скачать книгу бесплатно
“I let him know that I’m okay and we’re having a pleasant time.”
“A pleasant time. I’ll have to try harder if I want to move that into the ‘world-changing’ arena.”
She smiled as she put away her cell phone. “So tell me about yourself,” she said.
“I grew up with the proverbial silver spoon. Well, my dad began to make big bucks when I was about seven years old. Life was easy in some ways.”
“What wasn’t easy?”
“My mom died when I was fifteen. My dad and I were close. I lost him this past summer.”
“Sorry. It hurts. My mom died a couple of years ago.”
“Your dad?”
“I never knew him,” she said, her eyes becoming frosty as she answered him.
“I’m glad you and your mom were close. So how did you get into art?”
“It’s my first love. I went to college, got a degree in accounting, got a good job, moved up. I began to invest my own money and did so well, I finally took over managing my mother’s finances, which was far more than I had. Finance became my field, but art was—and is—my love. We have something else in common—our financial backgrounds.”
“So we do.”
“The difference is, you love it and pursue it. I wanted something else.”
“Sometimes I think about something else, but I’m locked into where I am.”
“What else do you think about doing?” she asked.
“Nothing serious. I’m where I should be, doing what I’ve been trained to do and have a knack for doing.”
“There’s something else you like,” she persisted, tilting her head to study him. “I don’t think it’s art. I’ll bet it’s far removed from the world of property management.”
“Yes, it is. It’s not that big a deal for you to even try to guess. Someday when I retire, I’ll make furniture. I like working with my hands.”
“It’s getting a little scary how alike we are,” she said, noticing how his thick lashes heightened the striking effect of his gray eyes.
“Perhaps it’s an omen indicating we will get along well.”
“Usually, it’s the other way around. Opposites attract.”
“Well, I’ll see where we’re opposite—one thing, you’re living your dream. I won’t leave the business world.”
“Why not?”
He shrugged a broad shoulder. “I was raised to do this. When Dad was alive, I wouldn’t have changed for anything because it would have hurt him terribly. He hasn’t been gone long and I just can’t think about changing when I know how badly he wanted me to do what I’m doing. There are other reasons, too, but that’s the biggest.”
She nodded. “We’re different there, all right. My mom was okay with the change I made. I’m sorry she didn’t live to see the success I’ve been lucky enough to have, especially since she’s the one who told me to chase my dream.”
“Be thankful. I’ve been told the opposite all my life.”
“I am thankful,” she said, wondering about his life as the topic of conversation shifted. As she looked at him, desire smoldered, a steady flame. She knew he would kiss her tonight and she wanted him to.
“So there are no other men in your life?” he asked, tilting his head.
“No, no other men and you’re not exactly in it either since I’ve known you all of a few hours.”
“I’m in it now,” he said in a tone of voice that stirred sparks. “So Mr. Right has not come along. And there’s no one vying for that title.”
“I’m definitely not looking for Mr. Right. The past few years I’ve been incredibly busy and my social life has suffered.”
“I can understand about incredibly busy. And I’ll see what I can do to remedy that a little for both of us.”
“And what about the women in your life? You can’t convince me there are none.”
“There isn’t anyone special, or even anyone really ‘in’ my life at this point. I’m free as a bird, as they say.”
“Workaholic?”
“I’m not arguing that one.”
When her phone chimed again with a text that the gallery was cleaned and closed, she noticed the late hour. “I didn’t know the time. I should go home.”
As they walked back to the gallery, Garrett stopped her. “Why don’t I take you home? I’ll pick you up for breakfast and bring you back to the gallery to get your car.”
“That seems a lot of trouble for you.”
“No trouble at all,” he said, unlocking the door of a black sports car.
After a moment, she climbed in, gave Garrett her address and watched him drive, studying his hands with neatly trimmed nails. A gold cuff link glinted in the reflection of the dash lights.
They drove through a gated area and up the front drive of her sprawling house. He parked and came around to open the door for her. They crossed the porch and she unlocked the door before turning to face him.
“You have a nice home.”
“Thanks. As you said, it’s comfortable. It’s too late to invite you in but I had a great time tonight.”
