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When she finally parked, after three tries, almost neatly in an allotted space beneath the Montbank office building, she sighed with relief. Nothing was outside the lines, anyway.
Nate offered a smile. ‘You did very well. It’s better to be a bit careful until you gain more experience.’
After a moment—once she’d got over the impact of that smile and his encouraging words—she realised she was smiling back. ‘Thank you.’
Maybe having him here wouldn’t be so awful. Maybe his presence would actually lighten the load while Henry got better.
If she could just overcome her attraction to him.
CHAPTER THREE
WHILE Chrissy gathered her travel mug, notebook, large shoulder bag and the canvas holdall that held the latest potted plants she had rescued from the last-ditch discount table at the supermarket, Nate exited the car. His gaze lingered on the bag of plants, his expression quizzical.
So she tried to save lost plants. Was that a crime? Defensiveness made her sharp. ‘Is something wrong?’
‘Not at all.’ He glanced from her to the paraphernalia and back, almost smiled, then shook his head. ‘Would you like some help?’
‘I can manage.’ She locked her car door. ‘I always have this much stuff with me.’ Which made her sound like a pack-horse.
‘Just give me the holdall, then.’ He stretched out his hand, clearly expecting her to yield up some of her bounty for him to carry.
Admit it. You’d like to yield in other ways.
Bah! She really could do without these conflicting feelings. Yet he had such a nice hand. Lean, with long, straight fingers. The same fingers that had stroked her face earlier. That had covered her hand so comfortingly. Not that she was fixated about his hands or anything.
‘Chrissy? The holdall?’ he prompted.
‘Oh, fine. If you insist on helping, here you go.’ She allowed him to take the bag from her. After all, she had nothing to prove.
He offered a wry smile as he took the bag. ‘Thank you.’
When their hands touched, that zing happened again. It made her imagine all sorts of hand-related things she shouldn’t. Heat swarmed up her chest and into her face, because she had just proved something she really didn’t want to prove.
Ergo, that she hadn’t been able to distance herself from this very sensual man one iota.
‘Something tells me it’s going to be a very long day.’ She made the pronouncement as they travelled into the building via the key-coded lift. Travel by stairs would have been preferable, but those were inaccessible from outside the building.
Their reflections stared back solemnly from the steel-plated doors. She and Nate Barrett, side by side and looking far too right that way for her comfort. ‘I mean, the day will be busy and demanding.’
‘I imagine it will.’ His gaze skimmed the coil of hair on top of her head, moved to her mouth and returned to her eyes. She saw it all in the reflection of polished doors. Yet it felt as though he had touched her. Caressed her.
‘What’s on the agenda today?’ He barked it out. ‘Any big problems looming?’
Any big problems? How about the problem of this unwanted attraction? She had thought he no longer felt it, but now realised he still did.
‘There are several things that will need attention today.’ Not one specific matter would surface in her brain. ‘I’ll be happy to debrief you when we get upstairs.’ Her face heated again. ‘I mean, I’ll brief you. I mean—’
‘I get the picture.’
At the roughness of his tone, a part of her rejoiced. She told herself that was simply because she saw no reason why she should suffer the attraction alone.
When the lift eased to a stop she stepped out gratefully. Perhaps the distraction of work would overrule the responses he drew from her. ‘Here we are. The hub of Montbank Shipping. As you worked here before you made your move overseas, I guess it’ll be quite familiar to you.’
Despite all the years you’ve stayed away.
She would remember to keep him in the place of the deserting grandson yet. At the thought she sobered, because in truth he was that person, and she could never reconcile herself to that. No matter how much he made her want him, or how much she thought he might want her.
One abandonment in her lifetime was enough.
Nate nodded to several ancillary staff who obviously knew him. They all showed their shock at seeing him. He seemed a little unsettled, too.
‘How does it feel to come back after so long? Does it make you melancholy?’
‘There is a world outside these doors, you know.’ His retort labelled her as unadventurous and insular.
Chrissy gritted her teeth.
When they were alone again, he asked, with a hint of disbelief, ‘Are you the only new staff member since I left? I knew the firm was close-knit, but—’
‘On this floor, I am, yes.’ So what if they liked to build an atmosphere of family among the employees?
