Tempting (10 page)

Reid and Penny had always been friends—through her first marriage to Cal, their divorce and now that they were married again.

“What about your wedding plans?” Dani asked Lori.

Lori ducked her head and blushed. “Nothing's set,” she said. “I wouldn't do this. A big wedding isn't my style. We've talked about flying off somewhere and eloping.”

“Take pictures,” Dani told her. “Otherwise, there'll be hell to pay.”

“I will.”

Elissa said something to Lori and talk returned to the wedding. Dani looked at the three women her brothers had fallen in love with. A year ago Cal, Walker and Reid had been drifting—now they were settled and happy. Maybe she would be next. All she needed was one good man.

Alex immediately popped into her brain and she pushed him out just as quickly. Not him. Their mutual, nonrelated father was running for president, the press was all over her, and he had an ex-wife beautiful enough to start a cult. Did she really want that kind of trouble in her life?

Absolutely not. Although the man sure could kiss…

 

“W
E NEED TO FIND A WAY
to spin this,” John said.

John was Mark's media expert. He was single-minded, which Alex guessed was required for success in the position.

“Damage control,” someone else said. “Something public. This has to be handled, and quickly.”

The “this” in question was Dani Buchanan. Alex wondered what she would think about the meeting. He had a feeling she would hate being the cause and resent anyone using the word
handled
in a sentence about her.

“A charity event,” John said. “Katherine does them all the time. She's on committees and crap like that, right?”

Alex raised his eyebrows. “It's her life's work,” he said mildly. “That raises it up above the level of crap, don't you agree?”

John looked momentarily uncomfortable. “Sure. Whatever. My point is she's visible. What if she and Dani worked some charity together? If they were copresenters or cohosts? Whatever they have. A luncheon, a benefit. Something good, though. Not obscure and not foreign. A happy, local, media-friendly charity.”

Mark nodded slowly. “Katherine would agree to that.”

She wouldn't like it, Alex thought. But she would do it because Mark asked.

“Will Dani?” John asked. “Can you make her?”

Mark looked at Alex. “Will she do it?”

Alex wondered when he'd become the resident expert on Dani Buchanan. Or had his father sensed the sexual tension between them? Alex had done his best not to let his interest show, but every now and then Mark surprised the hell out of him.

“Once she understands what's at stake, she will,” Alex said.

“Good.” John entered some information into his BlackBerry. “We need to work on spinning the story. Right now it's just out there and they're running with it. We need some control. They're going to find out Dani's mother was married when you slept with her. That's not good. Of course you weren't married, which helps, but still. I'll have to work on this.”

The meeting continued for another ten minutes. When it ended, Mark asked Alex to stay behind.

When they were alone, Mark looked at him. “Anything else happen with the reporter?”

Alex wasn't surprised Mark already knew. “You mean did I really hit him? Yes.”

“There's nothing in the paper yet, but I got a call. You're in deep shit on this.”

Alex had been expecting a bad reaction. Even so, he felt a tightening in his gut. If he was convicted, he was screwed. Not that he would change anything about that moment. The bastard had deserved it.

Mark stood and glared at him. “What were you thinking?”

“I wasn't. Someone had used Bailey. I was defending my sister.”

“You think Bailey appreciates what you did? Do you think she understood what was happening? You could get disbarred for this.”

“I'll handle it.”

“As long as no one pisses you off, right?” Mark paced the length of the conference room. “Dammit, Alex, you're going to ruin your career. Don't you care about that?”

Alex stood. “I know there will be consequences. I said I'll deal with it and I will.”

“You have to learn to walk away.”

The words shouldn't have surprised him. Mark was nothing if not a consummate politician. “I don't walk away where my family is concerned.”

“Then I hope you're ready to give up the law, because it's about done with you.”

 

D
ANI WALKED
into the restaurant and wasn't surprised to find a crowd. The parking lot had been overflowing with cars. What she didn't expect was to be attacked by several reporters with flashing cameras and tiny, digital tape recorders.

“Have you met with your father today?”

“How long have you known you're related to Senator Canfield?”

“Did your mother's husband know about her affair?”

Dani drew in a deep breath, then held up both hands. “If you'll be quiet for a moment, I have a statement I'd like to make.”

They were instantly silent.

Power,
Dani thought humorously.
I must remember to use it for good.

She cleared her throat. “This is a privately owned restaurant. It is not public property or in the public domain. You are more than welcome to order a very expensive dinner, complete with cocktails and dessert, and tip really well, or you can leave.” She looked at her watch. “You have thirty seconds to decide. Then I'm calling the cops and having you arrested for loitering.”

A couple of the reporters headed out. One moved toward her.

“You can't do this,” he said. “You're a story.”

She dug her cell phone out of her purse and flipped it open. “Twenty. Nineteen. Eighteen.”

The man swore and left. Seconds later, the foyer of the restaurant was empty. Dani breathed in a sigh of relief, then headed for the tiny office she shared with Bernie. Her boss met her in the hallway.

“Impressive,” he said. “I didn't know what to do with them. We've never had reporters here.”

Dani shook her head. “I'm sorry. I never meant for any of this to be a problem for you.”

