Page 149 of Savage Suit

My mouth moved, but no words came out. I stared, dumbfounded.

“Yes? No? Maybe?”

“Later?” I mumbled, too shocked to say anything else.

“Excellent.” His gaze returned to my breasts before he looked at my face again. “May I come in?” he repeated. “Please.”

Still reeling, I stepped aside to allow him entry into my home without further comment, closing and locking the doors behind him.

Without invitation, he strolled to my uncluttered couch and sat. “It smells good in here.”

“Thank you.” I opted to remain standing. “I sprinkled a blend of bergamot, lemon, and jasmine oil in different places.”

“No coconut?” he murmured. “Or is that scent only for your hair and body?”

Refusing to allow him to lure me in, I folded my arms. “Talk, please. You need to leave so I can dress.”

He narrowed his eyes at me. “Where the hell are you going?”

“When you offer me your full schedule, I’ll be happy to give you mine.”

Although he didn’t look happy, he dropped the subject. He considered me for a moment. “Since Tuesday night, I’ve been thinking a lot about you.”

My feelings for him were as foolish as hoping he cared for me, but my heart leaped at his words. He’d said as much in the hallway and Noah didn’t repeat himself or lay his heart bare. The traumatic experiences he’d suffered, I’d learned from Reid. Yet, here he was, staring at me with an openness I’d never seen on his face.

“About our relationship,” he said into the silence, “and what it should be.”

“Employee and employer,” I interjected, barely believing I’d found the strength to push out those words. “That’s what it should be.”

“You’re right,” he agreed, his expression closing.

It had been the right thing to say, the prudent thing, even if I yearned for so much more than a professional relationship. He was attracted to me, so he’d ruin whoever made me unhappy. What would happen when the novelty wore off? In each of my other relationships, I’d stayed in control.

Noah would consume me. Already, I was in danger of falling in love with him. Fighting to resist him, battling my heart not to overrule my common sense, I was a wordaway from throwing caution to the wind and ignoring our complicated situation.

“I want more from you, Ryan. I know you were shocked and embarrassed, but I don’t think you want only a professional relationship with me. The night we met? I was alone, stewing in grief. You were like a ray of sunshine lighting my life. I don’t know if I had such a profound effect on you?”

He was showing vulnerability to me, opening up, affording me a rare gift. “I don’t remember much,” I admitted, ashamed. “I’d drank so much champagne. Having my drink spiked didn’t help.”

“What are you talking about?” he demanded.

The man was a fucking chameleon. One minute he was gentle and sexy, and the next he looked ready to fuck something up. “I took a downer,” I said, deciding not to throw Reid under the bus.

“The fuck you did. Reid gave it to you, didn’t he?”

“Gave to meis kind of harsh.”

Noah glared at me, then narrowed his eyes. “Was he in any way involved?”

I studied my nails. “What do you mean by involved?”

“Ryan!”

“Jesus, stop! It doesn’t matter what Reid did or didn’t do. It’s in the past. Our conversation has veered off track. The fact is, I had vague memories. Quinn insisted it was a dream, so that’s what I chalked it up to. When I went to your office the first time and you sauntered in, it felt…I felt…”

“A connection,” Noah finished, still annoyed over Reid, but the look in his eyes had gentled once more. “You felt a connection to me. And I to you.”

“Yes,” I said softly. “So now what? I-I’m not a whore. I don’t…I’ve never slept with a stranger in my life.”