Naughty Little Secret (10 page)

Noah touched a hand to the small of her back to guide her to his office. That innocent little touch set off all kinds of receptors in her body.

Geez, she survived without sex for two years, but the minute she got some…she only wanted more. Pitiful.

Side-stepping Noah, she made her way to his office. Her heart suddenly double-timed as he shut the door behind them.

“Ready?” His eyes danced with mischief.

Staring at his expression, it wasn’t hard to imagine he was asking if she was ready for something X-rated. If he’d asked that question, the answer was hell yes. Totally pitiful.

“Sure. Let’s hear the decision.” She sank into the chair in front of his desk.

Walking behind the desk, Noah eased into his own chair and pressed the button on his speakerphone. “Reeves here. I’ve got Lauren with me.

Go.”

“Glad you’re both available,” Danson said. “Lauren, you did a great job today.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“You brought up points that Noah didn’t mention Sunday afternoon when he took me aside to persuade me after wiping the basketball court with my ass.”

“I didn’t wipe the court with your ass,” Noah argued. “I pressed my height advantage.”

Noah was easily six-foot-three. Danson might be five-eight on a good day.

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Shelley Bradley

“Yeah, and you used it to wipe the court with my ass. Anyway…” he huffed good-naturedly, “…we’re green-lighting the project research. Four focus groups each in the three demographics we discussed. They’re welcome to come to any of the locations and order anything on the menu, as long as they come at the appointed time and answer questions directly afterward. I know you wanted them to come during the weekends and dinner hours, but we can’t let this disrupt our usual business.”

Lauren clenched her fists and pumped one in the air. Victory! The dining time was a small set-back, but easily worked around.

“Thank you. To all of the committee.”

“You know I was your toughest critic,” Martin chimed in. “But the income projections you provided, coupled with the low-cost location modifications to support a family environment you researched, convinced me to give it a try.”

Exactly as Noah said. She was so excited, she was nearly bouncing in her seat.

“Yes, sir. I think you’ll see the restaurant-goers in that area will love the idea of casual elegance in dining that does its best to include the kids. I suspect the extensive wine list will be a big hit, as well as the additions of Sunday brunches.”

“Get us hard data and we’ll look at it again.”

“I’ll get started right away. I have the plan for the focus groups in place. We can have everything completed in the next few weeks.”

“Great, Lauren.” Danson again. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks to all of you. I won’t disappoint.”

After a quick round of good-byes, Noah clicked the speakerphone button and stood. Silence spread over the room as he stood and looked at her with an indulgent smile. She couldn’t stand the excitement another minute. She bounced out of her chair and darted for him.

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Naughty Little Secret

Thrilled as hell, she grabbed his shoulders and raised on her tip-toes to place a kiss on his cheek.

At the last second, he turned his head and her lips pressed right against his.

Lauren froze. Her heart stopped. She didn’t pull away. She should, but… His lips were soft yet firm as he paused over her mouth, warm but unmoving. Unable to resist, she leaned in. A heartbeat passed, then another. Heat swamped her. He didn’t pull away, and she moved her lips over his, brushing, then fusing them together, dying for a taste of him.

An electric jolt charged her, slamming her brain, her breath. Lauren jumped away. Shock hummed, sudden arousal buzzed.

What the hell had she done? Her mouth hung open, and she was dimly aware of gaping.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to… I was just excited.”

A naughty smile lifted the corner of wide mouth. “I’ve never had a woman apologize to me before for being excited. Please don’t be the first.”

“I meant about the project results.” A raging blush swept up her chest, neck, all the way to the roots of her hair. She felt the heat climbing up, and again, cursed her fair-skinned features.

“Okay.”

Lauren couldn’t tell whether he thought she was lying or just poking fun at her mortification to lighten the moment. She pressed her hand to her chest and stared at him in horror. “You’re my boss, and that was so unprofessional.”

“We’re friends, too. I hardly minded. It was a peck.”

Noah was playing this cool. Why couldn’t she?

