The last thing Alli wanted was to see Mark this morning, but she knew that was something she would not be able to avoid.
“Da-da. Eat.”
Alli snapped her eyes open when the sound of Erika’s voice seemed so close to her ear. She quickly turned over and remembered the monitor that Mark had installed in her room the day before. She smiled. Evidently Erika was awake and hungry.
Quickly getting out of bed, Alli slipped into her robe and, after tightening the belt securely around her waist, she opened her bedroom door only to collide with the solid wall of a male’s chest.
“Oops.”
“Sorry.”
Mark caught her when she nearly lost her balance and the sensations she had been fighting all night intensified with his touch. As soon as he released her, she took a step back. “Thanks. I heard Erika.”
He nodded. “So did I.”
Alli noticed that his chin was covered with shaving cream, which meant he had been about to shave. She also noticed—although she wished she hadn’t, but there was no way to avoid it—that he was bare-chested. The only thing covering his body was a pair of jeans and the towel wrapped around his neck. The top button of his jeans was undone and the dark mass of hair on his chest went down toward his abdomen and disappeared beneath the waist of his jeans. The one word that immediately came to Alli’s mind was sexy.
When he leaned back against the wall and grinned, she frowned in confusion and wondered if he knew what she’d been thinking. “What’s so funny?” she asked when he continued to grin.
“This,” he said before reaching out and touching her cheek. He held up his finger.
“Oh,” she said when she saw the shaving cream. She lifted a corner of her robe to wipe it off but he stopped her.
“No, let me.”
Before she could stop him, he used his towel to wipe off her cheek. His touch was gentle and soft and the towel held his manly scent. She tried averting her gaze but found herself meeting his anyway. When she locked on the hazel eyes staring at her, she gulped, almost losing her breath. The heat that flared between them was instantaneous, absolute, blinding. And when he slid his gaze to her mouth, she had enough sense to know that she was in big trouble.
Deciding to head it off, she took another step back. “I need to go check on Erika.”
He nodded and took a step back as well while placing the towel back around his neck. “We need to talk later, Alli.”
She sighed deeply. “Yes…I know.”
“But first I need to apologize about last night.”
Stunned that he was placing the blame all on himself, she could only stare at him for a moment before finding her voice to say, “And I need to apologize as well.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “For what?”
She shrugged. “For whatever you’re apologizing for and for the fact that you evidently found me lacking.”
Mark frowned. Apparently exhaustion was impairing his hearing. There was no way she could have said anything about him finding her lacking…was there? He leaned forward. “Lacking?”
“Yes.” And without saying another word, she spun around and quickly entered the baby’s room.
Totally stunned, he watched as Erika’s door closed behind Alli. Seconds later he threw up his hand. He found her lacking? Where in the hell did she get a crazy idea like that? The last thing he thought was that she was lacking in anything. If the truth was known, he was convinced that she had an overabundance of everything, especially sensuality and passion. And he had a good mind to follow her into Erika’s room to tell her that.
Okay, he quickly decided, now was not a good time to have that sort of a discussion with her. He needed time to think and he’d already told her that they needed to talk. He realized that they needed to do more than just talk. He definitely needed to straighten her out on a few things.
“Ah, just look at you,” Alli whispered to Erika after putting the finishing touches on her hair. “Your uncle won’t even recognize you.”
Alli sighed. She’d had a lot of time to think while getting Erika dressed. Mark was right, they needed to talk. After what had happened last night and if he was uncomfortable with her being here, then she definitely would leave once he found someone to take her place. The same held true with the studio. If he felt their kiss had left it impossible for them to work together, then she would resign. It would be that simple.
She shook her head. She was fooling herself if she thought anything involving Mark Hartman was simple. But then she had known that living under the same roof with him wouldn’t be easy given her feelings for him.
