Worth It: Worth The Scandal Part 4

She blinked. Her dark brown eyes were so wide he felt as if he could drown in them. Her hair was neatly pulled back, but a few wild wisps curved about her face. Her skin was pale, her hair and eyes so dark the contrast was striking.

Tessa Crawford was his every s.e.xual fantasy come to life.

She reached for a soft pile of red fabric sitting next to her on the bed as if in slow motion, shaking it out before attempting to pull the sweater over her head.

He let go of the doorframe and shut the door behind him-entranced by the shape of her arms, the dip of her waist, the way her b.r.e.a.s.t.s rose high, pert nipples revealed above the lace for the quickest moment before she tugged the garment on, covering her beautiful body, much to his disappointment.

At the same exact moment the plane lifted into the sky, Tessa stood, tumbling forward as the plane tilted up as it gained air. She fell into his arms, a bundle of soft, warm, fragrant woman, her hair brushing against his face when she tried to right herself.

"I'm so sorry. I'm such a klutz, I don't know what's wrong with me." Her voice was jittery, her entire body shook and he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her steady.

36.

Holding her close, just to say he had. She felt so good, her curves fit neatly against his body almost like she was made for him and he breathed in deep the sweet scent of her hair, closing his eyes.

"Calm down," he whispered, wanting to soothe, needing to comfort. "The plane needs to ascend. Once we reach the proper flying alt.i.tude everything will even out."

"Y-you probably wanted to get some work done. And instead you're stuck babysitting me."

If she only knew how ridiculous that statement was, she would be shocked.

The very last thing he thought of Tessa was as her babysitter. "Don't apologize. If you must know, I'm not particularly fond of flying either." She pulled away from him slightly so she could meet his gaze. "You aren't?"

"No." He was used to it only because he'd been doing it for years and years.

"I'm never fully comfortable in the air. It sets me on edge."

"It sets me on edge too." She blew out a shuddering breath. "My stomach doesn't feel well."

He tensed. "You're not going to be sick are you?"

"Oh, no." She shook her head, more tendrils of dark brown waves escaping and falling around her face. "I'll be fine." Tessa offered a shaky smile in rea.s.surance.

Without thought he reached out, brushed the hair away from her face. Her cheeks flushed pink at his touch, her gaze dropping so she stared directly at his chest. He wished he knew what she was thinking, what she wanted.

"We should go back to our seats," she finally murmured, her gaze still fixed on his chest.

"Of course." Reaching behind him, he turned the handle and opened the door, then stepped to the side so she could walk through. "After you."

37.

She glided past him, her steps light, her spine straight. She fumbled a bit when she walked by him and he reached out, grasping her elbow so he could help her while she found her footing.

Her entire face flushed, she whispered her thanks then scurried to the seat, collapsing into it just before she strapped the seatbelt around her and clicked it into place.

Slowly he approached his seat, settling into it as if a man with all the time in the world. Lora started to approach but he waved her away, thoroughly disgusted by her earlier behavior.

When they arrived at their first destination, he would make a phone call and deal with Lora. He wouldn't have her out and out fired, but she certainly wouldn't work on their personal private jet any longer. She'd dismissed Tessa as if she hadn't mattered, had flirted with him so overtly it had been downright uncomfortable.

Tessa deserved better than that. She mattered.

At least, she mattered to him.

Resting his elbows on the armrests, he pressed his palms together and steepled his fingers. He observed her, his gaze roaming over her delicate dark brows, the thick sweep of her lashes, her eyes downcast. The curve of her cheek still carried her flush of embarra.s.sment, and the lush swell of her dark pink lips drew him. Filled him with the urge to kiss her. Lick and nip at her voluptuous mouth.

The red sweater lovingly clung to her curves, reminded him exactly how exquisite her body was. Fresh memories flooded him, of her beautiful b.r.e.a.s.t.s overflowing the delicate lace cups of her bra, the flat plane of her stomach.

The memory heated his skin, and he inhaled swiftly. What was it about her that made him feel this way? For some inexplicable reason he wanted to protect 38 her. Teach her everything he could, hold her close, kiss her senseless, give her so much pleasure she'd never look at another.

Only want to be with him.

It was ridiculous, these foreign emotions swirling inside him. And also disconcerting. He'd never been so aware of a woman, so-afraid to make a move, give a sign that he was interested. He couldn't make any sort of move on Tessa. She was his a.s.sistant. He was her boss. What he wanted to do to her, what he wanted from her was wildly inappropriate, considering their professional relationship.

Yet late at night, when his wicked dreams were filled with nothing but her, he thought of nothing else but calling her into his office. Ask her to shut the door.

Demand she stand before him so he could bend her over the sleek, cold expanse of his desk and flip up the staid skirt she always wore. Slip inside her, hear her gasp of pleasure, followed by his moan of approval at the first sensation of her tight, wet heat...

"I'm sorry."

Her s.e.xy sweet voice pierced his thoughts and shifted in his seat, desperate to ignore his burgeoning erection. Every hair was in place, sleeked back from her face once again. Her eyes were wide, expression full of worry and those beautiful, lush lips that filled his fantasies on a nightly basis literally trembled.

"For what?" He crinkled his brow, confused at her apology.

If she could read his mind, he should be the one apologizing profusely.

"For what happened earlier, when I spilled the coffee. It ended up putting us into a-inappropriate position." She pursed her lips together and blew out a loud breath, and she darted her gaze to the window.

39.

