Touch of Heaven

by Maureen Smith

  Raina drew a deep, shuddering breath that burned in her lungs. She’d allowed herself to get caught up in one of her foolish girlhood fantasies. The grand mansion with the enchanting gardens, combined with the romantic candlelight dinner with Warrick, had cast a spell over her. She’d almost tricked herself into believing she was starring in her own fairy tale. But she wasn’t an ugly duckling turned swan princess, and Warrick was no Prince Charming.

  They were enemies. Two adversaries squaring off on the dueling field, trying to see who could draw first blood, each determined to be the last one standing.

  With a new resolve steeling her spine, Raina straightened from the wall. If Warrick thought she was going down without a fight, then he really didn’t know her at all.

  After Raina stormed out of the music room, Warrick swore under his breath, sank down heavily on the piano bench and dropped his head into his hands.

  He’d expected to feel satisfied, profoundly vindicated after the way he’d humiliated Raina. Instead he felt angry and disgusted with himself for behaving like such a callous jerk. He’d wanted to punish her, but now as he reflected on the outcome of his action, he realized that he was the only one being punished. Because he still wanted her with a vengeance. But after the way he’d behaved, he’d be damned lucky if she let him anywhere near her again. And that, as far as he was concerned, was unthinkable.

  Warrick lifted his head from his hands and looked across the room, staring sullenly at the empty doorway. She’d only been gone a few minutes and he already missed her. Damn. What the hell was going on here? What was happening to him?

  Warrick had experienced more adventures in his thirty-six years on earth than most people experienced in a lifetime. He’d known the pure adrenaline rush of racing through the hills of Germany in a turbocharged Ferrari sports car built expressly for the autobahn. He’d experienced the exhilaration and triumph of scaling Mount Fuji, and diving out of an airplane at an altitude of thirty thousand feet. He’d traveled to breathtakingly exotic locales and had made love to countless beautiful women. But not one of those experiences had ever made him feel the way he’d felt tonight, engaged in something as simple, as uneventful, as having dinner with Raina St. James.

  Throughout the evening, almost from the moment he and Raina sat down at the dinner table, Warrick had experienced a range of emotions unlike anything he’d ever felt before. He’d been helplessly mesmerized when Raina talked about her salsa dancing. When he’d imagined her beautiful, supple body gyrating to the sensual music, lust had clawed at his insides.

  The note of self-deprecation in her voice when she’d admitted to being a hopeless romantic had tugged at something deep within him, something he couldn’t identify. And the way she’d enjoyed her food…Who knew that watching a woman eat could bring him so much pleasure and contentment?

  And who knew that he’d get such a thrill out of chasing her through the halls as they’d played hide-and-seek? He’d felt like a kid again, buoyant and carefree in a way he’d rarely known in his embattled childhood. When he’d realized that Raina was hiding in the music room, he’d absurdly wondered if she knew that this was one of his favorite rooms in the house. He’d wanted to play something soulful and romantic for her. Corny as it sounded, he’d wanted to serenade her with a love song.

  And when he’d had her cornered, and she’d licked those luscious lips and stared at him with those sultry eyes, he’d wanted to take her right against the wall. And she’d wanted him to, the smoldering passion in her gaze and her restless, undulating hips telling him so. But then he’d thought about Bradford, who was a doctor like Raina’s father and who had already won over her sister. He thought about Bradford, who was supposedly a great cook and a great guy, who was free to love Raina with a clear conscience, unburdened by the past. Warrick thought about Bradford holding her, caressing her, kissing her—and something inside him had snapped.

  He’d rejected Raina, coldly and unmercifully. But all he’d succeeded in doing was offending her, and depriving himself of what could have been the most incredible night of his life.

  Damn it all to hell.

  Seated at the piano, Warrick fingered the ivory keys and plucked out a few moody notes, thinking he might play for an hour or two, something that usually relaxed him after a long, stressful day. But tonight he was too frustrated, too edgy and miserable to concentrate on a composition or to take any pleasure in playing.

