Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!
The Audience Chanted.

The crowd seemed to have centered their attention on him and Jennifer. Then Alex realized why. They were the only couple not kissing.

Pulling Jennifer to him, he slipped his arm around her and drew her closer. She stared at him, her eyes aglow. Alex had often imagined kissing her, but none of his fantasies compared to this.

“Alex—”

“Shh,” he murmured and lowered his mouth. An explosion went off inside him as he kissed her. The audience cheered wildly and deafening applause filled the room, but Alex was unaware of anything except the softness of Jennifer’s lips beneath his.

Stunned by his response to her, he broke off their kiss.

Their eyes met and he sucked in a ragged breath.

What the hell had just happened?

Dear Reader,

Silhouette Desire is starting the New Year off with a bang as we introduce our brand-new family-centric continuity, DYNASTIES: THE ASHTONS. Set in the lush wine-making country of Napa Valley, California, the Ashtons are a family divided by a less-than-fatherly patriarch. We think you’ll be thoroughly entranced by all the drama and romance when the wonderful Eileen Wilks starts things off with Entangled. Look for a new book in the series each month…all year long.

The New Year also brings new things from the fabulous Dixie Browning as she launches DIVAS WHO DISH. You’ll love her sassy heroine in Her Passionate Plan B. SONS OF THE DESERT, Alexandra Sellers’s memorable series, is back this month with the dramatic conclusion, The Fierce and Tender Sheikh. RITA® Award-winning author Cindy Gerard will thrill you with the heart-stopping hero in Between Midnight and Morning. (My favorite time of the night. What about you?)

Rounding out the month are two clever stories about shocking romances: Shawna Delacorte’s tale of a sexy hero who falls for his best friend’s sister, In Forbidden Territory, and Shirley Rogers’s story of a secretary who ends up winning her boss in a bachelor auction, Business Affairs.

Here’s to a New Year’s resolution we should all keep: indulging in more desire!

Happy reading,

Melissa Jeglinski
Senior Editor, Silhouette Desire

BUSINESS AFFAIRS

SHIRLEY ROGERS

Books by Shirley Rogers

Silhouette Desire

Cowboys, Babies and Shotgun Vows #1176

Conveniently His #1266

A Cowboy, a Bride & a Wedding Vow #1344

Baby of Fortune #1384

One Wedding Night… #1434

Her Texan Temptation #1481

Terms of Surrender #1615

Business Affairs #1632

SHIRLEY ROGERS

lives in Virginia with her husband, two cats and an adorable Maltese named Blanca. She has two grown children—a son and a daughter. As a child, she was known for having a vivid imagination. It wasn’t until she started reading romances that she realized her true destiny was writing them! Besides reading, she enjoys traveling, seeing movies and spending time with her family.

To my husband, Roger.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

One

“And the winner for the final drawing this evening, for Bachelor Number Ten, is…Jennifer Cardon!”

Jennifer’s mouth dropped open as she stared at the emcee of the charity event she’d attended with her best friend, Casey McDaniel. Hoots, screams and thunderous applause exploded around her in the classy ballroom located in a hotel alongside the Elizabeth River in downtown Norfolk.

She’d won? Oh, my God! Struggling to breathe, she began to grasp the ramifications of her actually bidding for a date with a man.

From the moment she’d agreed to attend the event where prominent bachelors were to be auctioned off, she’d questioned her sanity. That she’d won erased any remaining doubts.

She’d actually paid for a date with a man!

A stranger!

As the chaos around her began to subside, she clenched her teeth and glared at her best friend, who was sitting at the table with her. “Casey, I’m going to kill you.” Silently, Jennifer chastised herself for the three glasses of champagne she’d consumed during the evening. Not much of a drinker, the alcohol in combination with Casey’s urging had driven her to this ludicrous moment.

“Kill me? Are you kidding? This is the best thing that could’ve happened to you,” Casey replied, her grin wide. “Congratulations! This is fantastic!”

“I can’t believe I actually let you talk me into bidding,” Jennifer said between her lips as she forced a smile.

“You’re the one who wants a baby,” her friend bluntly reminded her.

“Not with a stranger!” With her thirtieth birthday looming, Jennifer felt her biological clock ticking. She did want a baby. Badly. But without anyone special to share her life with, and no possibilities on the male horizon, her chances of having a baby were slim to none.

In desperation, she’d begun investigating artificial insemination. After learning of her plans, Casey had suggested she have a fling with a stranger, then have his baby without his knowledge. It was a bizarre idea, but it had started her thinking.

Unlike Casey, who was wild and crazy, Jennifer couldn’t do anything that reckless. But she had found herself fantasizing about the bachelor auction—the perfect opportunity to meet someone special, a man she could eventually have deep feelings for. Maybe a man who could father a baby for her.

“Well, having sex with a stranger is better than visiting some sterile clinic like you’d planned,” her friend teased.

“This isn’t funny. What am I going to do if this gets out at the office?” As executive vice president of a prosperous software company, if word leaked out she’d paid more than a thousand dollars for a date, it would put her in a deplorable light. Never mind that she’d participated for charity. Who would care about money going to a good cause when they could gossip about her?

“Have fun with it, Jennifer. Loosen up. Maybe this guy will turn out to be the man of your dreams.”

“Right,” she practically snarled. Jennifer knew that wasn’t possible. Alex Dunnigan, her boss and CEO of Com-Tec, only appreciated her business skills. In the five years she’d worked with him, he’d never once looked at her as a desirable woman.

“Jennifer, please come on up and join the other lucky ladies on the stage,” the announcer’s voice boomed over the speakers.

Shrinking in her seat, Jennifer covered her eyes with her hands. “Oh, please, this can’t be happening!”

Casey laughed. “Jennifer! They’re calling you. You’ve got to go. Now!”

“I can’t.” She took her hands down and pleaded, “You take my place! Please!”

“Jennifer!” Casey grabbed her hand and pulled her out of her chair. “They’re waiting!”

As soon as Jennifer stood, the ballroom erupted into even more commotion. Her gaze swept the crowd, her cheeks burning. The euphoria surrounding her was unbelievable. Women were cheering and clapping, their faces exuberant. Jennifer’s legs went weak and she grasped the table to steady herself.

“Go!” Casey gave her a shove.

“All right!” She slapped Casey’s hands away from her. A spotlight appeared out of nowhere and followed her as she wove through the tables toward the front of the grand ballroom. Her face grew hot and she prayed the floor would open and swallow her up. As she approached the stage, her steps grew even more hesitant. If only she could go back and start the night over. The emcee, an attractive woman of about forty, smiled at her as Jennifer smoothed her hands down her gold lamé evening gown.

This is what she got for doing a favor. She scanned the room for Mary Davis, her boss’s aunt, the elderly woman who had convinced her to come in the first place. Jennifer hadn’t been able to refuse when she’d asked her to attend tonight’s charity event for support. She needed to find her to explain how impossible this whole thing had turned out.

She cringed when she thought of Alex finding out. Surely his aunt would mention this episode to him. It was bad enough having to endure her attraction to him knowing he’d never shown any sign of being interested in her. Along with the rest of the firm, he’d tease her for weeks.

Truthfully, their platonic relationship worked for the best. If she and Alex ever had a relationship, with his track record, she’d end up getting hurt. Alex Dunnigan didn’t believe in long-term relationships. And she couldn’t bear to be one of his many conquests.

As she approached the steps, her legs began to tremble. She would have tripped if it hadn’t been for the escort who met her. A young man, who looked about the age of her twenty-eight-year-old brother, he gave her a broad smile and a wink. She felt her cheeks burn as she struggled to walk in her spiky high heels. Accepting his help, she took her place on the stage with nine other women.

Great, Mary Davis was nowhere in sight. Jennifer groaned. For the time being, she was condemned to go through with this ridiculous ordeal.

Her heart racing, she stood in a line across the stage, a smiled plastered on her face, her heart thumping. She did her best to pretend she was enjoying herself. Somehow she’d get through the next few minutes, then she’d hunt Mary Davis down and find a way out of this mess. She’d just thank her and donate the money she bid directly to the charity, then politely turn down her date with her winning bachelor. That would do it!

“All right, ladies. It’s time to meet your dates!” the emcee announced, beaming with excitement. The audience erupted with cheers and thunderous claps, and she raised her hands to hush them. Once they quieted, she continued. “Okay, now don’t turn around yet. We’re going to line your dates up right behind you. They’ll be blindfolded so they won’t be able to see you, either. When we give you the cue, turn around and remove your date’s blindfold.”

Jennifer heard the sound of footsteps across the wooden stage, and her chest expanded as she felt the presence of someone behind her. Applause and laughter exploded throughout the room.

This was ridiculous. What kind of man would let himself be auctioned off in the first place? Her face flushed even hotter. The man she’d won had to be thinking much worse about her. After all, she was paying for an evening of his company.

Resigned that for the next few minutes she was trapped, she willed herself to breathe deeply. A scent of musk filled her senses, heightening her awareness of someone coming up to stand behind her. Jeez, he smelled wonderful. Better than wonderful.

Intriguing.

And familiar. She wrinkled her nose. How ridiculous. No man she knew in his right mind would agree to participate in anything this absurd. But she definitely recognized his cologne as the same brand as…

Jennifer never heard the command to take the blindfolds off of their dates. She only turned because she saw the other women spinning around and she copied their movements. Blood roared in her ears, blocking out the noise of the audience and the excited chatter of the women on the stage with her.

Her gut churned as she looked around. They were already taking the blindfolds off their dates. Gathering her courage, Jennifer lifted her face to the man paired with her.

Her heart thumped.

Alex!

She couldn’t believe her eyes. Her boss stood in front of her, his lean body filling out his black tux as if it had been made for him. And it probably had, she thought appreciatively as she stared unabashedly at him.

Her gaze drifted from the black band of cloth covering his eyes, to take in his dark hair and finely chiseled, handsome face. His full lips were smiling, but the pulse beat at his throat gave her a hint of his true feelings. Anyone else would think he was enjoying himself. But she knew Alex too well. He wasn’t at all pleased about being here. Jennifer could just imagine his expression when he discovered she was the woman who’d won him.

Well, that made two of them. Her distress eased just a bit. If Alex wasn’t happy about participating, like her, he’d be looking for a way out. With them paired together, this might just turn out for the best. The two of them could figure a way out of this mess.

Her gaze slid over his body, then up to his face again, and her breath caught in her throat. The man radiated sex appeal from head to toe. If nothing else, she owed Mary a big thank-you for giving her the chance to ogle Alex without him knowing.

“It seems like our last winner is a bit shy,” the emcee commented to the audience. Laughter exploded throughout the room. “Everyone is waiting for you to reveal your date.”

Jennifer cringed when she realized she was the only woman who hadn’t removed her date’s blindfold. Because there was nothing else she could do, she moved closer to Alex and raised her shaky hands to his face. His big hands covered hers, causing flutters in her stomach. With his help, they removed his blindfold.

Their gazes collided.

“Jennifer?” Alex had recognized the enticing, recognizable scent the moment he’d stood behind her, but he’d assumed she was someone who wore the same perfume as the woman who was second in command at his software company. Never, not even for a moment, had he thought that the woman was Jennifer.

But he wasn’t complaining. She was beautiful. Her gold evening gown flowed over her slim figure, the neckline dipping mischievously between the swells of her breasts. His stomach muscles tightened and a spiral of awareness coiled through his body.

“Hi.” Still shivering from the heat of his touch, Jennifer looked into his sexy blue eyes. “I can’t believe you’re the man I bid on!”

Continuing to hold her hands, Alex smiled at her. Relief flashed through him, replaced in an instant by a sense of exhilaration.

This was Jennifer!

His Jennifer!

Unable to believe it, Alex glanced around them. Each woman stood with the bachelor she’d bid on. So it was true! He’d actually been won by Jennifer. His gaze went back to her. He realized that even though he couldn’t hear her, she was speaking to him. “What?” he asked over the clamor of claps and cheers reverberating throughout the room.

Jennifer leaned closer to Alex, close enough to breathe in the essence of him. Her senses whirled. “What are you doing here?” she asked, raising her voice to be heard.

“I got roped into this by my aunt.” Gazing at Jennifer, Alex’s brain kicked into logical mode. For more than an hour he’d been pacing in a room with the other bachelors, wondering why he’d let his great-aunt talk him into doing something this crazy. Though he ran a Fortune 500 business every day with ruthless precision, when it came to his favorite aunt, he just didn’t have the power to say no.

Well, he couldn’t have asked for a better conclusion. Hopefully, Jennifer would agree to keep this under wraps. No one at his office would even find out, and he wouldn’t have to endure being harassed by his staff.

She blinked. “Oh.” Great. So she was right. He didn’t want to be here, either. Which was just as well because she was already attracted to Alex, and she certainly couldn’t take advantage of him, could she?

“I didn’t know you’d be here this evening,” Alex said, raising his voice above the noise around them.

Jennifer tried to pull her hands free, but he held on to them. “It wasn’t my idea. I, uh, I came as a favor to your aunt, too.”

“I see.” But he really didn’t. She would have been the last person he’d guess to bid on a date with a man. At five foot nine, she was about five inches shorter than him. While Alex usually dated voluptuous women, Jennifer’s slim figure had intrigued him from the moment he’d hired her. The generous amount of skin exposed by her dress wasn’t helping. Her dark brown hair, pulled into a soft twist, left an enticing view of her neck as well as the delicate curves hidden beneath her dress. His body stirred with awareness.

“It isn’t what you think,” she said hurriedly, not wanting him to get the impression she had to hire men to go out with her.

He smiled, revealing a dimple in his left cheek. “It isn’t?”

“I never planned to bid on anyone.” Oh, but the thought of going out with Alex was awfully tempting. Too tempting.

But she knew all about his aversion to commitment. The revolving door effect of the women in and out of his life was proof of his playboy lifestyle. She’d be a fool to waste her time hoping anything could come of her attraction to him. The smart thing to do was to call the date off as soon as possible.

“Yeah?”

“No, really.” She could see he didn’t quite believe her. Turning, she glanced out at the audience in search of her friend. “See, there’s Casey.” Grinning, her friend waved at them, then began clapping. “You remember her?” Alex and Casey had met on numerous occasions.

Casey knew of Jennifer’s attraction to her boss. Seeing them paired together on the stage, Jennifer could just imagine what was going on in her best friend’s conniving mind. Managing to extricate one of her hands from Alex, she pointed to her. “She instigated it. I mean—”

Jennifer broke off her own sentence. How could she ever explain why she’d taken a chance on bidding for a date with a man? Casey knew how bad she wanted a baby, but she could never admit it to anyone else—least of all, to Alex.

“Casey thought it’d be fun, and we sort of got caught up in the moment. She bid, too, but someone outbid her,” she explained. It wasn’t the whole truth, but it wasn’t a lie, either.

Alex frowned. “Oh.” Meaning what? he wondered. She was disappointed she’d won him?

“Look, I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to go through with this date,” she said hurriedly before things got further out of hand.

“Why not?” he asked, a bit annoyed she was already reneging on spending an evening with him. “If it were any of the other men, you’d go, right?”

Her admission came grudgingly. “Maybe, but—”

“Then what’s the harm in an innocent night of fun, Jennifer?”

“We work together, Alex.”

She had a valid point, Alex thought. Their work relationship had to come first. He’d hired her because she’d been employed by some of the most well-known computer software companies. During her initial interview, Alex had admired her sense of integrity, even more so her ambition.

And she’d lived up to his expectations. Hell, she’d exceeded them. Like him, work was vital to her, and she was damn good at getting results. He’d assigned her some of his more difficult clients, and she’d handled each one with poise, patience and what seemed like unending attention.

“It’s just a date, Jennifer.”

Before she had time to answer, a huge surge of excitement permeated the room.

Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!

The chant from the audience grew louder. Several couples complied instantly, putting a show on for the crowd with long, drawn-out kisses. Alex looked around, taking in their reaction, then his gaze landed on Jennifer’s generous mouth. He’d been tempted for years to taste her. Fate was giving him the perfect opportunity.

Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!

The crowd seemed to have their attention centered on them. Then he realized why. They were the only couple not kissing.

Tugging Jennifer to him, he slipped his arm around her. He guided his hand to her neck, his palm cupping her face, lifting her chin. She stared up at him, her eyes aglow. Alex had often imagined kissing her, but none of his fantasies compared to this exquisite moment. His anticipation building, he leaned down, his lips hovering a breath away from hers.

“Alex—”

“Shh,” he murmured, and lowered his mouth. An explosion went off inside him as he kissed her. The audience cheered wildly and deafening applause filled the room, but Alex was unaware of anything except the velvet softness of Jennifer’s lips beneath his.

In a million years he could never have imagined she’d taste this magnificent, this perfect. Her hands came up to his arms, grasping them tightly, as if she needed to hold on to him for support. Her lips parted slightly and he felt, rather than heard, her moan of pleasure. Spirals of desire surged through him as their tongues met briefly, retreated, then touched again.

Alex groaned. She tasted sweet, enticing, and he moved closer. As their bodies touched, he became aroused. Stunned by his response to her, he broke off their kiss.

Their eyes met and he sucked in a ragged breath.

What the hell had just happened? Jennifer was staring at him, her eyes wide, her lips damp from their kiss. His kiss. Alex fought the urge to drag her back into his arms and kiss her again.

His attraction to her had skyrocketed, and he wasn’t sure what to do about it. His fantasies of kissing her hadn’t come close to the reality of his mouth claiming hers.

Damn. It was going to be a few minutes before he felt anything close to normal again. He wasn’t even sure he could walk. Unnerved, he remained rooted to the stage floor.

For the first time in his life, Alex was tempted to throw caution to the wind and to pursue Jennifer as he would any woman he wanted.

No. You’ll only hurt her.

As much as he desired her, he couldn’t ignore the betraying thought that crept into his mind. He wasn’t the settling-down kind of man. He’d learned the hard way that marriage and commitment were merely empty words spoken by two people who felt nothing more than lust for each other.

His own parents were proof of that. After twelve years they’d ended up in a nasty divorce. Jacqueline Dunnigan had wanted nearly everything his father had worked all of his life for, including their palatial family home, her Mercedes and her share of their small computer software business.

The only thing she hadn’t wanted was her son.

It had taken years, but Alex had worked through the pain of his mother’s abandonment. He’d vowed never to let a woman have any kind of hold on him.

Kissing Jennifer had been an earth-shattering experience. Now that he knew her taste, more than ever he wanted to make love to her. But as was always the case when he started dating someone new, his attraction would diminish in a short amount of time. He enjoyed women, had dated his share and probably more, but no woman had ever held his interest very long. Not one.

Would Jennifer?

He didn’t want to hurt her. And he damn well couldn’t risk ruining their working relationship.

As the emcee bid the audience farewell, a large black curtain slowly closed across the front of the stage, shutting the couples off from the noise of the observers.

Great timing, Jennifer thought with a shiver. What was she supposed to say to Alex after the way she’d kissed him? It was just for show? Yeah, as if he’d believe she wasn’t affected by their kiss! She had known kissing him would be wonderful. But…oh, it had been so much more amazing than she’d ever dreamed.

“Well, okay, then,” she stated, making an effort to keep her tone level as she stepped back.

“We must have given them what they were cheering for,” Alex replied, aware she had physically distanced herself from him.

“Yes.” Jennifer’s heart sank. So she’d been right. Trying to please the audience, he’d been playing his part to the hilt. Apparently their kiss had only curled her toes. The best thing to do was to remove any kernel of a chance of following through with her plan. “You know,” she said, boldly looking him in the eyes, “I couldn’t have asked for this to turn out better.”

Alex studied her. “What do you mean?” He studied her features, tried to glean what she was thinking.

She gestured with her hands. “I really didn’t want to come this evening. I was just trying to help your aunt’s charity event, and with Casey’s goading, I kind of got carried away with my bidding. So we can just call the date off.”

“Call it off?” He frowned. He hadn’t expected her to suggest calling off their date. But he should have. He’d probably scared her off when he’d kissed her. His reaction to her had scared him.

“Well, yes. I mean, under the circumstances, I don’t expect you to honor your agreement.”

“You won, didn’t you?” he asked, put off she could so easily dismiss going out with him.

“Well, yes. But, Alex, we can’t go out on a date together.”

Alex didn’t like the way she’d said that, as if the idea of dating him was repugnant. He’d sensed her response to him. Unless she’d missed her calling as an actress, she damn well wasn’t immune to him.

“You bid a considerable amount of money.” While waiting in a soundproof room backstage, he’d been stunned when he learned the amount of Jennifer’s bid. “And I made an obligation to my aunt and to the charity. I’m not going to back out. Besides, my aunt would be crushed.”

“But surely she’ll understand when she realizes we got paired together.” She crossed her arms in front of her to stop her hands from shaking.

“What difference does it make?”

“We work together!”

“So what? It doesn’t have to be a big deal. It’s probably only dinner or something. We’ll keep it simple,” he told her, trying to suppress his growing need to kiss her again.

Simple for him, Jennifer thought, but not for her. Looking away, she considered her situation. Of course the date wouldn’t mean anything to Alex. He didn’t have feelings for her. But she was already attracted to him, and she was finding it increasingly difficult to keep her attraction under control. And since she’d kissed him, well, all she could think about was how much she wanted to kiss him again.

Simple? No, not simple at all.

But could a date with Alex lead to more? Could she sleep with him—possibly even become pregnant by him? Her conscience taunted her. She glanced back at him and her heart did a little flip. Licking her lips, she could still taste him, could still feel the heat of his kiss flowing through her.

The temptation to try to seduce him grew even stronger. But if she agreed to accept the date, was she making an even bigger mistake?

Two

“Jennifer.”

At Alex’s voice, Jennifer realized she’d been staring at him. “I’m sorry. Um, what were you saying?”

“It’s not a lifelong commitment.” Before he could say anything more, Mary Davis strolled up to them, a wide smile making her aged face glow.

“Oh, look at you,” she said, her voice full of excitement. “What are the chances the two of you would be paired?”

Alex glowered at her. “Aunt Mary, did you have something to do with this?”

Mary looked offended. “Don’t be ridiculous, Alex, dear. How could I have arranged something like this?” She waved her hand, dismissing the idea as laughable.

“Mrs. Davis, this just isn’t going to work out,” Jennifer stated firmly. “Alex and I work together.”

“What difference does that make?” the older woman asked, surprised.

“Jennifer believes it would be inappropriate for us to go out together,” Alex replied, his disagreement evident in his tone.

“As friends?” Perplexed, Mary glanced from one to the other.

Jennifer frowned. Put like that, it did sound reasonable. She tried another tactic. “We have a hectic business schedule. It would be difficult to get away at the same time.”

“So hectic that you can’t take a bit of time off?” She made a tsking sound. Shifting her attention to Alex, she asked, “Do you agree? Are you both so valuable at work that you can’t be spared?”

Alex pulled at his collar. “Of course we can take some time off.”

“It’s not just that—”

“Great,” Mary interrupted, steamrolling over Jennifer’s excuse. “Besides, the radio station that helped set the auction up is donating a thousand dollars for each couple who won, provided they follow through and keep their date. Actually, I think they’re hoping for some interviews to generate publicity for their station, but their donation means additional money for the Children’s Hospital.”

Oh, great, Jennifer fretted. If she didn’t go out with Alex, she’d be solely responsible for the Children’s Hospital losing money. Feeling bad, she still tried to get out of it. “I’m sure you have something special planned, and I certainly don’t want the hospital to lose my contribution.”

“Good. You’re both adults,” Mary told her, stating the obvious. “Surely you can spend a few hours enjoying each other’s company. You do it all the time at work. This time, it’ll be in a more enjoyable setting.”

Alex watched Jennifer and could see that she still wasn’t convinced. He didn’t want to give up the chance to spend time with her, but he wasn’t going to force the issue. “You can back out if you want to, Jennifer, but on one condition. If you do, I’m going to pay the money you bid to the charity.”

“Back out?” Annoyed, she glared at him. “I can honor this obligation,” she blurted before she could stop herself.

“Fine, then everything is set.” Mary smiled warmly.

“What does this date entail?” Alex asked his aunt while he still had her attention.

“Each date is different. You’ll receive a packet soon with full instructions about it. Last-minute details are being ironed out, but don’t worry, I’ll ensure it arrives at your office by messenger on Monday. Thank you both for helping me with this event. It was a great success!”

The older woman turned and rushed off before Jennifer had a chance to respond. But what would she have said? She was trapped. Biting her lip, she looked at Alex and sighed. “I guess it’s a date.”

“You don’t have to sound so excited about it,” he said grumpily. She acted as if she’d received a death threat.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized. “It’s not like I don’t enjoy your company.”

“That’s a relief. You had me thinking I had the plague or something.”

Unable to stop herself, Jennifer chuckled. “I didn’t mean to.”

“Well, good then,” he said, relaxing a bit. “My ego was taking a beating.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet.” She knew it would take a lot more than her turning down a date with him to damage his ego. He was the most confident man she knew—especially when it came to women.

Alex glanced around them and realized they were the only couple still standing on the stage. “Do you need a ride home?”

“No,” Jennifer said quickly, eager to get away so she could think about what she’d gotten herself into. “Casey is waiting for me.”

“Did she drive you here?”

Nodding, she said, “I’m sure she wouldn’t have left without me.” But when they went out to where she and Casey had been sitting, Casey was nowhere to be found. Jennifer’s jacket was draped over her purse on the chair.

Jennifer couldn’t believe her friend had left her stranded. She stole a look at Alex and her heart began to beat crazily. If she was going to gain some control over her attraction to him, she’d have to find a way out of their date.

“I don’t see Casey,” Alex said, scanning the large room.

“I don’t, either.”

Picking up her jacket, Alex slipped it on her shoulders. He slid his hand down her arm to take her hand. “Come on, I’ll take you home.”

“I can call a cab,” she insisted, snatching her purse from the chair.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Alex shot her a look of frustration.

Accepting her fate, Jennifer followed him to his car, shivering as they stepped into the cold January night. Once they were seated inside his plush sedan, she gave him her address and the directions to her apartment in Virginia Beach.

This was a wish she’d always harbored—Alex driving her home late at night. Only in her dreams, he’d come inside and they’d spend the evening in each other’s arms. Her thoughts brought back all the wonderful sensations she’d felt when he’d kissed her earlier in the evening.

Stop thinking about it! she admonished herself. Alex wasn’t interested in her as a woman. Sure, he’d kissed her senseless on the stage, but as he’d admitted afterward, it had only been for show.

“I wonder where our date will take us?” she commented to fill the silence once they were headed out of the garage. It didn’t really matter what it entailed. She was still trying to think of a way to get out of it.

“You know how these things are. More hype than anything else. Probably dinner, maybe tickets to the theater.” It didn’t matter to him. He was looking forward to spending time alone with her, even if nothing could come of it. Over the years he’d been careful to keep their relationship on a business level. In doing so, he realized he knew very little about her personal life.

“Are you seeing someone?” Maybe the reason she didn’t want to honor the date was because she was involved with someone. But if so, why would she have bid in the first place?

Jennifer’s head swiveled in his direction. “What?”

“I was wondering if the reason you didn’t want to go out was because you were involved with someone.”

“No, it was more like the champagne they served went to my head,” she confessed with a nervous laugh.

“Ah.” He mulled her comment over a moment. “Then you’re not seeing anyone?” he asked again, wanting to be sure when they went out, even for a night, he wasn’t infringing on another man’s territory.

“Um, no.” She didn’t elaborate. The less Alex knew about her love life, or lack of, the better. Her past relationships hadn’t survived the demands of her job. She didn’t admit as much to Alex.

When she’d decided on using a sperm bank, she’d known that once she was pregnant, she’d have to quit her job. Long hours and numerous trips out of town weren’t conducive to raising a child.

