Page 34

CHAPTER 15

IN THE TRANQUIL solitude of her bathroom, Alex took her time touching up her make up. Not because she really needed it but because with hours yet to go before the end of the event, she was already drained.

As she used a moist tissue to tidy up the black eyeliner that had run down the corners of her eyes, Alex took slow deep breaths. It wasn’t enough to recharge her dead introvert batteries, but that wouldn’t happen until she returned to the peaceful oasis of home.

Feeling fresher, Alex couldn’t bear to return to the demands of hosting duty. Not just yet. Easing into her o ce chair, she kicked o her high heels and rubbed her sore feet as she checked her email.

The music outside made the wooden floor vibrate against her feet, making it impossible to forget the crowd waiting just outside the door. She was Chief Brody stranded on an eerily silent boat while the shadow of a great white shark loomed in the distance.

Instead of dreading the hours remaining in her day, Alex thought about the full day o she’d have tomorrow. If all

went as planned, she wouldn’t speak to a human being for a full twenty-four hours.

Fifteen minutes was all Alex dared. She didn’t want her absence to be noticed, or worse, for anyone to come looking for her. Sliding her shoes back on as she stood, Alex straightened the tight white suit she couldn’t wait to peel o her perspiration dampened skin.

Alex had nearly finished gathering herself when she opened the door, surprised to find Charlotte waiting on the other side, her fair skin colored pink by the heat and her bright blue eyes brimming with expectation.

“What are you doing here?” Alex’s tone was sharper than she’d intended. It was di cult to conceal that Charlotte’s sudden appearance unnerved her.

Charlotte’s penetrating gaze was unwavering, but her lip twitched into a lopsided smile. “Is that really the question you want to ask me?”

With her pulse dancing in her neck, Alex maintained her cool. At least on the outside. She wanted to blow past Charlotte, tell her she had to get back to her guests and didn’t have time for her games today. Despite knowing what would happen if she didn’t leave immediately, Alex’s feet remained rooted to the ground.

In response to Alex’s silence, Charlotte glanced down the hall before stepping over the threshold. As if doing a dance, Alex stepped back, letting her in. She knew she was giving more than space, doing more than letting her into her o ce, but she couldn’t stop herself. Didn’t even try to resist the temptation of her proximity.

Charlotte’s hair, loose and newly curled, slid over her shoulder as she closed the door behind her.

“When you asked me what I wanted. . .” Charlotte’s voice dropped, raising the heat on Alex’s skin. “Maybe I shouldn’t have told you.”

Alex had the immediate and desperate urge to ask what she meant but refused to put herself in a weaker position.

She was already keeping a white-knuckle grip on her self-control and that was dangerous enough.

Charlotte was practically growling as she closed the gap between them. “I’m not really big on talking.” Her full lips, painted a glossy pink, parted as Charlotte’s eyes searched her face.

The moment before it happened, Alex knew it was coming. Maybe she’d known it from the moment she’d opened the door and saw Charlotte standing there. Known it the moment the woman stirred her curiosity. Awakened her desire.

There was no dismissing Charlotte now. She was lightning cracking in the sky. A fleeting warning before the unstoppable storm.

“I know I’m not alone in feeling this, Alexandra.”

Charlotte’s conviction planted a flutter in Alex’s stomach.

Her perfume and the warmth of her palm as it pressed against Alex’s cheek sent a shockwave rippling over her skin.

Lost in Charlotte’s blue eyes, Alex’s grip on herself faltered. Letting go of her self-control meant her hand was free to clasp the one resting on her cheek.

“Getting involved with your boss is ill-advised,” Alex said with the remainder of her willpower.

“I’m a consenting adult and I’m not afraid,” she replied, her eyes as fiery as sapphires. “I don’t think you are either.”

Alex’s heart leapt into a new breakneck pace. She believed her fearlessness. Her desire. “You should be,” she whispered in response, but it lacked conviction.

Charlotte’s body was scorching as it pressed against hers.

Alex was mesmerized by her lips, o ered up as a gift while Charlotte craned her neck to reach her.

Cautiously, Alex rested her hand on Charlotte’s hip and allowed her palm to slide over the sti fabric of her dress until it landed on her lower back.