She clenched her jaw in determination and tried to put a calm tone to her voice without being wholly successful. “Feed the dog? That’s some technique you have there…dangle some nice courtesy in front of me, then hit me with your real intention. Well, it’s not going to work this time. Now that I think about it, I do have a previous engagement. So, if you’ll excuse—”
The doorbell rang, followed by someone pounding loudly on the front door, then the door flew open with a bang. A tall man with dark hair burst into the entryway. He glanced around as if looking for something. His harried gaze fell on Jared. “I need a favor.”
Kim immediately recognized the new arrival as Terry Stevens, the Stevens family member who had tormented her all through her middle school and high school years.
Jared’s tightly controlled words surprised her. They showed a combination of practiced restraint and exasperation. “You always need a favor. What is it this time?”
Terry carefully eyed Kim as if he had just noticed her standing there. He turned toward Jared. Sarcasm dripped from his words. “What’s she doing here? Is this ‘be kind to a Donaldson week’?”
A quick flash of anger darted through Jared’s eyes. “What she’s doing here is none of your business.”
Terry turned to her as he gestured toward the front door. “Run along, Kim. Jared and I have a personal matter to discuss.”
Jared immediately stepped between Kim and Terry, cutting off anything she might have said in response to Terry’s bad manners. “Kim and I were about to have dinner. Since you are not invited to join us, it appears that you’re the one who needs to run along.”
Kim tried to collect her thoughts. She was rattled and confused. Jared had definitely usurped her position in speaking for her, but had he also just taken her side and defended her against the verbal barb from his own brother? Had he told Terry that he was not welcome and he should leave right away? She had been angry with Jared just moments before Terry’s unannounced arrival. Now she didn’t know what to think.
Terry shot an angry sidelong glance at Kim, then turned his back on her and lowered his voice, but not so low she couldn’t hear what he was saying. “We have some personal business to discuss and it can’t wait until you’ve fed Kim.”
“Yes, it can wait. Business can wait until business hours. I have some free time at ten o’clock tomorrow morning. You can stop by the office then.”
Terry’s demanding and aggressive attitude softened a little. “But you don’t understand what the problem—”
Jared’s voice turned hard and his manner abrupt. “I understand fully well what the problem is. I was just going over the contract that Tony Williams was kind enough to messenger to me this afternoon. The contract promising payment in thirty days. The contract you had no authority to sign. The contract that obligates Stevens Enterprises to pay a hundred thousand dollars for something the company will never see because it will immediately become another one of your toys. Does that convey a proper understanding of the problem?”
Terry nervously glanced at Kim again, then pulled Jared aside. “This is a matter that should be discussed in private, certainly not in front of a Donaldson.”
“As I told you, ten o’clock tomorrow morning.” Jared turned away from Terry, then glanced at him. “And be on time. I have a very busy schedule tomorrow.”
Jared took Kim’s arm and escorted her from the foyer into the main part of the house, leaving Terry standing in the entryway. She wasn’t sure exactly what to say to Jared but knew she needed to say something. “Uh…back there when you told your brother—”
He cut off her words before she could say anything else. The bitterness in his voice was unmistakable. “Terry is my half brother, not my brother. Terry is the result of daddy dearest’s second marriage…or perhaps it was his third marriage. I tend to lose track of the total number of women who have been Mrs. Ron Stevens.”
He furrowed his brow in mock concentration for a moment. “No…it was his second wife. I think he had a total of six wives…of course, there could have been one or more wives prior to my mother that I’m not aware of. And that doesn’t count the mistresses in between and sometimes during the numerous marriages.”
Jared’s manner quickly changed to a pleasant, upbeat attitude. “Now, before we were so rudely interrupted I believe you were trying to convince me—” the loud slamming of the front door announced Terry’s departure, but Jared didn’t stop walking or look toward the door “—that you have another engagement for this evening. I’m going to assume you meant for later this evening, something you needed to do after we have dinner.”
She managed some barely audible words in response to Jared’s take-charge manner. “I suppose so.” She offered no resistance as he steered her through the house to the large gourmet kitchen. He had done it to her again, coerced her into something she had no intention of doing. Why did she end up caving in and letting Jared have his way? What happened to her determination to stand up to him? Why did her resolve seem to go into hiding whenever she was around him?
Jared continued through the kitchen into the large utility room. He opened a door that led downstairs. “I’ll be right back with a bottle of wine.” A hint of a mischievous grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Lurch’s food is in the cupboard, and his food and water dishes are on the floor over there in the corner.” He disappeared down the stairs before she could say anything.
Kim stood motionless as she thought about her options. Just when she was prepared to do battle with him over her dog-feeding assignment he had done an about-face in his attitude and stepped in front of her, blocking Terry’s verbal attack…both figuratively and literally. She was still a little flustered about Jared’s confrontation with Terry and confused by the way he seemed to have protected her. There was also the sharp edge to his voice when he made it clear to her that Terry was his half brother. It was the last thing she ever would have anticipated, especially from a member of the Stevens family.
