Kiss Me Crazy Read Free Page A

curvy, figure. Even in simple slacks and shirt, she managed to look elegant and graceful, and the effect on him was headier than a perfectly aged cognac.
    He watched her walk toward him, her hip-swaying stride confident and mesmerizing. A walk that proclaimed to the world,

    “I’m a sexy woman, deal with it.”
    He’d resisted dealing with it for years, partly because of bad timing and a company policy he’d drafted himself. He would have broken it in a heartbeat had she given him any hint that she was interested. There was something between them, something subtle but constant. Encouragement or not, he was making his move the day after the doors of his San Francisco galery opened. The one thing he’d learned these past years was how to outline a good strategy and folow it systematicaly until he achieved his goal. The courting of Kara Michaels was part of this year’s plan, to be commenced in exactly one month.
    Baron rose to his feet, his gaze moving over her heart-shaped face, inteligent hazel eyes behind narrow, frameless glasses, and the luscious lips a man could get lost in for hours, days even.
    She rarely came to his office. He, on the other hand, went to the basement once a week in the guise of checking on the progress of the piece she was working on. Always hoping she’d do or say something to give her feelings away.
    “Kara, what a surprise,” he said.
    “I hope I’m not bothering you.” She stopped before his desk and gave him one of her sweet smiles.
    The nerves on the surface of his skin responded to her husky soft voice. Maybe he was a fool for waiting. “You bother me? Never. Come on, have a seat.”
    He waited until she sat down then settled back in his seat.
    For a moment, she didn’t speak, just sucked her bottom luscious lip between her teeth and chewed on the pink flesh, eyes vulnerable behind her glasses. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but the silence was driving him nuts.
    She reached up and touched the temple of her glasses, something she did when nervous. His gut tightened. “What is it, Kara?”
    “I want you to know that it’s been a pleasure working here these past five years, Baron. You took a chance on me when I was fresh out of grad school and taught me so much. I’l always be grateful for that. I’ve thought hard about this, it’s nothing personal, I just think the time is right for me to leave. I’m here to offer you my resignation.”
    Baron’s chest had tightened before she finished her first sentence, every word after that a needle prickling his skin. She was leaving him, walking out. His brain short-circuited and the past rushed back with the force of a tsunami.
    It was the situation with Valerie al over again. He knew it was irrational to feel betrayed, to compare the two women. They were nothing alike, the situations not remotely the same. Kara wasn’t pregnant with his child. His ring wasn’t on her finger. And she wasn’t about to take off with someone he’d thought was a friend. Baron clenched his teeth and forced himself to think and act rationaly.
    He looked at Kara’s hand and saw the letter she was holding. He glared at it until he saw her hand shake. That sign of weakness made him feel better. She wasn’t as calm as she appeared to be. His gaze moved to her face. Her eyes, hazel with specks of green on the edges, met his squarely and without guile.

    “Why?” His made sure his voice was calm, with just the right amount of curiosity.
    Surprise flashed in her eyes. What had she expected? For him to lose it? Sure, he wanted to take the damn letter from her hand and ram it in the shredder. The problem was she’d just bring him another one. From the stubborn angle of her chin and the determination gleaming in her eyes, the gorgeous woman thought she was doing the right thing by leaving. The sooner he disabused her of the idea the better they’d both be. They were perfect together as business partners, and if he had his way, he’d show her just how