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“Is that what I’m doing?”
She hoped so.
No, she didn’t.
Oh, hell. Yes, she did.
“It’s what you always do,” she said, carrying her wine with her as she walked a few steps away from him. Staring out at the ocean, she felt the kiss of the wind, inhaled the scent of the sea and used them both to steady herself. “You’re a generous man, Jefferson, but you buy jewelry for women for two reasons only.” She turned her head to look at him and saw the bemused expression on his face.
“Is that right?”
“Yep.” She braced her arms on the cold iron railing, and still watching him, said, “You’re either trying to seduce me or get rid of me. And since we both know it’s not the latter … that really only leaves one option.”
He walked closer and she caught the tangy, spicy scent of his aftershave. She’d been surrounded by that scent for days now, sharing her hotel room with him, fighting for bathroom space and always, always having his scent all around her.
“You know me so well, Caitlyn,” he said softly, taking a spot beside her on the rail. His arm brushed against hers, and even through the fabric of his suit coat, Caitlyn felt heat pour into her body from that small point of contact.
“Better, I think, than you know,” she said.
He reached out, brushed a strand of her hair back and tucked it behind her ear, trailing the tips of his fingers over her skin. She shivered.
“Well, then,” he said, “if I’m trying to seduce you … how am I doing?”
“Not bad,” she admitted, though it cost her, since there was an invisible fist tightening around her throat, making breathing, much less talking, difficult.
“Let’s see if I can’t improve on things then,” he whispered, and took her wineglass from suddenly nerveless fingers. Setting it down on the table behind him, he turned her in his arms, stared down at her for the longest moment of Caitlyn’s life and then slowly lowered his head to hers.
She should stop him.
She knew that she should back away now and run screaming into the night. Kissing Jefferson would only make an unbearable situation that much more difficult.
But she wasn’t going anywhere, so she told herself she might as well stop pretending otherwise.
His mouth touched hers. Once. Twice. Soft, quick kisses that jump-started her heart and had her stomach doing dips and spins in heady anticipation. That slight brush of his lips to hers made her feel heat that she’d never known before. Made her want him as she’d never wanted anything in her life. Made her hungry for the taste of him.
And just when she hoped he would kiss her more thoroughly, more completely, he pulled his head back and she opened her eyes to look up at him. He was frowning and his eyes glittered with an emotion she couldn’t read.
As she stood in his grasp, every nerve ending bristling, he looked at her as if he’d never seen her before and ran the tips of his fingers along her cheek. “Sweet,” he whispered. “So soft and sweet.”
His gaze moved over her, studying her as if trying to puzzle something out. But then the moment passed and fire leaped into his eyes. His hands slid up and down her bare arms and his touch was like a flame.
“Jefferson …”
“Another taste,” he said so quietly his voice was almost lost in the rush of the sea below them. “I have to have another taste.”
Hunger erupted between them, and this time, when he bent his head to hers, he took more than a simple brush of mouth to mouth. This time he plundered her. Hard, ferocious, his mouth took hers in a frenzy of need that she felt echoing within. He parted her lips with his tongue, and Caitlyn sighed into him as she felt the damp heat invade her.
Her legs wobbled, and deep inside her, she felt liquid warmth pool at her center and ache for what only he could give her. His strong hands moved up and down her spine, then slipped to her behind and held her pressed tightly to the hard, rigid length of him.
Caitlyn lost herself in the magic of the moment. She forgot all about her determination to avoid Jefferson’s seductive powers. Forgot all about the fact that she knew he was deliberately toying with her. Didn’t care that his amazing kiss meant no more to him than it had with any of the other women in his life.
For now, for right now, this was enough.
She was pliant in his arms. Warm and curvy and eager. Jefferson knew that in a seduction, timing was everything. He should slow down now. Back away before he pushed her too far too quickly. Seduction was a slow, deliberate business. A careful dance to which he knew all the steps.
And yet, he didn’t want to stop kissing her. She melded against him, and his body went tighter, harder than he would have thought possible. Every inch of him ached for her. His hands held her to him, ground her hips against his, and it wasn’t enough.
He took her mouth, invaded her damp heat, and it wasn’t enough. Felt her breath puff against his cheek and only wanted more. Heard her soft sigh and felt himself inflamed at the gentle sound. Her scent welled up inside him, flowers and spice, and flavored her kiss until he thought he would never again draw a breath without tasting her.
And that thought was enough to drag him back to his senses—or what was left of them. Reluctantly, he tore his mouth from hers and eased her from the iron grip he’d held her in. He had to let her go if for no other reason than to prove to himself that he could.
