Back in the Bedroom (9 page)

Tessa stood there for a moment trying to decide if she felt any remorse at all for having such a serious aversion to exercise.

Nope. No remorse at all.

She recognized some of the people she’d run into all week—the croissant lady from the lobby, the attorney from the second floor… And there, in the far corner, facing the wall of windows that opened to the beautiful San Gabriel Mountains, running on a treadmill was her temporary boss.

Headphones on his ears, he ran for all he was worth. His T-shirt clung to him, delineating every muscle, every nuance in his long, sleek back and arms. His legs pumped, burning calories. As if he needed to! The man didn’t have a single inch of excess anywhere.

Her eyes caught and held on to his very fine backside.

She took a quick moment to glance furtively around, making sure no one caught her staring at his butt.

No one even looked her way.

She liked this fourth floor, she liked it a lot. She liked to see Reilly all tall, dark and sweaty and she stood there for one long moment, just soaking him in. How many times had she told herself she wasn’t going to want him? And how many times had it not mattered?

She still wanted him.

Then suddenly, Reilly turned and looked unerringly right at her. His skin gleamed, his eyes glittered and his body made her knees knock together as he slowly cocked a brow, silently asking her what the hell she was doing standing there with her eyes locked on him.

Yikes. Like the calm, steady woman she was not, she turned and fled.

T
HIRTY MINUTES LATER
, Tessa froze when the elevator dinged its arrival. From her perch at the receptionist’s desk where she sat pretending to go through the messages on Reilly’s answering machine, she stared at the elevator doors, her heart galloping.

What would she say to him? She hadn’t a clue, she had no excuse, nothing prepared—

The doors opened. Reilly stepped off. “Morning,” he said, and without a word about her Peeping Tomina act, he strode down the hall, leaving her staring after him.

In fact, he never said a word about it or how it’d gone for him at Eddie’s the day before. She assumed Eddie
was safe enough for now, but she’d have liked to hear that for sure.

In fact, Reilly sat holed up in his office all day and when she came in to say goodbye, he thanked her for all she’d done.

Composed and cool as ever.

She’d actually forgotten that it was over, that he’d hired her through Thursday only and she nodded to herself as she left. It had come to an end, she’d known it would.

No big deal.

It was just a very small part of her had hoped he’d hire her on permanently, maybe even admit to needing her. Her. Not Marge, not any other temp who could have done the work, but her.

Hadn’t happened, and as always when she fell, she picked herself up, dusted herself off and went on her merry way.

T
HE WEEKEND CAME
and Tessa spent Saturday getting her car fixed and putting the charges on her poor credit card.

When Rafe found out what she’d spent, he couldn’t understand why she hadn’t called him for help.

Carolyn couldn’t understand why Tessa hadn’t come to her to borrow the money.

And her parents fussed and fretted over the fact she hadn’t let them buy her a new car last Christmas when they’d wanted.

Sure, being smothered by family was just a part of being a Delacantro, but she did her best to remain true to herself and was happier for it. She loved her family so much, but she was living her own life, handling her own responsibilities and thriving that way.

On Sunday, she and her sister went shopping and she was quite proud of the fact that she restrained herself from buying anything but new underwear, because let’s face it, she didn’t need another red, hot dress that would go unnoticed.

“Hmm,” was all her sister said as they stood in line
at the lingerie shop with Tessa’s satin, purple panties and matching bra between them.

“Do you have something to say?” Tessa asked. “Because let me remind you, you bought black lace two weeks ago, remember? Did I say ‘hmm’ in that snooty tone to you then?”

“No, you smirked and wondered if Rob was going to get to see them.”

“A reasonable question since you’ve been dating him for months.”

“Dating, not sleeping with.”

“And why is that again?”

Her sister sighed. “I don’t know. He doesn’t even make a move. It’s such a waste of a good relationship.”

Tessa sighed inwardly and wished for a good relationship, to waste or otherwise.

