Sensual Confessions - Brenda Jackson [63]
“I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it,” she said, tossing the business card back on her desk.
Blade looked at her. “And to answer your question, yes, I think I have a better idea, and I want you to hear me out. Okay?”
She wasn’t sure what his idea would be, but she was willing to listen. “Okay.”
He stood, paced a few times and then turned back to her. “The way I see it, you’re probably safe at work and at home. Any danger you’ll face will be traveling between both places.”
“Kind of.”
He lifted a brow. “Kind of?”
“Yes. I do go places other than work and home, Blade. I go grocery shopping. I get my hair done once a week. I get my nails done and occasionally a pedicure. Also, when I need to, I get a wax job and—”
She stopped talking. Clamped her mouth shut. Too late she realized she’d given him too much information, especially since he knew firsthand about her Brazilian wax job in an up-close-and-personal sort of way. She cleared her throat. “Uh, you get the picture.”
He met her gaze. “Yeah, I got the picture.”
Probably more than he should have, she thought. “So as you can see I do have a life.”
“And I’m sure you want to keep that life, so I propose that when you’re not home or at work that we hang out.”
She lifted a brow. “Hang out?”
“Yes. Since we live next door to each other, it will be easy for me to drop you off at work each day and come back and pick you up in the evenings. I can also make sure you get to all your errands.”
Blood rushed through her ears upon hearing his offer. Her first impulse was to tell him where he could take his offer, almost certain that there was an ulterior motive. But then she decided to not be so quick to jump to conclusions.
“Why, Blade? Why would you waste your time doing that? You’re an intelligent man, so I’m sure you know what I pulled last night was meant to break all ties between us.”
He shrugged. “Breaking all ties between us is easier said than done, Sam, especially since your best friend happens to be my cousin’s wife, and her husband is a man who is as close to me as a brother. When they worry about something, then I worry.”
She narrowed her gaze. “So you’re willing to put up with me so they won’t have to worry?”
“That’s the gist of it. There cannot and never will be anything between us. I think we both know that.”
She glared at him. Did he have to be so brutally honest? In a way it was for the best, since they both knew where they stood. But if that was the case, then what was that kiss all about a few moments ago? He had taken her mouth like always. Nothing had changed there. Not even her response to him. Or the fact that she wouldn’t mind too much if he decided to take her right now. She wasn’t sure why she had this fantasy about being taken on her desk, but she did.
She shook her head, not believing the path her thoughts had taken. This was not a good day. It had started off bad and now it had ended badly. She needed a glass of wine. She needed to spend time in her sauna. A relaxing soak in her hot tub sounded real nice. She needed Blade to move away from her desk. He was too close. He definitely didn’t need to be within arm’s length of her again. And she certainly didn’t need to see up close how aroused he still was.
She cleared her throat. “Fine, if you want to play babysitter, then knock yourself out.”
She could tell by the expression on his face he would probably like the pleasure of knocking her out instead, given how flip her response was. But he wouldn’t. Blade was not a violent man. He might be pretty pissed off with her, but he would not hurt her. She really and truly believed that.
And, she thought, glancing over at her flowers—or rather she hoped—that the person who’d sent them wouldn’t hurt her, either. She was hoping that whoever he was, he was just trying to mess with her, scare her out of her wits. He had signed the card “an old friend.” She tried to remember how many players she had humiliated over the years. Now she would be racking her brain for the rest of the day and probably all night, trying to figure out who it could