Siren Song (15 page)

Lexi glanced at Jeffrey who offered a helpless shrug. It would probably be best to keep her distance from the man since she had no idea how the Siren spell worked. Maybe if they weren’t in close proximity the spell would wear off and he would be able to get on with his life without her. Maybe her mom or aunt knew of a way to keep her from casting the spell again so Duncan could be free of her and her Siren. She would just have to learn to live with the long, slow burn of lusting after a man she couldn’t have. Slowly, she met Duncan’s eyes, “All right. I have an… assignment out of the office the next couple of days but I will figure out a schedule to limit our interactions as much as possible.”

“
The burden of responsibility isn’t solely on your delectable shoulders, Le… Miss Darling,” Duncan growled. “Give a copy of your schedule to my secretary and she will figure out the logistics. I just hope I can follow it.”

She nodded her head and was going to leave but she got caught in Duncan’s silver gaze and remained rooted to the floor, unable to move even if the building was about to collapse. His eyes darkened, the silver being swallowed by the black of his pupils as their gaze held. The temperature in the room was increasing rapidly because her body was melting and her skin was on fire. As she licked her lips with the tip of her tongue, he tracked the movement with his eyes. Breathing was becoming difficult as the air thickened and her clothes became too tight. Her fingers went to the top button of her shirt and Duncan sucked in a harsh breath as he watched….

“
Is there anything else we need to discuss?” Jeffrey asked, standing up and brushing his hands together, washing them of the whole thing. Lexi turned her head and saw the flush spreading across the older man’s cheeks but he didn’t say anything about her behavior.

“
There is one more thing,” Duncan said, his voice rougher than usual. Turning her head, she once more found herself trapped in his gaze. “The Rudnars?”

“
What about them?” she asked carefully, her heart picking up speed in her chest.

“
Did they truly agree to an interview?”

“
Uh huh?” her voice squeaked at the slight fib.

His mouth hardened into a shark’s grin, “That would be an excellent coup; the Rudnars are notoriously tight-lipped. Congratulation, Miss Darling.”

“
Thank you?” she hated how her voice was so breathy when she was lying; he was going to figure it out that she wasn’t being completely truthful if she kept talking.... But, maybe she could find out if what her sister said about them not mixing was true… “Um, the three daughters are exceptionally beautiful; did you ever consider taking one of them for a, um, lover?”

“
The oldest daughter once showed an interest in me but it didn’t last long.” His eyes twinkling with genuine amusement, “Why this sudden interest in matching me with a Rudnar?”

“
I’m trying to decide what type of woman you’re interested in,” she offered lamely. “Apparently the eldest Rudnar is not an option; what about the others?”

“
Married women are off limits and from what I remember they are all married.”

“
The youngest one isn’t….” Why was she still talking?

Duncan’s brows pulled together in a slight frown as he considered her statement. “I suppose you’re right but from what I understand she’s not much for society. Now, if you could get an interview with her….”

Lexi made a strangled sound and bolted for the door before he could cajole her into interviewing herself.

At exactly the right moment, Lexi glanced through the opened door of her office and was unable to prevent the smile from swallowing her face. Duncan – Mr. Tremain – was walking through the maze of cubicles and talking to the various employees. With the convention in a few hours, she didn’t think the day could get any better and then Duncan appeared. Standing, she smoothed down the front of her copper robe dress and wriggled a bit to get the undergarments realigned.

She knew she would be seeing him, they worked in the same office, after all, but he had been conspicuously absent and she was growing worried that she wouldn't see him before the weekend. After all, it had been nearly a hundred hours since she last saw him. Glancing down at her watch – 3:17 pm – yep, almost a hundred hours. The only reason she had successfully stayed away from him for the past couple of days was for the simple fact she had driven six and a half hours to the Menominee River to go white water rafting and rock climbing with Cole. Not that she didn’t think about Duncan at the most inappropriate moments; she almost went over because she was imagining what it would be like to take a shower with a naked Duncan and lost her grip on the rope. Thank God Cole had caught her before she fell in.

She had hoped that the exertion of the trip would have diminished her attraction to the captivating man but it had only grown. When she fell asleep the night before under the stars, exhausted from battling the rapids and then going for an extended hike, all she could think about was how nice it would be to curl up in Duncan’s strong arms and sleep, knowing he was there. The disturbingly domestic image was made bearable by the hot and sexy dreams.

Had he not appeared, she was going to make up an excuse to accost him in his office. Luckily, the fates were smiling on her as she left the confines of her office to follow him. Wearing his dress shirt and tie without the jacket, her looked incredibly sexy. His sleeves were unbuttoned and rolled up, exposing his strong forearms, making Lexi long to see the rest of his arms. And then his chest, followed by his stomach and back; basically working all the way down his body until he was naked. And that was not a good thing to be thinking about when he made it clear that they were not going to engage in anything more intimate than chatter.

Having promised to play nice, she kept her distance as she watched him covertly, talking with her various coworkers as he discussed business with others. If she occasionally lost track of the conversation, she could blame Duncan for exuding so much charm and confidence and male sex pheromones. He fairly oozed sex appeal; she was surprised that more of the women in the office didn’t simply follow him around. Of course, none of the other women were fatalistically drawn to the man, either. While they might appreciate his handsome face or his chiseled body, they seemed a little intimidated by his arrogance and self-confidence.