Jennifer knew how Alex felt about marriage and family. He wanted neither. She’d heard a rare comment or two from him about his parents’ bitter divorce, and sadness for him filled her heart. Unlike Jennifer, whose parents were not only still together but very much in love, Alex had grown up with parents who had fought bitterly.

So if she seduced him and was lucky enough to become pregnant, it wouldn’t be as if she’d be trapping him, would it? She wouldn’t expect him to marry her or to be a father to her child. Actually, Alex would never even have to know. She’d just give her notice at work and move away. And knowing the baby was Alex’s, she’d love it even more.

But could she seduce him? Just thinking about it, of having the luxury to touch his hard, lean body, made her want to throw caution to the wind.

“I see.” Alex turned off the interstate, her answer pleasing him more than it should have. He knew she’d been seeing a man a few months ago. He wondered what had happened between them. She didn’t offer any explanation, and figuring it wasn’t his business, he didn’t press her for more information.

“What about Lisa Garretson?” Jennifer asked, thinking about the woman Alex was currently dating. “Surely she won’t like it when she hears about this.”

“I doubt she’ll care.”

She looked at him. “Oh, please.” The woman was obnoxious and annoying whenever she came to the office to see Alex. Jennifer avoided being in the same room with her. Okay, so maybe she was jealous of Lisa dating Alex. But couldn’t Alex see that Lisa was superficial and pretentious?

He probably only noticed her figure. Lisa actually had boobs, not small ones like her own. But Lisa’s were probably fake, so she didn’t think they should count, right?

“We’re not seeing each other anymore.”

“Really?” Jennifer’s eyebrows rose. Alex had been seeing Lisa for the past four months, a month longer than his other relationships. Their breakup must have been recent, because she’d seen Lisa just last week at a restaurant and she hadn’t mentioned a thing about Alex and her not seeing each other anymore.

“You seem surprised,” Alex commented. He pulled into the driveway of her apartment in Hilltop, an upscale neighborhood not far from the oceanfront. He turned off the car’s engine.

“I wasn’t aware you weren’t together.”

“We weren’t ever together.” He emphasized the word, wanting to make it clear that there had never been anything serious between him and Lisa. “We dated awhile. She became too possessive,” he admitted. “I broke it off.” They’d been walking past a jewelry store one evening and Lisa had drawn him over to engagement rings. His palms had started to sweat and he’d ended things with her the next day. Lisa had been furious, but he’d made it clear from the beginning how he felt about marriage.

“Oh.” She wasn’t sure what to say. Yippee! didn’t seem appropriate.

He reached for the door handle. “I’ll see you in.”

“Thanks anyway. I’ll be fine.” Before he could answer, she had her door open. To her consternation, he got out and came around to meet her.

Since it was Friday evening, Alex wondered what she had planned for the weekend. He had no idea of how she spent her time. “I guess I’ll see you on Monday,” he commented as they strolled up the walk.

“Yes. We have a meeting at eight with the Baker sisters,” she reminded him as she unlocked and opened her door. Mable and Dorothy Baker owned six flower shops. Until recently, the two older women had fought against using computer technology to run their business, but after several meetings, they were less apprehensive. Jennifer hadn’t been able to sway them, but after fifteen minutes with Alex, they were ready for almost anything. His charm never ceased to amaze her. Shaking her head, she turned to face him.

“Right.” Alex’s lips twisted into a smile. “I haven’t told you how beautiful you look tonight.” His gaze caressed her face and shoulders, taking in her creamy skin, pausing a moment too long on her cleavage before returning to her face.

Jennifer blushed at his compliment, the sincerity of his tone causing her heart to skip a beat. “Thank you. You look quite dashing yourself.” She smiled up at him as she ran her fingertips along his lapel. “A little like 007.”

“James Bond, huh?” He grinned, liking the idea. James always got his woman, Alex thought, and his gaze fell to Jennifer’s mouth. His desire to kiss her again hadn’t diminished in the time it had taken to drive her home.

She’d made it clear they should keep their relationship strictly business, so he had no recourse but to adhere to her wishes. She was right. If something personal happened between them, it could cause problems. Jennifer was a valuable employee. He wouldn’t want to lose her. Still, he had to fight the urge to kiss her again.

Jennifer’s gaze connected with his. “Thanks for the ride home,” she murmured.

“Anytime.” Knowing he couldn’t kiss her was killing him. He reached up and caressed her shoulder, then ran his hand down her arm. Lifting her hand, he kissed her knuckles. It was all he could do not to pull her into his arms. Releasing her, he said good-night and headed to his car.

Jennifer went inside, then turned and watched Alex drive away. Closing the door, she leaned against it, savoring the feel of his lips against her skin. She tingled all over as she locked the door and went to her bedroom.

Glancing at her watch, she started to call Casey right then and there, but something held her back. As much as she wanted to admonish her friend for leaving her stranded, she wasn’t up to talking to Casey about what had happened between her and Alex.

She wanted to keep the memory of his kiss to herself. Casey would want a detailed account of everything she’d felt. And she’d press Jennifer about her plans to get pregnant, wanting to know if winning Alex as her bachelor tonight had changed anything.

Jennifer didn’t want to admit it, but she was in trouble. Somehow she had to get out of this date with Alex. Because now that she knew how it felt to kiss him, she wanted him more than ever.

But Alex Dunnigan wasn’t hers to have.

Alex walked into his office after meeting with the Baker sisters. The conference had taken longer than he’d planned, and it was nearly ten o’clock. He saw the large brown envelope on his desk and picked it up, not needing to look at the return address to know it was the information from his aunt detailing his date with Jennifer. Knowing she’d want to find out what was in it right away, he picked up the telephone and punched the button for her intercom.

“Can you come in here for a minute?” he asked when she answered. He replaced the receiver, then took his seat behind his desk. Jennifer walked in moments later and he could see the curiosity in her eyes as she sat across from him.

“What’s in it?” she asked when she saw the envelope.

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I thought you’d want to do the honors.” He handed it to her, then sat back.

Jennifer bit her lip as she tore open the envelope, her anxiety kicking up a notch. Between wondering what kind of date they were supposed to go on and reliving Alex’s kiss, she’d hardly slept last night. She took the papers out and briefly scanned them.

“Oh, no, this can’t be right!” she practically wailed. She looked up at Alex, stunned. “It’s a date for an entire weekend!”

“A weekend? Where?” Alex asked, surprised to learn their date involved more than just one evening. “My aunt never said I was obligating myself to a weekend when she roped me into the auction.” He was a man who planned his life, and he hadn’t planned to spend any more than a night with the woman who’d won him. Of course, he’d made that decision before he’d learned the woman was Jennifer.

The thought of sharing a weekend with her changed everything. He could spend an evening taking her to dinner and manage to keep his hands off of her. But a weekend alone with her? Alex wasn’t so sure.

“Oh, my goodness!”

“What is it? Does she have us climbing Mt. Everest or something?” He wouldn’t have put even the wildest stunt past his aunt.

“Something just as ridiculous,” Jennifer replied, her voice shaking as she looked at pictures of a cozy ski lodge. There were huge beds and fireplaces in the rooms. “Here.” She handed the brochures to him. “It’s for a ski weekend in Vermont.”

“Really? When?” Alex couldn’t suppress the excitement racing through him. He loved to ski, but living in Virginia Beach where it rarely snowed meant traveling to the mountains. Last winter he hadn’t taken the time for even a day trip. The idea of going to a ski resort—and especially going with Jennifer—turned his whole attitude toward being obligated into anticipation. He could see them having dinner in front of an intimate fireplace, her eyes beckoning him with desire that no man could resist.

“This weekend,” she stated, pulling him from his fantasy.

“Do you ski?”

She looked at him. “What?”

“Do you ski?”

“Now wait just a minute.” Holding her hands out, she sat forward. “Don’t even think about it.”

“It’s a simple question,” Alex noted. “Just answer it.”

Eyeing him cautiously, she shook her head. “No. I’ve always wanted to try it,” she admitted reluctantly, “but I’ve never learned.” Oh, no, she thought, watching his eyes widen. She wished back her words.

He took the packet from her when she held it out to him. “Then you’re in luck. I’m an expert skier and I can teach you.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Why not?” Alex asked, already thinking about sliding down the slopes and perhaps stealing a kiss or two.

“Well, for one thing, we both have to work,” she reasoned, hoping their work schedule would be enough to discourage the sparkle in his eyes.

Alex studied the itinerary for the trip, then looked at Jennifer. “We’d only have to miss this Friday. I think the company can live without us for a day.”

“Alex—”

“I’m the boss,” he stated, his tone firm. “And I say we can both take off.”

“It’s not just the time off.”

“What is it, then?”

She narrowed her eyes. “I just don’t think it’d be right,” she insisted. “Um, you know, spending a weekend together. I wouldn’t want to jeopardize our working relationship. And what would everyone else here think?”

Alex shrugged. “They don’t have to know, do they?” he reasoned. “And why should it affect our working relationship? We’ve traveled together for overnight business meetings before.”

“An intimate weekend skiing is different,” she insisted, thinking of the romantic setup of the brochure.

“It doesn’t have to be intimate, Jennifer.” Feeling a little guilty, he pretended interest in the brochure. It had obviously been designed to entice couples to stay there. And he’d already been thinking along the lines of kissing her. Now he’d have to make damn sure he didn’t step over the boundaries of their relationship and lure her into his bed. Holding a paper out to her, he said, “It states right here we have separate rooms. I don’t see a problem.” Alex said the words. He just wasn’t sure he believed them.

Darn! Jennifer was trying to do the right thing here! She didn’t want to take advantage of Alex. Especially while they were spending the weekend together. If she did, she’d be tempted to do more than keep things between them platonic.

But would Alex even want to? she wondered. He’d kissed her as if he’d enjoyed it, but one hot, lusty kiss didn’t mean anything, did it? Maybe she was making too much of this. If he wasn’t really attracted to her, then she had nothing to fear from spending time alone with him, did she?

Or did spending time with him scare her? Because if she went to bed with him and conceived his child, she would have to leave him—forever.

Three

On Thursday, despite her efforts to leave work on time, Jennifer was running late. As she thought of all she had to do at home, panic set in. She hadn’t packed the first thing for the trip to Vermont, which meant she was going to be up half the night getting ready. Until today, she’d believed she could figure out a way to get out of going.

Fat chance. Once she’d agreed to go, Alex had been so excited about the trip he’d insisted on taking her shopping. By the time they’d left the ski store on Tuesday, she’d been completely outfitted for the weekend.

Though trapped into going, she’d done her best to put thoughts of seducing Alex out of her mind. Until lunch with Casey yesterday, she’d done a good job. Her friend had encouraged Jennifer to stop fighting her feelings for Alex and to live for the moment.

Just think of the fun you could have. And if you’re lucky, a passionate weekend could solve your maternal dilemma, her friend had said.

Jennifer had immediately put a stop to Casey’s musings. She wasn’t anything like Casey. She couldn’t just make love with Alex, then forget what it was like to be with him. To convince herself she was serious about keeping their relationship professional, she’d gone ahead and contacted a fertility clinic to begin the process of being artificially inseminated. Though it was an impersonal way to become pregnant, it would solve her problem with little risk to her job or her heart.

Money wasn’t a problem. Alex paid her well, and with little time to enjoy spending it, she’d wisely invested her savings. Her obstacle was a lot more difficult than money.

There was no one special in her life.

For the past year she’d felt an emptiness inside, felt as if something vital was missing. Every day she listened as co-workers shared exploits from their lives. About their husbands. Their children. They recounted stories of first walks, ball games and dance recitals. They talked about problems, too, but Jennifer always heard the love in their voices.

She needed something more. Having grown up in a large, loving family, she’d always felt anchored. Until now.

Her mother’s call earlier in the day had only added undue pressure. Her sister was pregnant with her third child. Jennifer was happy for Lil, really she was, but she was jealous, too. Her sister already had a beautiful two-year-old daughter and a precocious five-year-old son.

Jennifer wanted a baby of her own.

She tucked a strand of her hair back into the twisted bun behind her head. Without a man in her life, it wasn’t going to happen. When was the last time she’d even had a date? Or sex? Sheesh, she couldn’t even remember! Her work demanded the majority of her time. She didn’t meet many men outside of the office.

Artificial insemination had seemed the perfect answer.

Until she’d kissed Alex.

Then, foolishly, she’d wanted forever.

Stop it! It was just a kiss! Don’t build it up to be anything more.

She started gathering papers and stuffing them into her briefcase when an idea struck her. She’d bring her laptop along. Alex knew she was working on a project for the Baker sisters. Their deadline was looming. She’d insist she was too busy to ski. He could ski and she’d remain in her room.

As far away from Alex as possible.

But even as she picked up her briefcase and started out of her office, she knew the memory of Alex’s kiss would always be there, taunting her, making her wish he cared for her as more than just a friend.

As she pushed the button for the elevator, she heard another door down the hall close. The office was deserted. She’d thought everyone had left earlier.

Everyone except Alex. Her heart gave a little jolt when she saw him walking toward her. Taking a deep breath, she forced a smile to her lips. “Hi. I thought I was the last one leaving.”

Alex shrugged into his coat as his gaze met Jennifer’s. “I took a call that lasted longer than I’d planned.” He straightened his collar. “Are you all set for tomorrow?” he asked, still a little concerned she was going to try to back out. Earlier in the week she’d suggested he go alone, insisting he didn’t need her with him. Alex had put an end to that idea as soon as she’d come up with it. He was looking forward to skiing, but he had to admit his main motivation for going was to spend some time with Jennifer, learning more about her.

This had been the longest week of his life. He’d made up his mind to keep his hands off of her, but fate had been dealing him a hard time. They’d had meetings scheduled together every day. Now that he knew what it was like to kiss her, all he could think about was making love to her. And if making love came close to the intensity of her kiss…

“I haven’t packed a thing,” Jennifer confessed. “I’ll be up half the night.”

Drawn from his musings, Alex glanced at the briefcase in her hand. “Don’t even think about bringing your briefcase with you,” he warned. “This isn’t a working trip.” He wanted her to have a good time. She wouldn’t if she thought about work while they were there.

“But I—”

“No buts, Jennifer.”

His warning came with a good-natured wink, but there was no doubt he meant what he said. “All right,” she replied grudgingly. There went her idea of making it a working date.

“This is time off,” he reminded her. “For you and me. We’re going to relax and enjoy ourselves.”

Only not as much as he wanted. During the week he’d caught himself imagining what it would be like to feel her soft skin beneath his hands, to be inside her when she cried out his name. Each time his thoughts had wandered, he’d had to rein them back in. Still, he couldn’t see the harm in a stolen kiss or two. His gaze lowered to her mouth and his body tightened. But what if she accepted his kisses? Wanted more?

The ding of the elevator car arriving jarred him back to reality. He’d told himself all week he could go through with this date and still keep his hands off of her.

Hell, he was in trouble.

Jennifer’s doorbell rang at five the next morning. Her pulse raced in anticipation of seeing Alex.

So much for being able to control her attraction to him.

Hurrying to the door, she opened it. Alex stood in front of her, casually dressed in jeans, a shirt and a thick jacket, his dark eyes full of excitement.

“So you’re not a morning person?” he commented, taking in her sleepy eyes and the mug of coffee in her hand. He’d never have known. By the time he saw her at work each day, she was dressed for business, her shoulder-length hair twisted in a fancy knot behind her head. Even when they’d attended a conference or an out-of-town meeting, she’d been alert and eager to get down to business by the time he saw her in the morning.

Jennifer groaned. “You are?”

“How can you not enjoy the start of a brand-new day?” he asked cheerfully, his gaze taking in the way her jeans gloved her body. Her white sweater was fitted and hugged her breasts, making Alex appreciate the designers of the fashion industry. They must have had Jennifer in mind when they’d created that sweater.

“I do enjoy it,” she quipped, “from my bed.”

His mouth went dry. Alex had struggled all night long to keep thoughts of taking Jennifer to bed out of his mind. In an instant his control snapped and his mind reeled with images of her lying next to him, her long legs intertwined with his. He cleared his throat. “I get most of my planning done between five and seven, usually when I’m jogging.”

Rolling her eyes, Jennifer waved him inside. She’d known he was a jogger. It kept his body in excellent shape. Her gaze slid over him, taking in his lean shoulders, slim torso and long legs. Her awareness of him kicked into high gear. “I believe in exercise, but only after I’ve had coffee. Would you like a cup?”

“Hmm? Uh, no,” he answered, distracted by the mental vision of her in bed, coming awake slowly, her hair spread around her shoulders. He didn’t need the caffeine. Just thinking about spending time alone with her had his adrenaline already pumping through his veins.

Stepping into the room, Alex checked out her living room. He’d never been here before, but it definitely reflected Jennifer’s touch. Stylish with a French country theme, every item was in its place. Then a wall across the room caught his eye. It held frame after frame of pictures. Most likely her family. One in particular caught his attention. “Are these your parents?” he asked.

She smiled. “Yes, although it was taken a while ago. This one’s more recent,” she said, pointing to another picture. The woman and man were of middle age, both smiling happily, as if they hadn’t a care in the world.

“You’re close with them?” he asked.

“We’re a tight-knit family.” She took a swallow of her coffee.

“Where do they live?”

“In Norfolk.”

“Do you see them often?”

“I talk to them several times a week and visit a few times a month.”

He found it interesting that she enjoyed spending time with her parents. “Siblings?”

She smiled even more. “Two brothers and a sister.” Jennifer knew Alex was an only child. He never had the advantage of siblings to play with so he probably couldn’t comprehend what her childhood was like. “I used to be a tomboy.”

Alex tried to imagine the polished woman in front of him as a child tussling with her brothers. He noticed a family portrait on her wall. It looked to have been taken fairly recently. “What do they do?”

“We had this taken for my parents’ anniversary.” She pointed to her older brother. “This is Tony. He’s a doctor.” Tapping the glass, she continued, “This is Greg. He’s the youngest, and he works in television.” She named the cable network her brother worked for. “He lives in Atlanta.”

“Greg Cardon is your brother?” Alex asked, realizing he’d never made the connection with their names. The youngest news anchor of one of the major cable networks, her brother had made a name for himself covering military operations overseas during a crisis in the Middle East.

Jennifer nodded. “Yes. We’re all proud of him.”

“Is this your sister?” he asked, noticing a woman who looked remarkably like Jennifer.

“Yes, that’s Lil. She’s married and lives in Norfolk.”

“What does she do?” Apparently, Jennifer had come from a family of overachievers. He wondered if they were still competitive, if being competitive with her siblings was why she was so ambitious. Or was something else driving her?

She smiled. “Well, Lil was an architect until a few years ago.”

Alex raised an eyebrow. “Was?”

“She met the man of her dreams.” She pointed to Robert, her sister’s husband. “She decided to quit working when she had her first child.” Picking up another frame, she held it out to him. “Her children are adorable. This is Brian, and this cute little one is Kimberly. I see them every couple of weeks.”

“So you’re close with them, too?”

“Very. She’s pregnant again.”

Alex studied her. Had he imagined her wistful tone? “I can’t imagine what it must have been like growing up with siblings,” he commented. “I was alone most of the time.”

His admission surprised Jennifer and her heart went out to him. He must have been lonely growing up. “Did you have cousins to play with?” she asked as she headed for the kitchen.

“Yeah, but I rarely saw them after my parents split up. They stopped taking me to birthday parties and things.” He followed her and stopped in the doorway, leaning against the jamb.

Jennifer couldn’t understand how adults could ignore the needs of a child. No wonder Alex was so detached. He’d loved his parents, then they’d let him down, hadn’t been there to support him. “Do you see your cousins now?” she asked.

“Not very often.” He attended an occasional family gathering, but often felt out of place. Most of his cousins had married and started families, and without a family of his own, he had little in common with them.

“Once a month, our entire family gets together. We have a lot of fun, especially now that Lil has children. I love her kids. Sometimes I take them for a weekend to give my sister and her husband some time alone.”

“Really?” Alex was surprised. The image of two little kids crawling all over her was more appealing than he’d expected. “Here?”

Rinsing out her cup, she chuckled. “I have had them over here, but most often I stay at their house where they have their toys and things.”

Alex saw the love in her eyes when she talked of her niece and nephew. She obviously cherished them. Did she want children of her own? Like him, she seemed to live to work. Or had he always told himself she did because it made him more comfortable? “Why haven’t you married?” he asked, wondering.

Jennifer nearly dropped the cup she was drying. “What?”

“You seem to like children. Why haven’t you ever married and had kids of your own?”

She met his gaze. “You know better than anyone that my job requires the majority of my time.”

His lips twisted as he digested her comment. He’d believed she was as ambitious as himself. But the hint of hollowness in her answer made him rethink his assumption. “I guess I hadn’t realized how much I demand of your time.”

She gave him a brief smile. “Don’t think it’s your fault, Alex. I chose my course in life.” And eligible bachelors weren’t exactly knocking down her door.

“Do you want it all?” he prodded. “Like your sister? The family and kids?”

She couldn’t out-and-out lie. Alex was an expert in reading people, and she knew it would have shown in her expression. “I’ve thought about it. I’ll be thirty soon. I don’t want to wait too long, then find out it’s too late for me to have children.”

Alex started at her response. It was disconcerting to learn she thought about marriage and babies. She’d told him there was no one special in her life. What if there was? What if she met someone, got married, then left work to pursue the all-American dream of a house, a picket fence and children?

What would he do without her?

“What about you?” Jennifer couldn’t pass up the opportunity to learn more about his opinion of marriage. Although from his dating habits and his comments about his parents, she suspected it wasn’t something he valued.

“I guess it works for some people.”

She gave him a long, searching look. “But not you?”

Alex gave a bitter laugh. “Not in this lifetime, anyway.”

Sadly, his answer confirmed what she’d suspected. And who could blame him after the way he was raised? “Look, we’d better get going if we don’t want to miss our flight.” She grabbed her coat and shrugged into it, trying very hard to act as if she hadn’t been bothered by his beliefs on marriage.

He nodded, then walked with her into the living room where her luggage was placed beside the door. There were two bags, neither one very big. “Is this all you’re taking?” he asked, surprised. Most of the women he’d taken away for the weekend had traveled with three times as much luggage.

“We’re only going to be gone a couple of days.” Picking up her purse, she opened the door.

Alex carried her luggage down and tossed it into the trunk of his car. Within minutes, they were on the way to the airport. Less than two hours later, they were seated next to each other on the plane, half through their flight to the ski resort.

“Sorry,” she said, when she bumped his arm as she thumbed through the airline’s magazine. “These seats are too small.” Her leg brushed his and her eyes darted to his face. Heat rushed to her cheeks.

Casey had told her to let things between her and Alex progress naturally. Could she do as her friend suggested? Perhaps nothing at all would happen between them. Maybe she wouldn’t even have a choice about sleeping with him. Alex was certainly seeing this weekend for what it was; a chance to take some time off work and enjoy skiing.

But what if something did happen between them? What if she had the chance to make love with him?

She wanted him. Could she say no to a chance to be with him? Jennifer bit her lip, knowing the idea of making love with Alex would be too tempting to refuse.

She didn’t want to say no to what would be her only chance to be with him.

You also want a baby, her mind whispered.

Maybe she did, but wanting a baby didn’t mean she would deceive Alex. She wouldn’t.

Even so, what if they made love and by chance she got pregnant? She’d have a child from someone she cared for. Would Alex really be hurt if he never found out? And what if he did? With his views on having a family, he most likely wouldn’t want anything to do with her or his child. Why was she making this so difficult? Everything would work out all right if she didn’t let her heart get involved.

She cast a glance in his direction and found him watching her. “What, did I bump you again?”

“No, but you’re awfully quiet. What are you thinking about?”

“Um, I was thinking about work.” It was a good cover. Work was never far from her mind.

“I don’t want you to think about anything except enjoying yourself. I intend to make sure you get your money’s worth.”

“My money’s worth?”

“For your date,” he reminded her.

“Alex, that really isn’t necessary.” She was trying to forget this had all started as a date between the two of them. “I’ll probably just lounge around in my room.”

His smile disappeared. “You’re not going to ski with me?”

“I don’t ski,” she reminded him.

“Ah, but I’m going to teach you. You paid for a date with me. It doesn’t count if you’re hibernating. Besides, it’s not much fun to ski alone.”

“Believe me, you won’t want me out there with you. I’ll only make you miserable.”

“You won’t make me miserable unless you refuse to try.” He gave her a beseeching look. “Besides, what about all those ski outfits we bought?”

“I figured that even if I didn’t ski, they’d help me look good.”

Alex almost told her she didn’t need a ski outfit to look good. She was gorgeous in anything she wore, he imagined she’d look especially good if she wore nothing. “Please?”

Put so sweetly, how could she say no? “All right. But it’ll be your fault if I end up with a broken leg.”

He laughed at her remark and sat back in his seat. “If you end up with a broken leg, I promise to be your servant.”

She considered Alex as her servant. The vision of him catering to her every need sounded like a great idea. “I’ll hold you to it,” she promised, then turned in her seat as the pilot came over the speaker to announce their descent.

The resort in Vermont was nothing like Jennifer had envisioned. She zipped up her jacket as she climbed out of the SUV they’d picked up at the airport, her face aglow with excitement. The breathtaking view of the distant mountains belonged on a postcard. The crisp air filled her lungs with each breath. It was exhilarating. If she could only get used to the cold. A gust of wind blew icy air inside the hood of her parka, and she shivered.

“Oh, my. I’ve never seen anything this beautiful.”

“It’s even more exciting when you’re on skis and racing down a mountain, your adrenaline pumping, your heart pounding.” Enthusiasm filled his voice as he joined her. “It beats anything else.” Except sex, he thought, but he stopped himself from saying the words out loud. He hadn’t been very successful at keeping his thoughts about Jennifer platonic. In the confines of the airplane, she’d been sitting so close her perfume had invaded his senses, making him want to kiss all the places she’d touched it to her skin.

“I’ll take your word for it,” she told him as they walked toward the resort, the snow crunching beneath their feet.

Nestled in the trees, the warmth of the rustic wooden building was a welcome respite from the cold temperature. Jennifer stood aside and waited for Alex as he checked them in, her mind whirling. Everything about the resort screamed romance, from the soft fire glowing in the fireplace in the lounge to the huge, over-stuffed rugged furniture.

“Ready?”

She turned toward him. “Sure.” She grabbed the smaller of her two cases and followed him to the stairs, which they took to the second floor. “Did you have any problems checking us in?” she asked when they stepped off.

“Not one. Everything had been arranged.” He led the way down the hall, stopped in front of a door, then handed her a plastic key card.

Jennifer took it from him and opened her door, wondering where his room was in conjunction to hers. It would be easier on her nerves knowing he wasn’t too close. Once inside, her gaze swept the exquisite room as Alex stepped in behind her.

“Nice.”

“That’s putting it mildly.” The room was set up for romance. Soft colors of blue and sienna decorated the room. The king-size bed, neatly made with a thick comforter and abundant pillows invited intimacy, as did the sitting area along the outside wall. Whoever had been responsible for putting the package together had definitely hoped their participants would be romantically compatible. “Where’s your room?”

“Across the hall and down a few doors.” He gave her the number. “Are you going to be okay here?” he asked.

“Who wouldn’t be?” The only thing that would make it more inviting was if Alex was staying in the room with her.

“Great. How long will it take you to change?” he asked, already thinking about hitting the slopes.

“Alex—”

“You’re not getting out of skiing. I promise you’ll be racing down the slopes on your own by the end of the day.”

“All right. I’ll give it my best effort,” she promised. Perhaps he was right. There was safety in numbers. If she were out on the snow with him, with people all around them, she wouldn’t be thinking about sharing that big bed with him. “But if I don’t do well, or if I don’t like it—”

“Then we’ll find other ways to enjoy ourselves.” He didn’t elaborate. The “other ways” he was thinking of had nothing to do with skiing.

