"Mom! What are you doing here on your day off?" Constance Independence Muldoon, a.k.a. Indy, asked her mother as she entered through the back door of Lloyd's brownstone.
"Mr. Winters asked me to come in." Her mother, Lloyd's full-time housekeeper, slipped off her sweater to reveal her gray uniform. "He wants me to make breakfast for him and an overnight guest."
"Only Emily stays overnight!" Indy gasped, referring to Lloyd's daughter, who was also Indy's friend. "I'm going upstairs to say hello!"
Dressed in jeans and a pink tank top, Indy took the steps to the second floor two at a time. She wasn't insulted that Lloyd had requested her mother make breakfast. Indy's job was as more of a cleaner than a cook. That's why she didn't have to wear a uniform. She couldn't make a meal to save herself. In fact, she wasn't much of a cleaner, either.
The CEO of Boston's booming software company Wintersoft had actually hired Indy to help her mom. After her mother had mentioned to Lloyd that her daughter had gone to school for six years to complete three years of college, he'd offered Indy the weekend job so she'd have weekdays free to attend classes full-time, and Indy happily accepted his kindness.
But she hadn't agreed because she was tired of the hassle of part-time schooling. She'd accepted Lloyd's generosity because she was eager to fulfill the promise of the nickname her mother had given to her.
Indy was short for her middle name of Independence, and if anybody ever felt independent, motivated and ready to take her personal bite out of life, it was Indy. She didn't merely want to get out into the world to prevent herself from becoming dependent upon a man then burned, as her mother had been. She wanted to make a mark. She wanted to be somebody.
Which was why Indy was so glad Emily was here. She'd finished her final classes in summer school and as of September first she had her degree in business administration. Now she needed a job, and she was certain Emily, a senior vice president in her father's company, could help her find one.
After scrambling down the hall, Indy knocked once on the thick oak bedroom door, but Emily didn't answer. Not wanting to waste a precious second before Emily had to join her dad for breakfast, Indy burst into the room and ran to the window. With one quick twist she had the vertical blinds fully open and sunlight poured into the room.
"What the hell!"
The man who'd yelped jumped out of the bed as if a fire alarm had blasted. Dumbfounded, Indy just stared at him. Not only was he not the person she expected to see but, also, he was naked. Tall, lean, supple-muscled and bathed in the golden beams of light, he was blissfully, beautifully naked.
He was also gorgeous. Deep-set blue eyes complimented a strong-boned face. His dark hair was cut so short it barely tickled the top of his suntanned forehead. His tan extended down his neck, to his strong chest and flat stomach, and cruised his — she swallowed as he seemed to awaken and turned in search of cover — perfect behind, before tumbling down his legs to his toes.
Somewhere, at sometime, this man had sunbathed naked.
As Indy thought that, Lloyd Winters's guest grabbed one of Emily's passion-purple heart-shaped pillows from the bed.
"Who the hell are you?" he demanded.
"I'm Indy…Connie…Indy." Indy stuttered saying her name as she answered the stranger's question, absolutely positive she was going to get fired. Lloyd Winters was a fair, reasonable man, but the expression on his guest's face was anything but understanding. She began backing out of the room.
"I'm Mr. Winters's weekend help," she said, taking another backward step toward the door. "I'm sorry. The only overnight company Lloyd ever has is Emily. I thought you were…" Her gaze fell to the pillow he'd covered himself with. "Well, clearly you're not."
The visitor's expression became absolutely pained. "Clearly, I'm not."
Neither said a word as Indy forced her eyes from the pillow, trying to put her gaze anywhere more appropriate. But because Lloyd's guest was naked, everywhere she looked she encountered sinewy muscle and sleek flesh. When her gaze was finally high enough, the man caught it with narrowed, knowing eyes, and a current of sexual awareness arched between them.
She didn't even have time to gasp before he said, "I have to be downstairs for breakfast in twenty minutes, so unless you'd like to give me a good reason for being late, I suggest you scram."
"Right!" Indy said, turning and scrambling out of the room. When she reached the hall, she pressed her burning forehead against the cool wall. Dear Lord, she was going to get herself fired!
But twenty minutes later Parker Taggert was thinking he was the one in trouble. When Indy/Connie/Indy accidentally brushed his arm while serving him coffee, he thought he would go through the roof from the thunder of desire that rumbled through him. He'd never had such an intense, automatic sexual reaction to a woman he'd just met…but, then again, he'd never met a woman when he was stark naked before.
Not only that but with her big green eyes, classic high cheekbones and plump red lips, Indy was one of God's gifts of beauty. Add low-riding jeans and an acceptably tight pink tank top to her natural good looks and Lloyd's weekend help was one sexy woman.
Still, had Parker known who she was right from the beginning, he was sure he would have been properly respectful. But she didn't look like a maid, and he couldn't seem to stop his body from buzzing with sexual sizzle.
Lloyd Winters, a white-haired man with expressive blue eyes, closed his newspaper. "What's your pleasure for breakfast, Parker?"
Parker unwittingly glanced at Indy. He knew exactly what he would like for breakfast this morning. Because of his work schedule, it had been months since he'd even had a date. Forget about sex. He couldn't remember the last time. And Lloyd's weekend girl had knocked him for a loop. Of course she wasn't really a "girl." In fact, Parker guessed her age to be somewhere around twenty-five….
And suddenly Parker knew their problem. They were contemporaries! Though he was close to thirty, and she had probably just turned twenty-five, they were within a suitable dating age range. That was why his reaction had been sexual, rather than routine.
He almost laughed with relief. His continued odd feelings around her were nothing but the result of meeting an attractive contemporary.
"Toast, eggs and bacon."
There, he thought, that wasn't so difficult. He firmly believed he could handle being around her — until he glanced up and found himself caught in those big green eyes again.
She was gorgeous and he was horny, and that was trouble.
Parker decided this situation did not have to be trouble. Not only was he a mature man who had resisted plenty of women in his lifetime but Indy had said she was the weekend help. That meant he'd see her tomorrow, then by Monday she'd be gone. Plus, he was leaving for his meeting immediately after breakfast. So he had only a few hours of this unexpected attraction to control. Piece of cake.
Returning his attention to his newspaper, Lloyd nonchalantly said, "She's a very pretty girl."
Parker resisted the impulse to squirm. He'd hoped Lloyd hadn't noticed him gaping at his young, sexy weekend help. "Yes," Parker replied, proud that his tone was casual, almost matter of fact. "She's a very pretty girl."
"Indy's twenty-five. Just finished college. And desperate to be independent."
"Good for her," Parker said, wondering why Lloyd was suddenly so talkative about his maid.
"But I think you're a better match for my daughter Emily."
Parker almost spit out his coffee. "Aren't you done with that yet?"
"Done with what?" Lloyd asked innocently.
"Fixing up poor Emily!"