“True. Just a peck.” With enough power to light up Times Square—

and everything else in a ten block radius. “It won’t happen again.”

“Oh, don’t restrain yourself on my account.” He smiled and winked.

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Shelley Bradley

Did he really mean that? He couldn’t. But if he did…what about the woman he wanted to marry?

“You’re a big flirt.” Truer words were never spoken. And his teasing didn’t mean anything…no matter how much she wanted it to.

“We all have to excel at something.” He grinned. “Speaking of which, Tim told me that Cass is still learning how to swim and needs practice. I think my pool is finally warm enough, and it doesn’t get nearly enough use. Do you want to bring the girls over tonight? We can swim and order pizza or barbeque. Your choice.”

Damn. Double-damn! Cass loved the pool and did need the practice.

But after that awkward kiss, the last thing she needed to do was go to his house and spend the evening staring at Noah’s prime, smoking-hot bod in a bathing suit.

Lauren was heartily glad to be able to truthfully say, “Thanks for the invitation. It’s sweet of you to let my two rascals splash around in your pool. But we can’t.”

“Big plans with Mr. Mysterious?”

She glared. “No. My mom picked up the girls from school and they’re going to spend a few days there. She and Walter just got back from her Caribbean cruise and she said she missed them to pieces. I missed her, too, and told her I’d have dinner over there.”

“Maybe another night this week? You name the day.”

The follow-up invitation surprised her. But if the kiss hadn’t ruffled his view of their friendship, she supposed that it shouldn’t change hers, either. It couldn’t. They’d been friends for too long to let this sudden, weird lust usurp her usual fondness for him.

“Thursday? I’ll be done with my yoga class by 6:30 if that’s not too late.”

“Perfect. It’s a date.”

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Naughty Little Secret

Date? As in man-woman seeing each other to find out if they’re compatible conversationally…and otherwise?

No. Certainly he didn’t mean it was a date-date. Just that they’d set the date for them to get together. Who took their children on a first date-date? No one. She relaxed.

“Um…yes. See you then.”

“Have fun with Mr. Mysterious tonight.”

Lauren rolled her eyes. “I told you, I have no plans to see the man tonight.”

“Given how many roses there were in that bouquet and the note he sent you, I have a hunch he plans to see you. Lots of you.” He grinned. “I hope you’re ready.”

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Shelley Bradley

Dark fell over the April evening when Noah let himself into Lauren’s house. Quiet. Dark. Empty. Exactly as he’d thought; she’d left work and gone straight to see her mother, Walter, and the girls. She’d have dinner there, maybe stay long enough to help bathe and tuck Emma and Cass into bed.

When she got home, Mr. Mysterious would be waiting for her.

Noah glanced at his watch. Almost nine o’clock. She’d be here soon.

He needed to be ready to steal into her body and keep working his way into her heart the moment she walked in the door—before she had more time to build back her defenses.

After today, moving quickly and playing smart were imperative, since he’d made some very interesting observations. First, she was jumpy around him. And the way she’d impulsively kissed him—and lingered over it—before jumping away guiltily…very telling. Her expression when he’d announced his interest in and intent to marry another divorcée had given him broad hints about her feelings, too. Lauren tried to look unaffected, but seeing her face to face, she was as capable of hiding her emotions as she was at suppressing a blush. In other words, not at all.

Putting all those clues together, he’d bet every dollar he had that she was aware of him, not just as a boss or as a pal, but as a man. A definite cause for a rousing halleluiah.

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Naughty Little Secret

In the not-so-good-news category, though, was having to lie to her about having another woman in his heart. If she feared he’d leave her for some other female, he hated to add to her reasons to avoid him. But perversely, the lie would help her assume she was “safe” from him. She’d let her guard down and continue giving him hints that would help him conquer her. He’d absolve her of the ridiculous notion that he had no sexual or romantic interest in her when the time was right.

But there was more bad news: her adamant declaration she that wasn’t going to fall in love again. She was lying to herself, protecting herself, and Noah knew it. But convincing her would be one of his biggest challenges in this scheme.

