Reunited in Love (7 page)

“Oh.”

“I tend to be more civilized when I’m not hungry.”

Well then. She wouldn’t deny him his food. She rested a hip against the TV stand and watched him. “Before we begin, I just want to say I’m—”

There was another knock. With a sigh, she opened the door and let the uniformed server push a huge table-cart in. The only thing she’d ordered was a plate of fruit and yogurt, plus a pot of fresh coffee. The mountain of scrambled eggs, giant pile of bacon and sausages, and four slices of whole-wheat toast were all for Ethan.

“Enjoy your breakfast,” the bellboy said.

“Don’t you need me to sign something?” she said.

“It’s been taken care of, Ms. Wilson.”

She glanced at Ethan as the bellboy left. What did he want? “Ethan, about la—“

He pulled out a chair for her. “Sit.”

She planted her butt in the seat and watched him take the chair across from her. Something about the way he moved…just the act of walking around a table seemed like performance art.

He put a small mound of eggs and cheese on her plate. “Here.”

“No thanks.”

“Allergic?”

“Just not in the mood.”

“Humor me.” His tone was clipped with displeasure.

“Fine.” She poured coffee for both of them. She hesitated at the bowl of sugar. She usually used four cubes, but she was supposed to cut back on sweets too. God, her doctor had forbidden all the joys in her life—except sex…and that probably only because she’d never discussed the topic with him. She watched Ethan spread a thick layer of strawberry jam on his toast with a pang of envy. “Anyway, I…” She mentally fortified herself. “Thank you for the great evening. I had a really good time.”

The knife paused briefly. “Why did you leave?”

“Because…” She shrugged, slightly undermined at his reasonable tone and neutral choice of words. “It seemed like the right time for me to go.”

“I never said you had to go.”

“You seemed occupied.”

“So, what? Not even a goodbye?”

She nodded. “Look, that was totally my fault. I should’ve said something, and I apologize.”

He watched her eat, his gaze steady and thoughtful.

She pushed the eggs to the side of her plate, then speared a grape. Her stomach churned, and the bitter coffee wasn’t helping.

“You mentioned that you aren’t working right now,” he said finally.

She nodded, glad for the shift in topic to something impersonal. “I’m thinking about going to California to see about getting a job.” If she hadn’t promised to stick around until Natalie’s return, she would’ve taken the first available flight out of Dulles.

“That where your family is?”

“No.” When he merely continued to look at her, she added, “I’m…not planning on visiting them.”

Something flickered in his eyes, then vanished as quickly as it had appeared. “The economy out there isn’t that great. And it’s no financial center.”

“I can do stuff other than i-banking.” Did he think investment banking was the only thing she was qualified for?

There was a bit of jam on a corner of his mouth. He licked it, and she drew in a breath. That talented tongue had traced its way up and down her body several times the previous night, stopping to explore at various strategic points along the way. She was sure he’d used it to inscribe words on her clit…in fact, the pleasure had gone on so long he might have been transcribing the entire unabridged Arabian Ni—

“So what do you think?” He was looking at her expectantly.

She blinked. “About…?”

He sipped his coffee, squinted at her a little. “Have you been listening?”

Oh god, how humiliating. She never daydreamed in the middle of a conversation, and certainly not because she was fantasizing about the other person’s tongue. “I’m just a bit surprised,” she said, trying to wing her way through it. “Could you just take me through it again, just to make sure I understand exactly what you’re trying to say?”

His mouth curved into a knowing smile.

Damn it.

“How about if I just summarize? I need somebody with a good head for finance and an eye for detail.”

“Okay.”

“I want to hire you.”

Hire
her? “What? You haven’t even seen my résumé.”

“Don’t need to. Natalie said you’re brilliant at what you do. That’s enough for me.”

She put her fork down. “Ethan…I don’t know.” It was one thing to sleep with a guy, quite another to work for him. Work was a commitment.

“Before you decide, you should know there are other conditions of the job. Some nice and unusual benefits.”

“Such as?”

“For example, your pay.” He named a figure that momentarily stunned her.

