Jingle This! Page 8

  Oh… damn him! How could she not fall for a man who talked like that? Obviously, the man had depth.

  Heidi raised her brow at Angie, then stood up. “Well, I suppose you want Angie to yourself so you can inspire her. It seemed to work for today’s story.”

  Kyle raised his eyebrow and looked at Angie.

  Crud. She was totally busted.

  Heidi walked over to him and leveled a stare at him. “Just so you know, if you break her heart again, I’ll come after you.”

  “Break her heart?” Kyle shot a startled look in Angie’s direction, and she wanted to crawl under her desk. Oh, God, she was going to shoot her friend. Seriously.

  “All this sex talk has gotten me in the mood. I’m going to go call Quinn.” Heidi picked up the container of sushi and walked out. “See y’all later.”

  She shut the door firmly behind her.

  An awkward silence fell over the room, no doubt due to the residual sexual talk hovering in the air. “So…um…” Should she tell him she’d been up all night replaying that kiss in her mind? That she was way too vulnerable when it came to him and she’d decided that they needed to get some space between them? Heidi’s copy editing would have to suffice as oversight for her work.

  “Break your heart? Again?” His gaze was intense as he stared at her.

  Of course he would ask about it. Why couldn’t he simply ignore it and pretend Heidi hadn’t blurted out such insanity? “She’s been sniffing glue again. Don’t mind her. What do you want?” Angie couldn’t stop looking at his lips. He’d kissed her with them last night, so many amazing, incredible, earth-moving kisses.

  “What did she mean, again?” he pressed.

  “She was being a dork. She was trying to make more of our kiss last night than it was. You know, Heidi, always the matchmaker.” Angie knew she had to change the subject fast, because he was looking mighty interested in this topic. “So, was there any feedback on the story? It was good, huh?”

  She saw the shift in his facial expression. From soft and personal to businesslike and impersonal. She immediately regretted changing the subject and losing the intimacy between them.

  “Swift called,” he said.

  Hmm…he didn’t have that happy, glowing look about him. “And?”

  “They weren’t happy with the story.”

  Angie felt her spirits drop. “Why not?”

  “It was too irreverent, and teenagers don’t buy diamonds.” He rubbed his forehead. “I should have realized it was all wrong, but I got caught up in…the kiss. I lost my focus.”

  “Caught up? Did I distract you? Did I keep you from doing your job?” Angie sat up quickly. He’d been distracted from work by her kiss? Nothing diverted Kyle’s focus from work…except her kiss? Wow. She must be a really fantastic kisser, eh? Did that mean it had meant more to him than merely inspiration for her story? Had he felt his soul crash and soar like she had?

  “I should never have let that happen. I should never lose sight of the client.” Kyle eyed her. “No more of that kind of inspiration.”

  Wait a sec. Was he resenting her for distracting him? Like she was some she-devil-temptation? “You’re the one who kissed me!”

  “I know. And I was wrong.”

  So that’s how it was? He’d been tempted, and it was wrong. Fine. She didn’t like him anyway. She folded her arms across her chest. “For your information, my article was great.”

  “But it was wrong for the client.” He dropped to the chair across from her, his body lithe and lean as he lounged in the seat. “Listen, Angie. You have the talent, but you’ve got to get it together mentally. I want sappy, romantic love.”

  Angie ground her teeth. “Fine. You want sap? I’ll give you sap. Now get out of my office so I can work.” She didn’t need a tongue massage from him to get inspired.

  He looked startled by her venom. Good. It was about time someone in her life noticed that she could actually feel pain. “Don’t take it personally, Angie. It’s just about the job.”

  “Believe me, I’m well aware of that. And that kiss last night was only to humor you. I didn’t even want to kiss you.”

  He lifted his brow, and she wondered how bright the neon “Liar” sign was on her forehead. “So, when’s your next interview?” he asked.

  He was dropping the subject of the kiss. Good idea. She was on board with that. There was no need to discuss his lips on hers any longer. “I don’t have anything scheduled. I was going to go out at lunch and see what strikes my fancy.”

