Perfect for You

by Candis Terry

  Dec scowled. “Absolutely not.”

  He handed his credit card to the woman, who smiled at the both of them.

  “Is this your first visit here?” the woman asked.

  Dec wasn’t usually one to share information with strangers so he merely muttered an “Mmm-hmm.”

  “Honeymooning?”

  While Dec choked on a response, Brooke piped up.

  “We’re going up to his family’s vineyard and decided to take the coastal route. Neither of us has ever experienced it before.”

  “That’s wonderful. Friends of ours have a small winery nearby. I’d love to send you up a bottle.”

  “That would be so nice. Thank you.”

  When Dec turned toward Brooke with a let’s-not-give-out-too-much-information scowl, his thoughts froze. A smile beamed across her beautiful face. She loved meeting and talking to new people, which was just one of the many reasons he valued her as his assistant. He’d never considered himself a people person. Brooke waved that flag like a neon sign and he knew that her presence in his company was one of the reasons a lot of clients kept coming back.

  But right now, that was not the thought that had him in a quandary. He either had to shut down this whole ridiculous idea and keep driving or find a way to spend the night with Brooke and keep his sanity intact. Not to mention fighting his attraction and keeping his hands to himself.

  “Would you like help with your bags?” the woman asked as she handed him back his card and the room keys.

  “We can manage,” Dec said. “I believe you mentioned there was a restaurant nearby?”

  “There are several just a short walk into the village. However, if you’re tired from the long drive or would like some privacy, I can arrange to have dinner delivered. The suite has a nice fireplace, and you’re on the second floor so you also have a beautiful patio overlooking the ocean. Or I could have your dinner served in the garden courtyard. We have a fireplace out there too.”

  Shit.

  Dec looked at Brooke hoping she’d choose a restaurant. Sitting across from her in a bustling environment would be a hell of a lot more bearable than a private setting with a fireplace, wine, and the ocean waves crashing on the shore. “Preference?”

  “The suite.”

  Could she have at least given it some thought?

  He must have scowled because she quickly gave him a cautious look. “If that’s okay with you.”

  Okay? Hell no. “Sure.”

  “Excellent.” The woman behind the desk set two menus on top of the counter for them to peruse. “I personally recommend both of these places.”

  Dec slid the menus in front of Brooke. “Italian or seafood?”

  “How about you choose the meal?”

  Now she had a frightened rabbit look on her face, as though she feared he’d take a bite out of her for her sheer sneakiness.

  He hated that look.

  Even if taking a bite of her sounded far tastier than anything on either menu.

  His decision was quick. It was late and Italian food was too heavy. And no, he wasn’t about to order seared ahi. He’d learned his lesson. “How about a couple of lobster tails, grilled salmon, maybe crème brûlée and . . . a slice of caramel fudge cheesecake.”

  So much for going light.

  The woman behind the desk grinned. “Oh, you’re going to love that.”

  “Wow.” Brooke readjusted the sparkling fairy crown over her silky hair. “You must be really hungry.”

  He was starving.

  But it didn’t have a damned thing to do with food.

  Brooke followed Dec up the stairs to their room.

  Their room.

  She’d been mildly nervous before, but now her heart was sprinting like a racehorse in the last lap.

  Was he pissed or just mildly irritated that she’d pulled one over on him? His total silence since they’d retrieved their luggage from the car gave her no indication. She’d grown used to his scowls, so those weren’t helping either. Maybe she’d pushed him too far this time. Then again, maybe this was exactly the nudge he needed.

  Not that she imagined a man like Declan Kincade needed a push if he found a woman interesting. So maybe he really just wasn’t interested in her.

  Naw.

  She’d caught him looking plenty of times. And if the suggestion in his eyes gave her anything, it was the courage to keep pushing.

  As he unlocked the door and rolled their luggage inside the suite, she watched the play of muscles in his strong back and bulging biceps. At that moment all she could really do was imagine how those arms would feel wrapped around her body.

  Catching her in the act of checking him out, Dec cleared his throat. Despite the fact that her skin was probably flushed, she feigned innocence as she stepped into the room.

  “Oh. Look at that view!”

  The open curtains framed a dreamlike portrait of a moonbeam glittering across the ocean. Brooke couldn’t resist—and she also needed an escape to pull herself together. Setting Moochie down, she opened the sliding glass doors and stepped out onto the terrace where a bistro set with cushioned chairs waited for company. Brooke stepped to the rail, curled her hands around the cast iron, and took a deep breath. A hint of jasmine floated on the salty air and she wished she could bottle the delectable aroma.

  Below, the waves rolled in and crashed against the sand of a deserted beach. As the sea foam washed back out, it erased the footprints of anyone who might have walked there.

  It was so romantic.

  The clean cotton and lingering sunshine heat of Dec’s body radiated as he came up behind her. “I set your bag on the luggage rack in the closet.”

  The deep timbre of his voice caressed her skin and created a path of tingles down her back before she could stop them. She feared that no matter how much she dreamed, wished, hoped, or imagined that the looks he occasionally sent her way were of the suggestive kind, he really might never blur the hard line between boss and employee.