A warm feeling settled inside her as she replayed his words in her mind. He hadn’t embarrassed her by saying she was working off her father’s debt, he had simply told Terry that her presence was none of his business.
Uncertainty darted through her. Jared Stevens had a very disconcerting affect on her, one that left her apprehensive about his motives and at the same time excited every time he came near her. Just the sound of his voice sent excitement coursing through her. She stared at the door where he had disappeared as she tried to figure out what to do.
She could ignore what he had said about feeding the dog, but to do that seemed rather petty. A three-generations-old family feud was certainly not the dog’s fault. She emitted a little sigh of resignation. She would try to sort it out after she got home. But for now… She opened the cupboard he had indicated, took out the bag of dry food and set it on the counter. When she stooped to pick up the dog bowls she caught sight of something so ludicrous it took her completely by surprise.
There, in the middle of the back door, was the largest doggy door she had ever seen. It was big enough for a good-size man to crawl through, allowing any stranger access to the house. The absurdity of it tickled her to the point where she couldn’t restrain her laughter.
Jared reached the top of the stairs, bottle of wine in hand, as her laughter reached his ears. The sound surprised him and at the same time captivated his senses. It was the same laugh he had heard earlier that day but had not witnessed—a disarming laugh that sent little ripples of excitement through him. A moment later he saw that her smile was equally enchanting. A tightness pulled across his chest, and his pulse raced a little quicker, the same physical reaction that assailed his senses every time he was close to her.
He wasn’t sure why he had insisted she stay and have dinner with him. It was the same type of impetuous decision that had led him to make her the offer of working off her father’s debt. Something about her made him want to keep her close. Was it a mistake? Would he eventually regret it? P
robably, but that was an intellectual concern, and he seemed to be acting on pure emotion, first his libido and then something he couldn’t identify, something that told him he liked having her around and wanted to get to know her better.
He entered the utility room. “What’s so funny?”
She spun around, her eyes momentarily wide with surprise and her cheeks showing the crimson blush of embarrassment. “You startled me. I didn’t hear you come back.”
He offered her a sincere smile, one that held neither deceit nor subterfuge. “With all that laughter going on I think a truck could have rattled through here without you hearing it.”
“It’s, uh…” She suppressed another giggle as she gestured toward the dog door. “It doesn’t matter what kind of a security system you have for your house, that dog door is large enough for any burglar to fit through.”
He chuckled as he shook his head in amusement. “Well…I sort of assumed that anyone thinking about breaking in would decide an animal requiring that big an entrance was one they wouldn’t want to encounter.”
She offered a shy smile. “I suppose that makes sense.”
“Besides—” in an involuntary action he reached out with his free hand and lightly touched her cheek and hair “—the security system covers the other doors from the utility room to the kitchen and the one leading downstairs….”
His voice trailed off as he set the bottle of wine on the counter next to the bag of dog food. He knew he was treading on dangerous ground, but at that moment he didn’t care. He also knew he had no business instigating anything of a personal nature with her, especially under the circumstances, but his desires overpowered the thin thread of common sense that still clung to him.
He ran his fingers across her cheek and down her arm, then grasped her hand in his. The words slipped out on their own without him consciously wanting to say them. “You have a very nice smile. You should smile more often.”
Still clutching her hand in his, he pulled her body closer in much the same way as when he had helped her up from the floor that morning. Only this time he didn’t stop. He leaned forward, brushed his lips against hers, then captured her mouth with a soft kiss. He tasted the earthiness of a sensuality that nearly knocked his socks off. He felt her hesitate for a moment as if she was uncertain what to do, then she turned her face away and broke off the kiss.
Her voice contained a combination of shock, embarrassment and anger. “What do you think you’re doing?”
He didn’t move away, his face still within inches of hers. “I was indulging an impulse.”
Kim glanced nervously around the utility room. Her body was sandwiched between Jared and the counter so she couldn’t back away from him. In spite of the excitement coursing through her body, she tried to sound authoritative, in control and businesslike.
“You may feel free to indulge your impulses with the many women you date, but I’m not one of them. This is strictly a business arrangement, and I’d appreciate it if in the future you would refrain—”
Lurch charged through the dog door, slid across the smooth tile floor and bumped into Jared, knocking him off balance. Jared fell against Kim. In an awkward moment, each instinctively grabbed for the other in an attempt to remain upright and regain their balance, but they ended up in a tangle of arms and legs on the utility room floor with his body partially covering hers. Jared’s face was again very close to Kim’s. He made no effort to release her or stand up.
“Are you all right?” He didn’t like the huskiness that surrounded his words, a verbal indication of what was going on inside him and much more than he wanted to reveal. He wanted to kiss her again, to experience her taste. His desires told him he would be happy to spend the evening right there on the floor with her, their bodies pressed together. His logic, however, told him it was a bad idea, a situation he should put a stop to immediately regardless of how much she stimulated his passions.