  “Like you did with the teenagers?”

  “Yes.”

  He looked pained. “I think I’ll go with you.”

  She scowled. “I’m perfectly capable of interviewing on my own.”

  Kyle leaned forward, his face intense. “Angie, you’re hurting, which is human. But it’s better if you admit it and accept that you need help to get this assignment right. Because I’m going to help.” A muscle ticked in his cheek. “And I’m not going to get distracted this time. The articles will be right. Every one of them.”

  “You’re going to be leaning over my shoulder for the next month?”

  “Yes.”

  Did that suck or what? Ten minutes ago, jingle bells would have been jangling in her belly at the thought of Kyle snuggled up next to her while she typed. She would have been thinking of all the possibilities. But now? It was obvious that he was all about the company. Last night, he hadn’t been lying when he’d said the kiss was to inspire her.

  Inspire her. Hah! She didn’t need a man to inspire her. She was going to find her muse on her own and prove to everyone that she was just fine.

  Chapter Six

  Are mink coats and limousines not enough to convince her you love her? Give her a couple glittery diamonds and she’ll stop complaining about your long hours at the office.

  –Angie Miller, the uninspired

  “How about them?” Kyle pointed to a gray haired couple sporting expensive coats climbing out of a limo. “They look happy.”

  She studied the couple. They were perfectly coiffed and carried the distinguished poise of those taught to always be aloof. There was no warmth. Nothing compelling about them. “They’re too rich. No one will respond to them.”

  “People who spend a lot of money on diamonds aren’t usually on welfare,” Kyle pointed out. “Remember your audience.”

  If he corrected her one more time about the story, she was going to push him under the feet of those carriage horses she’d spent the morning stalking. She’d thought that there’d be happy couples going for romantic rides around the city, but apparently that activity was more popular in the evening than at eleven o’clock in the morning on a cloudy day. Besides, the three couples she actually considered approaching had all been vetoed by Kyle as not reflecting Swift’s target customers.

  “Plus they aren’t holding hands, and he didn’t even look back to make sure she didn’t trip on the curb,” she added. There was definitely no emotional intimacy between the limousine couple, and the thought kind of depressed her. Was true romance that much of a fallacy?

  Kyle looked at her. “Holding hands is a sign of romance?”

  “Of course it is. Those little touches that are unnecessary, but you do them because you can’t keep your hands off each other. Nothing sexual, just caring.” She noticed then that Kyle’s hand was on her elbow, supporting her. “Like the way you’re holding my arm.”

  He let go immediately. “Not everyone expresses true love by touching. Let’s go talk to them and see.”

  Angie rolled her eyes when he grabbed her arm again and propelled her across the sidewalk to the couple who probably sweated money. They’d probably have her and Kyle arrested for stalking, not that Kyle seemed to care.

  They stopped next to the couple—and Angie noticed that Kyle didn’t let go of her arm. Because he was afraid she’d bolt or because deep down inside he was passionately in love with her? It would be fun if it was the latter. Then she could reject
him and walk away with her pride intact. Heaven knew, sometime it would be her turn not to be rejected, right?

  “Good afternoon,” he said, his voice smooth like pure silk. With his black overcoat, polished shoes and leather gloves, he certainly fit into the world he was pursuing. “I hate to bother you, but if you have a moment, I’d love to talk to you.”

  The gentlemen gave Kyle the once over, then nodded his approval. “May I help you?”

  Kyle pinched her arm. Fine. “Hi, my name is Angie Miller,” she said, unable to keep the resignation out of her voice. Or was it lack of inspiration? One of the two. It was difficult to tell these days. “I have to do an interview on true love. Would you like to be interviewed?”

  The woman smiled, but the man gave Angie an odd look. It couldn’t be because of her flippant tone, could it? “What is it for?”

  “The Internet,” she said, too weary to bother making it sound loving and romantic. What was love, anyway? It certainly wasn’t something that could be encapsulated by diamonds and a fluffy story.