  She should have a talk with the overzealous ladies in her egg basket and wipe all those thoughts from her mind. Then again, she’d pushed this far and had only come up against a modicum of resistance.

  She didn’t wear a Fearless bracelet for nothing.

  Was she really willing to risk it all—including her job—just for one night with this man? Or did she foolishly believe she could turn it into something more? Maybe the bigger question was could she keep pretending that she saw him only as her boss?

  For years she’d tried to figure out more than what he might do on a day off or what tools he needed for a meeting. All this time she’d felt like a kindred spirit with him. This road trip had definitely confirmed that both of them—at some point in life—had needed a refresher course on how to have fun. Both of them had family ties that at times could seem a little constrictive. But who was Declan Kincade beneath the suit and tie? What did he really want out of life? What did he need? What made him happy?

  And could she be it?

  “Thank you,” she said, remembering that his statement required a response.

  When he came closer to look out over the panoramic view, her body responded with another tingly jolt that verified everything about her was into him. Even so, did she really have what it took to take him to the edge and push him over, regardless of the consequences?

  “That’s quite a view.” His deep voice hummed through her like a swarm of happy honeybees.

  “It’s breathtaking. The perfect spot for a few days of fun in the sun. Too bad we can’t stay.”

  “Why not?”

  She turned and, not realizing exactly how close he stood, her breast brushed his arm. “Do you mean that?”

  Without any hint of acknowledgment that their bodies had touched in a very personal way, he took a step to the side and wrapped his hands around the fence. “I meant you could stay. There’s no reason you have to go with me. You work hard and rarely take any time off. You deserve to relax a little. I can save my own
ass,” he said in reference to her earlier disclosure.

  Totally not what she wanted to hear.

  “Not that I’d consider it, but how would I get home? We’re almost eight hours away.”

  “I’m sure there’s a car rental nearby. Google it.”

  “I’m not Googling anything.” Bubble burst, she went back into the suite and he followed. “I’m going all the way with you no matter what.”

  Well, that didn’t come out exactly right.

  “Don’t make up your mind until morning. The offer will still stand.”

  Going their separate ways was the exact opposite of what she had in mind.

  “Since there’s only one bed . . .” He jerked his thumb toward the suite. “I’ll take the sofa.”

  “There’s no way I’d let you sleep on the sofa.”

  “Well, I’m not going to let you sleep there.”

  “No worries.” She flashed a let’s-get-this-happy-train-back-on-track smile. “I wasn’t planning to.”

  “Brooke?” His dark brows came together. “In the office you are the most organized, on-the-money person I’ve ever met. Outside the office . . .”

  Say it.

  Her hopeful heart perked up.

  Say you want me. You need me. You can’t live without me.

  “You confuse the hell out of me.”

  Poop.

  She’d failed. Unless confusion was the gateway to breaking him down.

  “At the office you pay me to be organized and on-the-money,” she said. “You’re not paying me right now. And it’s five o’clock somewhere.”

  “And that means . . . ?”

  “I told you, I don’t want to become predictable and boring. So don’t expect me to spoil all the fun.” She flashed a flirty smile. “Besides, as Mae West used to say, ‘Between two evils, I always pick the one I never tried before.’”

  “Are you calling me evil?”

  “Don’t be silly.” Catching his look of bewilderment, she scooped Moochie up off the bed, going for the old will-he-or-won’t-he-check-me-out bend and snap she’d learned from the movie Legally Blonde. “And don’t bother trying to figure me out. It will only drive you crazy.”

  His dark eyes followed her every move. Then he dropped his shoulders and rolled his neck as if she’d caused him physical pain. “I’m starting to get that.”

  Brooke took a quick tour of the suite, giving him a moment to relax, reflect, and figure out that in some wickedly sexy universe, they belonged together. One that possibly started with the giant four-poster king-sized bed in this room.

  The suite’s dusky blue Cape Cod décor and polished wood floors managed to feel both elegant and homey. The fireplace glowed with dancing flames and cast a romantic mood over the entire room.

  She stepped into the bathroom and gasped. Elegant granite countertop, double sinks, huge soaking bath, and huge glass shower.

  “Oh my God. This bathroom is five times the size of the one at home.” She opened the shower door and looked inside. “There’s a ceiling mount rain head and six body sprays in this thing. And colored LED lights.” There had to be a whole lot of serious sex going on in that thing. Luckily that thought stayed in her head and never made it out of her mouth.

  From the other room she thought she heard him chuckle. Then again, she could just have road trip lag in her ears.

  “Does this being unpredictable and not boring thing you keep going on about mean you’re a bubble bath or shower kind of girl?”

  Good question, hot and hunky. She smiled. “Depends.”

  “On?”

  She closed the shower door and came out of the bathroom, hoping to see some kind of smile on his face. Instead, it was slammed in a frown, as though he was pissed he’d asked the question and couldn’t retract it.

  “On whether you’ve driven me crazy at work that day,” she said. “Or whether I need some me time. Or whether I have five minutes to pull myself out of bed and get on the freeway. How about you?”

  “I haven’t taken a bath since I was about five years old.”

  “Seriously?”

