Silk on the Skin: A Loveswept Classic Romance Read Online Free PDF Page B

tomorrow.”
    “Thanks much,” Cass said sarcastically before licking the moisture from around her lips.
    Dallas suppressed a shudder of reaction to her erotic yet innocent act. He wondered what it would be like to feel her doing that to his lips.
    “It was nice meeting you, Dallas,” Jean said after she picked up her purse. There was a definite gleam of mischief in her eyes as she held out her hand.
    He grinned as he shook it. He liked Cass’s assistant manager. “It was my pleasure, Jean.”
    “See you later, Cass,” Jean added. “And try not to throw yourself at the man.”
    Cass choked on her crab.
    Not long after Jean left, Cass realized how prophetic her assistant manager was. Being alone with Dallas had unquestionably made her temperature rise. The storeroom, usually more than adequate for the shop’s needs, was suddenly too damned small, she thought as she escaped to the bathroom to wash out the steamer pot. The instant she had discovered he had been the one to enter the shop, twin bolts of anticipation and dismay had shot through her. Somehow she had managed to keep her poise, and even tease him alittle. The last thing she wanted him to know was that she knew what he was up to. But now that Jean was gone she was terrified that she
would
give in to her attraction. Usually, she was a sane and sensible woman where men were concerned.
    “The sane and sensible woman is now stuck with the sexy man,” she muttered, rubbing the pot extra hard with a sponge.
    She should have thrown him out, should have refused to speak to him, but just the mere notion of missing out on that delectable crab had pushed away all sane thought. Greedy, that was what she was. Just plain greedy. Now she couldn’t very well ask him to go, especially after the way he’d disarmed her anger. She’d let a barrier down, and she cursed herself for doing so.
    She scrubbed the pot fiercely, grateful for the small chore, since it gave her a chance to get a firm grip on herself. She would need it, too. Her unexpected lunch guest was now in front, babysitting the store for her again, and she had a feeling he’d be hanging around for quite a while longer. She grimly reminded herself that his visit had an ulterior motive. It was so obvious he was planning a board fight and expected to emerge the winner—with her help. Still, she knew he wouldn’t leave her alone simply by her asking. Dallas Carter hadn’t climbed to where he was by accepting a “No, thanks.” If he went after something, he stuck until he got it.
    She wondered if it might be better to keep him concentrating on her. After all, until he got what he wanted from her, he wouldn’t bother to move on to the smaller stockholders.
    After putting the pot away, she emerged from the storeroom to find him looking over a WinterLand catalog she’d left lying on the counter. She also found herself absently admiring the lithe lines of his body. Forcing her gaze to a point above his head, she swallowed heavily.
    “You have a catalog service too?” he asked, looking up.
    She nodded, and gathered her control like a threadbare cloak around her as she joined him by the cash register. The shop was deserted. “Yes. It carries the business through the winter months when the store is closed. Actually, the catalog sales nearly match the store sales.”
    He raised an eyebrow. “You must be doing very well.”
    “I’ve done a good deal of work in order to do well,” she corrected, straightening a ceramic Christmas tree on the counter.
    “Have you thought about what I told you yesterday?” he asked.
    She slowly removed her hands from the knick-knack and took a deep breath. Keep it light like the conversation at lunch, she reminded herself.
    She turned to face him. “Here we were, having a nice chat, and you had to go and bring up business.”
    “It’s a dirty job, but someone’s got to do it,” he said.
    “There was enough dirty talk at lunch yesterday,” she said. “And I don’t mean