Dare to Resist (Wedding Dare, #0.5)(30)
The edge of the curtain whipped back and Kady poked her head through. “Uh, taking a shower here.”
He smirked at her and forced himself to resist the urge to lick the droplets of water from her lips. “Yes, well, fortunately, you’re very bright and able to multitask, and I’ve already seen all your beautiful parts.”
She rolled her eyes and tugged the curtain closed again. “Okay, so, what do you want to talk about?”
One beat passed, then another, and then Colton laid himself on the line. “I want us to try being together,” he said, his heart racing in his chest. “I want us to figure out how to make that work. If you want to, of course.”
This time, the curtain eased open much slower. Kady met Colton’s gaze, and her eyes were so bright with excitement. “Really? Yes, I definitely do,” she said. “Do you mean, like, a long-distance relationship? Because I’ve got a ton of frequent-flier miles. Or we could drive and meet in the middle, or—”
“I appreciate that, but if we could find a way, I’d love to avoid the long-distance thing,” he said, crossing the room so he could stand right in front of her. “First, because after eight years in the army, I’ve had my fill of long-distance everything. Second, because I’m a novice at relationships and I don’t want to screw it up. And, third and most importantly, because I don’t want to be away from you that much.”
A sweet smile played around her lips at his words. “What’s the alternative, then?”
Colton braced himself and uttered the invitation that he wasn’t sure why he’d never issued before. “Come work for me. As my partner. The two of us together? We’d be unbeatable. The job would bring you back to Boulder and we could be together.”
Man, was Logan—Colton’s college roommate and his best friend back in Boulder ever since—gonna have a field day with this development when Colton told him what was going down. But Colton didn’t even care about the hardcore razzing he had coming from all his buddies because he felt the rightness of this idea down deep.
Kady’s mouth dropped open. She shut the water off, grabbed a towel, and opened the curtain all the way. Her gaze dragged over his nakedness, and it said something about how important his invitation was to him that he didn’t immediately focus in on her feminine interest. She squeezed the water out of her hair with the towel. “But…but…but we’d kill each other within three days. We always pick on each other. And if I land this contract, I’ll get a promotion.”
“I’m offering you a promotion,” he said. “A big one. To partner. That’s not something you’re going to get at Resnick, no matter how many contracts you land. I need a partner, Kady, and you’re the best there is. And we won’t kill each other. We’ve always clicked around the work, and you know it.”
Dried off now, Kady wrapped the towel around her body and stepped out onto the bath mat so that they were almost toe-to-toe. “It’s an amazing offer, Colton. Really. But what happens if I quit my current job and took this one, and then you and I…”
Colton didn’t like any of the ways he thought she might’ve intended to conclude that question. But he couldn’t say it was an unfair concern. “My gut’s telling me that’s not a problem, Kady, because we f*cking click. But even if things didn’t work out, this offer is in no way contingent on us having a relationship. In fact, I’d first thought about this yesterday before anything happened between us. You’re too good for Resnick, and you’re sure as shit too good to have to deal with Bob Chase. We’d be professionals, and your job would be safe no matter what. But if things didn’t work out and you wanted to move on, I’d make sure there was a generous severance package in your contract, just like you’d get anywhere.” He stood in front of her and swiped a droplet of water running down her temple with his thumb. “All these things we can work out, but first you just have to agree.”
Kady’s eyes went glassy. “This is…I’m overwhelmed, Colton. Honestly. I respect you so much, and the thought that you’d want me to work at the company you’ve built over the last two years is such a wonderful compliment. But I just…I can’t….I need time to think about all this.”
The one thing they didn’t have—at least not today. But Colton nodded and slid his fingers around the back of her neck. He massaged her there, loving the way she went soft and pliant under his touch. “Of course.” He kissed her, needing to taste, needing to claim, needing her on his skin and in his mouth and in his life. And needing to remind her how good they were together. “But remember where I started this conversation—I want a chance for us to be something.”
She smiled. “I want that, too.”
He kissed her cheek. “I better jump in real quick,” he said, and then he turned on the water.
They’d talked just long enough that everything after that was a mad dash to get ready. Understandably, Kady didn’t want to look like she’d just rolled out of bed when she saw Beckstein. Given the little weasel’s comments at breakfast this morning, Colton didn’t blame her.
When they were ready to go, Kady reached for the door.
Colton blocked it with his hand. He eased her around until her back settled against the cold metal. God, she was gorgeous, and he wanted her even though his gut did a free fall when he thought about what it would be like if he got her to agree. “Promise me you’ll think about what I said.”