She inhaled a calming breath. Maybe it was time that she realized that nothing could, or would, ever develop between her and Mark. She could now admit that for the past two years she’d been waiting for a fairy tale to happen to her. A part of her had actually wanted to believe that one day she would walk into Hartman’s Self-Defense Studio and Mark would see her with different eyes and realize she was capable of being more than just his dependable and efficient administrative assistant.
Well, okay, he had admitted that he thought she was beautiful. But she’d heard from several sources that men thought most women were beautiful; especially women they were interested in sleeping with. But now that Mark realized she couldn’t kiss worth a damn and lacked the skills to pleasure a man, she was quite certain that any interest he might have had had died a sudden death.
And maybe it was for the best. If nothing else, her father’s actions should have taught her that most men didn’t deserve a woman’s heart. All she had to do was remember the pain Arthur Lind had caused her mother to know that was true. In addition to that, Mark had told her yesterday he didn’t want children. She, on the other hand, had made it pretty clear that she wanted several, which meant the things they wanted or didn’t want out of life were vastly different.
At least with things ending this way she saved the humiliation of him finding out that she was in love with him. This way she could move on, concentrate on helping Kara finish college and then continue to live a peaceful existence for the rest of her life. It was time she began being practical and levelheaded.
Picking Erika up off the dressing table, Alli left the bedroom accepting the fact that handsome millionaires didn’t fall in love with plain old regular folk like herself and it was time she got rid of any foolish romantic notions that such a thing was possible.
Mark could not stop staring the moment he walked into the kitchen. Both Erika and Alli looked different. It was quite obvious that Alli had taken the time to fix Erika’s hair another way but the difference in Alli’s appearance was a bit more startling.
She was wearing jeans.
Forget about the western shirt she also had on; his concentration was on her jeans and just how good she looked in them. He always thought she looked good wearing pants, but nothing—and he meant nothing—compared to her wearing jeans. Maybe it would not have been obvious if, when he had walked in the room, she hadn’t been leaning over while searching inside the refrigerator.
Transfixed, he watched her move around his kitchen, unaware that he was watching her. Everything was shapely about her, lushly so, and the way the jeans fit her butt had him swallowing hard. And that wasn’t the only thing that was feeling hard. He could actually feel his blood heat up, shooting hot fluid through all parts of his body, especially one particular stop. He shifted his position when he felt his erection strain against the zipper of his own jeans.
He couldn’t help wondering how on earth he and Alli would maintain an employer-employee relationship now. Kissing her was bad enough, but having lustful thoughts about her was worse. Oh, as he had told her last night, he had wanted her for two years, yet had managed to keep his desire in check. But that was before he had tasted her and knew just how sweet and delicious she was. Now he would be hard-pressed to call her into his office without wanting to have his way with her on his desk.
“Da-da!”
Erika’s outburst mad
e Alli swing around, her gaze meeting his. Damn. He’d been caught staring. And when she reached up to get something out of his kitchen cabinet, causing the cotton shirt she was wearing to stretch tight across her breasts, he almost swallowed his tongue.
“I didn’t hear you come in,” Alli said in a breathless whisper that didn’t help the erotic thoughts flowing through his head.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” he said and walked over to where Erika was sitting in the high chair. The little girl automatically reached for him. “Da-da.”
“Mark,” he tried correcting her as he picked her up. He looked forward to the day when she would understand who he was and his role in her life. When she merely giggled and said, “Da-da,” again, he shook his head. He studied the way her hair was styled and smiled. He liked it.
He glanced up to find Alli watching him, evidently waiting to hear his opinion. “I guess braiding her hair is better since it was getting all tangled. She was beginning to make a fuss whenever I combed it.”
Alli nodded. “Yes, it will be more manageable this way.” She turned back around to the stove. “Would you like something for breakfast? I’m fixing pancakes, eggs and bacon.”
Mark wished she hadn’t turned around, giving him a view of her delectable backside. Her curves were out of this world and he couldn’t help but appreciate just how snugly her jeans fit.