He skimmed his fingertips across her cheek and tucked an errant lock of hair behind her ear. “Lurch didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“I’m…no, he didn’t hurt me.” A sensual wave swept through her. She felt the rise and fall of his chest as his body pressed against hers, matching her increasingly labored breathing. Her skin tingled where his fingers touched it. Everything about this was as wrong as it could be. It was bad enough when he had tried to kiss her and she had almost allowed it. Now they were on the floor with his body on top of hers, and neither of them was making any effort to put a stop to it.
She should have refused his dinner invitation. She should have slapped his face when he tried to kiss her. She should be pushing him away from her so she could get up. So why hadn’t she done any of those things? It was a question she didn’t want to think about. The conclusion could say more than she wanted to know.
Kim forced herself to take action. She pushed against Jared, marveling at his hard muscled shoulders and at the same time wanting to break the physical contact. “Let me up.”
Jared reluctantly got to his feet. As soon as he stood, Lurch started licking Kim’s face. He grabbed the dog’s collar. “Lurch…shame on you.” He sent the dog across the room, then reached out his hand to Kim. It was probably just as well the moment was brought to a halt, but he couldn’t stop the thoughts about where things might have gone if Lurch hadn’t come charging into the room.
“This is the second time today I’ve had to help you up from the floor.” He fought the wry smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth. “You’re going to have to learn to keep your feet under you.”
Kim ignored his offer of assistance and scrambled to her feet. The kiss had her far more rattled than being knocked to the floor in another encounter with Lurch. And what had her even more unnerved was the knowledge that she wanted to be a willing participant in that kiss. She quickly ran her fingers through her mussed hair as she tried to regain her composure.
She put forth a businesslike attitude, desperate to move away from the very personal and intimate moment they had just shared. “Yes, and both times it was because your dog knocked me down.”
Jared glanced toward Lurch, then returned his attention to Kim. His voice teased and his eyes sparkled with humor. “As I said this morning…I think he likes you.”
She tried to ignore Jared and pretend the previous few minutes had not existed. In the hope of covering her embarrassment and stilling the excitement that continued to ripple through her, she grabbed the bag of dog food from the counter and poured some into Lurch’s dish. Next, she took the nearly empty water dish to the utility sink and filled it. And all the while she felt his gaze on her, which only compounded the desire surging through her body—unwanted desire. What in the world will the next three months be like if I’m having this much difficulty getting through the first day? It was a question that left her very uneasy.
After placing the water bowl next to the dog’s food dish, Kim took a deep breath, held it a moment, then slowly expelled it in an attempt to steady her shaken nerves. She turned toward Jared. A quick jolt of anger, combined with a hint of embarrassment, shot through her consciousness. He looked so calm and composed, as if kissing her had been nothing more than business as usual and hadn’t meant anything to him beyond saying hello.
Her anger and embarrassment merged into a feeling of resentment at the way he had tried to use her and guilt over the way she had allowed the kiss to happen. She wasn’t sure what to say to him, or what to do.
The one thing Kim was sure about was her need to get out of his house and away from the mesmerizing sex appeal of Jared Stevens. She adopted a formal, businesslike attitude as she straightened her clothes. “I’ve fed the dog. I assume that concludes my chores for the day.”
He seemed genuinely surprised by her statement. “But what about dinner?”
“I have a previous commitment.” With that, Kim turned and walked away from Jared.
Jared started after her. “Wait a minute—” He caught up with her in the entryway by the front
door. “What commitment?”
She clenched her jaw in anger. “My personal life is none of your business. The only thing that’s your business is our agreement for me to work off my father’s debt, and I’m beginning to regret having said yes to it.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “There must be some other way to handle the financial obligation.”
He flashed a knowing smile, one that said he had the upper hand. “Yes…I’m sure there is.”
He brought his mouth down on hers again. It was a kiss that started soft but quickly escalated. Once again he sensed her hesitation, but a moment later, much to his surprise and pleasure, she returned his kiss.
This wasn’t what he had anticipated, wasn’t what he had in mind when he suggested they have dinner. At least he didn’t think it was what he had in mind. But as soon as she responded positively all his thoughts stopped…all except the one that told him he was in real trouble. Whatever was going on inside him, whatever it was that had pushed him to do something he knew he shouldn’t was more than physical desire and lust. He chose to ignore the disturbing thoughts about what it could be.
Kim knew she should not be kissing him, should not be standing there giving him her cooperation rather than her indignation. There was no doubt in her mind she would live to regret her actions, but it was something she was going to have to worry about at some other time. Right now his kiss was all she wanted to know about. She thought she had experienced toe-tingling kisses before, but they were nothing compared to the sensuality of Jared Stevens. She would deal with self-recriminations and guilt later.
At the Tycoon's Command Page 5