“‘Other ways’?” she repeated, wondering if his thoughts paralleled her own.

“Eating, hiking or going to the bar for a drink,” he suggested.

“Oh.” Deflated, but reminding herself it was for the best if she kept busy, she said, “I’ll be ready in fifteen minutes.” She shut the door behind her and secretly wished for the unattainable—that Alex wanted only to be with her.

Four

Deciding to unpack later, Jennifer changed from her jeans to white ski pants with purple stripes down the sides, then she slipped on the matching jacket and scarf. Instead of wearing a hat, she opted for a purple knit band to wear around her head and wore her hair down. By the time she left her room, no one would have guessed she was a novice.

She met Alex as he was stepping into the hall. They’d decided to forego lunch and to head for the equipment hut to be fitted for skis. Although Alex had brought his own skis along, he’d been right beside the person fitting her, asking questions and giving his opinion of the best size skis for her frame and height. A half hour later, equipment in tow, she trudged toward the slopes with nervous enthusiasm.

She slipped on the sunglasses Alex had insisted she bring. At the time she’d questioned why she’d need them. Now she understood. The glare of the sun on the blanket of icy-white snow blinded her. Like magic, she fell in love with winter all over again.

“Let’s go over there where we’ll be out of the way. Then we can talk,” Alex suggested.

She nodded, inhaling the fresh scent of mountain air and pine as she followed him a short distance away toward a small hill. After standing his skis in the snow, he dropped hers in front of her. “The Bunny slope is over there. We’ll practice here a little, then I’ll take you there for a trial run.”

He spent the next few minutes instructing her on how to put on her skis, snowplowing and controlling her balance. By the time he’d finished, Jennifer had a basic understanding of the process and was ready to give it a try. She took off her skis and they walked to a small hill near the Bunny slope and stopped.

“What are you doing?” she asked when he moved behind her and grasped her waist with his hands.

“I’m going to steady you while you put on your skis.”

It sounded reasonable. If he’d been anyone else, it probably would have worked like a charm. But all she could think of was how close he was. She breathed in the woodsy scent of his aftershave, then turned to look at him over her shoulder. His face was a breath away. It was all she could do not to press her mouth to his cheek.

Not thinking about keeping her balance proved costly. She wobbled and Alex tightened his hold on her waist, bringing her up against his big body. Oh, dear Lord. This wasn’t going anything like it was supposed to. Taking a breath to steady herself, she bit her lip, tried to forget he was holding her and struggled into her skis.

“You’re doing good,” he said, praising her as if she’d performed some spectacular feat.

“I haven’t done anything yet,” she reminded him. Silently, she lauded her supreme effort of remaining sane when all she wanted to do was to toss Alex down on the snow and have her way with him.

Alex chuckled at the mixture of excitement and panic in her eyes. “I’m going to step away.”

“Not yet.”

“You’ll be fine.” Ignoring her plea, he handed her poles to her. “Use them to balance yourself. Once you feel steady, give yourself a little push.”

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” she told him, alarmed he was turning her loose. Her ski moved all by itself and she squealed. Fear of falling had her throwing her arms out and she lost her balance. Her feet slid even more, spreading her legs farther apart.

Jennifer screamed and grabbed for Alex. Caught off balance, he went down, taking her with him. He managed to land on his back, then Jennifer came crashing down on top of him, landing with an “Oomph” on his chest as her skis popped off.

His arms went around her to steady her. Laughing, Jennifer lifted her face and her eyes met his. “I’m so sorry.” Aware of people around them staring, she looked away with embarrassment.

Alex grinned at her. “I’m not complaining.” She was sprawled on top of him from head to toe, her body aligned with his. Despite their bulky clothing, he welcomed her weight against him. If she were naked, life would be perfect.

His words jammed her breath in her lungs. “Oh. Um, well…” With as much composure as she could muster, she pushed against him in an effort to get to her feet. Her hips pressed into his briefly, making their contact even more intimate. Finally, thankfully, she was on her feet. With their every touch, he was driving her crazy. She dusted the snow off of herself as Alex got to his feet.

“Okay, let’s try again.” Alex meant the skiing part. But he could have just as easily meant another, more basic way. Having her body on top of his had him semi-aroused. Thankfully his bulky clothing hid his reaction to her.

“I’m game if you are.” She flicked a glance at him. “I don’t know why this seems so hard for me. I’m usually more coordinated with physical stuff.”

“Physical stuff, huh?” Alex was thinking of something physical that had nothing to do with sports. “Like what?” he asked as he picked up their poles.

Jennifer was focused on the task of getting her boots back into her skis. “When I was little, I used to climb trees with my brother.” She looked up long enough to flash him a grin.

“You’re kidding, right?” He couldn’t imagine his poised, graceful co-worker as a child sitting in a tree.

“I was wiry. I could climb our magnolia tree faster than any of my brothers or my sister.”

Alex laughed. “How big was this tree?”

“Huge. My mom and dad still live in the same house. I’ll show it to you sometime. What about you?”

He positioned himself behind her again, his hands on her hips. “What about me?”

“I’ve divulged something about myself. Now it’s your turn,” she said casually. “Tell me something about yourself.”

Alex didn’t say anything for a moment. He didn’t like talking about his childhood. It wasn’t a pleasant time in his life. “Like what?”

She turned her head and scowled at him. “I don’t know. What were you like in school?” she asked, fiddling with the band covering her ears. “If I had to guess, I suspect you were sought after by every teenage girl within fifty miles.”

“I was the class nerd,” Alex admitted, his mouth close to her ear. Her earlobe was peeking out beneath her knit headband, a small gold earring in the shape of a heart pierced through it. Alex battled a sudden urge to taste it with his tongue.

She gaped at him in disbelief. “You were not!”

His gaze connected with hers. “I’m serious. I was a bookworm and a computer geek. A lot of the kids made fun of me.”

Oh, Alex. Despite his cavalier attitude, being taunted must have hurt him. “Well, if they knew you now, they wouldn’t be making fun of you. They’d be begging you for a job or money…or something!” she said with contempt. Irritated by his admission, she wanted to make it up to him in some way. “I’m sorry.”

“I lived through it.”

Not without scars, she thought, sadly. “Still—”

“All right, do you feel like you have some balance on those skis?”

“I had my balance before.” She’d only lost it because he was so darn close to her. This time, she tried harder to concentrate on skiing. She actually managed to balance herself until Alex came around to her side.

“I’ve got you,” he told her, holding on to her arm. “Give yourself a little push.”

To her delight, Jennifer slid a few feet on her own, without falling. “Oh, my gosh! Alex, I did it,” she shrieked, her facial expression triumphant.

Without thinking, she turned to look at him. In her eagerness to share her success, she lost her balance again. Alex made a leap toward her. Seconds later they were lying in the snow again, his body beneath hers, their legs intertwined.

“Oh, God, Alex,” she said, breathless. “I’m sorry.”

Alex tightened his arms around her, pinning her to him. “If we’re going to spend the day like this, I can think of something else much more interesting that we could be doing.”

“Behave.” Jennifer shot Alex a warning glare. Wondering again about her sanity for participating in this weekend with him, she rolled away. This wasn’t smart. She’d known Alex was charming, but his sense of humor was just as hard to resist. All she’d done so far was find out she liked him even more.

“So far I have been.” But it was becoming next to impossible. Alex stood and held out his hand to her. She took it and he pulled her to her feet. Wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, he took off his gloves and brushed the snow from her hair.

Butterflies swirled inside her stomach. Until now, she’d done a decent job of keeping her distance from him emotionally. She wasn’t going to be able to resist her attraction to him if he kept flirting with her.

“Are we going to ski or not?” she asked.

He put his gloves back on. “That’s up to you.”

“It’s harder than I thought.”

“You’ll get the hang of it.”

His encouragement warmed her heart. She took a deep breath. “Okay, I’m ready to give it another shot.”

It took a few more tries and a couple of mishaps, but Jennifer eventually found success. She grinned from ear to ear when she managed to stay on her feet after skiing about twenty feet.

Thirty minutes later Alex suggested she try the Bunny slope. Jennifer wasn’t so sure, but she’d mastered skiing on the nearly flat surface where she’d been practicing. To her delight, she made it down the Bunny slope the first time without falling once. When she was about halfway down, Alex skied ahead of her to the bottom and waited patiently until she reached him. She turned her skis slightly, stopping by snowplowing just the way he’d taught her. Exhilarated, she looked up at him. “That was fun!”

He caught her in a hug. “You did great!”

When he let her go, Jennifer had to struggle to get her breath. He smelled so good. Oh, God, so good.

“Time to get back to the top.” Alex pointed to the ski lift. “Come on.”

Looking at the chairlift, she hesitated. “I might just stay here.”

He shook his head. “Staying at the bottom of the slope is not an option.”

“Then don’t blame me if we end up falling off.”

“I won’t let you. I promise.”

To her elation, she got in position just as she was supposed to and the metal chair hit the backs of her legs. She sat without disaster. “Okay, I’ll admit getting on wasn’t so bad.”

Alex rested his back against the chairlift. He draped his arm around her. “I knew you could do it.”

Smiling, she beamed with pleasure. “You’re a patient teacher.”

“You say that as though you didn’t think I would be.” He tugged her hair playfully, glad that she’d worn it down. She rarely wore it like that at work.

“It’s not that.” Her eyes danced with amusement. “You’re so uncompromising when you’re negotiating. I’ve never known anyone so focused.”

“Thanks. I think.” He made a face at her.

“You know what I mean. You’re more relaxed out here.” The change in him was remarkable. She’d never seen him so carefree. It made her all the more attracted to him, which wasn’t such a good thing because her heart was already invested heavily.

“I know how to have fun.”

“Really?”

“I’ll prove it.” He leaned toward her and touched his mouth briefly to hers. Though her lips were cool from the air, she tasted as sweet as he remembered. It was all he could do not to deepen the kiss right then and there. The chair jolted and he broke off their kiss as they approached the lift exit.

Jennifer got off the lift in a trance. Alex’s kiss had thrown her off balance. The second her skis hit the snow, she toppled. The operator stopped the lift when she, Alex and the two teenage girls getting off behind them all landed in a pile.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” she babbled to all of them at once. The two teens giggled as they stood and stepped into their skis. Mortified, Jennifer avoided their gazes as they raced away. When Alex tried to help her stand, she ignored his attempt and managed to get to her feet without his assistance. By the time she had her skis on again, it was easier to pretend Alex’s kiss hadn’t knocked her off her feet.

“I keep making a fool of myself,” she complained.

“You’re cute when you’re blushing.”

“Stop teasing me,” she said with playful warning. “Why don’t you go ski one of the other slopes for a while and let me practice?” Her legs felt as though they were going to give out on her. She needed some time alone to emotionally recover from his kiss.

Alex gave her a steady look. “Are you sure?” He didn’t like the idea of leaving her alone. “What if you fall?”

She sucked in a breath of air, struggling to get her equilibrium back. “I managed to get up by myself just now. I think I’ll be all right.” Not wanting Alex to read her expression and to see just how much his kiss had disturbed her, she dug into a pocket of her jacket where she’d stored her sunglasses while she was on the lift. She slipped them over her eyes.

Alex didn’t want to leave her, but he told himself a half hour apart would help him get his mind off of making love to her. “It won’t take me long to ski a few of the trails.”

“I’ll be fine.” When he hesitated, she gestured for him to go.

“You’re not going to quit on me, are you?”

Quitting was exactly what she had in mind, but she shook her head. “I’ll be right here snowplowing until you return.”

Finally, Alex agreed and took off. Jennifer watched him ski away, admiring his proficiency on the snow as he swayed back and forth on his skis. More than ever, she wanted to know how his hard lean body would feel pressed against hers.

Trying not to think he meant anything by kissing her, she practiced skiing for a while, making it down the Bunny slope on her own. As she slid off the lift, she eyed an unoccupied wooden bench near the entrance to the building. Needing a break, she made her way toward it. Halfway there, she gave up, took off her skis and walked the rest of the distance. She needed to be off of her feet for a few minutes. Alex’s kiss had wiped out her concentration.

If Alex had insisted on staying with her, she wasn’t sure what she would have done. No doubt he would have joked about kissing her. But Jennifer failed to see the humor in it. And it would have hurt for him to tease her.

Because you enjoyed it.

Oh, she had. And she wanted him to kiss her again. Passionately.

This weekend had been a mistake. She’d known it from the start. Already half in love with him, it wouldn’t take much encouragement from him to fall the rest of the way.

And that was the danger of being alone with Alex.

Casey’s suggestion that she sleep with him to get pregnant nagged at her. Once again, Jennifer contemplated the idea of making love with Alex. The temptation to entice him into her bed was strong.

But she couldn’t deceive him into fathering her baby. So she had to resist her attraction to him until their weekend ended. Back at the office, she could safely tuck away her emotions and go back to a boss-employee relationship.

After several minutes she felt much more in control of her emotions. She thought once again about quitting skiing, but she didn’t want to disappoint Alex. Finishing the hot drink she’d gone inside for, she tossed the cup into the trash, then put on her skis. Then she realized she was on the down side of a small hill. Darn. She was going to have to take off her skis, walk over it, then put them back on.

“Need some help?”

Jennifer glanced up and met dark green eyes. She judged the man who had spoken to her to be close to her age, maybe a year or two younger, if she had to guess. Blond hair poked out of his skull cap and his ski outfit did little to hide his well-built physique. His broad smile flashed straight white teeth.

“I’m okay,” she replied with a polite smile. She shrugged. “I guess I should have thought about where I was before I put my skis on.”

“Ah, you’re a beginner.”

Her brows rose. “What? It’s plastered on my forehead?”

He grinned and tiny wrinkles appeared around his eyes. “Nah. It was an educated guess.” He pointed to the emblem on his snow suit. “I’m an instructor here. My name is Craig.”

“Oh.” Great. Looking inept in front of Alex wasn’t enough. She now had the opportunity to show her beginner skills to yet another man. “Hi, I’m Jennifer.”

“How about some pointers?” At her hesitation, he added, “Free of charge.”

“Thanks, but I’m sure you have other ways to spend your time,” she said with a laugh.

He glanced at his watch. “My next class doesn’t start for fifteen minutes.” He reached out a hand. “Come on, I’ll help you up this hill.”

Jennifer hated to refuse. He was just being friendly. Maybe he could give her a few pointers. It would be fun to impress Alex when he returned. Taking his hand, she accepted his help.

Alex came to an abrupt stop, his skis slicing into the snow at a small ridge. His gaze swept the area between the Bunny slope and the ski lodge in search of Jennifer. He hadn’t intended to be gone so long, but he’d needed the time away from her to get his head straight.

Kissing Jennifer had only whetted his appetite for more. It was becoming harder and harder to keep his hands to himself. Maybe coming on this weekend hadn’t been such a great idea.

It wasn’t as if he was looking for someone special. He liked his life the way it was—simple and uncomplicated. The women he dated knew the score. He never led them to believe he was interested in a permanent relationship. His parents’ divorce had taught him just how badly a man and woman could hurt each other. Though both of his parents had probably been at fault, his mother’s rejection had hurt. He’d never admitted to anyone just how much. Alex had learned a lesson from her he’d never forgotten.

Women didn’t stay.

Okay, maybe all women weren’t alike, but he certainly wasn’t going to test his hypothesis by opening his heart up to the possibility of more pain. So what if Jennifer tempted him more than any other woman he’d been with? He’d be all right as long as he controlled his feelings for her. He’d spend the weekend getting to know her better, make the time they spent more entertaining by stealing a kiss or two, then he’d back off. They’d return to work on Monday just as though nothing happened.

Satisfied he had a grip on his intentions, Alex scanned the area again for her. When he finally spotted her, he almost fell over.

She wasn’t alone.

A man stood behind her, his hands intimately on her hips. As Alex’s gaze honed in on them, the guy leaned closer to her, his chest grazing her back, his face within a breath of hers. Alex’s gut tightened. Every vein in his body bulged as his blood heated to a boiling point.

Muttering a string of curses, he jabbed his poles into the snow and bolted toward them. Berating himself for leaving her alone, he slid to a stop inches from them, spraying a wave of snow over their feet.

Jennifer looked up, her eyes wide with surprise. Her features softened when she realized it was Alex. “Oh, Alex! Hi!”

Alex’s gaze darkened. “Who is this?”

“This is Craig.” Jennifer smiled at her companion.

Craig grinned. “Hey.” His gaze met Alex’s hard stare, and his smile faltered.

“She’s with me,” Alex stated, his tone terse. He shot a glance at Jennifer so there would be no misunderstanding he was staking his claim.

The other man had the good sense to lift his hands skyward and back away. “Sorry, man. I was just giving her some suggestions.”

“I’ll take over.”

“Sure.” Craig flicked a glance at Jennifer. “See you later.”

From his hasty retreat, Jennifer didn’t think so. “Thanks for helping me,” she called as he hurried away.

Alex pinned Jennifer with a stare, his hand on his hip. “If you’d wanted help learning to ski, why did you suggest I go ski some trails?”

“I was fine.” She frowned at him. “What was that about?” she asked, referring to his attitude toward Craig.

“You don’t need some ski-bum instructor pawing you.”

“He wasn’t pawing me, Alex.”

“From where I was standing, he was definitely making some moves.”

“Craig was just being helpful.”

“He wanted a whole lot more than to help you with your skiing.”

She let his comment go. Alex was an expert negotiator. It wasn’t worth the effort to argue with him. “He isn’t a ski bum. He’s working to put himself through law school. His family’s from a nearby town, and they don’t have the money to pay for his college.”

“You sure learned a lot about him. How long was he here?”

“Just a few minutes,” Jennifer stated, perplexed. She didn’t understand why he was upset. Craig was just being helpful. Maybe it was some macho thing. Men could be so competitive. “Why are you making such a big deal out of this?”

“I’m not.”

“Sure you are,” she insisted. “There a vein bulging in your temple.” Reaching toward him, she touched it with her glove. “It always does when you’re agitated.”

He wasn’t aware he gave off signs. “We came here together. I leave you for a half an hour and you hook up with some guy.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he regretted them. It wasn’t as though she was his. Still, he reasoned, they were supposed to be together. It didn’t look right for her to be seen with another man.

Appalled, Jennifer gaped at him. “‘Hooked up’?” she repeated. “You make me sound like…like a hussy.” Fuming, she kicked off her skis and picked them up. Looking him straight in the eyes, she said, “All I wanted to do was impress you by improving my skills before you returned…. I shouldn’t have even tried.” It had been a mistake coming here with Alex. She’d known it would lead to trouble.

At her words, Alex pulled back. “Really?” Jennifer was already turning to go inside the lodge. He stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Wait.”

“What?” Disappointment lined her features.

“I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter.”

Clearly it did. Alex silently berated himself. “I was…just acting defensive.” He’d almost said jealous. But he wasn’t. Dammit, he wasn’t! To be jealous, he had to care for her.

You want her, his mind taunted.

It was lust. Pure and simple. She’s an attractive woman. Hell, she was gorgeous. And now that he’d kissed her, he couldn’t stop thinking about making love to her.

But jealous? No way.

“Why?” His expression gave little clue to his thoughts. More than ever, she wanted to know what he was thinking.

His lips twisted as he shrugged. “It was a knee-jerk reaction.”

“I see.” She didn’t really. Part of her had hoped his response meant more. Crushed by his dispassionate answer, she said, “I think I’ll call it a day.”

Alex held on to her as she started to walk away. “I’m sorry I acted like a jerk. I’ll make it up to you.”

“You don’t have to. Let’s just forget it.”

“I want to. Look, it’s late, and we didn’t stop for lunch. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”

“Me, too.” Since breakfast, all she’d had was a cup of hot chocolate.

“Let’s change and have dinner.”

“All right,” she agreed, thankful to be on easy terms again. “But I want to shower before we go.”

Alex nodded, wishing she hadn’t told him. Thoughts of water cascading over her naked body invaded his mind. Taking off his skis, he swallowed past the knot in his throat. “I’ll meet you in an hour,” he said, taking her skis from her. “That’ll give us both time to get ready.”

He watched her walk away, the sway of her hips beneath her ski suit playing havoc with his self-control. Why had he reacted so strongly to another man being with her? He’d told her it was because they’d come together. The truth went much deeper than that.

Alex wished he had what Jennifer needed. But she wanted forever.

And he couldn’t give her that.

Five

Jennifer escaped into her room as soon as they walked inside the lodge. They’d decided on a time to meet, which gave her about an hour to get ready. Peeling off the layers of her clothing, muscles she rarely used screamed their discomfort. Wishing she had time for a leisurely bath, she opted for a short, hot shower.

Almost exactly an hour later, a knock sounded on her door as she slipped on a multicolored ski sweater to wear with her jeans. She opened it and Alex stood there wearing dark, crisp jeans and a navy-blue, long-sleeved shirt that brought out his gorgeous blue eyes. Smiling at him, she opened the door wider. “I’m ready,” she said, reaching for her purse. She started to close the door behind her.

Alex put his hand against the door, blocking her from shutting it. “Leave your purse here. You won’t need it. Dinner is part of the package. And,” he said with a playful smile, “I have a surprise for you after we eat so we won’t be coming straight back to the room.”

“That’s not necessary,” she insisted, wanting to put their earlier sparring behind them.

“Yes, it is. I promised I’d make it up to you.”

“Alex—”

“Bring your coat,” he told her, lifting his hand to show her he had his. “Your hat and gloves, too,” he added.

She followed him into the hallway. “I take it the surprise involves going outside.” That he’d gone to the trouble to arrange something special for her made her tingle inside.

He slipped his arm around her shoulder. “You’ll see.”

They enjoyed a quiet, relaxing dinner in the lodge restaurant. Alex ordered wine for them, and Jennifer allowed herself to enjoy a couple of glasses, which mellowed her already relaxed mood. She considered having another glass, then changed her mind, telling herself she needed to be in charge of her faculties as long as she was with Alex.

After dinner he escorted her outside. The brisk night air welcomed them as he nodded to an older gentleman standing by a bench. Seconds later, the sound of jingling bells filled the silence as a horse-drawn sleigh pulled up in front of them.

“Oh, Alex!” she squealed, her expression one of delight. Trimmed in white, the red sleigh was a cozy two-seater. “Oh, my gosh, I can’t believe you arranged a sleigh ride!”

Alex grinned, pleased he’d surprised her. He motioned for the driver to remain seated as he helped Jennifer inside, then climbed in to sit beside her. The driver handed them a blanket, which Alex spread across their legs. Sliding his arm around her, he tugged her to him as the horses pulled away from the lodge.

“How did you know they offered sleigh rides?”

“While I waited for you I talked with one of the employees in the lobby. He mentioned several types of entertainment the lodge has available for their guests. I chose this because I thought you’d enjoy it. And I wanted to surprise you.”

Her eyes sparkled. “You did. This is nice.” She tried not to think about the romantic aspect of cuddling with him in the horse-drawn sleigh.

“I’m sorry I was gruff with your ski instructor. I didn’t mean to spoil your afternoon.”

“You didn’t spoil anything. And let’s forget about it.”

“Tomorrow I’ll spend the whole day with you.”

“You don’t have to. I know you came this weekend to ski.”

“I enjoy skiing, but I’m having a great time being with you.” Alex didn’t dare admit the biggest incentive he’d had for encouraging her to come away with him this weekend was that he’d wanted to be with her.

His answer caught her off guard, but pleased her more than it should have. Her gaze met his. “Me, too.” Jennifer breathed in the cold night air, then shivered and burrowed closer to him.

“Are you too cold?” he asked. “I think they even included some hot chocolate for us.” He reached into the metal container and found a thermos. “Here it is,” he said. Unscrewing the cap, he turned it over and poured some of the drink into it. “You first,” he said, handing it to her.

Steam from the hot chocolate swirled into the night. Jennifer blew on it, then took a sip. “Oh, my goodness, this is wonderful,” she said. Licking her lips, she handed the cup to Alex.

Thinking he’d rather taste the chocolate on her lips, Alex took the cup from her and sipped from it. “Did you tell your parents you were going away this weekend?”

Shaking her head, she said, “Oh, no.” The only person she’d told was Casey. And she wished she hadn’t. All she could think about right now was taking a chance and doing exactly what Casey had suggested—seduce Alex. All she had to do was to invite him back to her room. He was a smart man. She wouldn’t have to hit him with a brick for him to figure out why. “If I had, they would have wanted to know who I was going with.”

“And you didn’t want them to know you were going with me?” Alex asked, his tone betraying a hint of annoyance.

The bells on the sleigh jingled delightfully against the wood as it made a wide turn. She looked at Alex. “No,” she admitted. Her parents would have warned her that going away with her boss was a bad idea, something she already knew. “I realize how ridiculous that sounds, but I care very much about what my parents think of me. They would have gotten the wrong idea.”

“What? That we were going to shack up together?” Alex teased.

“Alex!” Jennifer playfully pinched him on his neck. Then she sobered. “Well, yes.” Her cheeks warmed as she made the admission. “My parents have very old-fashioned values.” They’d be truly disappointed in her if she went through with her plan to seduce Alex to get pregnant. And heartbroken. But they also loved her, so however she conceived, she knew they’d love her child. “They keep reminding me Tony is getting married next year and Greg is seriously dating someone. No doubt they’ll get engaged, too.”

“Let me guess,” Alex said, giving her a knowing look. “Your parents want to see you settled down.”

She nodded. “It’s been a regular topic of conversation when I visit. Apparently three grandchildren aren’t enough. They want all of their offspring to add more.” And she wanted to. She really did. Life just didn’t seem to be cooperating. “Do your parents ever put pressure on you?”

His jaw muscle flinched. “I don’t see my parents enough for them to try to influence me.”

“Really?”

“My father isn’t the typical grandfather type.”

“That’s a shame,” she said quietly. “What about your mother?”

“We don’t have much of a relationship. I haven’t heard from her in about six months.”

“Six months?” She couldn’t imagine anything more sad than a mother not sharing a loving relationship with her child. Sure, she got aggravated with her parents sometimes, but they loved her. And she loved and respected them. “Do you try to talk to her?”

“I’ve called her a few times, but…” He shrugged, his expression indifferent. He was smart enough to know his mother’s nurturing well was dry. Why he bothered to go back to it was a mystery to him. “She doesn’t care about me. She never has.” Alex surprised himself by admitting something so private to Jennifer.

“Why do you say that?” she asked, her gaze searching his face. His eyes held a sadness she wanted to kiss away.

“She left me with my father when they divorced. I was ten. She said I would cramp her lifestyle.” Not wanting her to see how much it cost him to admit the truth to her, he made work of putting the thermos away. When he sat back, he rested his arm behind her on the seat.

Jennifer had seen that flash of disillusionment cross his eyes before he’d concealed it. Taken aback by his admission, she figured it was no wonder Alex was so detached. He didn’t know how to love because he’d never been loved. “Oh, Alex. I’m sorry. I can’t even imagine what that must feel like.”

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t spend time thinking about it.” Even as he said the words, he knew in his heart he’d lied. He’d never had the kind of family Jennifer had grown up with. The love and respect in her voice when she talked about her family seemed foreign to him. It was easier not to be hurt when you didn’t expect anything from anyone.

Jennifer’s belief in family and happily-ever-after tempted Alex to take a chance with her. She was warm and thoughtful. And loving. But letting his guard down around her could prove fatal to his heart. He’d be a fool to let a romantic sleigh ride go to his head.

“Oh, Alex, look! It’s snowing!” Jennifer squealed, her voice filled with excitement as snowflakes danced through the air.

Alex looked around. “Yeah, look at it.”

“It’s just perfect,” she whispered. “The sleigh ride, the snow, it’s so…” Her words faltered when she looked at him.

