Rex

by Lori Wilde

  “Mike.” Breathlessly, Sophia dashed after him, calling his name and waving her hand. The bangle bracelets at her wrist jangled merrily. “Mike, please wait up.”

  He tried to ignore the kick of excitement that rushed through him at the sight of her flushed face, but he couldn’t. Sophia’s curly, shoulder-length blond hair ruffled lightly against her high cheekbones.

  Her blue eyes glowed with a provocative inner light. The silky material of her white blouse gently accentuated the curve of her breasts, and the red skirt that stopped two inches above her knees showcased her exquisite legs. She wore a soft red scarf knotted jauntily at her neck, which gave her a pert sorority sister appearance.

  Hope rose anew. Perhaps he’d misjudged her. Maybe she wanted to take him up on his offer of lunch. Maybe she wasn’t above dating the office maintenance man after all.

  “Mike,” she said in an urgent voice, holding the glass cat in her palm. “Where did this come from?”

  “I...uh...” Had she guessed already his true identity? Had he blown his Undercover Boss persona? “What is it?”

  “The package you brought up for me.”

  “Is there something wrong with it?”

  “No. There’s nothing wrong.”

  “What’s the matter? Don’t you like it?” he asked, feeling far more anxious than he should.

  “I love the figurine.” Her eyes danced. “It’s beautiful.”

  Mike’s spirits soared. He’d pleased her!

  “How could I not like it?” She breathed. “Rex sent it to me.”

  Oh. Mike felt his smile slip.

  They were standing to one side of the passageway, a half-dozen feet from the frosted glass door of the maintenance room. The corridor lights cast a pale shadow over Sophia, highlighting her cheekbones and enhancing the shining glow in her eyes.

  “There was no return address on the package.” Sophia chattered, shredding his hopes with her enthusiasm for her absent boss. “But someone mailed it from Rascal. That means Rex is in town, doesn’t it?”

  “Are you sure your boss sent it to you?” Mike asked, referring to their mystery boss that no one in the office had ever set eyes, but nonetheless they all seemed enamored of. Confirming Mike’s long-held conviction that people only liked him because of his family name and wealth.

  “What do you mean?” Sophia’s brow furrowed. “Of course, Rex sent it to me.”

  “You said there was no return address. Did you find a card from him inside the package?”

  Sophia shook her head. “No, but read the inscription.” She turned the cat over and thrust it under his nose.

  But Mike didn’t have to read it, he knew the inscription.

  “Maybe somebody else besides your boss thinks you’re an awesome executive assistant. Could even be the big boss, Thurgood Barrington himself,” Mike ventured, wanting—no, aching—to take her into his arms and kiss those sweet lips.

  Lips he imagined tasted better than ripe strawberries and chilled champagne.

  Don’t you dare. Foolish move. Sophia didn’t want him. The woman was only interested in Rex Michael Barrington and all that his name suggested. A billion dollars of oil and gas money.

  “I’m not the assistant to the senior Mr. Barrington, so why would he give me a gift now?” she mused and stroked a manicured index finger over her chin. “But if it’s not Rex or his father, who could it be?”

  Mike shrugged. “Just about anybody who admires how well you do your job.”

  Sophia frowned. “Like who?”

  “Me, for instance.” Mike kept talking even when it would have been smart to shut up. “I think you’re a terrific executive assistant, Sophia. Believe me, I get around this building. I know who’s best at their jobs.”

  “You?” she whispered, her blue eyes rounding in surprise. “You sent me the figurine?”

  He shrugged.

  “But…but it’s quite expensive.”

  “Not that expensive.”

  “I don’t get it.” She hitched in a sharp breath. “Why would you send me a such a nice present?”

  “It’s your birthday, and I know how much you like cats. I saw it when I went to an art show with my sister last week, and I immediately thought of you.”

  “How did you know it was my birthday?” she asked.

  “A little bird told me.”

  “Emma from personnel?”

  “Maybe.”

  “You shouldn’t have done that.” Her tone tightened, and her smile disappeared.

