Love

by Sherryl Woods

“One was too many.”

  “And I’m telling you it won’t happen again. I can handle Sammy.”

  Dana’s tone didn’t allow for any more interference from him. Jason bit back the desire to tell her that he’d seen kids like Sammy before. Even in his circle of friends, there had been born troublemakers, kids destined to give their families a rough time. If Sammy wasn’t taken in hand now, he was going to cross too far over the line between adolescent pranks and serious criminal activity. He may have already. The VCR deal proved that.

  Clearly Sammy was already more troublesome than a caring woman like Dana deserved, Jason thought. Sooner or later she wouldn’t be able to bail him out just by running interference for him. He needed firm discipline and he needed it now. Dana, however, would have to reach that conclusion on her own.

  Jason sighed. “Just promise that you’ll ask if you need some help with him. All boys that age are a handful. I was a terror myself, according to my parents. They like to remind me of that periodically.”

  “I won’t need any help,” she said flatly.

  Reluctant to leave things on that note, but aware that they’d only end up arguing if he stayed, Jason stood up. “I’ll send a car for you tomorrow at noon.”

  “I told you…”

  “I know what you told me, but I need you to look things over as soon as possible. Until you’re available full-time, I’ll try to make our meetings as convenient for you as possible. Okay?”

  Reluctance clearly warred with practicality. “Okay,” Dana agreed finally and gave him the address of the print shop where she’d been working.

  At the door, Jason’s gaze met hers. Confusion filled her eyes.

  “I am sorry about Sammy,” she said. “What he said was inexcusable.”

  He touched a fingertip to her lips. “You’re not the one who needs to apologize.”

  She looked so lost that something inside him twisted. Before he could think about what he was doing, Jason leaned down and brushed a gentle kiss across her forehead. As innocent as the kiss was, Dana’s breath caught in her throat. Something that might have been panic leaped into her eyes. Jason knew exactly how she felt. He felt as if he’d been slam-dunked by one of the Celtics and was still tangled in the net.

  “I’m glad we’re going to be working together,” he told her, his fingers lingering to caress her cheek. The gentle touch was meant to soothe and tame. “See you tomorrow.”

  After one last glance, he left hurriedly, before she could see that he was only a scant hairbreadth away from pulling her into his arms and kissing her the way a man kissed a desirable woman who made his senses spin. Who was he kidding? He wasn’t running to spare Dana. He was running because in the last five seconds he’d realized he was in water way over his head and sinking fast.

  * * *

  All morning Dana tried to think of some way to avoid going out to Halloran Industries on her lunch hour. She wasn’t blind to her own foibles; she recognized that Jason represented a temptation that she couldn’t afford in her life. It was getting harder and harder to resist his kisses, more and more difficult to recall why he was all wrong for her, why they were all wrong for each other.

  She was not looking for complications, she reminded herself sternly. She was looking to put her foot on the first rung up a tall, professional ladder. Money represented power and, after years of feeling powerless, she wanted that sense of control. She wanted to earn it, though, to know it belonged to her no matter what. Getting involved with Jason would sidetrack that plan. She’d waited too long to lose more time by heading down a dead-end road.

  The door to her cramped little office opened. “There’s some fellow here for you,” Mr. Keane said. “He said you’d be expecting him.”

  Dana sighed. Obviously she’d hesitated too long to call off Jason’s plans. She had a feeling that spoke volumes about her determination to steer as clear of him as was humanly possible under the circumstances.

  “You’ll be back?” her boss asked, his expression worried. He’d been wearing that same expression since she’d told him this morning that she’d be leaving in two weeks. Though he’d wished her well, he was clearly at a loss about how he’d find anyone to replace her who would do as many extra jobs as she’d done for the same paltry salary. He wanted her fully productive until the last possible second.

  “I’ll be back,” she reassured him. “I’m just going to a lunch meeting with the client I’ll be working with when I start my new job.”

  “Must be some client if he can afford to send a fancy car for you.”

