by Nina Lindsey
“You’re not doing it,” he said. “You’re not going to find some random guy to have fun with. No way.”
“You can’t tell me what to do or not do.”
“Yes, I can. Because if you’re having fun with anyone, Peach, that man is going to be me.”
Shock rolled through her. This was a joke, right? The CEO of Sugar Rush staking a claim on her as if she were a territory?
She tried to come up with some sort of indignant response (“How dare you talk to me like that? I’m a modern woman! I’ll see who I want when I want and how I want, and if you think…”).
Instead what came out was, “What makes you think I still want you?”
His grip on her wrist tightened, his fingers caressing her pulse as if he were igniting it with the sheer power of his touch. Which he rather was.
“You can’t hide what you want, Peach,” Mr. Stone said. “It’s one of the many appealing things about you. Have dinner with me.”
“What?”
“Dinner,” he repeated. “Tomorrow. I’ll pick you up at seven.”
“Um, is there a question in there somewhere?”
“No. But there will be some answers.”
The kitchen door clicked open.
“Mr. Stone, it’s almost time for your ten-thirty meeting.” A young woman who looked like a classic secretary—glasses, brown hair scraped back into a severe bun, sharp-looking suit—approached the stove. “Your brother Evan wanted to speak to you beforehand.”
“I’ll be there in a minute, Kate.”
The woman nodded and walked briskly away. Mr. Stone released Polly and stepped back. She drew in a shaky breath, trembling from the inside out.
“You know, a little politeness goes a long way,” she remarked.
“Seven,” he said.
He was clearly not a man accustomed to rejection. Polly had a sudden image of him showing up at the door of her apartment above the bakery, with its peeling paint and spider webs. She almost winced.
“I won’t be home by seven tomorrow night,” she said quickly, pulling her phone out of her pocket.
“Where will you be? I’ll pick you up.”
God, the man was a bulldozer. “No. But I’ll meet you somewhere.”
He frowned. “I’m a traditionalist. When I ask a woman out on a date, I pick her up and take her to wherever we’re going.”
“Well, I’m a progressive who likes to do things my way. So if you want me to go out with you, I’ll either meet you somewhere or we won’t go at all.”
His eyes narrowed. Trepidation fluttered in her as she suspected not many people issued ultimatums to Luke Stone.
“You can come to my place.” He gave her an address.
It sounded like he’d conceded to her, but Polly wasn’t so sure about that. It felt more like he was luring her onto his turf. And she suspected Luke Stone’s place was a world away from the badly lit basement where she’d spent much of the past few months.
“Why can’t I just meet you at a restaurant?” she asked.
“Because I’m going to drive us there.” He folded his arms across his chest. “I’m also going to pay, in case you have any obstinate ideas about that.”
Actually, given her financial circumstances, she fully intended for him to pay. She inputted his address into her phone.
“What’s your number?” she asked.
He rattled off his number, and she sent him a quick text with hers. A surreal feeling washed over her as she realized she was exchanging numbers and planning a date with the CEO of Sugar Rush, who’d just gotten all possessive about her.
What alternate universe had she just fallen into? Yes, she wanted to be a braver, more confident version of herself, but after the disaster at the Troll’s House she’d realized she should start small, like slowly tasting bits of fine chocolate instead of gobbling down a whole bar.
Luke Stone was more like diving headfirst into a rushing, melted chocolate river laced with sexy flavors like amaretto, salted caramel, and chili peppers.
He rolled down the sleeves of his shirt and picked up his suit jacket. He stepped past Polly, then paused.
“By the way, Miss Lockhart,” he said. “Yes.”
“Yes…what?”
“You asked me the other night if I have a huge bed with feather pillows,” Mr. Stone said. “The answer is yes.”
He turned and walked away.
Chapter 5
Luke couldn’t stop thinking about her. The morning after his impromptu candy-making session with Polly Lockhart, he woke with the unsettling suspicion that she might even have invaded his dreams. Not that that should have surprised him.