  Cursing under his breath, Warrick slammed the hood over the keyboard with a loud, discordant ping! and stalked out of the room, knowing that sleep would elude him that night.

  Chapter 14

  During the drive into downtown Philadelphia the next morning, Warrick was silent, staring broodingly out the window at the passing scenery, which undoubtedly was as familiar to him as the bustling streets of Houston. For the life of her Raina couldn’t fathom why he was in a foul mood. She was the one who’d been cruelly rebuffed and humiliated last night, and had hardly slept a wink as a result. If anyone should be silent and brooding this morning, it was her. Instead she’d gone out of her way to be pleasant and upbeat, determined to show Warrick that she could take whatever he was vindictive enough to dish out.

  The limousine rolled through downtown traffic, gliding past historic landmarks and high-rise office buildings before reaching an imposing granite-and-glass skyscraper on Broad Street in the heart of the city’s business district.

  Lanny guided the limo into the underground parking garage and descended to the parking level reserved for the company’s chief executives. He let Warrick and Raina out in front of a private elevator.

  The uniformed security guard posted at the elevator tipped his head deferentially to Warrick. “Morning, Mr. Mayne. Welcome back. How was Houston?”

  “Good,” Warrick said with the first smile Raina had glimpsed all morning. “There’s no place like home.”

  Once Warrick and Raina were alone in the elevator, the relaxed smile disappeared, and he became absorbed in perusing a folded-up copy of the Wall Street Journal. Undaunted by his remoteness, Raina chattered animatedly about previous trips to Philadelphia, describing her enchantment with the historic museums and fine restaurants until Warrick glanced at her with a mildly exasperated expression. “Are you always this cheerful in the morning?”

  “Are you always this grumpy?” she fired back.

  That seemed to disarm him. He hesitated, then chuckled softly. “No, I’m not. And you’re right. This is your first visit to my company, and I’m being an ungracious host. I’m sorry.”

  Raina hesitated. “Apology accepted,” she said, feeling slightly deflated. She’d enjoyed proving to him that she could be the bigger person, and now he’d taken even that away from her with his humble apology. Damn him.

  The elevator arrived on the sixtieth floor with a discreet chime, the doors opening to reveal a large reception area paneled in rich mahogany and gleaming marble. An attractive brunette was seated behind a large reception desk topped with glass, the mahogany base bearing the distinctive insignia of Mayne Industries.

  Raina and Warrick had barely stepped off the elevator before they were greeted with a warm chorus of “Good morning, Mr. Mayne! Welcome back, Mr. Mayne!” from employees passing by on their way to different offices and cubicles. Warrick nodded and returned their greetings, calling several people by name. Women gazed admiringly at him and offered demure smiles while eyeing Raina curiously. Even the receptionist couldn’t stop beaming at Warrick as she relayed important messages and nodded briskly at the instructions he gave her. When he introduced Raina, the knowing gleam in the woman’s eyes told Raina that the receptionist, like the majority of Warrick’s employees, understood that Raina was the only obstacle to their company’s expansion plans.

  Warrick and Raina left the reception desk and started toward the office suites occupied by the senior executives. The rooms were situated along both sides of a long, thickly carpeted corridor adorned with contemporary paintings and plaques. Secretarie
s were seated outside the executive offices in spacious cubicles made of mahogany and glass.

  As Warrick and Raina walked past, heads swiveled in their direction. Conversations halted. More greetings were called out to Warrick.

  At the end of the corridor, set apart from the other offices and featuring its own private reception area, was Warrick’s corner suite. Outside the office was a large, meticulously tidy desk that stood empty.

  “That’s where my secretary sits,” Warrick explained. “She’s currently in Houston with the rest of the transition team, overseeing the expansion project.”

  Raina thought it odd, and a little presumptuous, that he already had a transition team in place when nothing had been finalized, but she kept the thought to herself. Maybe that was the way things were done nowadays in corporate America.

