But I’m making payments on a beach house in San Diego, and I spend most of my time at the office anyway, so…”
Leaving the doughnuts on the counter, he walked over to her. “You said you’ve got a lot on your plate. Starting with me, right? I agree. We need to talk about last night. So have a seat.” He gestured toward the bed. “Want some coffee?”
“No, thanks. I had some earlier.” Sasha hesitated, then opted for a nearby desk chair rather than the comforter that had been spread over his otherwise unmade and still-warm-looking bed.
“Right. Let’s get to it then.” He sat across from her. “Obviously, I screwed up. But I swear , I didn’t come over there last night to hit on you. At least not consciously. I just felt like my apology was way overdue. You’ve been a tremendous asset. I don’t want to blow that, assuming I haven’t already.”
“We’re fine.” She grimaced sheepishly. “When I said I had a lot on my plate, I was talking about my father.”
“Oh, right.” He flushed as he jumped to his feet. “I’m such an idiot! Did you talk to him? How’d it go?”
“I didn’t talk to him yet. I’m headed there next. But…” She didn’t have to feign the confusion in her voice. “I think this is it, Jeff. The big moment for him and me. I can’t just keep ignoring him. Or ignoring the problem. So I’m going to force myself to hear him out. Talk it through. It won’t be easy. And I don’t want to rush it. So…” She took a deep breath, then blurted out, “I need some time off. From our stuff. Our business stuff, not the personal involvement. Not that we’re involved. But you know what I mean.”
“Yeah.” He sat on the bed again, then studied her intently. “Take all the time you need. And just for the record, I think you’re doing the right thing.”
“Thanks.”
“As for our personal involvement…” He gave the seat beside him an inviting pat. “Come here for a minute.”
She winced.
“I won’t bite you. Or kiss you. I just want to talk.”
She steadied her racing heart, then scooted over, sitting a safe distance from him and smiling warily. “Any chance we can postpone this till I see how it goes with Dad?”
His green eyes warmed. “It’s gonna go fine with your old man. He loves you. And you love him. Right?”
Sasha nodded.
“It’ll make you an even more valuable asset for us. Not because we expect you to inform on Big Frankie or anything, but because it’ll remove a giant unknown from the equation where you’re concerned. I’ll be relying on you even more than I have been. And hopefully I’ll be treating you better. More like an equal partner.” He edged closer. “It’s gonna be tough, because you’re so sexy. But if I want to be your handler, I can’t—well, handle you, so to speak. And I definitely want to be your handler, because I think we’re gonna do great things together.”
She could see that he had rehearsed those words—most of them, at least—and she was touched by how difficult it still seemed for him to deliver them. “I know. Don’t worry about it, Jeff. I want to keep working with you, too. Plus,” she said with a wistful smile, “we’ve got less chance than Romeo and Juliet, romantically speaking. Two different worlds and all that.”
“Don’t kid yourself ,” he murmured. “We’d be amazing together. That’s the worst part of it, for me at least. I’ll definitely have to be on my guard against it. Because that kiss,” he added reverently, “is gonna stick with me for a long, long time.”
Sasha licked her lips, enjoying the forbidden thrill his words were sending through her. If it weren’t for her new mission—the need to save Teal—she might actually have argued with him. Or maybe even kissed him again.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he warned, his green eyes darkening. “I’ve been telling myself the same thing. We’re both adults. We can handle it. But that’s nuts.
Leaving the doughnuts on the counter, he walked over to her. “You said you’ve got a lot on your plate. Starting with me, right? I agree. We need to talk about last night. So have a seat.” He gestured toward the bed. “Want some coffee?”
“No, thanks. I had some earlier.” Sasha hesitated, then opted for a nearby desk chair rather than the comforter that had been spread over his otherwise unmade and still-warm-looking bed.
“Right. Let’s get to it then.” He sat across from her. “Obviously, I screwed up. But I swear , I didn’t come over there last night to hit on you. At least not consciously. I just felt like my apology was way overdue. You’ve been a tremendous asset. I don’t want to blow that, assuming I haven’t already.”
“We’re fine.” She grimaced sheepishly. “When I said I had a lot on my plate, I was talking about my father.”
“Oh, right.” He flushed as he jumped to his feet. “I’m such an idiot! Did you talk to him? How’d it go?”
“I didn’t talk to him yet. I’m headed there next. But…” She didn’t have to feign the confusion in her voice. “I think this is it, Jeff. The big moment for him and me. I can’t just keep ignoring him. Or ignoring the problem. So I’m going to force myself to hear him out. Talk it through. It won’t be easy. And I don’t want to rush it. So…” She took a deep breath, then blurted out, “I need some time off. From our stuff. Our business stuff, not the personal involvement. Not that we’re involved. But you know what I mean.”
“Yeah.” He sat on the bed again, then studied her intently. “Take all the time you need. And just for the record, I think you’re doing the right thing.”
“Thanks.”
“As for our personal involvement…” He gave the seat beside him an inviting pat. “Come here for a minute.”
She winced.
“I won’t bite you. Or kiss you. I just want to talk.”
She steadied her racing heart, then scooted over, sitting a safe distance from him and smiling warily. “Any chance we can postpone this till I see how it goes with Dad?”
His green eyes warmed. “It’s gonna go fine with your old man. He loves you. And you love him. Right?”
Sasha nodded.
“It’ll make you an even more valuable asset for us. Not because we expect you to inform on Big Frankie or anything, but because it’ll remove a giant unknown from the equation where you’re concerned. I’ll be relying on you even more than I have been. And hopefully I’ll be treating you better. More like an equal partner.” He edged closer. “It’s gonna be tough, because you’re so sexy. But if I want to be your handler, I can’t—well, handle you, so to speak. And I definitely want to be your handler, because I think we’re gonna do great things together.”
She could see that he had rehearsed those words—most of them, at least—and she was touched by how difficult it still seemed for him to deliver them. “I know. Don’t worry about it, Jeff. I want to keep working with you, too. Plus,” she said with a wistful smile, “we’ve got less chance than Romeo and Juliet, romantically speaking. Two different worlds and all that.”
“Don’t kid yourself ,” he murmured. “We’d be amazing together. That’s the worst part of it, for me at least. I’ll definitely have to be on my guard against it. Because that kiss,” he added reverently, “is gonna stick with me for a long, long time.”
Sasha licked her lips, enjoying the forbidden thrill his words were sending through her. If it weren’t for her new mission—the need to save Teal—she might actually have argued with him. Or maybe even kissed him again.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he warned, his green eyes darkening. “I’ve been telling myself the same thing. We’re both adults. We can handle it. But that’s nuts.
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