regarded him warily. “There will have to be rules.”
“Is that the same as having a plan?”
“Pretty much.” She spoke briskly, as if she was reviewing the monthly financials for the club. “This is a fundraiser for one of my mom’s pet charities. Very elegant.”
“I’m surprised you don’t have a Powerpoint ready.”
“I didn’t expect you to volunteer.”
“Fair enough. I didn’t expect you to agree.”
“Everyone can have a weak moment.” She tried to glare at him but her eyes were twinkling a little. Hunter thought that bit of humor made her look adorable. “My mom wants me to have a significant other.”
“Or else she’ll fix you up with Mr. Wonderful.”
She nodded. “But it’s a performance, Hunter. It’s not a date. There will be no sex. There will be no second date.”
“Can I hope for a kiss?”
“No.”
Hunter pouted, even though he hadn’t expected her to say anything else.
She folded her arms across her chest. “If we do it, it’s a business arrangement, like a little Christmas gift for my mom.”
“Why does it matter so much to her?”
Chloe sighed again. “The daughter of a friend, and I use the term loosely, just got engaged. My mom and Maggie are the kind of friends who compete over every little thing, and since I’m not engaged, it looks like this round is going to Maggie. Maggie will rub it in, gleefully. I want to give my mom a comeback.” Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Changing your mind?”
“Not a chance,” Hunter said. He closed the distance between them and took a deep breath of her perfume. It was the good stuff. He reached up to touch a fingertip to her chin. “But I reserve the right to break the rules.”
“Just try it,” she said, challenge in her tone.
“I intend to,” he replied, then bent to brush his lips across hers. He felt her catch her breath. “We have to make it look good, don’t you think?” he murmured, staring into her eyes. “And it’s possible that we won’t get it right the first time.”
She almost laughed. “You’re not suggesting that we practice.”
“I am.” He smiled and, incredibly, Chloe smiled back.
“You’re incorrigible.”
“I try. I really do.”
She laughed then. “I suppose you do have a certain charm.”
“Thank you very much.”
“Is it too much to hope that you clean up well?”
“Not at all.” Hunter surveyed Chloe, with her lips parted and her eyes shining, and he just couldn’t resist. He slid his hand around her nape, felt the softness of her skin and the silk of her hair, then exerted the tiniest bit of pressure. She could pull away and he’d let her go, but he was betting on her doing otherwise.
It was sweet to be right. Chloe leaned against him, her hands on his shoulders. She smiled as she held his gaze. Her thighs brushed against his, so smooth and firm that he wanted to run his hands over her. Positive reinforcement, that’s what she needed. Some encouragement to surrender to impulse more often.
“So this is just practice?” she murmured, her gaze locked on his mouth.
“Absolutely.” He nodded. “We want to get it right. We need it to look good.”
“Practice does make perfect,” she said and took off her glasses. Hunter heard them land on the conference table but didn’t look. She didn’t close her eyes, at least.
“My anthem exactly,” he murmured.
“You don’t practice,” she teased.
“I do, all the time. But I should warn you that the best practicing happens in the shower.”
She laughed, surprised into it. “You can’t practice everything there.”
“Everything important. Dance moves. Karaoke.”
“Cooking?”
“I don’t cook.”
“Knitting?”
“Not a knitter.”
“Small engine repair?”
Hunter laughed despite himself. “Not my thing. The grease gets under your nails.”
Much to his surprise, Chloe sobered. “Kissing?” He felt her fingertips on his jaw and her breasts almost against his chest. Her perfume flooded his senses and her eyes, her eyes were filled with both amusement and desire. He was snared. It was perfect, a moment that could last forever, an instant filled with desire and yearning that he didn’t ever want to end.
“Oh, definitely,” he managed to say, remembering that she was waiting for his reply. “Some of the best kisses, in my experience, happen in the shower.”
“Too bad,” she said quietly. “We’ll just have to make do.”
There was a glint in her eye, just the barest warning, then she kissed him. Hunter was shocked and thrilled. He’d never expected Chloe to make the first move, but it was all fine by him. She tugged him closer, making a little incoherent sound of need that got