Lloyd laughed. "I want grandkids."
"Well, forget it. Emily's like a sister to me."
Lloyd said, "Hum," apparently accepting the truth of that.
Indy returned with a breakfast cart. As she served Lloyd juice and pancakes, Parker steadfastly would not let himself look at her.
Lloyd picked up his fork. "Are you ready for your meeting this morning?"
"Absolutely. The numbers have been crunched. I know the exact value of the business," Parker replied. As Indy set his dish of eggs and bacon in front of him, he automatically inhaled the gentle scent of her fragrance, then caught himself. He was supposed to be ignoring her! "Raymond Enterprises can be mine for a cool million."
"I wasn't talking about the money end. I was referring to staff. Did you bring an assistant?"
Parker said, "No."
"Well, you're going to need somebody, and our little Indy, here, is eager for some experience to put on her résumé."
"No, Mr. Winters," Indy quickly said. "Thanks, but that's okay. I was going to call Emily today. She offered to help me."
"Nonsense," Lloyd said, brushing off her argument. "You need some experience. Mr. Taggert needs an assistant."
Indy stared at her boss wide-eyed with dread, and Parker almost groaned. Her reaction proved she felt the unwanted attraction as much as he did.
"Are you telling me you don't want experience?" Lloyd chided playfully.
"No, sir. You know I want this."
"Yes, you do. That's what I love about you. You remind me of myself when I was young. You're going to be somebody someday, but it all starts here. At the bottom. So, go put on one of Emily's pretty suits and get ready to help Mr. Taggert…." He stopped abruptly and looked from one to the other. "I'm sorry. I never formally introduced you."
Parker caught Indy's gaze. The shiver of attraction worked its way through him again, causing his stomach to quiver while other parts of his anatomy tightened with need. "Oh, we've met."
And now they were going to work together.
And most of that time they would be alone.
Indy didn't waste a lot of time rummaging through Emily's closet. She knew exactly what she wanted to wear because she had admired Emily in the soft green silk suit so many times. But before she took the liberty of wearing it, she called Emily and got her permission.
"Of course!" Emily said. "Wear anything of mine that you like."
"Thanks. I can't believe your dad did this."
"What? Tried to find you a job?" Emily said with a laugh. "I'm surprised it took him this long to hook you up with someone."
"Don't say it that way!"
"What way?" Emily asked innocently, then she paused and apparently thought through what she had said, honing in on the words hook up. "Oh, my gosh. You like Parker!"
"I don't like him," Indy mumbled.
"Okay, let me rephrase that. You lust after him."
"I just met him!"
"That doesn't matter. We're talking about lust here. Parker Taggert is a gorgeous man. You should see him in swim trunks. He's all ripply muscles and strong thighs."
"Uh, I don't have to see him in swim trunks. I walked in on him this morning, thinking you were the one sleeping in your old bedroom, and he jumped out of bed naked."
"Oh, my gosh!" Emily said, laughing with glee. "No wonder you're panicky. You have darned good reason to be in lust. You've seen the merchandise!" Emily laughed again. "This is rich." She paused, then added, "Does Daddy know?"
Indy said a silent prayer that he didn't. "I don't think so."
"Oh, you'd know it if he knew. But I bet he picked up on something."
Indy wouldn't doubt it. The sexual heat that shimmered from Parker Taggert and unerringly found her was nearly unbearable. She thanked God she was able to leave the dining room several times to refill the coffeepot. Otherwise, she was afraid she and Parker would have spontaneously combusted.
"Indy, honey, let me give you a piece of advice," Emily said, breaking into Indy's disturbing thoughts. "You're twenty-five and, though I know you've had dates, maybe even a few one-night stands, there's got to be one guy in a girl's life who stands out from the crowd. Somebody you'd never marry in a million years, but somebody you just want to…well, have a few hours of fun with."
"I can't believe you're telling me this."
"Every woman should have a wild, passionate affair to remember, and Parker Taggert is the guy to have it with. No strings, no commitments, great sex."
Unable to believe what she'd just heard, Indy stared at the phone receiver then put it back to her ear again. "You're serious."
"I have two friends who had flings with him. They said he's the memory they keep tucked away for cold Boston nights." Emily paused a second, then said, "Indy, you gotta go for this. After all those years of attending school and working, you deserve a break. A delicious Parker Taggert afternoon. I've heard it's the stuff legends are made of."
"All set?" Parker asked casually, as he walked into the foyer where he had been told Indy was waiting for him. While Indy had changed clothes, Lloyd had sung her praises to Parker as if she were his second daughter. Parker knew he had to be careful with her. The best way to do that would be to treat Indy as he would any other temporary secretary. Forget about the fact that she was gorgeous and she'd seen him naked.
But when Indy turned to face him, Parker's heart stopped, then jumped to double time. The simple green suit she'd chosen wasn't overtly sexy, but the jacket outlined the swell of her breasts and exaggerated the dip of her waist. The skirt was short enough to showcase her great legs. She'd also removed her severe bun and let her long brown hair cascade around her. His first thought — his only thought — was how much he'd love to feel that delicious bounty of straight, silky-looking locks tickle his bare chest.
He instantly stopped that fantasy. From what he'd gleaned in his conversation with Lloyd, Indy had worked hard to put herself through school, she was desperate for a job, and she had plans for her life. Parker had to respect that.
He ignored the tightening of his groin and pasted on a professional smile. "Ready?"
She drew a quick, happy breath that probably exaggerated her chest but Parker resolutely forced his gaze to stay on hers.
"As ready as I'll ever be."
"Great," he said, directing her to the door. They stepped out into the bright September sunshine and he immediately jumped to the subject of business as they walked toward the gray Mercedes that Lloyd had lent to Parker for his visit.
"Here's the deal. I'm in Boston to buy a company. I've actually cleared my calendar for the month to dedicate myself to this project."
"You're in Boston for a month?"
"Yes," Parker replied as he reached for the door handle of the Mercedes and opened the door for her. He knew exactly why she had asked. Just brushing past her to get the door, he felt the prickly sensation of sexual heat. He knew she wondered, just as he did, if they would be able to keep their hands off each other if they spent so much time together.
Indy hesitated. "Will we be working together for a month?"
His eyes met hers. "That's the plan. Unless you think it might be better for me to hire a temp."
With their gazes locked, Indy felt the current of male/female awareness that she always felt with Parker, but she needed the money this job would provide. More than that, she needed the experience. Now that she knew this wasn't a quick, one-afternoon task that really wouldn't mean much on a résumé, that it was a real opportunity, she couldn't easily dismiss it.
At the same time, Emily's words rang in Indy's ears. A passionate afternoon with this man was the stuff legends were made of and she had worked nearly nonstop for seven long years. She would love to make love to Parker Taggert. She would love to feel all the flesh and muscle she had seen. She would love to relax, really relax, for one afternoon or evening with someone who was attractive, intelligent and fun.