“Mark.”
He blinked when she turned back and met his gaze. He had been caught staring again. “Ah, thanks for the offer but I have several appointments this morning. I had planned to come back here for lunch but I need to go out to the Windcroft horse ranch and talk to Nita.”
Alli nodded. “The Texas Cattlemen are finally taking her seriously?”
Mark placed Erika on his shoulder while he leaned against the counter. He lifted an eyebrow. “You know about what she claims is going on over there at her farm?”
Alli shrugged. “I know what she’s told me, and I have no reason not to believe her. I’ve known Nita a long time, every since Kara was small and Nita gave her riding lessons. There’s no way she would make that stuff up.”
Mark nodded as he returned Erika to the high chair. It was apparent that Alli had an idea that the Texas Cattleman’s Club did more for the community than hosting fund-raisers, but he wasn’t at liberty to disclose everything they did and felt the best thing to do would be to change the subject.
“How is your sister doing at college?” He watched as a frown puckered Alli’s forehead.
“She was doing just fine until a few days ago when she met this guy at the library.
Mark heard the concern in her voice. “Is something wrong with her meeting guys?”
Alli’s gaze narrowed. “She’s at college to get a higher education, Mark, not to meet boys. She’ll have plenty of time for a social life after she finishes school. Right now that’s the main thing I want her to focus on. She’s been making the dean’s list every semester and I want her to continue to do so.”
Mark nodded, wondering if perhaps Alli was expecting too much from her sister, but he decided it wasn’t his business to mention that fact. Alli had begun working for him the summer before Kara had started college and he had met Kara several times when she had dropped by the studio to visit with Alli. Kara was a beautiful teenager who, in his book, was a younger version of Alli. Kara had been valedictorian of her senior class and her manners had been exemplary, which was a pretty darn good indication that Alli had done a great job raising her.
One of the reasons he had offered Alli so much money to work for him was that he’d heard about the extra expenses she would be putting out to assist her sister.
“I’ll be at the studio if you need to reach me,” he said, grabbing his hat off the rack. “You also know my mobile number.”
“You haven’t forgotten that I have class tonight have you, Mark?”
He dug into his pocket for the keys to his truck. “No, I haven’t forgotten. I’ll be home for dinner. Mrs. Sanders should be here around noon. If she asks, please tell her that I’d like to have some of her fried chicken, mash potatoes and gravy. She makes the best.”
Alli smiled. “All right, I’ll tell her.”
Mark looked down at Erika and lightly pinched her cheek, making her squeal with laughter. “See you later, kid.” He then looked at Alli and forced the thought from his mind of how much he wanted to walk across the room and kiss her goodbye. “I’ll see you later, too,” he said then headed for the door.”
“Will we have our talk when you come home later?”
He stopped, turned around and met her gaze. “Yes, we’ll talk then.”
“So you’re the new nanny?”
Alli smiled at the older woman who had shown up precisely at noon just as Mark had said she would. Erika had been fed lunch and was taking a nap, and Alli decided to take that time to do the baby’s laundry. She was sitting at the kitchen table folding clothes while keeping the older woman company.
“Yes, but only on a temporary basis. I work as Mark’s administrative assistant at the studio. He needed someone to fill in here and asked me to do it for a while.”
The older woman shook her head as she tossed chicken in the bag to be floured. “I’m glad. Someone needed to help that boy with the baby.”
Alli lifted an eyebrow, remembering what Mark had told her. “But you wouldn’t,” she decided to point out to the older woman.
Still shaking her head, Mrs. Sanders smiled over at her. “No. I had my reasons and they went deeper than what I told Mark. I felt he needed time to bond with his niece. When he brought her home he was a nervous wreck. Had I pitched in and helped, he would have depended on me and would have practically ignored that child. But I saw what was needed.”
Alli leaned back in her chair. “And what was needed?”
