“When you didn’t show up for breakfast, I decided to check on you.”
Since when had he started worrying about her? Surely she’d misunderstood. But the fact he’d noticed her missing and tracked her down was something she just couldn’t ignore.
“I wanted to start work early. I need to get this done on schedule.”
Lucas peered around. With his height and broad chest, he seemed to fill up the room. Awareness awakened Kate’s sluggish body. The fresh scent of his cologne wafted past her nose and wrapped around her. Did the man have to smell so good?
He moved, visually examining the balled-up drop cloth on the floor and then taking in her rumpled appearance. “Starting early? It looks more like you never made it to bed.”
She shrugged, hoping he wouldn’t make a big deal of it. “This coffee sure hits the spot.”
He continued looking around before turning back to her. “You’re working too hard. If you need more help, just tell me.”
“I will.” But right now she had something else on her mind. “You know, I was thinking that the night of the fund-raiser would be the perfect time to announce the sale of this place.”
He stared at her as if she’d sprouted another head. “Why would I do that?”
“I’m obviously missing something. I know when we discussed it earlier the situation still wasn’t clear, but isn’t the point of fixing up the house to put it on the market? I mean it isn’t like you live here. In fact, you hate being here—”
“I do not.” He looked away, studying something on the floor.
“Don’t give me that. Every time I turn around, you’re running out the door. I get it. This place doesn’t hold good memories for you. I have a couple of places like that myself. So why hold on to the house? Let someone else enjoy it.”
He ran a hand through his hair, scattering the short strands. “I don’t know if I’m ready to make a decision of that magnitude. Lately, I seem to be making one mistake after the other.”
“Does that include kissing me?” Kate clamped her lips shut, but it was too late. Her thoughts were out there. Hovering. Waiting.
She should brush aside her careless comment and pretend she was teasing, but she couldn’t. She honestly wanted to know how he felt about her.
With every bit of willpower, she lifted her chin and looked at him. Wondering. Hoping.
His Adam’s apple bobbed. Their gazes met. And the air around them seemed to crackle with awareness.
“Kissing you is all I’ve thought about.” His voice was deep and thick, sending goose bumps of excitement down her spine. “My only regret is that it ended far too soon.”
His intense gaze held hers. She should turn away. She should... She should...
Long suppressed desires swelled inside her and squelched her train of thought. He stepped forward, closing the gap between them. Her stomach fluttered and dipped. The tip of her tongue swished over her now dry lips. He was going to kiss her again, and she wanted him to because for better or worse, she wanted to taste him on her lips.
The breath in her lungs hitched. She’d never anticipated anything this much in her entire life. Her chin tilted upward. And her heart pounded.
Being cautious wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. This once she wanted to throw caution to the wind. She wanted to live in the moment.
She shifted her weight to her tiptoes. And then he was there. His warm breath tickled her cheek before his lips pressed to hers. They moved gently at first, tentatively as though questioning her. But that wasn’t nearly enough for her. She met his kiss with a hunger that startled her. He tasted like rich, dark coffee and she’d never tasted anything so good.
Mr. Oh-So-Sexy could most certainly kiss. In fact, she’d never enjoyed anything so much in her life. Her needy body leaned into his hard contours. The fact that he wanted her was all too evident and had her insides melting into a liquid pool of desire.
Standing there, wrapped in his arms, her problems and responsibilities temporarily fell away. In that moment, she was the woman desired by the most thoughtful man she’d ever known, who could kiss the common sense from her mind. But one thought came to mind—one very clear and concise thought.
She was in love with Lucas.
She didn’t know where or when it had started, but she was falling hard and fast for him. And try as she might, she couldn’t stop her heart from spiraling out of control.
Her fingers blindly plucked at his silk tie, pulling it loose. She fumbled with his shirt buttons until enough were undone that her hands could slip over the bare skin of his shoulders and back. Her core temperature climbed with each tantalizing move.
“Tell me now if you want me to go.” His voice was raspy as his fingers slipped beneath her shirt.
“Stay. Please.”
Her eyes opened for a second, glancing over to the tangle of drop cloths she’d used not so long ago as a makeshift bed. Not exactly the Plaza Hotel, but right now, it didn’t matter. His tongue swept inside her mouth, teasing and taunting. Her thoughts scattered.
They stumbled backward, still clinging to each other. Now that she’d found him, she never wanted to let go. She couldn’t get enough of him...of his touch. Lucas lowered them to the floor and they landed with a bit of an “oomph” that jarred their lips from each other.
He brushed a few strands of hair from her face. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s okay. I had a soft landing.”
She was half sitting, half lying in his lap while staring into his darkening eyes. They mesmerized her with their ability to change color with his moods. Right now, she was drowning in them.
She was the first to make the move this time. Hungry for more of him, she leaned forward. Her mouth claimed his—needy and anxious. There was no mistaking the passion in his kiss as he followed her lead.