  His present upset her? He’d thought the gift would please her.

  “I—”

  “It’s not right.” She blinked.

  Was she crying? What on earth? He reached for her. “Sophia...”

  She shied from his touch and pressed a knuckle to her eye.

  What was she so upset about? Confused, Mike stared at her. “What did I do wrong?”

  “You wanted me to think Rex sent it to me, didn’t you?” Her slender fingers curled around the glass cat she held clenched at her side. “Otherwise, why didn’t you inscribe it with your name or include a card?” A furious expression lined her face. Her eyes shot liquid fire. Her mouth screwed up into a tight pucker. “You were toying with me.”

  “I—”

  “You’re a jerk, you know that?”

  “But you want to be with me,” Mike heard himself say even though he regretted the words before they were out of his mouth. He was acting like a jerk, and yet he couldn’t seem to halt himself. “Admit it. You’re pining away for your boss because he’s got money, but I’m the one who really turns you on.”

  “In your dreams, handyman.”

  That one word, spoken with such disdain, did it. This was all kinds of wrong, and he’d done nothing remotely like this with another employee, but he had to find out for sure if she felt their attraction as strongly as he did. It had been simmering between them for weeks.

  Mike firmly grasped Sophia’s shoulder with one hand and tilted her chin upward with the other. He lowered his head until his lips were a hairbreadth from hers.

  Her chest rose and fell in self-righteous indignation, but she did not pull away.

  Their breathing came in unison, hot and heavy, and her eyes flared with interest. All it would take from her was one soft, “no” and he’d leave her alone forever.

  But she did not say no.

  Instead, she stared at him, lips trembling, eyes wide, and went up on tiptoes.

  A thrill shot through Sophia, humming against her nerve endings. The way his hand cradled her chin stirred something inside her she’d never known was there.

  Deep passion.

  But passion had no place in her logical, well-ordered life. Especially regarding Mike Barr. But there it was. Need. Lust. Desire. Strong and demanding.

  Mike was right. She wanted him. At least her body did. And that realization brought twin wheels of shame up to burn her cheeks.

  More than anyone, she knew the price of unchecked passion. Her own mother had paid dearly for that mistake, and the price was much too high for anyone to pay.

  Confusion blasted through her. How could she be so attracted to this lean muscled cowboy when her heart truly belonged to Rex Barrington? How could her own body betray her this way?

  Never mind that she longed to feel Mike’s lips pressed to hers, hot and moist. Ached to feel his tongue glide along her lips. Craved to feel his body pressed against hers. Mike would be an accomplished lover—Sophia understood that.

  Everyone in the office knew Mike had a way with women. He attracted members of the opposite sex the way clover attracted honeybees, and he didn’t even flirt.

  He possessed that bad-boy persona women adored. He was a rambler, a rover, a wanderer. He could show you a good time but little else.

  Office rumors said he stayed out late and frequently attended wild parties. He rode a Harley-Davidson to work for heaven’s sake. He was the epitome of everything her mother had warned her against for twenty-nine yea
rs.

  And still she wanted him. With a need so strong, Sophia could taste it. Rich and earthly, like mushrooms.

  His green eyes drilled into her like piercing spikes, angling down deep into her soul. Sophia sucked in air.

  Think about Rex.

  Except she seemed unable to focus on anything except the man before her. Rex wasn’t here. Mike was. Rex hadn’t bought her a birthday gift. Mike had. It wasn’t Rex’s lips promising sexy pleasure. It wasn’t Rex’s fingers igniting her skin.

  It was Mike. The office handyman. A cowboy with no future and no ambition. Mike, the self-professed rolling stone.

  Think about your father.

  That had the effect of ice water down her back. Sophia gulped and blinked up at Mike, the spell broken.

  “Please let me go,” she said.

  Instantly, Mike released her and stepped back as if shaken from a hypnotic spell of his own.

  “I... I’m sorry,” he apologized huskily. “I shouldn’t have touched you. That was inappropriate.”