She was such a pretty little thing—thick-lashed brown eyes, lips shaped like a bow, brown curly hair spilling to her shoulders. She’d tasted like whipped cream, chocolate, and rainbow sprinkles. Birthday cake.
He groaned, tilting his head forward to let the water of the shower pound against his neck. After the Troll’s House encounter, he’d ensured Polly and her friend were safely in the car and on their way. Then he’d cursed himself for failing to get Polly’s last name. Because even then, he’d hated the thought that she’d go off again looking for another guy to artlessly hit on.
Then she’d shown up at the Sugar Rush kitchen yesterday with her hair all hidden beneath a plastic cap and her brown eyes wide with shock at the sight of him. He’d been shocked at the sight of her too—actually, more like something had slammed into his chest—only he knew how to hide it.
But Polly wasn’t a girl who could hide what she was feeling. She was too open, transparent, guileless. He’d known that the instant he’d turned from the pool table and seen her standing there, all flushed, bright-eyed, nervous excitement.
All sweetness.
Tension laced through Luke’s shoulders. Despite the fact that he owned a candy company, he didn’t do sweet. His women were cool, sophisticated, and carefully vetted. Polly was not. Unfortunately, that was exactly what made her so intriguing.
Well, that and the fact that she’d kissed him. And then snapped at him indignantly about his reputation. And called him a control-freak Capricorn, which was the truth. Not to mention, she was the reason he’d actually made candy, which he hadn’t done in more years than he could remember.
Dammit. He couldn’t do this. He also couldn’t not do this. He’d made a mistake coming on to Polly and asking her to dinner, but the thought of her out with another guy made him want to explode with jealousy and anger—which irritated him to no end considering he barely knew her.
Still. He couldn’t let that pretty girl loose on the town. It’d be like sending a lamb into the lion’s den. Who knew what kind of guy would take advantage of her?
By asking her to dinner, Luke was just keeping an eye on her. He’d have to make sure he wasn’t taking advantage of her, but he could do that. Much as he wanted her, he was nothing if not self-controlled.
So he’d take her to dinner, give her a brotherly lecture about the dangers a girl like her could get into, and drop her back at home with a kiss on the forehead.
Yeah. He could do that. It might kill him, but he’d do it.
He turned off the shower and switched his brain to his agenda for the day. First order of business was to confront his brother, who had been the reason Luke was at the Troll’s House at all the other night.
He took ten minutes to shave, another ten to dress, then answered a few emails while eating his usual breakfast of oatmeal and egg whites with spinach.
He got to the office three hours before anyone else, dealt with some overseas issues, put together new project teams, authorized two raises, and worked out a strategy for Sugar Rush to penetrate the “healthy candy” category.
“Morning, sir.” His executive assistant Kate Darling came in right at eight with his protein drink, her sharp gray suit and severe hairstyle signaling the start of his day interacting with employees. “Board meeting at nine.”
“Is Evan in yet? He was su
pposed to be back from San Francisco by seven.”
“He just arrived. I believe he’s in his office.”
Luke stood and shrugged into his suit jacket. “Graphics is sending up a new design for the retro packaging. Bring it into the boardroom when it arrives, please.”
“Yes, sir.” Kate handed him the meeting agenda.
Luke took it and went down the hall to his brother’s office, where the door displayed a plaque reading Evan Stone, Vice-President of Marketing.
Evan looked up when Luke entered. Tension thickened the air. A renewed wave of resentment flooded Luke.
“You want to explain why you didn’t tell me that Crown Foods approached you to take their chief operating officer position?” he asked, trying to keep his voice even.
Evan’s mouth tightened. “When did you find out?”
“Dad told me the other night. I tried calling you, but you didn’t answer.”