She had been welcomed when she’d started here. He had no idea how much she had needed that. ‘I got the job as Henry’s PA straight out of school when his previous PA retired to the Gold Coast. All the company members were sad to see her go.’
Unlike the PA, Nate had returned, albeit only for the duration of Henry’s recovery. She hoped people would understand the temporary nature of his visit.
On that surprisingly depressing thought, she flung open the door to Henry’s suite of offices and stepped inside. ‘I’ll just be one minute.’
This was her territory. Among her ceiling chimes and experimental wall art and, of course, potted plants, she felt secure. At home. In charge.
After quickly disposing of the killed-off plants in the corner stand—it was always a bit sad—she replaced them with the new ones. From now, she had only one choice. She must think business and nothing but business for the duration of Nate Barrett’s stay.
Given the mixed emotions he brought out in her, it was the only hope she had of holding on to her sanity. ‘The UK imports first, I think.’
‘By all means.’ His agreement smacked of condescension.
She ignored it and launched into a list of problematical import issues.
He was swift to pick things up. He had a sharp mind and a decisive attitude, and he knew the business.
‘There’s also this lot of stuff.’ She brought in a pile of files.
They worked almost seamlessly then broke for lunch. Aside from the odd distraction, such as when she noticed he had a tiny birthmark high on his forehead and wanted to trace it with a fingertip, she managed to remain acceptably aloof.
It was early afternoon by the time they had cleared through the bulk of the most urgent work.
He sat back in his chair and rolled his shoulders. ‘Now that the worst is taken care of, I want a meeting with all the department heads. I need to let them know about Henry’s stroke, and get a verbal status on each of their areas.
‘Hopefully one of them will fit…’ He turned his head to glance out the window at the fog-shrouded cityscape. ‘You mentioned a difficulty with the stevedore company?’
‘They’re usually very good, so I don’t know what the problem can be, but yes, a memo came through earlier.’ She gathered their used coffee mugs and headed toward the kitchenette just off their offices.
Instead of remaining at his desk, Nate rose and followed. Immediately her awareness of him cranked up, and she had been doing so well, too.
You mean you’d managed to live in denial for a few moments.
‘I’ll phone the company right after I organise the meeting with the department heads.’
‘No need.’ He prowled behind her. ‘I’ll speak to the stevedore people while you arrange the meeting.’
She considered protesting, then changed her mind. Why waste her breath? If he wanted to micromanage the matter, let him. ‘As you wish.’
‘That’s settled, then.’ But he kept pace behind her, and she remained deeply aware of him the whole time.
‘How old are you?’ he asked abruptly. ‘Twenty-four?’
‘Yes. How old are you?’ She looked over her shoulder at him. Her words had a hint of goading that she couldn’t quite control. ‘Thirty-five? Thirty-eight? Forty, maybe?’
‘I’ll be thirty in December.’
‘My condolences,’ she quipped, but the spark in his eyes undermined her efforts to keep her interest in him at bay.
She stopped in front of the sink with her back turned to him, and simply didn’t know what to do. His awareness of her was palpable, and she responded to that awareness on a deep, instinctual level.
Her life plan didn’t include involvements with men who dodged commitment. No matter how much those men might—incomprehensibly—attract her.
She remained still and silent, and hoped he would ease back. Give her the breathing space she needed. She did not want him to move closer and answer her earlier question of how it would feel if he closed the distance between them completely.
Instead of moving away, he made a soft sound of frustration and shifted closer. ‘What is it about you? I can’t be in the same room as you without—’
‘It’s nothing. Nothing at all.’ She spun around, aggravation, curiosity and awareness bursting out at her seams. She had to get away before she did something stupid. Like welcome his closeness.
He shook his head. ‘You don’t believe that.’
‘I have to.’ Instead of getting clear of him, in her haste she smacked straight into him.
They both gasped. His hands encircled her upper arms. His deep blue eyes stared into her grey ones. Desire burned for her in that gaze.
All right. She admitted it. She wanted him to kiss her until they both stopped breathing. So there. It didn’t mean they should actually do it.
As though sensing her confusion, he stepped forward. Feet braced apart, he brought her into the cradle of his body.
She should have resisted, but couldn’t. Could only speak words to try to negate her body’s betrayal. ‘I don’t want this. We don’t even know each other.’
