If she’d wornthisthe night of the party, all the men would have been ripping each other apart to get a few more seconds at her side. Instead, she’d worn a loose, light gray number witha neckline hovering high on her collarbone. They’d still panted after her, but they’d been polite about it.
This dress would have turned them into animals.
And it wasallfor me. Warmth shot through me, heating up the kitchen.
“I made burgers,” I told her as I slipped the plate down in front of her.
She daintily took a bite, raised her eyebrows, then took a bigger bite.
“This is really special,” Gwen said as she tucked another bite into her mouth.
I shrugged. My hamburger recipe was always a hit. My secret ingredient was chili powder mixed with a dash of cumin. Emerald had a fully stocked kitchen, so it had been easy to whip up.
Right when we were done eating, I got a call.
I didn’t recognize the number, so I stepped away to take it.
A woman’s voice chirpily came through the line. “Sorry to call on a Saturday night. I hope it’s not too late. This is Jane. You came in and interviewed with me a week ago.”
I stood at attention, even though the woman couldn’t see me. “Yeah. Yup. What can I do for you, ma’am?”
She laughed, “Please don’t call me ma’am. I’m younger than you. Anyway, I wanted to call and let you know that the interviews are concluded now, and if you’re interested, I’d like to offer you the position.”
Fuck, yeah.
I let out a tiny sigh of relief.
“Sure. That’s awesome. When do you want me to start?”
“Can you swing by on Monday and we’ll take care of the paperwork? Anytime works for me.”
“Sounds good.”
Excitement shot through me as we got off the phone, and I realized I was grinning like a fool.
When I turned around, Gwen looked up at me expectantly. “Did you get the job?”
“Yeah. I fuckinggotit.”
Gwen bounced right up out of her chair. “This is a reason to celebrate.”
She pulled two brews out of the fridge, popped the tops on both of them and handed one to me. “Congratulations, Knox. My friend Eliza is interviewing there next week for a receptionist position, so with any luck, you two might be coworkers.”
I was buzzing with so much energy I felt like I needed to go on one of my long runs to work it out of me. I wasn’t going to be able to sleep tonight, I was so amped up.
My energy must have been contagious, because Gwen looked like she’d been the one to get good news, instead of me.
She looked absolutely edible right now, and I was too pumped up to show any discretion.
Grabbing my phone, I put on some tunes, took a swig of beer, then growled, “Dance with me.”
Gwen gave me a shy look. “I’m notdancingwith you. There’s a kitchen to clean up.”
But I already had my hand clasped around hers, and I tugged her close to me and rumbled, “The kitchen can wait.Dancewith me.”
She relented quickly, melting into my arms, and then I was holding that gorgeous goddess of a woman close, shocked at how good she felt.
All of her soft parts pressed against me as we swayed in place. The friction of our bodies ignited flames between us, and I was too elated to care that I was destroying every boundary I’d said I wouldn’t cross.
