My eyes moved back to the monitor and I didn’t answer him. I tried several things but the computer refused to follow my commands. While I understood several office programs and handled spreadsheets for Chris, I was not an IT genius by any means.
In my determination to ignore the irritating man in front of me, I didn’t notice when he set the coffee cup on my desk and walked around behind me. At least not until I felt the warmth of his arm come around me and his hand rest on top of mine where my fingers held the mouse.
I went still. I didn’t tense, but I couldn’t move either. Something similar had happened to me the first time I met Landen Weber and I shook his hand. The moment his hand gripped mine, a spark shot from my fingertips, traveled up my arm, before settling in my chest and making my nipples perk up. I’d been unable to do more than smile woodenly at him as Chris introduced us. I hadn’t even been able to release his hand, my body refusing to follow my brain’s commands. At the time, I was grateful that he gave my hand a single firm shake and let me go because that situation would have become awkward quickly.
At the time I chalked it up to static electricity. But now that his hand touched mine again, I couldn’t deny it any longer. Despite the fact that I thought he was an asshole, my body reacted to him. Strongly.
Sexual chemistry was the ultimate bitch.
Landen lifted his other arm and rested his palm on top of my desk. His chest brushed the back of my hair. Heat surrounded me and warmed my skin. That same spark I felt when I shook his hand the first time returned, but more intense. Goose bumps broke out all over my body and my nipples hardened. My heart thudded against my sternum at the overwhelming sensations.
I was so caught up in my body’s reaction to him that I didn’t hear a single word Landen said as he clicked the mouse a couple of times. When nothing happened, he lifted his hand and reached around me with both arms to place his fingers on the keyboard.
I licked my lips as I watched his long fingers move over the keys. My lungs didn’t want to expand properly and I fought the urge to pant. I felt his jaw brush against my hair as he continued to speak, his deep voice low near my ear.
Holy shit, what was happening to me?
It had to be the caffeine withdrawal. It was making me hallucinate.
I sucked in a deep breath, preparing to tell him to let me up, that he could have my seat while he fixed the computer, but that only brought his scent into focus. He smelled clean and a little tangy, as though his deodorant or cologne held hints of citrus. I could also smell the coffee he’d been drinking. In short, he was all of my favorite scents in one place.
This was bad. Really bad. I didn’t need to develop a hardcore sexual attraction to the most annoying man I’d ever met.
“There,” he murmured near my ear. “It’s working now. Think you can remember the process?”
I couldn’t help myself. I shivered. With his chest all but resting against my shoulders, I could feel the vibrations of his voice throughout my entire body as he spoke. As for remembering theprocesshe spoke of, I could barely remember my own name, much less what I was supposed to be doing right now.
He turned his head and I felt his warm breath against my cheek. “Chelsea?”
Who was Chelsea? Oh, yeah. Me. That was my name. God, I liked the way he said it when his lips were so close they brushed my ear.
I got my brain back on track with a firm yank and a bitch slap to my wayward hormones. One problem down, one to go. I managed to unstick my tongue from the roof of my mouth and reply.
“Yep. I can remember,” I lied.
Mercifully, he believed my fib and stood, putting distance between our bodies. It took a moment for my brain to register the fact that he was no longer close to me and I blinked at my now working computer.
I cleared my throat and kept my eyes on my desk as he moved around to the other side. My gaze fell on his coffee cup, which was scant inches from my keyboard, and I was suddenly very aware of how dry my mouth was.
Without giving it a second thought, I snatched up the cup and took a gulp. I nearly moaned as the liquid trickled over my tongue. It was still warm and it wasn’t just coffee. It was a latte, a strong one, flavored with caramel.
I drank down every single drop without stopping. When I lowered the cup, I found Landen watching me, his dark blue stare intensely focused on my lips. Abruptly, my mouth tingled as though his gaze had a physical weight.
I felt a stray drop of coffee on my skin and, once again without thinking, I swept my tongue across my bottom lip to remove it.
I could swear that Landen leaned forward, as though he intended to reach across the desk, but the sound of Chris’ door opening broke the spell. When I blinked, Landen was still in the same spot he’d been in before and he was looking at me with a gleam of annoyance in his eyes. I chalked up the crazy sexual tension I’d experienced moments ago to another withdrawal-induced hallucination.
“That was my coffee,” Landen stated, his voice low as he crossed his arms over his chest.
Still feeling off-kilter, I shrugged. “It was on my desk.”
His eyes narrowed at me. “What does that mean?”
“You leave it on my desk, it’s fair game,” I replied.
Before he could respond, Chris approached, a small smile on his face. As much as Landen irritated me, he brought a smile to my boss’ face. The only other time I saw him show any sort of happiness was when he was with my friend, Lucy. Lucy had been his assistant before me and though she never realized it, he’d been head over heels for her for a long time. Now they were engaged and the wedding was this weekend.
“Giving my assistant a hard time?” Chris asked Landen.