“Romantic?” he murmured, finishing her thought. Alex let his gaze roam over her face, her alluring mouth. Yeah, it was. And she was so damn tempting. The sleigh hit a dip and she bounced closer to him. He tightened his arm around her to keep her there. When his gaze met hers again, he felt as though he couldn’t breathe. Her eyes were aglow and her cheeks were rosy from the cold. A snowflake drifted down and touched her nose. Alex brushed it away with his glove.

Even out here in the iciness of winter, she smelled like a meadow of flowers. As if it was the most natural thing to do, he kissed her nose, erasing any trace of the snowflake. Her mouth parted and he couldn’t stop himself from tasting her. He nipped at her lips with his teeth.

“Alex….” She started to protest, but he ran his tongue along her lips, then pulled back. She licked her lips, tasting him, and desire coiled inside her.

“I just want to kiss you,” he whispered, as if asking for permission. When she hesitated, he said, “It’s only a kiss, Jen. Who could it hurt?”

Me, her mind whispered. But she pressed her mouth to his, greedy for the taste of him, knowing it was crazy to invite heartache into her life. His lips were cool, but his hot tongue found hers as he angled his head and deepened the kiss. Jennifer struggled to get closer to him, and he turned her in his arms, drawing her into his embrace.

Alex’s gloved hand found her chin and he held her head still as he devoured her mouth. Hot blood surged to his groin and he groaned deep in his throat. Beneath the blanket, he pulled her against him, damning their thick clothes and the gloves on his hands.

The sleigh came to a stop. Alex dragged his mouth from Jennifer’s when he realized they’d returned to the lodge and the driver was waiting for them.

He wasn’t sure what to say to her, but he knew an apology was in order. He’d never intended to let their kiss get out of hand. Before he could speak, Jennifer touched a gloved finger to his mouth.

“Thank you for making this evening perfect,” she whispered.

It was clear she was pulling away. Alex wasn’t thrilled about it, but he remained silent, knowing her decision was for the best. It would be wrong to pursue something intimate between them.

Climbing out of the sleigh, he helped Jennifer down, then escorted her to her room. Without speaking, she went inside, leaving him to stare at her closed door.

It was going to be hell going to bed alone.

“Alex!”

Jennifer dug her skis into the snow and came to an instant halt. She was barely able to make out Alex’s face where he’d stopped halfway down the slope. Looking back at her, he cupped his gloved hands around his mouth and shouted something to her. Darn, she couldn’t make out what he was saying.

The light, fluffy snow that had started early that morning had thickened, blanketing the ground with several inches of powder. Actually, it was so beautiful, she’d enjoyed skiing in it. She’d graduated to the Intermediate slope, but the last few times she’d skied down it, due to the heavy snowfall, she could hardly see where others had gone down ahead of her.

Hoping Alex would wait for her, she pushed off to catch up with him. With the deteriorating conditions, very few skiers were on the slopes. She’d suggested to Alex they get an early start for home, but he’d wanted to ski up to the last minute. When he’d asked her about changing the times of their return flight so they could ski longer, she hadn’t had the heart to refuse.

In hindsight, maybe it hadn’t been such a great idea for them to postpone their departure. Seeing Alex straight ahead, she negotiated her way toward him. She’d thought she’d done a good job of navigating the snow until she plowed right into him, knocking him off his feet. She went flying, landing on top of him. Laughing, she smiled at him.

“Oops, sorry. Again.”

“Taking a shot at me, huh?” Alex laughed with her, then grabbed a fistful of snow and shoved it under her scarf. Jennifer squealed and fought to get away from him. Grabbing her around her waist, he rolled her over and pinned her in the snow with his body.

“Stop! Please!” she begged. She was at his mercy, but she wasn’t really complaining. They’d had quite a few tussles in the snow over the weekend, each one ending up with her underneath him. Alex had taken the liberty of kissing her frequently since their sleigh ride. Jennifer knew she should put a stop to it, but she couldn’t. And each time he kissed her, she flirted with the idea of inviting him to her bed. So far she’d resisted the temptation. And today they were leaving.

She was out of the woods. A few hours and they’d be back at home. Back to normal. No damage done.

Except to her heart.

“Make me,” Alex challenged, meeting her gaze. She stopped fighting him and he settled his body more firmly on hers.

“You have a hidden evil streak.” She pouted, her bottom lip prominent.

Lowering his head, he traced it with his tongue. “You know I find that sexy,” he whispered, then kissed her mouth. A slow, deep kiss that caused her to moan. Alex had been testing his resolve not to touch her. It was a good thing their weekend was ending. If they were together another day, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to resist making love to her.

“Alex,” Jennifer whispered when he pulled away. They’d tempted each other, but they’d never talked about it.

It was a dangerous game.

Soon they would return to the real world and he would change into the serious, driven man she worked for. This weekend she’d enjoyed getting to know the man beneath the cool facade he presented to the rest of the world. Though she’d known he could be charming, she loved his wit. He was easygoing to a fault, and compassionate and tender, which she’d learned when she’d taken a hard tumble on the slope. Alex had pulled off his gloves and run his hands underneath her ski suit, checking her all over to make sure she was all right.

Jennifer had been far from all right, but it hadn’t been from falling. His hands on her body had been sweet torture. More than ever, she’d wanted to forget her promise to herself to keep their relationship platonic.

“Want me to show you how evil I can be?” he asked, giving her a devilish grin. He pushed his hips against hers.

“Oh, Alex, you don’t play nice,” she teased, but her smile was more of an invitation. She sucked in a breath and tried to distract him. “All right. Enough. Alex, we have to get ready to leave. It’s snowing harder. I’m starting to worry about going down the mountain in this weather.”

“You’re right.” He grumbled as he rolled off of her and stood. Helping her up, he brushed the snow off of them both. “Let’s head back.”

They returned her skis and made it to the lodge. On their way through the lobby to their rooms, they noticed a small crowd around the check-in desk. They stopped to listen.

“What’s happening?” Alex asked a young man standing nearby.

“They’re saying we can’t leave,” he told them. “Something about the road down the mountain being blocked.” His face was jubilant. “Man, this is great. I won’t have to go to school tomorrow.”

“What?” Jennifer asked, alarmed. “What did he say about not leaving?”

“Hold on. Wait right here.” Alex edged between a man and woman in front of him, getting closer to the desk so he could hear what the manager was saying. A few minutes later he made his way back to Jennifer.

The news he had to deliver wasn’t going to make her happy. Alex had to wonder if the fates weren’t working against him, as well. He’d been able to satisfy his lust for Jennifer with a few kisses, but more time alone with her spelled trouble.

“I’m afraid the kid was right,” he told her. “They’ve gotten six inches of freshly fallen snow since last night, and apparently it caused an unstable snowpack to slide, covering the only exit off the mountain. We’re stuck here until they can get it clear.”

“Stuck here? How long?” She searched his face. Surely something could be done. Staying at the lodge longer with Alex wasn’t a good idea. Her willpower only went so far.

“One. Two days at the most. It depends on the weather. The forecast is calling for more snow tonight.”

“Alex, that’s ridiculous!” she replied, her panic growing. “We can’t stay here any longer. We have to get back to work!”

“There’s nothing we can do but wait,” he told her, already resigned to their fate. “I’d call for a helicopter, but they’re grounded.” He steered her away from the crowd. “A lot of the people here are in the same predicament.”

Not quite. Everyone here didn’t have making love with Alex on their mind. “What are we going to do?”

“I’ll call the office first thing tomorrow and let them know we’re not going to be in.”

“You can’t do that! They don’t know we’re together.” Jennifer cringed just thinking about what the staff would think if they heard she and Alex went away together.

“It’s not a big deal, Jennifer. It’s not as if they’ll speculate as to why we’re both not coming in.”

She’d never thought of Alex as naive, but he definitely was if he didn’t think the office rumor mill would be rampant with talk about them if they both didn’t show up for work tomorrow. “Oh, yes, they will.”

“You’re kidding, right?” He could see she was serious.

“No,” she stated adamantly. “Besides, I already told Paige I was going out of town for the weekend.”

“You told Paige you were going away? Why?” He’d thought they’d agreed not to tell anyone about their trip. Finding out she’d told her administrative assistant caught him off guard.

“She’s having some financial problems and asked if she could put in some extra hours to finish a project for me. I okayed it, but I wanted her to know I could only be reached by my cell phone.” She brainstormed a moment, then suggested, “You contact your assistant and tell her you’ve been called away on business.”

Alex found her subterfuge amusing. “She’ll want to know what hotel I’m staying in.”

Jennifer made a face as she thought a step further. “Okay, tell her you haven’t made the arrangements yet, but you’ll get back to her. Remind her she can reach you on your cell phone. I’ll call Paige and tell her I’m sick.”

“You’re never sick.”

“I caught a virus. They’re always going around.”

Trying hard not to laugh, Alex asked, “And what if she calls you at home and you don’t answer?”

She gave his scenario some consideration, then her face brightened. “I’ll tell her I don’t have a phone in my bedroom and if she needs me, she can call my cell phone.”

“I don’t think we need to make up—”

“Alex!” Jennifer glowered at him.

“All right, all right. I’ll do whatever makes you comfortable.”

Their plight decided, Jennifer began to focus on what she was going to do about spending a day or more alone with Alex. She could only ski so much. “I’m tired. I think I’ll take a hot bath.”

As she started to walk away, Alex stopped her. “Wait. There’s something else we need to discuss.”

Jennifer’s stomach formed a knot. The serious look on Alex’s face didn’t bode well. “What is it?”

Alex jerked on the collar of his turtleneck. “We have another situation to discuss. Come on,” he said, steering her through the crowd gathered in the lobby to an area where they could sit.

“There sure are a lot of people down here,” she commented as she took a seat on a love seat in front of the fireplace.

“Which leads me to what I need to talk to you about,” he said, sitting beside her. He cleared his throat. “Listen, some of the people here made it up the road before the snow covered it. The rest of us can’t get down.” He waited for her to make the connection. His brows furrowed when she didn’t. “They don’t have enough rooms to accommodate everyone, so they’re asking people to share their quarters.”

“Really?” It made sense when she thought about it. But she hated the idea of sharing her room with a stranger. Knowing her luck, she’d probably get someone who snored. “All right,” she agreed, resigning herself to her fate. “Who do I talk to?”

He shook his head. “You don’t have to talk to anyone. I told them we’d share a room.”

“Us? You want us to share a room?” Uh-oh. What was fate doing to her?

“It makes sense, Jennifer,” he insisted. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t like the idea of sharing my room with a stranger.”

She wasn’t surprised. Alex was a private person. He’d hate having some strange man in his room. “I don’t, either,” she admitted.

“At least we’d be sharing a room with someone we know.”

Jennifer felt as though she was caught between a rock and a very sexy hard place. “What’ll we do about sleeping arrangements?” Her instinct warned her this was trouble she didn’t need.

“We’ll keep my room because it’s a little bigger than yours. You can take the bed. There’s a fold-out sofa I can sleep on.”

She frowned. “Alex, you can’t sleep on a sofa bed. It’ll be too small for you. I’ll sleep there.”

“Let’s worry about sleeping arrangements later. I just wanted to be sure you’d be okay with sharing a room with me.”

Okay. Yeah, right. “It’s not like we have any other alternative.”

Alex frowned at her choice of words. “We need to tell the manager which room we’re keeping.”

“I’ll go up and get my stuff together.” Wanting to be ready to leave, she’d packed most of her things earlier.

Alex nodded. “I’ll let the manager know we’re keeping my room, then come up and help you move your suitcases.”

“All right.” Jennifer started for her room, her mind contemplating their situation. She was in trouble. Deep, never-gonna-get-out-of-it trouble. Though it was best if she kept Alex at a distance for the remainder of their time here, physically she didn’t want to. Not to mention her emotional state. What was she going to do, lie there and stare all night at the man she wanted desperately a few feet away? A man she was half in love with? A man she’d dreamed could father her child?

Her emotions warred inside her. What should she do? Casey was always saying she didn’t take risks. Did she dare take one now?

She wanted this chance to be with Alex. And she realized the truth. However much she wanted a baby, she couldn’t use Alex. If they made love, she’d ensure he used protection.

As she headed up the stairs to her room, a part of her ached with the loss of a chance to conceive his child.

Six

Rapping his knuckles on her door, Alex waited for Jennifer to answer. He’d lingered in the lobby to give her time to pack her belongings, but he could only cool his heels so long. Impatient to get her moved to his room, he’d given up his vigil downstairs.

Before she had time to change her mind.

During the weekend he’d taken liberties with her he had no right to. From the start, kissing her had been a mistake, but when it came to fighting his attraction to her, he’d digressed.

The two of them sharing a room changed everything.

No more kissing.

No more touching.

They had to return to a platonic relationship. Maybe they’d even be friends.

Friends, huh? You’re going to be friends with Jennifer?

All right, maybe not friends. But if he kissed her again, touched her where he ached to explore, he wouldn’t be able to stop and they’d be lovers. Then there would be no turning back. His desire for her could destroy their friendship, their work relationship—and lose him the one woman he cared about.

So he’d keep his hands to himself, quite a feat considering that he hadn’t forgotten the sweet scent of her skin, the softness of her lips, her moan of pleasure as his tongue teased hers.

Still, he could survive for a couple of days. Hell, he could manage a Fortune 500 business. Surely he had enough willpower to resist making love to Jennifer. Still, doubts persisted as she opened the door and gave him a bright smile. “Ready?” he asked.

“All set.” Jennifer grabbed her smallest suitcase as Alex picked up the larger one. “I left my key card on the dresser.”

“Great. We’ll move your luggage, then would you like to have dinner?”

Shutting the door to her room, she followed him down the hall to his room. “Dinner sounds wonderful, but I’d like to unwind a little. I thought maybe I’d take a bath. My muscles are so sore from skiing. You didn’t warn me about that.”

Alex caught his breath. Jennifer naked in his room. In his tub. His temperature rose a few degrees.

Don’t panic. You’re in control.

He instantly thought of a better idea. He’d take her somewhere where they wouldn’t be alone. “Did you bring a swimsuit?” She nodded. “I think they have an indoor hot tub. Why don’t we relax in one before dinner?” he suggested, struggling to get the image of her naked in the tub out of his mind.

“All right.” The idea of the two of them in a hot tub made Jennifer’s pulse race. It would be the perfect opportunity to begin her seduction. Chances were they wouldn’t be alone, but she’d deal with that situation when she had to.

The hot tub had been a bad idea. A very bad idea.

Alex’s eyes roamed over Jennifer as she slipped off the bottoms of her sweat suit. He’d asked if she’d brought a bathing suit. The tiny scraps of scarlet masking the most fascinating part of her body could hardly be called a bathing suit. He wondered if it was even legal.

He clamped down on his awareness as she slipped her sweat top off her shoulders, the soft material revealing her every delicious curve.

His mouth grew dry. Oh, man. All that skin. He’d witnessed more of her in the last couple of seconds than he’d seen in the five years she’d worked for him. His gaze followed her as she climbed into the steaming, bubbling water.

A man across the room hadn’t taken his eyes off of her, and Alex shot him a warning glare. What had she been thinking, wearing something so revealing? It was all he could do not to cover her with a towel.

Her breasts strained against the material covering them as she settled into the tub, the heat and water outlining her breasts. They refused to go under. Floating on the surface, they boasted her cleavage. His mouth watered. All of his blood seemed to have set up camp in his groin.

Determined to get into the hot tub before he embarrassed himself, he pulled off his sweats and climbed in. Slipping next to her, he was careful not to touch her.

The only other two occupants were a man and a woman who got up to leave just as Alex sat back and rested his arms along the sides. They smiled politely, then climbed out. Taking slow, deep breaths, he tried not to panic. Now he was alone with her. Alone.

“Do you think we chased them away?” Jennifer asked. Turning to face Alex, she met his unrelenting stare. His facial muscles were tense, and a muscle along his jawline twitched. “I was just kidding.”

“I know,” Alex replied, his voice strained.

Jennifer gave him a quizzical look. “Is something wrong?”

“There is if you think what you have on constitutes a bathing suit.” The minute the words were out of his mouth, Alex wished them back. But there they were, out there in the open.

In an instant Jennifer’s hopes of seducing Alex vanished. Stunned by his blunt remark, she pulled back. “I’m sorry if I embarrassed you,” she murmured, and began to get up.

Alex grabbed her by the arm and hauled her back down. “I’m not embarrassed.” He cursed under his breath. How the hell was he going to explain what he’d meant without making the situation worse?

The truth is, I want you. But I can’t have you. And I don’t want anyone else to have you, either.

Hell, he couldn’t say that to her. His gaze sought hers. He’d hurt her feelings. “Look, I didn’t mean to—” She wouldn’t look at him. Alex lifted her face with his hand until she had no choice but to meet his gaze. “I was out of line. I’m sorry.”

“Forget it.” She tried to pull her arm away, but he held her firmly. The momentum of the water from the swirling jets carried her toward him. He put his arm around her and her skin tingled with awareness.

“I said what I did because you’re hot.” Alex hadn’t had any intention of saying that, either. It just popped out of his mouth. Before he could stop himself, he dug himself into a deeper hole. “So hot, I keep forgetting I promised to keep things between us simple and uncomplicated. All I can think about is what it would be like to strip your bathing suit off of you and touch every inch of your body.”

Jennifer’s mouth dropped open. Comprehending his words took her full concentration, which was hard to accomplish given what he’d just said. “Oh.” She’d been thinking about seducing Alex, had planned to lure him to bed with her. A night of sex with the man she’d wanted for what seemed like a lifetime. She hadn’t planned on having his help.

Alex ran his hand up her back to her neck. “God, Jennifer, I’m sorry. I know I’m way out of line.”

Leaning toward him, she said quietly, “As compliments go, yours was a whopper.” She traced his lips with her finger. “I’ll admit when you suggested we go on this ski trip, I was worried about spending time alone with you. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find you attractive. And tempting.” More tempting than she’d ever admit.

“I shouldn’t have kissed you the first night we arrived.”

“I’m as much to blame. I shouldn’t have allowed it.”

“It only made me want to kiss you again.”

“I liked kissing you,” she admitted on a whisper. “It’s been a long time since I enjoyed kissing so much.”

Alex groaned. It didn’t help his control to hear how much she liked kissing him. If she’d told him she hated his kisses, he’d have stood a chance of living without knowing what it would be like to touch her body. Now, he’d always wonder what it would have been like between them.

Alex moved away from her, thinking it would be a good idea to go to dinner. Maybe he’d slip into the bar later, get drunk enough to forget she was going to be sleeping in the same room with him.

“Uh, this might be the right time to go to dinner.” He wanted to get out of the hot tub before he did something stupid. Such as invite her to his bed where she damn well needed to be. “I’m starving. How about you?”

She smiled at his retreat. “Yes, I am.” She didn’t add she was starving—for him.

Knowing in his condition there was no way he could walk at the moment, he motioned for her to get out of the hot tub first. Climbing over the side, she picked up her towel and began to dry herself. Alex watched as she patted her beautiful skin with the white cloth. When she dabbed it between her breasts, he almost came apart.

“Toss me a towel,” he called, wanting to cover himself. He’d been aroused since she peeled off her clothes and stood in front of him in next to nothing.

Damn, he needed to take a lap or two up the freezing mountain.

“Sure.”

She grabbed one of the white towels and pitched it to him. It made her breasts jiggle. Groaning, Alex wrapped the towel around himself and managed to get out of the hot tub without making a complete fool of himself.

Jennifer slowly dried herself, her eyes on Alex as he hastily snatched his clothes from a nearby chair. Learning he wanted her gave her a high no business deal could compete with. Excitement raced through her at the thought of being with him.

Just once, she promised herself.

Oh, she knew if they had sex, it wouldn’t mean anything special to Alex. His reputation with women was well-known and well-documented. She’d seen the parade of women in and out of his life. While she didn’t want to be one of the many women in his past, it was easier to accept knowing she was getting something she’d always wanted.

Alex.

All right, maybe not forever, but for tonight at least, he was all hers. Still, this would only work if she made it clear that when they left the ski resort, they would agree not to cross the boundaries of boss and employee again. Once they were back at the office, nothing intimate could happen between them. She couldn’t have an affair with him and work for him. Because one day Alex would end things with her and she’d lose more than just her job. She’d lose her heart.

Could she return to work and forget making love with him? Honestly? No, she could never forget being with him. But she could pretend not to remember. And it wouldn’t be that long. She was still planning to visit the fertility clinic. When she got pregnant, she was going to quit her job. Her time with Alex was limited. So yes, this time she was going to let go. If only for a little while.

Even so, the only way she’d be able to do this was with Alex’s promise. She wanted to be the one in control, the one making the decision to end things between them on good terms.

“Ready?” she asked.

Alex grunted something and she smiled to herself as they silently walked to their room. Glancing at him, she hummed a tune.

Forcing a smile, Alex decided he needed a plan. Something to get his mind off of touching her. Maybe he’d go night skiing. He would have to find out how long they kept the slopes open.

Once inside their room, Jennifer turned to look at him. “Is it okay if I use the bathroom first?”

Swallowing hard, Alex nodded and she disappeared inside. A few minutes later she came out, her hair all around her shoulders, her sweat suit still on.

He froze in place when she started pulling off her clothes. First came the bottoms. He whooshed out a breath when his gaze swept over her long legs. When she reached for the zipper of her top, he started choking.

“What are you doing?” he demanded.

Jennifer gave him an innocent look. “I’m getting ready.” She took off the top to her sweat suit and tossed it on a chair. “You know, Alex,” she said, crossing the room and stopping in front of him. “I’ve been thinking about what you said.”

His brain went into panicked overdrive. Hell, he’d said a lot of things. “Could you be more specific?” Alex asked, his pulse racing at the sight of her in her bikini. She was standing so close he could see the pucker of her nipples beneath the cups of her top.

“You know, the part where you said you think I’m hot.”

“Oh, yeah, well, I—”

“Did you mean it?” She reached for the zipper to his sweatshirt, dragged it down, then slid it off his shoulders. Licking her lips, she rested her hand on his chest. “Did you mean it?”

Alex gulped. Oh, yeah, he’d meant it. “Yes.”

She gave him a deliberate I want you look. “Why don’t we order room service?”

“What?”

“On second thought,” she told him as she moved closer and put her other hand on his waist. “Let’s wait awhile. We’re gonna be really hungry—afterward.”

Alex kept his hands by his side, his body rigid from restraint. She was still touching him and hot flames licked his body. His eyes locked on hers. “Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked. He didn’t dare touch her. Not yet. If he did, he’d never be able to stop.

Jennifer ran her finger down his chest. “Oh, yes, Alex, I’m sure.”

“Thank God.” His breath came out in a rush as he pulled her to him and captured her mouth. Everything he’d been feeling, his jealousy, all of his pent-up desire, went into his kiss.

Jennifer’s arms went around his neck, his heat seeping into her, drugging her. The kisses they had indulged in until now had been playful and teasing, a reminder to keep a tight rein on her emotions. Controlled kisses that kept Jennifer from inviting Alex into her room for a night of careless passion.

But this…oh, this sensual assault was different. Their bodies touched and Jennifer melted against him. His body was hard, his muscles taut. She wanted to run her hands all over him so she would remember this moment for the rest of her life.

Hot fire raced along her nerve endings as his mouth claimed hers. She’d wanted to seduce Alex, but in that instant, her plans went up in smoke. Sensations poured through her. Searching. Destroying. Reducing her to putty.

His lips were like a drug she couldn’t get enough of. Her mind spun as his mouth devoured hers. Then he was lifting her. She clamped her legs around his waist as her mouth mated with his. He lowered her to the edge of the bed, then moved to stand between her thighs.

“You’re gorgeous,” he whispered as his gaze drifted over her body. He kissed her chin, her throat, her shoulders. She smelled so…female, so absolutely fantastic, he thought he’d die if he didn’t touch her. Somewhere. Anywhere. Everywhere. Reaching for the ties behind her, he loosened them, and the scrap of material covering her breasts fell, baring her to him. Alex tossed it to the floor. Then, for one long, intense moment, he just stared at her.

He reached out and touched her nipple with his thumb, watched the soft peak harden right in front of his eyes. Going down on his knees, he slid his hands behind her back, urging her toward him. She felt like velvet, delicate and so tender. Was her skin so soft all over?

Jennifer squirmed on the bed, scooting closer, wanting to give Alex what he wanted, what they both wanted. His tongue touched her nipple, the roughness of it creating a burning sensation deep inside her. Then he took her in his mouth. His teeth gently nipped at her, and something wild and wonderful ignited deep inside her.

Alex’s hands slid across her thighs and she shifted her hips, wanting him to touch her. His fingers grazed her skin, burning her everywhere they touched her. She needed him—oh, yes, wanted him more than ever. His hand slipped between her legs, warm and so gentle that she caught her breath.

She held his head in her hands, pressing him to her, encouraging him to suckle her as his hands explored her body. Each touch, each stroke of his tongue fueled her desire for him.

“Alex.” Jennifer held her breath when he tasted her once more, then lifted his face to look at her. She couldn’t wait. Didn’t want to. His hands on her body, his tongue on her breasts, was all it took for her to reach the peak of her desire. “I need you inside me.” Falling back on the bed, she beckoned him to her.

“In a moment, honey,” he whispered. Pulling the bottoms of her bikini off, he slid his hand up her thigh, between her legs. She moaned and moved against him, begging for more. Alex watched her and was stunned by her passionate response to his touch. He stroked her until she was panting and writhing on the bed, until she cried out his name and pleaded for him to make her his.

His. He wanted to brand her his, to make sure no other man touched her like this. Alex didn’t have that right, but, hell, it was what he wanted. It didn’t make sense. No woman had ever made him feel like she belonged to him.

“Please, Alex, now,” Jennifer whispered, biting her lip, holding back her climax. She’d waited a long time to be with him. So long. She wanted everything, every part of being with him.

Aching for her, he shed the remainder of his clothing and shoes before covering her body with his. When his mouth found hers, he gave a guttural groan.

She thrashed beneath him, her hips pushing against his. Alex cupped her bottom, held her to him, loving the feel of her skin beneath his fingers.

Her hands slid over his shoulders, her fingers digging into his skin. He lifted his mouth from hers, his breathing ragged. Positioning himself between her legs, he hovered over her. “Are you using protection?” he rasped. It was too fast, he thought absently. He wanted to slow things down. But he couldn’t stop. He had to have her. He willed her to say yes.

In a fog, Jennifer heard him whispering to her. But then she felt him probing her, and she gritted her teeth. Oh, please, yes. Unable to stop herself, she lifted her hips, pushing against him.

“Jennifer, sweetheart, I can’t wait much longer. Do we need to take care of you?” he murmured.

His words vaguely registering in her mind, Jennifer tried to concentrate through the haze of desire. Now, her mind whispered. You have to tell him now. But deep in the recesses of her mind, she was only aware of her need for him. She wanted Alex so badly she couldn’t breathe. “No.” The word slipped out before she could stop it.

Alex pushed himself partially inside her, testing her readiness for him. “You’re so perfect,” he whispered.

Perfect.

Reality permeated her mind at blinding speed. No, she wasn’t perfect. Guilt built inside her. She couldn’t do this. “Alex!” she murmured.

But then he drove deep inside her, stretching her, filling her, and her ability to speak evaporated. And, oh yes, he was moving. “Alex,” she cried, but her words were lost when he covered her mouth with his.

Jennifer couldn’t think about anything except the pleasure he gave her, the absolute wonder of being with him. She moved with him, matching his pace, and they reached ecstasy together.

You lied to him.

Lying in Alex’s embrace, Jennifer faced the awful truth. Oh, God, she had. She’d told Alex she didn’t need protecting.

No, you wanted to tell him the truth.

