Driven to Temptation (11 page)

The hell of it was that Aidan knew he wasn’t
that
guy. He couldn’t sit there and take a forkful of cheesecake on his lap, then laugh about it.

And he didn’t want to stifle her the way he’d stifled Elizabeth.

In the end, how long could Delaney live with that? Live with someone like him?

Not too long. Not long at all.

Which meant he had to make the most of their time together. He had to make
these
memories last.

Chapter Nineteen

Day two, and the crowds were definitely thicker.

Delaney stood off to one side while workers set up lights and portable speakers around the Ross and Associates
booth. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. The heels were taller than she was used to wearing, but surprisingly comfortable. And they definitely made her legs look a mile long.

She eased in a deep breath and glanced out over the crowd with a smile.

“We’ll wire you up,” the conference worker told her, “then you’ll be ready to go. Give us five minutes.”

“Great.”

This was it. What she’d worked toward since she started at Ross and Associates a few years ago. And definitely since she’d started building this presentation.

She belonged here.

She calmly breathed out as reality hit. There was a ton of people out there—potential clients—waiting to hear what she had to say.

Her mouth dried. What if she failed?

A surge of panic chased through her now, one she had to tamp down. She could do this. Because compared to crawling back to her family, back to the I-told-you-sos, and back to their insistence she needed to settle down, marry an engineer, and become a stay-at-home wife, facing this crowd was nothing.

She wouldn’t fail. Would. Not.

She adjusted the wireless mic clipped to the lapel of her jacket.

“You look great,” Aidan said beside her. He stood a respectful distance away, and when she turned his gaze held hers.

He wasn’t touching her, wasn’t saying or doing anything that wasn’t professional, and still, her breath caught on an invisible line that seemed to tether them together.

“Thank you.” The whispered words were followed by a smile. “I won’t let you down.”

“You couldn’t ever let me down.”

“You don’t think so?”

The corners of his mouth tipped up. “I
know
so.” He shoved his hands in the pockets of his trouser pants like he, too, was trying to restrain himself.

She glanced toward the audience. “Look at the crowd. You didn’t somehow burn an offering at Chinaman Hat, did you?”

“Nah. We’re not that desperate. Besides, you’re going to be great. You’re one of the brightest engineers I know.”

“What?” She feigned surprise. “Not
the
brightest?”

He shrugged, and a corner of his mouth lifted up slightly. “You come a close second to me.”

She snorted out a laugh. “Funny guy.”

His face wore the perpetual mask she’d come to know was just that. A mask. Hiding the real Aidan underneath.

Deep down, where no one could see, he was a guy who was more emotionally attached than he’d ever allow himself to believe. Marcus, whom he’d mentored. Grant, his foster brother. Dare she believe she might fall in that category one day?

“Do you plan to stare at me all afternoon?”

“Maybe,” she answered softly.

“Might be hard to do.” He tapped his wristwatch. “You’re on in less than a minute.”

She let out a dramatic sigh. “Slave driver.”

“Me?” The flash of desire in his eyes zapped her to the core. “Have you already forgotten last night? On the desk? Or do I have to remind you?”

The memories came flooding back, moments woven together that she’d examined several times today, each time cherishing his touch, his smile, everything about him. She winked. “Maybe later. I’ve got a presentation to rock.”

And then she was on.

The words flowed, the statistics she shared seemed to sink in, and the slides she had on the screen were amazing, even to her.

Maybe Aidan was right. Maybe she should’ve gone into software engineering instead. But then she wouldn’t have gotten to work at Ross and Associates, would she?

The presentation flew by so quickly, there wasn’t time for her to be nervous. But even after she finished, a sizable group hung around. She answered questions with the kind of confidence she’d known she possessed, but no one else had seemed to appreciate. Until now.

Once the lights and microphone were gone, Delaney breathed out a huge sigh of relief. She’d done it. She’d actually done it.

She answered the last of the questions, then stepped behind the booth to pull out another box of brochures. They still had quite a few left, but definitely a lot less since she’d finished her presentation.

“Hey, let me get that.” Aidan took the box out of her hands.

She turned, frowned slightly. “What are you talking about? It’s not heavy, I could’ve—”

His mouth swept over hers, effectively turning her brain to mush and her body all gooey. Like a piece of chocolate left out in the sun too long. But he pulled back almost as quickly as he’d stepped in.

