She handed it over without comment, discreetly watching out of the corner of her eye as he glanced it over. As usual he looked perfect in his black suit and crisp white shirt, a blue and red patterned Worth tie knotted around his neck. He wore gla.s.ses as he was wont to do, her every Clark Kent/Superman fantasy come to life and she tore her gaze away from him, irritated.
They sat next to each other in the car on their way to the Paris location, the distance between them as vast as the ocean, at least in her mind. In reality she could reach out and rest her hand on his thigh and if he were so inclined he could certainly slide his hand up her skirt. .
Banishing her fantasies, she stifled a yawn and stared out the window at the city pa.s.sing by. It was relatively early and morning sunlight filtered through a drift of clouds that lingered in the otherwise bright blue sky.
The Eiffel Tower suddenly appeared in the distance and it took everything for her not to press her face against the gla.s.s of the car window like a child and stare at the iconic symbol of her youthful, romantic dreams. As a teen, she"d had a poster of the Eiffel Tower on her wall, right next to her Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany"s poster.
To see it, even while driving by, made her heart yearn for those simpler days.
When the biggest hardship she endured was doing her homework and wondering if a certain boy liked her.
"You can go see the Eiffel Tower later, after the opening."
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Tessa moved away from the window, settling into the plush seat and faced straight ahead. "I might." She refused to look at him.
"I can take you, if you"d like."
She refrained from rolling her eyes. Please. Why the sudden interest in being with her again? "Thank you, but no. I don"t want to put you out or anything."
"Tessa..."
"Stop." For once, she interrupted him, holding up her hand to halt his words.
"Whatever you"re going to say, please don"t."
"I"m sorry."
She closed her eyes, leaning her head against the seat. The very last thing she wanted to hear out of him.
"I was an a.s.s."
Opening her eyes, she turned to look at him, startled by his declaration.
"Excuse me?"
"I"ve behaved like a complete a.s.s toward you." He glanced down, staring at his hands which were braced on his knees, the schedule she"d handed him on the floor and long forgotten. "And I want to apologize."
"You"re forgiven." Not really but she didn"t want to hear him say another word, didn"t want to get her hopes up.
All he had to do was look at her, offer her a bit of kindness and she was ready to forgive him for everything and throw herself at him.
She was such a fool.
Alex chuckled. "You said that quickly."
"I"m not one to hold a grudge." She tilted her nose in the air, hoping he would stop talking.
He watched her, she felt his gaze upon her, hot and brazen, evaluating her.
She"d dressed simply, pale blue fitted b.u.t.ton-up and a black pencil skirt with 90 black opaque tights and a long rope of pearls twined around her neck. She"d gone for Parisian chic, studying photos of French women on the web last night for inspiration.
Tessa frowned. It was official. Her life was as boring being a faux jetsetter as it was when she sat at home alone in her room, hiding from her roommates and the rude boyfriend, wishing for something-more.
"Let me take you, Tessa."
"Take me where, Alex? To the Eiffel Tower? How about a walking tour of the most romantic spots in Paris? I saw a brochure offering such a thing in the hotel lobby this morning." She snorted, not caring how unladylike she sounded.
"I don"t think so." Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she resumed staring out the window, hoping he"d get the hint.
He didn"t. "I thought you weren"t one to hold a grudge." She turned on him again, infuriated he wouldn"t leave the subject alone.
"You ignore me for days, pretend what happened between us never really did and now you want to make nice?"
"You"re angry."
"Of course, I"m angry. What do you expect?" She threw her arms up in the air. "What"s happened between us has been very-confusing."
"I haven"t forgotten," he murmured.
She narrowed her eyes. "You haven"t forgotten what?"
"What happened between us that night. I haven"t forgotten any of it, Tessa." He held her gaze, the color of his eyes a vibrant, bright blue flecked with speckles of gray beneath the lenses of his gla.s.ses. "It"s all I"ve thought about." She parted her lips but the words stalled in her throat. G.o.d, the man was beyond exasperating, sending mixed singles that sent her head constantly spinning. "What are you saying?" she finally choked out, a gasp escaping her
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when he reached for her hand and took it in his, entwining their fingers. "What are you doing?"
"I haven"t forgotten how you felt in my arms, the silk of your skin, or the taste of your lips." His voice had lowered to a husky murmur, and she strained closer despite her misgivings. Wanting to hear what he said and dreading it just the same. "I can"t forget it no matter how much I try." She shook her head, her entire body trembling. "I can"t do this."
"I know." He smiled ruefully. "I understand."
The car pulled to a halt in front of the store and within moments the door was being opened. Alex let go of her hand and Tessa stepped outside as if in a daze, the sun so bright it hurt her eyes. She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry.
She wanted to wrap herself around Alexander Worth and never let go.
He came to her side, gazing up at the store front as he said, "Ready to go inside?"