  “Yeah,” she said ruefully. “It’s some client.”

  Chapter Six

  Maybe it had been wishful thinking on her part, but Dana had actually expected to find some hired driver waiting for her on the curb outside. She should have known better.

  Instead it was Jason himself, his posture relaxed, his golden hair windblown, a smile spreading across his face when she walked out the door. He surveyed the boots, jeans and leather jacket she’d worn in an apparently wasted gesture of defiance and nodded appreciatively, his smile growing. Something about the warmth and approval of that smile heated her insides. Once Jason Halloran decided to make the best of things, obviously he threw over all traces of resentment. She supposed she should have felt grateful. Instead she felt terrified.

  No man should have the right to have such a potent effect on a woman, she thought wistfully. Especially on a woman who was trying hard to keep her wits about her.

  Jason swept open the door of a low-slung red sports car that was exactly what she would have expected a man like him to drive. It was expensive, impractical and very, very sexy. She barely resisted the urge to run her fingers over the gleaming finish.

  Inside she sank into a luxurious bucket seat. She touched the smooth, cream-colored upholstery. The leather was soft as butter. Suddenly she felt as if she were Cinderella on her way to the ball and midnight was still several tantalizing hours away.

  “What happened?” she asked, when he was settled behind the wheel. “Couldn’t you find a taxi to send for me at this hour?”

  “I had an appointment on this side of town, anyway. It was no trouble at all for me to swing by, myself. I figured it would give us longer to talk.”

  “Very practical,” she said. “Why don’t I believe you?”

  “Because you have this habit of distrusting me?” he suggested without the slightest hint of irritation in his tone. “It’s like Pavlov’s reflex. I speak, you distrust. Since we’ve just met, the response can’t possibly have anything to do with me. Maybe somebody who looked like me cheated on you in a previous life.”

  Dana chuckled despite herself and felt a little of her wariness slide away. “I honestly don’t recall any cads in my past.”

  “It’s hard to say how many past lives back we’re talking about. Can you recall what you were doing in the Middle Ages?”

  “Afraid not.”

  “Any recollections of the French Revolution? The Boston Tea Party? The Civil War?”

  “Not a one.”

  “There, you see? Whatever happened between you and this louse in the past was so awful it’s buried in your subconscious. Maybe you ought to see some shrink and dredge it up. Once you’ve dealt with it, we can get on with things here in the present.” He glanced over and grinned at her. “What do you think?”

  “I think some of your brain cells froze on the drive over. Did you have the top down?”

  “Nope. This is just my lighthearted, accepting-the-inevitable personality.”

  Dana felt herself responding to Jason’s unexpected mood in a way that made her very nervous. It was easy to keep her distance from a man who was stuffy and rigid. This new, relaxed Jason Halloran was devastating. Her defenses were vanishing, even though she didn’t trust his declared intentions one bit. She tried to analyze why she distrusted a man she barely knew, but all of a sudden she couldn’t think of a single reason more logical than the absurd past-life theory he’d sugg
ested. Which meant there was no reason at all, unless she was willing to admit to the sensual spell he threatened to cast over her.

  Maybe she owed the man a chance. If they were going to work together, she really would have to learn to relax just as he had. She couldn’t go on questioning his motives for every little action. Then again, if she let down her guard, who knew where things could lead. She bit back the urge to sigh. Her uncomplicated, very focused life suddenly seemed fraught with confusion.

  “Tell me about Halloran Industries,” she said, hoping to remind both of them that their attention was supposed to be strictly on business. “I know what was in the annual report, but that didn’t give me a real feel for the company’s history. I think maybe that’s what you should be capitalizing on. What do you think?”

  To her relief a rare excitement immediately sparked in his light blue eyes. “You mean exploit the fact that this is a family business, that it’s been around for four generations, ever since my great-grandfather came over from England at the end of the last century?”