“I know you could.” He quickly kissed the top of her nose. “I just wanted to steal a kiss.”

She blinked. “Oh.” About the time she thought she had him all figured out, he changed the rules. This was the guy who was big on procedures, on following professional protocol, including public displays of affection? Not that they were in public back here, but still…

“And I wanted to thank you.” He lifted his chin toward the front of the booth. “You really rocked it out there.”

“Thanks.” Pride cascaded through her, leaving her strangely quiet with a whole lot of pensive.

He glanced over one shoulder. “I’ll set these out.”

She turned in time to see him head for one of the guys who’d come to the booth yesterday. And this one hadn’t been particularly nice to her. She was sure he was sorry now.
Jerk.

No matter. Aidan could deal with him.

Delaney turned back to her spot at the booth, still riding the cloud of success.

“Ms. Harper?”

She pivoted, a smile on her face that froze for a split second. Then her smile widened. “Hello, Mr. Pierce. Thanks for stopping by again.”

The older man shook the hand she extended.

“I’m very impressed with your presentation, Ms. Harper.”

“Thank you.” A huge well of relief flooded through her. If she did this right…

“I’d like you to meet Lucia Pappandreas.” He turned as a young woman stepped forward. “My second-in-command.”

Delaney couldn’t help but grin. His second-in-command was a woman.

“Your presentation was very impressive,” Lucia echoed as she shook Delaney’s hand. “You know, Harold never pitched something quite as detailed nor did he showcase the talent—including yours—that Aidan and the rest of the Ross and Associates staff brought to the table.”

“Thank you. There’s a lot we can offer you.”

“Indeed.” Lucia glanced at her boss with a small smile and raised eyebrow.

Delaney cleared her throat, and her heart rate accelerated. “Did you have any other questions I might answer?”

“No.” Ray grinned as he handed her a business card. “Sign me up.”

Chapter Twenty

Well. The crowd surrounding the Ross and Associates booth sure made up for yesterday. All thanks to Delaney.

She’d nailed her presentation, just the way Aidan knew she would. From the moment she was given the floor until the sound guys hauled the mic and speakers away, she held the audience captive. Within a few minutes others had stopped by, too, and listened to her pitch. She even handled the tough questions from the audience like she was a seasoned engineer.

And he was so damned proud of her he could burst.

He needed to find a way to thank her, find a way to make her understand how valuable she was to the company…how much she meant to him.

Then it hit Aidan quicker than a sucker punch to the gut. Delaney meant a lot to him. More than he’d realized until that very second. He didn’t know how or why, when they’d only known each other for three days, but it was the only thing that made sense. Why else had he felt the need to defend her yesterday when he was talking to the two assholes at the hotel gym? Especially when there was the potential of future work with the city of Raleigh.
Lots
of future work.

Delaney meant a lot to him.

Why else had he felt the need to change how she dressed? Maybe he
had
given in to the assholes, but he also really cared so much about Delaney, he wanted her to be and have everything she could.

He let the thought swirl around his head, the analytical part of his brain taking over. Okay, she meant a lot to him, but was it possible she might feel some sort of attraction for him? Attraction, yes. But anything beyond that was… He swallowed.

The idea of a
them
should’ve scared the fucking daylights out of Aidan, should’ve had him packing his bags and sleeping in the truck tonight. Instead, he felt right.
They
felt right.

It might not make sense to him, but they were good together. She was intelligent, worked hard, and was motivated to get ahead. She was also honest, especially when they made love.

He couldn’t stop his grin. Not while he remembered their time together last night, starting with their hookup in the dressing room.

“Hey.”

He snapped his brain back into gear as a large hand clamped on his shoulder. He turned, stifled a groan. David and Jack. The guys from the gym.

Speaking of the assholes…

“Gentlemen.” He nodded in acknowledgment, careful to keep his face impassive where these two were concerned. He might still be able to get them to put Ross and Associates on the city of Raleigh’s preferred vendor short list.

“Looks like your ugly duckling morphed today,” David said, a huge smirk on his face. “Who’da guessed?”

Adrenaline spiked through Aidan. “What did you say?”

These idiots had to have more of a brain than what they’d shown so far. Otherwise, he feared for the future of their city’s government.

