Free Millionaire on Her Doorstep by Stella Bagwell

there. And this—” she pointed to the paper lying next in line “—tells me you’d have to drill through a great depth of rock to get to it. And this—”
    Her words broke off as his hand suddenly came down over hers, and her shocked gaze flew up to his face.
    â€œWhat are you doing?” she demanded. “If you think I’m going to play office games with you, you’re very much mistaken. I realize last night—”
    â€œDamn it, Maureen, I’m not trying to play anything,” he interrupted gruffly. “I’m just trying to get your attention. Your real attention.”
    From the moment she’d realized he was in the room, every fiber in her body had come to his attention. Thank God he didn’t know that, Maureen thought miserably.
    â€œWhy?” she asked warily.
    He heaved out a frustrated breath. “Because I don’t like the way we are right now.”
    Maureen tried to still the rapid thumping of her heart, but with him standing so near, it refused to obey. She could only hope he didn’t look down and see the faint movement of her shirt.
    â€œHow...are we?” she wanted to know.
    He grimaced. “Treating each other like two strangers. No, I take that back. Two strangers would probably be nicer to each other.”
    â€œI don’t think...” The touch of his hand on hers made it impossible for Maureen to go on. She pulled away from his grasp and turned her back to him. “I
don’t believe we can be nice to each other, Adam,” she said quietly.
    â€œWhy? You dislike me that much?”
    His question made her wince inwardly. She liked him too much. That was the whole problem. A problem she had to keep to herself.
    â€œNo. I don’t dislike you. But...” She forced herself to turn back around to him. “Last night—”
    â€œShould never have happened,” he finished for her.
    Her gaze dropped to his boots. Instantly, she noticed the gap he’d slit in the instep of the ostrich leather. She realized the Jeep accident had dealt him a host of miseries and she regretted that. But she had also thanked God over and over for not taking his life that day. She couldn’t bear to imagine what the world would be like without this vibrant man in it.
    â€œI agree. It was reckless and foolish behavior on my part,” she said.
    And she regretted it completely. He could see it all over her downcast face.
    â€œI don’t know about all that,” he said, trying not to sound as deflated as he felt. “I’d say we were...well, the whole thing was dangerous more than anything else.”
    Dangerous . Oh, yes, Maureen thought, the kisses they’d shared had been all that and more. “You’re right,” she murmured.
    He swallowed as the urge to reach out and touch her surged through him like an overwhelming thirst for water. “I won’t let it happen again.”
    She ordered her head to lift. When her eyes met his, she felt a jolt right down to her toes. “Neither will I.”

    Adam should have been shouting with joyous relief. She wasn’t blaming him for what happened. Nor was she wanting to pick up where they’d left off. Everything was fine, except that he felt hollow with disappointment. He could only hope in a few days’ time the feeling would pass and he’d realize the wisdom of the pact to keep things between them impersonal.
    â€œThen we can put this behind us?” he asked.
    One corner of her lips tilted upward. “We’re adults. Surely we can behave in a grown-up manner.”
    â€œWe have to work together, Maureen. I don’t want our time on the job to be miserable.”
    He was right. At times, the two of them would have to work closely together. One way or the other, they would have to get along. But how could she look at him as just a co-worker when he’d already been more? She’d just have to forget, she supposed.