Christine wasn’t sure what to say. He’d followed her. He’d come back to her time and again. Of course he insulted her first, but he always came back. Was she ready for him?

And did she want him to quit?

“You can’t quit,” she finally said. “You’re very good at your job and it wouldn’t be fair of me to demand you quit.”

His shoulders slumped in defeat. He didn’t meet her eyes. His feet turned and he reached for the door. “I’ll leave you to your night. I’m sorry I bothered you.”

“I didn’t say I wasn’t still interested in seeing you,” Christine clarified. “I see no reason it has to be all or nothing. It’s my company, after all. I do make the rules.”

Mac paused then slowly turned to face her. A confident smile spread across his face as he crossed the small entryway to her side. “So you’re telling me I can have both you and the job?”

Christine shrugged. “I don’t see why not. We’re going to have to speak to HR and make sure you know that your job is secure even if we end up not working out.”

“Okay, but before we worry about any of that, I have a question. Am I going to get to kiss you again?”

Christine smiled and crooked her finger at him. Mac didn’t waste any time pulling her against him and sealing their lips together again. When he leaned back to look at her, he smiled and said, “I’m not going to regret that one. Or any of the others.”

He sealed his lips to hers again and they both forgot where they were, until Angela’s squeal broke them apart. “Um,” Christine said, pressing her fingers to her lips, “do you want to stay for dinner? Meet my mom and daughter?”

“Green beer?” Mac teased.

Christine shook her head. “I think we have some red wine though.”

Mac didn’t think he could ever say anything right around her. She flipped faster than a pancake.

But he couldn’t let her go, again, thinking he didn’t enjoy their kiss.

She jumped in her car and started backing out before his head cleared from kissing her. Forcing his feet to move, he ran to his car and hauled ass out of the lot to follow her. She was up ahead of him, a ways ahead, but he darted in and out of traffic to keep her car in his sights. When she turned off the main road into a neighborhood, Mac slowed down but stayed close.

He followed from a bit of a distance but not so far that he didn’t see her pull into a driveway and drive right into the garage, then close the door behind her.

Mac turned around at the end of the street and parked in the street in front of her house. Another car was in the driveway and he half wondered if she had a date, or a boyfriend. But she wouldn’t have kissed him if she did.

Mac took a deep breath and pushed out of his car. He rang her bell and waited. He heard voices inside before the door swung open, revealing a woman who looked similar enough to Christine for him to believe they were related, but older, making him assume she was Christine’s mother.

“May I help you?” she asked politely, clearly unaware of who he was. A noise came from behind her and she bent to scoop up Angela, Christine’s daughter.

“Um, I’m a friend of Christine’s. We, uh, we work together.”

“Oh, well, I’m Phyllis. Her mom. This is Angela, her daughter. Why don’t you come in out of the rain. We’re about to have dinner. Will you join us?”

“Oh, I’m not-”

“Mom, who’s at the door?” Christine said, coming down the stairs. She’d changed from her heels and tight skirt into a pair of shorts that were impossibly short and a t-shirt that hung off her shoulder, revealing that she wore nothing beneath.

Mac wasn’t sure he’d ever breathe again.

Christine stopped on the bottom step when she noticed him in her home. “What are you doing here?”

Phyllis looked between the two of them and raised an eyebrow at her daughter. Mac watched the exchange, noting Christine’s subtle shake of her head. “We’ll go check on dinner,” Phyllis said, carrying Angela away from where the two stood, staring at each other.

“What are you doing here?” Christine asked again. “How did you know where I lived?”

Mac could answer the second question easier than the first, even though he knew she wouldn’t like the answer. “I followed you. I didn’t want you to think… well, exactly what you thought. I’m sorry. God, I wanted to kiss you. And I didn’t want to stop. But I meant what I said before. I would have given up the job if it meant I could have a chance with you. That hasn’t changed. It’s not going to change. I’ll quit tonight, right now, if it will prove to you that I want you more than I want to work for you. It’s your choice, Christine. Tell me now. Is there any way you feel the same?”

Christine tried to absorb what he was saying. He would rather have her than his job. Could he be telling the truth?

“Are you serious?”

He held her gaze and nodded, just once.

“Why didn’t you ever call me?”

He shrugged. “Why didn’t you call me?”

Christine looked at the cashier, who’d stopped scanning items to shamelessly eavesdrop on their conversation. “Um, maybe we should continue this somewhere else.”

Mac tilted his head then looked at the cashier. “Oh, uh, yeah.” He flashed a smile on the panty-melting variety at her, making Christine more jealous than she had any right to be. He chatted with the cashier while they both checked out. When Christine was finished Mac walked by her side to her car.

“Can I help you with your groceries?” he asked cheekily.

“It’s been a long time since then.”

Mac nodded. “I meant what I said, Christine. If I’d realized taking the job meant losing a chance with you I wouldn’t have taken the job.”

“Why? You said you like it.”

“I do. But there are other jobs. I don’t think there’s another you.”

Christine shook her head. “I think you’re fooling yourself. I’m nothing special.”

Mac grinned at her, sidling closer to her until her slid his arm around her back. She looked up at him as he lowered his lips to hers. “That’s where you’re wrong, Christine. You are special.”

He claimed her mouth with his last words. His lips gently brushed over hers, a quick tasting before he went back for more. He sampled her lips, trying her out the way she tested a glass of red wine. She tasted him right back, not caring that they were getting rained on or that cars were driving past and watching them.

