She slid her arms up around his neck and he dropped his hands to her waist, pulling her closer, nestling her against proof that he wanted her as much as she wanted him. Standing on tiptoe in the wool socks out of his dresser, she kissed him with everything she had, everything that was in her heart.
It was a while before Brady dragged his mouth from hers and struggled to catch his breath. “You pack quite a wallop, lady, and not just throwing snow.”
There was desire in his eyes, but it was laced with something that looked a lot like surprise.
He hadn’t expected to want her?
So why had he kissed her? The last time it had been about challenge and restoring his reputation. Moments ago she’d thought he was caught up in the moment, just as she was. But what if it was something more underhanded? Like part of a campaign to convince her to stay.
Her best day ever just went south and she took a step back, out of his arms.
“Nice try, Brady.”
“What?” His eyes narrowed as he blew out a breath, on his way to regaining control.
“You’re trying to trip me up.” She hoped she was wrong, but if not, he’d stooped that low, so why shouldn’t she? “That was an attempt to drive a wedge between me and Leonard.”
“Believe me when I tell you that just now Leonard never crossed my mind.” His voice was deep, edgy, just this side of dangerous.
If only she didn’t find that so darned exciting.
Olivia gripped the elastic waistband of the sweatpants she was wearing. Partly to keep them from falling off, but also to keep him from seeing that her hand was shaking. That wouldn’t project the image she was going for in forcefully declaring that seducing her wouldn’t work. “Okay. You didn’t deserve that. But this needs to be said. Whatever crossed your mind just now isn’t a good idea.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
“This was nothing more than a weak moment.” Olivia did her best not to be disappointed that he didn’t try to change her mind. “And weak moments are the best way to ruin a perfectly wonderful friendship.”
“Right again.” He dragged his fingers through his hair.
“So we understand each other. Good.” It gave her some satisfaction that his hand was shaking, too. “I’m going to put my wet clothes in the dryer now.”
“Okay.”
She started out of the kitchen, leaving the mug of hot chocolate that was now cold. In the doorway she stopped and looked at him. “This has to be said, too. Just in case you’re thinking that I’ll have another weak moment for you to capitalize on and take something to the next level, you should know that it’s not going to happen.”
Without waiting for a response, she left the room, wondering if she’d become a proficient enough liar to convince him he couldn’t take her to bed. Because if he ever kissed her like that again, he could take her anywhere he wanted to go.
* * *
Several days later Brady walked into his kitchen to open a bottle of wine. His gaze was drawn to the spot by the island where he’d stood with Olivia when the need to kiss her and touch her had overwhelmed his rational thought and common sense. Though she was in the other room with O’Keefe Technology’s chief website designer, the same feeling overtook him.
He suddenly realized that he could never be in this room again without thinking about her, wanting her. What was he supposed to do with that information? She was determined to leave—and had flat out said that seducing her into changing her mind wouldn’t work. The devil of it was when he’d kissed her, he’d had no ulterior motive. The only thing on his mind was having her; it had nothing to do with talking her into staying.
“Brady?” Olivia’s voice came from behind him. “Do you need help?”
Yes, but not the way she meant.
Brady braced himself, then turned to look at her. Fortunately Ian Bradshaw was there, too.
“Why don’t you get some glasses, Liv?” He looked at his friend. “Is a Jordan Cab okay with you?”
“One of my favorite wines.”
Ian had come to Blackwater Lake a couple days early for the employee weekend so they could get some business out of the way before the fun started. Because Brady was breaking the news about her leaving the company, Olivia had agreed to his request to stay for this meeting. Now, for the first time ever, he had mixed feelings about her sitting in on business.
Ian Bradshaw was over six feet tall with dark hair and eyes. They’d met in college and became friends. When Brady grew his company to the point of expanding, he’d thought of his buddy to take over website design so Brady could focus on the business end of things. Olivia had once said Ian was very good-looking and could leave his shoes under her bed any time.
The comment had annoyed him and he hadn’t understood why. Now he wondered if it was jealousy that had been simmering for a very long time.
“How was the weather in California?” Olivia asked.
The other man leaned back against the counter and crossed his legs at the ankles. “Cold.”
“Define cold,” she said wryly.
“About sixty.”
“Oh, my. However do you stand it? Makes me shiver just thinking about it.” She took the filled wineglass and handed it to their guest.
“What?” Ian said. “Does it really get that cold here?”
“Yes.” She grinned.
“Then you’ll be very happy when you leave Blackwater Lake.”
“I have mixed feelings about the move,” she admitted.
While he poured wine into the other two glasses, Brady listened to them banter and decided the teasing behavior could be called flirting. Leonard would be jealous. However, if there really was a Leonard, he would challenge Brady to a duel for what had happened in this very room.
“Do you want me to put together some appetizers? It could be awhile before dinner.”
“Don’t go to any trouble,” Ian protested.
“You always say that.” Olivia smiled. “Makes me want to fuss over you.”
