Charming Co-Worker - Jeannine Colette Page 0,14
her away for a few minutes, do you?”
“What are you doing?” I whisper-ask him.
I try to move, but he grips me tighter.
Hunter laughs. “This vixen. She snuck out of bed this morning and didn’t say good-bye.” He nuzzles my neck and coos loudly enough for Branson to hear, “After a night like we had, I was hoping to see you before work.”
My eyes feel like they’re about to bulge out of my head. “Hunter, you—”
“You don’t need her right now, do you?” he asks, and the tone sounds awfully accusatory.
I try to turn in Hunter’s arm to tell him off when Branson lets out a grunt, clearing his throat and adjusting his tie.
“Snogging, eh? I didn’t realize you two had copped off. Are you now a couple?”
“No,” I say as Hunter says, “Yes. Baby, it’s okay.”
He rests his chin on my shoulder. His mouth is so close to my neck that I can feel his breath on my skin. “I cleared it with Human Resources. There’s no problem with us dating since you don’t report to me.”
Branson raises a brow as he takes in the sight of Hunter holding me from behind, cocooning me. “I hope this isn’t another one of your escapades. I happen to like Katherine and don’t need her quitting when this all goes south.”
“This isn’t any woman. Katie is special,” Hunter says, standing tall with his arms still around me.
I should say something, but I’m in shock at how he’s behaving. I’m at a loss for words.
“She is,” Branson says as he stands up. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to use the loo.”
“You do that,” Hunter says over his shoulder as Branson walks out of the room and through my administrative area.
When he is out of earshot, I spin out of Hunter’s grasp and punch him in the arm. “What is wrong with you?”
He kisses me on the cheek and then walks around Branson’s desk, taking a seat in the leather chair. “I was saving you. It’s okay to thank me.” He leans back and puts his hands behind his head and his feet on the desk.
My arms rise in exasperation. “Thank you? I was about to make my move!”
The smile on his face dissipates. “Yeah, about that … I was wrong. Coming on to him like that is a bad idea. Women throw themselves at Branson Ford every day. He doesn’t want that kind of woman.”
I let out a frustrated huff. “And you think kissing me in front of him is the way to go?”
Hunter makes a pointed-gun gesture and shoots it at me. “Bingo. You just earned yourself a boyfriend.”
I’d laugh if I thought he was kidding, but from his cocky demeanor and the fact that he literally just claimed me in front of the man I was attempting to seduce, I know for certain that he’s dead serious.
“I find it hard to believe you’re in the habit of playing pretend.”
Hunter moves his feet off the desk and stands up, taking determined steps around the mahogany barrier between us. “I enjoy a good role-play. Just not usually out of the confines of the bedroom.”
I roll my eyes, “I was just about to—”
“Make a fool out of yourself by being something you’re not. You’re not a seductress, Katie. You’re clever. The girlfriend type. Don’t try to get him by lessening your worth. Show him what he’s missing out on. Make him want what he can’t have.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“I’ve played racquetball with the guy every week for three years. I’ve learned a thing or two, and trust me, this isn’t what he wants.”
I cross my arms in front of my body and bite my lip in contemplation. He’s not entirely wrong. I was feeling like a two-bit tramp there for a moment. Maybe he’s right. Perhaps showing Branson I’m a sexy woman who men want is the way to go.
I sway back and forth. “It’s not the worst idea.”
He lowers his head, so his caramel eyes are level with mine. “Mad at me?”
If he wasn’t so damn charming, I would be. But I can’t be. Not when he’s looking at me with that devilish grin.
I lean forward and wipe a smear of red lipstick off his mouth. “A little.”
“What can I do to make it up to you?”
“Well, I hope you plan on seeing this through. You just declared yourself as my boyfriend in front of the man I want to be my real boyfriend. How exactly does this work?”
He twists his mouth