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She leaned toward him, her pink tongue darting out to moisten her lips. “No idea at all?”
He shook his head, his throat dry. If he didn’t know better, he’d think she was purposely tormenting him. But Chloe could have no idea of the effect she was having on him. Trace had always prided himself on maintaining the upper hand in all his relationships—especially the romantic ones. Perhaps Kimberly had resigned herself to life in a convent because he’d been too good at hiding his feelings.
She settled back in her chair. “You’re aware that your aunt reads coffee grounds?”
He sighed. “Unfortunately, yes.”
“What you don’t know is that she read my coffee grounds—and yours.” Her brown eyes flicked over him. “For some inexplicable reason, she thinks we’d be a perfect match.”
He groaned low in his throat as she confirmed his worst fears. “Impossible.”
“I quite agree.” She tucked an errant chestnut curl behind her ear. “Madame Sophia didn’t want to tell me about it at first, because she believes romance should take its natural course. But then…” Her voice trailed off.
He looked at her. “But then…what?”
“But then she saw how upset I was after I’d heard you’d fired Ramon. I believe I might have even called you a few unsavory names in the heat of the moment.”
“Such as?”
She blinked innocently at him. “I’m sure I don’t remember.”
He was sure she did, but he let her continue her story.
“Of course, that made Madame Sophia worry that I’d be prejudiced against you before we even met,” Chloe explained. “So she told me about the reading and how we’re destined to be together, and that fighting against destiny only makes the journey harder.”
He set his jaw. “I’m not planning on going anywhere.”
“Your aunt seems like a very determined woman.”
Determined was an understatement. She might not literally be able to move mountains, but she’d definitely caused a few avalanches in her time. If she was set on bringing Trace and this D’Onofrio woman together…He suppressed a shiver. He didn’t even want to think about the consequences.
Of course that same wily determination had saved his butt more than a few times. And one time in particular. If it wasn’t for Sophie, Trace might not even be here right now, ready to turn down Chloe D’Onofrio’s incredibly tempting offer.
She seemed nice enough, for a D’Onofrio. But it was appallingly obvious that she was completely wrong for him. He frowned up at her, mentally listing all her flaws. A sassy mouth. A killer body. A classically beautiful face. A quick temper, judging by the sparks he’d seen in her big brown eyes. And worst of all, a brother named Ramon.
He sat back in his chair with a sigh. No, Chloe wouldn’t even make it as a runner-up on his list for the perfect wife.
“Well, what do you say?” she asked. “Do we have a deal?”
Despite her obvious flaws, he found it harder to turn her down than he’d expected. “I’m flattered, Miss D’Onofrio….”
“Call me Chloe,” she reminded him.
“Chloe,” he echoed, mentally adding another flaw to the already long list. She had an annoying tendency to interrupt him when he was speaking. “I’m flattered, Chloe, by your very generous offer. I admire your loyalty to your brother and the lengths you’re willing to go to help him. But I’m afraid I can’t…”
“I’d do anything for Ramon,” she said, interrupting him once again. “Family is very important to me.”
“Me, too,” he muttered. Family loyalty rated very high on his list of wifely requirements. He’d seen firsthand how betrayal could tear a family apart. But one plus didn’t make up for all the glaring minuses that still tipped the scales against her.
“How important?”
He blinked. “What?”
“Exactly how important is your family to you?”
“What does that have to do with your offer to sleep with me?”
She stared at him. Then the corners of her mouth quivered until she couldn’t contain herself any longer and burst out laughing. “Sleep with you?”
He scowled, wondering what was so damn funny. “Yes. In exchange for hiring back your brother.”
“This is too much,” she said, her laughter finally subsiding. She took a deep breath to compose herself. “Just what kind of woman do you think I am?”
“I…I…”
“And what kind of man would even consider using a woman that way?”
This had gone far enough. “I think you misunderstood me. I had no—”
“You know,” she interjected, “I’ve met some male chauvinists before, but I didn’t realize men like you still existed.”
“If you’d just let me get a word in edgewise,” he said between clenched teeth, “you’d find out I had absolutely no intention of taking you up on your offer.”