Gazing into blue eyes brimming with promise, Indy suddenly realized that what should have been a quick, easy decision wasn't so simple anymore.
No matter how tempting Emily's suggestion to have a fling with Parker Taggert, it was Indy's mother's words that rang in her ears. Get yourself established before you have your fun.
Besides, right now Parker wasn't asking her to make love with him. He needed an assistant. And she needed experience.
"I'm sure I'll learn a lot in the next month."
Parker studied her for a second, then smiled. "You are learning from the master."
He handed her in the car, slammed the door and rounded the hood. When he was settled behind the steering wheel, she said, "So you're the master?"
"Bought sixteen companies in the past five years." He grinned at her. "So, yeah. I'm the master."
"And you were born with that talent?"
He laughed. "Sort of. My parents had a friend with a company poised to explode, but he was too old to handle the expansion. One night he was talking about it at a party and I suddenly found myself brokering a deal. I told him we would finance my parents' dependable but stale company to get the down payment on the purchase price for his, and tacked on a percentage of the profits for ten years to make up the difference, and he bit."
"Cool."
"Incredibly," Parker said, then grinned again. "Everybody got what they wanted and we were all flying high."
"And you implemented the plan to expand your friend's company, made tons of money and did it again?"
"Nope. I hired somebody to do the expansion and make us all tons of money because I had found another company that could grow, but the leadership was all wrong. I talked Mary Burroughs into the same deal I gave my dad's friend. At first, she was reluctant to leave the business she'd built from the ground up, but when I suggested that she start a new one with the down payment I would give her, she saw what I saw. That she was good at beginnings, but lousy at keeping things going. She actually started two other companies that I bought from her over the years. We're now friends."
"That's great!"
Parker glanced at Indy. Pretty and sexy in another woman's suit, she looked like a fledgling sitting on the brink of life, and he suddenly realized that though Lloyd had given him bits and pieces of her plans, he knew nothing personal about her. Right from the beginning, his thoughts toward her had been the most intimate thoughts a man could have for a woman, yet he really didn't know her. "So what do you want to accomplish?"
She laughed. The throaty sound echoed through the car and resonated through Parker like the sweet strains of a mating call.
"Everything. My dad left my mom before I was born and we struggled just to make ends meet. So, I want the kind of job that will allow me to buy my mother a house, take her on vacations."
Guilt tiptoed through Parker. Indy would work her adorable behind off to get half of what he had been handed just because of being born into the correct gene pool. "That won't happen overnight."
"My mother and I are both incredibly patient."
Patient and resilient, Parker thought. Her last comment pounded one more nail into the coffin of any sexual thought he had toward Indy. Life had not treated her kindly and Parker wouldn't add to that by involving her in a torrid affair that would end and potentially leave her brokenhearted.
But, dear God, if he could have a quick, uncomplicated affair with her, he would make it the memory of her life.
To Indy's surprise, Parker drove them to a Cape Cod house, not an office building, for their meeting with the owner of Raymond Enterprises. Because they had established a businesslike relationship in their conversation on the trip over, she didn't wait for him to open her car door and instead jumped out of the Mercedes and onto the sidewalk before he even got to her side of the vehicle.
Unfortunately, walking to the wood plank porch she caught a whiff of his aftershave and her heart did a somersault. He smelled good. He looked good. She was also beginning to understand his personality, and with Emily's suggestion hovering in her brain, she couldn't help but imagine what making love with Parker would be like.
Warmed by the visions of muscled flesh and wet kisses that came to mind, she realized that even if she didn't sleep with him, thinking about it was a decent second, and she decided that maybe she wouldn't actually have to make love with him to create her own memory of a lifetime.
Parker knocked on the door. A short woman in her early forties answered.
"Oh, Parker, hi." Her expression turned regretful. "We forgot all about you. But even if we hadn't, Jim's not up to meeting anybody today."
"Not a problem, Amy," Parker said. "Tell Jim I'm in town for the month. He's my only project here in Boston, so I'm at his disposal day or night."
Parker smiled beguilingly, adding sincerity to his kindness, and Indy's heart tumbled again, as she suddenly understood why he was so irresistible. He was an unusual combination of sex appeal and virility mixed in with being an actual nice guy. Any woman worth her salt could withstand the temptation of a great body and sex appeal, but most were hard-pressed to resist someone so sweet. Someone — she felt sure without even experiencing it — who would cuddle in bed.
While Indy added another piece of her fantasy about Parker, Amy visibly relaxed. "Thanks."
"You're welcome. I'll be back Monday."
Indy waited until they were on the sidewalk, completely out of Amy's range of hearing, before she said, "What just happened?"
"Good PR. Brokering a deal is about making people comfortable enough that they tell you what they want so you can give it to them."
"His not being available wasn't a ploy?"
"If it was, by not arguing I just told him several things. First, he's my priority. Second, I can wait him out. Third, I'm not going to push him."
"And you think this will make him tell you what he wants?"
"And you think it won't?"
Indy considered that. "I don't know."
"Hasn't your mother ever told you that you catch more flies with honey than vinegar?"
"Only when dealing with Lloyd."
Parker laughed. "That's a good example. If you treat everybody with the respect you treat Lloyd with, everybody will trust you, everybody will help you and everybody will like you."
As he said the words everybody will like you, they stopped at her car door, but neither one of them moved. Instead, their gazes tangled as the words wrapped around them, and Indy had a sudden, intense feeling he was telling her that he liked her. But he couldn't…. Could he? He hardly knew her.
Actually, that wasn't true. In a few short hours they had gotten to know each other very well. By talking about anything else but their sexual attraction they'd filled each other in on bits and pieces of their lives and even touched on their life philosophies. But more than that, by skillfully steering them away from their sexual attraction, Parker continually proved he was a respectful, considerate person.
What she wanted more than anything else was to kiss him. Not to pretend-kiss him in her thoughts, but to really kiss him to thank him for teaching her and for being good to Jim and Amy, but most of all to thank him for being such a nice guy when a man in his position didn't really have to be.
But looking into his smoldering blue eyes and feeling the sexual heat that had shimmered between them since first meeting, she knew that if her lips as much as brushed against his, she'd start a raging inferno.
Indy quickly opened the car door and jumped inside, and Parker breathed a sigh of relief. For two reasons. First, he was glad she was smart enough to put distance between them. Second, he now knew what their real problem was. He liked her. Not that he didn't like all the women he slept with, but what he felt for Indy was different. He wasn't obsessed with her good looks, though she certainly had those. And he didn't just want to sleep with her, though he certainly wanted that, too!
He supposed the best way to phrase it was that he was pulling for her. He wanted her to succeed. But even that was good because seeing her gumption and wanting her to succeed forced him to put his own thoughts into perspective and his own wishes on the back burner.
