to throw up the white flag, pushing off the desk and moving toward her. Her eyes narrowed warily, but when I roped an arm around her waist and pulled her toward me, she arched into me, her swan like neck craning as she tilted her chin upward. It had been years since I'd done the relationship thing, but I remembered that it was easier to surrender and say the dreaded two words than go for blood.
“I'm sorry.” I said it with my voice then repeated it with my lips. She brushed hers against mine, a smile brightening her face.
“Me too. I'm not mad at you. Hell, I owe you a thank you for squeezing in a sit down with your fake girlfriend.”
She said it as a joke but I saw past the wink and nudge with her shoulder. 'Fake' and 'not real' were words she'd uttered before. And for all intents and purposes, she was right. Whatever this was that we were doing, it had edges and textures that I was still figuring out myself. I went back to the money, because that's where I felt safe. That's where I felt comfortable. But with her in my arms, I couldn't feel my feet touch the floor. How was it possible that I wasn't counting down the days until the weekend, when I could get off and get back to business? The only thing I cared about was making Penny smile.
I was losing my mind. My head told me to run, as far and as fast as I could. There was only one way this could end, and it was disastrously.
I ignored it, a crazy idea taking root. “Have you ever been on a helicopter?”
“What?” Her face twisted in confusion. “I mean, um, no?” She bit her bottom lip to hide her smile but it just made her shine brighter as she took a cautious step forward. “Why do you ask?”
I reached for my phone, punching Caitlyn's number. “Because we're going on a field trip.”
Chapter Seven: Penny
D o not sleep with Xander Wade.
I'd been repeating that sentence in my head from the minute he held out his hand and led me to the elevators that shot us to the roof. He never let my hand go, even squeezing it as we shared a view of Golden Gate Bridge that I'd only seen in movies. It was almost as alluring as the sight of our hands locked together so effortlessly that I almost believed it was real. The nearness of him mixed with the adrenaline of being thousands of feet above the rest of the world and it made me want to be reckless. Something like...ease our hands up my thigh and decide that maybe I'd behaved too rashly when I'd made the proclamation that if we were doing this, it would be a business arrangement, with no sex.
But I wanted him.
I needed him.
And it was driving me utterly insane.
It didn't help that he kept stroking my skin-slow, tender circles that made me want to kiss him. Despite the rumbling of the jets and my ongoing battle to keep my legs closed, every jolt that rocked through me made me wish I'd worn a skirt.
When I saw the familiar hills of the Tri-Valley, I panicked for a moment, thinking that in his over the top manner, he was taking me back to my apartment, but the copter set down in Livermore. When a woman dressed in all black with dollar signs glittering in her eyes rushed over, welcoming us to Brentwood Winery, I had to repeat the words again.
Do not sleep with Xander Wade.
Do...
Ugh.
This was like some fantastic, surreal dream and people do really dumb things in their dreams. Helicopter rides to wineries, his hand caressing mine the entire journey with no intention of letting up—I could see me wavering. I felt it every time I pretended I didn't notice him watching me. I had no idea what he saw, or why he was going to all this trouble when he was already paying me, but I didn't have the guts to ask. I didn't want to know. I didn't want to risk doing anything that would wake me from this dream.
“You okay?”
His voice shook me from my stupor and I looked down, my heart lurching when I saw our fingers were still interlaced.
I snatched my hand away, wiping my sweaty palms on my pants. “I, um, sorry.” I
“I'm sorry.” I said it with my voice then repeated it with my lips. She brushed hers against mine, a smile brightening her face.
“Me too. I'm not mad at you. Hell, I owe you a thank you for squeezing in a sit down with your fake girlfriend.”
She said it as a joke but I saw past the wink and nudge with her shoulder. 'Fake' and 'not real' were words she'd uttered before. And for all intents and purposes, she was right. Whatever this was that we were doing, it had edges and textures that I was still figuring out myself. I went back to the money, because that's where I felt safe. That's where I felt comfortable. But with her in my arms, I couldn't feel my feet touch the floor. How was it possible that I wasn't counting down the days until the weekend, when I could get off and get back to business? The only thing I cared about was making Penny smile.
I was losing my mind. My head told me to run, as far and as fast as I could. There was only one way this could end, and it was disastrously.
I ignored it, a crazy idea taking root. “Have you ever been on a helicopter?”
“What?” Her face twisted in confusion. “I mean, um, no?” She bit her bottom lip to hide her smile but it just made her shine brighter as she took a cautious step forward. “Why do you ask?”
I reached for my phone, punching Caitlyn's number. “Because we're going on a field trip.”
Chapter Seven: Penny
D o not sleep with Xander Wade.
I'd been repeating that sentence in my head from the minute he held out his hand and led me to the elevators that shot us to the roof. He never let my hand go, even squeezing it as we shared a view of Golden Gate Bridge that I'd only seen in movies. It was almost as alluring as the sight of our hands locked together so effortlessly that I almost believed it was real. The nearness of him mixed with the adrenaline of being thousands of feet above the rest of the world and it made me want to be reckless. Something like...ease our hands up my thigh and decide that maybe I'd behaved too rashly when I'd made the proclamation that if we were doing this, it would be a business arrangement, with no sex.
But I wanted him.
I needed him.
And it was driving me utterly insane.
It didn't help that he kept stroking my skin-slow, tender circles that made me want to kiss him. Despite the rumbling of the jets and my ongoing battle to keep my legs closed, every jolt that rocked through me made me wish I'd worn a skirt.
When I saw the familiar hills of the Tri-Valley, I panicked for a moment, thinking that in his over the top manner, he was taking me back to my apartment, but the copter set down in Livermore. When a woman dressed in all black with dollar signs glittering in her eyes rushed over, welcoming us to Brentwood Winery, I had to repeat the words again.
Do not sleep with Xander Wade.
Do...
Ugh.
This was like some fantastic, surreal dream and people do really dumb things in their dreams. Helicopter rides to wineries, his hand caressing mine the entire journey with no intention of letting up—I could see me wavering. I felt it every time I pretended I didn't notice him watching me. I had no idea what he saw, or why he was going to all this trouble when he was already paying me, but I didn't have the guts to ask. I didn't want to know. I didn't want to risk doing anything that would wake me from this dream.
“You okay?”
His voice shook me from my stupor and I looked down, my heart lurching when I saw our fingers were still interlaced.
I snatched my hand away, wiping my sweaty palms on my pants. “I, um, sorry.” I
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