  Warrick unlocked the door and gestured her inside an enormous office that boasted a sleek, ultramodern steel-and-glass design. The suite was stylishly appointed with deeply cushioned leather chairs, Deco lighting, a rare collection of contemporary art and built-in bookshelves that were lined with every title imaginable for the professional engineer. But the most impressive thing about the very impressive office was the stunning, panoramic view of the downtown skyline.

  Raina drifted toward the floor-to-ceiling windows, unable to resist the lure of that view. “Nice,” she murmured, aware of how inadequate the word was.

  Warrick chuckled. “Glad you approve.”

  He had barely set down his briefcase and sat behind the massive glass desk before his phone trilled. Raina listened with one ear as he spoke to one of his project managers at a refinery in California, calmly talking the man through a minor crisis involving a pipeline under construction.

  At one point during the conversation Raina glanced over her shoulder to find Warrick reclining in his chair, his dark gaze fixed on her. It was the longest he had looked at her all morning.

  As Raina stared back at him, unable to glance away, heat and tension crackled across the distance that separated them. With a supreme effort Raina finally dragged her gaze away and resumed staring out the window, more than a little shaken.

  Minutes later Warrick ended his phone call just as a new voice said, “Heard you were here. Glad to see you made it back in one piece.”

  Raina turned from the window to identify the owner of the smooth, low voice. A tall, handsome, brown-skinned man in an impeccably tailored dark suit had wandered into the office, his hands thrust casually into his pockets.

  “Thanks for holding down the fort in my absence,” Warrick said to the newcomer in a lazy drawl.

  Broad shoulders shrugged. “I figured I might as well earn my keep around here.” As the man’s amused gaze strayed across the room to where Raina stood at the window, his mouth suddenly curved in a wide grin. “Well, hello there. You must be Miss St. James.”

  “Yes.” Raina smiled politely, starting forward with an outstretched hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr.—?”

  “Fuller,” he provided, striding purposefully toward her. “Stephon Fuller, at your service.”

  He clasped her hand, his gold-flecked dark eyes roaming across her face with frank male appreciation. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss St. James.”

  “Thank you,” Raina murmured, though she couldn’t help wondering just what Warrick had told this man about her. “Please call me Raina.”

  “With pleasure.”

  Warrick had risen from his chair. “Stephon is our vice president and chief operating officer,” he informed Raina.

  Stephon shook his head slowly. “Why didn’t you tell me the sisters in Houston are so beautiful?” he asked Warrick, who pointedly arched a brow at Raina’s hand, still clasped in Stephon’s.

  With a soft chuckle Stephon released her, albeit reluctantly. “Is this your first trip to Philly, Raina?”

  “No, I’ve been here several times. I went to school in New York, so it was fairly easy to hop on the train and head down to Philly anytime. I was just telling Warrick earlier how much I enjoy visiting the city.”

  “I’m glad you feel that way,” Stephon said with a pleased smile. “I met Warrick at Texas A&M, but I’m originally from Philly. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve patted myself on the back for talking him into accepting his first job here, which obviously worked out for me when he decided to stick around and start his own company.”

  Raina smiled. “I guess everything happens for a reason.”

  “Absolutely. Have you had a chance to hit the town yet, do any shopping or sightseeing?”

  “Not yet. We got in a little late yesterday evening.”

  Stephon nodded. “Well, since it’s a holiday weekend, we’re closing at one. So maybe—”

  “Raina and I already have a full day ahead of us,” Warrick interjected brusquely.

  Raina looked over at him in surprise. “We do?”

  He scowled. “Of course.”

  “I mean, I know we have tickets to the orchestra tonight—”

  “That’s not until eight. You said you’d like to visit the art museum after we leave here, so that’s what we’re doing.”

  Raina didn’t think he’d been paying attention to her in the elevator, but apparently she was wrong. Swallowing a smile, she said meekly, “All right.”

