“Do you call this holding back, Blaize?” She meant to sound critical, but her voice came out all husky bemusement as he started undressing her with swift efficiency.
“I won’t stay all night,” he said.
“Oh. That’s all right then,” she murmured vaguely as he started kissing her throat on a blissfully exciting downward trail.
Some considerable time later, when Tessa lay peacefully in Blaize’s arms, happy and content and tired, she wondered if it was possible to be ruined and saved concurrently. She decided that it probably didn’t do any harm to keep Blaize’s need for her at the forefront of his mind. Although he had an excellent memory, she didn’t want to take any risk of it dimming. And after all, they were now committed to marrying each other. Which did save her from being ruined.
“What will I say to Jerry?” she asked, idly planting little kisses around Blaize’s beautiful face.
He looked surprised. “You tell him the truth, of course.”
“He’s going to be disappointed about losing me as his secretary.”
“He’ll take it on the chin. He has too much sense to give you any argument about it.”
She didn’t like to admit she felt nervous about telling Jerry the truth, so she let the subject drop. Apart from which, Blaize decided it was time to distract her again. He had a very high success rate. Tessa wondered how he gathered the energy to leave her, but he did eventually do so, in the early hours of the morning.
“You’re a hard bargainer, Tessa darling,” he muttered as he got into his clothes.
She had a moment of weakness when she almost said he could stay, but she wanted Blaize to keep respecting her, so she held her tongue. She waited until he was dressed then gave him a long lingering kiss.
“Good night, darling Blaize,” she whispered.
“Six weeks is a hell of a long time,” he growled, taking his leave darkly.
So is a lifetime, Tessa thought unrelentingly.
She could see a lot of problems ahead.
How she was going to solve them, Tessa didn’t know, but she was going to work hard at it. One thing she didn’t want was a failed marriage.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Tessa felt at odds with herself the next morning when she went in to the office. She regretted having to leave her job. Nevertheless, she had no choice. It was an unavoidable consequence of marrying Blaize.
She liked Jerry Fraine. He had been good to her, and she wanted him to think well of her. It was such an unbelievable announcement that Tessa still felt nervous about it. She hoped they could part on a friendly note.
She started packing up her personal things while she waited for him to arrive. He breezed in at nine o’clock, wishing her the top of the morning from his doorway.
“Uh, Jerry, I need to tell you something.” Tessa rushed the words out before he retreated into his office.
“Sure. Come on in, my girl. Bare your breast. Not literally, of course.”
Tessa breathed a sigh of relief. He must have had a happy weekend, she thought. He was in a good mood. Which had to help. She followed him in to his office. He sat down behind his desk and lifted his eyebrows expectantly.
Tessa plunged in. “I’m getting married, Jerry.”
“Ah!” he said. “Rift healed.”
“No.” Tessa shook her head. “Not to Grant Durham. I told you that was finished, Jerry.” She took a deep breath and spilled it out. “I know this will probably come as a shock to you. Blaize Callagan has asked me to marry him. I’m going to do just that. In six weeks’ time. He insists I have to resign. Today, in fact. Otherwise he’ll fire me.”
Jerry’s jaw dropped. He stared blindly at her for several unnerving seconds, then the strangest mixture of expressions flitted over his face—bemused wonderment, rueful appreciation, self-mockery. Finally the faint curl of his lips grew into a broad smile, and a soft chuckle issued from his throat. His eyes started dancing with some unholy joy.
“Jerry,” Tessa reproached him. “It’s not a joke. I’m completely serious.” She lifted her hands in an appeal for his belief. “Blaize has already reorganised the wedding. He really is marrying me. And I’m marrying him.”
“I’m sorry, Tessa.” He made a valiant effort to clear his throat. “I’m sure it’s serious,” he affirmed, but although his mouth tried to maintain a serious line his lips kept twitching into an irrepressible grin.
“Then what’s so funny?” she demanded tersely, feeling hurt by his reaction. Perhaps Jerry Fraine didn’t think she was good enough for his boss.
“Nothing! Nothing at all!” he replied dismissively.
Her tawny gold eyes glinted with hard accusation. “You laughed.”
A flicker of discomfort was instantly followed by the adoption of Jerry’s best bargaining face. “I’ve been a good boss to you, haven’t I, Tessa? Tried to keep everything pleasant for you?”
“Yes,” Tessa acknowledged. “I’m sorry I have to leave you in the lurch like this.”
“That’s okay! That’s fine!” He made a dismissive gesture. “As a last favour to me, don’t tell Blaize Callagan that I laughed when you told me the good news.”
“Why not?” Tessa bored in, not at all satisfied with the situation. Jerry Fraine was definitely hiding something.
He grimaced an appeal. “Please, Tessa, just forget it. Impulse of the moment.”
“I want to know why you laughed,” Tessa said with determination. He had aroused a lot of uneasy suspicions with his laughter, suspicions she needed settled.
Jerry Fraine looked at her eyes, the stubborn tilt of her chin, assessed the damage he had done to himself and knew he was fair and square on the horns of a dilemma. Another look at Tessa’s eyes and he made his decision. Tessa Stockton had always proven trustworthy, and his best option was to trust her again.
“If I tell you, and you tell Blaize Callagan, it’ll be the end of me for sure. You wouldn’t do that to me, would you, Tessa? I’ve got a wife and kids to support,” he pleaded.
She heaved an impatient sigh. “All right. I won’t tell him anything. But you’d better spill the truth, Jerry. Tit for tat.”
“Okay.” He took a deep breath, grimaced again, then chose his words with extreme care. “Well, the fact is Blaize Callagan has been, uh, interested in you for quite some time. Months—”
“You’ve got to be joking!” Tessa scoffed.