Mac pulled her closer and teased her lips with his tongue. She opened to him and sighed into his kiss. Christine pressed her body against his, enjoying the feel of him. He growled and deepened their kiss, bringing his hand up to spear her hair. He tilted her head and pressed her against the side of her car, leaning his body into her.

Christine searched his mouth, dipping her tongue into his cheek, brushing against his tongue, and running her tongue along his teeth. Her temperature heated up with each stroke of her tongue against his until he broke their kiss and drug his lips down her throat. He nipped at her collarbones and rotated his hips against her.

“Jesus,” Mac said, stepping back. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. You’re my boss. And I should respect you more than to be pawing at you in a parking lot.”

“Please don’t act like this is wrong just because you work for me. I’m so sick of being treated like I’m not good enough because I’m the boss. You’re no better than all those guys you were telling the cashier about. Except you kissed me. Maybe that means you’re just looking for a story to tell them. You’re right. We shouldn’t have done this. I need to go.”

Mac kicked himself for saying something to her. He should have just turned and left when he realized who she was. He saw the beautiful woman looking around as though she was lost and wanted to help. The gentle sway of her hips and the curve of her figure had only a little to do with it.

Then he had to go and insult his boss. No, not his boss. His boss’s boss. The one person who controlled everything. The CEO. He was such an idiot.

He had to go after her and explain, but what could he say? That the other guys he worked with talked about how she was a cold fish and she barely gave anyone the time of day. How she barely even looked at them, let alone had ever been out with any of them. They’d all been shocked when she ended up pregnant, wondering who would ever sleep with her. He kept her confidence, not revealing her daughter’s father’s identity, but he knew some of the things they’d said sunk in.

If it hadn’t he wouldn’t have been so cruel to her. She didn’t deserve it. Just because she’d ignored him since he became her employee didn’t mean she should be treated like shit.

It didn’t mean he should be either though.

Mac finished his shopping and decided he’d send her an email or something next week and apologize for his behavior. Assuming he had a job that long. But for the night, he would just avoid her.

He filed into line and loaded his groceries on the belt. When someone stepped up behind him he didn’t turn to look, just moved his cart forward when it was his turn to check out. He talked to the cashier, a woman he’d gone out with a few times when he worked at the store. She asked about his new job and he told her how much he was enjoying himself, even complimented the CEO on her forward thinking and new ideas.

Then he heard her snort of disbelief.

He spun and saw Christine watching him, absorbing his every word. And obviously not believing him.

He kept his eyes locked on hers as he continued his conversation. “The CEO is an amazing woman. I met her before I started working there but had no idea who she was. It’s hard to believe someone who has so much on her plate had time to date, but I was one of the lucky ones from what I hear. She doesn’t date much, but she’s stunning and smart and kind and a great mother and a very good boss.”

“I’m not your boss.”

He ignored her and kept talking. “I believed some of the stupid shit I heard about her at work, some stupid guys who believed she wasn’t the warm and loving person she is. Guys who were probably jealous that she’d never looked their way twice. I was the dumbest one of them all though. I had her and instead of holding on to her, I jumped for the job. I love the work, but I’d give it up any day for another chance with her.”

A month later Christine was still chastising herself. She could have had something good with Mac, but instead she had to put her company first. That was what made her a great CEO, and a shitty girlfriend.

Mac was doing well though. He’d taken their design department by storm and she frequently got emails thanking the department manager for bringing him on. She knew it was for the best, but she also went out of her way to avoid him. The boss couldn’t be tempted by one of her employees.

Late Friday Christine was ready to go. It’d been a long week, a good week, but still long. Her mom was bringing Angela home later so Christine could stop by the grocery store and have a little while to relax before turning into mommy. She loved the title, just like she loved her CEO title, but she was itching to have another one added. One that started with girl and ended with friend, but was anything but friendly.

Being CEO made it hard to date. She saw it as soon as she offered Mac a job. His opinion of her changed once he realized she would be his boss, and she was the CEO of her own company. She was no longer a woman, but someone to fear.

Or someone to manipulate.

Pushing aside thoughts of her failed relationships, Christine packed up her stuff for the weekend and left the office. She drove straight to the grocery store, ready to face the crowds. She parked at the back of the lot, cursing her heels and the long walk in the rain to get inside the store.

Christine worked her way through the other shoppers for almost an hour. She was ready to get home and out of her heels, but she had to find the cooking wine. She was planning a nice dinner with her mom the next night to thank her for helping so much with Angela. If only she could find the Marsala wine.

“Dammit,” she cursed under her breath, going down the same aisle again, knowing she wasn’t going to find what she was looking for.

“Do you need help?” a voice asked from behind her.

Christine ignored him and shook her head. She hated asking for help. It was her biggest weakness. Even though she was slowly losing her mind, and the melting ice cream in her cart. She huffed and accepted defeat, spinning around to face whoever was willing to help her.

“Mac.”

He looked up at her, startled, and a sad smile covered his face. “Hey. Sorry, I didn’t realize that was you. I, uh, I used to work here. Still know my way around pretty easily.”

She smiled at him and nodded slightly, wondering why it had to be so awkward between them. “It’s fine. I just can’t find the cooking wine. I’ll ask someone else.”

“Are you ashamed you went out with one of your underlings?”

“Excuse me?” she blurted. “I think that’s the most insulting thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

He had the decency to look sheepish. He opened his mouth to say something, but she brushed past him, not sticking around to hear whatever shit he could come up with.