Sweet Surrender (Sugar Rush #3)

by Nina Lane

  “…and so an analysis of purchasing trends can lead to a far more efficient global distribution system.” Miles Norwood turned off his laser pointer and faced the executives seated around the boardroom table.

  Kate straightened, schooling her expression into one of polite interest. This was the first time in the past two years that she hadn’t paid strict attention to what was said at a board meeting. That would never do.

  “Sugar Rush can continue to use data to track cocoa-farming production in Africa and South America,” Miles continued, “in conjunction with Evan Stone’s Cocoa Bean Team.”

  The executives stirred, murmuring to each other as they leafed through the packet of cocoa bean crop data Kate had compiled. After answering questions about his presentation, Miles gathered his notes and resumed his seat at the table.

  “Next item is the report on edible candy pencils.” Warren Stone nodded toward the sales director, who indicated for them all to turn to the correct page in the sales report.

  Kate gazed surreptitiously at Miles. He wore a tan suit and tie with not a strand of his golden hair out of place. Not like Tyler with his messy dark hair and torn jeans that hugged his incredibly muscular legs.

  She tightened her grip on her pen and wrote a few notes, trying to focus on what the sales director was saying. By the time the meeting ended, she hoped she’d assimilated at least half of what the executives had discussed.

  She collected her things and made her way to the door, finding herself right beside Miles. Usually his presence caused her heart to flutter, but this time only her nose twitched at the potent smell of his cologne. Had he always smelled like the perfume section of a department store?

  “Nice work,” she said politely. “Sounds like your analysis will also help the company gather revenue data much faster.”

  “I expect so.” He paused, adjusting the knot of his tie. “By the way, I enjoyed the smoothie from the Gumdrop Bistro. Thanks for the recommendation.”

  “Sure.”

  All she had to do was ask if he wanted to join her for another smoothie later today. Or right now. I was just on my way over there for a Blueberry Blast. Care to join me?

  The question formed easily in her mind, but the words lodged in her throat. Miles gave her a nod of farewell before heading to the tech department offices.

  Kate turned in the opposite direction. She should wait to ask him out until she’d had a chance to get new clothes, anyway. Put her best foot forward and all that.

  She joined Luke in his office—noting that he appeared rather sunburned after his weekend at the music festival—to review several action items and his afternoon schedule.

  “Will there be anything else, sir?” she asked, rising to her feet.

  “Yes.”

  Here it comes. She braced herself for an interrogation about Tyler.

  Luke leafed through some papers. “Have you ever attended a conference for administrative professionals?”

  “A conference? No.”

  “There’s one in Florida next month.” He extended a brochure and a set of forms. “Registration is still open. Sugar Rush will pay for your tickets, hotel, and a per diem. Considering how quickly you became indispensable not only to me but to all the executives at Sugar Rush, it would be a great way for you to network.”

  “Network for what?”

  “Your future,” Luke said. “You’re the best EA this company has ever seen. But at some point, we should sit down and talk about your career goals.”

  “This is my goal, sir. Being your assistant. I’m able to use all my skills, and frankly I love the job.”

  “I’m glad to know that. But I don’t need to point out that you’re quite young. You shouldn’t expect to be my assistant for your entire future career.”

  Kate had no idea what else she should expect. She’d been looking for basic secretary work after graduating from college, and she’d applied for the Sugar Rush EA position almost on a whim. The coastal California location had been highly appealing, not to mention she’d always loved Sugar Rush chocolates, and the job description had been tailor-made to her strengths.

  But she’d also been surprised by the call for an interview, then downright shocked when Luke had offered her the job on the spot. Since that day, she’d never considered doing anything else. Where did an executive assistant to the CEO go from here? Wasn’t this already the top of the line?

  “Thank you. I’d love to attend the conference.” She hesitated. “But I feel the need to apologize for what happened on Saturday at Wild Child. It was a mistake, not to mention highly inappropriate.”

  Luke nodded, though his expression was somber. “Kate, your personal life is none of my business. And what Tyler said made sense. I hadn’t realized I’ve been taking it for granted that you’re available on weekends. Not at all fair of me, especially since I’ve made it a point to keep my own weekends to myself. So from now on, please consider weekends your time off.”

