Free FallingforSharde_MLU by Marilyn Lee Page A

up a hand, shaking his head. “I have the headache from hell.”
    She opened her top left desk drawer. “I have some aspirins.”
    “Aspirins aren’t going to help, Sharde.”
    “No?”
    “No. What I need is...” He raked a hand through his hair. “Could we discuss this over dinner?”
    “When?”
    “Tonight.”
    “Tonight?” She widened her eyes. “I’d like to Jefferson, but–”
    His gaze narrowed and he rose to lean over her desk. He stared into her eyes. “Why are you avoiding me?”
    “Avoiding you? I’m not. I–”
    “The hell you’re not. If I walk into the coffee room, you walk out. If we arrive in the private parking area at the same time, you always manage to linger in your car until I’m inside. If I ask you out for a simple damned meal, you always have other plans!”
    Resting his weight on one hand, he curled the fingers of the other hand in her hair, giving it a painful tug. “Don’t jerk my chain, Sharde. You’re avoiding me and I want to know why.”
    He was so close she could see the anger in his gray gaze and feel his breath on her lips. She longed to lean forward and kiss the color off his lips. She swallowed instead. “It’s the first Friday of the month. I volunteer at the shelter. Remember? You should. We chose it together as a way for company employees to celebrate Martin Luther King Service Day.”
    “Don’t hand me that, Sharde. You’re avoiding me.” His gaze settled on her cleavage. “And flaunting yourself at the same time.”
    “Let go of my hair, Jefferson.”
    He released her hair.
    She lifted her chin. “What is it that you want from me?”
    He stroked his fingers through her hair and moved closer until his lips were but a breath away. He leaned his body against the desk and stroked the forefinger of his free hand down her chest to come to rest between her cleavage. “I am tired of being teased and denied, Sharde.”
    His finger seemed to burn into the insides of her breasts. She wet her lips. “We agreed when we left the cabin we’d go back to normal. It was your idea, Jeff. You’d rather have me as a friend than a lover. Remember?”
    “I want you.”
    The muscles in her stomach tightened. “As what?”
    He touched his mouth to hers. “I want to sleep with you.” He nibbled at her lips, sliding his hand into her blouse to cup her breasts.
    She resisted the temptation to lean into him. Instead, she leaned as far back as his fingers in her hair would allow. “And what would happen on Monday? You’d want us to go back to normal?”
    He released her hair and cupped his hand on the back of her neck. “We can be friends and lovers,” he murmured against her lips.
    She drew back, ignoring the ache for his kiss. “We want different things, Jefferson. I’m not interested in a casual relationship that’s based solely on sex.”
    “What do you want it based on?”
    “I’m thirty-two and you’re thirty-eight. Sex alone doesn’t interest me.”
    “So you’re saying... what? What it is that you want out of a relationship, Sharde?”
    “One of these days I’m going to want to get married and have a couple of kids.”
    He released his grip on her neck and recoiled as if she’d attempted to strike him. “Marriage? To who?”
    She leaned back in her chair, her face flushing. “Clearly not to you.”
    He stared at her. “Are you seeing anyone?”
    She pushed her chair back and rose. “If you’re not interested in the meeting, I need some air. It’s kind of stuffy in here.”
    He swung around and turned her to face him. “What do you want me to do, Sharde? Beg? I know the desire isn’t all on my side.”
    She tossed her hair and stared at him. “I’m not interested in casual, meaningless sex, Jefferson. If I were, I wouldn’t seek it from you. Is that clear enough for you?”
    He released her, his eyes narrowing. “It’s very clear, Sharde.”
    “So what’s it going to be?”
    “I’m not in the mood for any shit from you, Sharde.” He