Fantasy for Hire - Erika Wilde Page 0,28
abruptly cut off her words with a kiss that happened so spontaneously she didn’t have a breath of a chance to stop those tantalizing lips from covering her own. Gaining her equilibrium, she jerked back, nearly spilling her wine spritzer down the front of her dress.
“Austin!” she admonished, not exactly shocked at his audacity, considering how bold he’d proven to be. But still, they’d given the employees at Sharper Image plenty to gossip about without giving them a public display, too!
“What?” He blinked at her, a picture of little-boy innocence. “You’re standing under the mistletoe, and anyone watching would expect any self-respecting boyfriend to take advantage of the situation.”
Skeptical, she glanced up at the arbor they stood under. Sure enough, a sprig of mistletoe dangled above her head.
Without permission, he came back for a second sampling, this time curling his long fingers around the nape of her neck and using his thumb to tip her chin up and keep her mouth firmly locked beneath his. He parted her lips with one silken stroke of his tongue, and she tasted heat, and the sweet flavor of root beer.
Losing all sense of time and place, she gave herself over to his soft, compelling kiss. The man stole her sanity, made her want things she’d convinced herself she didn’t need in her life and threatened her hard-won independence. He made her feel too reckless, and entirely too needy.
Desperate to pull the situation back into perspective, she placed a hand on his chest, feeling the strong, steady beat of his heart beneath her palm. To anyone watching, the gesture looked like an affectionate caress, but he immediately picked up on her cue. Or maybe it was her panic he sensed.
With a low growl that reverberated deep in his chest, Austin lifted his head, his eyes glowing with unsuppressed hunger. “I suggest we finish this later, when we don’t have an audience.”
Certain that intimate comment was meant for their viewers’ ears, she nodded, the only intelligible gesture she could manage at the moment.
“They have got to be the most romantic, in-love couple I’ve ever seen,” Teddy heard some woman say from behind Austin.
They’d certainly fooled everyone, she thought with a grimace. Hopefully, Louden would be just as convinced.
Arm in arm, they strolled away from the arbor. “You’re an investment broker,” she whispered in a low voice to Austin, and nodded sociably at an older couple who were smiling at them.
“I am?” Amusement threaded Austin’s voice.
“As of ten minutes ago, you are.”
“How about I own my landscaping business instead?”
She shook her head at him, dismissing his offbeat suggestion. “No, I was thinking more along the lines of something upscale and respectable.”
“Respectable?” he echoed, his voice losing that humorous edge of moments before.
Her face flushed. She hadn’t meant to insult him. “Well, yes,” she hedged. “Saying you’re an investment broker is more respectable than announcing you’re a fantasy for hire. You weren’t around, we hadn’t discussed an occupation, and it’s the first thing I thought of.”
He shrugged, and accepted her choice of career. “Okay. After all, this is your fantasy.”
She frowned at him, and his choice of words. “No, my fantasy was a cowboy. This is strictly business.”
Annoyance flitted across his handsome face, and just when she suspected he was going to issue an argument of some sort, the man she’d been dreading all evening finally approached them. The tension Austin had worked so hard to obliterate quickly spread through Teddy’s body, tightening muscles and tingling nerves.
Dressed in the prerequisite black tie, Louden exuded confidence and professionalism, which Teddy supposed appealed to the higher-ups in the company. Louden couldn’t have climbed the corporate ladder as high as he had without competence and some personable qualities. What the directors didn’t realize, though, was just how poorly he handled employee relations.
Pale blue eyes scrutinized Austin lazily, but Teddy wasn’t fooled by his complacent behavior. Even if he was suspicious, he certainly wasn’t going to let it show in front of her, or anyone else.
“Hello, Louden,” Teddy greeted, trying to maintain a semblance of courtesy.
“Theodora.” Louden inclined his head at her and smiled pleasantly. “You look quite lovely tonight.”
Ignoring his compliment, she pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders. “Louden, I’d like you to meet my boyfriend, Austin McBride.”
Louden turned his attention back to the man at her side, and Austin extended his hand toward her boss. Their hands clasped in a firm handshake, and Teddy caught an undercurrent of silent rivalry. Austin was clearly staking a claim, and Louden