No matter how tempting it was to wish for an afternoon of passionate sex with her — and because Jim had canceled their meeting, he and Indy now had their entire afternoon completely free — he could resist the urge. He liked her enough that he didn't want to ruin her plans. He liked her enough that what he wanted more than to make love with her was to help her accomplish the first step toward her goals.
And he suddenly knew that Lloyd Winters was matchmaking again.
"I think Lloyd had an ulterior motive in getting us together."
Indy almost choked. After the episode by the car door when she wanted to grab his lapels and yank him down for a kiss, she didn't have to guess too hard to realize what he was about to say. "You do?"
"Yeah." He squirmed uncomfortably on his seat, and Indy's chest tightened. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk about the fact that they were attracted to each other. It was more that she was afraid of the direction their discussion would take.
If he suggested Lloyd set them up romantically but Parker wasn't interested, she would lose the daydream that had kept her happily occupied. If he suggested Lloyd set them up romantically and implied they should do something about it, then the ball would be in her court. If she rejected him, the daydream would again be gone. But if she accepted his proposal, she'd have one damn fine afternoon.
The thought of it warmed her insides again and shot tingles of anticipated delight through her limbs. Adding his personality to the fantastic body she had already seen, she had no doubt they'd be dynamite together sexually.
But then what?
"I think he wants me to give you a job."
All the air whooshed out of Indy's lungs. "A job?"
He peeked at her. "Yeah." Paused. "Why? What were you thinking?"
"I don't know."
But she did know. And she knew he knew. Still, if she answered him honestly, they would lose the professional relationship they had built and she would lose her opportunity for a job.
Because if they gave voice to their attraction she had more than a sneaking suspicion they wouldn't be able to stop with mere words.
Parker didn't need to hear Indy tell him what she had been thinking. He knew. They both knew. But he also had a way out of this. There would be no danger of him sleeping with her, potentially slowing her plans for her life, if he gave her a job and made her career his next project.
"I think Lloyd knew that a few days in your company would cause me to see how determined you are, and that I would hire you."
"You would hire me on the basis of sheer determination?"
"You have a degree, right?"
"In business administration."
"Good enough."
She gaped at him. "Just like that, without even seeing my college transcripts, you would hire me because I have a degree?"
"Lots of people have degrees. Not everyone has your motivation. And motivation is the bottom line. You have to want something badly enough to work for it." He caught her gaze. "You want it."
"Yes, I do."
"Then I want you."
Again, the innuendo hung in the air, but Indy brushed over it by quickly asking, "What would I do for your company?"
"That depends on what position needs filling. I'll have to talk to my office manager to see who we have where doing what so I can decide what's open."
"How big is your company?"
"Eight people, all based in San Francisco. After I successfully brokered my second deal, I decided to separate from my parents' conglomerate. All my group does is find companies with potential or companies that are in some kind of distress, figure out a way to make a deal, make the deal, and then hire new management."
"You always hire new management?"
"Yes. If a company is floundering or could explode but hasn't, poor management is always the reason."
With no experience, Indy couldn't argue that.
"So are you in?"
Was she in? If she went to work for Parker Taggert, she'd never make love to him. Under normal circumstances — especially given that she needed a job — that wasn't such a big deal. But these weren't normal circumstances.
She didn't know why she had such an intense attraction to him. She didn't know why the thought of giving up ever having a romantic relationship with him caused her to feel empty. She'd turned down gorgeous men before. She'd turned down nice men before. She'd walked away from plenty of sexual opportunities. This one wasn't going away so easily.
Misinterpreting her pause, Parker groaned. "Sorry. I forgot to mention salary."
He named a number that almost caused her to faint. She thought of her mother. She thought of their rickety house. She thought of taking her mother to the Bahamas.
"I'll do it."
And her daydream of making love to Parker floated out the window of her mind and smashed on the sidewalk. She couldn't — she wouldn't — take a boss as a lover.
From Parker's faltering smile, she knew he felt the dream die as much as she had. She also sensed his disappointment.
But she had done the right thing. They had done the right thing.
So why did she feel so empty?
Parker almost turned toward Lloyd's brownstone, but he remembered Indy didn't live there. "Can I take you home? Or did you leave a car at Lloyd's?"
She hesitated. "I took the bus."
"Then I'll drive you home," he said easily, forcing himself to get comfortable in his new role as boss and provider. It would be good to do something for someone, especially someone he liked so much.
But as he got closer and closer to the address Indy had given him, Parker began to feel odd again. The homes weren't middle-class. They were the top of the lower-class. He knew he shouldn't have been surprised, and in a sense, he wasn't.
He supposed what he felt could best be described as a wave of respect for Indy. It hadn't been easy for her to climb out of this. According to Lloyd, money difficulties had forced her to use six years to complete three years of school. She'd borrowed a suit for her first day of work.
Still, he'd never heard one word of complaint from her.
"Here's your stop," he said, pulling Lloyd's Mercedes into a parking space in front of the old but neatly kept house she occupied with her mother. He didn't know if it was rented or mortgaged, but because it was where Indy lived, it was clean. Beds of auburn, peach and yellow mums bloomed in front of a porch that needed to be painted, but was swept.
He turned toward her and she smiled at him. Not ashamed of her roots, not cringing that someone might see where she came from, just so damned honest and beautiful he genuinely believed she was the most incredible person he'd ever met, and he couldn't resist leaning forward to brush his lips across hers.
Indy dropped the seatbelt she had unbuckled. Just the light touch of his lips on hers sent a bolt of lightning thundering through her, but the kiss was more than sexual. She felt emotion behind the meeting of their mouths, as if he was trying to tell her how he felt about her. Parker Taggert was a man who didn't simply kiss for entertainment. He kissed with emotion.
The sheer pleasure of that melted her bones and when he grazed his tongue along the seam of her lips, she allowed him to deepen the kiss. She'd never known anyone who so easily liked her the way Parker did. Even seeing the truth of her life, her roots, her struggles, he liked her. He appreciated her. He respected her.
Their lips mated, tongues twined. She wrapped her arms around his neck at the same time that he edged his around her waist and urged her closer. Their chests bumped. Her breasts tingled with awareness and need.
Then Billy Cramer slammed into Lloyd Winters' perfect Mercedes with his skateboard and reality slammed into Indy.
She had to get out of this part of town. Parker could teach her. He would give her the chance life hadn't precisely denied her but had made her work like hell for. She needed this man for a boss more than she needed him for a lover.
She pulled away. Licked her damp lips. "I can't… If you're going to be my boss, we can't be personally involved. I'm sorry."
For several seconds, he searched her eyes, then he drew a quick breath. "Yeah. Me, too."
With that she scrambled out of the car and into her house. She knew Parker waited until she was inside, and for a crazy second she hoped he would change his mind about letting her go so easily, barrel across her front porch and declare that he could love her and employ her.
