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this way before and his breathing had definitely changed. Good grief, he was going to kiss her!
    She wondered if he’d considered how that would affect his proposed office policy. She wouldn’t remind him. If he made the first move, that changed everything. She waited, heart pounding.
    With a groan of frustration, he turned away and tossed the spoon on the counter. “God, how I want you!”
    She gasped. “You . . . do?”
    “Yes, damn it!” He spun around and glared at her. “And I swore I would never let you know.”
    “Why?”
    He took a breath and started to answer but then he shook his head. “Never mind.”
    Since he hadn’t given their working relationship as a reason, she had a hunch the issue went deeper than that. She swallowed. “When did you take this oath of silence?”
    “At the first school dance in seventh grade.”
    Seventh grade. Dear God. No wonder he hadn’t asked her to dance that night. She’d thought he wasn’t into dancing. He’d wanted her for years? She couldn’t get her head around it. “But you’ve had girlfriends.”
    “Of course I’ve had girlfriends. I vowed to stay silent not celibate.”
    Then she had a new thought, a happy thought. “Did you hire me thinking we might eventually get together now that I’m single?”
    “Hell, no.”
    The finality of that answer told her all she needed to know. He’d hidden his feelings because he was convinced she’d reject him. At one time she might have, so he’d been wise to be cautious. Her voice softened. “Then why did you hire me?”
    “Because you’d be an asset to the company.”
    “That’s it?”
    “No.” He ran his fingers through his already mussed hair. “I loved the idea that I’d get to see you five days a week.”
    Her heart softened like warm cookie dough. “I’ve loved that, too.”
    “And now it’s over, right?” His voice filled with anguish. “You’re quitting.”
    “Quitting? No!”
    “But you used the past tense, loved . Or maybe it’s past perfect – I have loved . But it’s definitely in the past and not the present.”
    “You’re overthinking it.”
    “A habit of mine.”
    “For your information, I have no intention of quitting, although it would solve our problem. And we do have one.”
    “I’m well aware of it. I just admitted to lusting after one of my employees. If you want to laugh and make fun of me, go right ahead. I wouldn’t blame you in the least.”
    “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
    “No, really, it’s okay. I make no sense whatsoever. At dinner I told you the company needed a policy about this very thing and here I am longing to violate the policy before it’s even written.”
    Every word out of his mouth was an incredible gift. “You can’t know how much that means to me.”
    “You like that I’m wishy-washy?”
    “I adore it. One person’s wishy-washy is another person’s flexible approach to life.”
    “I’m not sure I understand.”
    She took a deep breath and turned off the oven. The time for chit-chat was over. “Tony, I freely admit I haven’t always appreciated how great you are, but now I get it. I’ve had a chance to observe you in your element – this company. I love your easygoing management style and the camaraderie with the guys. Working closely with you I’ve . . . been affected in ways that aren’t strictly professional.”
    He looked at her in stunned silence. Obviously he hadn’t expected to hear that. Ever.
    “In other words, I think you’re extremely sexy and I want you, too. Desperately.”
    He sucked in a breath.
    “But you’re concerned about office romances lousing up the company dynamic and I –”
    “To hell with that.” Tossing his glasses on the counter, he pulled her into his arms and his mouth came down on hers.
    Her startled exclamation of surprise meant her mouth was open at the time, and he took full advantage of the opportunity. At the first touch of his lips she went rigid with shock. Tony was kissing her! There