But then he pulled back just enough to start a trail of kisses down over the sensitive skin of her neck. A moan of desire swelled in her throat. She’d never felt such desire by a man. He gave as good as he got and she couldn’t wait to find out what else he was good at....
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THE THUD OF work boots on the steps roused Kate as she savored the way her body still thrummed with utter satisfaction. She lifted her cheek from Lucas’s bare shoulder. “Shoot. It’s Charlie.”
Adrenaline pumped through her veins as she scrambled to grab the edge of the white drop cloth. What had she been thinking to do this here?
Obviously her brain had short-circuited as soon as Lucas’s lips had touched hers. Now she didn’t know how she’d be able to face the foreman. She pressed her hands to her heated cheeks before combing her fingers through her flyaway hair. One look and Charlie would know what had happened. Soon everyone would know. How in the world would these men ever respect her when they found out she was sharing a bed with the owner?
Lucas jumped to his feet, springing over to the door, pushing it shut. Kate didn’t need an invitation. She rushed to locate her discarded clothes.
A knock sounded. “Kate, are you in there?”
She held her breath, hoping Lucas had remembered to catch the lock. The doorknob jiggled. When the door didn’t budge, she expelled a pent-up breath. But she still felt the heat on her chest rise up her neck and engulf her entire face.
Lucas was the first to find his voice. “She’ll be with you in a couple of minutes.”
“Mr. Carrington, is that you?”
“Yes. We are going over some plans.”
Is that what he called it? If she’d recalled correctly they’d gone over those “plans” a couple of times...at least she had. A fresh wave of heat rolled over her. She didn’t even want to know what was going through Charlie’s mind. His imagination was probably painting him a pretty accurate picture of their “meeting.”
In a f
lourish of activity, they dressed. Resigned to the fact she’d done her best to fix herself up without a mirror, she turned to Lucas. She straightened his tie and in turn, he ran his fingers through her hair and tucked a few strands behind her ears.
“Ready?” he whispered.
She wasn’t, but she had this feeling Charlie wasn’t going anywhere. She nodded and Lucas opened the door.
The foreman ducked his gray head inside. His intense stare took in her not-so-neat appearance, before zeroing in on the scattered drop cloth on the floor next to Lucas’s rumpled-up suit jacket.
The man’s gaze came back to Kate. “Anything you need?”
She shook her head, not trusting her voice. It took all of her determination to keep from wringing her hands together. She’d never been caught in such a compromising situation. She felt like a teenager, experiencing love for the first time.
A knowing smile pulled at the older man’s unshaven face. “Sorry. I didn’t know you two were...umm, having a private meeting.” He winked. “No biggie. We can go over the discrepancy with the paint order later.”
Kate was so hot now that beads of moisture dotted her forehead. She swallowed hard and refused to let on that this thing, this moment of craziness with Lucas, had affected her. There would be time to sort things out later...much later. First, she had to get her head wrapped around what had happened.
She stepped toward the door. “Charlie, we can go downstairs and go over it now.”
“Nah.” He waved her off. “You two finish your umm...meeting. I’ll go head off the men so they don’t disturb you.” He started to turn away, then glanced back. “Ya know, the missus was just showing me the picture of you two in the paper this morning. I told her it wasn’t any of our business. But thought you should know.”
“Thanks.” Lucas didn’t smile.
Charlie nodded and pulled the door shut. Neither said a word as the foreman whistled a merry tune as he moved down the hallway.
When they were alone again, Kate groaned. “This is awful. I don’t know how I missed hearing his approach. The man’s footsteps are louder than a stampede of cattle.”
“You weren’t the only one who was caught off guard. Did you see the unhappy look on his face when he first walked in? I thought for sure I was going to have to defend myself. Looks like you’ve won him over.”
“We’re friends. When you work seven days a week with a person, you get to know a lot about them and their family. Just like you and I have gotten to know each other really well. I don’t think he’ll say anything.”
“It won’t matter if he does. The whole city thinks we’ve been doing this all along.”
Lucas adjusted his shirtsleeves before slipping on his suit jacket that now had distinct wrinkles. He kept his head lowered as though it took every bit of his concentration to adjust his clothing. But Kate knew differently—knew he had something else weighing on his mind. He was probably just as confused as she was about where they went from here.
No matter what, she couldn’t deny that she’d never been kissed quite so thoroughly in her entire life. Nor touched so tenderly and made to feel that her happiness came first. Lucas was a unique man and his ex-wife must have had a few marbles loose to let him slip away. But she couldn’t go losing her head over him. She had to keep her focus on Molly and the fund-raiser.
Lucas looked down at the mess of throws on the floor. “I’ll just give you a hand straightening up—”
“No. Don’t. I’ve got it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
She licked her dry lips, noticing how they burned a bit. She couldn’t remember the last time they’d been kissed raw. But this day—this beautiful day—she wouldn’t forget.
With her back to him, she started to fold the cloth. “Besides, I have to hurry. I need to get to the hospital for an update with Molly’s doctor.”
Lucas slowly moved to the door before turning back. “At least let me give you a lift.”