But instead of mollifying her, his words actually seemed to offend her. Sparks lit her eyes. “So not only did you believe I was willing to prostitute myself, you have the nerve to sit there and tell me you’re not the least bit interested!”
“I never said that,” Trace growled. “I’m very interested. I’m so interested I can barely sit up straight. In fact, if you’d like me to prove it to you, I’ll be more than happy to oblige.”
“That won’t be necessary,” she said primly. “Because I’m definitely not interested. Now, may we please return to the subject at hand?”
He was both disappointed and confused. “What subject?”
She settled back in her chair, visibly calmer now. As much as he hated to admit it, she was just as appealing to him in the heat of anger. Maybe even more so. A rosy blush stained her creamy cheeks. Her brown eyes sparkled. His own blood raced in anticipation of what she might say or do next.
“Family loyalty,” she replied evenly. “Ramon is the only reason I showed up here tonight.”
He stifled a groan. Ramon. Why did she have to remind him? Although, perhaps it was a good thing she had, considering the directions his thoughts had taken just a scant moment ago. She was a D’Onofrio. Which meant she was off-limits.
She tilted her head to one side as she studied him. “So are you interested in my proposition?”
He scowled. “Maybe you’d better explain exactly what you mean by proposition.”
“Fine. I’ll talk slowly this time so you understand.” She leaned forward. “If you’ll hire my brother back, I’ll pretend to like you.”
“Be still my heart,” he said dryly. “Thanks, but no thanks.”
She arched a brow. “I thought you said family loyalty is important to you. Are you really willing to disappoint your aunt? She was almost in tears when she heard my tirade against you.”
“Tirade? I thought you just called me a couple of names.”
“Among other things.” She cleared her throat. “The point is, she has her heart set on bringing the two of us together. Are you willing to break it?”
Chloe couldn’t have hit her mark better if she’d drawn a bull’s-eye on his chest. The last thing he wanted to do was disappoint his aunt. He owed her. Big-time. Still, he couldn’t marry the wrong woman just to make his aunt happy. He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Chloe,” he said with a long sigh. “It just wouldn’t work out between us.”
“Of course not.” She rolled her eyes. “That goes without saying. But if we pretend to give it a go, your aunt will eventually see the writing in the coffee grounds. She’ll realize we’re completely wrong for each other.”
“You can say that again.”
“We’re completely wrong for each other.”
He frowned at her. “That was just a figure of speech.”
“I know. I just wanted to repeat it, in case you once again fall under the delusion that I want to sleep with you.”
Her words pricked him more than he wanted to admit. “Not a problem.”
“So do we have a deal?”
His common sense told him to turn her down and turn her out of his condominium. But his love for his aunt overrode his better judgment. “Yes.”
“Good. I’ll tell Ramon that he can start work again first thing in the morning.” She stood and held out her hand. “Shall we shake on it?”
Trace complied, surprised by the strength of her grip. “Give me a chance to call my insurance agent first. I want to up my workman’s comp to the max. Not to mention my life insurance.” Then he stood up to follow her, momentarily forgetting about his sore toe. “Wait a minute. What about us?”
She turned around. “Us?”
“We should probably go out on a date or two just to make this look real.” He limped toward her. “I’m free Friday evening.”
She shrugged. “All right. The sooner we can convince your aunt we’re completely wrong for each other, the better. Shall we meet at Café Romeo?”
“I’ll pick you up at your place,” he said firmly. “This is supposed to be like a real date, remember? We can go to dinner first, then stop at Café Romeo for a cappuccino later.”
“Fine.” She pulled a business card out of her purse and handed it to him. “My home address and telephone number are on my card.” Then she turned and headed toward the door. “Do you want me to make reservations? I know a great Mexican restaurant.”
“I hate Mexican food,” he said, limping after her.
“How about Japanese?”
He grimaced. “Please tell me you’re not serious.”
She sighed. “All right, what would you like to eat?”
“How about plain old American?”
She laughed. “My favorite.”
“Mine, too. Seems we have something in common, after all.”