  “Exactly. It’ll give it a more human image, especially in this age of impersonal conglomerates. Think of a slogan. Four generations of dedication to quality, that sort of thing.”

  Before Dana realized what he intended, Jason swerved the car to the curb and cut the engine. His hands cupped her cheeks and he kissed her—a quick, impulsive brush of his lips across hers.

  Gratitude. That’s all it was, she told herself sternly. Like last night’s startling goodbye kiss, this one was over almost before the sensation registered. Almost. Its swiftness didn’t prevent the rise of heat, the lightning flash of desire, but both vanished in a heartbeat, leaving Dana all too readily with the illusion of safety.

  “You’re fantastic!” he declared, his fingers still warm against her cheeks. “For once Granddad’s instincts may have been right. Maybe you will work out. That’s the ideal slogan. Everyone will love it, especially my grandfather. Tradition is the only thing that really matters to him.”

  Dana couldn’t help being caught up in his enthusiasm, though a part of her was surprised that he’d embraced the phrase so readily, that he apparently didn’t intend to throw up roadblocks at every opportunity. “Are you sure? I mean it was just a suggestion off the top of my head.”

  “Sometimes the first instincts are the best.”

  At the exact same instant they both seemed to realize that his hands now rested on her shoulders, that they were still just inches apart.

  Talk about first instincts! Suddenly hers had nothing to do with discovering more about textiles. Heat and desire spun through her again, gathering intensity. He was so close that his breath fanned her skin. The exuberant kiss just moments earlier was nothing more than a prelude to this, she realized now. Innocence had been lost to this sparkling awareness. An increasingly familiar, increasingly demanding tension throbbed between them. The lure was irresistible.

  “Dana?” It was a soft, questioning plea that matched the confusion in his eyes.

  Dana merely sighed, her heart hammering in her chest. Heaven help her, she wanted his mouth to close over hers. She wanted their breath to mingle. She wanted to know the taste of him, the texture of his skin. She could deny it from now until doomsday, but it would be a lie. She wanted to be in his arms. Just for a kiss. Just for this brief moment of discovery.

  When she couldn’t make herself utter the protest that would have stopped him, he leaned closer, still hesitant, still giving her time to say no. But she couldn’t bring herself to do it. With each second that passed, her desire grew. She wanted his lips to caress hers, wanted him to linger long enough for her to savor the unfamiliar sensations that were already exploding inside her.

  The first touch was velvet soft and cool. But as if a fire had been lit somewhere deep inside, the kiss heated. She was aware of the gentle caress of his fingers, of the growing hunger as his mouth claimed hers. With the motor off, the air in the car turned chilly, but Dana felt every bit as hot as if it had been a sunny ninety-five degrees. When the touch of his tongue urged her lips apart, need ripped through her, shaking her with its unexpected intensity.

  Why hadn’t she known a mere kiss could be like this, that it could awaken astonishing, aching needs? Why did every kiss she’d shared in the past seem as immature and unimportant as those in some silly adolescent game? This one held promise and comfort and danger in an intoxicating blend.

  When Jason finally moved away, they were both breathing hard. If she looked half as shaken as she felt, he would know in an instant that he had a power over her that went far beyond his influence with the Lansing Agency. She hoped desperately that he couldn’t see that, that the look of triumph and satisfaction on his face had something to do with that crazy slogan she’d come up with and not the few breath-stealing seconds she’d spent in his embrace.

  Deep down she knew better, knew that their relationship had shifted onto what for her was uncharted ground. She had gone this far with men before, but never farther. Never had she felt the consuming desire to see where a few kisses might lead.

  “I think we ought to be going, don’t you?” she said, irritated by the breathless quality of her voice. She knew it would be a waste of what little breath she had to protest that the kiss had been a mistake. They both knew that. She recognized it with dismaying certainty. Jason, for all of his impetuous claiming of her lips, had to know it as well. If anything, he was probably having more second thoughts than she was. It hadn’t seemed to matter. That kiss had been as inevitable as a sunrise or the pull of the tides.

