certain woman gives me the courage to enter the arena. I have the added advantage, of course, of knowing you're willing to engage in the battle. I saw that much in your eyes that first day. You can't blame me for hoping you would take the next step and realize the battle wasn't necessary."
Kelly felt the red flow up into her cheeks but managed to say tartly, "I don't see why one realization should follow the other!"
"It's simple enough," he returned easily. "If you're willing to acknowledge my pursuit to the extent of defending yourself, then you've as good as admitted I'm a threat. Having got that far, it's only a short step to realizing you wouldn't have perceived a threat unless you were attracted to me. If you're attracted to me, why fight it?"
"I suppose it's your training in computer programming that has taught you to think in such a convoluted manner!"
she snapped.
"It's a totally logical manner. Any self-respecting computer would be proud of me. Your thought processes are the ones that would short-circuit the machine. Are you going to eat that last clam?"
"Be my guest," she told him irritably.
"Thank you." He deftly removed it from the pot with the tongs.
Kelly watched him for a moment, blue eyes deepening slightly in color under the influence of the candlelight. Her fingers drummed idly on the white tablecloth while she considered her situation.
"What makes you so sure you want me?" she finally asked, unable to resist the question.
"Fishing for compliments already?" he said, glancing up with an unexpectedly boyish grin that made Kelly blink.
"Maybe that's a good sign."
"I'm looking for rational explanations!"
He nodded. "How about love at first sight?"
"I said rational explanations, not science fiction! Besides, love at first sight is a female fantasy, not a male one."
"What's the male equivalent?" Locke demanded interestedly, green eyes laughing at her now.
"Desire or lust at first sight, I imagine," she told him bluntly,
"Well, I won't say I didn't experience that," he agreed slowly. "If I did say it, you'd have a right to be offended! But there's more to it than that."
"All of which was immediately apparent to you the instant Marcie showed you into my office?" she taunted, unwillingly remembering the leap into violent awareness her own senses had taken in the crucial moment.
"We spent several hours together, remember? But I didn't learn anything new during those hours. I merely confirmed what I'd experienced during our initial meeting," he shrugged carelessly.
"Which boils down to you deciding that you want me," she retorted scathingly.
"You have to start somewhere," he smiled philosophically. "And wanting each other seems as good a place to begin as any other point."
"And if I don't agree?"
"That's your feminine way of telling me you want to make a fight of it. And if that's what you want, that's what you'll get. Never let it be said I denied my woman whatever she wanted!"
"You're quite incorrigible, aren't you?" Kelly whispered, lost in laconic admiration. "Do you always treat your female employers with such insolence?"
"Now you've moved from fishing for compliments to inquiring into the women in my life," he noted in satisfaction.
"We're moving right along, aren't we?"
"If you say so. Personally I'm finding it hard to follow your train of thought!"
"You'll learn. How about dessert?"
"No, thanks," she said firmly.
"I'm with you. We'll wait until later."
Kelly raised a quelling brow but said nothing. His aggressiveness really was amazing, she thought with near-detachment. She'd met self-confident, egotistical men before but Locke Charming was proving to be world-class material.
It was all a veneer, of course. It always seemed to be that way with the men she encountered. Sooner or later the underlying weakness would surface, as it had with Brett Forrester and Ward Newlin.
Grimly she put the memories out of her mind as Locke politely held her chair. It wasn't that she couldn't
Kelly felt the red flow up into her cheeks but managed to say tartly, "I don't see why one realization should follow the other!"
"It's simple enough," he returned easily. "If you're willing to acknowledge my pursuit to the extent of defending yourself, then you've as good as admitted I'm a threat. Having got that far, it's only a short step to realizing you wouldn't have perceived a threat unless you were attracted to me. If you're attracted to me, why fight it?"
"I suppose it's your training in computer programming that has taught you to think in such a convoluted manner!"
she snapped.
"It's a totally logical manner. Any self-respecting computer would be proud of me. Your thought processes are the ones that would short-circuit the machine. Are you going to eat that last clam?"
"Be my guest," she told him irritably.
"Thank you." He deftly removed it from the pot with the tongs.
Kelly watched him for a moment, blue eyes deepening slightly in color under the influence of the candlelight. Her fingers drummed idly on the white tablecloth while she considered her situation.
"What makes you so sure you want me?" she finally asked, unable to resist the question.
"Fishing for compliments already?" he said, glancing up with an unexpectedly boyish grin that made Kelly blink.
"Maybe that's a good sign."
"I'm looking for rational explanations!"
He nodded. "How about love at first sight?"
"I said rational explanations, not science fiction! Besides, love at first sight is a female fantasy, not a male one."
"What's the male equivalent?" Locke demanded interestedly, green eyes laughing at her now.
"Desire or lust at first sight, I imagine," she told him bluntly,
"Well, I won't say I didn't experience that," he agreed slowly. "If I did say it, you'd have a right to be offended! But there's more to it than that."
"All of which was immediately apparent to you the instant Marcie showed you into my office?" she taunted, unwillingly remembering the leap into violent awareness her own senses had taken in the crucial moment.
"We spent several hours together, remember? But I didn't learn anything new during those hours. I merely confirmed what I'd experienced during our initial meeting," he shrugged carelessly.
"Which boils down to you deciding that you want me," she retorted scathingly.
"You have to start somewhere," he smiled philosophically. "And wanting each other seems as good a place to begin as any other point."
"And if I don't agree?"
"That's your feminine way of telling me you want to make a fight of it. And if that's what you want, that's what you'll get. Never let it be said I denied my woman whatever she wanted!"
"You're quite incorrigible, aren't you?" Kelly whispered, lost in laconic admiration. "Do you always treat your female employers with such insolence?"
"Now you've moved from fishing for compliments to inquiring into the women in my life," he noted in satisfaction.
"We're moving right along, aren't we?"
"If you say so. Personally I'm finding it hard to follow your train of thought!"
"You'll learn. How about dessert?"
"No, thanks," she said firmly.
"I'm with you. We'll wait until later."
Kelly raised a quelling brow but said nothing. His aggressiveness really was amazing, she thought with near-detachment. She'd met self-confident, egotistical men before but Locke Charming was proving to be world-class material.
It was all a veneer, of course. It always seemed to be that way with the men she encountered. Sooner or later the underlying weakness would surface, as it had with Brett Forrester and Ward Newlin.
Grimly she put the memories out of her mind as Locke politely held her chair. It wasn't that she couldn't
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