“Where are we going?”
He could hear the nerves in her voice but when he glanced back her expression was amused. She clutched his hand, trying to keep her balance in those sexy-as-sin four-inch heels. When she tripped and righted herself he frowned, resisting the urge to just pick her up and carry her. He didn’t think she’d go for that quite yet, although his inner caveman would be more than happy. “Somewhere private.”
She yanked back hard on his hand, stopping him in his tracks. “Hold up there, buddy. I’m not sure this is such a good idea.”
He turned and looked down at her, trying his best to look harmless. “I just want to talk, away from all the noise. Don’t you want to get out of those boots for a bit without worrying about getting your toes stepped on?”
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Dare to Believe
He saw the indecision on her face, the teasing light leaving her eyes. “You’ve got a certain reputation around the company, Leo. Let’s face it, I’m not exactly your type. Even if I was, I wouldn’t want to be another notch on the old bedpost.”
He actually felt his cheekbones heat up. He cleared his throat, trying to figure out how to get her to agree to leave the party with him. “If I promise not to touch you without your permission, will you come with me?”
She bit her lip, clearly undecided.
“I give you my word I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do.” He held up one hand and pressed it against his heart, striking a theatrically wounded pose. “Don’t you trust me?”
To his delight she lifted one skeptical eyebrow. He laughed, dropping the pose. “My word is gold, and you know it.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Promise?”
“Promise.” That my word is gold, darlin’. He caught a whiff of her wonderful scent and nearly groaned. His hand tightened around hers, daring her to make a break for it.
“Well, all right.” She was frowning. He beamed angelically and pulled her along behind him, not giving her a chance to throw up any more obstacles.
Once out of the ballroom he headed straight for the elevators. “I’m not planning on staying the night,”
she muttered, biting her lip.
He wasn’t surprised she’d said that, considering what she considered his reputation to be. The fact that his reputation was mostly exaggerated didn’t matter, only what she perceived it to be did. He’d have to figure out a way to fix that. “That’s all right. I wasn’t planning on it either.” Planning, no. Hoping, yes.
She looked a little more relaxed, so he decided not to enlighten her.
They stepped into the elevator and he pressed the button for the penthouse, resisting the childish urge to punch the sky and shout Yes!
The penthouse was absolutely amazing, with gold-papered walls, rich, burgundy fabrics covering the sofa and chairs and a mahogany entertainment center. A small kitchenette was off to her left complete with a small table and two chairs. She assumed, the bedroom was off to the right. The entire back wall of the room was made of glass, affording her an incredible view of the city below, all lit up for the night like the world’s largest Christmas tree. The carpet beneath her poor, sore feet was soft and plush, a warm honey tone that complimented the walls.
With a deep sigh of satisfaction, Ruby plopped down on the sofa and considered taking her boots off.
Leo watched her for a moment, looking uncertain, like she might just up and run away from him. When she reached down and began easing down the zipper on her boot, she could have sworn she heard a sigh of relief. She looked at him, curious, but he had his back to her and was busy pouring them both a drink. She
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Dana Marie Bell
took both boots and set them under the end table, wiggling her toes in the thick, decadent carpet with a quickly muffled moan. Damn it felt good to get those stupid boots off.
Leo handed her the glass of cola and sat on the coffee table in front of her. “I noticed at the last office party that you don’t drink very much, so I thought you’d appreciate this.”
She was surprised he’d noticed her or that he remembered. The last office party had been about six weeks ago, a retirement party for one of the IT guys. She’d done her best to stick to the shadows, avoiding anywhere Leo was. She hadn’t wanted to make a fool of herself by drooling on him. Besides, he’d brought some blonde harpy with him. The woman had made faces all through the party, making it clear that she would much rather be somewhere alone with Leo.