Page 21 of Wicked Takeover
If he lived to a hundred, he’d never forget her heightened color. It had nothing to do with the partially nude woman in his station. He’d caused Lauren’s reaction. He’d also put fire in her eyes.
They needed to talk, touch, kiss, and a whole lot more rather than dance around each other as they had been. He’d sported a hard-on for days and suffered fatigue from tension and waiting for something to happen between them. He might have made his move before now, suggesting dinner to get things started, but she hadn’t given him a chance. She begged off from too much help, insisting she was bothering him. Or she refused to stay still long enough for them to have a decent conversation.
Ready for anything and everything, he strode to her office.
His customer shouted, “Hey, Dante, what gives? Why’d you leave?”
He ground to a stop.
The other young woman leaned out the door. “Something wrong?”
Him behaving like an idiot came to mind. “Nope. I thought I heard someone up front I needed to talk to.” He returned to his station. “False alarm.”
He’d have to catch up with Lauren later.
Hours passed like sludge on a sub-zero day. Concentrating on work was a bitch. Every noise set Dante on edge.
None came from Lauren.
Exhausted, he finished up with a biker. “Follow the instructions I gave you religiously. Book your follow-up visit with Jasmina.”
The guy grinned, showing several gold-rimmed teeth. “Seeing her is the best part of this. Later.”
He stalked to the front counter.
Dante cleaned his station and trudged into the hall.
Lauren stopped.
A spirited tune played. Raucous laughter and conversation poured from the front.
Dante tried to smile but couldn’t get his face to work. His skin burned. Cock blossomed. “Hey.”
“Hey.”
Whistles and applause broke out in front.
Thankfully, it wasn’t for his and Lauren’s awkward behavior around each other.
She rubbed her neck. “I was going to get a Dove Bar. Jasmina said it’s okay to take one. I should go.”
He wanted her to stay. “Sure.”
She edged to the right to go around him.
He’d gone in the same direction.
They danced back and forth, still in each other’s way.
Dante laughed, breaking the tension. “Stop, please.” He rested his hands lightly on her shoulders. “You go to your right, and I’ll go to mine. Sound like a plan?”
“Uh-huh.” She leaned closer.
Her fragrance and heat surrounded him, making him hunger for more. “A Dove Bar sounds good. Think Jasmina would mind if I had one, too?”
Lauren laughed softly. “We don’t have to tell her.”
“No, we don’t.”