O
N
M
ONDAY MORNING
, she got an early morning call from Eddie, letting her know Reilly needed a temp for another week. Was she up for it?

Was she up for it? Well, given the way her heart had taken off, pounding against her ribs at just the thought of another week at Reilly’s office, yes. She was most definitely up for it.

Damn it.

She tried to take her time getting ready, tried not to care what she wore or how it looked. Most of all, she tried to be in her usual running-out-the-door-at-the-
last-moment state, but before she knew it, she was entering the building twenty minutes early.

And also before she knew it, her finger had hit the fourth floor button.

He wasn’t there. She knew because she stood outside the gym, eyeing each and every treadmill that lined the huge room, but she couldn’t see him—

“Tessa.”

She managed not to jump but did grimace before turning to face Reilly, who’d apparently just gotten off the elevator behind her. Up close and personal, after a three-day break, he was even taller, darker and…hotter than she remembered. “Hi.”

He nodded toward the gym. “You going to work out?”

She nearly laughed, except she was sure it would sound half-hysterical so she swallowed it. “Um, no.”

“You get off on the wrong floor?”

“No.”

“Oh. Are you…looking for me?”

She sighed and forced herself to look in his eyes and not at his leanly muscled athletic body. “Do you remember my claim that I wasn’t pathetic with the opposite sex?”

“I remember,” he said.

“Well, scratch that.”

Was that a smile lurking around his mouth? Because if it was, she was going to slug him. “I’m quite pathetic,” she said. “Just so you know.” And she moved
around him toward the elevator, punching the up button with far more force than was strictly necessary.

“Did Eddie call you this morning?”

She waited for the elevator while staring at the closed doors, wondering if she could have possibly made a bigger fool of herself. “Yes.”

“He won’t give me Marge back.”

“I’m sorry.”

She heard his soft oath, then felt his hand on her arm as he tugged her around. “Look, it’s not what you think,” he said.

“Really? And what do I think, Reilly?”

“I don’t know…” He shoved his fingers through his already-standing-straight-up hair. “That I don’t want you here, that I’d rather have Marge.”

“Wow. Did you figure that out all by yourself?” She punched the up button again for good measure.

“Look, I’m trying to apologize for you getting manipulated into this job for another week,” he said. “Eddie has a way of getting what he wants, at any cost.”

“I don’t need an apology from you.” And she was sad to think he thought she did. “I…” Horrified to find her throat tight and her eyes burning, she inhaled slowly, but it didn’t help. Nothing would. “I just…like the work,” she whispered.

Thankfully the elevator opened and, yanking her arm free, she stepped onto it.

Quickly, she punched the fifth floor button, then, because he was still standing there in his work-out
clothes staring at her as if she were a mixture of a cross he had to bear and a morsel he’d like to nibble on, she hit the close door button as well.

The doors slowly, way too slowly, started to slide together—

Until he slapped his hand inside. The doors shuddered, then opened again. “Tessa.”

Oh, no. She was done talking. She hit the close door button with renewed vigor, and watched through shimmering vision as it started to close.

“Damn it.” This time he shoved his broad shoulders through the doors and stepped on with her.

Fine. She’d just get off. She punched the open door button.

But he punched the close door button.

The doors closed and she reached for the control panel yet again, but Reilly grabbed her wrist—

Just as the elevator suddenly jerked so forcibly they both stumbled. The doors stayed closed.

The alarm went off.

“Look what you’ve done,” Tessa said, shaking her head. “Now we’re stuck.”

“What
I’ve
done?” He dropped her wrist and turned to the control panel again. “There must be something—”

The alarm silenced abruptly and then the phone on the panel rang. Reilly answered it and listened for a moment. When he hung up, he looked at her.

“Well?” she demanded. “What did they say?”

“That I shouldn’t ride in elevators with a crazy woman.”

She rolled her eyes.

“They said it’d be just a few minutes.”

She crossed her arms over herself and wished she’d stopped for doughnuts.

“Cold?”