With a blinding flash of self-awareness, she realized she was acting like a shy and socially awkward high school girl who followed the captain of the football team in the hopes that he would turn around and see her and realize she was the one he had been waiting for all of his, admittedly brief, life. Or praying that he never looked because it would have been mortifying to be discovered spying on him. High school was a confusing time and she sympathized for every poor soul that had to suffer through it.

Laughing at her absurdity, she wandered to the break room to grab a cup of coffee and maybe she'd try getting out of there a little early. Even though the convention didn’t officially start until five, she wanted to get there and get checked in as soon as possible. Grinning, she thought about her outfit beneath the copper dress and Duncan’s reaction if he ever saw her in it. And then she wondered if he would even get the reference; he didn’t seem the type to waste his time on pop culture.

*****

Duncan knew the moment Lexi stepped out of her office and he waited for her to cross the distance between them, leaping over any obstacle that was in her way, and talk to him in that sassy, sexy way of hers. The whole point of visiting that area today was to see her, since he knew she was back at work in her office. But, of course, he couldn’t approach her directly since he explicitly stated they had to keep their distance.

But the little vixen just followed after him, keeping her distance as well, even as she sent flirtatious glances that he had to pretend to ignore. He continued talking to the various people on the floor, just enjoying being able to see her. And the moment she stopped following him he felt it in his gut; she simply wasn’t there. Interrupting the man who was talking about his project, he excused himself to hunt her down, following the clean, spring breeze scent that was Lexi.

Prowling along the corridors, ignoring anyone who attempted to snag his attention, he tracked her down to the little break room, calmly pouring herself a cup of coffee. Clearing his throat, he rumbled, “Miss Darling, a word if you please.”

“
Sesquipedalian,” she said, keeping her back towards him.

The strange response momentarily stunned him. “Pardon?”

Turning around, she leaned against the counter and grinned at him, “You asked for a word and I gave you on. It means 'many syllabled' and while it's exceedingly pretentious it is a lot of fun to say.
Sesquipedalian
; it tangles up the tongue and then just fall right off.

“
Or perhaps you would prefer a different word?” she continued guilelessly and he was completely charmed by her. “
Tittle
, which is the little dot over
i
’s and
j
’s; or
ornithopter
, an aircraft that flies by flapping its wings; or
Tuatha De Danan Lora
or
Expecto Patronum
?"

“
Now you’re just making words up,” he grinned, and realized he had missed talking to her.

Her eyes widened in her beautiful face and she looked innocent, until he saw the spark of mischief in those green and gold eyes. “They are all valid words or phrases, in books, in movies….”

“
I don’t spend a lot of time reading fantasy or watching movies….” He shook his head and tried to scowl but failed to turn his smile into a frown. “Miss Darling, you have made me forget why I came in here.”

Artlessly, she stepped forward and handed him a cup of coffee before twisting around and grabbing a second cup; she had known he was coming. “Coffee break?”

Since he was pretty sure all rational thought fled the moment he met her, he took the cup without thinking. When his fingers brushed against hers sparks shot up his arm. He was lucky he didn’t accidentally drop the cup.

“
I wasn’t sure how you take your coffee,” she said, her voice a little unsteady as a pink stain of arousal colored her cheekbones becomingly. “So I made it like I take mine.”

Glancing down, he saw that the coffee was suspiciously light but not wanting to offend the generous, if slightly crazy, woman, he took a sip. And grimaced at the sweetness, “Let me guess, a splash of coffee and a whole lot of sugar and cream?”

“
Yep.” She took a sip of her cream with a dash of coffee and closed her eyes in bliss as she gave a little hum of pleasure. When she opened her eyes, she smiled at him, “I make sure to use French vanilla creamer; it’s better that way. Do you like?”

He shook his head and dumped the creamer pretending to be coffee into the sink before pouring himself a new cup. When he turned around, expecting her to be offended by his behavior, he found himself staring at her as she shook in silent laughter. When she noticed he was looking at her, she let the laughter out and he knew he had been had. He tried to sound stern but failed miserably as he informed the delectable Miss Darling, “I prefer black.”

“
I figured you would.” She made an adorable face, scrunching up her nose, as she grimaced and handed him another cup of black coffee. “But it is so bitter.”

“
Black is perfect,” he countered, taking a sip of the stronger brew, enjoying himself far more than he should. “I prefer sweetness in my desserts and women, not my coffee.

“
I like my bitterness….” She paused and frowned as she thought a moment before smiling brightly, “I know! I like my men hot and my coffee sweet.”

“
Nice, Miss Darling,” he grinned foolishly, feeling younger and more alive than he ever felt, even while running as a wolf. “I like my women creamy and my coffee strong.”

“
I like my men dark and dangerous and my coffee tepid,” she purred. “So I can drink it without burning my tongue. What did you need to talk to me about?”

He laughed at her abrupt change of topic; it was so Lexi. “I wanted to yell at you for slacking off on the job but I can’t bring myself to get mad when I seem to be slacking off as well.”

“
I like a man who takes responsibility and looks that good in a suit,” she grinned, nodding her head towards his clothing. Her eyes sparkled as she looked up at his face, “I like a man better when he steps out of his suit.”