That comment twisted Brady’s gut into knots. He took a healthy sip of wine, then asked his friend, “How’s Georgia?”
“We split up.” Ian’s mouth pulled tight and when he looked up, his expression was bleak and colder than the dead of winter in Montana. “After losing our son, the odds of our marriage surviving were against us, but we were determined to beat them.” He shrugged. “We didn’t.”
Olivia made a sympathetic sound and touched his arm. “I’m so sorry to hear that. Are you all right?”
“Fine as I can be. Georgia, too. We just weren’t fine together anymore.”
“If there’s anything I can do—” Brady didn’t like knowing there was a problem without a solution. It was messy and complicated and why he didn’t get serious or personal.
“You’re keeping me busy,” Ian said. “That’s the best thing for me.”
“Good. Let’s go sit in the family room. Relax.”
“You two go ahead,” Olivia said. “I’ll make up a few snacks. It’s no trouble.”
The two of them walked into the other room and sat on the leather corner group, at a right angle to each other. There were coasters on the dark wood coffee table, thanks to his ever-efficient executive assistant. Not for the first time he wondered what he’d do without her. But the feeling was becoming less about business. It was personal.
Brady made small talk with Ian and a few minutes later Olivia brought a tray of cheese, crackers, olives and marinated mushrooms along with plates, forks and cocktail napkins. Left to his own devices, he was pretty sure it would be a bag of chips and a can of peanuts. Mixed nuts, if he was feeling in a gourmet frame of mind.
“Here you go, gentlemen.” She set everything out, then sat beside Brady. But far enough away so that no part of their bodies touched.
Still, he could feel the heat from her body and that was exceedingly distracting.
“Okay, guys.” She looked at each of them. “It’s time to entertain me with college stories. Tales of your misspent youth.”
“You’ve heard all the good ones,” Ian said. “If there were any more, neither of us would have graduated.”
Brady felt a jab, because he hadn’t technically graduated. He’d left before finals in his senior year. Burnout was a bitch.
“There was that art class we took,” he said.
“I’d forgotten about that.” Ian’s grin was immediate and wicked with memories.
“Go on.” Olivia looked at each of them. “What? No details? Let me help. What kind of art class? Origami? Sculpture? Water colors? History of Impressionism?”
Brady smiled at his friend and at the same time they both said, “Sketching.”
“I have a feeling where this is going, but let me be the straight man.” She tapped her lip. “Did you draw flowers? Landscapes? Ocean scenes?”
“The human body,” Ian clarified.
“Parts? Hands, arms, feet? Noses? Mouths?” she asked sweetly.
“All of the above. At first,” Brady said. “Then we put the parts together.”
“The final exam was a live model.” Ian’s voice was full of wistful nostalgia. “Nude.”
“The professor said yours had two heads,” Brady reminded him.
“It was shadowing,” Ian protested. “I think that was my only B in college.”
Olivia tried to look stern and disapproving but couldn’t hold back the laughter. “You guys are pigs.”
“Oink,” Ian said.
“Thank you.” Brady grinned at her. He loved making her smile. It just plain made him feel good inside.
“Do you remember Henry’s sketch?” Ian asked. “He drew a stick figure.”
Brady’s smile faded. He still missed his best friend, the one he’d followed to that particular college where they’d almost finished growing up together.
“Are you talking about Henry Milton?” Olivia looked at each of them.
“That’s right.” Ian’s smile was melancholy around the edges. “The art class was his idea, and he was quite clear that naked girls were the reason we should take it.”
Olivia nodded then looked at Brady. “He was your best friend in high school, no?”
“Yes.” The loss and waste of such a brilliant mind and sparkling wit got to Brady as if it had happened yesterday.
Olivia was staring at him, but before she could say anything, Ian’s cell phone rang. He took it from the case hooked on his belt and looked at the ID. “Sorry. I have to take this. It’s from my assistant. Could be awhile.”
“You can go in the office,” Olivia said. “It’s quiet in there.” Olivia put her hand on Brady’s arm as Ian walked out of the room. “What’s wrong? And before you say nothing, you should know I’m not letting you blow me off. It’s about Henry. You were fine until Ian mentioned him. Wasn’t he killed in a car accident?”
“Yeah. Our last semester of college. We were rear-ended and the guy was going so fast we were pushed into a tree. Henry died instantly.”
“And you weren’t hurt,” she guessed.
“Bumps and bruises.” He shook his head. “It wasn’t that long after my dad died.”
“I knew about the accident but didn’t put it together that it was so soon after losing your father. The loss still affects you deeply.” Statement, not question.
Brady nodded. “One minute Henry was alive and we were full of plans for the future. The next he was gone.” He looked at her, the sympathy swirling in her eyes nearly shattered him. “He was like the brother I never had. When we weren’t in art class, we were working on computer technology. After graduation we planned to start the business together.”
“Is that why you didn’t take finals?” she asked. “Because Henry couldn’t?”
“I don’t know.” But probably.
“And sometimes your accomplishments feel disloyal?” she asked.