“It’s too early to exchange goodbyes,” he said, slipping his arm around her waist to draw her close.
Sophia’s heart raced as she looked up at him. His lower lip was full, sensual. She leaned slightly closer, pressing against him and closing her eyes as his mouth covered hers lightly, then firmly, his tongue thrusting into her mouth. A wave of longing rippled, tearing at her while she felt as if she were in free fall. Her breathing altered, heat pooled low in her. His kiss was demanding, enticing and she returned it. She moaned softly, the sound taken by his mouth on hers.
Her heart pounded so violently she was certain he could feel it. When she pressed against his lean, hard length, his arm tightened around her. Leaning over her, holding her tightly, he didn’t let up. She was lost, consumed in kisses that were magical, that set her on fire.
One hand slipped down her back, a light caress, and the other was warm on the nape of her neck. His kisses were earth-shattering, rocking her world. She had never been kissed this way. She wanted to stay in his arms for hours.
Finally she leaned away to look at him. “Garrett, slow down,” she whispered, caution and wisdom fighting to gain control over desire. All she wanted was to kiss him endlessly.
As he gazed at her intently, she realized that his ragged breathing matched her own.
“Sophia,” he said, her name a hoarse whisper. “I want you.” The words—stark, honest and direct—set her pulse galloping.
“We have to say good-night,” she declared. She had just met him and barely knew him. She should not fall into his arms instantly and lose all control.
Locks of his dark, unruly hair had tumbled on his forehead, escaping the neatly combed style he’d worn when she first saw him. She ached to run her hands through them.
Instead, she took a deep breath and stepped back. “We have to say good-night,” she repeated. “I had a wonderful time.”
“It was world-changing for me,” he whispered, his voice still only a rasp. He framed her face with his hands. “I mean it. Tonight was a special night that I never, ever expected. I’d hoped to meet you but I never once thought I’d have an evening like this.” As he spoke, his fingers combed lightly through her hair. His words carried a sincerity that made her heartbeat quicken again, his smoky, intense gaze consuming her.
“I didn’t expect anything like this either,” she whispered, wanting him with an urgency that shook her.
“When I walked into your gallery, I wanted to meet you for one reason. After meeting you, I want to be with you for an entirely different reason,” he said.
He leaned down to kiss her again, passionately. When he released her, he stepped away, but his hand stayed on her shoulder as if he didn’t want to break the physical contact with her.
“I’ll see you in the morning. How’s seven?”
She nodded, and he turned and strode away. She stared at him—broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs, thick brown hair, handsome. The man took her breath and set her heart pounding.
“Good night, Garrett,” she said softly. She closed the door and switched on lights while her lips tingled. Desire was a scorching flame. Garrett Cantrell. She would be with him again in just hours and yet she couldn’t wait.
Her cell phone’s tune signaled a call. She looked at the number with curiosity as she answered. Her heart missed a beat when she heard Garrett’s deep voice.
She laughed. “You do know that we just parted?”
“We did. It now seems like a serious mistake. Tell me more about growing up, your dreams, your day tomorrow.”
Smiling, she sat in a rocker in her bedroom, gazing at her shelves of familiar books and pictures. “I grew up in Houston. I’ve always dreamed of painting and having my own gallery. Tomorrow—”
“Wait a minute. Back up. You grew up in Houston. House? Apartment? Best friends through your school years or did you move a lot? Tell me about your life, Sophia.”
When he said her name in his deep drawl, her pulse beat faster. “It can’t possibly be that fascinating. I grew up in one house, went to neighborhood elementary schools and then private schools later. I had the same close friends through elementary and then new friends in the private school. See? All very routine and ordinary.”
“There is absolutely nothing ordinary about you,” he said, stirring another thrilling physical reaction in her that threw her completely off base. She wasn’t used to feeling like this because of a man.
“What about you? You said you had it easy growing up?” she asked.
“I always went to private schools. I’ve had the same best friend all my life since I was too young to remember. Our fathers were best friends. I’ve had the same family home my whole life. I’m an only child.”
“We’re so much alike, I’m surprised we can stand each other, Garrett.” When he laughed, she felt her stomach drop, like she was in free fall. He was turning her inside out with just the sound of his voice.
