The Beautiful Widow - By Helen Brooks Page 0,32
joined in the blistering exploration, stroking the rough inside of his mouth and provoking such heat he felt he was burning up, that only one thing would quench the agony. The kiss was now a kind of consummation in itself and his thighs were hard against hers, his heart pounding like a sledgehammer. He moved, pressing her against the wall of the house, but in the next moment his mobile phone began to ring, shrill and painfully persistent as it destroyed the magic.
He felt her freeze. He was breathing hard as he straightened away from her and he swore softly as his fingers fumbled for the phone, which he turned off without looking at it.
Toni had her hands to her cheeks and when she reached out blindly behind her, searching for the handle of the back door, he made no attempt to stop her as she turned and entered the house.
Steel stood for a moment, running a hand round the back of his neck and wondering what the hell had just happened. He was stunned by the raw desire that had hit him so suddenly and provoked such a powerful chain reaction. What had begun as a goodnight kiss had exploded into something outside his imagination; a seduction of mind, soul and body. But who, he asked himself, had been seducing whom?
And then he shook his head at himself, remembering the look on Toni’s face when she had edged into the house. She had been mortified. Damn it all, how could he have been so stupid? She worked for him, for crying out loud, and he’d just broken every rule in the book.
Did she think he was in the habit of forcing himself upon the women who worked for him? He groaned softly, raking back his hair with a savage hand. Hell, what a mess. How could they work together after this? And she needed the job; there were the debts for a start, and if she was going to make a new life for herself and her girls it was imperative she earnt a good monthly salary. This place was far too small for them all now; as the twins grew it would get worse. Why hadn’t he thought of this before he’d kissed her? She’d made it clear she didn’t want a man around and what had he done? Bulldozed in like some callow youth who kept his brain in his trousers.
OK, OK, calm down. He breathed deeply, summoning the control that had always served him well in the past. When all was said and done he’d done no more than kiss her. It had been stupid and unprofessional but if he made it clear it wouldn’t happen again this whole episode stood the chance of dying a natural death.
He knew what he was dealing with now. For some reason he couldn’t fully trust himself around Toni and so he wouldn’t put himself in such a position again. He’d treat her the same as his other employees and nothing more. From her side she’d been to hell and back the last few years and it was obvious she hadn’t been on good terms with her husband for a long time. Tonight there’d been the moonlight and the wine and the euphoria of knowing she had the chance of getting her life back on some even footing again. He’d caught her at a vulnerable moment and she’d responded without thinking about it. It was just unfortunate that they were clearly sexually well matched.
The cold reasoning and logic were helping. Toni George was just an employee. An employee who was damn good at her job, admittedly, and for that reason he didn’t want to lose her. That being the case, he had to make this all right, take all the blame and reassure her he wouldn’t lay a finger on her in the future.
Could he make that promise, though?
The thought came out of nowhere and caused his mouth to set in a grim line. He’d have to. End of story.
Toni was waiting for him in the kitchen when Steel walked into the house. If she could have sunk through the floor and disappeared she would have done so; she had never felt so ashamed of herself in the whole of her life. He had kissed her—a ‘thank you’ for the meal and the evening—and what had she done? Practically eaten him. She clenched her teeth against the humiliating memory. He had been surprised, she knew he had, in the moment