Guilt flashed in Evan’s eyes. Luke sat in the chair in front of the desk, his shoulders tight. Not for a second did he think his brother would ever actually leave Sugar Rush, but he hated that Evan hadn’t even told him that a competitor had approached him.
“What would you have done if I’d told you?” Evan asked.
“Told the Crown CEO to stop trying to poach from my company.”
“Exactly. Your company. And you’d have yelled at me that I was betraying Sugar Rush by even thinking about leaving.”
Luke stared at his brother. “You would be betraying Sugar Rush. How could you even consider working for a competitor?”
“They’re not a candy competitor.”
“They’re a snack foods company, which means they’re going after a similar consumer base,” Luke snapped. “What did you tell them?”
“You really need to ask me that?”
Luke dragged his hands over his face, hating that he’d even hinted he would ever mistrust his brother. Two years younger than Luke, Evan had been his partner-in-crime for most of their young lives—partly because they’d always gotten along well and partly because of Evan’s heart condition, which motivated Luke to take on the role of vigilant, overprotective older brother. Not that Evan had needed protecting, given that he’d always been better than Luke at everything except sports.
Still, they’d become even closer when their parents had more children, with Luke not wanting Evan to be overshadowed by their younger siblings. Evan had never resented Luke’s protectiveness, but he’d been such a success—class valedictorian, scholarships, awards—that even without Luke he’d never have been overshadowed by anyone.
“Look, I get it,” Evan said. “You know that. But you also need to loosen your grip on our company. Your insistence that all ideas go through you is creating a bottleneck, and you won’t let anyone else handle the Alpine acquisition. If you don’t get back to delegating and trusting people to follow through, then we’re going to have another exodus.”
Luke was silent. He’d developed an iron-clad hold on Sugar Rush over the past year, but he’d been the reason the company’s profits, which had been climbing steadily for twelve years, suddenly nosedived.
He’d been the reason three of their top executives had jumped ship. Worst of all, he’d been the reason his family had been slandered. When the CEO of a venerable family-owned candy company became the center of an ugly, dragged-out paternity scandal, that shit hit the fan like a bullet train.
“I wouldn’t doubt that Crown approached me because they heard things are grim around here,” Evan continued. “It’s only a matter of time before other companies start sniffing around.”
Luke grabbed a handful of Sweeties from the bowl on Evan’s desk. He tossed a couple into his mouth, the hard-shelled fruit candies making a satisfying crunch with every bite. Hailey’s favorite. Funny how he could remember all of his siblings’ favorite candy.
“Luke, if you want to change things around here, give me the acquisition of Alpine Chocolate,” Evan said. “Prove to the C-suite you still know how to delegate strategically.”
Luke hesitated a flash of a second too long. Evan nodded.
“Yeah,” he muttered. “That’s what I thought.”
“Come on, man.” Frustration flooded Luke’s chest. “They came to me two months ago. With the new facility in Bern getting off the ground, I have to handle Alpine.”
“No. You insist on handling Alpine.” Evan frowned. “Meanwhile, I’m still spinning my wheels running marketing reports and focus groups and doing the grunt work that David doesn’t want to bother with. And you told the board Sam should spearhead the Fair Trade Foundation, so that leaves me out again.”
“That’s what this is about? You’re still mad about the Fair Trade Foundation?”
Evan’s frown deepened. “The foundation was my idea.”
“And I told you before I went to the board that I can’t afford to lose you,” Luke said. “To get the foundation structure in place, you’d have to travel to all of our regional centers, probably nine months out of the year. I wanted Sam to do it because I need you here.”
“You wanted Sam to do it because you still don’t believe I’m capable of that kind of work.”
Luke couldn’t respond. Because it was the truth. Evan could do the job. He’d always been good at everything. But Luke would not send his brother out on a grueling travel itinerary that involved trekking to remote farms in Africa and South America to inspect processing facilities, set up technical training, and build strategies to improve local infrastructures.
“I’m sorry, man,” he said. “I can’t. But if you want more responsibilities here, I’ll give them to you.”
