Page 29 of Jason
“I’m notthatdrunk.I’m not the night of the dailies drunk.”She paused a moment, her hand on the faucet.“That really happened, you know.”
“Oh, I know.”
She turned off the water and turned.“Hey, let me ask you something—did youreallythink you were responsible for what happened?”
“Yes.”
“Really?”she asked, her eyes narrowing.“Because I don’t see how youcould.have.missed.it.” She poked him in the chest with each word.
She was feeling no pain, that was for sure.“Missed what?”
“That I really do have a massive crush on you.”The minute she said it, she put her fingers to her lips.“Did I just say that?”
The sparkle in him was getting a little more intense.Maybe he’d had more to drink than he thought, because all he wanted to do right now was kiss her.“Yes you did.Which means I wasright.Youdohave a thing for me.”
“I shouldn’t have said that.Now it’s going to get all weird like it did the first time, isn’t it?”
“Not with me,” he said.
She smiled, her eyes bright behind her glasses.She swayed forward a little and he caught her by the elbow, righting her.She seemed not to notice.“So all and all, riding out the storm with you, which, you know, would be my worst nightmare, has been very interesting.”
“You’re not exactly helping with my self-confidence.”
“Don’t take it personally,” she advised, and laid her hand on his chest.“Since I’m laying it all out here in a whisky-coated haze, you want to know something else?”
“Sure.”He was smiling, because he suspected Mallory was going to regret this in the morning, particularly the part about having a crush on him.He hadn’t believed her the night of the dailies.He’d chalked it up to their being drunk.But now that he knew she did, he figured she probably wouldn’t make eye contact for a month.
“You have sex appeal, Jason Blackthorne.”She arched a brow, as if she were pleased with her assessment, then pushed him, so he bounced up against the counter.
He couldn’t suppress a chuckle.He was going to enjoy teasing her about this.“I don’t think you should be telling me everything you’re thinking right now.”
“Don’t tell me what to do,” she said, and moved closer to him, so now Jason was trapped between her and the countertop.“I have an idea, the perfect way to end this crazy day.Do you want to know what it is?”
“Honestly?I’m a little afraid to know.”
She leaned closer, her gaze falling to his mouth.She was going to kiss him.Jason curled the fingers of one hand around the edge of the countertop, and put the other one on her arm, forcing her to lift her gaze from his mouth.“I think you might regret this in the morning, Mallory,” he said softly.
“You always think you know everything,” she murmured, and kissed him.
He’d seen it coming, but Jason was just as surprised as she was that night in his office.Mallory so straight and narrow, so rule oriented.Except when she’d had a little to drink.She slid her arms up his chest, rose up on her toes and pressed her soft, warm lips against his.
Jason instantly put his hands on her arms and pulled her away from his mouth.His heart was beginning to race.He didn’t trust himself, didn’t think he had enough strength to stop this.“I specifically asked you if you were going to make a pass at me to tell me so I wouldn’t be confused.”
“I forgot.”She smiled.“I’m making a pass.A big one.”
Jason’s body was totally into the idea.But his head…his head kept whisperingDarien.“Mallory, I just fired Darien—”
“I know, that wasawful.”She grabbed his head in both her hands and pulled it down, kissing him again.
“I think you’ve lost your mind,” he said against her lips.
“Maybe,” she murmured back against his lips.
That was it, as much resistance as he could put up against her.Because maybe he had a bit of a crush on her, too.When her tongue began to tease his, he somehow managed to slide his hand up under her T-shirt and hoodie and find her breast.It was enough to fry his thoughts into nothing.Everything became instinct—he was moving, lifting her up on the countertop.She shoved her hands into his hair, pulling him closer, his body into hers.He didn’t understand why it was always so charged between them, why it always felt like there were magnets pulling them together, but the flame had been lit in him, and the desire was torching him.
Mallory drew her knees up around him and pressed her body against his.He was ready to launch, ready to do the deed here where they stood.He was ready to make love to this woman in a way she would not soon forget.But that clanging thought about Darien in the back of his mind somehow pierced his thoughts.What was he doing?
Jason managed to get a grip of his emotions and the sensations rifling through him.He pressed his forehead to hers, wiped her bottom lip with the pad of his thumb.“This is not appropriate,” he said roughly.