She didn’t answer. She would not be charmed by his concern, because the man didn’t
feel
concern. He felt nothing. His feigned beta-ness was just that—feigned.

“Tess?” Shocking her, he moved closer, put his big, warm hands on her, and with that sinfully light touch he had, ran them up and down her arms.

“I’m not cold,” she whispered, but in direct opposition to the words stepped just a little closer so that her heels and his athletic shoes were touching. She kept her head down and absorbed his caress.

“I want you here,” he said after a long minute. “I really want you here.”

She lifted her head and stared at him, stared into his direct and beautiful light-blue eyes. “Why didn’t you just say so?”

He let out a long breath. “I didn’t intend to say it now, but you looked so…”

“Pathetic?”

“No.” He kept touching her. “I really do want you here,” he repeated. “I’m sorry I didn’t say it sooner, but…”

“But…?”

“But I think I just realized it.”

He’d just realized it. She thought about that and about how she felt.
She’d
realized from the very start that she was attracted to him, that it was a dangerous sort of an attraction, but an attraction nevertheless.

But she supposed that’s the kind of woman she was—impulsive. She acted first, thought later. Just as she could accept that, she could also accept that he was different. He had a much more methodical, linear way of thinking. It easily could have taken him all week to realize what she’d understood in five seconds that night at Eddie’s.

Certainly standing as close to him as she was, she could feel his “attraction,” but that was a purely physical response. She knew he probably didn’t feel much more than that and, in all likelihood, he might never feel more than that.

Hence the danger.

“So will you stay the week?”

Her heart sighed. “I’ll stay the week.”

“And you won’t get us stuck in an elevator again?”

“If you’ll…”

“What?” he murmured.

Kiss me.

“Tess?”

She gave him a smile through the ache in her heart. “Nothing.” She turned away and studied the control panel. “Think our few minutes are almost up?”

Once again, his hands settled on her hips as he turned her to face him. Slowly he drew her close.

“What are you doing?”

“With you, Tess, I swear I never know.”

She put him off-kilter. Perversely, she was glad and slid her arms around his neck. “Never?”

“Well…” He looked at her mouth.

And because she couldn’t help herself, she closed the gap and put her mouth to his.

A rough groan rumbled from deep in his chest. His hands slid up her arms to cup her head, which he held in place. As if she was going anywhere! As before, the very connection kick-started her pulse. His mouth was warm, firm and didn’t have to work at all to coax hers open. In less than two seconds, they were glued together, bodies straining, hands fighting for purchase. Tessa could hear the little whimpers for more coming from deep in her throat and, if he hadn’t let out a ragged groan and pressed her back against the wall for better leverage, she might have been horrified at herself at how far gone she was, but at least he was just as far gone.

When he finally pulled back, his breathing as ragged as hers, she put a hand to her fluttering belly and cleared her throat. “Was that work-related?”

He frowned and said, “What? No.”

“Just checking.” She tugged his head back to hers. “You see?” she whispered, her mouth a fraction of an inch from his. “It’s not all about work—”

“Tess—”

She kissed him again. And then again, before he took over. He had a thigh insinuated between hers and his hands were busy making her body hum when suddenly the elevator jerked and started moving.

It was over.

Feeling overcharged and sensitized, Tessa blinked when the doors opened on the fifth floor to reveal Reilly’s office just the way she’d seen it last.

Everything looked so…normal.

In a bit of a fog—no doubt, a sexual one—she stepped off and felt Reilly do the same behind her.

She turned and looked at him. Other than wearing his work-out clothes, he looked the same as always. In cool, tight control.

“What?” he asked.

Slowly she shook her head. Damn it, she’d broken her vow.
She’d
kissed
him.
And now her nipples were hard and achy, straining against her blouse. Between her legs she was hot and damp. One more touch, she thought, and she just might implode on contact.

And he was standing there as if nothing had happened.

If that didn’t put it all into perspective…. She forced herself to move as calmly as he did toward the front desk, and then pretended to bury herself in work.

And marveled at his ability to do it for real.