At least Noah understood now exactly why she was resisting him.

Every girl he'd ever dated and bedded in his vain attempt to forget Lauren was coming back to haunt him. Damn it to hell. He couldn't change the past, so he had to work with the hand he’d dealt himself.

She’d learn that he wouldn’t chase after someone shinier. To him, she was as bright as a thousand suns, and he would do whatever necessary to convince her of his sincerity and love.

With help from Mr. Mysterious.

After hearing her confession that being with her midnight stranger made her feel uncommonly connected to him, Noah had hid his smile—

and his killer erection—barely.

But tonight, very soon, he’d feel free to grin like an idiot and introduce her to the iron hard-on plaguing him even now. He’d connect with her in every way he could. Then, when the time was right, he’d tell her that Noah and Mr. Mysterious were one and the same. By then, she’d know they were compatible on every level, and helping her accept the relationship would be a snap.

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Shelley Bradley

Locking the door behind him, Noah pulled out a flashlight from the black bag he brought with him and looked around the house. She usually came in through the garage and laundry room into the rest of the house. From there, she could either wind her way to her bedroom via a path to the right of the stairs and through the kitchen, or left of the stairs, through the dining room. Sure, he could wait until she entered the bedroom, but his goal here was to continually surprise her, keep her off balance, always guessing…and panting.

Striding to the laundry room door, he stared at his options, glancing both ways around the stairs in front of him. Dining room, he decided, striding through the formal area and to the front door, where he flipped on the porch lights. Lauren would come this way to investigate once she drove up and saw those lights on.

Decision made, Noah strode back into the shadowed living room and switched off the flashlight. Darkness closed around him, but he didn’t need much light to work. He set his bag beside the silk ficus tree in the corner, placed a few necessary goodies in one of the chairs lining the side of the rectangular table, then pulled the head chair two feet away from the table, toward the ficus tree. Then he worked his way into the corner, behind the silk tree. And waited.

Z Z Z

Lauren dropped her keys on the counter in the laundry room and dragged herself a few steps forward. She felt her way out of the room, too tired to care about the dark and too familiar with the house to bother with lights.

A faint cast of moonlight made its way through the kitchen windows, illuminating her stairs. She turned left, frowning. She’d noticed the porch

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Naughty Little Secret

lights on when she’d driven up. Had she left them on last night? Maybe her mother had stopped by here earlier and turned them on.

As if your electric bill isn’t high enough…

As she walked through the dining room, feeling her way through the dark, she reached a hand out to steady herself on the chair at the head of the table.

It wasn’t in its place, but she could make out the outline of it a couple of feet away.

First the porch light was on, and now a chair out of place? Unusual.

Hardly anyone ever used this room. Were all the weird occurrences her unofficial welcome to the Twilight Zone?

Awareness prickled along her spine suddenly. Lauren swore she could hear someone exhale. Raggedly. Goosebumps raised on her arms, getting bigger as her heart raced faster.

Or was it possible she wasn’t alone? Maybe Mr. Mysterious was here, waiting to make good on his plan to ravish her body once for each bloom in that awesome bouquet she’d received earlier today.

Lauren reached for the chair. “Hello?”

Nothing. But suddenly, she
felt
him here. Yes, she was tired, and it was possible her imagination was overactive…but she didn’t think so.

Her heart raced like it was finishing the final laps at the Indy 500.

Bracing herself on the chair, she made to walk out of the dining room and into the foyer to flip on a light. She’d told him to leave Friday night.

The man coming back…not a good idea. He would only take her body and mess with her head, if she let him.

She wasn’t about to allow that.

A firm hand clamped around her wrist before she got anywhere near the light switch and pulled, jerking her back against the hot width of his male chest.

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Shelley Bradley

Electricity shot down her arm, exploded in her body. She gasped in the darkness. Oh, God. He
was
back. Here. And given the erect cock prodding her backside, Lauren didn’t have to guess twice what he had in mind.