  “Apology accepted,” she whispered, knowing she was as much to blame as Mike. She should have made it perfectly clear from the very beginning that she wasn’t available.

  “It won’t happen again.”

  “That’s good,” she said, but she was unsure of it.

  “I didn’t mean to offend you with the present, Sophia. I just wanted to give you something nice for your birthday. You work so hard. You deserve something special.”

  “It was a sweet thought. I didn’t mean to snap at you.” She lowered her lashes. “I guess I was just disappointed.”

  “Disappointed that the gift was from me and not from your boss?”

  She nodded wordlessly. Darn it, why was he being so sweet? She wanted to stay mad at him.

  On legs as shaky as a newborn colt’s, Sophia turned and stumbled away, the gray glass cat still clutched in her hand, a talisman of frayed daydreams and hungry passion.

  3

  “Chemistry,” Amber, Sophia’s best friend, said when Sophia had finished telling her the story of what happened between her and Mike in the basement.

  They were sitting in the employee lounge on their lunch break, snacking on mozzarella string cheese and Honeycrisp apple slices. They’d taken an early lunch, and the rest of the office had yet to descend upon the employee lounge.

  The break room, large and airy, was Sophia’s favorite spot in the building. The floor tiles were the deep salmon color of a Trans-Pecos sunset, and the walls were painted pure white. The sky-blue chairs and strategically placed potted plants accentuated the clean decor.

  Although there was an outdoor dining area with redwood tables just beyond the double glass doors, the late-August heat prevented them from venturing beyond the air-conditioning.

  “But I don’t want chemistry,” Sophia protested. “It’s too chaotic.”

  “Tell me about it.” Amber grinned. “Chemistry will get you into trouble every time.”

  Affectionately, Amber stroked her expanded belly. She was due to deliver her first baby in less than a month and would take maternity leave by the end of the week.

  Sophia felt a twinge of sadness. She would miss her friend’s sensible advice.

  “I’d rather have things nice and comfortable. I’ll take solid and dependable over chemistry any day,” Sophia said.

  “I used to think like that,” Amber said with a faraway expression in her eyes and an indulgent smile on her face. “Until Heath. He changed my whole outlook on life. He showed me the power of true love. Trust me on this, Sophia; real love creates its own stability.”

  “But why can’t I have both?” Sophia whispered, glancing around to make sure they were still the only ones in the room. “I intend to have chemistry and security…with Rex.”

  “Sophia,” Amber chided, “you can’t make someone fall in love with you.”

  “Well, he might already be in love with me. You don’t know that he’s not.”

  “You’ve never even laid eyes on the man.” Amber nibbled a cracker.

  “Amber, you should see some of the sweet text messages he sends. He’s considerate and hardworking, kind and devoted to his job, and has never said or done anything even remotely inappropriate,” she said, thinking of Mike and their almost-kiss.

  “Don’t you think that might be a sign that Rex is not as into you as you are him?”

  “Maybe, but now that he’s coming home…”

  “There’re so many landmines. He’s your boss—”

  “Nothing in our policy manual prohibits bosses from dating their employees; you just have to report your relationship to Human Resources so they can reassign one of you to a different department.”

  “Rex isn’t just a boss. He’s a Barrington.”

  “Which means a rich guy like him could never fall for a girl from the wrong side of the tracks?” Sophia felt hurt.

  Amber skipped right over that question. “I’m just afraid you’re setting yourself up for a fall.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Rex is dedicated to his job. Barrington Oil and Gas is the most important thing in his life. Rex has been in Brazil for the past ten years, and he barely comes home to see his family, not even for the holidays. Now, honestly, Sophia, would you really want a workaholic like that?”

  “I need someone I can trust to take care of a family,” Sophia admitted. “A man who can assume responsibility for paying the bills. I can’t risk ending up like my mother.”

  “Okay.” Amber spread her hands. “Devil’s advocate. Let’s say you married Rex. How are you going to feel five or ten years down the road when you’re raising the kids by yourself? Oh sure, you’re living in the lap of luxury. Big house, fancy car, all the jewelry you can wear, but where’s your husband? At the office. Or on a plane. Or in some foreign country closing the next deal. Always on the go. Always working.”

