Free His Millionaire Maid by Coleen Kwan Page A

fabric lay between them.
    The image of Joe’s erection triggered the first stirrings of panic. Any moment now Joe would slide his hand inside her pants, and once he touched her down there she’d be lost. She’d agree to everything and anything he wanted. Anything. There wasn’t anything she couldn’t imagine doing with Joe, and that was pretty damn exciting—but at the same time it was out-of-this-world scary.
    Alarmed, she pushed an arm out and knocked over a mug filled with pens. It thudded to the ground, the noise breaking the spell. Joe’s head lifted from her stomach. His hazy eyes fixed on her, and she could almost see his rationality returning. Blinking, he slowly straightened, his hands falling away from her, and chilly air cooled the fire that burned in her. She pushed herself off the desk and, with a belated rush of modesty, crossed her arms over her breasts. Talk about shutting the stable door after the horse had bolted.
    Without a word, Joe retrieved her sweater from the floor and carefully pulled it over her head, helping her arms into the sleeves like she was a three-year-old.
    “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice wooden. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
    He was still treating her as if she were an immature child and he the responsible adult. That wasn’t fair. She grimaced at him. “Why not? I enjoyed it.”
    His hands curled into fists. “As usual, you’re not considering the big picture. You’re my employee. I never , ever cross the line with my employees. It’s unprofessional and unethical, and it can lead to messy, expensive sexual harassment claims, which I really don’t need.”
    “I don’t see the problem.” She’d been alarmed at how quickly things had heated up between them, but now that he’d drawn back, perversely she wished he hadn’t. “It’s not like I’m going to sue you.”
    “How do I know that for sure?”
    “Because…” She didn’t need the money or the bad publicity, but Joe didn’t know that. “Because I wouldn’t.”
    “That’s so reassuring,” he snapped sarcastically. “But besides that, it’s also bad for my other employees if they see me fooling around with you.”
    “No one saw us.”
    Joe’s face darkened. “And you’re forgetting the biggest reason of all—you’re bad for my concentration, and I never , ever repeat the same mistake.”
    She scowled back at him. “I’m getting sick of your never , ever rules. Why can’t we have some fun? We’re not hurting anyone.”
    “And that’s all this is? Some harmless fun?”
    “Sure.” She widened her eyes at him. He wasn’t the only one who could be sarcastic. “I’m not expecting you to fall in l-love with me.”
    Shoot, why had she stammered on the word “love,” as if it meant something to her?
    A wary look shadowed Joe’s face. “You can’t say it, can you?”
    “Can you ?” Instantly she was back on the offense.
    “I have no intentions of saying that word.” He backed away as if she were a live grenade. “Christ, how did this conversation end up here?”
    “You kissed me, and we both liked it, but you don’t want to take it any further.”
    “God, Nina. You’re such a…a minx, it’s too hard to think straight around you, but you need to know I mean what I say.”
    Joe pushed his fingers through his hair, making it even more tousled and sexy. Nina’s heart contracted in an odd spasm. Why did every little thing about Joe affect her so much?
    She gave herself a shake and straightened her sweater. “Fine, if you say so. I’m not that hot at seduction anyway.”
    He blinked, as if he hadn’t expected her cooperation, and gave her a lopsided, sexy smile. “I wouldn’t say that, but I’m glad we agree on something.”
    She ignored the melting sensation his smile invoked. “We won’t do it again. This was a one-time incident that won’t be repeated.”
    “Remember that the next time you feel like dropping your towel and parading naked in front of me.” He