Page 39 of How to Resist Prince Charming

“Lenna,” he started, “I don’t want to push you into anything. We can go at a turtle’s pace if that’s what you need. For now, I am more than satisfied just to be in your presence.”

Lenna’s chest filled with glee. “Thank you.” She blew out a relieved breath. “That’s exactly how I feel too.”

Ready to enjoy the rest of her evening, she pulled her hand away and focused on her menu. The relief that filled her was so tangible she could almost taste it...reminding her she was in the nicest restaurant in town.

“Ooo,” she chirped in delight. “The ravioli looks good.”

But when she grinned at Braxton, he looked like in was in pain.

“Not to be a guy or anything.” He cringed. “But, umm, this will eventually lead to—” He broke off, his face filling with embarrassed color. “Well, you’re not saying you never want sex in this relationship, or whatever this is that we’re doing. Are you?”

Actually, yeah, she had been trying to say that. Merely befriending her dad’s boss has to be less of a betrayal than starting a hot, torrid affair with him. But something strange happened whenever she was in this man’s presence. He must have a spell over her, because she was powerless against him. She couldn’t stop looking at him, smiling at him, or denying him anything.

“Yeah,” she said. “I mean, no, that’s not what I’m saying. I’m sure someday we can...” Her words trailed off as their server showed up with their drinks.

Braxton, however, didn’t need her to continue. He’d already caught the gist of her answer. He looked relieved and grinned up at the waiter as if the man were his best friend.

After that little discussion, dinner progressed nicely. Relieved she’d gotten their sex talk out of the way and it hadn’t ended in a fight or tense silence, Lenna relaxed.

When their food arrived, she took a bite before grinning across the table at him. “How’s work?” she asked.

He lifted his eyes from his lasagna, looking startled. “Uh, it’s fine.” Then his gaze turned suspicious. “Why?”

Lenna rolled her eyes. “I don’t know. I was trying to make conversation.”

His shoulders relaxed. “Oh. Sorry.” Pink tinged the tops of his cheeks, making him look adorable. He cleared his throat. “Work is good,” he started again. “Actually, I’m thinking about expanding the enterprise.”

Her eyebrows lifted. “Really? How so?”

His eyes brightened, making them bluer than she’d ever seen them before. She watched his face grow animated as he spoke about turning Farris Industries into an international provider, and the strangest thing happened to her. She’d just told him she didn’t want to sleep with him, and he’d agreed to keep his hands off her. But his easy agreement only seemed to make the temptation stronger. She wanted to touch, nibble, and lick.

She kept remembering what he looked like with his shirt off. Little flashbacks of their night together in her apartment plagued her. She couldn’t help but recall the silken, wet pleasure of his mouth on her flesh. The snug thickness of him inside her. It made her skin tingle in every little place he’d kissed her. Whenever he lifted his glass to take a drink, her gaze fell to his hand. She shivered, knowing exactly what those long, talented fingers could do.

Lenna grew aroused just sitting across from him. As he changed the subject and asked about her job hunt, sounding interested and concerned about her having no prospects, she squirmed in her chair, wanting to climb across the table and into his lap to straddle his thighs.

When they stood to leave, he set his palm on the small of her back to usher her out. His touch shot a zing straight to her loins. She couldn’t meet his gaze as she walked stiffly beside him.

She could barely breathe when they shut themselves alone inside his Land Rover. God, she just wanted to take him right there. And what was worse, he didn’t seem afflicted by the same unsettling attraction. At all!

He put the automobile into drive and glanced over. “Want to go dancing or something?” he asked, as if he were blissfully unaware how wild her hormones were currently raging.

“No,” she answered honestly.

Lord, she couldn’t dance with him. She couldn’t get that close, with her body sliding against his and her hands on—

She shivered.

Heck, no. Dancing was out of the question.

“So you want me to take you home?” he guessed, sounding depressed about that possibility.

Lenna’s shoulders slumped. “No, not really,” she admitted.

But where could they possibly go? If they went to her small, cramped apartment, they’d end up in bed. Thinking his place had to be larger with plenty of space for her to keep a safe distance away and yet still be with him, she said, “Why don’t you show me where you live?”

He swiveled his head to gape at her. “Um...yeah. Sure, we could do that. If that’s what you want.”

She nodded, and he pulled away from the curb.

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