspire such a big reaction in him. Although she wasn’t that small—not where it counted.

‘You look beautiful.’ Such a useless cliche. And not nearly enough. But he was incapable of more.

‘Not as beautiful as you,’ she said.

She might think she was being flippant, but he knew she actually meant it. He’d seen the way she’d looked at him— the way her attention clung, the way her brown eyes darkened even more when he moved closer. And he was determined to move closer still. The frustration was immense. If it hadn’t been for them getting caught on camera he could have had her already—couldn’t he? Taken her on a date and ended up in bed. Surely she wouldn’t have resisted?

But in his bones he knew she would have. The look she’d given him as she’d left the lift?

Terrified. Turned on, yes, but terrified too. Fortunately her head had been away from the camera because he wouldn’t have been crowned an online Don Juan if those in the blogosphere had seen her expression then. In his office she’d said it was nothing—a moment. Frankly he just didn’t believe that. Sarcasm was her favourite form of defence—it had taken him only minutes to learn that. So he wanted a real-life replay of the lift kiss to prove his point—that the spark didn’t get better than the one between them.

He steered the car with one hand, curled the other in a fist on his thigh. He wasn’t going to drink tonight—that would only inflame the heat coursing through his body. He was on the edge of control as it was. It would need only the smallest provocation to tip him over the edge. Alex had never been on an edge quite like this before and he didn’t like feeling so close to it now. And Dani was nothing but provocative.

‘Where is this thing anyway?’ She fidgeted—running her fingers over the edge of her dress. He really wanted her to stop because he was watching and all he wanted was for it to behisfingers feeling the transition from smooth silk to soft skin.

‘Sky City.’ The laryngitis was back.

She turned sharply towards him. ‘I can’t, Alex.’

Her voice was so panicked he nearly drove into the gutter.

‘I can’t go up in that lift.’ Her huge eyes were even bigger andsodark.

Oh, dear, he should have thought of that. But damned if he could be bothered climbing however many million flights of stairs it was to get to the top of the tower that overlooked the city. He was just going to have to help her through the thirty-second ordeal. And just like that he had a plan. ‘It’ll be okay. I’ll help you.’ It would be his pleasure to.

She said nothing more but he felt her tension mounting as they drew closer to the brightly lit building and turned into its basement car park.

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