“Scary, isn’t it?” she quipped, then sailed out the door.
Trace watched her walk toward her car, a sporty red Ford Taurus that matched the color of her suit. The way that skirt molded to her swaying hips made his mouth go dry. Then realization sunk in. He had a date with Chloe D’Onofrio in three days.
Scary was definitely the word for it.
BY FRIDAY, Trace was more than scared, he was downright suspicious. The night before he’d lain in his bed, unable to sleep, and replayed Chloe’s unexpected visit in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more he was convinced she had or-chestrated every aspect of their encounter—right down to the alluring shade of lipstick she wore. How else could he explain the fact that he had a date with Chloe D’Onofrio only three short days after vowing to his aunt that he’d never fall into one of her matchmaking traps?
Then another thought hit him, chilling him to the very marrow. Maybe Sophie had planned it this way all along. Asking him to hire Ramon, the power-saw incident, Chloe’s visit and their unusual deal.
“Don’t you think you’re just a little paranoid,” Jake Callahan said, after Trace had explained his suspicions to his brother. They stood in the large, plush dressing room of Sir Galahad Formal Wear.
Trace adjusted the blue silk cummerbund around his waist. “You tell me. I’m trying on tuxedos with my confirmed-bachelor brother, who is getting married in six weeks, thanks to Aunt Sophie.”
“I’ve thanked her more than once,” Jake replied, knotting his bow tie. “Nina is the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“It was a fluke.” Trace shrugged into a black cutaway jacket. “You don’t really believe Aunt Sophie can read romantic futures in a pile of soggy coffee grounds.”
“If you don’t believe it,” Jake challenged, “why are you so worried about it? Apparently this Chloe is all wrong for you, which is hardly surprising if she’s anything at all like her brother.”
“She’s nothing like Ramon.” Trace slipped into a pair of black patent-leather dress shoes. “But she’s still…dangerous. You should see her, Jake. Or maybe not.” He grinned. “If you saw Chloe D’Onofrio, you might just decide to remain a bachelor.”
The dressing room curtain was suddenly swept open. Nina Walker, Jake’s fiancée, stood on the other side. “All right, Trace, quit trying to sabotage this wedding.” Her voice sounded stern but her green eyes sparkled with amusement. “Or I may just have to kill you.”
“Nina,” Jake whispered, “you’re not supposed to be in here. This is the men’s dressing room.”
She grinned. “Sounds like the perfect place to be to me. Unfortunately, you’re both decent.” She turned to Trace. “So who’s Chloe?”
“No one for you to worry about,” Trace replied, looking fondly at his future sister-in-law. Nina didn’t have any competition for his brother’s affections. He’d never seen Jake so besotted with a woman.
She smiled up at him. “So I can let you live?”
“You’d better, since I’m the best man. Somebody has to catch Jake when he passes out from a panic attack during the wedding ceremony.”
“Ignore him,” Jake said, drawing her into his arms and giving her a tender kiss on the lips. “If I start to panic, it will only be because it’s taking so damn long to make you my wife. Six weeks seems like forever.”
Nina laughed. “I agree. So why is everyone else calling it a whirlwind courtship?” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m ready to start the honeymoon.”
Jake responded with another kiss, this one longer than the last. Trace folded his arms across his chest, waiting for them to come up for air. They’d been like this ever since they’d announced their engagement two weeks ago.
As much as Trace hated to admit it, he envied his big brother. Soon Jake would have exactly what Trace wanted—an adoring woman as his wife. A family of his very own.
He tugged at his bow tie. Not only had the Kimberly fiasco set him back, but now this situation with Chloe would cause an even longer delay. He just wanted a woman who fit all his requirements, who shared all his likes and dislikes, who didn’t make him completely crazy.
Was that so much to ask?
He glanced at his watch, then impatiently cleared his throat. “Sorry to interrupt, but you two aren’t on your honeymoon yet.”
Nina turned to him, her cheeks flushed a becoming pink. “So who’s Chloe?”
“Ramon’s sister,” Jake informed her. “She also happens to be Café Romeo’s new interior designer, as well as Trace’s date for this evening.”
