“You certainly were eager to get here,” I gripe, though his humor has taken the edge off my irritation. Plus, he’s probably right about the email signature. “A few coworkers have come in,” I say, getting back to the question. “It makes for an entertaining Monday when they see me at the front desk and their last memory is of me in my undies.”

“I’m sure they’re fine.” He raises his glass for a drink. “It’s a good memory.”

The comment dances over my skin like a shower of sparks. This guy is a custom suit full of contradictions. Me in my undies is a good memory, while in the moment I was deemed merely “tolerable.” He doesn’t “trust” burlesque, but he liked my peel.

“Who are you right now?” The question falls out of me before I can stop it.

His mouth quirks. There’s a smoldering in his eyes I can’t ignore. It aligns so closely with a look I received from imagined Darcy in a particularly ambitious groveling session that my mouth goes a little dry. I take a restorative gulp of champagne.

“Why do you ask?”

“You’re different here than you’ve been the other times we’ve met. You’ve smiled.”

He chuckles, and I wonder what it would take to get a real laugh out of him. At this point, it would feel like an accomplishment. “Am I not supposed to?”

“Rumor has it you don’t like crowds.”

He winces. “That is an understatement.”

“I’d hate to startle you,” I stage-whisper, and Darcy shifts the tiniest bit closer. His proximity has me edging nearer. “There’s over two hundred people down here. Excluding waitstaff. You sure you can cope?”

“Hmm.” The thoughtful sound is so low, my toes curl. “Now that you mention it, I think I’ve hit my threshold. Would you be interested in a better view?” He points to the second level, which I haven’t had the chance to explore. Centered on the upper floor is a large window, like an announcer’s box at a stadium. “My office.”

I toss back the last splash of my champagne, and there’s a good chance I’m flinging away my better judgment in the same movement. This is definitely a questionable decision, but I can consider my motivation later. “Lead the way.”

CHAPTER

11