Nodding, she followed him in, admiring how normal he acted, how composed he was as the store manager greeted him by kissing both of his cheeks, leaving lipstick smudges on his skin.
A rush of jealousy filled Tessa and she shook it off, smiling at the manager as she too kissed each of her cheeks, though Tessa"s kisses were nothing but air.
The store was already a flurry of activity for it seemed every employee had been called in to help set up. Though all of the remodeled stores were beautiful, this one was by far Tessa"s favorite. Elegant and sleek, the walls were covered with old photos of the Paris Worth location over the years, including a photo of the three young Worth brothers standing in front of the store, both their father and grandfather behind them.
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She went to the photo, studying the face of a very young, very handsome Alex. His expression was somber, Hunter"s smile was sly and Rhett scowled, his father"s hand on his shoulder as if he had to restrain him for fear he"d flee.
Tessa smiled. The three hadn"t changed much over the years.
"I was thirteen," Alex said from behind her. "Hunter was eleven and Rhett almost six."
"Was the store at the same location?"
"It"s been the same location since my great-grandfather opened the store over seventy years ago. It was the second Worth store built." The pride in his voice was unmistakable. He was proud of his heritage, as he should be. He"d grown it into something even more special the last five years since he"d stepped in as CEO of Worth Luxury.
"It"s beautiful." She turned and glanced up at him. "I think it"s my favorite store so far."
"It"s always been my favorite store," he confided, his expression serious. The matching red lipstick marks on either cheek ruined the look.
Rising on her tiptoes, she wiped off first one smudge, then the other with a slow sweep of her thumb. This up close, she could stare into his beautiful eyes, savor the feeling of his warm skin beneath her fingertips, watch his lips part in surprise at her gesture.
"You were wearing her mark," she explained. At his blank look she continued. "When Cecily kissed you."
His eyes darkened and he rested his hand lightly on her waist, capturing her to him. "I"d rather wear your mark."
Slowly she pulled out of his touch, her heart fluttering wildly. "You don"t mean it."
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A muscle in his jaw ticked, and he pressed his lips together. "We need to talk."
"No, I think it"s best if we don"t." She glanced about, making sure no one else was around. "I already told you I can"t do this," she repeated, her voice low.
"I"m not about to push myself on you, force you to do something you don"t want."
She would enjoy it far too much if he forced himself upon her and ravished her where she stood. Not that he needed to know that. "I know you won"t. That"s why I"m asking you to respect my wishes and leave it be." He pulled her in an inch closer, allowing her to feel his hard, warm body pressed so intimately to hers. She inhaled sharply and bent her head down, her gaze locked where his big hand rested on her hip, his long fingers splayed possessively.
She couldn"t look at him. Knew she"d be a goner if she stared into those brilliant blue eyes for too long. "Let me go, Alex."
"So you don"t feel anything for me." It was spoken as a statement, not a question.
"I-can"t." To do so would be dangerous, for both her head and her heart.
"You can"t or you won"t? There"s a distinct difference." His fingers pressed into her flesh and she closed her eyes for a brief moment, savoring his touch, the way she molded to his body so easily, as if they fit.
Perfectly.
She shouldn"t give him one ounce of hope, not after the way he treated her. It would be idiotic on her part and yet...
"I can"t." Still unable to look at him, she kept her head bowed.
He remained silent, a.n.a.lyzing her words, no doubt. He was terribly good at that.
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Slowly, he released his hold on her and took a step back. "I can accept that." Of course he could. He hadn"t lost yet. Glancing up, she saw the look on his face, the way he a.s.sessed her. She"d somehow become a challenge to Alex.
He was one to never give up without a fight. And he always won.
Was she about to become his grand prize?
The Paris reopening went perfectly which Alex had predicted. Cecily had been the manager of the location for what felt like forever, had worked for Worth for over twenty-five years. She was both a valued and valuable employee who knew and understood what the Worth label stood for. With her at the helm, leading her employees and chatting easily with the media, Alex hardly had had to do a thing.
And then there was Tessa. She was at her best during stressful moments.
Efficient, professional, she always kept on task. He couldn"t take his eyes off her when she buzzed around the store, her hips swaying with a feminine grace that nearly had him salivating like a dog. She wore that skirt that fit her like a glove, the one his brother had noticed, d.a.m.n his hide. A fitted b.u.t.ton up shirt that accentuated the voluptuous curve of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and a rope of pearls that was doubled and rested on her chest.
Drawing his gaze there again and again, wishing she would undo just one more b.u.t.ton and offer him a glimpse of forbidden cleavage...
She made him feel like a randy teenager and last week, h.e.l.l, since the moment he met her, he didn"t like it. Had constantly fought his urges, telling himself it was wrong, a waste of time, the last thing he needed to be thinking about in regards to his employee.
After spending a week with her, most of it in absolute agony under his own doing, he realized he wanted her more now than he ever did before.