Double Dare (35 page)

She loved him, but if she stopped to think about all that had happened, confusion swamped her. She took a moment to look at him, to consider what would happen when they were alone, what would be said. She had to know.

* * * *

Zac followed her in and closed the door behind them. He'd seen every tiny reaction pass over her, felt her every change of mood. Each expression of shock and indignation hurt him that bit more, each hint of tenderness like a gift of hope. He waited to hear what she was going to say, giving her the chance to begin.

She folded her arms emphatically, her papers still clutched in one hand. "I should never speak to you again after what you just put me through." She crushed her papers against her chest defiantly and waited for his response.

"I thought you handled it very well," he replied after a moment, deadly serious.

She glanced at him with a warning note in her eyes, but he wasn't teasing her now. He had led her to this. Now it was her turn. They stood motionless a moment, captured in time by their conjunction, their destiny.

"You kept your head while all around you people were losing theirs," he added.

"I'm flattered that you were listening to my ramblings." Her expression was controlled but he could see that her arms were tense across her chest. "But maybe I'm just a good actress."

"Of course I listened. I listened to every word you've said."

"You listened because you didn't trust me." She stared at him, the hurt obvious in her eyes.

"I admit that and I'm sorry. But you soon showed me how wrong I was."

"It was because I lied, wasn't it? And because you'd been hurt before?"

He nodded. "Once I realized my error, I had to find a way out of the pit I'd dug myself into. I love you, Abby. I had to find the right way to handle this."

She looked poised, and yet she awaited his explanation. He wanted to take her into his arms but restrained himself.

"The best I could do for you was to show you how much I loved you, and let you do what you do so well. You told me how important it was for you to remain professional. I respect that. I wanted to let you do that, but I was there for you every step of the way."

"I know you were, I can see that. But why didn't you tell me I was working for you?"

"At first I thought why complicate things? Then I realized something more important, that I wanted us to negotiate our relationship on our own terms, not those forced on us by our circumstances. When I invited you to Paris, it was because I wanted us to be alone, to be ourselves."

"But you knew. You had me at a disadvantage."

He shrugged. "That was no easy thing to carry, believe me. This last week has been hell for me, trying to decide what would be best for you. I've wanted to tell you every second of every day, but once I felt I understood you, I realized how important your work is to you and I didn't want to step in the way of your professionalism. In the end I decided to walk the line, to let you do your job and to try to show you how I felt in a way that you would remember after this strange moment in time has passed."

Her eyes flickered. "When did you know? Did you already know when you came here with the courier package?"

"No, not until after that. When I gave you my card, I didn't know. I wanted to know you, the woman. That was my only motivation. After that, things got complicated."

"You knew when I came to The Hub."

"Yes, by then I'd taken over. When you came to The Hub I tried really hard to resist getting involved." He shrugged. "I couldn't."

She stared at him, listening. Then she frowned. "I feel as if I should've known."

"Why? You could never have guessed. This was no ones fault, it just happened. We just happened. But we were meant to."

She nodded, silent as she took in his words.

He never tired of looking at her, eating her up with his eyes. "Today and what it signifies doesn't have any bearing on how much I want you or how I've felt about you since I met you. Abby, I believe that this isn't about what and who we are, it's about a connection that would have happened whatever jobs we did and how we met."

"You were at the auction, at Fitzsimmons, weren't you?"

He stared at her, shocked that she'd seen him. "Yes. I'm sorry. I had to know before I left for Paris. I wanted you to get the place so badly. The night before, we..." He remembered the night, and he ached for her.

She nodded when his words trailed away. "I know. The castle purchase became special. The whole time I was looking at it, I was thinking of you."

He nodded. Relief hit him and hit him hard. He needed to know. "Did you mean what you said in Paris? Do you still feel the same?"

"I did. I love you, Zac, you know that. But this is a lot for me to take in. You were demanding a level of trust that might have been beyond me."

"Might have?"

"Might have." A tinge of amusement warmed her expression.

He felt the barriers between them falling away, and his chest filled with emotion. "Where do we go from here?"

She turned away from him slowly.

"Tell me about this job," she said, carefully.

Hope had him firmly in its grip. She hadn't thrown him out, screamed or accused him of all sorts of dishonest activities. But then she wouldn't would she, logic said she'd keep her head.
God, he loved her
.

She wandered further into the office and shifted something on her desk, dropping her papers onto it and sitting on the edge of it.

He looked around the space, taking her other life into his consciousness. They still had so much more to learn about each other, it was going to be good. He began to walk in her path.

"I would want you to take full responsibility for all matters relating to the Ashburn account. You would be independent. I'm aware that you need that." He paused significantly and looked at her. "You may even want to work from your own company, as a consultant for us."

Her eyes glistened softly. That meant a lot to her, he knew it would. "Go on."

He reached into his pocket to pull out some papers.