  Sophia crinkled her nose. “It doesn’t have to be like that.”

  “Be careful what you wish for.” Amber shook a finger. “You just might get it.”

  “You’re the second person who’s said that to me today,” she mumbled, thinking of Mike.

  “Remember, Sophia, you deserve the best life has to offer, and that includes a man who loves you. A man who will be your lover, your confidant, your friend. You deserve what I have with Heath. Not just a fat wallet or some disembodied voice over the telephone, but a real-life partner.”

  “I can get Rex to love me like Heath loves you,” Sophia insisted, feeling oddly desperate. “I know it.”

  As fate would have it, Mike picked that moment to walk into the break room. Had he overheard her?

  Without a sound, Mike headed for the coffeepot. For what seemed like an eternity, he puttered with sugar and creamer, opening packets, stirring his coffee.

  It was one thing for him to see the doodling on her notepad. That might mean she was just a silly romantic. But to hear her declare she would marry Rex Barrington, well, that was a different matter entirely.

  What if he spread the gossip around the office? What if it got back to Rex?

  Amber stared at Sophia, her eyes wide. No one spoke.

  The refrigerator door whispered open.

  Nibbling her bottom lip, Sophia finally dared to peek around at Mike. He was rummaging in the refrigerator, his unbelievably cute backside sticking in the air as he bent over.

  Glancing at her watch, Amber cleared her throat. “I’ve got to go, Soph. My break is over.”

  Panicked at the thought of being left alone in the room with Mike, Sophia clamped a hand on Amber’s arm and whispered, “Please don’t go.”

  Amber hesitated, halfway up from her chair.

  Sophia made prayer hands.

  Her friend nodded, then sat back down.

  Mike plucked a brown paper bag from the refrigerator and strolled across the break room toward them. Did he ever hurry? she wondered.

  He moved with the casual nonchalance of a guy who had no worries, nor ob
ligations or pressing deadlines. A man at ease in his own skin. He took the chair nearest Sophia, turned it around backward, and straddled it.

  Helplessly, Sophia’s eyes traced his powerful thighs bulging beneath the material of his tan chinos. Unbidden, she imagined those thighs completely unclothed. Yikes! She needed an icicle shower.

  “Ladies.” He nodded with a grin.

  “Hi, Mike,” Amber said.

  “When’s the little one due?” he asked, shaking his head toward her expanded tummy.

  Amber smiled and circled her abdomen with both arms. “Three and a half weeks and counting.”

  “And Heath is still making you work?” Mike pulled a sandwich from his paper sack.

  “Oh, no. Heath wanted me to quit months ago, but I promised Mr. Whitcomb,” she said, referring to the head of the department she’d transferred to after she and Heath started dating. “That I’d get everything in order for the end of the fiscal year. But Friday is my last day.”

  “So,” Mike said, focusing all of his attention on Amber and virtually ignoring Sophia, “do you know whether the baby is going to be a boy or a girl?”

  Amber blushed demurely. “We asked the doctor not to tell us the results of the sonogram. We want to be surprised.”

  “Good for you for holding out, but I don’t know how you resisted. Congratulations to you and Heath.”

  “Thank you.” Amber beamed, then to Sophia she said, “I’ll talk to you later, Sophia. I need to get back.” Slowly, Amber pushed herself up from the table. She reached to pick up the wrappers and paper cup from her lunch.

  “Leave it.” Mike shooed her away with his hand. “I’ll clean up.”

  “How thoughtful of you.” Amber smiled at him, then threw Sophia a glance that said, Give the guy a chance.

  “I’ve got to be going, too.” Sophia pushed back her chair. It scraped loudly across the tile. She picked up the remains of her lunch and noticed Mike didn’t offer to clean her mess.

  “Have a nice afternoon, ladies,” he drawled.

  “You, too, Mike.” Amber wriggled her fingers at him.