But when she turned those big, dark eyes on him, Jefferson knew that whether or not he was touching her, the connection was still there. Linking them together. Drawing them closer.
He took a step back to give himself time to settle, turned and picked up their wineglasses. Handing her one, he took a long drink of the chilled wine and let the icy liquid cool the fires burning within.
“Okay,” she said, and swallowed hard. “That was better than not bad.”
“Yeah,” he agreed, taking her hand and leading her to her chair, “it was.”
Much better. The seduction was working just as he’d planned. But if he wasn’t careful, he might just get caught in his own web.
Seven
A couple of days later Caitlyn felt as though she were balanced on a delicately thin wire stretched taut, high over a cage filed with hungry lions.
“Or,” she told herself, “make that one very hungry Lyon.”
Who would have guessed that Jefferson could pack so much power into a kiss? That she could feel all she’d felt in those few moments on that moonlit patio? Want all she’d wanted. And in the past two days he’d been even more attentive. Going with her for swims, into the village to shop, having dinner with her, glaring at any men who might think about approaching.
The man was a force of nature. Irresistible, overwhelming and just so damned appealing.
Oh, she was in serious trouble.
She leaned back in her chair and let her gaze wander over the elegant yet sleekly casual resort restaurant. The floor here was blue tile, as well, and the walls were a soft sea-green. One side of the room was glass with French doors leading onto a patio with the ocean just beyond. There weren’t many customers at the moment, as it was too late for lunch and too early for dinner. Caitlyn had come in and ordered tea and scones. She’d simply needed a quiet place to sit and think. Somewhere away from her former boss and current pain in the behind.
And it had been quiet. Until her cell phone rang a moment ago.
“Oh,” Debbie said firmly, “he’s hungry, all right. Just make sure he doesn’t start snacking on you.”
Caitlyn frowned. Her friend had a point. Although, the thought of being nibbled by Jefferson did have its appeal.
“Oh, man,” she said on a groan, “this is bad.”
“That’s why I called. Janine told me you’re having some problems with Jefferson,” Debbie said, and Caitlyn calmed down just listening to her more even-tempered friend’s quiet voice coming over the phone.
“Problems. Oh, that’s fair to say,” she said, picking at the corner of one blueberry scone. “He’s throwing me off balance because he’s being so nice.”
“Uh-huh.”
She heard the disbelief in her friend’s tone and couldn’t really blame her. After all, Debbie and Janine had been her listening posts to all of her complaints about Jefferson for the last three years. But they didn’t understand, really. As much as she’d always grumbled about him, Caitlyn had enjoyed working for him more than she’d disliked it.
“Okay, fine, he wasn’t always an easy man to get along with, but here he’s different.”
“I bet.”
“In a good way,” Caitlyn said, feeling for some strange reason that she should be defending him even though he’d been making her nuts. “He’s funny, too, Debbie. God, at dinner the other night we laughed for hours. I’d never really seen that side of Jefferson before and—”
“Janine was right about this. I hate when that happens,” Debbie muttered.
“Very funny.”
“Honey,” Debbie said on a sigh, “you’re setting yourself up for a fall. I can hear it in your voice. You’re going island girl on me here.”
“No, I’m not.” She took a sip of coffee, then broke off another piece of her scone. Nodding at the waitress who strolled past, she popped the pastry into her mouth, chewed and said, “I’m not stupid, Deb. It’s not like I’m planning a pretty wedding or practicing signing Mrs. Jefferson Lyon on my notebook.”
“I’ve got to go outside for this. Hold on a sec,” she said, and a long moment of silence passed before she came back. “Sorry. But I just don’t feel comfortable yelling at one of my best friends when everyone in the office can overhear.”
Caitlyn should have been grateful. The travel agency Debbie owned and operated was a busy one. “I don’t need to be yelled at, thanks.”
“No, what you need is a swift kick in the memory. But since I’m not close enough, this’ll have to do,” Debbie said.
Caitlyn’s eyes rolled as she broke off another piece of scone.
“Cait, honey, Jefferson Lyon is bad news. He’s too rich. Too powerful. Too used to getting his own way.”
Caitlyn winced a bit. Debbie’s erstwhile fiancé had also been rich, powerful—and, oh, yeah, a bigamist.
Before she could say anything, though, Debbie was talking again.
“Jefferson is not what he’s pretending to be. Only a few days ago you said yourself that he was up to something.”
Scowling now, she pushed the plate of scones away, scrawled her name and room number on the check and stood up. Walking briskly out of the restaurant, she headed for the bank of elevators on the far side of the lobby.