  Kyle interrupted her with a poetic description of the website and of romance and the holidays. By the time he finished, she was ready to melt at his feet. What kind of man could talk about love like that?

  Obviously only a putz. No one she would want.

  Kyle had the man and woman so enraptured that they’d offered to buy Kyle lunch so he could interview them. Yeah, she’d buy him lunch too if he directed that poetry in her direction. What happened to the shallow boob-chaser who’d dated her sister? If he kept this up, he was going to really mess with her plans to stay immune to him.

  *

  Three days later, Angie was ready to concede defeat. Groaning, she pressed her hands to her forehead and stared at the computer screen. I can’t do this for one more minute. I am going to lose my mind. “I need coffee.”

  Kyle didn’t even move away from his perch over her left shoulder. He just held up her full cup of coffee and kept reading the screen.

  “Right. I forgot.” So she’d gotten back from a coffee break only two minutes ago. That didn’t mean she was ready to sit back down at this computer and face her total inability to write. She’d lost her muse, and now that she’d accepted that the kiss with Kyle had meant nothing, she couldn’t even get back to the level of the story she’d written about the teenagers. She’d battled through five stories this week, only to have Kyle practically rewrite each one. It had taken countless drafts to get something decent enough that Swift didn’t cancel the contract. Her writing was being edited by a finance guy. Not only being edited, but actually being made better. She sucked, and she didn’t want to face herself anymore. “I have to go to the bathroom.”

  “You just went.”

  “Since when do I have to justify my bodily urges to you?”

  He slanted a look in her direction and cocked one very seductive eyebrow.

  “Not those bodily urges. I don’t have those anymore. You’re too much of a pain in the ass to get me all excited anymore,” she grumbled. “And to think I wasted all that time having a crush on you. How stupid was that?”

  He shifted sharply so he was facing her, his eyes narrowed. “What?”

  “I said I was stupid.”

  “No. Not that. You had a crush on me?” He looked shocked, but at least he had the good grace not to look nauseated by that fact.

  “I did. Not anymore.” She took the coffee out of his hand, barely noticing when her fingers touched his. She supposed that was what a week of being harangued could do to sexual attraction. Wither it up into nothingness. “Listen. I know it’s only six o’clock, but it’s Saturday and I’m fried. Can we just call in sick and scrap the posting for tomorrow?”

  He was still gaping at her.

  “What?” She pushed at his jaw to direct his gaze back to the computer screen. “Quit staring at me.”

  “You had a crush on me while I was dating Sheila?”

  Like she needed to be reminded of that. “Only because I was immature and stupid.”

  “And while you were dating Roger?”

  “Well, what do you expect? Obviously Roger isn’t a good enough catch to keep any woman truly content, right? You were merely a convenient scapegoat for my romantic yearnings. I would have had a crush on anyone who ignored me as thoroughly as you did. It’s that whole ‘want what you can’t have’ irony and all that jazz.” Hmm…from the way he was still gawking at her, it appeared that bringing up the past crush wasn’t the best idea. Even if she was over him, it was still a little embarrassing, especially with the way he was gaping at her like she’d sprouted two heads. Besides, when he was so close to her, she couldn’t exactly ignore how good he smelled. Like soap, a bit of aftershave and something else she couldn’t place. Something delicious and tantalizing…

  “Why don’t you have a crush on me anymore?” he asked.

  She ignored him and tried to redirect him back toward the article. He was a business guy. It should be easy enough to redirect his focus to work. “Do you think the first sentence is too boring? It doesn’t really grab me.”

  “Why don’t you have a crush on me anymore?” he repeated.

  Tenacious jerk. She sighed and looked at him. “Because you’re a pain in the butt. You’re autocratic, overbearing, and you’re completely aggravating me. You’re making me rehash these stories until they’re dead and flat, and on top of that, you made me miss my dad’s opening night at the Christmas musical last night to work. Oh, sure, I know, it’s all about the company, but you are way too consumed by this business. What woman could have a crush on that? You have successfully cured me of my infatuation with you, and I am deeply appreciative. Now I can finally get on with my life. “

  He looked startled, but this felt too good to stop. It was like this great liberation from years of obsessing over him. She faced him and kept right on going with her diatribe. “You think Roger’s an idiot because he doesn’t take this company as seriously as you do, but I personally would rather be with a man who actually took time to have some fun in life, who didn’t moan for weeks if one client muttered a word of dissatisfaction.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “You prefer a man who will put you first?”

