Distorted.

I put my hand to my chin and tapped my cheek. "Well, I could tell you, but I probably shouldn"t. It"s really nothing."

He got a gleam in his eye at my teasing. "Oh, Chase. You are so going to tell me now," he said as he came toward me.

I stayed put on my desk and pretended not to feel the b.u.t.terflies that had sprouted in my tummy. "Oh am I?" I asked.

He reached my desk and stood right in front of me, invading my personal s.p.a.ce. "Yes, you are."

Pushing myself onto my desk so I was sitting on it, I leaned back on my palms. "Well, you see, Trisha just wanted to ask me something about you."

His face turned into a scowl. "What?" he asked.

"Oh, lighten up. I told her you"re not available and even if you were, you don"t date people who work for you."

He took a step toward me. "Good. I mean, don"t get me wrong, that girl is hot, but no way."

I felt a little sting. "Oh, she"s hot, huh?" I asked, trying to come off as teasing.

He grinned. "Yeah, she is, but there are others here who are hotter."

My head started spinning. "Oh, well that"s good to know."

He took another step toward me, now pinning me to my desk. "Is it? Don"t you want to know who I"m thinking of?"

I was dying to and cringing at the same time. While I realized it was very stupid of me to think I had a chance with him, I still didn"t want to know who my compet.i.tion was. Knowing he thought Trisha was hot was enough.

"Not really," I lied.

He drew a finger down the side of my face. "Now why don"t I believe you?" he asked in a hushed tone.

Vibrations went through me at his touch and I shivered. "I don"t know. Not my problem," I whispered.

He chuckled. "Well, I"ll tell you anyway. That girl in PR is hot. I think her name is Jenny."

My heart fell. I tried to turn my head away, but his hand caught me. "That"s nice," I said.

He chuckled again. "It is, isn"t it? Yeah, she"s pretty hot. I also think that chick in our graphic design department is hot. What"s her name again?"

Lola. The only "chick" that worked in the graphic design department. "Lola," I said with a bite. Again I tried to distance myself from his proximity, but he wouldn"t budge.

"Then there"s the girl I work with. She"s really hot, s.e.xy actually. Her long blonde hair drives me crazy. Like the way she twirls it around her fingers when she"s nervous. Though when it"s up in a twist, like today, she fidgets with her fingers. Her dusty, olive green eyes make me want to fall to my knees every time she looks at me." He paused and stared at me for what seemed like a very long time, "You may know her. Her name is Aly," he said barely above a whisper as he caressed my cheek with the back of his fingers.

My heart slammed against my chest. Jerking my head up to fully look at him, I stared into his eyes. There was no humor or teasing in them. They were filled with sincerity and if I wasn"t mistaken, desire. I struggled to find words.

"Um, what?" I asked, staggered. I was in shock. He had never talked to me this way before, never this direct. His lips curled into a ghost of a smile.

"Yep, and the outfit she"s wearing today is going to torture me all day long, showing off all of her curves in every possible way. So, yeah. That"s who I think is hot," he said as he dropped his hand from my face and turned to walk into his office. I sat there staring blankly at the doorway, wondering what the h.e.l.l just happened.

Later that afternoon, Ethan strolled in looking like the cat that ate the canary. "Ask me if I just scored. Go ahead, ask," he said as he plopped down in one of the chairs in front of me. I looked up at him, and lifted a brow.

"C"mon, Aly," he laughed. "Ask."

"Okay. Hey, Ethan, did you just score?" I asked in a mocking tone.

He bobbed his head. "Why, yes. Yes I did. How did you know?"

He ducked when I threw a piece of paper at him. He raised his hands in surrender laughing.

"Okay, okay. You will die when you hear who it is," he said.

I pretended to ponder this deeply, putting my chin in my hand. "I just honestly can"t think of who the lucky girl is," I said, giving up.

Ethan raised himself off the chair and leaned over my desk. "Well, I"ll tell you then. It"s Trisha, from telemarketing. I was on my way over here when she stopped me and flirted pretty heavily. I"ve had my eye on her for a while now, so I just asked her out for drinks after work. I"d say that is scoring, don"t you?"

I burst out laughing, I couldn"t help it. Trisha? This was too good.

He looked at me, puzzled. "That is not the reaction I was expecting. I was hoping for ma.s.sive jealousy or maybe a congratulations, but laughter? Nope, not what I was expecting."

I wiped at my eyes as I tried to calm down, but each time I looked at him, I burst out laughing again. When I could see he was getting annoyed, I took a few deep breaths and got myself under control.

"I"m sorry, I am. I am happy for you and I do think it"s great, but you have no idea what happened with Trisha here this morning. That"s why I"m laughing."

He raised his brows, not saying anything. When he motioned for me to continue, I suppressed another urge to laugh.