“Do I get medical and dental?” she asked.

“Of course. And how about 401k while we’re at it?”

Her head spun. She’d been certain he’d come to confront her about sneaking out like a thief, not offer her a job! “Uh…what will my responsibilities entail?”

“You’ll be going over some family business. My family, to be exact. The Lloyds Development.”

“I thought you were working at Global Strategies.”

“I am. That’s why I need you. I don’t have the time or energy to devote my full attention to TLD, and it’s important I become familiar with it ASAP.”

“You said it was your family business.”

“Right.”

“But you don’t know much about it?”

“I know the basic outlines of the business, of course, what we’re involved with and so on. But I don’t work there and I’m not part of management.”

“That’s kind of hard to believe. Not that I don’t think you’re telling the truth, but most people wouldn’t be able to stay away.”

“As long as the company’s doing well and continues to provide for the people who depend on it, I don’t care who gets the credit for running it.”

He gave her a small friendly smile, but it sent shivers up her back the way a shark’s fin cutting through dark water would. A man who didn’t care who took the credit so long as he got what he wanted was ten times more dangerous than one whose ego couldn’t take not being number one. No manipulation would shake someone like Ethan from his course of action until he achieved the desired outcome.

“Who would I report to?”

“Me. And only me.”

“Okay,” she said slowly. “Where would I work?”

“TLD has a fully furnished corporate penthouse in Northern Virginia, so you won’t have to waste time looking for a place you’d only be leasing for a few months. It’s not a bad perk.”

She shook her head, unable to follow his train of thought. “You don’t actually work at the company, but you want me to report to you, and not to the other executives?”

“Yes.”

She narrowed her eyes. “I presume you want me to sleep with you, too?”

“I do, but that has nothing to do with the job.” He steepled his hands and leaned back in his chair in that particular boneless way he had. “I want you, period.”

Steady, Kerri, steady
. “And you’ll leave when you get bored?”

“Just like you will, I’m sure. Stay together until we find somebody else we’d rather be with.” He gave her a gleaming smile. “But until then, we’ll be totally exclusive, no fooling around with anybody else. I don’t like to share.”

“Neither do I.”

He watched her over his fingers. “Look, it’s a great deal. Your housing’s fully paid for. If you want, I’ll even toss in housekeeping and groceries.”

She considered. She couldn’t believe what he was proposing. “How bad
is
this job anyway, that you’re offering me so much?” she asked.

“Honestly? I don’t know.”

“It’s your family business. You must know something.”

“Look, I’ve never been involved in it. It was my older brother Jacob’s job, and he’s currently”—Ethan’s mouth tightened briefly—“unavailable to continue, so I have to deal with it. Unfortunately, I’m not in a position to leave Global Strategies right at the moment.”

“I see.”

She wasn’t too worried about the job itself. She had yet to find the corporate position that she couldn’t handle, and it’d keep her mind occupied, might even provide some challenge. Plus, she was going stir-crazy without anything to keep her busy. And wouldn’t it annoy Barron to know she was working for one of Sterling & Wilson’s rivals?

But a no-strings-attached temporary arrangement with a guy who made her wet with just a look was something else. She was sure this wasn’t going to end up being one hundred percent work.

“I need to think about it,” she said.

“I understand.” Ethan glanced at his watch. “I’ll give you a minute.”

“A minute?”

He raised his eyebrows. “Not really a difficult decision, is it? Just a yes or a no.”

A one-page employment contract and a pen appeared next to her plate of fruit. The document was in surprisingly plain English and matched everything Ethan had said—minus the sex part of course—plus a fairly standard non-disclosure clause. At the bottom of the sheet was Ethan’s signature, dated today. It only needed hers to become valid.

He rose and came over to her seat. One large hand rested on the back of her chair and another on the table, the same “you aren’t going anywhere until you give me the answer I want, lady” move he’d used the night before. The blood in her veins warmed and surged. If he pulled back just a little and bent his head, he could kiss her mouth. That seemed like a delicious option, and she angled her head just so, letting her lips part slightly in invitation.