“This,” her hand waved around, unsure how to label what had just happened between them, “doesn’t change anything. I have a sick daughter and that has to be my focus. Not you and me. Not this moment when we both lost our heads. Just Molly.”
His mouth opened as though he wanted to say something, then closed.
When he didn’t leave, she added, “As for getting to the hospital, I’ll be fine on my own. Always have been. Always will be.”
“I never doubted it.” There was a strained pause. “But will you have enough time to get cleaned up and walk to the hospital?”
She glanced down at her wrinkled work clothes. Drat. She hated that he’d made a valid point at her expense. “I...I can grab a cab.”
“Listen, I’m sorry about what just happened.” Another poignant pause filled the air as she piled the drop cloths in the corner to deal with later. “I lost my head. It won’t happen again. You have my word.”
He was apologizing? She hadn’t seen that one coming. Had their lovemaking been that bad? Was she that out of practice?
Impossible. She knew when a man was into the moment. And Lucas had certainly been into her. So why the regret?
Maybe it had something to do with the ghosts that lurked within these walls? Or more likely he realized that she wouldn’t fit into his posh world. She was a nobody from Pennsylvania, who didn’t even have enough money to cover her daughter’s medical bills.
Certain that she’d be best off keeping as much distance from him as possible, she said, “I’ve got to go. I’ll see you at dinner for your daily update.”
Her vision blurred as she walked away. She blinked repeatedly. She’d let herself get caught up in the moment. That had been her mistake. One she didn’t intend to repeat—no matter how much her heart said otherwise.
She dashed the moisture from her lashes. Now how were they supposed to continue with their arrangement? Was it possible to move past something this big—this memorable?
* * *
Lucas hated that he’d lost control. He’d been a grump all day to the point of scaring his administrative assistant with a snarly response. He’d of course apologized, but she still kept her distance the rest of the day.
Unable to concentrate at the office, he’d come home earlier than normal. He sat at the kitchen table for a long time, staring blindly at the blinking cursor on his computer. His thoughts kept replaying how he’d made love to Kate. What he’d thought would be a chance to scratch an itch had turned into a mind-blowing moment.
From the second he’d laid eyes on Kate that morning, he’d been a goner. With her hair all tousled and her cheeks rosy, she was a natural beauty. There was nothing phony and artificial about her. He couldn’t help but imagine what it’d be like to wake up next to her each morning. That had been his first mistake.
He’d only compounded matters with his second mistake, kissing her. And though he’d savored every delicious moment of their lovemaking—a memory he wasn’t likely to forget anytime soon—he couldn’t repeat it. For both of their sakes. Once she found out about Carrie, she’d never look at him the same way.
With difficulty, Lucas choked down that last thought. If only there was some way of convincing her that sometimes people made choices they wouldn’t normally make in order to spare those they loved.
Lucas’s fingers moved over the keyboard, examining the social media campaign planned for the upcoming jewelry launch—Fiery Hearts. He wanted the name on every social media outlet. He was monitoring the Fiery Hearts campaign very closely. Nothing could go wrong.
He didn’t really understand the allure of these social sites. He avoided them like the plague. But he was all for different strokes for different folks. And as a businessman, these places were invaluable resources for interactive advertising and research.
He opened a window for M
yFriends, keyed in his name and pulled up his personal account that he used to help get the word out about Carrington promotions. He was surprised to find that even with infrequent postings, he’d gained a number of friends.
He moved to the Carrington Gems MyFriends page, which he was pleased to find had a larger following than the last report he’d received. He read over the last few postings, happy to find excitement growing over the launch.
Once he shared the information about the Fiery Hearts reveal from the Carrington Gems page on his personal page, he also decided to share the announcement about Kate’s fund-raiser. The posting included a photo of Kate and her daughter. They certainly looked a lot alike—both beautiful. He smiled.
With his work done on the site, he wondered if Kate had an account. It would be one way to keep in contact with her when this fund-raiser was over and she moved on. For her, he just might become more active on social media. He searched for her name but didn’t turn up any results. Then for curiosity’s sake, he typed his mother’s name and when her face appeared on the screen, his mouth gaped. It seemed MyFriends must be a trendy hotspot.
Then on a lark he typed in Floyd Whitley. Immediately he got a listing. There were three candidates. Lucas knew that he should stop there. But what would it hurt to do a little more digging?
He quickly narrowed the list by nationality and he had one candidate. And Kate resembled the man with her dark hair and her big brown eyes. What were the chances this wasn’t her father?
But the man’s details were hidden because they weren’t friends. So Lucas hit the “Be MyFriend” button. As the message sent, Lucas wondered about Floyd’s reason for leaving his little girl. No matter what Kate thought, most people just didn’t walk away without a reason.
And then without warning a message popped up on his screen. Floyd had accepted his invitation. Now what? Common sense said he should back away. But when a message appeared on the screen, Lucas was drawn in.
Floyd: Do I know you?
Safe in the Tycoon's Arms (Harlequin Romance) Page 13