"Well this morning on my way in here, she stopped me and asked if she could talk to me in private for a minute. We came in here and she just came out and asked me if Paul is taken."

I could tell that surprised him, but he still didn"t say much. "Go on," he told me.

"Well, I told her that yes he was, but even if he wasn"t, he would never date somebody who works for him. She felt stupid and apologized then left. So yeah, when you said it was her, it caught me off guard and I laughed. Sorry."

Ethan gave me a look. "So are you suggesting I"m second best?"

His seriousness caught me by surprise. "Not at all," I said. "I"m just telling you what happened. I like Trisha and think you guys will have a good time together. I shouldn"t have said anything about this morning." I lowered my gaze as the heat of his stare was making me uncomfortable.

"Are you sure that"s it? Because, for some reason, I think it bothers you a little that Trisha and I are going out for drinks."

My head flew up at that. "Excuse me? Why in the world would you think that?"

"Well not only does she ask you if the man you"ve secretly loved for three years is available, but then she goes after your best friend. That"s got to annoy you just a bit," he said in a tone he"d never used with me before.

"Ethan, no. That"s not it at all. And keep your voice down. I have no issue with you and Trisha going out and if Paul were interested in her, maybe he would ask her out. But he"s with Casey, so it"s a moot point. As far as you are concerned, you"re my best friend and I of course want you to be happy."

He sighed and sat back in his chair. "You"re right, I"m sorry. I guess I was just lashing out at you after what you told me. It did hit the ego a bit, knowing she"d asked about Paul first, but I"m still going to go out with her."

I felt relief rush through me. "Good, you should. Don"t let what I said stop you. It"s been a while since you"ve taken a lady for drinks, I hope you have a great time."

"Thanks, Aly. Sorry I got weird there. You know you"re my favorite girl, right?"

Grateful the old Ethan returned, I gave him a big smile. "Of course. I"m always here for you, Baker."

"And you"ll listen to all of my gory details later?" he asked, raising a brow.

I gave him a salute. "You know I will."

He stood and walked over to me. He lifted me from my chair and pulled me into a tight bear hug. He squeezed me so tight that I squealed.

"When you want me to take you out for drinks, just let me know," he teased as he tapped my nose with his finger.

"Ha ha, Ethan. I"ll keep that in mind," I said, even though I knew he meant more behind it than I did.

I withdrew from his hug just as Paul walked out. He looked at the two of us, and then focused his gaze on me. "Hey, Aly, I need you to come in here for a second. I need your input on something. h.e.l.lo, Ethan," he said as he walked back into his office.

Still buzzing from what happened between us this morning, I was nervous to go to his office and be alone with him, but working so closely with him was part of my job. I had to push my nerves aside.

"What"s going on?" Ethan asked.

Startled, I looked at him. "What do you mean?"

He looked at me like I was ridiculous. "C"mon, this is me. You can"t hide anything from me and you know it. Something happened. Tell me."

How in the world could he know that?

I sighed and motioned for him to follow me. I walked him toward the entrance to our office and around the corner. I didn"t want Paul to hear me say anything.

I told Ethan what had happened after Trisha left our office. He looked at me the whole time and his eyes widened when I got to the part where Paul told me I was hot. I blushed as I told him.

"Are you kidding me, Aly?" he asked bewildered.

"No," I said. "He said it, I swear."

He let out a low whistle. "You need to be careful. Just because he"s with Casey doesn"t mean he doesn"t have feelings for you. It"s obvious he does, or else he wouldn"t have said that."

I shook my head. "No, I think he was just flirting a little. There is no way he likes me more than a friend and co-worker." Suddenly the picture of him kissing me in the hotel parking lot flooded my memory. I still hadn"t told Ethan about it and I wasn"t about to now.

"Aly, you"re crazy. Just be careful, okay?"

"I will. Don"t worry."

I walked back to my office after wishing Ethan luck on his date with Trisha. I had just sat down when I remembered that Paul had asked to see me. I stood and walked into his office, pausing when I saw he was on the phone. When he saw me, he motioned me to come sit down.

"Norman, thanks for letting me know. That"s fantastic news. Aly just walked in so I"ll share it with her. Oh, and as soon as you can, let me know the final count of residents wanting our help."

My hopes soared as I heard him talk and I was dying to be told Sean Halliday had changed his mind. I was on pins and needles waiting for Paul to end the call. When he finally did, I looked at him eagerly.

"Mr. Halliday changed his mind?" I asked excitedly.

Paul smiled at me. "I knew that would be what you were hoping, but no, I"m sorry. Norman just called to tell me that two of the families who had been hesitant changed their minds and want us to help them. He said Sean Halliday was still sticking to his guns, that he won"t budge."

My heart sunk. I told myself I was being silly, that this was just business, but I was upset he wouldn"t change his mind.

