Seducing The Boss (Pulse #2) - Mari Carr Page 0,24

am I? Whisked you away for the weekend, and now I keep forgetting to feed you.”

She shrugged. “That’s not really why we’re here, is it? You never promised me a feast.”

Sara tried to understand his sudden frown. He’d laid out the rules for the weekend very plainly, and she was working overtime to get a handle on her emotions. Something that was becoming increasingly difficult as more and more layers of Kellan James were peeled away, revealing a man who was not only intelligent, cocky, and witty, but sweet and romantic.

“Maybe not. But you deserve to be wined and dined.”

She tilted her head, waiting for him to finish the joke. There had to be a punch line after that. Sadly, there wasn’t.

And there goes that little piece of my heart.

Then, even more surprisingly, he sat up. “Rain check on this?”

“Wait. What?”

“I’m hungry, too.”

He was okay with just stopping? She nodded slowly. “Are you sure?”

“I do possess some self-control, Scrubs.” Kellan laughed as he rose from the bed, offering a hand to help her up as well. “Come on. I promised you steak on the grill.”

…

Dinner was a low-key, relaxing affair. Sara was struck by how easy it was for them to change gears, moving from ravenous, can’t-get-enough lovers to casual, comfortable friends without missing a beat.

In some ways, she wasn’t sure she recognized this woman she was turning into—this wild, unrestrained, sexually adventurous person who fucked her boss-slash-friend just for the hell of it, with no thought to the future.

What had happened to Sara Connelly, the respectable, hard-working nurse who’d never indulged in much more than missionary with a long-term boyfriend, while planning their wedding and picking out the names of their kids.

And what made matters worse was she wasn’t sure she could return to ho-hum Sara. There was a lot to be said for live-in-the-moment Sara’s life.

Her attraction to Kellan was starting to get out of hand. Growing up together had left her somewhat blind to his handsomeness. Well, maybe not blind. She’d always known he was good-looking, and had listened to more than a few female friends and colleagues remark about his hotness factor, but she’d been immune to it. She’d spent a lifetime looking at the man and never experienced anything more than a lukewarm “it’s just Kellan” response. Tonight, as he sat across from her, polishing off his steak, he had never looked sexier. Damn him.

Meanwhile, she’d tumbled out of his bed, tossed on the same oversize T-shirt she’d been attempting to keep on all weekend. She’d run her fingers through her hair, calling it good enough, and she hadn’t put makeup on since getting ready for her date on Friday. With the exception of some lipstick in her purse, the rest of her cosmetics were in her bathroom at home.

She was fairly sure her au naturel didn’t look anywhere near as hot as Kellan’s.

Once they’d cleaned up the dishes, they opened a second bottle of wine and each claimed a lounger by the pool.

She felt almost lethargic as she sipped her wine, and Kellan looked equally relaxed in the chair next to her. The sun had begun to set, evening ready to make an appearance.

“I may have to look into investing in a grill. Those steaks were great.”

“I’m surprised you don’t already have one, considering how much you love to cook.”

She lifted one shoulder casually. “I have zero grilling experience. I’ve always assumed I’d just burn everything to a crisp.”

“Speaking of burns…” He reached out to run a finger over her shoulder. “You got a bit of color today. I have some aloe inside if you want it.”

She looked at her arms. They were slightly pink, but she wasn’t sunburned. “No. It’s okay. Besides, let’s face it. I have two colors, milk white and lobster red. I’d love to be able to get a nice dark tan like yours, but my skin doesn’t play that way.”

“That’s not true. You get a light tan, along with those freckles, every summer. It’s cute.”

He notices my freckles?

“And the rest of the year, you’re porcelain. Like a China doll. It suits you.”

Kellan didn’t seem able to refrain from paying her compliments. Given the teasing nature of their friendship, it was hard to get used to.

It was messing with her head. And her heart.

“Probably the reason why I never took any job that required me to be outdoors. There’s not a lot of sun in the ER.”

“I could give you a better paying indoor job if you’d apply for the