“In the past.”
“Yeah, but the repercussions extend into the future.” His jaw tensed.
“If you’ll excuse my saying so, you’re pretty hard on yourself.”
“Now you sound like Will. He keeps telling me not to beat myself up over things I can’t change.”
“Smart guy.” She hesitated. “Can we make a detour and go see Bubba before we head down to Rocket Fuel’s stall?”
He glanced at her. “I was afraid of that. You’re getting attached, aren’t you?”
“And you’re not?”
“I . . .”
“Adam Templeton, you are a big old softie and it’ll tear you up inside when Bubba leaves, so don’t get all macho on me and pretend otherwise.”
That made him smile. “Okay, I won’t. Let’s go see that little guy.”
When they arrived outside the stall, Valerie set down the grooming caddy so she could lean against the stall door and peek in. Adam joined her there, his hips mere inches from hers. She could hear him breathing, and the scent of his aftershave tantalized her. She was developing a massive crush on Mr. Templeton.
Bubba was nursing.
Valerie couldn’t imagine separating mother and baby. “I suppose he’d have to be weaned, regardless of whether he stayed here.”
“He would. Don’t worry. It’ll be a gradual process. I won’t ship him off until he’s used to being on his own.”
“But he’ll lose his home as well as his mother.”
He glanced over at her. “I love these horses, but I’m in the business of raising them for sale. If I tried to keep them all, I’d go through a hell of a lot of money in a very short time. I’m not focused on the bottom line the way I used to be, but I’d rather not lose money on this venture if I can help it.”
“I know.” She gazed at him. “I didn’t mean to sound judgmental.” But she had sounded that way, and he’d been judged his whole life and found wanting. “I’m sorry. Of course you have to sell horses to keep the ranch going. I was out of line to make that comment.”
“It’s okay, Valerie. You can always be honest with me and tell me how you feel. I’m being honest with you in describing how this operation works.”
“And I get it. I do. I promise to take that into consideration from now on. How soon will he be weaned?”
“Not for a long time. Four or five months from now, maybe longer.”
She relaxed. “Oh, good.” She wondered what their status would be four or five months from now. She’d never discussed the duration of these sessions, either with Will or with Adam. But at some point, she hoped she would be cured of her phobias. And then what would be her excuse for coming to the ranch?
“Don’t worry,” Adam said. “I’ll take it slow and easy. The new owners may want to get their hands on him, but they don’t want a neurotic mess because he was weaned too early.”
“No reason to rush it.” Or to rush her treatment. Ha. She knew exactly why she wanted to drag it out. She was looking for an excuse to keep seeing him. But they were having lunch on Monday. That would change the dynamic.
Her mind leaped ahead as she thought of where they’d go and what she’d wear. She’d never dated a billionaire before. But as she stood next to him watching Bubba nurse, she realized he wouldn’t show up looking like a billionaire.
No, he’d walk into her office in jeans, Western shirt, boots, and Stetson. He’d look the way he always did. She’d be the one in a whole different costume. And after appearing in plain old jeans and T-shirts for three weeks, she had the purely feminine urge to knock his socks off.
Five
On Monday morning, Adam parked his truck in a garage a block away from Valerie’s law office. He’d chosen a café close by, one that advertised quick lunch service. Although he would have rather taken her somewhere more atmospheric, he wasn’t sure what her schedule was. She might have so many appointments that she wouldn’t be able to linger.
This whole setup was new to him. His dating years had involved debutantes with plenty of free time and a taste for luxury. But he was at a different point in his life, and as a result he’d asked a working girl to lunch. His usual approach of champagne and caviar wouldn’t fit the occasion.
To say he was nervous would be grossly understating the case. He’d called Will yesterday and asked him point blank if he’d hoped for a romance between Adam and Valerie. Will had admitted the idea had crossed his mind, which in Will-speak meant he’d planned the entire thing.
Adam couldn’t be upset with the guy. Valerie was terrific, and something might actually come out of Will’s meddling. Will had asked to meet for a drink after work today so he could find out how lunch had turned out. That meant Adam had to stay in town for the remainder of the day, so he’d made an appointment with his lawyers to go over the amended contract for Bubba and make sure it was ironclad.
But that was all later. First he had to manage this date, for that’s exactly what it was. Despite the offer of helping Valerie handle her first elevator ride since the fire, he’d also invited her to eat a meal with him. Anyone with the slightest bit of common sense would classify that as a date.
He was familiar with the building. His grandfather had owned it, and made a killing when he sold it. Adam had grown up hearing about those spectacular financial victories, but that kind of challenge held no interest for him now. Truthfully, it never had.
Walking inside the tasteful lobby, Adam located the directory and the law firm of Meacham and Daniels, where Valerie worked. When Adam had been married to Elise, he’d attended social functions with the senior partners, Stan Meacham and Robert Daniels. He’d liked them both. Valerie had chosen a good firm when she’d hired on here.
He rode the elevator to the fourth floor and listened for any alarming rattles or squeaks in the mechanism. The elevator seemed smooth, and the posted certification said it had been recently checked out. He hoped the damned thing wouldn’t malfunction.