"It"s okay, Aly. We"re helping so many others. It"s too bad he won"t let us help him, but we can"t force it."

I fought the sadness trying to take over my mood. "I know. I don"t know why I"m so upset over this, but I am. I can"t get the image of his smiling daughter out of my head. I was really hoping he"d change his mind."

I heard Paul let out a sigh. "I know, and I was too. Maybe he still will between now and the time Norman calls me back with the final count. Norman told me he"d talk to him one more time."

"Maybe I should drive out there and talk to him," I mused out loud. Paul started shaking his head, but I kept talking. "No, really. I know he told me not to reach out to him again, but maybe talking to me face to face would help, Paul. I"ve got to try."

Paul stood up and walked around his desk, stopping in front of me. "I don"t like it, Aly. I don"t want you going out there alone. We don"t know what kind of man he is."

"That"s true, but I could ask Norman to come with me. I"m sure he would."

Paul gave out a frustrated groan. "Maybe, but I still don"t feel good about it. This Halliday seems off to me and I don"t want you in any danger."

I rolled my eyes. "Danger? I"m sure I wouldn"t be in any danger. Plus, what can happen if Norman is with me?"

"Aly, why must you argue with me? I don"t feel good about it, that"s all. I don"t want to push him further away, either."

"I"ve got to try, Paul. Can"t you see that? I"ll always regret it if I don"t. What if I could have done something more? What if by talking with me he would change his mind? I have to try."

I was getting upset and he knew it. My fists were balled in my lap and my voice shook as I spoke. The more he objected, the more determined I was to do this. I had to give it one more shot before I gave up.

Paul sat back on his desk and ran a hand through his hair. "Nothing I say will get you to change your mind?" he asked.

"No," I told him.

He heaved a sigh and stood, walking the few steps it took to my chair. "You are infuriating. But if you insist, I insist on going with you. I don"t want you meeting him on your own."

"I"m sure Norman would be happy to come with me if you can"t take the time. I don"t need a babysitter, Paul," I said, lowering my gaze.

He bent down on his knees, lifting my chin with his finger. "I know you don"t, but this is my project too. If you want to give it one last shot with Mr. Halliday, I need to go."

I nodded in understanding. It was his project and he had every right to be there with me. Secretly, I was glad he would be. I wouldn"t admit it to him, but I did feel a little nervous having to see Mr. Halliday on my own, even though I would have done it. Having Paul there will help.

"I will email Norman and ask him his advice on how to approach Mr. Halliday," I said. "I don"t want to make him even more upset. Then I will do what he suggests and figure out what day to go back and visit."

Paul stayed on his knees, looking in my eyes. The atmosphere shifted and I suddenly felt sparks ignite inside me. I tried to move back in my chair, but I had no room to go far. The way he was looking at me told me things had moved beyond our business discussion.

He raised his hand and brushed some hair away from my face. "That will be fine. Just let me know when that is and I"ll be there, no matter what. I don"t want you doing this alone." He continued brushing my hair, even though it was out of my face. It felt so good and I didn"t stop him, even though I should. I kept trying to tell myself he was with Casey, that I don"t get involved with those who are taken, but this man had a hold over me no one else had and I was powerless to stop him.

I bent my head back and closed my eyes, completely under his spell. The way his fingers stroked my hair was utterly intoxicating. I could hear his breathing hitch and felt his other hand join in the ministrations. He leaned over and kissed my forehead.

"Aly," he whispered, "You are so beautiful." He kissed my forehead again, then each of my closed eyes. His hands moved further into my hair and began ma.s.saging. I moaned at the way it felt and knew I was gone. His hands went behind my neck and his thumbs stroked circles on my cheeks. My head was resting on the back of the chair and I opened my eyes, looking at him.

The intense gaze looking back at me took my breath away. When he lowered his head to mine, warning bells rang in my head but I had no desire to stop him. I knew I would regret it later but right then, I wanted nothing more than his lips on mine.

He closed his mouth over mine and put his hands on my cheeks. He tilted my head as he deepened the kiss and I was lost. My hands moved to thread in his hair and I felt him press further into me. I pulled his head closer and bit his lower lip.

He let out a groan and I felt his tongue dive in my mouth. His kiss got frantic, and I felt him pull me up to stand. He kept his mouth on mine as he turned me around and lifted me onto his desk. Kissing down my jaw line to my neck, I dipped my head back to give him better access and he took the opportunity and kissed me all over. I could barely hold myself up as he continued to go lower. I wrapped my arms around him as he suddenly swiped the contents of his desk to the floor and lowered me down. He continued kissing me above my blouse and I stroked my fingers through his hair, completely on fire for this man. When I felt him kiss down lower then close his mouth over my covered nipple, I gasped. He looked up at me with a grin. "You like that, baby?" he asked as he lowered his mouth around it again.