“Hey, maybe they'll mention us in the paper. That could be good for business.”

He was taking this far better than she could have hoped. Still, he couldn't be happy about reporters lurking around the restaurant.

She went to work. Business was good. Dani made several rounds, checking on guests and making sure there were no reporters getting in anyone's way. A little after nine, she saw a single man seated at a corner table.

She recognized him immediately and felt her entire body go on sex-alert. Hormones hummed something that sounded a lot like “Take me. Take me now.”

She walked to the wine cellar and pulled out a favorite bottle, then returned to the table. Alex rose when she pulled out a chair.

“Unless you were expecting someone else,” she said.

He smiled. “No. Just you.”

Simple words that shouldn't have meant anything. But there was something about the way he said them that made her go weak at the knees. Good thing she was already sitting down.

“Are you eating or just visiting?” she asked.

“I'm hungry.”

“The ravioli on special is excellent. I'd highly recommend it.”

“Then that's what I want.”

Was it her or had his voice gotten lower and sexier? It was all she could do to keep from fanning herself.

“How are you holding up?” he asked.

“I'm still taking it all in. The press was here earlier.”

“Your boss told me. He said you handled them perfectly.”

“I appreciate the praise, but I'm not taking credit. I told them to buy dinner or get out.”

“What's wrong with that?”

“Nothing. It worked.”

“Would you really have called the police?” he asked.

“In a heartbeat.”

Dani ordered for them and asked the server to let her know if anything needed her attention. He poured the wine, then left.

Dani took a sip from her glass. “I'm making a mess everywhere I go. Should I quit my job?”

“No.”

“But they'll be back. Until something more interesting comes along, they're going to mess with my life.”

“If you quit, they win. You're not a quitter.”

There was something in the way he made the statement. “You know this how?”

He shrugged. “I've heard.”

“What, exactly?”

Alex looked uncomfortable, which she hadn't expected.

“When you first showed up, I had you investigated,” he said.

He waited for the burst of anger, but there was only resignation. “A thrilling by-product of being part of the Canfield family?”

“You claimed to be the senator's daughter. What else was I supposed to do?”

She wanted to say he could have believed her, but that was too naive. After what she'd been through today, she understood the need for caution.

“So what did you learn about me?”

“The basics. Date of birth, where you went to school, how much you have in the bank. That sort of thing.”

She sipped her wine. “None of that says I'm not a quitter.”

He hesitated for a second, then said, “I know about your first marriage. To Hugh. I know he was injured and you stood by him. You did whatever was necessary to get him up and functioning. You could have walked away, but you didn't. Even knowing he was going to be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, you married him.”

A polite way of saying even though they would never have a normal sex life, she'd married him. “I loved him,” she said. “More fool me.”

“Because you got a divorce? It happens.”

It had happened to him, too, she thought. “Apparently your research isn't as thorough as you thought. Hugh left me about a year ago. He claimed I hadn't grown enough as a person in our marriage. I can't tell you how much that pissed me off. If I hadn't grown, it had been because I was busting my ass, taking care of him. Pushing him, as you said. But it turned out to be a bunch of lies. He was having an affair. Maybe several. That's why he wanted out of the marriage.”

Alex's expression didn't change. “Then he's a fool.”

“Good answer.”

 

T
WO AND A HALF HOURS
later Alex walked her to her car. She knew he would and she knew what would happen when they got there. It was like being in high school again, and dating a guy she had a serious crush on. The evening was just a prelude to what they both wanted…the kissing.

Now that she was an adult, there were other, more interesting pleasures, pleasures she wasn't ready to think about yet. Not with Alex. But kissing seemed safe.

Although dinner had been good. Lots of getting-to-know-you conversation that had her liking Alex more than she should.

He pulled her into his arms. She went willingly, pressing her body against his, enjoying the hard planes of his chest and the way they fit together. Despite her brief affair with Ryan, she was still getting used to kissing a man while they were both standing. She liked it.

He brushed his mouth against hers, using just enough pressure to let her know he was serious, but not so much that she wanted to step back.

His urgency aroused her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, angled her head and parted her lips.

He swept inside, teasing her tongue with his. They circled and danced; he moved his hands up and down her back. She moved closer, wishing for more contact from him. But he didn't oblige. It was too soon and they were in public. They were taking enough of a risk, making out like this.

As he nipped her lower lip, she found she didn't really care if anyone was watching. Not when desire swept through her, making her lean in closer. He cupped her butt, causing her to surge against him. Her belly nestled his erection.

He was hard, she thought, delighted it had been so simple to arouse him. She liked that in a man.

She must have laughed, because he pulled back slightly and stared into her eyes.

“Want to share the joke?”

“I just…You're, um…” She glanced down then back at him. Thank God it was dark. Otherwise he would see her blushing.

“Dani?”

She dropped her hand to his crotch and lightly touched him.

“Are you offended?”

She grinned. “No. I'm impressed. There was one other guy after Hugh. A disaster. One before him, a million years ago. But mostly I've been dealing with a paraplegic. Our sex life was different. A lot of work for me. I didn't mind, at least not while things were good between us. We were in love and I wanted us both to be happy.”