“No,” he said matter-of-factly.
“You don’t class that as flirting?” She moved toward him. “You practically asked me to hop up on your desk.”
“Oh, that was flirting, sure.” He grinned. “It was the employee part that was wrong.”
“You’re firing me?” He was going somewhere with this and she couldn’t wait to see where that was. Life with Ryder would never be boring.
“Well, you told me once that it’s best not to mix personal and business, and I have very personal, intimate plans for you. On this very desk, in fact. I have no interest in abandoning those plans, so I have no choice but to let you go.”
She didn’t mention that technically, her project was over so he had no contract to “let her go” from—her report had recommended Chocolate Diva enter the Australian market and she’d handpicked a new team to take the next steps. She’d been reviewing some very attractive offers from other companies that had been impressed with her work for Ryder, and her fiancé had suggested they start their own business together, which had a strong appeal, too.
But the game was much too fun to ruin with details like fact.
She flicked her hair behind her shoulder and moistened her lips. “When you put it that way…”
“Besides—” he snagged her fingers and drew her closer “—I have a few wedding presents that I think might make up for your shocking dismissal.”
The feel of him against her, his scent surrounding her, was as intoxicating as ever. She leaned her cheek against the crisp cotton of his shirt. “I like presents. But we haven’t even set a date yet.”
“They’re early wedding presents. You can have them now,” he said slowly, seductively as he traced lazy circles on her shoulder with his thumb.
She almost purred as his hands worked their magic. “I like the sound of them already.” Though nothing could be more of a present than Ryder himself. The gifts of his heart and his commitment were beyond her wildest fantasies.
“I’ve had your father’s old company transferred into your name. All of it. Which means you also now hold stock in Bramson Food Holdings.”
She felt her jaw slacken as she pulled away to look into his eyes. She’d pressed him to go through with the sale, assuring him that she knew about his priorities. He didn’t need to avoid the sale to prove anything to her—she was secure in his love, and it was in both his and her father’s best interests. But she’d never expected this.
“Ryder,” she said, framing his face with her hands. “You wanted those shares. Keep them.”
He enclosed her hands in his and brought them to his lips. Gently, he kissed each one before answering. “I want you to have them. Though—” he grinned “—I was pretty much hoping you’d use them to vote for me as chairman when it comes to that.”
For a moment, she couldn’t speak. He’d handed her control over his dream. For a man like Ryder, it was the ultimate vow of trust. Her heart melted. And she knew just the way to repay him.
She traced a line down his chest with one fingernail. “You’ll have to play your cards right before then.”
Heat flashed in his eyes. “Will this help?”
He kissed her and lifted her onto the oak desk without breaking contact, moving in to stand between her thighs.
Breathless, she broke away. “Okay, you have my vote.”
He placed a kiss below her earlobe then whispered into her ear, “I’ll just have to work on keeping it now.”
“I’m sure that can be arranged.” Her breath hitched as he drew her earlobe into the heat of his mouth. But then she remembered something. “You said wedding presents. Plural.”
“Ah, yes.” He straightened and cleared his throat. “This one isn’t a wedding present so much as something I should have given you when I asked for your hand in marriage two months ago.” He pulled a small box from his trouser pocket. “But that night I couldn’t think of anything except getting back to you as fast as I could, and I was seriously amiss. Then after you’d said yes, I wanted it to be exactly the right one, so I kept looking.”
He handed her the box and she opened it to find a princess cut pale blue solitaire diamond. “It’s perfect,” she whispered, her eyes misting up.
He slipped it on her finger and then kissed her again. “I knew I didn’t want a fancy setting or other stones around it, just a strong, beautiful diamond that needed no other adornment. Like you.”
She looked at the ring on her finger, then at the man who’d placed it there, and her love for him threatened to overwhelm her. She wrapped her calves around his thighs and pulled him as close as she could, needing him more than ever.
“Ryder,” she whispered past a ball of emotion in her throat, “I love you.”
He skimmed his hands up her thighs, his eyes drifting shut. “I love you more than I can say,” he said as he lifted her skirt higher, and she lay back on the desk, dragging him down on top of her.
Much later, she pressed a lazy kiss to the chest exposed by his unbuttoned shirt. She smiled up at him. “I think I can live with those compensations for no longer being an employee.” A thought occurred to her. “Now I own shares in your company, doesn’t that make me one of your bosses?”
One end of his mouth twitched, and he stepped back as he began to button his shirt. “I was wondering when that would come up.”
“I’ll try not to use it to blackmail you.”
Laughter danced in his eyes. “I appreciate it.”
“I have an early wedding present for you, too.” She pushed off the desk and straightened her skirt.
Ryder raised an eyebrow as he tucked his shirt into his trousers. “Cufflinks?”
“No,” she said and walked over to enjoy the view from the window, knowing he’d follow.
He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Monogrammed golf towel?”
She grinned. “Not even close.”
“Then you might want to give me a hint.”
She melted back into his solid chest. “Remember the day you came back to me in Melbourne?”
“Vividly,” he said, his mouth just behind her ear.
“Remember that night, back in my apartment, we became a bit…distracted, and you carried me to the bedroom?”
His arms around her tightened. “I still think about that night. And the things you did.”
She’d been replaying the night over in her mind, too. As well as the nights that followed—the lovemaking since they’d committed to each other had become more intense, more beautiful. Their trust had become absolute and the effect was amazing. And it had all started with the night he came back for her.
She turned in his arms and met his warm brown gaze. “Remember we were so carried away we forgot protection?”
He stilled. “You’re saying…”
“That in approximately eight months—”
He claimed her mouth before she even finished the sentence. He kissed her hungrily, possessively, and after timeless minutes, he rested his forehead against hers, breathing heavily. “That was the best night of my life for two reasons now.”
“Mine, too,” she whispered. “But I think we have many more best nights ahead of us.”
A slow, sexy smile spread across his face. “I guarantee it,” he said and kissed her again.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-6588-6
AT THE BILLIONAIRE’S BECK AND CALL?
Copyright © 2010 by Rachel Robinson
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At the Billionaire's Beck and Call? Page 16