Free Suddenly Beautiful (Entangled Covet) by Boone Brux Page A

needed therapy, but obviously she was projecting her fears and assumptions onto other people.
    She drummed her fingers on the desk, sifting through her options of what to do about Tor. Well, she wouldn’t do anything. If he wanted to pretend nothing had happened between them, fine, two could play this game. She certainly wouldn’t jeopardize her job for a man—not even Tor. Another wave of anger washed through her.
    “Too bad I can’t give him a perpetual erection every time he looks at me,” she mumbled.
    The thought made her smile. Had he been that drunk? She sighed. And would it really have mattered? No.
    The night’s events replayed in her head. This time she tried to view them from an analytical point and not a lust-induced haze. Yes, he’d been amorous and open, so unlike his usual self, but she hadn’t pegged him as drunk. What a fool. She’d actually believed it when he said she was his in every way. The switch in his behavior seemed to have happened at dinner, after Creed had flirted with her. Was all this a power play, showing Creed she was off-limits because he liked having her on 24-7 speed dial? Why didn’t he just pee a circle around her or burn a brand into her forehead, telling the world not to mess with his well-organized life?
    Disappointment washed away her indignation, leaving her suddenly tired. She inhaled and wiggled her mouse, bringing the screen to life. No big deal. So she’d gotten laid. Nothing else in her life had changed. She still had the same job and same mountain of laundry to be done, and still harbored the same unrequited love for her boss.
    Nikki typed in her password and tried to ignore the fact that things really had changed. Yesterday she’d only imagined what it would be like to make love with Tor. Now she knew. How could she ever pretend that never happened?

Chapter Five
    Tor shifted, trying to adjust the raging erection in his pants. Just looking at Nikki had made him hard. He stared at his open e-mail but couldn’t seem to focus on anything. He’d woken up this morning with a splitting headache and a barrage of erotic dreams that involved him and Nikki.
    He silently cursed his mother for putting thoughts of his assistant in his subconscious. She probably did it on purpose, hoping he’d act on his dreams. The throbbing at his temples continued to drum a steady beat.
    What the hell had been in the golden wine bottle? He was going to kill Demetria the next time he saw her.
    And why did Nikki pick today to wear that dress? He’d never noticed her curves, had always pictured her to be—flatter—under her sensible blazers.
    When he’d walked into the office, she’d taken his breath away. Again the images from his dreams came stampeding back through his mind. He tugged on the neck of his T-shirt. Until last night, he’d never thought of her as anything but an excellent assistant and his friend, as much as he ever made friends. Truth be told, he was probably closer to her than anybody else in his life. They were together nearly every day. It was only natural at some point his subconscious would stray down this path, especially with his mother’s voodoo at work.
    Nevertheless, it had taken a little self-stimulation, and fifteen minutes in a cold shower, to face her. The dreams had been so vivid he couldn’t completely shake their effect. Maybe the Fates were toying with him. They liked to do that ever since he’d refused to embrace his demigod status.
    Those she-devils never missed an opportunity to throw him a curveball. Like the time they stuck his name on the bachelor auction list for an animal rights benefit. Those puppy-loving women nearly tore each other apart trying to win the bid, and he ended up escorting the overly amorous daughter of a New York socialite to her prom.
    Fate bitches.
    “Tor?” Nikki popped her head in. “Creed’s here.”
    “Great.” He started to stand and then thought better of it. “Show him in.”
    Creed Killion entered wearing a