David laughed. “Who would’ve guessed you’d actually take our advice?”

“She looks great,” Jack agreed. “Legs a mile long.” He shook his head. “The way she looked yesterday…” He gave an exaggerated shudder. “Who would’ve known?”

Aidan knew. But he couldn’t exactly tell them that. Not that it was any of their goddamned business.

“She nailed the presentation.” He crossed his arms over his chest and straightened. “That’s the important part here,
gentlemen.
” He emphasized the word, hoped to hell they’d shut up and leave before he lost control.

“True that. Personally, I wasn’t sure you could pull it off.” David smirked. “But really good job on the packaging, Aidan. Made it easier to actually listen to her presentation.”

The loud gasp behind him registered a split second later.

Oh, shit.

He turned in time to see Delaney’s eyes widen before narrowing into stormy green orbs. Her jaws clamped together, no doubt to control what she’d say.

And there was no doubt she was pissed now.

“Delaney, wait. Let me explain.” He took a half step toward her, but she mirrored his step backward.

Her gaze slid to the jerks beside Aidan before landing on him again, this time with an intensity he could damn near feel. Without a word, she turned abruptly and practically ran toward the back of their booth.

Aidan faced both men. “Look, assholes. You might think you’re big fucking players in Oregon, but I promise you right now—I’ll never enter into
any
contract with the City of Raleigh as long as either one of you’re involved. Not even when you’re begging for my or Delaney’s expertise.”

He kept his breathing calm, unclenched his fists, and turned away. All he cared about now was Delaney, about making her understand how proud he really was of her. How proud he was
before
they went shopping.

Fortunately, she was still behind the booth, the dark partition giving them some privacy. “Delaney, please. It’s not what you think.”

Her eyes were closed and she was taking deep, steady breaths, clearly trying to rein in her temper. Or her tears.

Oh God. Was she crying? A horrid ache started in his chest, and he reached for her. “Are you okay?”

She twisted out of his grasp. “I’m fine.”

Right. That would explain the catch in her voice. “Please let me explain.”

She stepped to the side, out of his reach. “Did you mean it? Did you mean to
package
me on purpose?”

“What? No.”

“Really? From the sounds of that conversation”—she lifted her chin—“that’s
exactly
what you did.” Her eyes glistened, and she quickly glanced away. “How could you, Aidan?”

The hurt in her voice slugged him in the chest. He scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck. How the hell was he supposed to make her understand? “I wanted you to
feel
that confidence. Look the part so people would take you seriously.”

“Look the part?” Her eyes narrowed to dangerous-looking slits. “You think I need to look the part to command a room full of men? So that they’d take me seriously?”

He winced. “That wasn’t exactly how I meant it,” he said as her glare deepened, threatened to burn him on the spot if she could. “I didn’t want you to look like a bimbo or anything—”

“I should hope not,” she huffed out.

“Look.” He gripped her upper arms. “Remember when you got us the projector? Remember how confident you were when you were talking to the store manager? You were comfortable, you commanded that kid’s attention. And that’s all I wanted for you today. Out here. In the crowd.”

As far as he knew, that wasn’t a bad thing, was it?

“Your methods leave a hell of a lot to be desired, Aidan.” Her lower lip quivered, and she bit down on it before raising her chin. “You lied to me to get me to go along with you in the first place.”

Yeah, he’d done that, but he’d done it
for
her, too. “I just wanted you to look like the professional you clearly are.” Even though he’d tricked her into it. “Look, companies put their best face forward at these things. They make sure people dress the part to instill confidence in the company’s ability to do the job.”

“You’d already mentioned that. That’s how you sold it to me in the first place.” Her voice was low. Dangerously low. “But what you’d failed to mention was that you also did it to make me more appealing to the men here. You turned me into eye candy so you could impress a couple of jerks.”

Well, shit. How could he possibly deny it? That may not have been his exact reasoning, but she’d heard what they said. There’d be no explaining it to her. He’d come up with the plan to make the best of a mangled situation. Mangled because Harold wasn’t here…and Delaney was. He’d seen her presence as a deficiency he’d had to fix. But was it so bad when she’d blossomed because of it, too? If the roles were reversed, could he be so understanding?