  Stephon, dividing a speculative glance between them, said to Warrick, “I know Leland was waiting for you to arrive so he could talk to you about the Lake Charles onshore project. If you don’t have time to give Raina the tour—”

  “I have time,” Warrick bit off, his jaw clenched.

  “Are you sure? I know Leland said it was really important—”

  “Leland can wait,” Warrick growled. Stalking around his desk, he gently but firmly cupped Raina’s elbow and began escorting her from the office, instructing over his shoulder to a grinning Stephon, “Close the damned door on your way out.”

  Over the next three hours, Raina learned more about Mayne Industries than she could ever hope to retain.

  Warrick gave her a complete tour of the modern facilities and introduced her to the many men and women who worked out of the company’s civil, electrical, mechanical, structural, telecommunications and network infrastructure divisions. Raina was pleased by the diversity of his staff and undeniably impressed by the wealth of knowledge, talent and dedication each individual brought to the firm. After hearing about some of the innovative projects the various teams of engineers had successfully completed, Raina was no longer surprised by the numerous industry awards Mayne Industries had garnered over the years.

  Prior to her visit that morning, her knowledge and understanding of the company’s capabilities had been largely limited to its role in the oil-and-gas industry. And while that was an integral part of the business, the scope of the firm’s services was so much broader than that. Among the new technologies being developed and tested by company researchers was an airless tire that could withstand extreme punishment. The objective was to boost the security of military vehicles and save the lives of countless soldiers whose convoys were routinely targeted with improvised explosive devices in combat zones. If successful, the airless-tire technology could eventually be applied to domestic-passenger vehicles sold in the United States, decreasing the incidence of rollover and tire-related deaths.

  During the tour, Raina also met electrical engineering students who, as part of their summer internship, were creating robots that could one day be utilized to perform jobs that were too hazardous for humans to carry out. Gathered inside one of the company’s state-of-the-art labs, Raina was given a demonstration of a prototype robot simulating such dangerous tasks as cleaning out boiler pipes and oil storage tanks, and carrying out land-mine detection. The remote-controlled robots were designed to navigate independently through a path without human supervision. As Raina watched the presentation, Warrick explained to her that Mayne Industries had recently teamed up with NASA to fine-tune the robots’ technology, which was another benefit o
f relocating the company’s headquarters to Houston—the proximity to the Johnson Space Center. It was the only direct reference to the expansion project he’d made all morning, and it was so subtle that Raina hardly noticed.

  From the very beginning of the tour she had watched, reluctantly fascinated, as Warrick slid into the role of chief executive officer—a commanding figure who radiated confidence, charisma and authority with the natural ease of a born leader. When he strode into a room people sat up and took notice, responding not only to his status as head of the company, but to the strength and virility he exuded. But even in his expensively tailored suit and Italian loafers, bristling with command and raw energy, Warrick never came across as unapproachable. His warm regard for his employees was evident every time he inquired about a new baby, teased a father whose teenager had just obtained a driver’s license or bantered easily about the upcoming football season and the Philadelphia Eagles’ playoff chances. As Raina watched Warrick interact with his employees, it was clear to her that they not only respected and admired him, they genuinely liked him. And that impressed her nearly as much as all the awards they had received and the cutting-edge work they performed as a company.

  She was immensely proud of Warrick for the thriving enterprise he had built, and the valuable services he provided to his clients and to the global community. But did that mean she was ready to sacrifice her own business so that he could build his desired new headquarters? Before touring Mayne Industries that morning and meeting its wonderful employees, Raina’s answer would have been an unequivocal, resounding no. But now she wasn’t so certain, and that scared her almost as much as the prospect of losing her heart once again to the company’s dynamic, dangerously compelling leader.

  Warrick couldn’t take his eyes off Raina.

  That evening, as they sat across from each other on the outdoor veranda of an exclusive downtown restaurant, all he could think about was how breathtakingly beautiful Raina looked in the Carolina Herrera dress he’d bought her.