‘Don’t we? I feel as though I know you.’ His confusion rang in his voice. ‘You’re so familiar to me that it seems I’ve always known you.’
His words echoed the feeling deep inside her.
He inhaled deeply against her hair and sighed. ‘Your hair drives me mad. I want to unwind it. Let it fall, and see how long it is. I want to tug out those damned chopsticks and—’
She finally found words. Resistance. ‘We shouldn’t be doing this.’ Her breath caught in a sexy little sound in the back of her throat. Hoping he hadn’t heard it, she pushed free of his hold. ‘We’re just two people brought together by a common goal. To get Henry better.’
‘I agree, but I think we both know there’s more at work here than that. I don’t understand it, really. In general I don’t go for women who…’ He waved a hand, apparently unable to articulate just how incomprehensible he found his attraction to her.
Well, thanks for nothing, Mr Nate Barrett! ‘It’s all right,’ she assured him with more than a hint of antagonism in her tone. ‘I find you repulsive on a personal level, too.’
‘I guess I asked for that. I’m afraid being around you—wanting you—appears to affect my communication skills.’ After a long moment spent searching her expression, he seemed to come to a conclusion.
‘Something about me, or about being attracted to me, scares you. What is it?’ Although the question was asked in a silken tone, it scraped over her like gravel shifting in a dry, abandoned streambed. Because it was way too close to the truth for comfort.
‘You don’t scare me. Why would you? You’re just here to fill in while Henry gets better.’ She tried to inject strength into her tone. ‘I can assure you—’
‘Something has you determined to keep me at a distance.’ He pushed one hand through his thick hair, ruffling it. ‘If not fear, then what, exactly? We’re attracted to each other. You clearly don’t want a deep involvement with me. I don’t want that, either, but we could enjoy the moment. What would it hurt?’
‘I’m not into casual liaisons with virtual strangers.’ His words had stung her, but she should have known. Should have expected exactly this from a man who had deserted his grandfather without the slightest hesitation.
His glance roved over her again—assessing, thoughtful. He spoke without acknowledging her words. ‘Or is it all men that you want to keep at bay?’
‘Just because I haven’t had any serious relationships…’ She would be able to commit if the circumstances were right. ‘If you must know, I simply haven’t met the appropriate man yet. When I do I’ll know it, and I won’t hesitate to put myself at his mercy.’
‘Well, well.’ His eyebrows lifted.
She wanted to knock that I know what’s going on inside your poor misguided psyche look right off his face.
The man was delving into her deepest secrets. Pulling them out to the harsh light of examination. He had no right to do that. Nor to expect her to fall into his arms for the day or week or two that he would be here.
Her temper flared and words poured out. ‘You don’t scare me, Nate. I simply don’t particularly like you.
‘You abandoned your grandfather for over six years. It took a stroke for you to return. What do you expect me to say? I’m not interested in the kind of relationship you just insulted me by offering.’
The more she said, the more her hurt and anger burned and the more words came out. ‘I don’t want any kind of relationship with you, outside the minimum needed for us to function together in the office while you’re here.
‘In fairness, I’m sure I’m not the kind of woman you could possibly want, either. I think it’s best if we forget all of this. Now, please excuse me. The business meeting needs to be organised.’
CHAPTER FOUR
‘AT LEAST Margaret has given it a rest today.’ Nate hit the appropriate key to shut off his computer with more force than finesse.
The screen went black, and he got to his feet, retrieved his suit jacket and shrugged into it. His outdoor coat followed. Five days had never been more of a trial. Nor more stimulating, a voice in his brain added, much to his disgust.
Hell, not because of Margaret. The woman was a pariah. He hoped he had finally convinced her to stop phoning the office and sending him emails in her pathetic, transparent attempts to rekindle something between them that had never existed in the first place.
Her barely veiled efforts to find out about the financial affairs of the company he brushed off utterly.
His firm of lawyers had made it clear that she would get nowhere if she tried again to have Henry declared unfit, or to get financial control of anything outside of her allowance. She simply needed to accept defeat.
‘Thank you, Mr Dimitri. Mr Barrett may not have time to attend, but I’ll bring your advertising affair to his attention.’ The sound of Chrissy’s voice as she wound up a call in the next room stirred Nate’s senses.
He heard her moving about the room, no doubt gathering the truckload of things she ferried to and from the office daily.
