Free Desire's Edge by Eve Berlin Page B

at work! But she couldn’t help herself. Even as the resentment over the position going to someone other than Theresa or Gary filtered through her system, as well as the shock of seeing Dante in her office, desire ran thick in her veins.
    He looked wonderful in his dark gray suit. His shirt was a stark white, his tie a rich, glowing amber, making his eyes an almost liquid gold.
    The man sure cleaned up good. Better than good.
    She crossed her legs, trying to ignore the sudden sharp ache between them.
    This was not acceptable. She could not lust over a man she worked with. She certainly couldn’t see him anymore. That was a recipe for disaster. And he was a junior partner, which meant, basically, that she was working under him.
    Shit again.
    She had to calm down. Figure this out. She had to get back to her office and call Lucie to talk it out with her. She wasn’t the kind of woman who habitually told her best friend every detail of her sex life, but this was more than she could handle on her own.
    A disaster. That was what this was.
    Lyle finished his speech; then the other partners, Edward Tate and Charles Landers, each got up and extolled Dante’s virtues before the meeting broke up and everyone got up to introduce themselves and shake his hand.
    Kara hung back, clenching her fists at her sides to keep from twisting her fingers together like some anxious old woman.
    Ruby came up beside her. “I know you’re angry Gary or Theresa didn’t get this,” she said, keeping her voice down, “but you seem really upset, Kara.”
    “What? I’m fine. It’s just . . . Yes, I’m upset. For them.”
    Ruby nodded sympathetically, her brown spiral curls brushing her cheeks. “Maybe he’ll crash and burn and the bosses will see their mistake.”
    Kara shook her head, her gaze on Dante, who was chatting confidently with the staff. “No. I don’t think so.”
    “Are you okay?” Ruby asked.
    “Of course.” She turned to look at her. “I guess I’d better go say hello.” She smiled wanly and moved toward the small crowd gathered around Dante.
    He caught her gaze as she approached, flashed her a brief smile.
    So, he was playing it cool. A good idea, she knew. Still, there was a small knot in her stomach. Something in her that wanted him to acknowledge her in some way.
    Don’t be silly .
    She couldn’t afford to be. This was work. Her career. One her parents had wanted for her more than she had herself, but she’d sweated through school and the bar exam to achieve it. And she wasn’t about to get silly—or risk her job—over a man.
    Theresa, standing next to Dante, grabbed Kara’s hand. “Dante, this is Kara Crawford.”
    “It’s nice to see you,” he said smoothly.
    She had to swallow, hard, taking his cue. “And you. It’s been a long time. High school was more years ago than I like to think about. I hope you’ll like it here.”
    He grinned, his dimples creasing his cheeks. Gorgeous and charming as ever. “I’m sure I will.”
    Why the hell did she feel so shaky? Only a few minutes ago they’d been flirting on the phone.
    Only a few hours ago they’d been naked together in his bed.
    He was just a man. Just another man.
    Liar, liar . . .
    She had to get out of there.
    Pants on fire . . .
    “If you’ll excuse me, there’s a client waiting for my call,” she managed to choke out.
    She nodded, ducked her head and left the conference room, making her way as quickly as she could back to the privacy of her office. She shut the door behind her, stood leaning against it for a few moments, trying to catch her breath. Then she moved to her desk, picked up her phone and dialed Lucie’s number.
    She listened to the ringing, her heart hammering, hoping Lucie wasn’t busy and could talk. She’d just expanded her catering company, Luscious, and she’d been spending a lot of hours directing the remodeling of the new kitchen she was renting, an enormous undertaking, Kara knew.
    “Come on, come on,” she