Thinking about the elevator had distracted him, but once he was walking down a carpeted hallway to the law offices, his chest grew tight. What the hell was he doing? Was he ready for this? He’d tossed the lunch idea out in a moment of insanity when he hadn’t been able to imagine her riding the elevator alone, at least not the first time.
Now he was committed to an actual date, and most women expected that would be followed by a second date, right? He had no trouble imagining himself in bed with the gorgeous Valerie Wolitzky. He’d fantasized that many times, and his dreams about her had become supererotic. But this dating thing sucked. He was woefully out of practice.
Too bad. It was game time. He opened the door to the suite of offices and walked over to the receptionist’s desk without hesitation. He wasn’t going to let some cute blonde who didn’t look more than twenty, max, see him sweat.
“I’m here for Miss Wolitzky.”
She smiled, revealing even white teeth. “You must be Mr. Templeton. If you’ll have a seat, I’ll tell her you’re here.”
He didn’t want to sit, but pacing the reception area would send the wrong message. So he levered himself onto a brown leather sofa and picked a magazine from the ones arranged across a glass coffee table. He didn’t bother to look at the title.
When he realized the magazine he’d grabbed—Career Woman’s Weekly—he put it back. He wasn’t going to be found reading Career Woman’s Weekly when Valerie walked into the reception area. Inspiration hit and he pulled out his phone. He could check his messages. Brilliant.
Except he had no messages. Earlier this morning he’d deleted everything he didn’t need, and no one had texted or emailed him since then. There was a time when he couldn’t keep up with his messages, but ever since he’d changed direction, he had no trouble whatsoever.
Normally he loved that. Not having a ton of messages was evidence that he had indeed taken control of his life. But
while he sat in the reception area waiting for Valerie, he would have liked to have some messages to answer.
“Adam?”
He glanced up from his messageless phone and leaped to his feet. Wow. He hadn’t expected her to come out of her office in jeans and a T-shirt. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but the short black skirt, paired with an emerald green blouse and black jacket, was a knockout. That wasn’t even taking into account her sexy heels and silver jewelry.
She hadn’t worn jewelry to the barn, which made sense, but the silver teardrops looked great with her short hair, and the layered necklace emphasized her slender throat. Several silver bangles jingled when she moved her arm. He couldn’t stop staring at her.
“Ready for lunch?” She adjusted the strap of her black shoulder purse and gave him a quick smile.
That’s when he really looked into her green eyes and saw the anxiety there. She might be dressed like a confident professional, but she was afraid to get in that elevator. Thank God he was here.
“Yep, we’re all set,” he said. “I’ve found a little place that should get us in and out fast, in case you have an early-afternoon appointment.”
“Thanks for that, but I built some extra time into my schedule today.”
“That’s good.” He tucked his phone in his pocket. “Let’s go.”
“You two have fun,” the receptionist called after them.
“Thanks, Carol!” Valerie sounded breezy and carefree.
But when Adam rested a hand against the small of her back, he could feel her trembling. “You’ll be fine,” he said in a low tone as they walked out of the office.
“I’ll be better, now that you’re here. It’s such a small thing, but I’ve been worried about it since we made the plan on Saturday.”
She reminded Adam of the skittish horses he’d worked with at the ranch. “Let’s not get on the elevator yet.” He slipped a hand around her waist and guided her down the hallway toward a window that looked out on the street. “Let’s talk for a minute.”
“I thought a nervous person was supposed to dive straight into something before she has a chance to think about it.”
“Too late. You’ve been thinking about this elevator for nearly two days. Now you need to think about something else.”
“Like what?”
He wracked his brain for a way to distract her. Finally he settled on the only thing that he could come up with. At the end of the hallway, he took off his hat and drew her into his arms. “This.” Before she could protest, he lowered his head and took firm possession of her mouth.
She went rigid with surprise. Clearly she hadn’t expected him to make a move like that. But she didn’t pull away, and he took that as a sign that she wasn’t totally opposed to the idea of kissing him for real, and not just the butterfly kiss she’d given him three weeks ago.
Slowly her resistance melted, and she nestled against him. He couldn’t help groaning at the pleasure of it. That seemed to excite her. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she parted her lips and offered him . . . paradise.
He sank into the kiss, surrendering to a hunger he’d barely acknowledged until now. Cupping the back of her head, he buried his fingers in her soft curls and held her steady while he tasted, shifted his angle, and tasted again.
She was the perfect combination of sweetness and sin, carefree joy and dark desire. Her enthusiasm for the kiss fueled his, and he lost track of time and place. If someone had told him they’d been magically transported to a tropical island, he would have believed it.
Then a phone played the first notes of “The Yellow Rose of Texas” and broke the spell.
Valerie pulled away, her breathing uneven, her eyes dark with passion. “That’s Astrid. She probably . . . wants to know about . . . the elevator.”
Adam released her and dragged in air as he put on his hat. Holy hell. What if her phone hadn’t rung? How far would he have taken that kiss? How far would she have let him take it?