“It’s not about responsibilities.” Evan turned back to the computer, frustration flashing in his eyes. “It’s about making an impact and doing some good. It’s about me being part of the company in the way I want, which means without you sidelining me at every turn.”
His “sidelining” came partly from Evan’s health issues, which had intensified his protective streak. And he would not let Evan run off to remote areas where hospitals were five hundred miles apart, if they existed at all. If Luke had to be the bad guy to ensure his brother’s safety, then fine. He’d take the hit.
“Okay,” he finally said. “I’ll reassess, talk to Carson. Maybe we can get you on board with the China division.”
Evan’s shoulders slumped, his gaze fixed on the computer screen.
“Remember that you didn’t build up Sugar Rush by being a dictator,” he said. “You did it through great leadership and a focus on our company heritage. You’re losing sight of both those things.”
Not wanting to hear any more of the truth, Luke pushed up from the chair. “Board meeting in ten.”
He left Evan’s office and went to the boardroom. He hadn’t been able to shield his family from the bad publicity wrought by the paternity suit. Though they hadn’t wavered in their support of him, even when he’d come close to losing his job amidst the scandal, the damage had been done.
And regardless of Evan’s warnings, Luke would fix the damage or die trying. His brother was right about corporate headhunting, though it still galled him that Evan hadn’t told him about Crown Foods. Maybe because he and Evan didn’t hang out together anymore, what with Luke’s self-imposed work schedule.
The other night had been the first time in months he’d gone to the Troll’s House to grab a drink and shoot pool. After hearing about Crown’s attempt at poaching, he’d needed a distraction.
Which had unexpectedly come in the form of Polly Lockhart.
Luke tried not to think about the fact that if Evan had been at the Troll’s House with him, he would very likely not have ended up kissing Polly in the back corridor.
And wouldn’t that have been a damn shame.
Reminding himself of his resolve to protect Polly the way he did everyone else, he blocked another memory of her as Evan and the other executives came into the room. The meeting began with a finance report, followed by updates on t
he new vitamin-infused lollipops and edible candy pencils.
After two hours, the meeting ended. Luke returned to his office and tossed his briefcase onto the sofa, turning as his father came in.
“Paula down in HR called me yesterday.” Warren closed the door and sat on a chair in front of the desk.
Luke sighed. Paula in HR had been with Sugar Rush for thirty years, which meant she’d known all the brothers since they were kids. Under normal circumstances, that would have been nice for a family-run company, but it also meant that Paula looked a little too closely at employee records and got nosy about things that weren’t her business.
“She said you have three months of outstanding vacation time and haven’t requested any of it,” his father remarked. “I thought you were planning a trip to Hawaii.”
“Yeah, uh…” Luke scratched his head. He’d told his father that to get Warren off his case about working too hard. “Hotel was booked.”
Warren frowned. “Come on, Luke. You need a vacation.”
After his encounter with Evan and the knowledge that other corporations might be sniffing around Sugar Rush again, the last thing Luke wanted or needed was a vacation.
“I can’t take one right now, Dad. Not with the Alpine Chocolates acquisition about to get off the ground.”
“You need a vacation,” his father repeated. “A real vacation, not one of those fake ones where you say you’re taking time off and you end up in meetings or working from your hotel room.”
“I took time off a few months ago.”
“You took two days off and worked from home,” Warren corrected, frustrated anger hardening his expression. “You haven’t taken a single day off since the board agreed to let you stay on as CEO.”
“I haven’t take—”
Warren held up his hand. Luke fell silent. His father was still the only person in the world who could silence him with one gesture.
“You don’t have to punish yourself anymore, son.”
“I’m not.”
“Then prove it by taking some time off.” His father pushed up from the chair, looking at him from beneath his heavy eyebrows. “I want that vacation time used by the end of the year. Your mother would hate to know that you’re pushing yourself to breaking point.”