They were lying in bed a couple of hours later, Candy safely tucked in the crook of his arm. Jared stared at the ceiling, yawning in contentment.
“Do you think this is what Harold had in mind?”
Candy stirred a little. “I really don’t think so. But you know, we should go back and finish the counseling. Otherwise Harold might find us out.”
Jared wasn’t exactly shaking in his boots. “So what? As long as we get Chunky’s ad done, then why would he care?”
“It will take five minutes. We’ll do it on your computer here.”
Five minutes? Please. Once they started answering those questions, they’d wind up right back in bed again. “Let’s just take dirty pics of each other,” he joked.
“Jared!”
She sat up and gave him a stern look. “And by the way, I bared my soul to you about my ex-husband.”
“You bared a lot of things.” His hand drifted to her behind.
“I’m serious. I told you everything, and you didn’t tell me anything. When was the last time you were with a woman?”
He hated these kinds of questions. They were designed purely to get men in trouble with women. Next she’d be asking him if she looked fat. Which she didn’t. She looked fucking gorgeous.
“Why does it matter? I’m with you now.”
The tight press of her lips together showed him that wasn’t the answer she had wanted. “I still want to know.”
“You were my first time. I was a virgin.” He started to grin, then stopped when her face flushed pink. And not from embarrassment.
“See, Candy, this is why I told you I just tell women what they want to hear. Everything I say is wrong.” Annoyed, he pulled away from her and put his hands under his head.
“Just tell me what you want me to say and I’ll say it.”
“What you say is not wrong. I’m sorry.” She tried to snuggle back into his arms. “I’m just curious, that’s all.”
Curious was good.
“And maybe slightly jealous if it was say, yesterday.”
Jealousy didn’t bother him. As long as it was the mild, healthy kind, not the intense, bunny boiling kind of jealousy.
“You’ve got nothing to be jealous of. Most of my relationships have been casual. And no, it was not yesterday.” He relaxed again, enjoying the press of Candy’s breasts against his side.
“It was at my last job. Jessie was a mistake. I never should have gotten involved with a co-worker and getting hot and heavy in the office was downright stupid.”
The minute the words were out he realized something about that didn’t sound quite right. Oh, shit, he had just fucked up. Big time. Candy thought so too, since she stiffened against him.
Before he could babble some kind of apology/explanation, Candy spoke. “You had sex with a co-worker in the office?”
The warm bed had suddenly turned Alaskan cold. “No, no, we didn’t have sex.”
“Sort-of sex?”
“Yes. No. It was just some kissing and you know… stuff.” Her mouth on his dick stuff. That was all. Holy hell, he was making this worse.
She jerked away from him and sat up. “So do you limit yourself to just one office fling per job, or should I look forward to watching you screw your way through Stratford Marketing?”
There was no way to answer that question without finding his nuts jammed in a meat grinder.
But he gave it a shot, wishing he was wearing a protective cup. “I don’t have office affairs. It was a five-minute mistake with Jessie, and I don’t consider you in that category. You’re the only woman at Stratford I want to have sex with.”
She gasped. “Oh!”
Bewildered, he frowned at her. What the hell? He had a past. What was he supposed to do about that? Other than keep his stupid fucking mouth shut about it.
Tears rose in her eyes as she gathered the sheet around her, jumped off the bed, and prepared to flee. Oh my stars. He was a serial office-fucker.
Trying to rationalize her way out of humiliation, she told herself that she’d gotten what she had wanted. A night of passion that had proved there was nothing wrong with her. She was just as capable of multiple orgasms as the next girl.
But somehow that didn’t make her feel any better.
Jared said, “Where are you going? I’m trying to explain.”
“I don’t care.” She jerked back as he stepped in front of her, blocking the bedroom door.
He was big, imposing. Naked.
“You’re not going anywhere until you hear what I have to say.”
“I do not want to hear you describe to me what a great one-night stand I was. Or is a one-day stand? Anyway, thanks, but no, thanks.” She’d crawl between his legs to get out if she had to.
“And what would be wrong about me saying that you’re great? That I’ve enjoyed every minute I spent with you today and tonight.”
Brushing tears away, she struggled for composure. If he sent her bawling, she’d never forgive him. “Well, you just told me you did exactly what you did with me with another co-worker. That makes me regret my impulsiveness. That’s all. It’s not your fault. Let’s just move on and close out the Chunky account.”
His jaw clenched. He reached for her. Candy sidestepped away from his touch.
“Oh, babe, I don’t want you to regret today. I thought there was something really amazing about watching you just let go. I’m sorry if I made you feel like an object like your ex did. Trust me, not my intention at all.” He stared intently at her, his hand brushing over her cheek. “I want to see where this goes, Candy. Because I like you. A lot.”
Good gravy. Why didn’t he just say so in the first place?
Candy said, “Oh. Well, you should. I’m a very nice person.” Sometimes too nice. But she had no intention of changing.
He laughed softly. “I’ve noticed. Yeah. But what do you want?”
This time when he reached for her, she let him wrap his arms around her and squeeze. She looked into his eyes. “That’s what I want, too, because I’m dying to see what you’re all about, Jared. Beyond the scowl.”
“It was a coping mechanism. You drive me crazy. And I promise not to have sex with you at work again.”
She laughed. “Darn. But that’s probably wise. As for dating, we’ll just take it slow, see where it goes.” Then before they talked themselves right back out of trying this relationship, she teased him to lighten the mood. “And if there’s ever a problem, we can always go back for more online intimacy counseling.” She gave him a grin.
Jared had a vision of Candy spread across the desk in his home office, while he counseled her intimately. He dropped back and tugged her hand.
“I think we should go do it now. Proactive counseling, before there’s a problem.” All it took was a little yank with one finger and her sheet plunged to the carpet.
“Oh, you think so?”
“I do.” He nodded down the hall. “The computer’s right this way. It will help us to get to know each other really well.”
There were still a few spots on her he hadn’t explored with his tongue.
Candy smiled, that full, open mouth smile that he loved so much. “I want to know everything about you. We only got to question eleven before.”
He tried to look sincere. “Babe, you can ask me anything, or touch anything that you’d like.”
She laughed. “How generous of you.”
He had her moving down the hall with him. Almost there. “I hope you weren’t planning on going to bed early tonight.”
“No. Why?”
He paused in the doorway of his home office, glad he had furnished it with a wide couch. “Because we’re not leaving this room until all the questions have been answered to my satisfaction.”
Her eyes went wide with lust. “If I answer the questions slowly and thoroughly, will you give me a certificate of completion when we’re done?”
He’d give her more than that.
As he leaned forward to kiss her, he said, “Oh, yeah. Signed and notarized.”
A sassy grin crossed her face as she put her fingers on his lips to stop him from kissing her. “Do I have to do all the videos and romance tips too?”
He pictured Candy covered in chocolate sauce while he licked it off her inner thighs. “I insist that you do all the extras, yes.”
She dropped her fingers down to his thigh and licked his lower lip. “So what are we waiting for?”
Hell if he knew.
Jared scooped her up again while she shrieked in surprise. His arms full of warm and willing woman, he kicked open the door to his office and moved inside.
Now he was going to show her that sex and romance were best when done all at the same time.
Naked.