Christ. He envisioned her pursed mouth dropping a delicate kiss on the tip of his c.o.c.k. Then her lips would part, taking him into her mouth one excruciating inch at a time...

Alex cleared his throat and sat forward. "Inappropriate position?" She nodded." I hope you don't think I was trying to make a move on you." She bowed her head, as if afraid to look at him.

"It was an accident, Tessa." He kept his voice purposely even, not wishing to cause her any more discomfort.

"You saw me partially undressed," she said softly, her gaze still on her lap.

He certainly didn't need the reminder. The image of her scantily clad in the delicate, overtly feminine sc.r.a.p of lingerie was burned upon his brain for all eternity. "I hardly noticed," he drawled, filled with regret the moment the words left him.

d.a.m.n. What was wrong with him? The wounded look she shot him before she hastily turned her attention to the window once again said more than a million words could ever express. He'd hurt her feelings, and he was an inconsiderate a.s.s.

Desperate for a distraction, he pulled the table out between them once more, then grabbed his briefcase and set it on top. Opening it, he pulled out the itinerary Tessa created for him, along with the most recent report created in regards to the London acquisition. He snapped the briefcase shut and leaned back in his chair, scanning the itinerary for what felt like the thousandth time before he shoved it to the back of the pile and looked over the first page of the report.

"Do you need any help?"

40.

"No." He barely offered her a glance. "Thank you. Relax and enjoy your flight, Tessa." It was an issued command more than anything else, but he didn't care.

He needed to focus. The trip-and the woman sitting across from him-were sidetracking him from his most important goal. They'd been working on the negotiations for months, and he was this close to locking in the London location for their new, lower-priced store. It would be a store to appeal to the younger set, for those with not much cash in their wallets but who wanted to wear something by Worth.

It was an experiment, just like the launching of the limited edition women's line. Worth planned on branching out even more in the next five years. Alex and his brothers not only wanted everyone to know and recognize the Worth brand but he also wanted everyone able to afford at least something by Worth.

He didn't want to cheapen the brand but make it global-and there was a fine line that the company needed to walk in order to achieve that goal. Hunter kept him on track. The entire marketing department was on the ball, constantly researching, looking at ways to both protect the brand and grow it.

He didn't know what he'd do without Hunter. Rhett on the other hand...

Scowling, he stared unseeingly at the report. His baby brother was a royal pain in the a.s.s. Eight years divided them, and it felt like an eternity. At the age of twenty-seven, Rhett behaved like an eighteen-year-old set loose on the city, wild and free. Drinking, hanging out in clubs, f.u.c.king an endless array of women and spending as much money as he could in a short period of time. Like he was in some sort of carnal marathon, indulging in as many sinful activities as possible before the plug was pulled.

Alex was getting increasingly closer to pulling that particular plug. Rhett wouldn't know what to do with himself when it happened.

41.

And it was definitely going to happen. Soon.

"We've reached flight alt.i.tude." Lora appeared with a tray of fresh fruit and an array of delectable pastries and set it on the table. "Would either of you care for something to drink?"

"More coffee." His clipped tone made Lora's overly made up eyes harden and Tessa sent him a chastising look.

"I'll take a gla.s.s of water, please," she said to Lora.

"Right away." Offering Tessa a strained smile, Lora buzzed toward the back of the plane.

"There's no need to be so rude," Tessa murmured when the flight attendant was out of earshot.

"She treated you terribly. She'll be lucky to have her job by the time we land."

Tessa's eyes widened. "You wouldn't fire her over what happened earlier, would you?" She sounded aghast which in turn made him feel guilty.

Only a bit though. "Why not? I can't have someone like that working for me."

"Times are tough. You wouldn't want to be the cause for her losing her job." Disbelief coursed through him. "You'd rather forget her horrible treatment of you?"

"Maybe she's having a bad morning. We all have them sometimes." Tessa shrugged.

She was far too kind for her own good. Perhaps naive would be the better description. The only reason Lora had treated Tessa so abominably was jealousy.

The flight attendant flirted with him every time he flew and she was the staff on board. In the past, he'd responded, albeit lightly and never with any serious intent. Looks-wise, she was his typical preference. Blonde, blue eyed, fair 42 skinned, thin. But he'd never been tempted to take it any further, not like with Tessa...

"You're too nice," he muttered just as Lora approached, setting Alex's new coffee in front of him after she offered Tessa her gla.s.s of water. "Thank you," he said to Lora.

She beamed. "A hint of cream and one lump of sugar, just the way you like it."

"Indeed." He sipped from the cup, surprisingly pleased with the results.

"I'm impressed you remember how I take my coffee."

"Everything about you is hard to forget. At least to me." Offering him a coquettish smile, Lora turned on her heel and sauntered away, her hips swaying, head held high.

If she really believed she was in his good graces again, she was mistaken.

"She flirts with you," Tessa observed when Lora was out of earshot.

"You don't say." Alex again sipped from his coffee, surprised by Tessa's comment.

Her cheeks flushed a pretty pink. "It's rather obvious."

"She is rather obvious."

Tessa laughed and the sound of it vibrated through him. It was a lovely sound, a bright tinkling of happiness. A sound he wanted to hear again, soon.

"Have you two ever..." Her cheeks grew pinker, and she waved a hand about.

"Ever what?" He knew what she meant. He just wanted to watch her squirm.

Funny how the word squirm caused his rather vivid imaginations to roar to life, filling his head with illicit images all involving Tessa. And him. Naked.

Together.