She fumbled in her purse and came up with the phone. “Hey.” She sounded normal as can be. “Nope, not yet.” She glanced at Adam. “He’s here and we’re about to get on. Thanks for thinking of me. Sure. I will. ’Bye.” She disconnected and started to put her phone back when the theme from the TV show Dallas chimed.
Valerie rolled her eyes. “Melanie.” Answering the call, she had a similar conversation before disconnecting. “They worry,” she said.
“Because they care about you.”
“They do, and they’re both thrilled that you offered to ride the elevator with me. If you hadn’t, they would have, but they think—” She flushed. “Never mind what they think.”
“I’d very much like to know what they think.” If he planned to get involved with Valerie, and that seemed likely, he needed to know more about her best friends.
“They think you’re better suited to the job.”
“Why me? They’re your best friends. They know you better than anybody.”
Her flush deepened. “Astrid said that a gorgeous hunk in a Stetson is exactly what I need to take my mind off my fears. Melanie dittoed that.” She glanced up at him. “Happy, now?”
He couldn’t help grinning. “Yes, ma’am. But I can’t help wondering what you think.” He was fishing for a compliment, but he didn’t care. Being admired for his new persona was plain fun.
She met his gaze. Her cheeks still flamed, which made her green eyes sparkle even brighter. “I think my friends have excellent taste.”
“Thanks.” That comment warmed him clean through.
“You have a little lipstick . . .” She reached up and rubbed his lower lip with her thumb. “That got it.”
Looking into her eyes, he caught her hand and kissed the tips of her fingers. Heat shimmered in her gaze.
She gently disengaged her hand from his. “Let’s go conquer that elevator before the urge to kiss you again overwhelms my good sense.”
“You bet.” This was quickly turning into one of the best days of his life.
* * *
As Valerie stood beside Adam in front of the bank of elevators, he took her hand, threading his fingers through hers. His grip was warm and firm. Even better, touching him reminded her of the way he’d kissed her. She couldn’t think about that sizzling kiss and worry about the elevator at the same time.
His solution had been a brilliant one, but she didn’t know if he’d done it mostly to calm her nerves, or if that kiss was the beginning of . . . what? That kiss created more questions than answers.
Yes, they had chemistry. She thought he’d be more than willing to take her to bed if the opportunity presented itself. But her hiatus from dating had taught her something. Before the fire she’d been focused on enjoying Mr. Right Now instead of searching for Mr. Right.
That was how she’d ended up with Justin, who’d never demanded any kind of deep connection. Neither had she, so maybe it shouldn’t surprise her that he hadn’t been willing to risk his life to save her. Before Justin had been Brent, and before him, Eric. Those superficial relationships had run their course and ended without much fanfare.
That kind of laissez-faire arrangement wouldn’t work for her anymore. It was, she realized now, a waste of time, and time was a precious commodity. A person couldn’t know how much of it they had left, and she’d already thrown away several years on dead-end love affairs.
But she had no idea how Adam viewed this attraction between them. He might be hoping to use it as a way to get his groove back after having his heart slammed by his divorce. If so, he’d have to find himself another woman to fill that temporary role.
She didn’t know how to have that kind of discussion with him, though, because she’d never felt this way before. One thing was for sure—they wouldn’t talk about it over lunch. She wondered what they would talk about when they didn’t have a horse to focus on. Shou
ld be interesting to find out.
The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Just her luck, it contained three people and a rolling cart piled high with file boxes. There was room for her and Adam, but just barely.
Adam squeezed her hand. “We can catch the next one,” he murmured.
“No.” Taking a quick breath, she stepped into the leftover space. She was through being a baby about this.
Still holding her hand, Adam removed his hat and followed her in. In typical elevator protocol, they all faced the door as it slowly closed. But as the opening narrowed, Valerie’s chest tightened.
Breathe, she told herself, and she tried, but a steel band had wrapped itself around her lungs. She gripped Adam’s hand and fought her rising panic. When he extricated his hand from hers, she made a little sound of protest.
Then his arm circled her shoulders and he pulled her close. Leaning down, he put his mouth close to her ear. “I’m here, Valerie,” he murmured softly as he massaged her shoulder. “You’re fine. Everything’s okay.” Then he pressed his lips to the tender spot behind her ear.
She closed her eyes and concentrated on the feel of his mouth against her skin. So warm. Some of the tightness eased, and she took a shallow breath. And another.
He lifted his mouth and spoke into her ear again. “You’re doing great,” he said softly. “We’re almost there.”
The elevator jolted to a stop, and she opened her eyes in relief.
“Second floor,” Adam said.
Two rather large men started into the elevator. “Squeeze in,” one of them said. “We can make it.”
“No, sorry.” Adam stepped in front of Valerie. “We’re full.”
“Look, mister,” one of the guys said. “We’re running late. Just let us in. It’s only one floor.”
“Yeah, let them in,” said someone in the back of the elevator. “We’ll make room.”
“No can do. Catch the next one.” Adam reached over and pushed the button that closed the doors as the two men glared at him.
The Perfect Man Page 21