He winced again. God. He’d really fucked up, hadn’t he?

She shook her head and fisted her hands at her sides. “All this time I thought everything you did was because you believed in me, in my ability to deliver a kick-ass presentation.”

Great. He’d gone and done it. Taken away her ability to be herself. But did he really? “Listen, you’re good. Really good. And you would’ve given a kick-ass presentation no matter what. But under the right—” He searched his brain for the right word. “Under the right setup, you wowed everyone. That’s what matters, right?”

The seconds ticked by as she said nothing, her brain likely picking apart his words, trying to find a way to refute them.

“You made me part of a strategy, didn’t you? That’s why you did it. You saw me as part of your strategic plan—not as a person, and definitely not as an equal. But you know what the hell of it is?” She leaned forward slightly. “You couldn’t have pulled off what I just did up there. Not without coming off like an unfeeling, mechanical automaton.”

The words struck. Hard. He took a step back, but the wave of insecurities overtook him, fed on itself, grew larger and more powerful than he’d thought possible…

Because the words came from Delaney.

He swallowed the hurt down. “So?” He squared his shoulders. “You think so much of yourself that you think the crowd would’ve formed just because you were talking? If my company’s future wasn’t at stake, maybe I would’ve let you.”

She lifted her chin. “Maybe you should’ve anyway. Maybe I’d have proven you wrong.”

He shook his head. “You’re so damned independent it’s a liability.”

“Liability?” She snorted out a short laugh. “This I’ve got to hear.”

“You can’t even recognize when someone’s trying to help you.”

She stared, the seconds ticking past so slowly, he vaguely wondered if time had come to a screeching stop.

“I just wanted to be treated like an equal,” she finally said. The words were quietly said, but the hurt in them spoke volumes. He’d forced her to be someone she wasn’t. Just like he’d done with Elizabeth.

He blew out a frustrated breath. “I’m not the guy you can feed cheesecake to.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” She shook her head, holding a hand out to stop him. “Never mind. At the end of the day, you’re just like everyone else, aren’t you?” She lifted her chin up and shuddered in a deep breath. “Well, you know what? You can take your
packaging
and shove it. Because I just landed an account with Pierce Engineering.”

This time, his jaw slackened. “Pierce Engineering?” How the hell had he missed that? He’d been standing no farther than fifteen feet from her.

“Pierce Engineering.” Her lips twisted into a small smile, one without any satisfaction in it. “I just landed an account that’ll put Ross and Associates on the construction map.”

The words sank in, but he could barely wrap his head around it. “You nailed an account with Pierce Engineering.” Something Harold hadn’t been able to do.

“Yeah. Congratulations. You got what you wanted. He’s sending a contract. You should get it in your in-box tomorrow, along with my resignation.” Her voice was strong, sure. She turned without another word, her back ramrod straight as she gathered up her things from behind the booth and brushed past him toward the nearest exit.

He might have fucked up, but she couldn’t quit. Couldn’t just…
leave
him like this. “Delaney, please wait.” He grabbed her arm, and she stopped. But when she faced him, he knew it wasn’t the right thing to do.

She looked pointedly at where he still held her in place. When he released her, she looked past him. “You’ve got a crowd to take care of, Aidan. If I were you, I’d go do it. You aren’t going to convince me of anything at the moment.”

Aidan hesitated, chanced a quick look back. True, there was a group of people huddled around the booth, some of them even looking their direction.

But what about Delaney? She was pissed. Right now, he couldn’t blame her. She didn’t let anyone tell her what to do, and yet she’d trusted him. And he’d let her down. But it made sense to take advantage of the situation and get some business for the firm. The strange ache in his chest and the way his gut churned told him to make things right with her, first.

“Go,” she directed. “Your future is waiting for you.”

“Look.” He didn’t bother to hide the regret in his voice. “We’ll talk later, okay?”

“Yeah.” She snorted with a shake of her head as she stepped away. “Right.”

Aidan watched her walk away. His gut churned as she continued to put distance between them. For the first time in ages he’d allowed someone to see the real Aidan Ross…and she’d walked away because he was too methodical, because he still didn’t recognize the human element in his plans.

Just when he thought he’d found the woman to bring him out of his cave, she had to go and prove that being the Ice King wasn’t such a bad thing after all.