Oh, she had, but her admission had come too late. Regardless of whether she’d had second thoughts, the fact remained that she’d misled him. She’d been trying to confess to him, but then he was inside her, moving, his hot body giving her so much pleasure she couldn’t think.

If you tell him the truth now, he’ll never believe you.

The damage had been done. It was irreversible. She could be pregnant right now with his child. To tell him now would only ruin things between them.

What should she do?

Don’t say anything.

What could she say? If she told him they needed to use protection the next time, he’d know she lied.

She leaned back and raised her head, her gaze traveling slowly over his face until she met his eyes. Without speaking, she moved out of his embrace, reaching for something to cover herself the moment her feet hit the floor.

Alex watched her movements with a mixture of frustration and surprise. Becoming fully alert, he asked, “Where are you going?”

Barely glancing at him, Jennifer edged toward the bathroom. “I’m going to, um, use the bathroom. Why don’t you order us something for dinner? I’ll be out in a few minutes.” Not waiting for him to answer, she rushed into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

Practically growling, Alex climbed from the bed and pulled on his sweatpants. What the hell had just happened? If he didn’t know better, he’d have thought Jennifer was trying to distance herself from him.

Why?

You know why.

Alex sucked in a breath, then blew it out hard. He’d felt her hesitation. Right before he’d taken her, he’d sensed her indecision. Instead of pulling back, instead of letting her speak, he’d kissed her. A long, drugging kiss meant to seduce her.

Hell, he hadn’t wanted to give her a chance to ask him to stop. Because if she’d asked him to stop, he would have. And he would have regretted not sleeping with her for the rest of his life.

Feeling lower than scum, he stared at the closed door. He heard her turn off the faucet. His heart in his throat, he waited for her to come out so he could apologize.

Apologize. As if a few remorseful words could make amends for what he’d done. She was probably furious with him, and rightly so. He deserved so much more than her anger. Snatching up the telephone, he called room service and ordered dinner.

Still, the bathroom door remained closed. The woman who was assertive and confident in a conference with some of his toughest customers, the woman who had been an energetic and exciting partner in bed, didn’t want to face him.

Cursing under his breath, Alex paced to the bathroom and knocked on the door. “Jennifer.”

“Just a minute.”

Alex tried to judge what she was thinking from the tone of her voice, but he came up blank. He wanted to see her face, needed to know he hadn’t ruined everything between them.

There was a click, then the doorknob slowly turned. Seconds later Jennifer came out, wrapped in his robe.

His robe. She looked so right, so absolutely breathtaking, he’d never forget this moment. Her hair was wet, slicked back from her face, her skin glowed.

God, she was beautiful.

She looked at him then, her hazel eyes soft and so endearingly shy. His breath dammed up inside his lungs. Fascinated, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. “Are you all right?”

“Of course, Alex.”

Her eyes brightened for just an instant, but then she turned away. As if she wasn’t even aware of him watching her, she retrieved a pair of slacks and a sweater from her suitcase. Then she looked at him. Well, looked in his direction. Her eyes avoided his.

“I need to dress. Do you want the bathroom?”

She didn’t say anything more. Alex didn’t want to push her. But he did want to talk about what happened between them. Clear the air.

Beg her forgiveness.

“Sure.” But not just yet. Right now he’d give her a few minutes alone. Give her the time she needed.

He’d search for the right moment.

And he’d pray that he’d find the right words.

Seven

“We need to talk.”

Alex’s senses went on alert. He hadn’t expected Jennifer to confront him. His gaze met hers and she didn’t look away. Hell, she didn’t even flinch. He had a feeling he wasn’t going to like what she had to say.

When he’d finished his shower and come back into the room, the food he’d ordered had arrived. Jennifer had taken the time to place it on the coffee table. Following her lead, he’d sat across from her and they’d eaten.

They’d talked, sure. About work. A little about his family. More about hers.

Just not about what had happened between them. Because he’d never garnered the nerve to apologize. Now it was too late. She’d taken the bull by the horns.

“All right.” Alex studied her guarded expression. Every muscle in his body tensed as he waited for her to speak.

“Alex…” Sitting on the edge of her seat, Jennifer hesitated, searching for the right words. She’d rehearsed them over and over again in her mind, but saying them out loud wasn’t as easy as she’d hoped.

She couldn’t tell Alex the truth. Now that she knew what it felt like to make love with him, she was selfish. She wanted more. As soon as the road was clear, they would be headed back home. She was going to make the most of her time alone with him. If she had her way, she’d never leave this room.

But if this was going to work, she had to be sure Alex had no knowledge of her feelings for him. He had to believe she wanted the same thing out of their weekend he did.

Sex and nothing more.

Her gaze rested on his handsome face, and oh, God, she fell in love with him all over again. Tears sprang to her eyes. Dammit, she was going to cry. She sniffed, willing them away. She didn’t want Alex to know just how much making love with him meant to her.

“What happened between us…” She began again, “Well, I don’t know what you think of me, but I don’t make a habit of inviting men to my bed.”

“I didn’t think you did, Jen.” Alex held her gaze, saw the tears in her eyes, hated knowing he was the one who caused them.

Jennifer wanted to cry even more. He’d shortened her name once or twice over the weekend while they were skiing. But in bed, while he was inside her, he’d said it over and over again. “Neither of us meant for this to happen, but—”

“I don’t think I want to hear what’s coming next.” He knew she was wrestling with something, and it was killing him not knowing what was going on behind her beautiful hazel eyes. Leaning toward her, he took her hand. “I don’t think I could stand it if you had regrets.”

“Regrets?” Smiling at him through the tears that crested her eyes, she shook her head. “I don’t. I mean, not like you think. I still want—” she gestured toward him “—this to happen. I mean again. If you want to.”

Relief flooded Alex. Oh, he wanted to. Right this second wouldn’t be fast enough. Before she could say anything more, he leaned forward and took her hand. “That’s a relief, because you were sounding like you didn’t.”

At his touch, Jennifer’s skin grew hot. He had that effect on her. “Oh, no. Don’t think that. It’s just…I need you to promise me something before we, um, have sex again.”

Wondering where she was going, he gave her a long, searching look. “Anything.” He frowned, not liking the way the word sex sounded when she said it. It had a passing tone to it that made him feel uncomfortable and just a little bit irritated. All right, maybe he wasn’t interested in anything permanent. Why should he be surprised to learn she wasn’t, either? And why did it bother him?

“Alex, when we talked about coming here, I think we were both a little naive. We thought nothing could happen between us. But being in each other’s company for a few days, I guess it’s only natural we indulged in a brief affair.”

Brief affair. So if he had any other thoughts about them making love, she was telling him straight-out exactly what it was. Not just an affair, but a brief affair. There was more behind those eyes, though. More she wasn’t saying. “What aren’t you telling me?” he asked, annoyance creeping into his tone.

“This can’t go on beyond right here and right now.”

“Because…”

Because I’m in love with you. Sheesh! She couldn’t say that. “My job!” she blurted. Yes, she’d use the fact that they work together. It was a solid reason, something he’d understand.

“If you’re worried about having a job when we get back—”

“My career is important to me.”

Alex let himself off the hook. He’d been worried because even though she’d initiated intimacy between them, while they were making love he’d suspected she’d had second thoughts. Now he knew the real reason for her hesitation. She’d been afraid of losing her job. So she’d wanted him, but not if it would cost her career. Nice to know. “Your job isn’t in any jeopardy.”

“That’s what most people think when they work together and become involved. The only way I can be sure is to have your word that when we get back, we’ll forget this weekend ever happened.”

“What?” Okay, he hadn’t seen that coming. He wasn’t sure what the hell to say. He stroked her hand as he thought about her suggestion. He could promise her that she’d always have her job. He could act as if he didn’t know her body intimately. But there was no damn way he could promise he’d ever forget what it felt like to make love to her. “Is that really what you want?”

No, her mind whispered. But she said, “Yes.”

“And the rest of the time we’re here?” he asked. His gaze slid down her body, then back to her face, his intentions implicit. He wanted her. If she was intent on keeping their relationship relegated to the next day or so, he wasn’t going to waste any more of their time talking.

She stood and went to him, stepping between his legs. Her heart was beating so hard she could feel it banging around inside her chest. She ran her finger across his forehead, then rested her palm on his cheek. “The rest of the time, we spend in bed if you want.”

Alex stared up at her. He couldn’t say he agreed with her proposition, but her idea of spending the rest of their time in bed made his temperature soar. “You’re a tough negotiator.”

She smiled. “That’s why you hired me, right? Because I’m good at what I do?”

He stood. She was good, all right. But he wasn’t remotely thinking about work. He was thinking about how damn good she felt in his arms. “If you want my word, then you have it.”

Before she could take a breath, Alex hauled her against him and his mouth took hers in a searing kiss. Jennifer moaned as his tongue mated with her own, teasing it with promises that left her knees so weak she could barely stand.

Alex scooped her into his arms and carried her to the bed. His eyes fastened on Jennifer, he stepped back to pull off the sweatshirt he’d put on earlier. Lying on the bed, she reached down and grasped the hem of her sweater and pulled it over her head.

She wasn’t wearing a bra. His gaze raked her. She lay half naked, her beautiful breasts luring him to her. He joined her on the bed, lying beside her. He kissed her then, a long, drugging kiss that had him panting for more. He slid his hand to her breasts, kneading one then the other, his fingertips fascinated with her nipples.

He watched her eyelids close. “Do you like that, Jen?” he asked, his tone husky.

“I like everything you do, Alex,” she whispered, opening her eyes and gazing at him.

Alex rolled to his back, bringing her with him. She straddled him, her hair framing her face.

“Come here.” He took her hands, place them on his shoulders, then slid his hands under her arms and urged her to lean over him. “I want to taste you.” Lifting his head, he licked her nipple, laved it with his tongue, then took it into his mouth, branding her taste to his memory.

He looked up at her, saw her eyelids drift down. “Do you want me, Jen?” He needed to hear her say it.

“Oh, yes.” Desire coiled through her body. She looked at him, and his gaze held hers as he took both breasts in his hands. Her hips rocked against him. He was so hard, so incredibly hard.

“Say it,” he demanded.

“I want you, Alex.” Oh, yes. She wanted him forever. “Come inside me,” she whispered.

His hands found her waist. Jennifer went up on her knees, then felt him between her legs. She moved on him and he gritted his teeth. “Oh, yes, Alex. You feel so good.”

As though he was meant to be hers. Her head fell back as he began moving inside her. Spreading her legs farther apart, she cried out with pleasure. Unable to support her weight, she melted against him as his mouth devoured hers.

Her release came so suddenly, so incredibly forcefully, she cried out his name. His hands squeezed her derriere as he arched his back and climaxed.

And Jennifer knew she’d never love anyone else for the rest of her life.

As they lay together, their breathing ragged, Alex felt Jennifer stir. He tightened his arm around her, holding her next to him. He wasn’t going to let her do another disappearing act. There was no telling what other conditions she’d come up with if he let her have too much time to herself.

Shifting his body, he rolled over and pinned her to the mattress. Exhausted, he lay there, his hand caressing her. Her skin was warm. And soft. So damn soft.

His thoughts drifted to the promise he’d given Jennifer. She didn’t want him to remember anything about being with her. She’d asked the impossible. Though he’d given her his word, he was never going to be able to forget making love to her.

Why was she different from the other women he’d been with? It had been easy to compartmentalize his feelings for them, keep them at a distance. His eyelids drifted shut. Wanting to analyze his reaction to Jennifer, Alex fought the sedating effects of lethargy. He didn’t want to go to sleep. He didn’t want to wake up in the morning and know it was probably going to be the last day he had with her.

As if it was the most natural thing in the world, Alex hugged her to him. He smiled to himself when she snuggled closer, her bottom fitting perfectly against him. Satisfied she wasn’t going anywhere, he drifted into sleep.

The telephone startled Jennifer, jarring her awake. Who on earth could be calling? No one knew they were here. She started to reach for the phone, but she felt so wonderful cuddling with Alex that she couldn’t bring herself to move from beneath the covers. Alex didn’t budge, either, except to tighten his arm around her waist. The phone quit ringing and she sighed sleepily. Like the sunshine peeking into the room, reality seeped into her thoughts.

As she’d told Alex, it was best for them to forget they’d ever made love after they returned home. For herself, that was impossible. A day would never go by that she wouldn’t remember being here with him.

But Alex had easily agreed with her suggestion. That hurt. If he’d have put up a bit of an argument, she would have felt as if she’d meant more to him than sex with no strings attached.

Her heart constricted. Though she’d known better than to expect it, she’d wanted to be more to Alex than a weekend fling. Which was silly, she supposed. Alex had women flaunting themselves at him all the time. She’d seen it for herself whenever they attended a business function. Women swarmed around him.

Well, he was gorgeous. And sweet. And romantic, she thought, remembering their sleigh ride. No, she chided herself. Alex hadn’t been aiming at romance. He’d told her himself the sleigh ride was his way of apologizing to her.

He kissed you.

Well, their kiss was simple to explain. They’d been caught up in a moment. That kiss—that wonderful, seductive kiss—had been part of his apology.

But he also said he thought you were hot.

He’d just been flirting. She’d seen him in action at dinner parties. Alex had charm, and he knew how to use it. He had a way of making the woman he was talking with feel as if she were special. And even if he did find her attractive, why should she read more into it? She was no Julia Roberts, but she considered herself appealing.

And the sex?

Lust. Just plain lust.

He stirred, then nuzzled her neck, and her thoughts scattered. His lips pressed a soft kiss to her shoulder and she turned in his arms to face him. His eyes opened languidly and she smiled when they closed again. She raised her hand to his face, touched it with her palm, then traced his nose with her finger. “I thought you were a morning person,” she whispered.

Alex opened his eyes. “That was before I knew what it was like to wake up with you in my bed.” His hand slid up her rib cage to her breast. He caressed it tenderly, his eyes meeting hers. “Know what I’m thinking?”

Her stomach growled. She laughed and said, “It’s time to eat?”

He kissed her, then smiled. “Well, eating wasn’t exactly what I had on my mind.” His hand slid between her thighs. Her skin was soft and oh, so silky. His body responded to her on every level. His skin heated, his arousal obvious. But what stunned him was the quickening of his heartbeat.

Danger signals flashed through his mind. Jennifer was hazardous to his heart. But despite the powerful effect she had on him, Alex pulled her against him and rolled onto his back, bringing her with him. “I guess I’d better feed you. You’re going to need all the strength you can get.” He kissed her, a long, sensual mating of their mouths.

Her pulse accelerating from the desire in his eyes, she watched as he rolled away and stood. Jennifer couldn’t drag her eyes from him. He was so gorgeous that he stole her breath. His stomach was flat and taut, and the muscles in his arms and shoulders rippled as he picked up his sweatpants. She needed to fan herself. She’d always thought Alex was handsome, but without clothes, well, he was heart-stopping incredible.

He slipped on his sweatpants and picked up the telephone. “I’ll order room service. What would you like?”

Jennifer climbed from the bed, dragging the top sheet with her, wrapping it around herself and gathering it in her hands to keep from tripping. Despite the fact that Alex had touched and kissed her body everywhere, she was hesitant to run around naked in front of him. “Um, coffee, please. And I’d love some French toast or some pancakes. I think I’ll grab a quick shower while we’re waiting.” She disappeared into the bathroom.

Alex watched her, amused she felt it necessary to cover herself from head to toe. Didn’t she realize that after making love with her, he knew her body intimately? He punched in the numbers to reach room service, gave them their order, then replaced the receiver. Moments later, the phone rang.

Thinking it was room service with a question about their order, Alex picked up the telephone. “Hello?”

“Mr. Dunnigan, this is Marjorie Bannon, the manager. We’re informing our guests who were supposed to check out yesterday that the road off the mountain has been cleared.”

“Cleared? Already?” Alex paced to the window. Apparently the snow they’d expected during the night hadn’t arrived. Outside, the sun was shining bright.

“Although the weather reports indicated snow during the night, the storm front stalled,” she explained. “They’re now calling for it later today. The road crews were able to get to the snowpack and clear it about an hour ago.”

Alex’s jaw grew taut. “I see.”

“We certainly don’t want to rush you, Mr. Dunnigan, but we have guests waiting to be checked in and we need to clean the rooms. We would appreciate it if you could be ready to turn over your room within the hour.”

“An hour?” he repeated, his lips twisting with irritation. They wanted them to leave. And leaving meant never touching Jennifer again.

“Yes, sir,” the manager said. “As I said, we need to clean your room. Of course, due to your willingness to help us out last night by sharing your room, we won’t be charging you for last night.”

Walking across the room, Alex snatched his wristwatch from the dresser, checking the time. An hour. They only had an hour. Then he was supposed to walk out of this room and act as if he’d never made love to Jennifer. He cursed beneath his breath. “All right. An hour’s fine,” he told her, then dropped the receiver into its cradle.

Alex paced to the bathroom to let Jennifer know, then stopped himself. God, he couldn’t do this. He couldn’t just leave here and go back to being strictly work associates again. He couldn’t forget what it felt like to just hold her in his arms.

He didn’t want to.

Cursing like a sailor who’d been given extended duty at sea, Alex stormed over to his luggage and began packing, not caring how his clothes were stored. He looked up when he heard the bathroom door open. Jennifer stepped out, a smile on her face. Then she stilled and the smile on her lips disappeared.

“What’s going on?”

Alex’s gaze ran over her. She’d wrapped a thick white towel around her, concealing the most enticing parts of her body, the parts he now knew so well that he’d never forget what she looked like, what she felt like, how she tasted. Everything was covered except her arms and those beautiful long legs she’d wrapped around him. He fought the urge to drag her against him.

“The manager called,” he told her as he balled up his ski suit and stuffed it into a canvas bag. He looked away. He didn’t want her to see how much this was killing him. “The road’s clear, so they’re waiting for us to leave. They need the room for arriving guests.”

Swallowing hard, Jennifer blinked back a sting of tears. “When?” she asked in a small voice. No. This couldn’t be happening already. Their time together couldn’t be over.

“As soon as possible. They’ve given us an hour.”

“An hour.” Jennifer felt faint. The way Alex was tossing his things into his luggage made her wince. His movements were jerky and agitated. He sure seemed to be in a big hurry to leave. Well, she shouldn’t be surprised. Their time together didn’t mean anything to him except a night of no-strings sex.

“Okay,” she said quietly. She walked over to her own luggage. Picking up the biggest piece, she put it on the bed. Across the room, Alex stood with his back to her. Pulling out a pair of jeans, she stuffed her legs into them, not bothering with underwear. A moment later she’d slipped on a light knit shirt and a warm sweater and let the towel fall to the floor. She didn’t bother with a bra, either. With her coat, no one would even notice.

“Breakfast will be here shortly,” he informed her, his tone level, concealing the torment inside of him.

A knot formed in her throat. Dammit, she didn’t want to cry. Leaving here with Alex was going to be the hardest thing she’d ever done. “Maybe we should just get out of here,” she answered dispassionately. Feeling sick to her stomach, she knew she wouldn’t be able to eat. “We can eat before we catch the plane.”

“If you want.”

She looked around the room to see if she’d forgotten anything. “Are those my gloves?” she asked.

Alex glanced at where she was pointing. “Here,” he answered, picking up the gloves and handing them to her. Damn, she was acting as though she wasn’t bothered at all. Was he the only one feeling cheated by their change in plans?

“Thanks.” Alex grunted something and she glanced at him.

As if he’d sensed her gaze, he turned at that moment, his eyes meeting hers. He thought he’d seen a flicker of sadness in them, but it disappeared so quickly he guessed it was his imagination. “I’m sorry about the short notice.”

Shrugging, she forced herself to remain in control and gave him a brief smile. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault.” The last thing she wanted was for Alex to feel guilty. “Maybe this is for the best.”

“Yeah.” Shaking his head, he stared at her, wanting to tell her… What? That he didn’t want their time together to end? She’d already told him she was thinking of houses and happily-ever-after in her future.

He wasn’t a forever kind of guy. He couldn’t give Jennifer what she needed.

Alex reminded himself he’d promised Jennifer he could walk away from this weekend and forget they’d made love. She’d set the rules and he’d agreed to them. It was over. Done.

He just hadn’t realized it would be so damned hard.

“I’m going to grab a quick shower.” Without waiting for her to answer, he stormed into the bathroom. If he’d have stayed in the room with her another moment, he’d have marched across the floor and pulled her into his arms. And done something totally stupid.

Such as tell her his heart was aching so severely he thought he might possibly die from the pain.

As Alex closed the door behind him, Jennifer sank to the bed. She held her face in her hands. Oh, God, how was she going to get through the next few hours? How had she ever thought she could make love with Alex, then go back to their prior business relationship?

But she had to. Alex had agreed to do as much. As far as she could tell, he wasn’t having any trouble leaving what they’d shared behind. Hearing Alex shut off the water in the shower, she jumped off the bed to quickly finish packing, wanting to show him she was all right with leaving, that he didn’t have to worry she was going to pressure him into a personal relationship.

She’d shoved the last of her things into her suitcase and was shutting it as he came out of the bathroom. “I need to get my things from the bathroom, then I’ll be ready.”

Alex didn’t say anything as she collected her toiletries and stored them in her small suitcase. Already he could see she was becoming distant, making the change back to boss and employee. He shoved the last item into his suitcase and zipped it shut. He turned to look at Jennifer. She pulled her suitcase from the bed and set it on the floor.

His gaze went to the bed they’d shared, then back to her. “Are you all right?”

She looked up. “Sure, I’m fine.”

The tension between them was so strong he knew she had to feel it, too. Hell, he had to have one last taste of her. He walked over to her. It took every ounce of his self-control to keep from touching her. “Jen?” His gaze swung to the unmade bed, then back to her, his question unspoken.

Jennifer knew what he wanted. She wanted the same thing. Just once more and she could begin to live without him. “Oh, yes,” she breathed, and went into his arms.

Lightning exploded as he kissed her, long and deep, as if he couldn’t get enough of her. She returned the kiss, her body already so attuned to his that her need for him became unbearable.

Then his hands were inside her sweater, touching her, her nipples tightening as his fingers caressed them. “Yes,” she whispered, wanting him to touch her everywhere. She slipped her arms around him, grabbed at the hem of the sweater he’d put on with his jeans. “Quick, please.”

Alex stripped off her sweater, then helped her get his off. He was out of his jeans in seconds, but she’d still beat him. He looked up and she stole every ounce of his breath. His hands went into her hair as he pulled her against him and devoured her mouth.

Their bodies touched, then they fell on the bed, writhing against each other, as their hands explored each other for what would be the last time. Jennifer opened her legs, inviting Alex inside her. He positioned himself and entered her in one hard thrust.

“Jen,” he rasped, then his body covered hers again as he began to move inside her. Knowing it would be the last time he’d touch her, his hands explored her silky skin. He wanted to remember everything—her exotic smell, her gorgeous breasts, the way she sighed with pleasure when he entered her.

Jennifer wrapped her legs around him and took him deeper, her fingers digging into his flesh. She’d wanted to make it last much longer, but the moment he was inside her, she’d come apart. He had that effect on her. One touch and she went up in flames.

“Yes, Alex, yes,” she cried, already riding the crest of her climax. Her hips kept pace with his, then everything inside her exploded into a million brilliant particles.

Alex groaned as she pleaded with him to take her over the edge. He pushed deeper, faster, giving her pleasure until he could no longer hold back his own climax. She felt so good, so right. So incredibly right, that it scared him. He never wanted this to end.

His mouth covered hers in a desperate kiss and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tighter as he went over the edge of desire.

For the last time.

Eight

Jennifer thumbed through the mail she’d collected from her mailbox as she waited at a red light. At a discreet white envelope, she stopped. The return address of the fertility clinic glared back at her. Ripping the letter open, she scanned it, the last line drawing her attention.

Please call at your earliest convenience to set up your consultation.

Her heart gave a hard thump. Before she’d gone away with Alex, she’d eagerly anticipated hearing from the clinic. She’d wanted to start the process of being inseminated to take away any temptation of sleeping with Alex. But that hadn’t worked to her advantage. Crumpling the letter, she tossed it to the floorboard of her car as the light changed and drove the rest of the way to work. The idea of using a fertility clinic no longer held appeal. Even if it did, she couldn’t return the call and set a date for her consultation.

Because you might already be pregnant.

Pulling into her parking space, she went into her office, tossing her purse and briefcase into a chair. Dropping into her desk chair, she rested her chin on her hands. If she was carrying Alex’s child, she would always know the child was conceived through deception. She’d had every opportunity to tell Alex she wasn’t protected. But she’d waited until she and Alex were making love. Not exactly the right time to confess the truth. Even after they’d made love, she should have come clean and told him she’d… What?

Made a mistake? Oh, yeah, that would have sounded great.

Sorry, Alex, but when you made love to me, I guess I forgot I wasn’t on the pill.

How lame would that have been? she thought with disgust.

You should have told him the truth.

If she had, he would have hated her.

If you really cared about him, you wouldn’t have made love with him again.

That was true, but she’d wanted him for so long. And she hadn’t been able to resist the chance to be with him—even if it was only for a weekend.

And maybe she wasn’t pregnant. They’d only had unprotected sex a few times. Considering her cycle, there was just as good a chance she wasn’t going to have his baby.

And if she wasn’t pregnant, was there a possibility she and Alex could have a real relationship? Perhaps, she thought with hope, they could start over. Alex was attracted to her. Maybe she wasn’t special to him, maybe it had been lust, but she felt his passion. He had to feel something for her. Even if it was lust, if they entered into an affair, maybe his feelings for her would change.

He dated a lot of women. What made her think she would be the woman who could win his heart? The idea was unfathomable, wasn’t it? Because Alex didn’t want marriage and commitment. He’d told her so.

But nothing could be decided until she knew whether or not she was carrying Alex’s baby. They’d only returned from Vermont a few days ago. Jennifer hadn’t yet bought an at-home pregnancy test. Oh, she knew they were all the rage. She’d studied them at the drugstore. The packaging promised valid results soon after conception, but she wanted to wait for an absolute confirmation of the test. A couple of weeks, at least.

Then she’d know for sure whether or not she was carrying Alex’s child.

Since they’d returned from skiing, she’d done her best to avoid being alone with him. They’d been back at work for a few days and she’d spent most of that time holed up in her office. She’d timed her appointments out of the office to coincide with the times he was here so she wouldn’t have to see him. Because every time she looked at him, her heart ached a little more.

Alex hadn’t acted as if he’d even noticed. His manner had been pretty much the same as it had been before they’d gone on the ski trip.

So much for her hope that he held feelings for her.

Even if she wasn’t pregnant, she wasn’t going to be able to go through with being inseminated. She no longer wanted to conceive a child in some sterile medical setting. Being with Alex had ruined that idea. In her previous relationships with men, she’d never felt the kind of passion she’d experienced with Alex.

What was she going to do?

“Busy?”

At the sound of his voice, Jennifer looked up to see Alex in the doorway to her office. His jacket was off, the sleeves of his silver-gray dress shirt rolled up to expose the sprinkling of dark hair on his arms. Oh, my, that ache inside her worsened at the sight of him. “I just got back from meeting with the Baker sisters,” she said, careful not to make eye contact. She got up and reached for her briefcase, then fished through it. “Here’s a rough draft of their contract if you want to take a look at it.”

“You’ve been busy the past few days,” Alex commented, taking the papers from her. He scanned them quickly, then tossed them onto her desk. His gaze slid over her. She was wearing a dark red jacket. He’d seen her wear it before, but he’d never been so tempted to strip it off of her. The jacket did a good job of hiding the shape of her breasts. Alex’s fingers itched to dip inside it to stroke her silky skin.

“I’ve had a busy schedule,” she said, glancing briefly in his direction. “My secretary had to change some of my meetings for last Friday when we—” She stopped speaking, mortified she’d made a reference to their time in Vermont.