“You’re already living your dream. Do you feel fulfilled, complete?” he asked.
“I think people always want more and keep striving. I am very happy with my life, though, and what I do.”
“Surely there’s something else you want.”
“Another successful gallery in Taos. I’d like to live in Santa Fe. But I already have a home and studio, and I have a cabin in the mountains near Questa, where I go for solitude to paint.”
“The Questa cabin sounds isolated.”
“No cell phone reception whatsoever, which is a plus. I have a caretaker. He and his family have a cabin close to mine, so there are people nearby. He has four dogs. Two take up with me when I’m there, so that’s a bit of company. It’s a good place to work with no interference—a good place to improve my skills as a painter.”
“I’d say you can settle for how well you paint right now.”
“No, I can definitely improve. So tell me about you, Garrett. Do you really dream of building furniture someday?”
“It’s pushed to a burner so far back, it will take years to get to it.”
As they talked, she moved to the window, switching off a lamp and gazing outside at the full moon. By the time she glanced at the clock, she was shocked to see it was half past three.
“Garrett, we have to get off the phone. It’s after three a.m., and you’re picking me up at seven.”
“All right. Sophia, you’re a remarkable woman,” he said in a solemn tone. She suddenly had a funny feeling that he had expected something different from her.
“And you are a remarkable man,” she replied softly. “Good night, Garrett. I will see you soon—very soon.”
“Night, Sophia,” he said, and was gone.
She turned off her phone and crawled into bed, Garrett dominating her thoughts completely. “Garrett,” she whispered, enjoying saying his name while she thought about his magical kisses. She had never expected to meet someone like him tonight. This wasn’t a time in her career to be distracted, yet he made her feel things she had never felt before. Morning couldn’t come quickly enough. She was already anxious to be with him again.
Two
Setting aside his phone to strip to his briefs, Garrett replayed the night, thinking of the first moment he had seen Sophia at the gallery. In high heels, she had to be six feet tall. Her midnight hair was straight and fell freely over her shoulders in a black cascade.
A dramatic black-and-white dress left one tan shoulder bare. The slit in the straight skirt revealed long, shapely legs with each step. Her mother’s Native American blood had given her smooth, olive skin, beautiful raven hair and her prominent cheekbones, yet she bore a striking resemblance to Will and reminded Garrett of Zach in her forthright, practical manner.
From the first moment she had captivated him. Dancing with her had fanned his desire until he ached to kiss her.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts.
While he hadn’t lied to her, he had still deceived her by not mentioning his ties to the Delaneys and his mission in Houston. At the moment she could be at her computer, looking him up and discovering he was an executive with Delaney Enterprises. A chill slithered through Garrett, turning him to ice. By breakfast time, she might already know the truth.
He didn’t want her to find out that way. He wanted to tell her about his relationship with the Delaneys himself. But if he did, he wouldn’t see her again, and neither the Delaneys nor she would get their inheritances.
His thoughts drifted to her soft, lush curves, her silky, midnight hair and her large, dark brown eyes …
After twenty more minutes of tossing and turning, he went to his indoor pool and swam laps, trying to stop thinking about Sophia yet wanting morning to come so he could see her again.
What if he did tell her about the Delaneys at breakfast? Maybe they already had enough of a connection that she’d agree to meet them.
Who was he kidding? Anyone who felt strongly enough to turn down billions wouldn’t change her mind because of a few kisses and one exciting night.
Glumly, he executed a flip-turn and mulled it over as he swam another lap. Three billion dollars—no one could turn down money like that, yet she had. Why? Was her anger at Argus Delaney that deep?
From what the P.I. had unearthed, Argus had continued seeing her mother until she died. At the end of her life, he had done everything to keep her comfortable, taking care of her medical bills and seeing that she had the best care possible. Why was Sophia so bitter? She didn’t seem a bitter, grudge-holding type. Sophisticated, intelligent, an inner core of steel, obviously hardworking, optimistic—all were qualities that he would use to describe her. It seemed difficult to imagine that she would have enough anger and hate to give up a three-billion-dollar inheritance.
He had to confess or risk Sophia discovering on her own the deception that grew larger with every passing hour.
