Free Pent-Up Passion by Jenn Roseton Page B

then he
stepped back to let her walk around her desk.
    Jemma preceded him out of
the office. He held open the door and walked alongside her as they
made their way to his car. She liked how he shortened his stride to
match hers; it let her sneak a peek at his tall, muscular frame. The
fabric of his jacket almost brushed her arm and her spine tingled in
response to his close proximity. She was too preoccupied with her
racing thoughts to try to make conversation, though. What if he
wasn ’ t happy with her performance?
What if he was going to fire her? Maybe he was trying to soften the
blow by giving her lunch first before delivering the bad news.
    When Adam opened the door
of his black Lexus, she got in nervously, her hand almost grazing
his. She jerked it back, blushing hotly and hoping he wouldn‘t
notice. It would be too incredible that he was inviting her to lunch
because he was interested in her. Why would he be? She had boring
light brown, shoulder length hair, brown eyes, and a girl-next-door
face. It wasn ’ t as if she was a
stunning blond with big breasts and a look-at-me personality.
    He didn ’ t
make much conversation on the way to the restaurant. Jemma was
worried she was going to blurt out her fears about being fired.
Sometimes at work they had enjoyable conversations about what they
had each done on the weekend and it almost felt like flirting; those
ocean blue eyes pinning her with their gaze, but then he would slip
back into boss mode and she would return her focus to her work.
    Zappoli's restaurant was
one of those cheesy, romantic diners straight out of a Cary Grant
movie. The tables were covered with red-and-white checkered cloths,
and ancient bottles of vino, dripping with candle wax from countless
secluded diners, flickered cheerfully at the center.
    Jemma’s toes curled
as Adam’s hand connected with the small of her back, guiding
her toward a cozy little booth near a magnificent view of the river.
    “ Order whatever you
like, Jemma. I want you to enjoy this lunch, ” he said, his eyes intent on her face.
    Her heart sank. He
looked so serious. She had been right. Mr. Sexy Sinclair was either
going to give her a bad performance review or fire her. This was
just his way of trying to make it a little easier.
    “ Yes,
sir, ” she murmured .
    “ I
think you can call me Adam while we ’ re
having lunch." She gazed at him furtively through lowered
lashes. Why did he have to be so gorgeous? She loved the dimple
that appeared in his right cheek when he smiled. But he wasn ’ t
smiling now. Instead, his eyes looked at her hungrily, as if she
were a tasty morsel he couldn’t wait to devour.
    “ Yes
... Adam, ” she replied softly.
    Jemma ordered the
tortellini while Adam chose the pasta primavera. He guided the
conversation so they talked about current work projects, favorite
restaurants and classic moviesbut she kept wondering when the
axe was going to fall. At dessert, when they both ordered the
tiramisu, she wished he would just put her out of her misery and tell
her the reason he askedher to lunch.
    They had almost finished
their coffee. Jemma was still mystified about why Adam had invited
her to dine with him.
    “ Adam-- ” Jemma hesitated, then plunged in, “ why
did you ask me to lunch? ” She was
almost afraid to look at him while she waited for his answer.
    He raked his hand through
his dark hair. “ It ’ s
actually a date, ” he admitted.
    Her eyes widened. “ I
thought you were going to fire me and that ’ s
why you asked me to lunch. ”
    “ Why
would I fire you? You ’ re great at
your job. ”
    Jemma smiled in relief.
Then Adam ’ s words sank in. “ A
date? ”
    “ Yeah.
But obviously not a very good one if you didn ’ t
realize. ”
    “ No!
I mean-- ”
    “ Jemma, we ’ ve
been working together for eighteen months. I ’ ve
wanted to ask you out for a while. Then you had a boyfriend and I
didn ’ t feel I could say anything.
When I realized you ’ d broken