“Went skiing?” Alex finished for her, knowing full well why she’d hesitated.

“Um, yes.”

He glanced at his watch. “So are you free for dinner tonight?” he asked.

Her gaze shot to his. “Dinner?”

“I want to discuss the Vinson proposal.” The Vinson Corporation, located in California, was the most well-known aeronautics company in the U.S. Getting a contract from them to update their computer system would establish Com-Tec’s reputation on the west coast. He wanted Jennifer’s take on the deal.

“I, um, have plans tonight.” Oh, God. There was no way on earth she could go to dinner with him. It was hard enough being in the same room with him. Every time she saw him, she was tempted to ignore her promise and to touch him. And if she did, she wouldn’t be able to stop there.

Plans? Alex had to stop himself from demanding to know who her plans were with. Was she going out on a date? His jaw tautened. “Change them.” Hell, had that charge come from him?

Jennifer stared at him in disbelief. “What?”

“You’re the one who said your career is important. Change your plans.”

“I can’t.” Her lips twisted. “How about we meet tomorrow morning?” she suggested, still shocked by his request. No, not request. His demand.

He shook his head. “I have a meeting with marketing.”

Frustrated, she tried again. “I’m free in the afternoon.”

“I can’t do it then. I have a heavy schedule tomorrow.” He dropped into the chair in front of her desk. More than ever, he was convinced she was avoiding him. “Is this how it’s going to be, Jen?” he demanded.

She straightened some folders in front of her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Alex sat up straight. “I think you do,” he said, an edge to his voice. “I think you’re avoiding me.”

“I’m not.” To convince him, she met his gaze. “I’m just busy.”

Like hell, Alex thought. “I want to talk with you about the Vinson proposal. Over dinner. Change your plans.”

“Alex—”

“Be ready at six.” Irritated, he got up and walked out. By the time he reached his office, he was steaming. He threw himself into his chair and slouched, his teeth clamped together.

Who was she kidding? She hadn’t even looked at him when they were talking. And who the hell was she going out with? Not knowing was killing him. How could she see someone else so soon after making love with him?

Restless, Alex got out of his seat and paced. He blamed himself for this mess. Jennifer had said she was concerned their working together might be affected if they had an affair. Because he wanted her so badly, he’d ignored his inner warning to keep his hands off of her.

He’d really screwed things up. Never in his life had he ordered a woman to do anything she didn’t want to do. He just couldn’t stop thinking about her. Every time he saw her, he wanted to touch her. He’d already imagined making love to her. On his desk. In her office. Hell, even in the elevator!

And dammit, she was acting as if the adjustment back to their business-only relationship wasn’t difficult! She came to work and performed her responsibilities perfectly. Then she left for the day, never giving any indication she was bothered by being around him at all. From her actions, he would have believed she’d put their weekend out of her mind.

The only clue she hadn’t was that she’d done her best to stay busy all week and not be around him. More determined than ever to figure her out, he’d decided to take matters into his own hands by forcing her to have dinner with him. He wanted to talk to her, to see if she was going crazy with need inside like him.

The intercom on his phone rang and Alex punched the button on the telephone to activate it. “Yes?”

“Mr. Daughtrey from the Vinson Corporation is on line three,” his assistant, Karen, informed him.

“Thanks.”

Alex took the call and for the next hour was tied up on business. The remainder of the afternoon disappeared under the pressure of work. At five-thirty, he asked Karen to hold his calls.

Leaning back in his chair, he rubbed the back of his neck and stretched his shoulders. Expecting to see Jennifer in half an hour, he walked into his private bathroom, shaved, then slapped on some cologne. Jeez, he was acting as if he was sixteen and going on his first date.

Hearing the door to his office open, he stepped out of the bathroom expecting to see Karen. He stopped when his gaze landed on Jennifer. The little throb of anticipation in his gut grew to a full-fledged stab of desire.

“I’d like to speak with you.”

Alex didn’t like the sound of that. He walked over to her, stopping about a foot away. “Sure.” He kept his tone casual, but the blaze of anger in her eyes warned him of trouble.

Stepping farther inside his office, she closed the door behind her. Though most everyone was gone for the day, she didn’t want to take a chance on a straggler or two still in the building hearing them.

Straightening her shoulders, she met his gaze. “I’m not going to dinner with you.” She’d never let a man domineer her, and she wasn’t going to let Alex be the first. If he wanted to discuss legitimate business, they could do so right here in the office. At least she’d stand a chance of keeping him at a distance.

“I thought I made myself clear,” he answered, the muscle in his jaw twitching. Great. He was digging a deeper hole for himself. Pretty soon he wouldn’t be able to climb out of it.

“You can’t order me to go to dinner with you,” she stated, her tone defiant.

“I told you—”

“If you want to talk business, we can do it here,” she said, interrupting him. “Right now, if you want.” Her lungs felt starved for air. She managed to take a short breath.

“I see.” Alex twisted his lips as he thought about how to proceed. It was hard to argue with her when she was right. “And your plans for the evening?”

“I canceled them.” She pressed her lips together when she read the look of satisfaction in his expression. “I didn’t do it to please you, so you can wipe that smug look off your face.”

“You didn’t?” He’d underestimated her, he decided as he studied her defensive stance.

“I canceled on the pretense that you had business to discuss with me.” Of course, her plans had only included going to her parents’ house for a visit, but Alex didn’t have to know the truth.

“And you can’t discuss business over dinner?” He had wanted to discuss the Vinson deal, but it hadn’t been the real reason he’d wanted to take her to dinner. He’d wanted to ask her what the hell was going on, why she wouldn’t even look at him.

She bristled. “That’s not the point and you know it. Sleeping with me for a weekend doesn’t give you the right to make demands on my personal life.” Inside, Jennifer was shaking. She didn’t know how she’d ever gotten that last statement out.

Alex actually choked. Whoa, he hadn’t seen that coming. But he should have. He hired her knowing she was a tigress when it came to negotiating. He just hadn’t thought he’d be the one negotiating with her.

Again.

Okay, so he wasn’t going to win any points with her by debating his conduct. He’d behaved badly. It wasn’t as though he hadn’t known it. But he hadn’t been able to stop from making a fool of himself just the same.

He reached out and took her hand before she even realized what he was doing. “I’m sorry, Jennifer.” Looking into her eyes, he shook his head. “You’re right.”

“What?” Jennifer stared at him, her pulse racing from the way his thumb was making circles on her skin. His touch sent tingles of pleasure racing through her.

Alex stepped closer to her. “I had no business ordering you to go to dinner with me.”

His humbled expression stole the irritation right out of her. She looked into his eyes. “Why did you, Alex?”

He gave her a sad smile as he touched her hair. She had worn it up today and he’d done nothing but think about taking it down and running his fingers through it. He brushed a strand away from her face. “Because I can’t stop thinking about making love with you.”

Her heart stopped. She hadn’t expected to hear him admit he still wanted her. “Alex—”

Stepping closer, he slipped his hand around her neck. “Can you honestly say you haven’t thought about what it was like between us?” he asked, his voice husky.

She wanted to shake her head, to deny his suggestion, but God, she couldn’t. Because she had thought about him. So many times she couldn’t even count them. “What we had was…”

“What, Jen?” He moved closer. “Exciting?”

“Yes.” His scent surrounded her, pulling her toward him. She let her eyes drift downward as she took a deep breath. Drugged. This was what it felt like to be drugged.

“Seductive?” He lifted her face, his gaze sweeping it before they landed on her luscious lips. They were beautiful. And tempting. So damn tempting.

“Yes.” Jennifer opened her eyes as the heat from his body encircled her. She put her hand on his chest, moving closer to him.

Alex leaned down, his lips just a breath away from hers. “Hot?” His other hand cupped her chin as he pressed even closer to her, his body touching hers. He could feel the pressure of her palm against his chest, but she wasn’t pushing him away.

Jennifer’s lips parted. Her gaze strayed to his mouth, his beautifully sculpted lips. “Oh, yes,” she breathed, and then she was kissing him. Long, deep, provocative kisses she could feel all the way to her toes.

“Jen.” Alex breathed out her name as he came up for air, then kissed her again. His arms went around her, then his hands cupped her bottom, lifting her against him.

She slipped her arms around his neck and didn’t even think of protesting when he sat her on the desk and moved between her legs. Her hands were busy loosening his tie, unbuttoning his shirt. He already had her blouse open.

And then he touched her. Someone moaned. It might have been her. She wasn’t sure, didn’t care. His hand found her breast.

Oh, yes.

Alex’s hand grazed her thigh and she thought she would die from the sheer pleasure of his touch.

“Alex—” Her words were swallowed by his mouth as it covered hers. He leaned against her, encouraging her to lie back. She did, then was vaguely aware of something falling to the floor as his body covered hers.

Aching for her, Alex pressed his body against Jennifer’s. Her hands were in his hair as his mouth traveled from her lips to her shoulder to between her breasts. Her skin tasted salty and so sweet. He pulled the cup of her bra down, baring her breast. Unable to wait another moment, he tasted her, taking her nipple into his mouth and sucking hard.

He caressed her thigh, slowly moving his hand higher, until his fingers touched her panties. His palm covered her there and her hips moved as she pressed herself against him.

Alex looked up at her as he eased her legs apart. “Easy, sweetheart,” he whispered as he started to move over her.

A sudden crash made them both still. Jennifer’s eyes opened and she stopped moving. “What?”

“The lamp,” Alex rasped, his breathing ragged. “Don’t worry about it.”

Her body throbbing, Jennifer pulled her arms from around his neck and pushed him away.

What was she doing?

“Let me up.” Desperate, she looked away, unable to face him.

“Jennifer.”

Her name came out sounding more like a warning than an endearment. She didn’t care. Mortified she’d succumbed so easily to his kisses, she stilled. “Please, Alex.”

Alex moved off of her, then held out his hand to help her up. “Don’t do this,” he said quietly, knowing she was pulling away. He wasn’t sure why. But, damn if he didn’t want to know.

As she came to her feet, she couldn’t look at him. “I’m so sorry,” she said quietly. Quickly she adjusted her bra and buttoned her blouse. “This shouldn’t have happened.”

“Jennifer, baby, please look at me.”

Instead of looking at him, she closed her eyes. Heat rushed to her face. “I can’t. Oh, Alex, please…” She covered her face.

Wanting to understand why she was so upset, Alex reached for her. She shrank away from him. Startled, he let his hands fall to his sides.

“I need to leave,” she said. “Please don’t try to stop me, Alex.”

“Talk to me, Jen.” Alex suddenly felt helpless. “Please. I didn’t mean to—”

“I know.” She did look at him then. Tears stung her eyes. “I know.” As much as she wanted to throw herself into his arms, she couldn’t. Oh, she wanted him. More than ever. Wanted to feel his arms around her. Holding her.

But this would never work between them. A hot affair was all Alex wanted. Sex. Not commitment. Not marriage and forever.

But she wanted so much more. More than he was willing to give.

She wanted his heart.

Nine

Jennifer walked into her office, her whole body aching as if it had been dragged behind a car. She could hear Alex’s voice down the hall and her chest tightened. How was she ever going to face him?

She didn’t get much of a chance to think about it. As if he’d known by instinct she had arrived, he walked into her office as she was taking off her coat. She looked up. Unable to read his expression, she walked behind her desk and sat down.

“I need to talk to you, Jen,” Alex said, approaching her desk. “I’d like to apologize for last night.”

She winced at the mention of their interlude in his office. What could she say to excuse her behavior? “It was my fault—”

Alex threw himself into a chair. Sitting forward, he balanced his chin on the tips of his fingers and stared directly into her eyes. “Dammit, Jennifer, don’t.” Guilt paralyzed him.

Jennifer couldn’t look away as a rush of tears sprang into her eyes. “Alex—”

“I’m the one who is responsible for everything that’s happened between us. Not you,” he told her, his tone harsh. But his anger was clearly self-inflicted. “In Vermont, I agreed not to touch you when we returned home. These past few days it was obvious you weren’t having any trouble living up to our agreement. I was the one struggling with keeping our relationship restricted to business.”

He shook his head, then pinned her with another hard stare. “You have my word I won’t step over the line with you again.”

She nodded, trying to think of what to say. He thought she didn’t want him. But he was so wrong, so terribly wrong.

Before she could speak, her telephone rang. She pushed the intercom button. “Paige, please hold my calls.”

“Jennifer, you might want to take this. It’s your sister and she says it’s an emergency.”

Alarmed, Jennifer picked up the telephone. “Lil?” She listened for a moment, then fell back into her chair when her sister explained her father had fallen ill. “Oh, my God! Where is he?” she asked, barely able to get the words out. After listening another minute she put the receiver down and yanked open her desk drawer where she’d put her purse only moments ago. When she stood, her legs almost gave out beneath her.

Alex had been watching her the whole time she was on the telephone. It was obvious from her agonizing expression she’d received bad news. “What is it?” he asked, his tone gentle now as his concern for Jennifer grew.

Jennifer blinked away tears. “My father. They think he’s had a heart attack.” She opened her purse and searched for her keys. “I’ve got to go. I’ve got to get to him before…” She didn’t finish the sentence. Unable to locate her keys, she panicked and dumped the entire contents of her purse onto her desk. Spotting them, she snatched them up. Without bothering to gather the rest of her things, she started around the desk for the door.

Grabbing her by the arm, Alex stopped her as she tried to pass him. “I’ll drive you.”

“No, I—”

“Don’t argue with me. You’re in no condition to drive,” he insisted, not wanting anything to happen to her. Then, he added, “Let me, please.”

Numb, Jennifer nodded. “All right.”

Alex grabbed her coat as they left and helped her into it in the elevator. By the time they were in his car, she’d begun crying softly. Heading out of the garage, he asked, “Where is he?”

She glanced in his direction. “The hospital on Colley Avenue.”

Good. Only a few miles from their office. “We’ll be there in just a few minutes.” She didn’t answer, just clutched a tissue and dabbed at her eyes. Alex wished he could say something to make her feel better. He reached over and took her hand. “Try not to worry.”

“I can’t help it.” She sniffed. “My dad is just so full of life. I never…never even thought about anything happening to him.” It was hard to get the words out, hard to think her father could actually die.

Her suffering was painful to watch. Alex couldn’t imagine what she was going through. He wasn’t close to either of his parents. It made him wonder what he’d be feeling if something happened to either one of them. “Did your sister…Lil, right? Did she say what happened?”

“He was helping a neighbor move some furniture and he just grabbed his chest and collapsed. They called 9-1-1 and paramedics arrived on the scene very quickly. My mom was there by then, Lil said. She went with them to the hospital, then called my sister.”

“So your mother should have someone with her now?”

“I don’t know. Lil lives in Ghent. She may already be there.”

“Try not to worry,” he told her as he made a left onto the street that led to the hospital’s parking lot.

“Thanks for the ride, Alex. You can let me out in front. Someone can give me a ride back to my car,” Jennifer said, not wanting to tie up the rest of Alex’s evening.

Alex shot her a dark look. “I’m going in with you.” He told himself it was the least he could do for her, but the truth was he couldn’t leave her in her present condition. She was hurting and he wanted to be there for her, which totally floored him. Before he had time to think about the reasons, he’d pulled into a parking space and shut off the engine.

Jennifer nodded, deeply relieved. She hadn’t been looking forward to walking inside alone. By the time she was out of the car, as if she’d lost most of her strength, her body refused to cooperate. Her nerves felt stretched to the limit. Alex took her by the arm, leading her to the emergency entrance of the hospital.

“Mom!” Jennifer cried, spotting her mother as they stepped inside. “How is Dad? Have you heard anything?”

The woman who approached them was shorter than her daughter, with a short, stylish haircut and very attractive features. Her eyes were swollen with tears. “Oh, honey, I’m so glad to see you.” The two women hugged. “We don’t know anything yet. I was with your father until just a few minutes ago when they sent him for tests. Tony arrived moments later. He’s talking to the attending physician to find out what he can. They asked me to step out until they’re done.”

The tightness in Jennifer’s shoulders relaxed a little. Although her brother worked at another hospital, she knew he’d be able to find out her father’s status a lot faster than they would. With tears in her eyes, she said, “Mom, this is Alex Dunnigan, my boss. He drove me here. Alex, my mom, Janet Cardon.”

Janet Cardon took Alex’s hand in both of hers and patted it gently. “Alex, it was kind of you to look after Jennifer. Thank you so much,” she said, her tone grateful. “I appreciate your being here with her.”

“It was my pleasure, Mrs. Cardon,” Alex assured her, amazed at the woman’s ability to make him feel so at ease with just her expression. It took the sting out of Jennifer’s description of him as her boss. More proof she’d moved past the intimate weekend they’d shared and he hadn’t.

“Please, call me Janet.”

“How was Dad when you were with him?” Jennifer sniffed, trying to hold back a fresh wave of tears.

“Sedated. He didn’t say anything during the ride here,” she answered solemnly.

Looking around for her sister, but not seeing her, Jennifer asked, “Lil’s not here yet?”

“She should be arriving any minute. She had to make arrangements to leave the children with a neighbor.” The words were barely out of her mouth before Janet glanced over their shoulders to see her oldest daughter. “Here she is now.”

Jennifer turned and waved to her sister, who rushed to join their group. Alex stood by Jennifer’s side as she hugged both her sister and the man who had arrived with her. Still fighting tears, she turned toward him. “Alex, this is my sister, Lil, and her husband Robert Kanton.” Her voice broke as she made the introductions.

He shook both of their hands. Lil Kanton resembled Jennifer some, but she could have been cut from the same cloth as her mother. Her brown hair was cut short like Janet’s, giving her a stylish, sophisticated look for someone who was twenty years or so younger. The man with her appeared older than Alex, graying at the temples, and at least ten years older than Lil.

“It’s nice to meet you, Alex,” Lil said, shooting a look to her sister that he couldn’t read.

“Thank you. I’m sorry it’s under such trying circumstances.”

As Janet filled Robert and Lil in on what was happening to her husband, Alex stood quietly beside Jennifer. He wasn’t sure what to think about the way this family pulled together over a crisis. It amazed him. And made him aware of his own disappointment in not having a family to rely on. He knew if it was him back there in the examination area, he wouldn’t have one person waiting out here for him.

His gaze went to Jennifer, who was still clearly upset. He put his arm around her and pulled her to him. She buried her face against his shoulder and cried. The muffled sounds racked him with pain. He’d never felt so helpless. Alex held her in his arms until her sobbing slowed. When she looked at him, her eyes were red, her cheeks tear-streaked.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“Don’t worry about it. You needed to let that out,” he said softly, wishing he had the right to kiss her tears away. He stopped himself from pulling her back into his arms.

They’d become quite a large group standing in the middle of the room. Janet directed them to a group of chairs in the far corner where they wouldn’t be in the way of others.

Jennifer turned to Alex as he sat beside her. “Are you all right?” she asked.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

She rolled her eyes. “Alex, it isn’t as if you’re used to being in this type of situation every day.”

“You have a nice family,” he commented. Each of them had been friendly to him. “You’re lucky to have them.” Just because he’d never had that kind of support and love, didn’t mean he didn’t recognize its value for Jennifer. “How about you?” he asked, stroking her hand with his thumb.

“I just wish Tony would come out and let us know something,” she said, trying to ignore the shivers of awareness stealing through her at his touch.

Offering her comfort, Alex put his arm around her. “You’ll find out something soon.”

His strength was just what she needed. It was all she could do not to lay her head on his shoulder. “I hope so.”

“Would you like something? Some coffee or a soda?” he asked, wanting her to be as comfortable as she could be.

Giving him a brief smile, Jennifer answered, “My throat is dry. A diet soda would be nice.”

“Be right back.”

As soon as he was out of his seat, her sister got up from hers and sat down beside Jennifer. “My goodness, Jen, your boss is gorgeous.”

“Lil, don’t start,” Jennifer warned her. “He’s just being nice. That’s all.”

“Yeah, right,” Lil scoffed. “Everyone has a boss who drops everything at work to take their employee to the hospital.”

“He didn’t want me to drive while I was upset.”

“Ah. That’s why he had his arm around you, too, right?”

Jennifer smiled, despite herself. “Stop.”

“He’s got the hots for you, baby sister.”

Maybe he does, Jennifer thought. But she wanted more than a man who lusted for her. “You’re wrong,” she said.

“Oh, please. Are you going to tell me you feel nothing for that man?”

“I’ve worked with him for five years,” Jennifer answered, and tried to keep from sounding defensive.

Lil chuckled. “You didn’t answer my question.” She was studying her sister’s expression, then suddenly, she leaned closer. “Sheesh, Jen, I was just giving you a hard time. But you’re crazy about him, aren’t you?”

“No!” Jennifer knew she’d answered much too quickly. Lil had always been astute at reading her. With frustration, she realized she had no chance at all of fooling her sister. Her gaze searched the room to be sure no one was paying them any attention. Her mother was involved in a discussion with Robert, so Jennifer said quietly, “There’s really no hope of a future with Alex. He’s a confirmed bachelor.”

“All men are, honey. Robert didn’t want anything to do with marriage and kids. He’d been adopted, and he’d never gotten over his mother giving him up at birth.” She glanced at her husband. “I loved him enough to wait until he figured out he couldn’t live without me.”

Jennifer looked at Robert, then back at her sister. “He’s so sweet. You’re lucky, you know.” There was a wistfulness to her tone. “You’ve got it all. A great husband, kids, a wonderful house. And now a baby on the way.”

“You’ll have that one day, too,” Lil said.

“I don’t think so.”

Not with Alex.

“Here you go.”

Alex stood in front of Jennifer and she looked up as she accepted a soda from him. His arms held sodas, his hands coffee. “You’re gonna drink all that?” she asked with a smile.

“No, but I thought someone else might want something.”

“That was so thoughtful, Alex. Thank you.” She helped him to unload his bounty and place it on the table beside her mother.

“There’s Tony,” Robert said a while later, and they all stood as he came over to them.

“Dad’s gonna be all right,” he said quickly, wanting to assuage their anxiety. “He didn’t have a heart attack.”

Jennifer held her mother’s hand. “What was it?” she asked.

“Angina.”

“Are they sure?” Janet asked, her expression still etched with worry.

“Yes.” Tony went into a full description of angina. “The doctors believe they’ve caught it early. Dad’ll have to change his diet and start exercising.” Tony put his arm around his mother and hugged her to him. “He’s going to be okay, Mom. Now you’ll get to nag him even more.” He grinned and encouraged a smile from her.

Janet laughed despite the tears of relief that ran down her cheeks. “I’m going to enjoy every minute of it, too.”

Everyone took turns asking Tony questions. Jennifer felt Alex’s hand on her shoulder, and she smiled at him. “I’m so relieved,” she whispered. To her brother, she said, “Tony, this is my boss, Alex Dunnigan.”

The two men shook hands and Alex met Tony’s gaze. It was obvious from his speculative expression he suspected there was something between him and Jennifer.

Alex swallowed past the hard knot in his throat. The only thing between him and Jennifer was lust. And apparently he was the only one lusting. Jennifer had stopped him from making love to her last night when they were in the office.

Tony excused himself and took his mother to see Jennifer’s father. Only two people were allowed at one time, so they all took turns until everyone had seen him. Alex cooled his heels waiting for Jennifer. Any other time he would have sat in one of the chairs and thumbed through a magazine, but each one of her family members went out of their way to include him in their conversations. Each time someone came out, they had more news of Jennifer’s father’s condition.

He was relieved when Jennifer came back to the waiting room. Not because he didn’t like talking with her family. He did. They seemed like really nice people. But he’d wanted to see her, needed to be sure she was all right.

“I’m ready to go, Alex,” she told him as she walked up to him.

“You’re father’s staying, then?” he asked.

She nodded. “They’re going to keep him overnight as a precaution. They want to do a stress test tomorrow morning.”

“What about your mother?”

“She refuses to leave.” Which surprised none of them. “She wants us to go home and get some sleep in case she needs us tomorrow.”

They said goodbye to everyone and walked out to the parking lot. She hadn’t expected Alex to stay with her. Jennifer was touched by his compassion when he’d held her while they’d awaited news of her father.

“I appreciate your staying with me, Alex.”

“I was glad to do it. Your family is wonderful.” They gave him an insight into why Jennifer was so kind and thoughtful. After meeting her family, it was easy to see why she wanted forever with a man.

“You can take me back to my car,” she told him as they approached his vehicle.

“You sure?” he asked. “I can drive you home, then pick you up in the morning.”

“I think I’d like to have my car tonight. Everyone assured us my father would be all right, but I’d feel better knowing I had transportation if I needed it during the night.”

He nodded. Her reasoning made sense, but he fought the disappointment of not driving her home. “You look exhausted,” Alex noted as he pulled out of the parking garage.

“I am.” Jennifer rotated her head, stretching her neck muscles.

Alex reached across the seat and began to massage her shoulder. Jennifer sighed and rested her head back on the seat.

“Mmm, that feels great.”

“You’re really tense,” he commented. Now that the crisis was over, he was more aware than ever that he shouldn’t be touching her. He’d given his word he wouldn’t.

She turned her head to look at him. “Thanks again, Alex. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

He shrugged. Glancing at her, he said, “Your family really pulls together in a crisis.”

She smiled. “They can be trying sometimes, but when there’s a crisis, we all pull together. I love them.”

He could see it in her eyes. “I’ve never known that kind of support,” he admitted, surprising himself.

“Really?” She thought for a moment. “What about a few years ago when you broke your ribs?” she asked, remembering when he’d fallen during a rock climbing venture when a strap hadn’t been secured by his partner.

“What about it?”

“Didn’t your father help you?”

He gave a harsh laugh. “Not hardly. I think his exact words were, ‘I told you to stop taking those kind of risks.’” Not exactly supportive. But then, his parents hadn’t never been there for him.

She sat straighter in her seat. “Are you saying when you broke your ribs you didn’t have anyone at home helping you?” Her tone indicated her anger. She couldn’t believe his parents had been so uncaring. No wonder he didn’t know what it was like to be part of a caring family.

He’d never had one.

Alex kept his gaze trained on the street. “I got along okay.”

Jennifer started at that. Meaning what? That he’d been involved with some woman who had fawned over him. The idea sent spikes of jealousy through her. And she had no right to feel jealous over Alex, did she? “Oh.”

He gave her a sidelong look. “What’s that oh for?”

“I just realized you probably had someone else there.” Maybe having a parent fret over him wasn’t what he’d wanted.

“Actually, I got along on my own. I’ve never lived with a woman.”

Jennifer absorbed that information. It pleased her. More than it should have. Still, loving him, it hurt to think he’d gone through such a rough time alone. “You should have had someone taking care of you.”

“It wasn’t that bad.”

“I wish I’d known,” she whispered.

Alex wished she had, too. He would have really enjoyed having her fuss over him. “Would you have taken care of me?”

She saw the twinkle in his eye, knew he was baiting her. “I would have at least checked in on you. Made sure you had help when you needed it.”

“I’m used to living alone. I don’t know any other way to live.”

His answer saddened her even more. Essentially he was telling her what she already knew. Alex had no plans to settle down with a wife and kids. His lifestyle confirmed it. Now he’d cemented it in her head.

No matter how much she loved him, he wasn’t going to ever change.

Until now, she’d still held out hope Alex would someday return her love. It was time to accept that he didn’t love her and to get on with her life.

Without him.

As they pulled into the office parking garage, she decided to wait a few more days, then she’d take a pregnancy test. That would make it three weeks since they’d made love. Surely by then, the results would be reliable. But whether she was pregnant or not, she needed to start thinking about leaving her job. She’d begin looking at other options of employment. She couldn’t continue working with Alex.

Because every day she did, her love for him grew deeper.

Alex waited until Jennifer pulled out of the parking garage in her car, then pulled out behind her. Worried she was too tired to drive, he followed her to her apartment to be sure she made it home all right. Once she was inside, he headed to his own condominium on the Chesapeake Bay.