“He never had a chance to see our plans come to be.”
She nodded thoughtfully. “Here’s the thing...I could tell you to stop it, but I know you and that’s not the way you roll. So, think about it this way. Your friend is still here.”
“Come on, Liv—”
“Seriously,” she protested. “If not for knowing him, you wouldn’t be the man you are. The businessman you are. Henry is in every product you’ve developed, every client signed on, every new app. Every time the business grows it’s because of ideas the two of you brainstormed together. Even the new corporate offices will have a part of him.”
“Maybe a plaque in the lobby with his name on it. A public dedication.”
“Great idea,” she said. “If you could change what happened, you would. If you could bring him back, you would. No one doubts that, but it’s not possible. All you can do is make sure he continues to live in hearts and memories.”
It was weird, Brady thought, the sensation that a weight had just lifted from his chest. As if she’d given him absolution. He dragged air into his lungs.
“Thank you, Liv. I never thought about it like that.” He drew her into his arms. Just a hug, he told himself. But the fresh, pure scent of her skin, her hair, made him crave more.
He pulled back a little, but didn’t let her go. Staring at the tempting curve of her mouth, he recognized the irresistible feeling coming over him again. Kissing her was something he wanted so much his chest ached from it and he started to lower his mouth to hers.
“Okay. If anything changes call me back.” Ian was just outside the room.
Olivia slid away from him and folded her hands in her lap, the image of a good schoolgirl who’d almost been caught doing something wicked and wild. She could try and say this temptation was about trying to get her to stay, but that wasn’t it at all.
This wasn’t about O’Keefe Technology. It had nothing to do with the fact that the clock was ticking and she’d be gone soon. What he felt was far more simple and basic than that. Kissing her had tapped into his lust and he couldn’t forget about it, no matter how hard he tried. He wanted her.
And as she’d told him more than once, he always got what he wanted.
* * *
It was Friday night and the O’Keefe Technology employee-appreciation-weekend cocktail-party kickoff was getting started. Olivia’s feelings were conflicted on every level. Relief that the big shindig was finally here. Sadness because it was finally here and she’d be leaving soon. Then there was her personal confusion about the mixed signals Brady had been sending her.
Since she’d given her notice, he’d kissed her twice, the best kisses she’d ever had. In between he’d taken her out for a romantic dinner that ended with a brotherly buss on the cheek. What was that about?
Then, a few days ago, she’d realized how deeply Brady was still affected by the deaths of his father and best friend. It didn’t take a talented shrink to realize he kept a distance from people. No one was going to get past his defenses and put him in a position to be hurt again.
Right now she didn’t have time to think about the fallout from that revelation. She was sitting at a table in the lobby of the Blackwater Lake Lodge to check in employees and hand out name tags along with a list of activities for the following day. So far she’d been too busy to appreciate the Lodge’s gorgeous stone fireplace that rose to the second floor. There was a cozy couch and club chairs in front of it where people sat and chatted. Area rugs in earth-tone colors covered the wood floor and the registration desk was behind the table set up for her to cross off names as employees came in.
Two men and a woman stopped in front of her and she recognized them from the Los Angeles area office. She smiled brightly and said, “To
ny Shay, George Collier and Carrie Atkins. Welcome.”
The blonde woman in her early twenties looked impressed. “Olivia! It’s great to see you again. Thanks for remembering us. You have a good memory.”
“It’s a gift.” She heard footsteps just before Brady stopped beside her table.
She looked up and her breath caught. That happened sometimes when it completely sneaked up on her how handsome he was. Tonight he was wearing tan slacks and a navy blazer with gold buttons. Dress code was casual for everyone, but he’d upped his game tonight and she had the thready pulse and heart flutters to prove it.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“It’s my party.”
“I mean here at check-in,” she amended.
“Just wanted to help you greet my employees.”
“Okay, then. Have you guys met our boss, Brady O’Keefe?”
She held out her hand to indicate the three who’d just arrived and she made introductions.
Tony looked impossibly geeky. Straight brown hair, dark eyes and square-framed black glasses could do that to a computer guy. “On her last trip to Los Angeles, Olivia mentioned that there were changes coming to the company. Should we be concerned about downsizing? Layoffs?”
“Absolutely not,” Brady said. “We have expansion plans for the near future. I need to hire more ambitious, smart young people like the three of you.”
“That’s a relief.” George looked like a surfer with his sun-bleached blond hair and blue eyes. “I was thinking about buying a house.”
“You might want to wait on that until after tomorrow night’s announcement,” Brady said.
“Why don’t you tell us now?” Carrie coaxed.
“My lips are sealed until dinner tomorrow. And speaking of secrecy—” There was a look in his eyes and Olivia knew she wouldn’t like what he was going to say. “When you saw Olivia on her last trip to L.A., did she mention a man? Someone special?”
The three of them looked at each other with blank expressions. Carrie was their spokeswoman. “I don’t recall her talking about anyone outside of work.”
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