“Welcome back,” she said with a tender smile. It was the kind of smile he’d seen on her face only after they’d made love. His pulse beat faster, and his blood heated.
“Thanks. Did you get me a gift?” he asked, gesturing to the basket contents.
“Maybe. Maybe not,” she said, walking into the room and closing the door behind her. Her hips swayed lazily with each step she took. Her skirt had a slit he hadn’t noticed until she moved. It went halfway up her thigh. His fingers tingled with the need to touch her. And his groin strained against his inseam until he could feel his pulse in it.
“If not me, then who?”
She stopped next to him. Nibbling on her bottom lip she pulled containers from the basket. “Maybe it’s for Mr. McKee. Hospital food’s not great.”
Nick reached in front of her, deliberately brushing his arms against her breasts. Her intake of breath was his reward.
“I’m not sure he can eat all of this.”
“You might be right.”
Then Nick found what he’d been searching for and pulled the prophylactic from the bottom. “I’m sure they wouldn’t let him use this.”
“Well…”
He bent down to nuzzle her neck. “It had better be for me.”
“And if it isn’t?”
“I’ll have to convince you I’m the only man you want to share it with.”
“It might take a lot of effort on your part.”
“I’m up for it.”
She reached down and cupped his erection. “You certainly are.”
She slipped her arms around his neck, and Nick took her mouth with the pent-up frustration of a man who knew that he was holding sunlight and winter was looming around the corner.
He made love to her on the surface of his desk and this time was so much better than the last. As he climaxed he clung to her with a desperation he would have denied, but in his heart he knew she was slipping away and he was helpless to keep her where he wanted her. In his arms.
The next afternoon, Lila grabbed a pre-made salad from the lunch counter and paid for it. The cafeteria was crowded but not noisy. The strain of the possible takeover had grown in the offices of Colette, Inc., but Lila realized it had also been spreading. A group of six men and women were talking about the takeover as Lila walked by.
“I heard that the executives are all cutting deals to save their own hides.”
Lila paused to hear what the man had to say. She knew it was rude to eavesdrop, but she hadn’t heard any rumors about the executives yet.
“Xavier’s not going to be able to save himself. Grey probably won’t keep any of the board.”
“Nick Camden’s been courting Grey,” one of the women said.
“He has not,” Lila interrupted.
“Who are you?”
“Nick’s secretary. And I can tell you he’s not interested in working for anyone who’d tear Colette apart.”
“Yeah, right. What promises has he made you?” said one of the men.
“The same ones he’s made to his entire staff. That he’ll do everything in his power to make sure Marcus Grey is unsuccessful in his bid to take over Colette.”
“And you believe him?”
“Yes, I do.”
“I wonder why you’re so loyal to him.”
Lila told herself to leave. To just walk away before she said something she’d regret. But she knew she’d never regret defending Nick. He was a good, kind man and he didn’t deserve to be talked about as if he were the villain in this scenario.
“Because he’s an honest man, a good man. He won’t go down without a fight.”
“We’re not doubting that. Just who is he going to be fighting for, himself or the company?”
“Colette is important to Nick.” How could she convince them that Colette was the only thing that Nick really believed in? He’d dedicated his life to this company.
“Whatever you say. We’ll just have to wait and see.”
Lila spun on her heel and marched out of the cafeteria. Tears burned the backs of her eyes. She wasn’t sure why she’d made such a big deal about Nick. She should have just kept walking.
But she hadn’t been able to. She’d never spoken out for herself when she’d been picked on in school or unfairly judged because of the way she looked. But when it came to someone she cared about, she wouldn’t let them be maligned.
When she got back to her desk she sat in her chair, anger vibrating through her. There was no way she was going to be able to work today. No way she was going to be able to see Nick and not tell him what had happened. Because she was still outraged that he’d been the topic of malicious gossip.
But more than outrage flowed through her. Though she didn’t want to admit it she knew in the back of her mind those comments had raised some doubt. Why wasn’t Nick more concerned about the takeover attempt?
“Lila, are you back from lunch?” Nick yelled from his office.
No matter how high up the rungs you climbed, the boss always liked to be able to yell for his secretary. She’d given up pointing out that he had an intercom on his phone, it was easier to call for her, he’d said.
“I’m here,” she said, dropping her salad in one of her desk drawers. Maybe she’d eat it later.
“If you have a minute, I need you to take a memo.”
“Sure.” She went into his office and took the dictation. It was a policy change for international travel and when Nick was finished she hovered in the doorway unable to leave.
“What’s up?” he asked.
She knew she should leave but she wasn’t going to be happy until she knew. “Do you know Marcus Grey?”
He raised one eyebrow at the question. “I know who he is, but I’ve never met him. Why do you ask?”
His answer made her glad she’d spoken up earlier. She knew Nick wouldn’t try to cut a deal. “I was just trying to figure out why he was doing this.”
“Don’t make it personal, Lila. He’s a businessman and Colette is a profit-generating company. I’m sure his interest is purely monetary.”