He didn’t even flicker an eyelash. No, he wouldn’t kiss her no matter how blatant the signal…not unless she gave him what he wanted.

Did she want to completely sever their connection?

Manageable or not, he wasn’t going to be a permanent fixture in her life. He’d be a temporary arrangement—a fling. After her doctor’s orders had rendered virtually all of life’s other pleasures off-limits, surely she could indulge a little. Barron would have no idea where she was. No one in her family—not even Justin—knew about Natalie, and given Kerri’s education and work background, they would assume she’d pursue opportunities in banking.

Most importantly, she wouldn’t be in Virginia long enough for Barron to find her. TLD couldn’t be that complicated, certainly not compared to the kind of international conglomerates she was used to dealing with. It wouldn’t take more than a few weeks to go through their books. And in the meantime, Ethan would most likely prove to be just like every other man she’d dated: interesting at first but increasingly boring as the affair went on. Why would he be any different?

Yes, why would he? Except for the fact that he’s the only man who can make your pulse race with just a look?

“Time’s up,” he said. He hadn’t even glanced at his watch.

His eyes were locked on hers. In the morning, they seemed darker—more gray than silver-blue—and more introspective.

Whenever she went with her feelings, she started to long for things she couldn’t have and acted foolishly to reach for them. Whenever her brain got involved, she ran.

Right now, she didn’t want to run. Not yet.

“All right,” she murmured.

*

Elation flooded Ethan’s body. Women with as many options as Kerri tended to be both particular and difficult to snare.

But she was going to be worth it, both professionally and personally.

She didn’t seem to notice, but men admired her. He’d seen the way they’d checked her out at the airport. That was one of the reasons why he’d decided to take her to the penthouse instead of out to a restaurant. He’d wanted her all to himself. Thank god for cooking classes—and grandma.

All right
. But it would be a mistake to let his feelings show on his face. Not just yet.

“Sign,” he said.

She scrawled her name and dated it in silence. He smiled, folded the contract and stuck it into his pocket.

Feelings were one thing, but there was no reason to deny himself.

He dipped his head and covered her rosy mouth with his. The soft scent of her shampoo teased him, even with the towel around her head, and he pulled it off, letting her wet hair down.

He loved her face freshly scrubbed, without the mask of makeup. The morning sun filtered through the gauzy curtains, adding an otherworldly glow to her soft skin, her cheeks delicately flushed. Her fingers dug into his forearm, leaving small half-moon marks on him.

He wrapped her wet, clean hair around his hand and deepened the kiss, pressing further inside, not allowing her brain to kick in. Her tongue brushed against his, then rubbed more aggressively. Then she sucked his tongue as though she was going down on him, and his cock hardened until it pressed against his trousers achingly.

Before he lost his mind and took her right there on the floor, he pulled away, his breathing rough and fast. “Get dressed and pack. I’ll help you move in.”

“I can do that later,” she said, her gaze on his mouth.

He swore at the surge of desire he felt in response to her blatantly wanton look. No matter how much she tempted him, he couldn’t relax until she was securely ensconced in the penthouse. She was a wily one. He wouldn’t put it past her to change her mind if he didn’t push now. It’d be much harder for her to back out after having moved in. “I wouldn’t want you to carry all your stuff alone.”

“I can have it delivered,” she said.

“I don’t care.”

“But what about the BMW?”

“I’ll make arrangements.”

She nodded and rose, then disappeared into the bedroom.

He exhaled, long and shuddery. A step closer to his goal. He knew exactly what she was thinking. She’d bolt the second she felt vulnerable or threatened. That was why she kept sneaking out, or refusing to talk about anything private about herself, including her family. They’d spent two nights together, and he still knew nothing about her.

He had no intention of letting her find another man she’d rather be with. It wasn’t going to be a simple temporary situation that ended whenever
she
wanted. No, it’d be far more than she expected.

KERRI FROWNED AS Ethan pulled into the familiar complex and led her to his penthouse. Two of her suitcases were in the trunk, with the rest scheduled to be brought up later by the concierge. “Why are we here? What’s going on?”