The Cutting Edge Read Free

He didn’t drop his hand, but kept it under hers, and he looked down at her with such calm, self-confident awareness in his eyes that Tessa automatically wanted to put a safer distance between them. She was used to charming men so easily that it wasn’t even a conscious effort, but it was a lighthearted charm, and she always danced away before emotions could become intense. She couldn’t have said how she knew it, but every bone in her body, every fiber of her flesh, every instinct of her very female personality, recognized him as being more than she could handle. He wasn’t a man of easy charm; he overwhelmed women with the intensity of his maleness. He wouldn’t let the butterfly flit away afterdancing tantalizingly before him; he would reach out and capture her, and hold her for as long as her beauty intrigued him. Tessa knew that she had to go, then, in order to protect her own best interests. But she didn’t want to go, she thought wistfully. She wanted to stay near him… .
    Beneath all the light and laughter, Tessa had a strong streak of common sense, and it surfaced now. “Thank you for the ice,” she murmured as she stepped away from him. “I’d better get back to my job before I’m fired for being late. Thanks again—”
    â€œStay,” he commanded softly, and it was definitely a command, despite the evenness of his tone. “I’ll call your department head and cover for you.”
    â€œThat won’t be necessary. I’m really all right, so I can go back to work.”
    â€œIf you insist.” His lids dropped lazily over his deep-sea eyes. “I’d like to talk to you, though, so I’ll take you out to dinner tonight. Will seven-thirty suit you?”
    â€œWhoa!” she said, startled. “I don’t even know you!”
    â€œThat’s easily remedied.” He held out his hard, sun-browned hand. “I’m Brett Rutland, from Carter-Marshall.”
    Tessa’s eyes widened fractionally. She’d heard the name so many times during the past week, and so many people seemed to be a bit cautious of him that she’d begun actually to believe all the things she’d heard about him. Just the rumor that he might descend on Carter Engineering had made a lot of people nervous. He must have arrived that morning. But he was still holding out his hand, and slowly Tessa put her hand out to clasp his. His fingers wrapped gently around hers,as if he were very aware of the difference between his strength and hers.
    â€œTessa Conway,” she said as a self-introduction. “I work in the bookkeeping department.”
    He didn’t release her hand. “Well, Tessa Conway, now you know who I am and I know who you are. Dinner?”
    She eyed him warily for a moment; then her natural sense of humor began to surface. Was this man the ogre everyone had been telling horror tales about? He was no one’s tame pussycat, that was for certain, but he didn’t look as if he ate raw meat for breakfast, either. Teasing lights began to dance in her green eyes. “I’m not certain I’d be safe with someone known as the Ax-Man ,” she pointed out cheekily.
    He threw back his head and laughed, a good, deep sound, and a warmth began to grow inside her. “Ax-Man? That’s better than what I’d thought! But you won’t have anything to worry about, Tessa Conway. I won’t chop you up into little pieces.”
    No, but he was a man who could put a woman’s emotions through the meat grinder. Just standing there in the office with him, Tessa could feel her heart beating a little faster, and the way her blood was humming through her veins made her feel warm all over. Temptation was weakening her because she really wanted to go with him, but she knew that the smartest thing to do would be to run, not walk, to the nearest cover.
    â€œIf we went out together, the grapevine would short-out