"A draft contract for your perusal." He moved closer to her. His gaze roamed her body and he stroked the folded sheets over her shoulder, to lie across her breast.

"You've taken a lot for granted." She arched her eyebrow at him, but a gentle smile lifted the corners of her beautiful mouth.

He wanted to kiss her and take her in his arms. "No," he said and assured her that he didn't with a serious expression. "But I like to have every eventually covered." He reached down to kiss her gently on the lips.

She leaned up to meet the kiss, as hungry as ever for him.

He pulled away after a moment and reached into his pocket again. "However, I have taken the liberty of booking us a flight to Ireland next weekend. I thought you might like to come and look over this property I recently acquired?"

"You've got a bloody cheek, Zachary Bordino." Her eyes flashed at him and her hand rose as if to slap him.

He stood his ground and waited for her hand to fall, but it paused before it touched him and slowed its pace to stroke across his face instead. Then it slid down to his jaw and her thumb rested on his lips.

She still wanted to have him. Life was worth living.

"Zac," she whispered, calling him to her.

He smiled and covered her hand with his.

"Here, I'm right here, my love," he murmured. Then he closed on her and kissed her deeply.

She stood against him and slid her hands inside his jacket, running them over his chest and up his back.

He flexed under her touch, responding to her readily.

"What about working my notice?" Her eyes twinkled suggestively. She was thinking what he was thinking, he could tell.

"We could try to get you fired. I'm sure there's something in your contract about not having sex with the clients."

"True." Her hands moved down and closed over the taut line of his buttocks as he drew the material of her dress up with his hands.

"But maybe we should do it right here, now, just to be sure." The skirt swished up over her legs and he slid his hand under it to stroke the back of her thigh and caress its inner softness.

She smiled, pressed her hips into him and dropped her head back, looking into his eyes. "If I do accept the contract you're offering, I would want lots of extras with the job."

Her hand embraced his erection.

"I could have it written in to the contract."

Her beautiful cat's eyes were burning from the inside, her breath hot on his face. She caressed his cock through his pants and it swelled readily against her hand.

"That's okay," she said, laying back on the desk and pulling him over her. "I think I can trust you with that."

Epilogue

Six months later

Abby wiped the steam off the mirror and peered at herself. Her skin was glowing, her eyes bright. The pure Irish air had done her good, even if it was brisk and fresh to the point of icy, at this time of year. The seasonal beauty was even more mesmerizing than she had dreamed with roaring skies overhead, the smell of smoke from peat fires wisping across the rolling landscape from the distant cottages, and the joy of drinking hot toddies in the local pub after a windswept walk on the shore.

She shrugged on her robe and glanced around the bathroom as she tied it. The fitments were superb, beyond her wildest hopes for the restoration. She noticed that the bathroom was somewhat reminiscent of the hotel they stayed at in Paris, but maybe that was her subconscious intention. She had put a personal stamp on features like this, when she'd got together with the interior designer they hired for the project.

The suite was another fine salon in style, breathtakingly decorated in luxurious fabrics, but it was the bathroom in particular that reflected the surrounding landscape, so that it was personal to the building and its location. Large moss-colored marble titles covered the walls and floor, where an ornate bathtub was sunk beneath soft hazy spotlights. The inset tiles around the tub were the colors of the sea where it merged into the rich mottled greens of the land. Under the hazy light from the sunken spotlights it was a treasure trove, a cave of sensuality. It functioned as a wet room and coming in from a day walking on the shore and stepping into the shower and all this gorgeous color was perfect, a union between the land the sea and the house.

"They've done so well with the fitments," she called out.

"I think we should keep this suite for ourselves," Zac replied from the bedroom.

She couldn't help chuckling. It was the only part of the restoration that was fully complete. He'd insisted on it so they could be here at this time of year, when snow was expected. "This is the show suite. You'll never make any money if you want to keep everything for us."

"Let's have less of the investment manager advice and more about taking time for the important things in life, please."

She heard the phone ringing, then his voice as he answered it.

She shook out her hair, pulling it as straight before it dried. By the time she rejoined him in the bedroom he was nearing the end of his conversation and laughing into the phone.

He looked like the Lord of the Manor, so darkly handsome, dressed in a black robe and laid out on the many pillows and cushions on the big white bed, and so he should. Her dark prince. She walked over to the window and once again admired the fabulous view, while he completed his call.

After he put the phone down he sauntered over and joined her. Standing behind her, he nestled her in against his warm body. Together they looked out across the grounds at the beautiful shoreline. On the other side of the castle the view was of rolling fields, miles and miles of lush countryside. It was so different to their vibrant city life—now divided between Paris and London, until Pharamonds was ticking over—and it was such a perfect extreme. Like the ebb and flow of the tide, they tuned into each and every difference, enjoying it together.

He kissed her ear. "Happy?"

"Oh yes."

"That was Suzanne."

"Problems?"