FallingforSharde_MLU Read Free Page A

touched her cheek. “But sometimes a man needs or wants a woman’s perspective.”
    “A woman... that’s me,” she said softly.
    He nodded. “I know.”
    But she doubted that. “We’re leaving when?
    “We can go this afternoon. We’ll make a long weekend of it and come back Monday night.”
    Four days and three nights spent alone with him in a small, remote cabin. She moistened her lips. “It might snow.”
    He shrugged. “I’ll leave now and get everything we’ll need for a few days. All you’ll need to do is pack warm clothing and several books. I’ll pick you up at your place at three and we’ll get there in time for dinner. Okay?”
    That would give her several hours to devise a plan for ending up in his bed before the weekend was over. She nodded. “Okay.”
    “Great.” He smiled and her heart jumped in her chest. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”
    “Okay.”
    * * * * *
    Twenty minutes later, seated in one of the leather chairs in front of Sharde’s desk, Darbi studied her face. “You’re spending a long weekend with the boss?”
    Noting Darbi’s lack of surprise, Sharde sighed. “You don’t sound surprised.”
    Darbi shrugged. “I can’t say I am. I’ve suspected for some time that there’s more than friendship between you two.”
    Sharde blinked. “You have? Why?”
    She shrugged. “It has something to do with the way you look at him and the sound of his voice when he’s talking to or about you. You look at him like a woman looks at a special lover and his voice always softens when he talks about you.”
    Sharde shook her head slowly. She could believe that her feelings for Jefferson were not always concealed, but she’d never noticed any softening of his voice when he spoke to her. “I’m not sure what you are seeing or hearing, but there’s nothing between us. We’re friends.”
    “With benefits?”
    Friends with benefits. That described the only way she’d be interested in remaining friends with him. “No. Just friends.”
    “So this weekend... you’re hoping to change that?”
    She shrugged. “Do you think it’s possible?”
    “I’m surprised it’s not already true. The passion simmering just under the surface between you two seems explosive.”
    “Don’t I wish.” She shook her head. “Back to business. You’ll be all right until Tuesday?”
    “Of course. What about you? Are you going to be all right on Tuesday?”
    “I’ll be fine no matter what the weekend brings or doesn’t bring. Either way, it’s time I took control of my own happiness again.”
    “If you want to talk, call me.”
    She shook her head. “This is something I need to work out in my own mind first. But thanks, Darbi.”
    Darbi smiled. “That’s what friends are for. So I’ll see you on Tuesday.”
    * * * * *
    Ninety minutes into the three-hour drive, snow fell hard and heavy, making driving and visibility difficult. Sharde sat in the passenger seat of Jefferson’s SUV, praying he wouldn’t decide to turn around and head home. No matter what, if they made it to the cabin, she was going to find some way to get him in bed before the weekend was over.
    Five hours after they’d left Philly, he stopped the SUV in front of the cabin. They sat staring through the windshield. Several inches of snow covered the roof and the ground around the modest small cabin. The snow still fell heavily. She squinted. Or was it now sleet?
    He swore softly and reached into the glove compartment for a flashlight. “I’d better go see how things stand. Wait here,” he told her and climbed out of the vehicle, leaving the engine running.
    She cast a smile upward, leaned back against her seat, and offered a silent prayer of thanksgiving. The weather had done its part, now all she had to do was hers. She closed her eyes, considering strategies for seducing him.
    “Damn!”
    The harsh sound and a cold blast of air snapped Sharde out of her lovely thoughts of nights of lust and unbridled passion spent under