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I’VE DATED WOMEN WHO have graced the cover of Maxim’s issue of Top 100 Hottest Women. I’ve fucked A-list celebrities and lingerie models. Hell, I’ve even seduced a goddamn princess, but not the first one of them affected me as much as the strawberry-blonde woman in old cut-offs and plaid. I could see every freckle on her unpainted face, and I could see about four different tan lines as the shirt fell off her shoulder once again. Her hair was wrapped up in a knot on the top of her head, and her nails were clipped short, but my cock was harder than ever as she bent over the desk to sign the new agreement that I’d set out in front of her.
Ever since I saw that damn model ship, I hadn’t been able to keep my eyes off her.
I should have been disgusted. There was nothing I hated more than a woman who couldn’t manage her money, and seized bank accounts had gold-digger written all over it, but she wasn’t doing anything to get my attention. If I’d seen her on the streets, I’d probably never even look twice at her.
Of course, maybe she was just trying to be the exact opposite of Darleen Mason.
“You’re all set,” I muttered almost angrily as she signed the last paper. She was now my employee, and I did not mix business with pleasure. I should not have been wondering if her bottom lip tasted as sweet as it looked or if she’d moan or squeal if I sank my fingers in her heated center. “I’ve already ordered you a new computer. You’ll need to transfer the data from Darleen’s so I can finally throw that glittery monstrosity into a fire.”
“If it makes you feel better, I don’t think I’ve played with glitter since I was twelve,” she admitted as she gingerly took the computer. “I wanted to apologize for my outfit. We lost a bunch of luggage in the move, and I haven’t been able to replace it, but I promise that I’ll have something suitable to wear next week.”
I didn’t buy that lie for a minute, and I wanted to tell her that the less she wore, the better. Get a hold of yourself, Graham. “I never enforced a dress code with Darleen, and I won’t with you,” I said instead. “She enjoyed wearing dresses to work. The more low-cut the better.”
As soon as I saw the look of alarm in her face, I knew that I’d messed up. “All I’m saying is that you should wear what you’re comfortable with.” I kept my face relaxed as I waited to see what she would do next. Julie bit her lower lip and nodded, and it took all of my self-control not to lean over the desk and taste that bottom lip for myself.
Normally I’d let Daniel, my butler for lack of a better term, give her a tour of the house, but I wanted to stay near her. When I rose and extended my arm, she looked like I might bite her. It was the complete opposite of how most women reacted to me, and it only made me hotter for her. I’d never met a woman that I couldn’t have, and part of me, that masculine asshole part of me, wanted to see how long that might last. Not that I wanted to break my no-employees rule with her, but I was confident that I could break through that rough Texas exterior and make her melt.
If I wanted to.
“This will be your office, but you’ll have full use of the whole downstairs. There’s even a guest room downstairs for if you stay too late one night and need to spend the night.”
“That won’t happen,” she said immediately.
It sounded like a challenge to me, but I let it drop. “Most of the bedrooms are on the second floor, and there’s a media center up there. My office is on the third floor, but it’s off-limits to everyone. If you need me, you can use the iPads throughout the house to get in touch with me.”
“Fancy.”
“I can see that you’re impressed,” I said dryly. “This is just the main house. My cousin spends most of his time in New York, but when he is here, he stays in the East wing of the house. When he is here, I would advise that you steer clear of him. He’s incorrigible.” And I would have to remind Miles to keep his hands off Julie. He’d take one look at that sexy mouth and decide to have her.
“The West wing is reserved for servants. There are several guesthouses on the grounds as well as a full-sized pool, tennis quarts, a trail through the gardens, and a lake. There is also a fully equipped gym at your disposal.”
“Do you even use any of that?” she asked suddenly.
Her question threw me off-guard, and I stopped. “What?”
“You’ve no wife or children, and it seems like your cousin isn’t around much. I’m asking if you get enough use out a full-sized pool and a lake and gardens to make the upkeep worth it? Or is it just for show?”
She was judging me. Even as she looked at me with those big, innocent eyes, I knew that she was judging me because I had money. It wasn’t the first time that it had happened. Everywhere I went, there were people who hated me simply because I had money, but for some reason, it bothered me that she would judge me. This woman couldn’t get her own financial life straight. She had to be paid in cash so she could survive, and she was going to make me feel bad?
“This house has been in my family for generations,” I told her coldly. “And I enjoy every single inch of it.”
Julie flushed, and when she spoke, her voice once again had that Texan drawl. “I didn’t mean to offend you,” she said rapidly. “I just thought that it was a mighty big place for one person.”
Fuck, she wasn’t judging me. Maybe Ms. Julie really did see something she liked. Hoping to set her straight, I pushed her hard against the wall and tilted her chin up. It happened so fast that she didn’t even have time to gasp, and before I knew what I was doing, I dipped my head down and tasted her.
She opened immediately for me, and I swept my tongue over it. Hot. Wet. Inviting. That bottom lip that she nibbled on so insistently tasted every good as I imagined, and before I knew it, I was kissing her like a man possessed. Deep and urgent. It wasn’t until I slid my fingers over the bare skin of her thigh that she gasped and pushed me away.
“No!” she hissed.
“No?” I grinned at her. “A minute ago you were telling me that my place was too big for me. I thought you were offering to warm my bed.”
“The hell I was,” she said hotly. “You can’t just push women up against a wall and kiss them like that! You’re my boss, and that is inappropriate. I don’t want to warm your bed, Mr. Porter. I just want to do a job and get paid. Are we going to have a problem with that?”
Her chest heaved with every breath, and her lips were still swollen from where I’d kissed her. “We won’t have a problem as long as you keep your opinions about my life to yourself, Julie.”
Walking away from her while I still could, I paused just long enough to look over my shoulder, and I wished to hell that I hadn’t. Her fingers were still tracing her lips as though she could still feel me the way that I could still feel her. “I suggest you get started on transferring that data. You have a lot of work ahead of you.”
In less than twenty-four hours, she’d nearly made me lose control. Julie Dennings was a dangerous woman to be around, and if I knew what was good for me, I’d stay as far away from her as possible.