“Time for him to get to know the baby, to remember who she was and why she was here, to figure out things about her care on his own.”
The older woman paused to peer into a pot that was cooking on the stove. In addition to making the dishes Mark had requested, she had decided to cook a huge pot of vegetable soup. She turned and met Alli’s gaze. “Erika was such a precious thing when she first got here, but like most babies she was a little fidgety, crying all the time and whimpering. Mark didn’t know how to do anything, not even change a diaper. I taught him the basics and told him the rest would come naturally. He’d learn as he went along. He caught on quick and is doing a wonderful job with her.”
Alli nodded. She had to agree with that. “Have you known Mark long?” she asked as the woman began peeling potatoes.
“Practically all his life. I came to work for his pa off and on after his mother died. Mark was only seven at the time and Matt was five. Losing their mother was like losing their best friend. Carolina Hartman was a fine woman and to this day I never knew what she saw in Nathaniel. He was cold and heartless. All he ever cared about was this land and the oil that was on it. He wouldn’t show affection of any kind, claimed it was a sign of weakness and punished his sons if they ever slipped and showed such an emotion in front of others. I remember Mark and Matt going to bed plenty of nights without supper after their mother died.”
She joined Alli at the table. “Matt got punished all the time since he was so much like his mother he couldn’t help it. Mark, on the other hand, learned to roll with the flow and did what the old man wanted so he wouldn’t get into trouble. Hell knew no fury like Nathaniel Hartman’s temper. That’s the reason both Mark and Matt got the hell out of here as soon as they finished school. Mark left for the marines and two years later Matt left to attend college out west. Both swore they would never return to Royal while the old man was living and they kept their word. The only time they came back was for the funeral to see their pa laid to rest. I was so happy for Mark when he told me that he had met someone and planned to marry. Then I was so sad when I heard what had happened to his wife and he was left all alone. Too bad they never had any children. M
ark had told me at his father’s funeral that he didn’t ever plan to have any. And he was pretty adamant about it, too.”
Alli who had just folded one of Erika’s shirts, glanced up and met Mrs. Sanders’s gaze. “Why do you think he is so unyielding about it?”
The woman shook her head sadly. “Mark thinks he will grow up to be cold and heartless like his pa. Of course I don’t believe it, which is why I wanted him to play a big part in Erika’s care, just to prove him wrong. He needs to see that he’s nothing like his old man. I’d watched him with that baby and he’s given her so much love, affection and attention that at times I don’t think he realizes that he’s doing it.”
Alli had to agree, thinking of him playfully tweaking Erika’s cheek before he left. “It’s sad that Mr. Hart man treated his sons that way. I remember hearing about it from my mom when I was younger and—”
“Your mom?” Mrs. Sanders asked with her bushy eyebrows arched.
“Yes, my mother used to do the ironing for Mr. Hartman years ago.”
Rearing back, Mrs. Sanders sat in silence for a moment while staring at Alli, as if she were trying to make a connection to her last name as well as to her features. Then Mrs. Sanders’s eyes lit up. “You’re Mildred Lind’s daughter?”
“Yes.” Alli was surprised the woman would remember her mother.
The older woman laughed as she stood and walked over to the sink. “Well, I’ll be. Now isn’t it a small world? I knew your mother. We attended the same church for a while when she first married your father. My husband and I moved away for a few years. When we returned, instead of moving back to the city, we bought us a piece of property in the country since we needed a bigger spread to raise our kids.”
She met Alli’s gaze and regretfully shook her head. “I heard your mother had passed some years ago and I was sorry to hear about it. She was a good woman and a hard worker.”
“Thank you.” Alli paused, feeling a moment of unease when she wondered if Mrs. Sanders would bring up the incident involving her father at the time of her mother’s death. News had gotten around about it when it had occurred eight years ago. It wasn’t something most people would forget; at least she knew she never would.
Strictly Confidential Attraction Page 5