“Then why didn’t he approach the board outright?”
“We’re a tightly held company. You know that. He may have thought that was the only way.”
“Is that what you’d do?” she asked.
He leaned back in his chair. “Hell, no. I lack subtlety.”
“Yeah, you do.” The last of her doubts melted away. Nick was more in-your-face than that. He wouldn’t conspire behind her back or behind Xavier’s.
“Thanks a lot.”
“I’m glad you aren’t subtle.”
“Why?”
“A sneaky man wouldn’t have seduced me on his desk and forgotten about protection.”
His eyes narrowed, but he didn’t seem angry. “How are we doing on that front?”
“No period yet,” she said, flushing a little.
“Did you use that test kit?”
“Yes, but it didn’t turn either pink or blue. I’m going to pick another one up on my way home from work.”
“I’ll take you.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I don’t like you taking the bus after work,” he said.
The possessiveness in his tone warmed her. “I drove my car today.”
“I thought you hated to drive?”
“I hate the cold more. It was freezing this morning.”
“If you’d stayed with me last night you wouldn’t have had to drive.”
“I know.”
“Stay with me tonight,” he said.
She hesitated. She had the feeling that her defense of him in the cafeteria was going to ruin any chance she had of pretending they were nothing more than co-workers, but that aside, she’d already decided to be open about her relationship with Nick.
“Please,” he said.
And she couldn’t say no.
Nine
Nick heard of Lila’s defense of him as he was leaving the building later that day.
Just a casual comment on the elevator from the Director of Domestic Marketing, but it changed Nick’s world. No longer could he doubt even the slightest that Lila was committed to him. And she deserved the same commitment from him. She deserved to know that he wanted her in his life.
Her late period made him believe they were going to be parents. And he realized that was exactly what he wanted. He couldn’t offer her marriage. Wasn’t about to tempt those fates again by tying his name to a woman’s, but he thought that he and Lila could have a good life without marriage.
Marriage was a piece of paper and what they had didn’t require approval from the outside. Lila might be ready to accept that. He glanced at his watch. Lila wasn’t due at his house until eight. That gave him two hours to make everything as perfect as he could.
Lila had been important to him for a long time. She helped him run his division by keeping him on track and balancing his wild impulses with a sense of sanity.
He knew she could bring the same thing to his personal life. And it was something that had been missing for a long, long time. Something he didn’t think he’d ever had. It was as if he was alive for the first time.
He called his favorite restaurant and ordered a gourmet dinner. He stopped by the florist and picked up an exotic-looking bouquet that was as unique as the woman he planned to give it to. Then he drove to his house. The exclusive neighborhood catered to the up and coming. It was a posh area that made Nick feel as if he’d crossed a barrier and achieved something his parents wouldn’t have believed he could attain. Maybe they would have changed their minds if they’d lived to see him graduate from college. But a drunk driver had assured they wouldn’t.
The house was too big for a bachelor but would suit a family. He could easily see Lila having more than one child. His six-bedroom home would hold whatever her dream family was. He made a mental note to ask about her dreams of the future. The ones he’d never asked about before because the woman who didn’t want anyone to see her with him wasn’t someone he could build a tomorrow with.
His place was neat, thanks to the maid service he employed, and, after some scrounging, he found a pair of silver candlesticks and some long tapered candles. He’d never needed to seduce anyone before and had no idea how to go about it. But he knew Lila. Knew what it took to seduce her senses. She was a fantasy girl. She wanted the fairy tale, and tonight he’d give it to her.
He laid a fire in the fireplace and changed from his suit into chinos and a casual shirt. Lila arrived just as the delivery boy was walking back toward his car. She looked sweet and sexy and his heart lurched when she walked into his house.
She wore a silk blouse and slim-fitting skirt that ended mid-calf. She was a picture of respectability. Her powerful, feminine scent surrounded him, making him feel very masculine and primitive. The delivery boy smiled at her and Nick wanted to brand Lila as his. Wanted to mark her in some way that all other men who glanced at her would immediately know she belonged to him.
And that wasn’t a comfortable thought. He didn’t like the possessiveness. Didn’t trust the emotions roiling through him like a thunderstorm gathering strength and wreaking havoc on the unsuspecting flowers and trees.
He pulled her to him, putting his arms around her. She glanced up at him with a warm smile that made him hard. Her touches and gazes went through his control with an ease that would have been embarrassing if he didn’t know that he affected her the same way.
She glowed in the moonlight and Nick was suddenly aware that they were alone inside his big empty house.
The heavy-metal emotion of Creed played in the background. Not exactly seduction music, but hey, Lila was early. She hummed along with one of the songs as she helped him set the food on the table. The feeling of losing control gained strength, and Nick motioned for her to sit down.
He lit the tapers and switched to a Harry Connick, Jr. CD, one he knew to be Lila’s favorite.
