His voice was a delicious rasp, thick with want. She bit her bottom lip, all-too-aware of what could go wrong if she gave in. “I’m not sleeping with anyone I work with. It’s not smart.”
“Fine. For the next two weeks, we’ll steer clear of my bed.”
Admiration poured from his gaze. Heat radiated off him, chasing away her chill. The tender tilt of his incredible mouth was too tempting for her own good. “Mitch.”
“You have no idea how good my name sounds coming out of your mouth.” He brushed his knuckles down her bare arm. “Help me, Jaye. I haven’t slept more than three hours for the past three nights. All I do when I lie in bed is think of you. Let me get close. Believe me, the last thing I want to do is break your trust.”
She held her breath. For the first time in her life, she’d encountered a man who wasn’t after her money or her father’s connections. He wanted her.
What a powerful aphrodisiac.
“You won’t touch me at work?” she clarified, thinking how difficult getting anything done would be if Mitch could kiss her at the factory.
“I’ll keep my hands off you when we’re at Blake Glassware. When we’re home, I won’t go anywhere near your bedroom. That part of the house is yours.” His big hand touched hers, a thumb stroking her skin in a gentle back and forth motion. “The rest of the house is ours.”
She heard the promise in his words. He’d do everything in his power to protect her while he tried to seduce her. A surge of joy propelled Jaye to wrap her arms around his wide shoulders.
He pulled her against his body so there was no space between them and tucked his mouth near her ear. “Does this mean yes?”
“Yes. Please.” She cupped the back of his warm head and pressed a smile against his cheek.
He claimed her lips in an open-mouthed kiss and hugged her tight, nuzzling her neck. “For the record, you don’t have to keep your hands off me when we’re at the factory or anywhere else.” His hand slid down her back, fingering the satin slip. “Do you always sleep in stuff like this?”
“Sometimes.” Her nipples puckered beneath the thin fabric, and she wondered if he could feel the hard points jutting against his chest.
Mitch pulled back slightly, his gaze roaming the dip of her neckline, her face, her mouth. “You’re beautiful. Like a little pixie who wandered in from the forest.”
“Must be the short hair.” She was unused to such undisguised tenderness. His affection felt a bit dangerous, considering how much she wanted it. Feeling her face heat, she lowered her gaze in the hopes her long bangs would shield her blush from his scrutiny.
A cell phone chimed. Mitch groaned and leaned his forehead against hers. “Tell me today won’t be as crazy as yesterday.”
Jaye grinned. “It’s almost seven. Freddie is probably wondering where you are. Normally, you’re at work by now.”
“And you’d be jogging.” He stroked her back, resting his hand near the base of her spine. “I’ll work like hell to convince you to run to me.”
The husky pledge had the same effect as a potent narcotic, washing away Jaye’s pain. This rugged glassblower made her feel valued, wanted, longed for—emotions she had never felt so deeply. She tilted up her mouth to brush a soft kiss against his mouth.
Arms muscled by years of lugging heavy bags of silica into the factory wrapped around her waist. His kiss turned ravenous, picking up exactly where they left off last night.
The cell phone chimed again. Jaye tilted a breathless smile his way. “You should check that message. The factory might fall apart without you.”
“This had better be important.” He dug his phone out of his pocket and nestled her within the circle of his arms so they both could see the screen.
The text was from Freddie.
Are you okay?
Mitch kissed her cheek and typed, Never better.
Freddie responded right away. Something is wrong with the lehr.
“Duty calls.” She squeezed the hard band of his forearm and stepped away, sweeping her bangs out of her eyes.
He stayed put, staring at her as though the last thing he wanted to do was leave.
Sadness pulled through her, cold as the linoleum under her bare feet. Now, his business yanked them apart—a temporary setback. In two weeks, her business would yank her two hundred miles away. For good.
“Don’t think about leaving,” he murmured, his deep voice hoarse. With a powerful lunge, he wrapped an arm around her waist and cupped her jaw. “Think about the next two weeks. Here. With me.”
Mitch dropped a brown take-out bag on the kitchen counter. “I found your contract this afternoon.”
Jaye rubbed her watchband, trying to interpret the stony set of his jaw. She reached into a cabinet for two plates and placed the plain white dishes gently on the counter as though any sudden movement might shatter the china. “You sound angry.”
“I need an explanation. From what I read, you’re working for free.” He unzipped his blue coat and braced his hands on his hips. “Why did you agree to such ridiculous terms?”
“I’m not working for free. Blake Glassware will pay me when there is an increase in sales.” She noticed the red flush creeping up from the ribbed collar of his red T-shirt and knew he didn’t believe her.
“According to your contract, we won’t pay you if profits remain the same. Did Nick mention our bottom line hasn’t changed for the past two years?”
She knew Mitch was perturbed when he called his father by his given name. “You’re mistaken. Nick didn’t come up with the terms. I did.”
“You volunteered to work for nothing?”
“No, I took this job with the understanding I’d be paid later.” She grabbed two drinking glasses, her shaky fingers knocking the two goblets together with