  “I’m perfectly content to stay right here,” he said, his voice low, his gaze lingering in a way that kept her pulse scrambling frantically.

  “Jason,” she warned, sensing that she was going to have to try those probably futile protests after all.

  “Okay, we’re going,” he said, starting the engine. “But that’s not the end of this—not by a long shot.”

  “It has to be,” she retorted quietly.

  Serious eyes met hers. “Why?”

  “I think that’s obvious.”

  “Not to me.”

  “Because you’re used to getting what you want.”

  He nodded. “Remember that.”

  “I don’t think I’m likely to forget it,” she murmured, grateful that the Halloran Industries building was just ahead.

  How was she going to protect herself enough to keep from getting hurt when he remembered that they were all wrong for each other? He was pushy and demanding and powerful. She was struggling to carve a niche in the world. She wouldn’t have it handed to her. Power given as a gift could be taken away. How did she make him see that? How did she abstain from the temptation of those potent kisses, the gentle, alluring caresses?

  Those questions taunted her as they toured the facility. She was fascinated with everything from the raw wool to the vats of dye, from the giant looms to the finished bolts of cloth. Though it was barely winter, they were already in production on summer fabrics: fine cottons being hand printed with wooden blocks that were centuries old and imported from France. She could have lingered for hours, absorbed by the magic of colorless threads being transformed into rainbows of prints.

  Despite her fascination, however, not once could Dana seem to forget that Jason was beside her. One instant his hand was on her back as he guided her through a maze of machinery. Another moment his touch grazed her hand as he held out cloth for her to caress. Nothing, not the coolness of the silks, the soft shimmer of the satins or the richness of the wool blends, could compare with the impact of those seconds when Jason’s innocent touch skimmed over her flesh.

  By the time they went into his office, Dana felt as if she’d spent six months in the Garden of Eden avoiding the first sinful bite of apple. Her nerves were raw. Desire simmered just below the surface, slamming into her consciousness with the slightest contact.

  “How about a glass of wine?” Jason said, forcing her to meet his gaze.

  “Wi
ne?”

  “With lunch.”

  Wine was the last thing she needed. She was already too warm, too giddy, deep inside where such reactions were dangerous. Inhibitions flickered too weakly, then disappeared altogether. She mustered one last bit of resolve.

  “Just a cup of coffee,” she said. “I really should be getting back.”

  “Not until you’ve had something to eat. Harriet ordered for us.”

  Resolved or not, Dana had gone without on too many occasions to be able to leave food untouched. Reluctantly she sat down at the small table that had been set up by the window in Jason’s office. Outside the sun had broken through for the first time in days. It gave the city a silvery cast as it bounced off the windows of the skyscrapers in the distance.

  Despite her feelings of guilt over the waste, she found herself merely picking at the lobster salad. She broke off chunks of a croissant and popped them into her mouth without really tasting the delicate, buttery flakiness. The only sensation she was truly aware of was the heat that flared deep inside her each time she met Jason’s intense gaze. She tried her best to avoid looking into the blue-gray depths, but again and again her gaze was drawn back.

  It irritated the daylights out of her that the man made her so nervous. She’d been on countless dates. Goodness knows, she knew how to carry on a conversation. Most of the time she couldn’t seem to shut up. Now, just because she was alone with someone with a little bit of high-class polish, she felt all tongue-tied. No, she corrected. It had nothing to do with Jason’s class. The blame belonged on the responses he stirred in her.

  Jason was just a man, Dana reminded herself.

  Yeah, but what a man! countered a dreamy, feminine voice she’d never heard before.

  Oh, grow up, Dana shot right back.

  That’s the problem, honey. You’ve just grown up.

  Dana was not at all pleased with the way this mental conversation was going. She wasn’t much happier with the fascinated expression on Jason’s face. He looked as if he could hear every word and was thoroughly enjoying his role in the unexpected awakening of her libido.