live on Alleria.”
“I always planned to do that.”
“But you might change your mind after the baby’s born.”
She shook her head. “I won’t.”
“You never know,” he argued. “You might want to get married someday.”
“I have no intention of getting married,” she insisted.
“You never know,” he said with a shrug. “And if you changed your mind, how would you meet a man around here? Let’s face it, most men who come to Alleria are only looking for short-term action.”
She gave him a suspicious look and he wondered if her girlfriends had already mentioned that point to her. Didn’t matter. The more points he racked up for his side, the better.
As she sat back down in the chair opposite his desk, she nibbled at her lower lip, clearly nervous. Instantly, his groin strained with arousal and all he knew was that if she kept biting those lush lips of hers, he wouldn’t be responsible for his actions.
He was getting more and more fond of this whole idea by the minute.
“I’m pretty sure this is a bad idea,” she said.
He adjusted himself before leaning forward and resting his arms on his desk. “It’s actually a really good idea, Ellie. Unless…” He frowned at her. “Here I’ve been assuming all this time that you found me attractive enough to go through with it. Maybe I was wrong.”
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous,” she grumbled. “Of course I find you attractive. You’re the most… Oh, never mind. You’re just fishing for compliments. I refuse to feed your ego.”
“Too late.” Aidan couldn’t help grinning.
“Look,” she said after taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. “This has nothing to do with whether I think you look like a troll or whatever.”
“A troll? Thank you.”
“I’m kidding. You’re not a troll and you know it.” Her smile turned sober. “It’s just that I find the whole idea a little awkward, that’s all.”
“Awkward?”
“Well, yeah, Aidan. To do this, we’d have to be naked.” She blew out a breath. “We work together. Seeing each other, you know…that’s awkward.”
Naked. Okay, maybe he was just being a guy here, but the only thing he found awkward about this situation was that she wasn’t naked now. Still…he sat back and thought about what she’d said for a moment. Basically, she felt awkward and it was all his fault. Hell, if he could kick his own ass, he would do it. “Damn, Ellie. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
Now she looked contrite. “It’s okay. I know you didn’t set out to embarrass me or anything. It’s not in your nature to be mean. But you have to admit the idea’s a little…bizarre.”
He took a careful sip of coffee and wondered if his desperation was starting to show. He had overplayed his hand and she was about to turn him down. A woman. Turning him down. Was there an apocalypse about to happen that no one had told him about? Logan would laugh his ass off if he ever found out about this conversation.
“You’re right,” he said wearily. “The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt our working relationship. If it’s possible, can you please forget I ever said anything?”
“Just give me a minute,” she murmured.
“Take all the time you need. In fact, if you’d rather collect your thoughts and meet later…”
But she ignored him as she started to voice her feelings. “It makes a certain kind of sense to stay here on the island and take care of it, I mean, do…it…with you.” She rushed to add, “Even though it’s a terrible idea. Because, you know, it’s you and me. We’re pals. Or we were. I hope we still are. But more than that, you’re my boss and I’m your…you know. Your employee. So that makes it a really bad idea, right?”
Truly desperate now, Aidan played what he hoped was his trump card. “What if you were more than my employee? What if I told you I was planning to make you a partner?”
She didn’t react right away and Aidan thought maybe she hadn’t heard him. He wasn’t going to mention the fact that he and Logan had already decided to offer Ellie the partnership. She deserved it and it was past time they offered it to her. And if a partnership deal would help sway her to accept his other offer, he was willing to add it to the pot. On the other hand, if his other offer was totally offensive to her, the partnership deal might help lighten the insult.
He just