the house Ross used to work in as well as live in, two rooms that overlooked the back garden having been converted into offices for both Ross and Tazzy.
Having been orphaned at five years old herself, and brought up by an elderly maiden aunt who had died five years ago when Tazzy was twenty, she rather envied Ross his warm family life.
But none of her thoughts or love for this man showed in her expression now as she continued to look at him enquiringly.
Ross nodded. ‘And in all of that time how many times have you failed to be seated at your desk by eight-fifteen in the morning?’
She eyed him warily. ‘Just this morning,’ she finally replied, still uncertain as to what point he was trying to make; either he was about to sack her for being late, or congratulate her for never having been so before!
‘Exactly,’ he acknowledged dryly. ‘So why are you skulking around the room as if you expect me to fire you at any moment?’
Because by arriving at eight-fifteen every morning she gave herself enough time to tidy her appearance, check e-mails, and be her normal efficient self by the time Ross usually came in at eight forty-five. The arrival of that kitten on her doorstep had completely thrown her normal routine into disarray—and Tazzy along with it! She simply wasn’t her usual calm, controlled self this morning, which made her feel slightly defensive.
‘I—something happened to delay me this morning. Someone left me—left a present on the doorstep for me,’ she explained.
‘It’s the day for it, isn’t it?’ Ross shrugged.
Tazzy frowned. ‘Day for what—? Oh.’ She broke off abruptly as she suddenly realized exactly what day it was.
The fourteenth of February. Valentine’s Day. And the kitten had had a red bow tied about its tiny neck, the gift card that accompanied it unsigned …
Ross nodded. ‘So what did you get?’ he prompted interestedly, making himself comfortable on the side of her desk. ‘Red roses? A cuddly teddy bear? A box of chocolates? Or perhaps some sexy underwear—’
‘It was a kitten,’ she cut in sharply, embarrassed colour in her cheeks at his last suggestion.
The only way she had been able to cope with loving Ross in the way that she did was to maintain a certain formality in their relationship, insisting on calling him Mr Valentine, and having him always refer to her as Miss Darling. Having him talk about ‘sexy underwear’ was not conducive to that formality!
‘A kitten?’ Ross repeated incredulously. ‘I had no idea you liked cats.’
‘I’m not sure that I do,’ she answered slowly, at the same time aware that the defenceless ball of fur left on her doorstep earlier had already made a dent in her heart. ‘I told you, it was a present,’ she added.
A Valentine present …
But who from? Oh, she had dated often before coming to work for Ross Valentine eighteen months ago, occasionally accepted invitations even now, if only to stop other people from drawing their own conclusions concerning her single status when her boss was so obviously an extremely eligible bachelor of thirty-seven. But the fact that she rarely dated the same person twice meant that she now had no idea who could have placed the kitten outside her front door!
‘What are you going to do with it?’ Ross looked amused.
Good question. The truth was, she had no idea, very much aware that her job as Ross Valentine’s Personal Assistant, travelling around the world with him, did not even allow for the luxury of owning a goldfish.
But, at the same time, she couldn’t shake off the vision of that endearing little face, the tiny black nose, those beautiful blue eyes that had gazed up at her so appealingly earlier as she’d left the kitten in the warm snugness of her kitchen.
But, tempted as she might be, there was no way she could keep it!
‘I have no idea,’ she answered honestly. ‘Try to find someone who will take it in, I suppose.’
‘I’ll take it if you don’t want it,’ Ross offered.
Tazzy stared at him in surprise. Admittedly, he had the luxury of a housekeeper who could look after the kitten any time he had to be away on business. But even so …
‘I haven’t definitely decided what I’m going to do with him yet,’ she resisted.
‘Or her,’ Ross pointed out.
Tazzy frowned. ‘Or her,’ she acknowledged slowly, having no idea whether it was a she or a he! ‘But its name is Shadow,’ she added without thinking.
Now exactly where had that come from? She hadn’t even been aware until the word had come out of her mouth that she had actually named the kitten!
When she had finally left the house this morning, the kitten safely ensconced in the kitchen, she had had every intention of delivering it to a cat sanctuary when she returned home later on this evening. Ross’s offer to take the kitten off her hands seemed to have brought out a possessive streak in her.
Ross smiled, brown eyes warm. ‘You named it already.’
Tazzy once again felt flustered. ‘Not really. I—Shadow would do for a boy or a girl, though.’
‘So it would,’ he agreed, standing up.
Allowing Tazzy to breathe normally once again. Outwardly, she managed to remain efficient and professional in front of this man, but inwardly, whenever Ross was close, she felt a constriction in her throat, a fluttering in her chest. It didn’t exactly make for calm working conditions—but the thought of not working for Ross was completely unacceptable to her.
‘I’ll bring your coffee through in a moment,’ she told him with cool dismissal.
‘Thanks.’ He nodded. ‘Could you bring the e-mails through when you’re ready, too?’
‘Of course, Mr Valentine,’ she answered briskly, finding her usual confidence in adopting her role as his PA.
‘Oh, and Tazzy …?’ He paused before moving away.
She looked up at him with calm enquiry, deciding to ignore his slip of addressing her by her Christian name in preference to hastening his departure.
‘Happy Valentine’s Day,’ he murmured huskily, bending his head and briefly brushing his lips against hers. ‘Mmm, nice,’ he said appreciatively, hands lightly cupping each side of her face. ‘In fact, it was so nice, I think I’ll do it again,’ he added softly before his lips claimed hers a second time, a lingering kiss this time as he tasted and sipped the softness of her lips.
Tazzy was too stunned to do any more than kiss him back, her lips tingling from the touch of Ross’s, her body trembling with rising desire, breasts up-tilted as they pressed against the hardness of his chest.
Finally, when Tazzy felt as if her knees were about to give way completely, Ross raised his head to look down at her. ‘Happy Valentine’s Day, Tazzy,’ he murmured again before moving away to leave the room, softly closing the connecting door behind him.
Leaving Tazzy in a state of total shock!
CHAPTER TWO
WELL—!
For the second time that morning Tazzy found herself at a complete loss for words. And it wasn’t even nine o’clock yet!
She moved to sit down abruptly in her chair behind the desk, moving a hand up to tentatively touch lips that still tingled from contact with Ross’s.
Not by word or deed had he ever before stepped over that line between employer/employee. Leaving Tazzy to wonder why he should have done so now … She didn’t—
‘Tazzy, could I have the file on the Hanson hotel chain?’ Ross stood in the open doorway between their two offices, his manner completely businesslike now.