Lost and Found (Growing Pains #1)(39)

And yes, that thought had crossed his mind. But this decision was solely based on what he knew she was capable of. He would let people talk now, because it would make Krista look better when they had to eat their words. And Sean was positive they would. Ray, an experienced salesman, and even after having practiced the presentation a few times, was still stumbling over some of her information.

She was also looking good today; professional. Ray must have been right about the state of her yesterday. She’d felt she’d bit off more than she could chew. Today, though, she was fresh, well dressed, and eager to prove herself. It was what Sean needed.

Next thing he needed was to get her to trust him. They would have a hard time working together if she didn’t want to be in the same room.

Chapter Eight

When Ray was through doing a hack job on Krista’s material, Sean told everyone they’d receive further information the following day via email. They were dismissed.

“Krista, stay behind, please,” Sean said as everyone else headed toward the door. Monica looked at her with daggers in her eyes.

Krista turned back to Sean, who was still sitting in his chair. He was leaning back, his arms folded over his chest, his biceps bulging in the confinement of his jacket.

“Sit, please.” Long shadows from the afternoon sun played across Sean’s strong features, glinting across his eyes. He had a bemused expression that gave Krista the feeling he was toying with her.

She just didn’t know why. Or how. Or what to do to get the upper hand.

Krista organized everything in front of her, still disheartened by the meeting, in an attempt to avoid Sean’s eye contact. She needed to find the best way to tell him she’d made a mistake—this group wasn’t for her.

When she had nothing left to move around, and he still hadn’t said a word, she reached for her mug. The silence stretched. Getting awkward.

Finally, defiantly, she met his eyes.

Strikingly green. Fiery. Hungry. The silence lengthened as she watched him, watching her. The atoms in the room sped up. The electricity crackled. Krista felt a fresh burst of sweat under her armpits.

“We need to clear the air if we’re going to work together,” Sean finally said with all traces of flirt gone. He was somber and sophisticated. The atoms started racing around even faster. Krista was doing everything she could not to fan herself.

She nodded, not trusting her voice.

“I think it best you get whatever answers you need. So ask. Please.”

Krista shrugged petulantly. Her brain, past realizing how hungry it was, was starting to short circuit. She couldn’t think clearly through the fuzz.

After a lengthy pause, in which Krista couldn’t get her thoughts clear enough to say anything, Sean asked, “Are you okay?”

“What? Oh, I didn’t get anything to eat for lunch and my body doesn’t do all that well with low blood sugar. No big deal. Uh... let’s see...” She tried desperately to stay on topic, but her stupid brain was jackknifing.

Sean jumped up gracefully. “Easily remedied. Come with me, please.”

She never really noticed how polite he was, even when giving commands. Guy said please more than anyone else she knew.

How had she missed that?

Why did it matter?

Without realizing it, she was following him out through the rows of empty conference rooms to the elevator. He pushed the button for her floor. When the doors opened, he gestured for her to go ahead of him.

“I didn’t bring a lunch--I have to go grab something,” she said, not leaving the elevator when the doors opened again.

“I figured. Grab your purse and we’ll go.”

“I have money on me.”

“Humor me.”

Krista shrugged and headed toward her cube, him following behind. She noticed bored eyes looking up, as usual, but this time they stayed up as they saw Sean. With her.

She needed to tell him she was pulling out. This was a bad situation for her. First the gossip in the break room, then the terrible intro, followed by Ray’s hack job, now the cube tabloid circuit. This was not the way she wanted to branch out her resume.

At her cube she grabbed her purse and turned back, coming face-to-face with a pair of seductive, penetrating eyes.

“Oh!” she breathed as she looked up, his mouth mere inches from hers. She could smell the ocean/musk of his body and the fabric softener of his shirt. The heat radiating from him fell around her in waves. His chest was so close, she could just lean in and—

Don’t touch his pecs!

~*~*~*~

Krista flinched backward.

Sean examined with a hunger he couldn’t remember. He looked down at her, watching her within her space, surrounded by all her knick-knacks and pictures of her and her friends, and nearly reached for her. He couldn’t remember ever feeling so strongly. He wanted her with raw ferocity.

“I think I m-made a mis-stake,” Krista stammered, backing as far into her cube, and away from him, as she could go.

She was flushed and jittery, which meant she was thinking the same thoughts he was. Sean nearly took a step to close the distance.

“With what?” Sean asked slowly, looking at her br**sts, then her mouth, then down to her bare legs.

“This group. Your team. I wasn’t feeling great yesterday—I didn’t have all the info. But now, after meeting everyone, and seeing how th-things run…I think I made a mistake. I think I’ll respectfully decline the opportunity.”