Melting Ms Frost

Chapter Six

SIX

Aidan gave three quick raps on the office door then pushed it open without waiting for a response.

Across the room, Annabel stiffened where she sat at her desk, talking into the phone.

‘. . . calling to confirm that Chef and I will have everything ready for the Christmas Day menu tasting tomorrow afternoon at three.’ That green glare flashed at him as she emphasised her next words. ‘I very much look forward to seeing you again then, Mr Landon, and having the opportunity to discuss a number of matters with you.’

Disconnecting the call, she dropped the handset back into its cradle. ‘I told you I didn’t want you coming near me,’ she said to Aidan by way of welcome. ‘Are you deaf or just stupid?’

He paused and used the excuse of narrowing a disapproving gaze on her to check her over. Oh, yeah – as he’d predicted, her night had been every bit as rough as his. Annabel Frost was tired and grouchy and just the tiniest bit dishevelled, with wisps of hair escaping from a slightly skew-whiff bun and curling down to her collar. She’d removed her jacket and he wondered what would happen if he were to peel her white shirt aside and blow those soft red tendrils against the sensi­tive curve between neck and shoulder. Could he transform her barely contained tremors of tension into trembles of pleasure? Make her shiver and moan for him right there in her chair? From the way she’d reacted to him every time he’d got near – so responsive to even the slightest verbal stimula­tion – he’d not only put money on the shivers, he’d double the odds for a scattering of goose bumps as well.

Aidan didn’t know whether it was his look or the lowered tone of his voice as he said, ‘I’m neither, Annabel, as you well know,’ that had her shifting uncomfortably.

‘Then why are you here?’ she snapped. ‘If you think I’m going to put up with—’

‘Reorder form for the bar,’ he interrupted, holding up the piece of paper in his hand.

That stopped her dead. She obviously hadn’t expected anything quite so mundane, because for a moment she stared at it in surprise. When he started across the room, she blinked and seemed to pull herself together.

‘Fine, just leave it there.’ She nodded towards the furthest corner of the desk from where she sat and ignored his outstretched hand.

Rather than put the form down he kept hold of it and settled one buttock cheek on the corner of the wooden surface closest to her instead.

‘No!’ Annabel gaped at him, eyes popping with horror. ‘What are you doing? Don’t you dare sit there.’

Surely she was beginning to understand that he’d dare a lot in his efforts to get close to her, to force her to engage with him rather than retreat. Resting his forearm across his thigh, he clasped his wrist with his free hand, bent towards her and fired his opening shot. ‘Tell me now, Ms Frost, what’s got you in such a snit?’

‘Snit?’ She glared at him. ‘Snit?’ she repeated and he saw her swallow in an obvious effort to get control of her voice which was rapidly escalating to an out-and-out shout. ‘I’ll tell you what’s got me in a fucking snit, you arrogant arse­hole. You!’

He felt a tug at the corner of his lips as he fought to deny a smile. Ms Frost was about to blow her ice-cool top. Good. He’d take her hot and bothered over frigid and aloof any day – a thought which ignited a spark of excitement in the pit of his belly. ‘I gathered that much. But why?’

‘Why? Are you kidding me! Where should I start? Oh, I know, how about with you assaulting me!’

‘Assault is it now?’ He nodded slowly as he absorbed that, all too aware of the knife edge he was on with his behaviour, of the risk of taking things too far. But he’d decided that if shock tactics were the only way to put a crack in Ms Frost’s defences – the only way to draw her out – then it was a chance he had to take. ‘Then why is it that I’m here and not being fingerprinted down at the nearest police station?’ He watched her carefully as he waited for her reply – watched her struggle and fail to come up with a satisfactory answer. He had one, but he didn’t think she’d care to hear it just yet. ‘As far as I understand, it’s only assault if either party doesn’t consent.’