The Tycoon's Unexpected Baby (The Abbot Sisters #3) - Elizabeth Lennox Page 0,6

politely, but with that rough edge to his voice that sent a wild shiver racing through her.

Pepper wanted to smile. She wanted to ease the tension that had been building up from the moment he’d stepped into her loft. But she couldn’t smile. She could barely breathe!

“Yes,” she whispered in response.

“Good.” With that, he took her hand, leading her out of her loft.

Well, that was abrupt! Pepper gasped as he led her hurriedly towards the door, surprised by his speed. “My purse!” she gasped when they’d reached the doorway.

“Leave it. You won’t need it.”

She laughed, shaking her head as she slipped away from the singe of his hand against her back, grabbing her purse and keys. “I beg to differ,” she replied, feeling saucy. “I very much need everything in this purse.”

He watched her drop her keys into the depths of a pocket. “What’s in there that you might need?”

She shrugged as she hitched the bag over her shoulder. He pulled the heavy door opened and held it while she walked out. “My Taser comes to mind,” she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

She pulled the door to her loft closed and locked it to the sound of his deep, rich laughter. When she turned around, there was still amusement crinkling the skin surrounding his eyes and she wanted to slide in next to him, feel his arm wrap around her waist.

But she’d only met the man twenty minutes ago. She didn’t know him, even if Josh could vouch for his respectability. So instead, she went down the dimly lit stairway ahead of him, keeping a foot of space between them. She’d never thought of this hallway as dim before, but being this close to a tall, intimidatingly attractive man made the world seem different somehow.

There was a limousine waiting right outside of her building, which surprised her. “Oh. Um…” The driver opened the door with a small bow, and she glanced over her shoulder at the tall, handsome man behind her. “This is nice,” she told him.

Dimitri’s earlier irritation had evaporated the moment he’d stepped into her small apartment. She was delightful and he wanted to kiss her. No, he wanted to make love to her. But she was so completely different from every other woman he’d ever met, either personally or professionally, that he was almost at a loss as to how to start.

Almost, he thought as he placed a hand to the small of her back, guiding her to the waiting limousine. He was a bit confused by the hesitation he felt in her when his driver opened the door. Most women loved the prestige of riding in a limousine, so why did she hesitate? It was just one more mystery he was determined to resolve.

As he watched her step into the limousine, he had to admit that he was both charmed and impressed by this slip of a woman. She wasn’t anything like he’d expected. From his experience, women were cold and calculating, gauging his reactions carefully and playing games to tease and trick him into doing their bidding.

But Ms. Pepper Abbot didn’t seem to fit into the usual personality traits that he associated with the women who drifted through his life. She was different. Hell, he even enjoyed her quips to force his manners. A novel experience, he thought.

“Where are we dining?” she asked.

“I’ll have my assistant make reservations at Fino’s,” he said, pulling his cell phone from his pocket.

Before he could press the button that would make the call, he felt her soft hand on his. Immediately, he lowered his phone and looked at her, startled by the heat in her touch.

Those big, blue eyes sparkled at him and he felt…ashamed. Ashamed? What the hell? “Don’t bother your assistant. It’s already after business hours, and he’s probably at home making dinner right about now.”

“My assistant is still working,” he told her with absolute confidence, ignoring the spark of…whatever…at her words and the look in her eyes.

She shifted slightly and he suspected that she was irritated with him. Actually irritated!

“Then you’re a beast to work for, Mr. Bosalis.”

He chuckled. “Probably. But I pay my employees extremely well for their time.” He started to lift his phone again, but once more, she stopped him with a simple touch.

“If you don’t mind, I’m not really dressed for a place like Fino’s. Besides, their food is a bit pretentious, don’t you think?”

He’d always thought so, but everyone else seemed impressed. That she thought so was yet another