  He nodded. “One bathroom for five messy boys meant quick showers.”

  “Well, you don’t know what you’re missing. Especially if you add at least a dozen candles, some mood music, and a tasty glass of wine.” She hitched a thumb over her shoulder. “And that LED light show in there.”

  “I thought people only did that in the movies.”

  “Life is what you make it, Dec. You can either enjoy it like a long, hot bath, or you can stand back and let it zip by like a cold shower. I do my best thinking wet and naked.”

  Boom! Drop that in your all work and no play bag of tricks, boss man.

  Rarely was the man at a loss for words. But before he could intelligently form a response to her audacious remark, a knock sounded on the door.

  “Would you mind getting that?” she asked sweetly, stopping just short of batting her eyelashes. She noticed the briefest hesitation before he did as asked.

  An older gentleman stood there holding an ice bucket with a bottle of wine chilling inside in one hand and balancing a large tray with several covered dishes in the other.

  “Oh!” Brooke inhaled. “That smells delicious.”

  “I guarantee it will taste even better than it smells,” the man said. “And the wine will leave you smiling too. Where would you like me to set all this?”

  “On the terrace, please,” Brooke answered while Dec pulled out his wallet for a tip. When the man disappeared with a nod and thanks, Brooke settled Moochie in her little doggie bed. “She’s not going to be happy about missing out on this dinner.”

  “One taste won’t hurt, will it?”

  Brooke laughed. “One taste of something this rich would be a disaster. Sensitive stomach. I, on the other hand, am dying to dig in.”

  Dec motioned toward the patio doors and she didn’t hesitate. “You do have excellent taste in food, Mr. Kincade.” Uncovering the plates allowed the aromas to waft up on a curl of steam. “When you aren’t stuck on seared ahi.”

  To her, his quiet chuckle sounded golden. Dec laughed as rarely as he smiled. For her, getting him to respond to anything with levity was a great gift.

  After she sat down at the table, he joined her. “None of us knew much more than hot dogs and casseroles. Both my parents worked. With five constantly hungry boys, they had to be frugal with the meal planning and the time it took to prepare them. It wasn’t until Parker came back from doing time in a culinary arts and life skills training program in Idaho that things started to change.”

  “Sounds interesting.” She dipped a bite of lobster tail in butter and popped it in her mouth, moaning as the rich flavors rolled across her tongue. “Tell me more.”

  At his hesitation, Brooke looked up and found him staring at her mouth. It was then she felt the slow slide of butter oozing from the corner of her mouth. Her tongue darted out and licked the melted butter away.

  His laser focused gaze followed before he blinked and brought his attention back to their discussion.

  “We went from mama’s surprise noodle casseroles to chicken curry salad and perfectly grilled flank steak.”

  “That’s quite an upgrade.”

  Obviously having pulled himself back together, he nodded. “The best part was that Parker had changed. Before he went into the program he’d been a troublemaker down to his shoelaces and had the bad attitude to go with it. The program gave him not only the skills to cook, but it taught him how to be a good employee and how to run his own business. He’s made good use of all those skills. In the process he dumped the mean, angry guy and is now the fun, outgoing guy.”

  “You’re very proud of him.”

  “I’m proud of all my brothers. My sister too. We’re a pretty independent bunch.”

  “And successful.”

  “In our own rights. I guess it depends on how you define successful.”

  You had to love a man who loved his family.
Even if Brooke didn’t love him already, she’d be won over in a flash just by the smile on his face as he talked about them.

  “What about you?” he asked.

  “Me?”

  “You said you didn’t really have any family. But you had to come from somewhere.”

  I came from hell.

  Damn. Brooke hadn’t realized she’d been setting her own trap. “I had a sister and brother.”

  His gaze snapped up. “Had?”

  “We’re not . . . close.”

  “Why?”

  She shrugged.

  “You don’t know?” he asked. “Or you’re not going to tell me.”

  She’d been happy just a moment ago, flirting her pants off with the gorgeous man at her table. How exactly did this conversation get turned in her direction? She glanced over her shoulder. “The moon is really pretty tonight.”

  “Brooke.” The tone in his voice was rife with concern. “You know you can trust me. Right?”

  She nodded.

  “Then why the big secret?”

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  How much to reveal? How much to hide?

  She didn’t tell people about her past. The only times she’d shared she’d been peppered with humiliation. After that, she worried about people judging her harshly. Or worse, pitying her.

  Did she believe Dec was the type to judge? Maybe not. But she couldn’t take his pity, and she didn’t want him to think less of her for what she’d been through or what she’d done. Still, she couldn’t flat out ignore him on the subject. She had to give him something.

  Even if it was only a hint of the truth.

  “Have you ever met someone you really liked or admired,” she asked, “then found out something about them that changed everything?”

  Mid-bite, his hand and fork dropped to the table. “Are you trying to tell me your family are mass murderers?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Embezzlers?”

  “No.”

  “Arsonists?”

  “No.”

  “Do they break the law in any way?”

  She didn’t respond.

  “Brooke?”

  “Depends on whose law you’re talking about.”

  Dec sat back and studied the brilliant, sexy woman across the table.