But he didn't. Because the truth was, he didn't love her. Indy knew he'd never love her. This was not a fairy tale and she was not Cinderella. This was real life. And in real life, two mature, sexually attracted adults might be able to have an affair, but they would never really fall in love because they were too different.
And if she didn't soon start remembering that, she was going to get hurt.
Parker hadn't intended to kiss Indy. Unfortunately, he had significantly underestimated his attraction to her, and before he knew it his lips were on hers. But Indy had gotten them out of the situation reasonably gracefully and, now that he was aware of just how strong their attraction was, he was sure something like that kiss would never be repeated.
But on Monday morning, when Indy walked into Lloyd's study, dressed in another of Emily's suits and ready for work, every confidence Parker had about being able to resist her dissolved into a puddle of yearning in his middle. All he could think of was her taste when he kissed her and the feeling of the curve of her waist as he slid his hand down her torso to her bottom while his tongue stroked the inside of her mouth.
He wanted to kick himself for being obsessed with a woman, but Indy was all business, eager to get to the meeting that had been arranged to make up for the one missed on Saturday. So Parker shifted into business mode, too, annoyed that he continually behaved like a randy teenager around her.
They drove to Jim Raymond's house, and, determined not to let his attraction to her get the better of him, Parker chatted casually about things they would discuss with the owner of Raymond Enterprises. But Jim greeted them in his wheelchair and Parker could see he really wasn't up for company. So he and Indy left almost immediately.
"Why didn't you tell me he was sick?"
Parker glanced at Indy. Though he had thought Jim hadn't met with them on Saturday as a negotiating ploy, Parker now suspected that Jim's multiple sclerosis might be accelerating. "That's why he needs to sell. He knows that someday he won't be able to run the company and he's decided to cash in now while he can."
"That's awful."
"Don't worry. Mr. Raymond will be well taken care of."
Indy heard the compassion in Parker's voice and her heart swelled. She'd only known him a few days, but in that time he'd proven himself to be more than a man with a fabulous smile and a great butt. He was more than smart and savvy. He was, quite simply, a nice guy. And that was more enticing than anything about his appearance — or the way he kissed.
Just thinking of that kiss sent an avalanche of sensation tumbling through Indy. She remembered the way his lips felt on hers, the texture of his tongue as it invaded her mouth, the smooth way his hand glided along her curves as if it were meant to do exactly that, and she grew soft and tingly inside.
But when she added the knowledge that Parker was a genuinely good person to the warmth and need he could inspire with a few seconds of kissing, Indy knew she was becoming lost. She wasn't just fighting a sexual attraction anymore. She was getting real feelings for him. And that was bad. Having real feelings ruined Emily's suggestion of a no-strings-attached sexual fling.
Plus, Indy was pragmatic enough to recognize falling in love with him would be a mistake. They came from two different worlds and didn't belong together. Getting real feelings for Parker was wrong!
Still, every time he did something wonderful, like what he was doing for Jim, the temptation to kiss him was so strong she could barely breathe.
Parker stopped Lloyd's Mercedes in front of his brownstone. "So," he said, his fingers curling and uncurling on the steering wheel. "It looks like we have to work in Lloyd's study this morning." He caught her gaze. "By ourselves."
Not sure it was wise for her and Parker to spend the day alone when they were both still dealing with their attraction, Indy nervously glanced down at Emily's suit and was unexpectedly inspired. "Rather than work today, I'd like to go shopping."
Parker gaped at her. "You want me to take you shopping?"
She laughed. "No. I want to go shopping myself. You really did hire me, right?"
"Yes."
"Then I need some clothes. I can't borrow Emily's suits forever."
"Oh, right," Parker agreed. Though he was glad she had again gotten them out of a sticky situation, he knew they couldn't go on indefinitely looking for ways to avoid each other. He had to be able to work with her or there would be no point to her moving to San Francisco with him.
When the stakes were high enough, Parker realized, he could be a rock. In the two weeks that followed, as he and Jim Raymond pounded out their agreement, he was in full control around Indy, as she took notes and gave her opinion in the car on the way home at the end of the day.
It impressed him that she knew not to contradict or question him in from of Jim, but he was even more dazzled by her natural business sense. Unfortunately, every time she demonstrated her keen instincts, it made him want to kiss her.
He never realized that intelligence could be such an aphrodisiac, but it was. Something about Indy being able to keep up with him, discuss things as if she were born to buy companies and argue without being offensive tripped every sexual feeling he had.
Yet in the two weeks that had passed, he hadn't said one out-of-place word. For all he knew, Indy might actually think his attraction to her had fizzled.
As they climbed into Lloyd's Mercedes after the meeting that resulted in what Parker suspected would be the final draft of the agreement, Parker said, "Insert the changes to the document we've been drafting from our meeting notes and print it out, because we'll be getting a signature tomorrow."
"I think you're right."
She said the words with such happiness in her voice that Parker reacted sexually, but that didn't surprise him. He never reacted normally to anything she said.
When he parked the Mercedes in front of her house, he expected Indy to jump out so there would be no danger that he'd open her door for her, but she didn't and all of Parker's senses went on red alert.
"I think that what you're doing is great."
He almost groaned. That was another thing that got to him. She saw and appreciated his abilities beyond his ability to make money. She saw the side that other people didn't care about. And for some reason that made him want to strip her naked and show her the area in which he was really great.
Instead he said, "Don't make a bigger deal out of it than it has to be. My whole negotiation process is built around win-win. It's very simple, and when the rest of the world catches on, I'll be out of business."
"I still think what you're doing is great."
Which, of course, made him want to kiss her. Damn it! He'd never dealt with an attraction that commingled business, pleasure and personalities before. Pleasures and personalities, yes. But not with business.
Even after two weeks he still needed to use superhuman strength to control the attraction, and he suddenly wondered if he shouldn't just give in and seduce her.
Sitting in the front seat of Lloyd's Mercedes with Indy, Parker almost shook his head at the inappropriateness of his thoughts. If he seduced Indy, she would start her job in San Francisco as both a new employee and the boss's lover. Even if they never made their relationship public knowledge, their connection was so strong that someone was bound to sense the intimacy between them, and Indy would be the object of gossip and speculation.
He couldn't do that to her.
He faced Indy, laid his palm on her cheek and said, "Go inside, Indy. Before I don't let you go."
He watched her eyes cloud with awareness from his touch, then watched them clear as she began to fully understand what he'd said. And before Parker had a chance to say another word, she was gone.
Pressed against the foyer side of her front door, Indy realized she had made a great escape. She and Parker had spent so many weeks in reasonably professional behavior that she had forgotten that the attraction she was fighting wasn't one-sided. It was one thing to entertain her own amusing fantasies, but quite another to turn those fantasies into reality. And, from the fire in Parker's eyes, she knew that's exactly what would have happened had she stayed in that car.
