Forbidden Bride - Penny Wylder Page 0,5
suspicious. “Well, good. Go kick Orange and Basil’s ass.”
I laugh. “I’ll do my best.”
As I turn away from her, I can feel his gaze on me like a physical touch, reminding me viscerally of the one and only time that he’s ever touched me. The only man who’s ever touched me like that, and I’ve sworn to keep it that way. I did not lie to him when I said that I would wait as long as it takes.
Is he working here now? Just visiting? God, if he’s going to be in this focus group than I am never going to be able to focus.
I walk into the room, and I feel like I can’t breathe. Sharing a physical space with Tristan is like all the oxygen has been sucked out of the room. Or maybe it’s just the way that he’s staring at me. He looks like he wants to talk to me, and of course I want to talk to him. But my father sees me first. “Nicola, perfect timing. We’re ready to get started, but I want a quick word with you first.” He turns to the assembled group of testers. “We’ll be with you in just a moment.”
Tristan’s eyes are still on me as my dad takes my elbow and pulls me to the side of the room. “What’s going on?”
“Tristan just came back to town, and I’m bringing him in to replace Cynthia. He’s perfect for the position.”
My heart leaps and my stomach drops at the same time, leaving me dizzy. It’s true, Tristan works in marketing. But here? Every day? Cynthia and I used to work side by side. There wasn’t a day that she and I didn’t work closely together. If that’s going to be Tristan’s position, then we’re going to work closely, and I’m not sure I’ll survive. I’ll spontaneously combust, first. “Oh.”
My dad suddenly looks concerned. “Is everything okay? I thought it would be fine since you know him.”
“No, of course,” I say. “Just sudden, that’s all.”
He smiles. “I know, but we need someone if we’re going to get some of these lines going and the expansion launched before the busy season. So I’m throwing him in the deep end. I was hoping you’d show him the ropes and help him get settled?”
My breath goes short in my chest. Images of what that might mean flash in my head. Hot and heavy and dark images that aren’t even close to what he means. “Sure.”
“I’m going to stick around for this group, because I’m curious about how it’s going. But after that, he’s all yours.”
I make a face. “Don’t get your hopes up. It’s not right yet. I don’t feel it. Closer, but not there yet.”
Dad wraps his arm around my shoulders as we walk back toward the participants. “Noted. But like we always say…”
“All data is good data.”
“That’s right,” he grins. We stop in front of Tristan. “You remember Tristan?” When I look at him, asking him if he’s serious, he laughs. “Of course you do.”
I finally get the chance to look at him then, and his gaze scorches me. “I could never forget,” I say, more breathless than I intended. Reaching out, I extend a handshake. “It’s good to see you.”
When his skin touches mine I have no control over the goosebumps that cover my body. “The pleasure is all mine,” he says. His voice has always done things to me, and now is no exception. It’s like rich chocolate, promising delicious pleasure and satisfaction.
“Shall we get started?” my dad asks.
I pull my hand away from Tristan’s, knowing that I’m going to feel his hand on mine for hours. “Of course.” It only takes a few minutes to introduce myself and explain the scoring and comment procedures to the participants of the focus group. Though the speech that I’ve had down since I’ve started working here, I mess up. Twice. Because I can feel Tristan’s eyes on my back and it’s all I can think about.
But I get the first round of samples out to the participants and try to focus on tasting. This is a good time for me too, to figure out what’s going on with this flavor. Dad and Tristan are tasting too.
This group will have four variations. Three that I’d prepped beforehand and the formula I just made in the lab. The first one is overwhelmingly orange, and though everyone likes it, that’s not the point of the flavor. The second one is too much basil,