Jennifer’s family had made quite an impression on him. He’d never seen that kind of bond between a family. It was so unlike his own he couldn’t stop thinking about how cordial they were, how easily they’d accepted him being there with Jennifer.

He wondered if he had what it would take to be a part of a family like hers. Alex frowned. Who was he trying to fool? He hadn’t been raised in a loving atmosphere, hadn’t been nurtured by his own parents, so what made him think he could nurture Jennifer?

He wasn’t the kind of man Jennifer needed. She wasn’t interested in a brief affair. She wanted a home and a family. Alex knew nothing about making a relationship last more than a few weeks. If he pursued a relationship with Jennifer, he’d only hurt her when he failed her.

And hurting Jennifer was the last thing he wanted to do.

Ten

The next morning Jennifer woke up with a vicious stomachache, the kind she often had when her period was due. But her period didn’t usually include nausea so arresting she thought dying might not be a bad idea. And she’d missed her period a week ago.

Oh, God.

Could she be pregnant?

She lay there a few more minutes, but instead of getting better, the nausea worsened. Flying off the bed, she rushed for the bathroom, barely making it before she lost what little was in her stomach.

Sweat beaded her forehead. Sitting on the edge of the tub, she wet a washcloth and pressed it to her head. Then she spotted the pregnancy test she’d left on her bathroom vanity. Until now, she hadn’t been able to bring herself to take it because she knew if it was positive, she wouldn’t be able to put off leaving her job any longer.

Now, she no longer had a choice.

Her stomach still whirling, she reached for the box. Minutes later her suspicions were confirmed.

She was pregnant—with Alex’s baby.

The delight she should have felt was assuaged by the knowledge that she would never be able to share this happy moment with him. Even if there was a chance he’d want to be a father to their child, Jennifer knew if she told him the truth, that she’d gone on the ski trip with him because she’d wanted to get pregnant, he would never believe she had tried to confess to him before they made love.

Gathering her strength, she got up and shuffled to the kitchen. She’d heard that dry toast and tea might relieve the symptoms of morning sickness. It was all she could do to wait for the microwave to heat the water for the tea. By the time it was ready, she was no longer interested in drinking it.

A new wave of nausea hit her and she carried the toast and tea to her bedroom, placed it on an end table and climbed back into bed. She’d lay there just until she could get the toast down, then she’d get ready for work. Glancing at the clock, she figured she’d only be a half hour or so late.

After a few minutes she was able to down half the toast and a few sips of the tea. So far, so good. Ten minutes later, with a little something in her stomach, the nausea began to subside.

That’s when she made the mistake of getting up. No sooner was she on her feet than she was racing for the bathroom. And the process started all over again as she lost what she’d eaten.

Jennifer decided walking was a bad idea. She crawled back to the bed on her hands and knees and climbed into it. Reaching for the telephone, she called Paige to tell her she wouldn’t be coming in.

Alex walked into Jennifer’s office and stopped when he saw Paige Richards straightening her desk. The petite, younger woman looked up at him, Jennifer’s purse in her hand. He’d forgotten Jennifer had dumped the contents of it on her desk when she’d gotten the call about her father.

“Where’s Jennifer?” he asked, checking his watch. He’d consulted her schedule on the computer. She didn’t have a meeting planned this morning. Maybe she’d taken off to be with her father. Had she gotten bad news during the night?

“She called in sick,” Paige told him as she stuffed Jennifer’s wallet into her purse. “What happened here?”

Alex explained that Jennifer’s father had been taken to the emergency room last night and she’d left in a hurry. “Are you sure she said she was ill?”

Paige stopped what she was doing and looked at him. “What?”

“Are you sure she didn’t say a family member was ill?” he persisted, thinking Paige must have misunderstood.

“Yes, sir, I’m sure. She said she didn’t feel well.” Paige picked up a compact and a tube of lipstick and tossed them into the purse.

“Did she say what was wrong with her?” Other than being exhausted from being at the hospital for hours, Jennifer had seemed fine when he’d left her.

“No.” Finishing her task, Paige walked toward him. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

Alex shook his head. “No, thank you.” He stared for a moment at Jennifer’s empty desk. Maybe he should check on her, just to be sure she was okay. No. Bad idea. He dismissed it as soon as it popped into his head. Jennifer had a lot of family members who would be there for her if she was ill.

But would they? With her father becoming ill last night, wouldn’t her family be tied up taking care of him? Surely, Jennifer’s mother was at the hospital now. And maybe even her sister. Who would make sure Jennifer was all right?

Assuring himself he was worrying needlessly, Alex decided not to go to her. He was probably the last person she’d want to see on her doorstep. And everyone was entitled to feel sick enough to stay home for a day. It didn’t mean she was seriously ill.

Though he’d made the decision not to check on Jennifer, he hadn’t been able to put her out of his mind. Several times during the day, searching for a legitimate reason to call, he’d picked up the telephone, only to put it back down.

Later that night when he left work, he thought about stopping by her apartment. He could take her purse to her, tell her he thought she might need it. In the end, he decided not to. If she was feeling better, he’d look like an idiot.

Arriving at work the next day, though, he went straight to Jennifer’s office and found it empty. Grabbing her purse, he checked with Paige, only to find out Jennifer had called in sick again.

Okay, now he had a legitimate reason to check on her. No one missed two days of work unless they were really sick. Maybe she needed something and she wasn’t able to get out of the house, he reasoned as he drove in the direction of her place. He’d check on her, see if she needed anything, then leave once he was satisfied she was all right.

And he wouldn’t touch her. Touching her would be a mistake. A big mistake. Because if he touched her, he’d kiss her. And he’d promised to keep his hands off of her.

Braking to a stop at her apartment, he surmised she was home alone because there were no other cars parked out front. He got out and headed for her door, berating himself for not checking on her sooner.

The incessant chimes just wouldn’t stop. Jennifer felt as if she’d just fallen asleep even though the clock on the bedside table told her she’d been resting for an hour. Realizing the chimes, which were still ringing and pounding through her head, was the doorbell, Jennifer managed to open her eyes and roll off the side of the bed. Now all she had to do was find a way to get to the door.

Her stomach refused to cooperate. The morning sickness she’d had yesterday paled in comparison to the nausea storming her today. Intending to go to work, she’d gotten up early. No sooner had her feet hit the floor than she’d raced to the bathroom and heaved.

It had taken all of her strength to make some toast and tea and get back to her bed. Though she’d hated to, she’d called in sick again. Yesterday, she’d begun to feel better late in the afternoon, but still weak, hadn’t felt like going in. Hopefully, her body was beginning to adjust to the sickness and she’d recover later today, too. If so, she planned to venture out to the store. Saltine crackers were at the top of her list. A quick search on the Internet had suggested eating a couple of crackers and drinking something warm before she got out of bed to alleviate the nausea.

The doorbell chimed again and Jennifer cursed the person who had the nerve to push it as she went to answer it. She knew it wasn’t her mother. This morning when she’d had a moment of sanity, she’d called to check on her father, told her mother she wasn’t feeling well and assured her she’d see them over the weekend.

Taking a look out of the peephole, her heart leaped to her throat.

Alex!

What was he doing here? She pulled her robe tighter around her as she watched him. Yes, there he was, standing on her doorstep, looking gorgeous…and very uncomfortable. Apparently he didn’t make sick calls very often.

She turned the lock and cracked open the door. Alex stood in front of her with her purse in his hands.

“Hi,” she said peeking through a three-inch opening. She glanced at her purse and assumed the obvious. “You didn’t have to bring me my purse. I could have gotten it tomorrow when I came in.” Darn. She did need her purse. She didn’t have any cash lying around the house and she wanted to run to the store.

Alex cleared his throat. “Paige said you were sick. I thought I’d stop by to see if you need anything.” He clutched her purse tighter in his hand, not liking the way she looked—as though she was deathly ill. “How are you feeling?” Stupid question, Alex. Any idiot can tell she’s barely holding herself together.

“I think I’m better today,” Jennifer told him, wishing he’d just hand her purse to her and leave.

That was pretty doubtful, Alex thought, by the anemic tone of her skin. If this was better, he didn’t want to think about how she’d felt yesterday. He cursed himself for not coming over earlier to see for himself that she was all right. “Can I come in?” he asked, wanting to visit with her a few minutes to judge for himself.

“You’d better not,” she answered, trying to conjure up a reason that would make sense to him. “I think I’ve got the flu.” It was the only thing she could think of to say. It wasn’t as if she could tell him the truth.

I’m pregnant with your child, and I’m so sick I can barely hold my head up.

She had to be very careful here, had to keep him outside. Get him to leave. ASAP.

No sooner was that decided than she felt the next swell of nausea attack her stomach. Leaving him at the door, she bolted for the bathroom.

Alex watched her disappear, then stepped inside and closed the door. He realized where she’d gone when he heard her in the bathroom. Tossing her purse in a chair, he found her leaning over the toilet, trying to hold her hair from her face as she braced herself with a hand on the toilet.

“Here, let me help.” He gathered her hair in his hands and held it until she finished. “You need to see a doctor.”

Jennifer closed her eyes for a moment to gather her strength. Then she looked at him. “No, I’ll be fine.” He was right, of course, but for the wrong reason. A doctor could probably prescribe something to help her with the morning sickness.

Or was it too early in her pregnancy? Sheesh, she was new at this. She had no idea. After rinsing her mouth out over the sink, she straightened and saw herself in the mirror. Her hair was disheveled, her face void of makeup. Her thin robe left little to the imagination.

As if looking like this you could lure a man to your bed—especially Alex.

“Well, at least get back in bed,” Alex told her.

“All right.” Despite the fact he was the one telling her what to do, she thought that was a great idea.

Alex followed her to her bedroom and helped her into bed. “Can I get you anything?” He began running his hands over her, touching her face, shoulders and arms.

“What are you doing?” she demanded, smacking his hands away.

“I’m checking to see if you have a fever.”

“I don’t.”

“You feel clammy,” he observed.

“Nausea will do that to a person.”

He chuckled. “You get grumpy when you’re sick.”

“You find my misery funny?” she retorted, her tone agitated. She wanted him to leave. Now.

“I find it adorable,” he admitted. “Do you have anything to take for the nausea?”

Jennifer had no idea what she could take while she was pregnant. “I don’t want to take anything. I was going to go out later for some crackers.”

“I’ll go pick some up.”

“No.” She shook her head. “I can take care of it myself.”

“Where’s a house key?” he asked, ignoring her. “I don’t want you to have to get up to let me in.”

“I’ll be okay. You don’t have to shop for me.”

Alex ignored her. “Where are your keys?”

Caving, Jennifer told him. Yawning, she gave in to the drowsiness that surrounded her and welcomed sleep, which provided her an escape from facing the embarrassment of Alex taking care of her.

When Jennifer opened her eyes again it was late afternoon. She looked across the room to see Alex sitting on a chair he’d dragged from the kitchen to her bedroom.

Her bedroom!

“Alex.” Stunned he was still here, it took her a few moments to make sense of it. Then it all came rushing back to her. The man she loved, the man whose baby she carried, had seen her throw up. Great.

“You’re awake.” Alex left the room, then quickly returned with a cool, damp washcloth in his hand. The bed dipped when he sat beside her and pressed it to her forehead. “How are you feeling?”

“Better.” She didn’t want to move. Her nausea seemed to have calmed down, and she had the suspicion moving even her pinky would bring it back. “What time is it?”

Even though there was a clock on the nightstand, out of habit he glanced at his watch. “Three-thirty.”

“You’ve been here all day?” she asked, forcing herself to remain still.

“I didn’t want to leave you alone.” While he’d watched her sleep, Alex had come to the realization that he cared for Jennifer more than he ever intended. Leaving her hadn’t been an option. He wanted to stay the night with her. Except, if he did, he just wasn’t sure that he could keep his hands off of her. Even though she was sick, he wanted her. No woman had ever affected him like Jennifer.

It scared him, but not enough to make him walk away from her.

“I’ll be fine. Really.” She tried to convince him with her tone.

“We’ll see,” was all he said. Alex put his palm against her forehead. “You don’t feel warm. Maybe the worst is over.”

Jennifer’s pulse quickened at his touch. Her gaze met his and she read the desire that flashed through his eyes before he was able to conceal it. Her attraction to him was going to be hard to fight if he stayed much longer. And as much as she wanted him, it would be wrong to encourage any intimacy between them.

The afternoon turned into evening. Alex waited on Jennifer relentlessly, making her tea and bringing her crackers he’d bought at the store while she’d slept. Around five o’clock, she began to feel well enough to attempt a shower.

When she came out of the bathroom fifteen minutes later, her hair washed and somewhat dry, her teeth brushed, she felt almost human again. Alex was waiting for her, trailing her movements as she started for the kitchen.

“Where are you going?” he asked, stopping her with his hand on her arm. Her hair was slightly damp and she smelled like roses. She’d slipped on another nightgown and robe, but this thicker one hid her tempting curves. His stomach muscles tightened.

“To the kitchen.”

“Uh-uh. I want you back in bed.” He just wished she was up for what he really wanted.

Her.

Naked beneath him.

For hours.

Alex reminded himself he was here to help her, not to take advantage of her. And surely her illness would prevent him from trying anything with her should he lose his faculties and touch her.

Jennifer flushed. His words caused all kinds of tantalizing images to flash through her mind. She didn’t argue, though, when he steered her in the direction of her room. “It was nice of you to stay, Alex, but I’m fine now,” she told him as she climbed into bed. If he didn’t leave, she was going to do something crazy—like make love with him.

Whoa, she really was better if she was thinking about making love.

“I think I’ll stay a while longer,” Alex told her, wanting to be sure she would be okay. “Tomorrow’s Saturday. You should rest up this weekend. Don’t think about work or anything you’ve missed. I’ve talked to Paige. She’s handling everything.” He tucked the covers around her. “How about trying to eat some soup?” he suggested.

“I don’t think I can.”

Please go home.

But he didn’t. He’d found the serving tray she kept in one of the cabinets and he brought her soup and more toast. And water. She picked up the glass and drank, then tasted the soup.

“You’re quite a chef,” she commented, finally accepting the fact that he wasn’t leaving until he was good and ready. She managed to get down quite a bit of the soup. Her nausea had subsided, but no doubt it would be back the next morning. And the morning after that. And the morning after that.

“Opening a can is the extent of my talent in culinary matters.” When she put down the spoon and shoved the remainder of the soup away from her, Alex picked it up and finished the soup she’d left in the bowl.

“Alex!”

“I won’t get sick.”

Jennifer groaned silently. Of course he wasn’t really in danger of catching the flu. And he couldn’t catch morning sickness.

“How’s your father doing?”

“Better, my mom said.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” Alex picked up the tray and carried it to the kitchen. He was losing the battle with his self-control. If he left now, he’d have accomplished what he’d come over for. To make sure she was all right.

You wanted more than to make sure she was all right.

Yeah, he did. He wanted to kiss her luscious mouth, to touch her gorgeous body. He wanted to slip into the bed with her and make love to her. The smart thing to do was to leave. Right now. Before he broke another promise to her.

Instead he went back into her room and sank beside her on the bed. “Feeling better?” he asked, his gaze raking her face. All day, he’d been holding himself back from touching her. Now, he thought he’d die if he didn’t.

“Yes.” Jennifer’s heart slammed against her ribs. When his hand touched her cheek, her pulse took off at breakneck speed. “Alex.” She’d meant to say his name with warning. It came out sounding like yearning.

He leaned over her, his mouth hovering above hers. “I know I made a promise not to touch you, but hell, Jennifer, I was worried about you today.”

She sucked in a breath of air, her gaze falling to his mouth, inches away, tempting her. She could feel his hesitation, knew all she had to do was to say no. Alex would have gotten up and walked away from her.

But, oh my, she just couldn’t. She wanted to be with him one last time, wanted to feel him inside her. She lifted her head ever so slightly and their mouths met.

He kissed her tenderly, so sweet and gentle, she thought she’d disintegrate right here in his arms. Then his body was crushing her to the mattress. Jennifer wasn’t aware of how his clothes had disappeared or even how she’d come to be naked against him. She didn’t care. He was here beside her and that’s all that mattered.

His hands stroked her, caressed her, as his lips found hers again. Her hands were busy, too, sliding down his back, cupping his butt, pulling him more fully against her.

His erection pressed against her thigh and her need for him spiraled out of control. Then his lips touched her breasts, kissed her belly. As she tried to absorb the ecstasy spiraling through her, he opened her legs, spread them wide and tasted her.

And, oh yes, he knew just how to make her his.

“Please.” The rush of desire spiraled through her. She squirmed beneath him, arching her back, begging him to take her, reaching for him with her arms.

“I’m right here,” Alex whispered, then kissed her mouth, her face, her throat. He shifted himself between her legs, entering her slowly, dragging out their pleasure.

Leaning down, he angled his head and kissed her deeply. He loved her mouth. The way she felt in his arms. Her exotic, addictive scent. Her silky smooth skin. He wanted to keep her like this forever.

“Now, oh, Alex, now,” she pleaded.

He kissed her again, felt her muscles tighten around him. Moving his hips faster, he sank deeper and deeper inside her. She felt so good.

So perfect.

So right.

The phone rang, startling Jennifer as she lay in the aftermath of Alex’s lovemaking. Not wanting to think about what she’d done, she reached for it and checked the Caller ID.

Her sister.

Thinking Lil could be calling about their dad, Jennifer pushed the talk button. “Hey, sis.”

“I called your office. They said you’ve been sick for two days.”

“Yeah. I think I have the flu or something.”

“Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” Jennifer tried to sound convincing. She was exhausted. Making love did that to a person when they’d been ill for two days.

“I’m coming over.”

Panicking at the thought of her sister finding Alex in her bed, Jennifer quickly said, “No. I don’t want you to get sick. You’ll just take this bug back home to your family.”

Lil thought about that for a moment. “Okay, you’re right.”

Jennifer breathed a sigh of relief. But it didn’t last long.

“I’m calling Tony. He should be leaving the hospital soon. He’ll swing by and check on you tonight.”

“No!” Jennifer protested.

“Don’t argue,” Lil told her sister.

“But I’m fine,” Jennifer said, then stole a look at Alex. He was sitting up beside her, watching her. She didn’t want her brother anywhere near her. She couldn’t lie to him. He would know in a heartbeat she was pregnant.

“Then you won’t mind Tony confirming it.” She hung up.

Jennifer sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. Then she turned to face Alex. “My brother is coming over. You’d better leave.”

Alex protested. “I’ll get dressed,” he said. “But I don’t have to leave.”

She bit her tongue. “You have to leave, Alex. If you’re here, he’ll draw conclusions. I don’t want him to get the wrong idea. You know, like there’s anything going on between us.”

But there was, Alex silently protested. He wasn’t sure what. But he was damned sure he wanted to explore it. “Jen—”

“Please,” she pleaded.

Alex wanted to argue with her but it was obvious she wasn’t ready for her family to know they’d slept together. “All right. If that’s what you want me to do.” He got up and jerked on his clothes, not happy that she seemed ashamed of being with him.

Well, what could he expect? With his record of short, shallow relationships with women, could he blame her for not wanting him to stick around?

“I’m sorry,” she said because he seemed upset.

He shrugged. “It’s okay.”

Clearly it wasn’t. As he buttoned the last button on his shirt, she started to get up. “Don’t.”

“I’ll walk you to the door.”

“No, I don’t want you to get up,” he said, unable to remain annoyed with her. His gentle expression tempered his stern tone. “Stay there until your brother arrives.” He leaned over and kissed her, letting his lips linger long enough to stir the desire inside him again. Pulling away, he said, “I’ll come by tomorrow and check on you.”

She nodded, but she knew she’d made a grave mistake by making love with him again. If he came over tomorrow, he’d find her sickness was a routine reoccurrence. As smart as Alex was, it wasn’t going to be long before he figured out the real reason she was ill before she was even able to return to work long enough to type out her resignation.

Jennifer lay still and listened as Alex walked through her apartment, then left through the front door. Sleeping with him again had been unwise. But she was weak where he was concerned. She wanted to be with him. Forever. She laughed bitterly. The odds of that happening were laughable.

There was only one way she was going to be able to control her feelings for him.

She had to quit her job.

Eleven

Jennifer lay in bed the next morning curled in a ball, her stomach in turmoil. She’d gotten up really early to use the bathroom, then brought hot tea and a plate of crackers back to her room. Reaching for one, she groaned when she managed to knock the entire plate off the dresser, scattering the crackers on the floor. Inching to the edge of the bed, she fumbled around for one, congratulating herself when she captured one between two fingers. Just as she was about to eat it, the phone rang.

She took a bite of the cracker, then reached over and picked up the receiver, glancing at the Caller ID.

Alex.

No surprise there. She should just let it ring. No, if she didn’t answer it, he’d charge straight over. If she talked to him, at least there was the possibility she could head off his appearing on her doorstep.

“Hello?” she said, making an effort to keep her tone natural.

“How are you feeling this morning?” Alex asked, sounding as if he really cared.

“Better,” she answered. She didn’t read anything special into his warm tone. Maybe his concern was genuine, but once his attraction to her subsided, she’d end up with a broken heart. She didn’t think she could stand a full-out affair that would, no doubt, end badly. Alex didn’t want the same things in life that she needed. He didn’t want children. And not having them wasn’t conceivable to her. “The crackers have helped. Thank you for getting them.”

“You sound tired,” he remarked.

She was amazed at his ability to judge her condition through the phone. “I am a little,” she admitted. “I’m sure I’ll be able to come to work tomorrow, though. I might even go in for a few hours this afternoon.”

“Don’t you dare,” he ordered, his voice bordering on impatience.

“Alex—”

“I want you to take care of yourself.”

“I am,” she insisted. “Tony came by last night and gave me something for the nausea.” She didn’t tell him her brother had diagnosed her condition within minutes. He’d known without asking that the father of her child was Alex. Jennifer had given her brother the bare essentials of her relationship with Alex, to which Tony had demanded to know if Alex was going to marry her.

Furious barely described her brother’s demeanor when she’d told him that she and Alex weren’t in love and that marriage between them wasn’t a possibility. Clearly upset, he’d driven back to the hospital, returning promptly with some medication safe to take during pregnancy. He’d also given her orders to see a doctor immediately. Jennifer had assured him she would and had made him promise not to tell anyone about her pregnancy until she was ready. Grudgingly, he’d agreed.

“So is the medicine helping?” Alex asked.

“Yes,” she answered, wondering if he was planning to come by. He would want to see for himself that she was better. She was going to have to find a way to discourage him.

“Jen, is something wrong?”

“No, not at all.” He asked the question as if he had some inside knowledge of her plans. Jennifer knew he couldn’t possibly, but she took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves. So far he hadn’t mentioned coming to see her. Which was good. She needed some time alone to decide what to do. She couldn’t think with Alex here.

“All right.” But he sounded as if he didn’t believe her. “Look, I hate to do this now. I mean, with you not feeling well, but I have to go out of town. Joe Daughtrey called about the Vinson Corporation proposal. They’re set to offer us the contract, but Ted Vinson wants to meet and talk with me personally before they sign. I’m flying out to Los Angeles today.”

“That’s great, Alex. I mean, that Com-Tec is getting the contract.”

“I have to be at the airport in an hour. I thought I’d run by and check on you on my way.”

“No, don’t,” she insisted. “You’ll just run late for your flight.”

His tone deepened. “I want to see you.”

“I’m doing better. Really, I am. I’ll see you when you get back.”

“I don’t know how long I’m going to be gone. Probably a few days.”

“All right.”

His apprehension seemed to spill through the phone. “Jen…I’ll see you soon.”

“’Bye, Alex.” Without waiting for him to answer, she hung up.

And never felt more like crying.

Alex got to the airport just in time for his flight, which proved Jennifer right. He’d wanted to see her, but if he’d gone by her apartment, he would have missed it.

However, something about their conversation continued to nag at him as he accepted a beverage from the flight attendant. Jennifer had sounded distant, as though something was definitely bothering her.

Was it because they’d made love? He promised not to touch her, but she’d been a willing participant. She’d wanted him as much as he’d wanted her.

Hell, he’d made a mess of things between them. Within the space of a few days, he’d broken his word again. Even now, he wanted her more than ever. What was it about Jennifer that was different from every other woman he’d been with?

You’re in love with her.

Alex felt as if he’d been hit by a two-by-four.

Was he? Hell, he didn’t even know what love was.

You want her to distraction. You can’t stop thinking about her. You want to be with her every minute of every day.

Making love to her for the rest of your life wouldn’t be long enough.

Okay, if all those feelings were symptoms of love, he was in a world of trouble.

Because even as the airplane taxied onto the runway, he wanted to forget his obligation to business and go to her.

What if he loved her? What would it mean?

You want to marry her.

No, Alex denied to himself. He didn’t do marriage. Hell, he didn’t even do commitment! And even if he did, what reason did he have to believe that he had anything emotionally to offer Jennifer? She wanted a lifelong arrangement. Children.

Alex shook his head. His parents were the only example he had for what it took to make a marriage work. He’d learned from an early age that love didn’t last.

He thought about the night he’d spent with Jennifer’s family when her father had become ill. Meeting them, watching them interact together, had forced him to reevaluate everything he’d believed. The support and love they’d shown each other was nothing short of amazing.

And eye-opening. Could he give Jennifer that kind of love and devotion? Alex wasn’t sure. The only thing he knew for damn certain was that he wanted to be with her.

And he was stuck on some airplane headed to California.

“Paige, please ask William Stanton to come to my office,” Jennifer said into the intercom on Monday once she’d arrived at her office. Against Alex’s warning, she’d gone into work for a few hours yesterday while the office was unoccupied to make preparations for her departure.

That done, she was ready to begin phasing in someone to temporarily take on her responsibilities. As senior vice president, William Stanton was more than qualified to handle her workload. Convincing him he could might take a little work. Especially since Alex was still in California.

Jennifer had taken her brother’s advice and had called her doctor’s office this morning. After explaining her symptoms and what the pregnancy test indicated, they’d worked her in as the first appointment. The doctor had prescribed something to ease her nausea, which she hoped would do the trick. As it was, she felt as if she’d lose the contents of her stomach every single minute.

No doubt when William saw her, he’d take over her workload just because she looked like death warmed over.

Her office door opened and she looked up. “Come in, Bill,” she said, and invited him to take a seat. Without hesitation she forged into why she’d needed to see him. “Something personal has come up, and I’m leaving Com-Tec.” She paused a moment for him to digest her words.

He stared at her in disbelief. “Leaving?”

“Effective immediately. I’d like to bring you up to date on my work, and I’m asking you to take over my position until Alex returns from California.”

Bill Stanton sat forward. He was a nice man whom she respected and had enjoyed working with. Which made it easier to make this decision in Alex’s absence. She was leaving the company in good hands.

She had to be gone by the time Alex returned from California. The only way to avoid a confrontation with him was to break all ties with her job.

With him.

Immediately. Cut her losses before she did something really foolish—such as beg Alex to love her. But she couldn’t do that because she didn’t deserve his love.

And if he learned she was pregnant, he would feel obligated to help her.

She didn’t want his help.

She wanted his love, and she refused to settle for anything less.

Bill Stanton gave her a long look. “Jennifer, are you sure you want to do this? Maybe a leave of absence—”

“I’m sure,” she said, cutting him off. She gave him a polite smile. “My decision’s made.”

“Of course I’ll do anything I can,” he said. “But Alex—”

Again, she cut him off. “Alex is out of town. I’m in charge. I need to know if I can count on your support.”

Though he appeared baffled by her decision, he nodded his acquiescence. Jennifer forged right into briefing him on her ongoing projects. After several hours, she made arrangements to meet with him again the next day.

