*****

As reality started setting back in, Amy berated herself. She told him she wouldn’t be doing anything with him and then, with only one touch of his lips, all rational thought ceased, and she could do nothing but pull him closer. She was beginning to realize there was a thin line between love and hate. She wasn’t nearly as antagonistic toward Lucas as she wanted to be.

The more she was around him, the more she noticed the attractive things about him, not just his great looks. What was even more attractive than his looks was the way he talked with other employees and how willing he was to lend a helping hand. Maybe she’d prejudged him too soon and that was what had caused them to be so unfriendly toward each other. She knew she’d been giving off a negative attitude from the first day she started. She was willing to make a change. She didn’t want to get involved with him in a relationship, but she could respect him as a boss.

She finally figured she might as well get this over with, so she sat in the chair opposite him. “I’m physically attracted to you. It doesn’t mean anything, though; I meant what I said earlier. Last night shouldn’t have happened. It was just a moment of weakness for me. I don’t want to lose my job, and I don’t want to have a cheap affair with my boss. We need to remain professional from now on,” she said in what she hoped was a businesslike tone.

He looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. “I agree with you, Ms. Harper,” he said, reverting to her last name. “Last night shouldn’t have happened. But we need to deal with the consequences of the night. I forgot to use protection, which is a first for me. I know you were a virgin and most likely not on birth control,” he finally said. “I don’t neglect my responsibilities, so if you’re pregnant, I need to know as soon as you do. I won’t have a child of mine raised without me. We would marry immediately. Do you understand?”

Amy was so stunned by Lucas’s words, she didn’t reply for several heartbeats. She wouldn’t have thought it was something he’d even consider. She would’ve assumed in the case of an unplanned pregnancy, he’d ask her to have an abortion. She never would, but she knew many men wouldn’t want the responsibility. The more she thought about it, though, the more it made sense that he’d do what he considered the right thing: Take care of his child. He came from a loving family who’d never deny one of their own.

Amy took a few deep breaths before speaking to Lucas. She repeated to herself that she couldn’t afford to lose her job, and if she was pregnant she couldn’t afford for him to know about it. He could easily prove he could take better care of the child. She didn’t need, nor did she want, a man in her life. She needed to focus on herself. She’d watched her mother go through more men than anyone could count. She’d also watched those men abuse her mother on a daily basis. It was only her will for survival that had spared her from the same abuse. She’d learned at a young age to hide when her mother’s many friends came over. She hadn’t yet met a man who could be trusted.

“Are you going to just stand there and glare at me, or are you going to behave like a grown-up and talk?” he snapped.

“First of all, just because I’m an employee of yours doesn’t give you the right to speak to me the way you are. Secondly, I’d never marry you, for any reason, especially not to torture any child of mine,” she said coldly.

“If there’s a child, you damn well …” Lucas began demanding of her again, but she interrupted him.

“If there was a child, it would be mine and mine alone. This isn’t the old days where a woman has to do a man’s bidding. But a child isn’t something you have to worry about. I’ve already checked my calendar, and there’s nothing to fear. Last night was a mistake. I’ve been dating a man for about a year and have been reluctant to take that last step. Since being with you wasn’t too uncomfortable, I can now cement our relationship,” she lied.

There was a stealthy look on Lucas’s face as he walked slowly toward her. She remained firmly planted, not backing away again. She’d show strength, even though she was shaking uncontrollably on the inside.

Without any words, Lucas tilted her head back, moving his face to within an inch of hers. He remained frozen in place until she began quivering with need. “So, last night was just a test run for you and your boyfriend,” he said in a voice so quiet it was far more frightening than if he’d been yelling. She could feel the coiled power running through his arms.

She wasn’t afraid of him hitting her. She was far more afraid he’d kiss her again. Her resistance was at an all-time low, and if he took her lips again, she’d end up begging him not to stop. The heat kept pooling in her body in anticipation of just that happening.

“I don’t appreciate being used, Ms. Harper. Not at all. I really don’t appreciate you lying to my face. Last night may have meant nothing to you, but while I was hard and deep inside your body, there was no other man on your mind. You were quivering for me and only me. When you lie with this boyfriend of yours, my face will be what you see. He won’t make you quiver the way I did. He won’t make you scream out in pleasure. He certainly won’t have you so satisfied, your body will just give out.” He paused for a long moment as her heart thundered and her legs squeezed together, trying to relieve the unbearable ache he was causing with nothing but his words. “You can think about that.”

He pushed away from her and walked out of the apartment.

Amy waited until she heard the door shut before she allowed herself to lose her composure. Once she heard the click of the latch connecting, she slumped against the wall, her knees giving out as she slid down it. Then, she allowed herself a good cry.

Why had she let this happen? If she’d just taken her bath later and not been standing there in only a towel … If only she had been able to say no, then maybe, just maybe, they’d be able to occupy the same room without snapping at each other or trying to rip one another’s clothes off. They could’ve even possibly stayed professional. Even as she thought it, she knew it was a fantasy. The fierce attraction was just too strong, even from the first day.

She remained in the same spot on the hardwood floor for more time than she should, crying and feeling sorry for herself. Finally, she got up. She wouldn’t let this affect her any longer. She’d go to work with her shield of armor on. It was the smart thing to do.

She’d been smart for the first twenty-four years of her life. She’d have to forgive her one lapse in judgment. Everyone was allowed to make a mistake once in a while.