The next morning she said nothing as she and Parker traveled to Jim Raymond's house. After a few seconds of chitchat, Parker handed Jim the agreement Indy had created at Parker's instruction. He suggested Jim look over the document, then he asked Amy for a cup of coffee and a tour of her kitchen.
Because Indy never thought to invite herself along on the kitchen tour, she found herself alone in the living room with Jim Raymond. She busied herself by looking at the pictures on the mantel of the fireplace.
"You know, we always planned to get a big house when the business took off."
Indy faced Jim with a smile. "You can do that now."
"No," he said, shaking his head. "Every cent of this money will have to be invested very, very carefully to make sure we have plenty for medical bills and an income for the rest of our lives."
Indy grimaced. "I guess you're right."
"So what are your plans?"
Surprised that he'd changed the subject to her, Indy said, "My plans?"
He nodded.
"I want to make a mark somewhere, someday, but right now I'm getting experience."
He laughed. "I'll bet you are. Parker's a very smart guy."
"And fair."
He squeezed his eyes shut. "Yes, damn it. I was hoping he wouldn't be."
Indy stared at him. "You were hoping he'd cheat you?"
"Or try, so I'd have a reason not to sell."
Indy gaped at him. "You don't want to sell?"
He shook his head. "This business is what has kept me as strong as I have been until now. I'm afraid that when I have nothing to do, I'll regress."
"Why didn't you tell Parker that?"
"I didn't have a lot of leverage."
But Indy suddenly realized she did. Parker trusted her opinion enough that he would listen to her. But, also, she now knew Parker well enough to believe that when she told him about Jim not wanting to sell, he would find another way to help him besides buying his company outright. Parker was good, kind, generous that way. She loved that about him.
Realizing this, Indy squeezed her eyes shut. She wasn't just infatuated with him anymore. She had fallen in love with him!
Indy wasn't dismayed when Parker and Amy returned from the kitchen and Jim immediately signed both copies of the agreement and handed them to Parker. She knew that once she told Parker that Jim didn't want to sell, he and Jim could void their deal, and Parker could come up with one of his master plans allowing Jim to keep a share of the company or become one of the project managers…or something.
She waited until their car doors had slammed closed, cocooning them in the Mercedes, before she said, "He doesn't want to sell."
Parker glanced at her as he started the car. In her inexpensive pink suit, not as fancy as Emily's silk, she looked more like an assistant, but that hardly helped Parker battle his growing desire for her. He reminded himself that she had the gut-level intuition and people skills that Parker needed in all of his employees to keep his company on top of the takeover game, but that only turned him on more.
Intellectually, they were equals. Sexually, they would probably set the sheets on fire. And no matter what argument he gave himself, his male instincts could not understand why he was not permitted to pursue a woman who almost seemed to have been tailor-made for him.
His only chance was to keep their conversation on business. "What makes you say that?"
"While you were touring Amy's kitchen, Jim told me. He said he's afraid his illness will take a turn for the worse if he doesn't have something to occupy his mind."
Parker sighed. "Indy, he signed the agreement."
"Only because he feels he has no choice."
"Maybe he doesn't. He needs money. I gave him money."
"So, you're his knight in shining armor?"
Because she said it sassy, not sweet, Parker glanced at her sharply.
"You're so sure you're always right that I don't think you've looked at all angles of this deal."
That made him laugh. This was the crux of their problem, or maybe the crux of his problem, the reason he always wanted to make love to her. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind. He held her future in the palm of his hand, yet she treated him as just a man.
And if that didn't get his blood pumping, nothing did because when he was with her he just wanted to be a man. Stripped naked, rolling around in the sheets, forgetting about the fact that he controlled millions of dollars. He would love to make love to Indy just once before he died of frustration from this unrelenting, instinctive, overbearing natural urge.
Something inside of Parker stilled. That was it! What they felt was a natural instinct. Which meant they were ignoring a call of nature. And like all calls of nature, when ignored, it got stronger. If they made love even once, it would probably go away. But if they didn't and their desire kept growing, they would arrive in San Francisco as two sexually charged people who couldn't be in a meeting without a sexual slip, and she would look like a foolish underling with a crush on her boss.
In a sense, making love right here, right now, was the only thing they could do.
Parker whipped Lloyd's Mercedes to a highway off-ramp and within a quarter mile turned into the parking lot of a neat, clean, middle-America hotel chain. Without wasting time on preliminaries and in spite of Indy's sputtering questions, he took off his seatbelt, undid hers, wrapped his hand around her neck and yanked her over to kiss her. Long and deep, like a man starving for the taste of her…because he was.
He was out of control, but he was also absolutely convinced that once they made love this tempestuous instinct would lose its strength and they could have a normal working relationship.
When she didn't break the kiss but responded, Parker deepened it. Holding her as close as he could in spite of being in the front seat of a car and having several layers of clothes separating them, he plunged his tongue into her mouth. Again, she didn't protest but responded as if she, too, didn't have any control over how she reacted to him. And Parker knew he had his answer.
He broke their kiss and bumped his forehead against hers. "Indy, we have to do this."
She said nothing.
"We have some kind of chemistry that's killing us. If we don't make love, it's going to be obvious to the staff in San Francisco that there's something going on between us."
She cleared her throat. "And if we do?"
"If we do, nine chances out of ten, we'll satisfy our curiosity about each other and that will be the end of it." He paused, then added, "Something this hot can't go on forever. It has to burn itself out."
Indy was stunned to realize that deep down inside she also had always believed that something this hot couldn't last. It was the real reason she didn't actually want to sleep with Parker. If all they had was chemistry, once they slept together, it would die.
But she didn't want it to die. She liked the feelings he inspired in her. She loved the tingles, the anticipation and the breathlessness when he was around.
At the same time, she had no illusions. She knew there was no way she was the woman of Parker's dreams. As it stood, all she really had were a few physical sensations and a daydream that wasn't coming true.
Then there was Emily Winters's assessment. Spending the afternoon with Parker would be the memory of a lifetime.
"Do you think I'm wrong?"
She sighed. "No."
He pulled her close again, nuzzling her hair. "Then what are you afraid of?"
It was hard to remember all the good reasons she shouldn't make love to this man when she was in his arms and his warm breath was fanning across her forehead. She wanted the memory. She recognized she wasn't the woman of Parker's dreams, so she knew she wouldn't pout and fuss when it was over. She could handle it….
Or could she?
Indy silenced her fears and agreed to make love, and Parker didn't waste a second. He jumped out of the car and walked into the hotel lobby. When he returned, he drove the Mercedes around the side of the building to where their room was located.
