“Are you saying you want to rewrite our agreement?” A trace of hope, of longing, flared in his eyes, but it was quickly extinguished. He didn’t wait for her answer. “This is what we agreed to, honey.” His voice softened as he traced his fingers across her cheek. “Do you want to change that?”

His offer broke through the sensual web he was weaving around her and she stood abruptly, almost knocking him down. “Of course not. I just want to see where we stand with each other. As you said, there is an attraction between us, but I think it’s best if we ignore it. We have too much at stake to give in to a brief fling.”

She flinched at her own words as she rinsed out her coffee cup. It would never be a fling on her part, couldn’t even resemble one. Because her childhood puppy love had developed into something very close to the real thing these past two days.

Her hands gripped the edge of the sink as she stared out at the fading dawn. Blackmore’s Gourmet Chocolates. She had to remember her priorities and what was important in her life. The company came first. There was no room in her life for a man, no time to allow anyone else to hurt her.

“Cole, what if we fail? What if the board goes against us?” The words brought a cold chill to her skin, and she rubbed her hands up and down her arms in an attempt to ward it off.

His capable hands settled over her shoulders, and he pulled her back until his hard chest was pressed against her back. She wanted to lean into him, to let him share some of the burden she carried, but she didn’t dare. That would bring a new sense of intimacy between them that would only increase their awareness of each other.

“We won’t fail, honey. We can’t, so we won’t.”

She couldn’t halt her reluctant laugh at his confidence. “You make it sound easy.”

“It is. We have five days to plot our strategy. I have some ideas I think will help, and we’ll convince the board that it’s the only way to go.”

His fingers targeted her tense muscles and began slowly working out the kinks. She sighed and closed her eyes, leaning her head against him, letting herself drift with the sensations he stirred inside her. His words were so simple, so basic, she could almost convince herself to believe him.

Her mind wandered. She could get used to this, could become accustomed to his touch, his voice…to him.