  “Well, of course! What woman wouldn’t? No, what person wouldn’t want a partner who prioritizes their relationship? Do you think anyone really wants the person they love to put other things first?”

  Kyle actually had the temerity to look confused by her comment. “I would understand if a woman put her work before me. Work is important.”

  “Seriously? Then all the crap you’ve been spouting all week about true love has been a lie? Something you saw on a documentary when you were flipping through the channels and it got stuck on the Oxygen Network?” And to think she’d actually gotten weak-kneed at some of his descriptions about how emotional and loving these stories were supposed to be. Had it all been purely for work, without an ounce of real emotion in his words?

  “How could you say it was a lie? I never said I was reflecting my own values. I was talking about the focus of the story.” He shrugged. “It’s fine for other people to put love first, but that’s not my gig.”

  “And you wonder why I don’t have a crush on you anymore.” She turned her back on him. “Go away and leave me alone so I can write drivel in peace.” Fuming at him, at who he had turned out to be, Angie buried herself in the words, not even caring what she wrote. Just writing.

  As he watched her fingers fly over the keys, Kyle felt like his head was spinning from Angie’s confession. She’d had a crush on him?

  A crush.

  On him.

  All those fantasies he’d had about her over the years, and she’d been having them too? Suddenly, he couldn’t look away from her hands as she typed. The flawlessness of her skin, the sparkle of the ruby ring on her right hand, the delicate bones in her wrist, the curve of her forearm as her bracelets gently clanked while she typed.

  Shit. He was so not over her. How could she be over
him before he’d even had a chance to digest the fact that she had a crush on him? How had he missed it? “What about all those glares you gave me whenever I showed up anywhere with your sister?” he asked.

  “Your imagination.” She didn’t even look at him. She just kept typing, but she bit her lower lip, her teeth nibbling adorably, revealing a nervousness that he found quite endearing.

  He leaned forward, needing to get closer to her. “And you’ve given me those hostile glares at work, too. You always look like you want to jab a thumbtack in my eye.”

  A small smile quirked at the corner of her mouth, and she glanced over at him. “Thumbtacks are powerful weapons. Be very wary of them.” Then her smile faded, and she cocked an arrogant eyebrow at him. “And it’s because I’m representing the masses, who resent you being an autocrat.”

  He couldn’t decide whether to start laughing, or to take offense. Was she serious? “You’re saying no one at work likes me?”

  She shrugged and kept typing. “It’s not a matter of liking you. It’s a matter of not liking to work for you.” She slanted a look at him. “Don’t take it personally, Kyle. It’s just about work.”

  He stared at her, still unsure whether she was teasing him.

  Finally, she broke into a grin that lit up her face.

  Heaven help him, he was melting into that smile. He laughed softly and touched her arm. “Touché, huh?” A man would never tire of that smile. Ever. He realized he hadn’t seen it much this week…or at all. Was he really driving her too hard? “I’m not really overly obsessed with New Age, am I? I mean, people know I value them, don’t they?” Sure, he worked hard, but always thought he was fair and a good boss. He prided himself on it, actually. A company was nothing without happy, motivated employees. “I don’t work people too hard.”

  She lifted a brow. “Then why are we at work on a Saturday evening?”

  “Because we have a story due.” The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. But what was wrong with that? They had a deadline. It wasn’t optional.

  “Okay, Kyle.” Angie leaned back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest. She gave him a challenging look, but there was none of the defensiveness and resistance there had been earlier in the week. It was as if telling him what a jerk he was had finally cleared the baggage out. He was stunned with how vivid her eyes were. “What’s wrong with my writing?” she asked.