Indy had plenty of time to change her mind, but she didn't. She knew exactly what she was doing. She couldn't pass up this chance, and she could handle the ramifications. She'd never had a lot of life's goods, so all her life she'd had to make the most of what she had. If Parker could give her only one afternoon, she would make the most of that, too.
They exited the car and walked to the door, which Parker quickly opened. The minute they stepped inside, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her, his tongue unerringly finding its way into her mouth as if there hadn't been a ten-minute break between kisses.
Still kissing her, Parker reached for the first button of her suit jacket and it sprang from its loop. The two pieces of material separated, exposing a two-inch section of skin. As his fingers drifted lower to undo the second button, they skimmed her soft flesh, sending a frisson of joyful awareness skittering through her. This wasn't a daydream. He really was touching her. They really were going to make love.
He repeated the process of undoing a button and exploring the exposed skin until Indy was immersed in sensation. Then he slid her jacket from her right shoulder, and kissed it, then ran his tongue along her collarbone as he slid her jacket down her arms. Response rippled through her, making her feel weak, almost drugged.
Not wanting to become so lethargic that she'd miss any part of this opportunity, she reached for his tie. She loosened the knot, then slowly slid the strip of silk from his neck before reaching for the buttons of his white shirt. As she undid his buttons, he undid the closure of her skirt and it fell to the floor.
She stood before him in nothing but a white lace bra and thong, and, clearly impatient, Parker caught her hands in one of his and finished unbuttoning his own shirt. When the buttons were undone, he shrugged out of the shirt, and she reached for his belt buckle.
After his belt was gone, he grabbed his wallet from a back pocket and tossed it to the bedside table then gave his pants a shove that puddled them on the floor. He stepped out of them, pulled Indy into his arms and tumbled them both to the bed.
His coarse chest hair skimmed the skimpy lace of her bra and tiny explosions of delight ricocheted through her. All thought that this was wrong or risky flew out of her head. This was what she wanted, and, for once, she was going for the pleasure.
And making love with Parker was nothing but pleasure. Strong and sure, his fingers and palms caressed her body. His wet, wicked tongue teased her as he licked and tasted and touched every inch of her and Indy found creative ways to do the same to him. Greedy and hungry, their movements were quick and accurate until Indy was shivering with desire and sweat had beaded on Parker's forehead.
Parker shifted away from her and Indy blinked, wondering if he'd changed his mind. When she noticed he was reaching for his wallet on the bedside table to get a condom, she relaxed, but a spurt of panic also hit her.
This was it. In two seconds there would be no turning back.
With their gazes locked, Parker hovered over Indy, giving her one last chance to stop him. When she didn't protest and her eyes sharpened with desire, he slid into her wet warmth and both of them groaned with delight. He lifted once, then twice, positioning himself so that she didn't merely feel the maximum effect of his shaft inside her but also felt the press of him against her sensitive nub, and ripples of radiance spread through him.
The feelings she inspired were so much more intense than what he had been expecting that Parker had a moment of doubt that making love would extinguish their chemistry. But as every lift and thrust echoed through him, and she met his movements, any coherent thought he had fell out of his head. He growled deep in his throat and released the primal, natural part of himself that had been begging for freedom since the day he met her.
When Parker let go, feminine pride rose within Indy and she joyfully bit his neck. He growled and returned the favor, turning their silent tryst into something more personal between them. Laughing with enjoyment one second and groaning with pleasure the next, they rolled and growled and half played, half fought their way through the most emotional, most fierce coupling Indy had ever experienced. Delightful energy coursed through her veins and gathered in her feminine center, until, in the final second, Parker caught her gaze again and everything stilled.
The way he looked at her as he made one last push vanquished any sense of inadequacy she might have had. She hadn't simply pleased him — she had brought out something primal and wonderful in him. And he loved it.
Knowing they were better than good together caused her to come with a ferocity that would have been frightening if she hadn't known that Parker's release was equally powerful. They both admitted their chemistry had brought them here, but as her body pulsed in completion and Parker collapsed above her, Indy felt a sudden sense of regret.
Not that they had made love. She'd wanted the memory, the pleasure, and making love with him had been nothing less than spectacular. But no matter how good they were together sexually, she knew Parker didn't love her. He'd asked her to make love in order to try to vanquish their chemistry, but she loved him.
Indy shifted slightly to the side when Parker rolled away from her, but rather than let her go, he grabbed her arm and tucked himself against her. The orgasm that had thundered through him had been a phenomenon, but it was nothing compared to the connection he felt with the woman beside him.
She was smart. She was genuine. She was quick and funny and compassionate. She was his equal in every way and making love to her had been like getting a drink of water after a long walk under a hot desert sun. With Indy everything was more intense, more clear, more fun.
As he thought the last, the realization of cold, hard truth came to him as a flash of undeniable reality. Something so simple and profound it could not be argued.
When a man found a woman like this, he married her.
As Parker lay with Indy pressed against his side after making love, a thousand thoughts ran through his head. But the one that caught and held his attention was that he was a bachelor for a good reason. He didn't want an intimate connection with a woman because it would be unfair to the woman. He was a loner. An adventurer. True, he hadn't had time to spend amusing himself with adventures lately because his business had been taking all his time, but that didn't mean he had changed. He wasn't the kind of man who married.
Indy lazily caressed his chest as she asked, "So, what are you going to do about Jim?"
Without preamble, she had brought them back to the discussion they were having before they made love but, preoccupied with their personal dilemma, Parker didn't reply and Indy sat up. "Parker, he needs his company."
And Parker needed to get out of this hotel room to think this through. He had been so sure giving in to their passion would eradicate their chemistry that it never crossed his mind that being intimate might make him feel things that were infinitely worse! But it had. Unless he got rid of these odd feelings he now had for her, he would never be able to work with her.
Still, knowing he couldn't ignore her concerns about Jim, Parker slid out of bed saying, "Indy, Jim sold his company. And now he has to live with it."
Without another word he gathered his clothes and slipped into the bathroom.
Indy fell back on the bed. Parker had said he'd wanted to obliterate their chemistry and she'd agreed to making love on those terms, so though it hurt to have him walk away without a backward glance, she couldn't complain. She would mourn privately. No one — especially not Parker — would know how much it hurt to have him, albeit only for one afternoon, and then lose him.
But in spite of her own pain, she wasn't going to let Jim be the sacrificial victim.
When Parker came out of the bathroom, she was dressed and ready to continue their conversation.
"Look," she said as Parker walked to the bedside table, then simultaneously slid into his shoes and grabbed his car keys and wallet as if he couldn't wait to escape.
"We made an agreement when we decided to stop here and make love." She held his gaze on the words make love because as far as she was concerned that was what they had done. "But I won't let you use Jim to start an argument so that…"
"Our making love has nothing to do with my deal with Jim. He signed a contract. He is now bound." This time Parker held her gaze. "I want that company without Jim Raymond. If you can't deal with that, now is the time to tell me."