The crooner sang of love and Nick knew better than to believe him, but tonight he liked the fairy tale. He filled both of their glasses with some French champagne he’d been given on a recent business trip. “To the most beautiful woman in the world.”
She met his gaze, something that Europeans always did during a toast but he’d noticed most Americans didn’t. It was a mark of the kind of woman Lila was. Whenever they were together, she created an oasis for him. A place where he could let slip the tight rein of his control and be himself, whether he wanted to or not.
Most of the time that bothered him, but tonight he felt safe. Safe from the prying eyes of his peers. Safe from the battle his parents had waged trying to use him to wound each other. Safe from the base emotions she called to the surface.
She tipped her head to the side. “I’m not good at toasts.”
“Then just say, Salud!”
“If you give me a minute…”
“Tonight we have nothing but time.”
She smiled. Her eyes glowed in the candlelight, and he saw in them something he’d never seen in a woman’s eyes before. He couldn’t define it, he only knew that it made him feel stronger and better than he was.
“To a man who embodies everything a man should be.”
Nick knew there was no way he could live up to that. He didn’t even know what she expected a man to be. Knowing that her father had left before she was born and that she’d been mistreated by the boys in her hometown, he feared he wouldn’t be able to live up to her expectations.
“What are these qualities?” he asked.
“Just what you are, Nick. A noble man of integrity and truth.”
Damn. Hard words to live up to. But he knew that for Lila, he’d try. No matter what, he’d always try to be truthful and act with integrity.
The champagne and rich French cuisine left Lila feeling voluptuous. Her senses were heightened and she felt as if her entire being was pulsing. The evening felt like a moment out of a dream and she reveled in it and in Nick.
“Ready for dessert?” Nick asked.
Lila nodded, afraid to trust her voice. Nick left the room for a minute and returned with a tray of coffee and French silk pie. Lila offered to pour the coffee but Nick brushed her hands aside.
She felt pampered as she ate the chocolate dessert and drank her coffee laced with Frangelico. She’d never felt like this before. The candles cast them both in a soft glow and it was as though they were in one of those dream sequences that you see sometimes in a movie or sitcom. Of course, in a sitcom it turns out to be a vicious joke. She’d never been able to laugh when the romantic scene turned to a nightmare, because it cut too close to her version of reality. It cut too close to the way she knew most men could behave. But not tonight. Tonight it felt like the real thing, and if she were deluding herself, she’d live with that illusion until tomorrow morning.
The Harry Connick, Jr., CD had switched over to Sade singing her lush songs of love and its sometimes bittersweet reward, but tonight Lila heard no warning. She felt the music in her heart, and, as she stared across the table at Nick, she felt as if he’d become part of her body as well. She felt as if their souls had intertwined to become one complete person, if only for this one night.
It was as if reality had ceased to exist and they lived in a world of just the two of them. A sensual world, she realized, as Nick leaned forward and brushed his finger over her bottom lip.
“You had a crumb.”
All evening he’d touched her in little ways that, taken separately, wouldn’t have amounted to much. But together they were slowly bringing a heat to her body she’d never experienced before.
“Did you get them all?” she asked.
He leaned forward and stroked his tongue across her lips. His warmth, the taste of coffee and the pulsing of desire pounded through her.
“There we go,” he said, and sat back.
She wanted to crawl across the table and pull his head to hers. To ravage his mouth in a way she’d never ravaged any man’s before. Wanted to make him finish what th
ese teasing touches had been leading up to.
He’d created something here tonight that she’d never sensed in him. She wouldn’t have guessed Nick could find and light candles. Wouldn’t have imagined he’d take the time to order a nice dinner.
Wouldn’t have known that he’d be so good at seduction. Except that it felt more personal. Not like something he’d done for other women, but something he did only for her.
“Why all of this?” she asked, feeling like a fairy-tale princess who’d spent her life taking care of herself.
He finished his champagne in one swallow. “I wanted to repay you.”
That stung—the evening of her secret dreams was a payback. She clenched her fingers into fists in her lap. Her nails bit into her palms, and she knew she shouldn’t ask. Should just smile and thank him for the dinner. Should just pretend it didn’t hurt but she couldn’t. “For what?”
“For defending me. I’ve always been alone and today…I don’t know how to express what I felt.”
Disappointment laced with anger raced through her. When was she going to learn that men didn’t go out of their way to seduce her? “You mean at work?”
“Yes.”
She frowned at him. “But that was a job thing.”
“No, it wasn’t. It was because of what we have. It’s because you had the chance to know me away from the office that you defended me. Thank you.”
His words made her believe that what they had was special and made her realize that she wouldn’t have defended Nick the boss if she hadn’t known Nick the man. Had she done something today that had far-reaching repercussions? Something she hadn’t even realized she’d been doing?
“It was nothing. They were just spouting off.”
“But you did something I know is hard for you.”
She shivered to think he knew her so well. That he’d taken the time to look beyond the surface. She knew then that this evening wasn’t a conscience gift but a gift from Nick to her. “What was that?”
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