When Bill walked out of her office, she sat back in her chair and stretched her shoulders, but the exercise did little to ease the tension building inside her. Alex had called several times while she’d been meeting with Bill. Although Jennifer had told Paige to hold her calls, she’d interrupted her each time to inform her Alex was on the telephone.

Jennifer had refused his calls, then had eventually told Paige that she was too busy to take any calls, and that meant calls from Alex, as well. Bill’s expression of shock when he’d heard her had made her wish she hadn’t been so authoritative. She could just imagine what he was thinking.

And Paige. Jennifer owed the woman an apology. She hadn’t meant to snap at her.

But talking to Alex wasn’t a good idea. By the time she went home, she was exhausted. She screened her telephone calls during the evening with her answering machine, letting it pick up Alex’s calls. From the tone of his voice he was more than irritated.

Well, he wasn’t going to be any happier when he returned to Virginia and found her gone.

At the end of the second day, after everyone had left the office, Jennifer pushed the enter button on her computer, then reached for the paper she’d printed. Her hand trembled as she read the words.

Effective immediately, I am resigning my position as…

It was the right thing to do. She had no other options. Alex’s baby was growing inside her. It wouldn’t be long before she would be showing, and Alex Dunnigan was not a stupid man. He would know that the baby was his.

She folded the letter, slipped it into an envelope and wrote Alex’s name on it. Beneath it, she wrote Confidential. Slipping on her coat, she grabbed her purse, then went into Alex’s office and placed her resignation on his desk where he’d see it when he returned.

Tears spilled over her cheeks and she brushed them away as she got into the elevator and left her office for the last time.

Alex cursed the pickup that cut in front of him as he steered his car onto the exit toward his office. He had wanted to see Jennifer the moment his plane had touched down on Thursday morning. But because he’d been anxious to see her, he’d caught the red-eye back to Virginia Beach. Considering that she’d been ill, he hadn’t wanted to wake her this morning.

So he’d cooled his heels at home. At eight, he’d called her house. Instead of Jennifer answering, her machine had picked up the call.

Again.

How many times had he called and gotten her damn machine? He’d been telling himself it was a coincidence. When he’d left her, she’d assured him she was feeling better. Now he wasn’t so sure.

Something was wrong.

She hadn’t taken any of his calls over the four days he’d been in California. His messages at her house had gone unanswered. Every time he’d called her at work, Paige had told him that Jennifer was too busy to talk to him.

Too busy!

Hell, he was the CEO of the damn company, and she couldn’t take his calls?

He stormed into the building and went straight to Jennifer’s office, thinking she’d already arrived at work. As soon as he stepped inside, an odd feeling of doom caused his chest to ache.

Jennifer wasn’t here.

God, was she ill? Again? Despite her claim that she’d felt better, she’d been really sick when he’d left her. Cursing under his breath, Alex berated himself for not staying with her in the first place. He should have made sure she was all right. Or at least called someone in her family and asked them to check on her. Why hadn’t he at least done that?

He heard the elevator doors and turned to see Paige step out of one of the cars. “Where the hell is Jennifer?” he demanded. At her look of trepidation, he schooled himself to calm down. “I’m sorry, Paige. I didn’t mean to bark at you.”

Her eyes wide, she stood rooted to the carpet. “Yes, sir.”

“Where is Jennifer?” he asked again, trying very hard to stay in control. The look on Paige’s face alarmed him. “She’s all right, isn’t she?”

Paige swallowed hard. “I think so.”

He didn’t like the sound of that. “What do you mean, you think so?”

“Maybe you’d better check your desk, Alex,” she suggested, her voice trembling.

What did that mean? Without asking, Alex spun on his heel and stormed into his office.

A lone white envelope lay on his desk.

His heart stopped.

He didn’t have to read what was inside to know what it said. Still, he took the letter out and scanned it.

Jennifer had left him.

And he had only himself to blame. He’d pushed their intimacy to the limit and he’d forced her to resign from her job.

Crushing the letter in his fist, he left his office, determined to see her.

To ask for her forgiveness.

And to tell her he loved her.

Alex braked his car to a stop so hard that the tires squealed. He sat inside a minute to try to calm down, sucking in a hard breath, then letting it out slowly. If this is what it felt like to be in love, he wasn’t sure he’d survive it. Obviously he’d made a lot of mistakes with Jennifer.

Loving her wasn’t one of them.

Once she knew how he felt, she’d forgive him, right? And surely she loved him or she wouldn’t have made love with him. Now all he needed to do was to convince her that he was serious. He wanted her. Now. Tomorrow. For the rest of his life.

He wasn’t going to win any points by charging inside her apartment and babbling like a fool. What he needed was a plan. He’d just tell her straight out that he knew they’d agreed to a business-only relationship, but his feelings for her had changed.

Clutching her resignation in his hand, he got out of his car and went to her door, ringing her doorbell several times. After a few minutes she finally opened the door.

His gaze swept over her as she crossed her arms in front of her. She wore a baggy gray sweatshirt that looked about two sizes too big for her and snug-fitting jeans that reminded him just how slim and seductive her legs were.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Clutching the resignation in his hand, he held it toward her.

So much for your plan.

Jennifer eyed him cautiously. “I think it’s perfectly clear.” She licked her lips, unable to take her eyes off of him. Dressed in a dark suit, he was breathtakingly handsome. She wondered if their child would look like him.

Okay, so she wasn’t going to make this easy, Alex realized. “Can I come in?”

Knowing he deserved an explanation, Jennifer stepped back and waited for him to enter, then closed the door behind him. She turned and her gaze sought his. “I guess in my heart, I knew you wouldn’t just accept my decision.”

“Hell, no, I won’t accept it. What were you thinking?” he demanded. Trying to get some control over his emotions, he distanced himself from her by walking into her living room. She followed, and he turned to pin her with a desperate look.

“Alex—”

“No, Jen, please let me talk. Please.”

She nodded and sat in a chair. “All right.”

Alex watched her. No matter what she said, she wasn’t feeling well. Her skin was pale and she looked as if she could use a week’s worth of sleep.

And still she was beautiful.

He sat on the sofa, his expression one of apprehension. “You’re still sick?” he asked, letting his gaze drift over her more attentively.

“Yes.”

Alex’s chest grew tight. “Is it serious?”

She forced a small smile. “No. It’s nothing fatal, if that’s what you mean. But we’ll talk about it in a minute. What did you want to say?”

Relieved, he sat forward. He took her hand in his and stroked it. And when he looked into her eyes, his breath caught. “I love you, Jen. I want you to know I’ve never said those words to another woman. Ever. Until now, I wasn’t even sure what love meant. But I mean it. I love you.” The words came from him without reservation. He couldn’t have stopped them if he’d wanted to.

“Oh, Alex.” Jennifer blinked back tears. She’d waited for years hoping to hear words of love from him. Why now? Why did he have to say them now, when what she had to tell him would destroy everything between them?

“I know you’re angry with me for making love to you when I promised I wouldn’t touch you. You have every right to be upset. But when I’m with you, sweetheart, I can’t stop thinking about how good we are together. I thought about you the whole time I was in California.”

“You did?” She gripped the arm of the chair.

“Please, don’t cry,” he said when he saw her tears. “I came here to apologize for sleeping with you because I knew you didn’t want to become involved with me. But I can’t, Jen. I can’t tell you I’m sorry for making love to you.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her fingertips.

“Alex, please don’t—”

Not listening, he went on, “I know I’m no prize catch. I’ve got a lot of hang-ups. Emotionally, I’m a basket case. I don’t even know if I have what it takes to make a commitment to you. But you’re so strong, so beautiful.” He caressed her hair, her cheek. “We’re good together, Jennifer.”

Jennifer paled when she realized what he intended. “Wait—”

“Marry me, sweetheart.” Alex hadn’t meant to propose to her in quite that way, but once the words were out, he was relieved. “Please.”

“Alex—”

“You don’t have to stop working if you don’t want to. This isn’t about your job. I know that’s why you gave me this.” He held her letter out to her.

“I didn’t give you my resignation because we became involved.”

Alex frowned. “You didn’t?”

Jennifer’s face twisted in anguish. Her gaze met his, saw the desperation in his eyes turn into confusion. “There’s something you need to know.”

“I love you. There’s nothing you could say to change my mind, Jen.”

Only there was.

Jennifer pulled her hand from his, her heart breaking. He loved her. He wanted to marry her. But he wouldn’t when he knew the truth. When she told him what she’d done, he’d hate her. A dark, empty feeling pierced her heart.

She stood and paced to the window. After a long moment she turned to face him. He was standing now, watching her, his eyes intense. “Alex, there’s something you need to know,” she began before she lost her nerve. “I’m pregnant.”

Alex’s gaze dropped to her belly, then raced back to her face. “Pregnant?”

“The baby’s yours.”

“You’re pregnant with our baby.” He repeated it out loud as he studied her pale color, her apprehensive expression. “That’s why you’ve been so sick.” He walked over to her.

“Yes.”

“I don’t understand. That night we first made love, you told me you were protected.” Needing to touch her, he reached for her, only to frown when she backed away from him.

“I know that’s what you thought,” she cried, unable to hold back her tears. “Oh, Alex, I didn’t mean to mislead you.”

“What are you saying? You weren’t?” The hairs on the back of his neck stirred at the troubled look in her eyes.

Fighting for control, Jennifer put her hands over her face. Oh, God, why couldn’t he have just accepted her resignation? Wiping her tears away with her fingers, she met his gaze. “That night we were stranded at the ski resort…when we first made love, I went to bed with you hoping I’d get pregnant.”

Twelve

Confused, Alex studied her. “What are you talking about? I asked you. You told me I didn’t need to use protection.”

“I know. I’m so sorry,” Jennifer said, her tone pleading for him to understand. She explained about her plans to use a fertility clinic, then about the night of the bachelor auction. “Casey egged me on and I got carried away and bid on a bachelor. She kept saying that conceiving a baby through sex would be so much better than through a test tube. For a foolish moment, I allowed myself to listen to her.”

“Wait a minute. Let me get this straight. You were going to sleep with a stranger?”

She paled at his comment. “You know me better than that. I never would have done something so irresponsible.”

“I thought I knew you.” For the first time in his life, he’d found a woman he loved and trusted, a woman he wanted for his wife. With her admission, he was no longer sure.

“Alex, when I won, I was scared to death. I realized how foolish my fleeting thought of meeting someone was. I begged Casey to take my place. But then I found out that the date was with you. You.” Her eyes brimmed with tears. “I had loved you for so long. I just started thinking about how wonderful it would be to have your baby. Our baby.”

Alex gritted his teeth. “I don’t want to hear any more of this.” He’d come to tell her he loved her and she’d ripped his heart out. Not giving a damn about how he would feel, she’d used him.

“I was desperate. I’ll be thirty in a few days. My biological clock was ticking. It was all I could think about. I wanted a baby. I loved you.”

He moved toward her, his face an iron mask. “And that makes it right? Yeah, you were so in love with me that you decided to use me to give you a baby.”

“You didn’t know I was alive. We’d worked together for years and you never led me to believe you felt anything special for me.”

“Because I valued you. Because I respected you too much to hurt you.” Alex couldn’t believe how mistaken he’d been. She wasn’t the trustworthy person he’d thought her to be. If she was, she could never have done this to him.

“I know it was wrong—”

“Wrong?” He gave a bitter laugh. “Wrong is hardly the word to describe your deception.” Alex began to grasp the full meaning of what she’d done. “You planned this all along? And you never had second thoughts?”

“Of course I did.” He turned away and she grabbed his arm, stilling him. “Will you listen to me?” She let her hand drop. “I knew I couldn’t use you to father my child. I realized how wrong it was. Remember the night of the auction? I tried to get out of going away with you.”

“Not hard enough.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “We made love more than once that night in Vermont. You didn’t mention using protection any other time, either.”

“When we first made love, I tried to tell you. But then you kissed me and I was lost in what you do to me.” She searched his face for understanding—anything to show her she was getting through to him. “I’d already told you we didn’t need any protection, and however wrong I was, I wanted to be with you again.”

“So you just continued to use me,” he accused, his gaze darkening. “That’s why you made me promise to keep our affair restricted to just that weekend.” Alex couldn’t believe how gullible he’d been. He’d wanted her so bad at that moment he would have agreed to anything. And for allowing himself to trust a woman, something he’d vowed never to do, he’d paid the ultimate price. “Don’t try to justify your motives. Admit it, you never really wanted me, Jennifer. You wanted a baby. I just happened to be the convenient instrument to make that happen.”

“No, I—”

“Did you ever consider what you were doing to this baby? You were going to raise it without a father.”

She flinched at the contempt in his tone. “I wanted my baby to have a father, but I knew how you felt about having children. I—I didn’t want you to feel obligated.”

“Obligated? Hell, I know what it’s like to feel rejected. I was raised with a father who didn’t give a damn about me. Obligated doesn’t even come close to what I feel about this baby.” The outrage on his face twisted into a dark promise. “My child won’t grow up like I did, without a father in its life.”

Jennifer tensed, shaken by his implication. Did he want to be a father to his child? Or was he threatening to take the baby from her? Her child. Oh, God, anything but this. “Alex, please listen—”

“To what, more of your lies?” He stormed toward the door and jerked it open.

Jennifer ran after him and caught his arm. “I was in love with you. I never meant to hurt you. I only wanted you to love me.”

Alex stared at her, his heart breaking. “You got what you always wanted.” He shrugged free and walked out, the door slamming in his wake.

She’d ruined everything.

Jennifer made her way to her room and crumpled to the bed. Lying on her side, she sobbed into her pillow.

Alex loved her.

Had loved her. For a moment in time, she’d heard him say the words she’d longed to hear.

I love you, Jen. I want to marry you.

Oh, how she wished she could go back and make her choices over again. Her hand went to her belly and she knew in her heart she was wrong to wish such a thing. Their baby would never have been conceived if she hadn’t slept with Alex at the ski resort.

And she could never be sorry about carrying his child. Even if it meant she would never have Alex.

But she loved him. Nothing would ever change that. She rolled over onto her back and stared at the ceiling, thinking about what he had said to her. How could she have known he cared? If only he’d given her a sign. Anything.

She had only herself to blame. Maybe things would have turned out better if she’d told Alex how she’d felt about him. Maybe they would have had a chance at a life together.

I love you.

Jennifer knew what it had cost him to confess his feelings for her. Alex didn’t give his heart easily. He’d proven as much when he’d admitted he’d never said those words to another woman. In her quest to fulfill her dream of having a child, she’d unknowingly sabotaged any chance of a relationship with the only man she’d ever love.

His outrage had been exactly as she had anticipated. Alex had never known love from his parents, not the kind of unconditional love a child could only receive from a mother and father who cherished him. Keeping everyone who wanted to be close to him at arm’s length was the only way he could protect himself. And like everyone else in his life, she had let him down. No, let him down didn’t come close to what she’d done. She’d hurt him in the worst possible way.

Jennifer prayed that Alex would think about the baby she was carrying. He didn’t want her, but he needed the love of his child.

And maybe, just maybe, their baby could heal his heart.

Alex stormed into his office and slammed the door, not caring what his staff thought about his demeanor. They’d do well to steer clear of him for a while. Still reeling from the shock of Jennifer’s admission, he practically threw himself into his desk chair. Swiveling around, he gazed absently out the window, determined to make some sense of her betrayal.

She was having his baby.

His baby.

He couldn’t believe it. She’d been lying to him all along.

In Vermont when he’d made love to her, she hadn’t really wanted to be with him. She’d wanted a baby. He’d been a stand-in—for anyone. And that’s what hurt the worst.

A few days ago when she’d been ill, she hadn’t had the flu at all. She’d had morning sickness. Damn her! She’d destroyed any chance that they could have had together.

He went to the bar and poured himself a shot of bourbon. Tossing the amber liquid back, he felt the bite of the liquor as it slid down his throat. Intending to get good and drunk, he poured himself another shot. But instead of drinking it, he shoved it away and began to pace.

She’d said she loved him, but how could he believe her after what she’d done?

Her lies had rolled off her tongue guilefully because she’d had an ulterior motive—to have a baby.

Your baby.

Alex came to a halt, the full impact of her words slamming him hard. Jennifer hadn’t wanted a baby from a stranger. She’d made love with him because she’d wanted his baby.

Okay, so what if she did care enough about him to want his baby? It didn’t change anything. He still couldn’t trust her. She’d lied to him. Not once, but every time he’d made love to her.

She knew she was pregnant the last time you made love to her.

Yeah, she did. And that’s what confused him. Why would she have made love with him if she already had a baby growing inside her?

Because she loves you.

Alex dropped back into his chair.

She loved him.

His mind cleared and he began to see the truth. Jennifer might not have been honest from the beginning, but he hadn’t, either. Only interested in an affair, he’d never intended to have a lasting relationship with her.

He got up and began pacing again. Fighting his attraction to Jennifer for years, he’d never intended to act on it. But when he’d kissed her at the bachelor auction, he hadn’t been able to forget the way she tasted. She was right. He remembered the night of the auction. She’d insisted more than once that they shouldn’t go away together. He’d pushed her into honoring their date because he’d wanted her.

While they were in Vermont, he’d taken every opportunity to kiss her and to touch her. He had made love to her knowing that he wasn’t interested in anything permanent. Thinking back to the night they’d first made love, he remembered a brief moment when he’d felt her hesitancy. He’d suspected she was having second thoughts about making love with him. Was that when she’d tried to tell him the truth—that she wasn’t using birth control? As much as Alex wanted to deny it, he couldn’t. He’d wanted her so he’d seduced her. And because of that night, Jennifer was pregnant with his child.

The enormity of the situation hit him. He was wrong to blame Jennifer because he was just as guilty. If he hadn’t pressured her that night, she wouldn’t be pregnant with his child.

Something in his heart shifted. He wanted their baby. More importantly, he wanted Jennifer. Forever.

He loved her with all of his heart. But had he destroyed any chance of her love for him with his accusations? Hoping she’d forgive him for hurting her, Alex rushed out of his office to see Jennifer and to beg her to give him another chance.

But first, he had a stop to make.

Alex arrived at Jennifer’s. His mouth thinned into a straight line as his gaze landed on the sedan parked in her driveway. As he approached her door, her brother, Tony, came out.

At Alex’s approach, Tony blocked his path. “What do you want?”

“I came to see Jennifer.” He noticed the black bag in his hand. “What’s wrong?”

Tony’s expression was fixed with concern. “Nothing. I stopped by to check on her.”

Alex wasn’t convinced. He’d left her when she’d needed him the most. “Please tell me she’s all right.” Please let her be all right.

“She’s fine, no thanks to you,” Tony told him.

His scalding tone alerted Alex to the real reason behind Tony’s concern. Alex’s jaw muscle flinched. Fine, if he wanted to make a go of it, he was more than ready. The two of them were about the same size. “I came here to talk to your sister. If possible, to make things right between us.”

“And how do you intend to do that?” he asked, his expression doubtful. “From what she’s told me, you pretty much made it clear how you felt about her.”

Aware Tony could be a formidable enemy, Alex decided he’d rather have Jennifer’s brother on his side. “I love her. Not that it’s any of your business,” he added with a challenging edge, “but I’m going to ask her to marry me.”

Respect flickered in Tony’s eyes. “And if she says no?” he inquired, his gaze direct.

“Then I’m going to have to haul her to the altar kicking and fighting,” Alex replied. “Because I don’t intend to take no for an answer.”

Tony stepped aside. “You’d better get at it, then. She’s packing.”

“She’s leaving?”

As if knowing he’d hit a nerve, Tony grinned. “If you know anything about Jennifer, you know she’s tougher than that.”

Alex did know how tough she was. Believing she’d destroyed any chance of a relationship between them, she’d stood up to him and admitted she was carrying his child. “Why is she packing?”

“She still isn’t feeling well. I don’t think she should be alone. She’s planning on staying with our parents a few days. Unless you can change her mind.” He patted Alex on the shoulder. “If you screw this up, you’ll regret it.” With a nod, he walked toward his car.

Amused, Alex watched Tony walk away, aware he’d been invited into the family and warned in the same sentence.

A family. Alex wanted that. And Tony didn’t have to worry. He wasn’t going to mess this up. This time, he had everything to gain.

When her doorbell rang again, Jennifer opened it and found Alex standing on her porch. From the bleak expression on his face, she wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or worried. Had he come to make demands on her concerning their child? God, what would she do if he wanted to take her baby from her?

Without speaking, she edged the door closed a bit.

“Hi.” Alex gave her a cautious look.

“Hi.” She searched his gaze. The animosity in his eyes had disappeared, but she couldn’t read anything from his expression. “Do you want to come in?” she asked, her eyes watchful.

“Am I welcome?”

His unsure words brought a fragile smile to her face. “Always.” As the father of her baby, he would eternally be welcome in her home.

Alex walked inside. He waited for her to close the door, then took her hand. “I’d like to talk to you, if you’ll let me.”

On shaky legs, Jennifer led him into the kitchen. She couldn’t bear to go into the same room where they’d quarreled, where she’d admitted that she’d deceived him. “Can I get you something to drink?” she asked, her voice wavering.

“No. Thank you.” He pulled a chair out from the table.

She stared at him, her eyes questioning why he was here.

“Please sit down.”

Her heart hammering, she complied. She knew a moment of relief when she saw remorse in his beautiful blue eyes.

Alex pulled out a chair and sat. “Jennifer, I told you before I’m no good at relationships. Hell, I’ve never even been in one that lasted longer than a few months.”

He didn’t want her. How could he after what she’d done? A fist squeezed her heart as she braced herself for what he was about to say. “I know, Alex. I’ve always known how you felt about commitment. I didn’t do this to trap you.”

“The word ‘commitment’ terrifies me,” he admitted. “I don’t even know that I have what it takes to be a father.”

Wide-eyed, she stared at him with disbelief. “You don’t want the baby.” Crushed, she held back a sob with a hand to her lips.

“No. No, that’s not what I’m saying,” he said quickly to alleviate the fear growing in her eyes. His gaze gentled. “I’m scared to death of being a father. My parents were poor examples of what it took to make a marriage work. I just want you to know that I may not be the best father in the world, but I’m willing to try.”

At least he wanted the baby. Relieved, a sigh escaped her lips. “I think you’ll be a wonderful father.”

That surprised Alex. His lips curved into a slight smile. “Really?”

“You were so sweet when you took care of me. And you’re gentle and caring.”

“I haven’t been very caring today,” he admitted. “I’ll work hard at getting better at it. That’s a promise that I intend to keep.”

“What?” Stunned, her gaze searched his.

“Earlier, you asked me to forgive you, but it’s your forgiveness that I need.”

She slowly shook her head. “I don’t think I understand.”

“After I left here, I did a lot of thinking. Finding out you were carrying my baby really threw me. I wasn’t thinking rationally. When I began to calm down, I realized I had no right to be angry with you.”

“Oh, yes, Alex, you do.” Her throat constricted even more. “I shouldn’t have deceived you when we made love in Vermont.”

Alex touched her hand, caressed it with his thumb. “Let me ask you something. You said when we were making love you had second thoughts. Did you?”

“Not about sleeping with you. But I knew I couldn’t use you to father a child. I knew I had to tell you the truth.” She touched his face, then withdrew her hand. “I started to, but then—”

“I kissed you,” he finished for her. “I knew you were pulling away from me. I wanted you so much. I felt your hesitation, but I didn’t give you a chance to back out. I’m as guilty as you are.” He paused, his gaze searching hers for an understanding he didn’t deserve. “Jennifer, since we’re being truthful, you need to know that I made love with you without any intention of ever having a relationship with you.”

Jennifer considered that. “I think I knew that you didn’t love me, but I’d been in love with you for so long, I didn’t care. That doesn’t excuse what I did.”

His heart warmed at her admission. “All of the years we worked together, I kept my hands off of you because I knew once I made love to you, it wouldn’t be easy to walk away from you. And I didn’t want to hurt you. I was scared to death of commitment. I didn’t have anything to offer you. Not touching you was the only way I could keep my feelings for you under control.”

She blinked back tears. “I asked you to agree to a brief affair because I didn’t want to pressure you. I thought I could be happy having you for an intimate weekend, then I’d be able to go back to our business relationship. When we came back, I realized I couldn’t. I still wanted you.”

“You had me fooled,” he admitted. “You acted as if you didn’t care for me, as if making love with me meant nothing to you.”

She smiled. “Because that was our agreement. Then I realized I couldn’t work with you and not have you. So I gave you my resignation.”

“When I read it, I couldn’t believe you could just walk away from me.”

“I didn’t want you to know about the baby. I didn’t want you to feel obligated to me.”

“I don’t, sweetheart. I love you.” At her hesitant expression he continued, “I do. I love you with all my heart. I love that you’re carrying our baby.”

“Really?” she asked on a breathless whisper.

“And I brought you an early birthday present.”

That brought a smile to her lips. “You did?”

Alex slipped out of his chair and dropped to one knee. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a small, black box. Lifting the lid, he showed its contents to her. “You’re the woman who has taught me to find strength in families. I’ve accepted my past and I’m ready to face the future with a family of my own. Without you, my life would be empty. I need you, Jennifer. I love you. Will you marry me?”

Jennifer’s gaze took in the sparkling diamond as Alex withdrew it and held it out to her. She couldn’t believe it. He was asking her to marry him. “Oh, Alex, are you sure you want to do this?”

“I’m sure. I love you. I want to love you for the rest of my life. I want to have this baby and even a houseful of children with you. A family.”

A tear fell down her cheek. “Oh, Alex, I love you so much.”

Her words made his heart swell. “Then say yes, sweetheart. Give me a lifetime to show you how much I love you.”

She held out her hand. “Yes. Yes. A thousand times, yes!” Her spine tingled with pleasure as he slipped the ring on her finger.

Alex stood and drew her into his arms, settling her against him. He kissed her, letting his lips linger against hers, then stepped back. “Happy birthday, sweetheart. I love you.”

“And I love you.” She breathed a sigh of pleasure as she kissed him again. “I never meant to deceive you. Really, I didn’t.”

“I know.” He believed her because he knew her heart. She was loving and caring, and she’d been willing to give up her career because of him. He felt a pang of guilt. She’d told him once that her career meant a lot to her. He didn’t want her to think that because she was carrying their baby, she’d have to give up everything she’d worked for when it was born. “I know how much your job means to you. I’ll be with you now to help you. Somehow we’ll work it out.”

“Oh, Alex.” She grinned. “That’s another area we need to get straightened out.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, enclosing her in his arms.

She touched his lips with her finger, her gaze sliding up to his face. “I know I said my career was important, but I said it because I needed an excuse to keep you at arm’s length when we came home from Vermont. I knew if you touched me, I wouldn’t be able to trust myself not to get involved with you.”

He laughed. “You’re lucky you did. Because all I could think about was making love to you. I wanted you any way I could have you. I would have promised you anything.”

She smiled into his eyes. “Then promise me that you’ll accept my resignation.”

“You really don’t want to continue working?”

“I’m not saying that I won’t want to work later, but I want to enjoy raising our child. Is that all right with you? I mean, you’ll have to hire someone to take my place.”

“No one could ever take your place,” he whispered, then tightened his arms around her. “I can live without you at work as long as I have you to come home to.”

“And you will,” she whispered. She touched her mouth to his, then leaned away. “Always and forever.”

He dipped his head and took her mouth in a lingering kiss, and Jennifer’s heart felt as if it would burst.

With Alex’s love, she had more than she’d ever believed possible. And she would have her own baby to love and adore—a family she’d always dreamed of. Whereas before she’d looked at turning thirty with dismay, she now had a reason to cherish each and every birthday in the future.

Considering how Alex had surprised her this year, she couldn’t wait to see what he had in store for her when she turned thirty-one!

ISBN: 978-1-4268-7686-8

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Copyright © 2005 by Shirley Rogerson, INC.

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