Indy stared at Parker, realizing he wasn't using Jim to start an argument. This was how he really felt.
Still holding her gaze, Parker coldly said, "I told you, I always hire new management."
With those familiar words hanging in the air Indy recognized that Parker had been saying and doing straightforward, calculating things all along. But her mistake wasn't so much that she'd misunderstood him but that she'd fallen in love with a man who didn't exist. Parker Taggert wasn't anything like the man she'd built him into in her fantasies, yet the pain in her heart was very real.
She smiled weakly. "Okay. I understand," she said, then walked out of their room and to the car. She didn't say a word until he stopped in front of her house, then she leaned over, kissed his cheek and pulled away.
"You were right. Making love did do a number on our chemistry," she said, not really lying, just giving herself a graceful way out of this. She swallowed back the tears that suddenly formed in her eyes as she realized how desperately she wished he was the man she'd thought him to be. "I don't think we should see each other again. In fact, I'm not going to San Francisco with you."
s
Parker didn't argue with Indy. Half of him desperately wanted to because he knew he'd never see her again, and that gave him a hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach.
But the other half of him knew he wasn't the kind of guy to get married or be in any kind of committed relationship. If he called her back, even just to convince her to work with him, eventually he would hurt her.
He packed and was out of Boston before nightfall, positive that Indy not coming to San Francisco with him was the right thing.
But at his own desk on Monday morning, a place where he shouldn't even be thinking about a woman who had never been in his office, he missed her. Worse, he suddenly saw every business decision in terms of how Indy would see it, or how she could help him, or how damn cute she'd look intently focused on a new project.
When he was still thinking about Indy the following Monday morning, he reviewed Jim Raymond's contract and the original business plan for Raymond Enterprises, hoping he was only obsessed with her because he had refused to listen to her observations about Jim.
When he realized that Jim's ideas for expansion had been brilliant and that only his physical limitations precluded Jim from implementing his ideas, Parker saw what Indy had instinctively seen but couldn't yet put into words because she didn't have the experience. Jim really was the guy to take Raymond Enterprises where it could go. He simply needed help.
Deciding that rectifying the situation with Jim would help exorcise Indy's ghost, Parker dictated a revised agreement, which allowed Jim to stay on as president of his company by hiring additional staff to assist him. When it was ready Thursday afternoon, he returned to Boston so he could get Jim to sign the updated version on Friday.
Knowing Indy no longer worked for Lloyd Winters because Emily had found her a new job, Parker dialed Lloyd's number on his cell phone as he walked through the airport Thursday night. "Hey, buddy, mind if I stay the weekend with you?"
"Parker, you couldn't have better timing! I'm having the guys over for poker tonight!"
Though Parker said, "I don't want to intrude…" something inside his heart leaped. This was exactly what he needed. A night of doing the things he'd enjoyed doing before his company stole all his time.
"Intrude! Don't be silly! It's poker, beer and pretzels. One more guy at the table just means more money I can win."
Parker laughed, but an hour later, sitting at a poker table, cigar in his mouth, bourbon and water at his side and a sweet straight flush in his hand, he was bored.
"I'm going for more ice," he said, not surprised when Lloyd followed him. He suspected Lloyd wanted him to ask about Indy, so he decided to address the issue head-on and get it out of the way. "Did you help her get her job?"
"No. Emily handled it alone." He paused then said, "Indy's a bright girl." He smiled fondly. "She's very happy now."
Pretending to be loosening the ice cubes, Parker snapped the tray, nearly breaking it in half. He'd never spent one minute bored in Indy's company, and she was happy without him. "Good."
"Yep. We're all proud of our little Indy." He paused. "I'm thinking of matching her up with one of the guys."
Parker's mouth fell open. "Which guys?"
"The ones at the poker table," Lloyd replied as if Parker were dense for not knowing. "My sister reminded me I have a whole staff of senior vice presidents, most of whom are single. I want one of them to marry Emily. But that still leaves me with five…."
Thinking of the handsome, educated, eligible men at the poker table, Parker only stared at Lloyd. The CEO of Wintersoft was smiling with glee, but to Parker there was nothing funny about the situation.
The next time he saw Indy, it might be at a dinner party Lloyd hosted to announce her engagement.
On Friday afternoon, Indy drove home in the nice new sedan her new job had allowed her to buy and had dinner with her mother. But when her mother left to see a movie with a friend, Indy was alone. Just like she suspected she would always be. No one would ever fill the shoes of her fantasy version of Parker Taggert and she'd spend the rest of her life lonely, longing for a man who didn't exist.
A persistent pounding on her front door intruded on her depressing thoughts and when she opened it and saw Parker Taggert standing on the threshold, she thought she was hallucinating.
"I nullified the original deal with Jim Raymond and created a new one," he said, not bothering to say hello. "You were right. Jim was the right guy to continue running Raymond Enterprises."
Not sure why he felt she needed to hear this and not enamored with the real Parker Taggert the way she was with her fantasy version, Indy said, "That's great," then tried to close the door.
But he shoved his foot between the door and its frame and stopped her. "You and I have to talk. I know Emily helped you find a job, but I want you to quit and come to San Francisco with me."
So that was it! She had seen something he missed in the Raymond deal, and now he wanted her on his team again. "I don't think so."
She tried to close the door again, but he stopped her again. "Look, I know I said that making love would kill our chemistry, but it didn't work that way for me. In fact, it sort of made things worse."
"And this is my problem because…?"
"Because there wouldn't be a problem if you'd marry me."
Positive she hadn't heard him correctly, she gasped. "You want me to marry you?"
"I love you." He sighed and combed his fingers through his hair. "I knew it the day we made love. I fought it because I knew I was the kind of guy who liked adventure and that I'd probably end up hurting you. But last night when Lloyd started talking about fixing you up with one of his senior vice presidents I realized I was a much better match for you than any one of those guys. More than that, though, I suddenly saw that living with you would be fun and exciting and all the adventure I'd ever need. You're everything I want. Just the way you are. I wouldn't ever hurt you. I'm sorry it took me two weeks to figure that out." He caught her gaze. "Really sorry."
Indy could only stare at him. Just as she'd always thought, there was a sweet sincere man inside that spectacular body.
"Say you'll marry me."
"I'll marry you!" Indy said, then leaped into his arms. "I love you, too! I can't imagine my life without you."
"Good, because we make a good romantic team, but we make just as good a business team. We're going to be working together, living together, sleeping together. You might get pretty damned tired of me," Parker said, grinning.
She stopped his words with a smacking kiss. "I doubt it."
Holding her tightly, Parker sighed with relief. "Good. Now, would you like to find another cheap but effective Holiday Inn, or can I make love to you in your own bed?"
"My bed is fine," she said, then took his hand and led him upstairs, absolutely positive they were both entering into the adventure of a lifetime.
The End