“I really hate it when my friends use logic,” she muttered and jabbed the up button. While she waited, she said, “But maybe he’s changed—and, man, that sounds so movie-of-the-week. He hasn’t changed, has he?”
“Nope,” Debbie agreed. “Remember when you said that Jefferson is only concerned with one bottom line? His own?”
“Do you take notes when I talk or something?” Caitlyn demanded, only half joking. “It’s really hard to argue when someone keeps using your own words against you.”
“Good.”
She stepped into the elevator and punched the button for her floor. Ignoring the older man entering right behind her, she said, “Fine, fine. You’re right. But, Debbie, when he kissed me, he—” She stopped, glared at the man listening with avid interest and lowered her voice. “I swear, I felt something from him. Something real. Something …”
“Hard and horny?” Debbie provided.
Caitlyn’s head smacked against the wall of the elevator. She didn’t want to believe her friend. Didn’t want to think that Jefferson could kiss her like that and feel nothing but a physical response. But then again, this was the man People magazine had called one of the most eligible bachelors in the country last year.
And not only had Jefferson had the damn article framed, he’d made a vow to be on that list every year for the next twenty years. This was not a man who wanted to end his days of solitude. He wasn’t looking for a permanent relationship. And if he were, he wouldn’t be looking at Caitlyn.
His kind of man wasn’t interested in women like her. He went for the models, the actresses, the blue-blooded East Coast beauties.
If he was making a play for an admin from Long Beach, there had to be a reason.
The elevator pinged and the doors opened slowly. She stepped out, said goodbye to Debbie and walked down the hall to her room. If she was a little disappointed by the realization that there was nothing real between her and Jefferson, she’d get over it. It’s not as if she had really believed everything he’d said to her. Not that she’d actually toyed with the idea of something real between them.
Okay, fine, she thought with a disgusted sigh. So she’d done a little bit of toying.
She swiped her key card, pushed the suite door open and paused when she heard Jefferson’s voice saying her name.
“Caitlyn is falling right into line,” he said, clearly on the phone. “I’m telling you, Jason, it’s going to work.”
Falling right into line? Caitlyn scowled and focused on what else he was saying to Jason. The younger of the Lyon brothers, Jason had turned his back on the company his grandfather had founded and gone into medicine. Now he was an emergency-room doctor outside Seattle.
“You don’t understand, that’s all,” Jefferson was saying. “I know what I’m doing.”
And just what exactly was he doing?
Caitlyn glanced down the long hallway to make sure no one could see her hovering outside her own room, eavesdropping. Assured the coast was clear, she frowned again, leaned in and listened to every word.
“I’m telling you she’s ready for it. I know what you said, and if I had the time, maybe I wouldn’t be doing it this way. But, damn it, Jas, I need her at work. She knows the specifics on every deal we’ve got coming up in the next six months. I don’t have time to train someone else.”
He paused and Caitlyn’s hand tightened on the doorknob. She gritted her teeth to keep from hissing.
“The seduction of Caitlyn is moving along great. I should have her back to work within a week or two.”
She narrowed her eyes on the door as if she could stare right through it and bore a hole through Jefferson’s thick head. That’s what he’d been up to all along, she thought. Seducing her, romancing her, all to get her back to work for him.
“I know what I’m doing,” he said, his voice dropping low enough it was hard for Caitlyn to hear over the pounding of her own heartbeat. “I get her into bed, get her home to Long Beach, then I act like a bastard and get her to break up with me. Then she’ll feel so bad about dumping me, she won’t have the heart to quit working for me, too.”
Her jaw dropped and her eyes narrowed. Unbelievable. Did he really think she was that stupid? That malleable?
“It is not a stupid plan,” he argued.
Thank you, Jason, she thought furiously.
“I don’t have stupid plans. And, little brother, you know as well as I do that when my mind’s made up on something, I never lose.”
Until this time, Caitlyn vowed. This time he would lose. This time the world wasn’t going to spin just the way Jefferson Lyon expected it to. She’d twist his idiotic plan around until she had strangled him with it.
Of all the nerve.
Of all the arrogant, self-serving … She just didn’t have enough insulting adjectives to fit him!
“Right. I’d better go. Going to talk her into an early dinner, then a moonlight swim. Trust me, Jas, she’ll go for it.”
Caitlyn’s hand fisted around the strap of her purse so tightly she wouldn’t have been surprised to see the leather fused to her skin. But she took a deep breath, eased the door closed and winced as the lock snicked into place.
Then, making plenty of noise, she slid her key card through again and pushed the door open.