  Kate’s hand tightened on the brochure. If he’d told her this a week ago, she’d have wondered what she would possibly do with all that spare time. But now, immediately, an image of Tyler appeared in her mind.

  What if she could spend it all with him? She would be giddy with happiness. Not to mention drenched in sexual satisfaction.

  She cleared her throat. “Thank you, sir. But I’m happy to be available whenever you need me.”

  “I appreciate that.” Luke continued regarding her. “But I’ve learned that a personal life is as important as work. And since I value you as both my assistant and friend…well, I’d advise you to be careful.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Kate returned to her desk, her feelings jumbled up. Much as she appreciated Luke sending her to the conference, she didn’t like the sense that he was warning her away from his brother.

  Then again, he had reason to. Tyler hadn’t exactly been a model citizen of late.

  She sat at her desk and reviewed the conference brochure. Stiletto heels clicked sharply up the stairs, like nails poking through her concentration. Kate’s guard shot into place. She knew those heels like she knew how to create a budget spreadsheet.

  She straightened, schooling her expression into one of cool impassivity. Julia Bennett, the younger sister of the late Rebecca Stone, approached Luke’s office, her regal walk seeming to command the air molecules to bow at her passing. Over the past eleven years, Julia had reigned as both the Stone family matriarch and one of the most revered personal stylists and fashionistas in the state.

  Kate had witnessed The Julia Effect firsthand countless times, which resulted in a combination of awe, fear, and occasional heroine-worship among the other employees.

  None of which meant Kate would let Julia get the better of her.

  She stepped in front of Luke’s door, crossing her arms and straightening her shoulders. After discovering that visits with his aunt often left Luke with a headache, Kate had taken it upon herself to protect him from the woman’s overbearing presence. Or at least, she tried.

  Julia stopped in front of her, hands on hips. In her mid-forties, she had an effortless beauty—sleek, blond hair falling to her shoulders in an elegant pageboy and curving just so at the ends, some sort of tweed designer suit that fit her gorgeous, toned figure to perfection, and of course those four-inch heels that announced her arrival like a contemporary herald.

  “Good morning,” Kate said in her usual cool, polite voice. “Mr. Stone’s morning schedule is full.”

  Julia skimmed her gaze over Kate’s suit, which she’d scored from a Target clearance rack. Clearly Julia could tell, if the slight flaring of her nostrils was any indication of her distaste.

  “As much as I can appreciate your loyalty to my nephew,” she replied, her own voice besting Kate’s coolness by a good thirty degrees below freezing, “I’m weary of this little game. Please step aside.”

  “No one sees Mr. Stone without an appointment. But as a favor to you, I’ll let him know you’re here.�
� Kate knew from experience not to step away from the door because Julia would barge right into the office. She pulled her cell phone from the holster and brought up Luke’s number. “Mr. Stone, your aunt is here asking to see you.”

  A gusty sigh came through the phone. “All right, let her in.”

  Kate had expected that, too, because unless he was in the middle of a meeting, Luke always deigned to see his aunt. It rankled Kate a bit since she would have liked to actually block Julia from entering, for no other reason than the satisfaction of proving she had power. But she would never undermine Luke’s authority, least of all in front of his aunt, so she opened the door and stepped aside.

  Julia swept past her in a rush of cool, expensively perfumed air. Luke looked up from his computer.

  “Your little poodle guard dog is getting wearisome.” Julia came to a halt in front of his desk.

  “What do you want, Julia?” Luke asked.

  Kate slipped out, closing the door behind her. As she returned to her desk, it occurred to her that despite their rancor, she could technically ask Julia, the Walking Fashion Magazine, for a teensy bit of advice about her wardrobe. At the very least, Julia could tell her if she was an “autumn” or a “spring” or whatever those terms meant.

  Yeah, right.

  Even if Kate opened herself up to ridicule by asking for advice from The Great One, she’d never be able to afford Julia’s services. While she suspected Julia had more class than to make a bitchy “lonely virgin” comment about her, Kate wasn’t sure she wanted to take the risk.

  Then again, she’d taken a huge risk with Tyler…and that was paying off in ways she’d never imagined.

  “Tell Polly I have her new dress in,” Julia called to Luke as she came out of his office. “She needs to stop by and have it fitted properly.”

  The Polly remark gave Kate a sudden burst of courage. In the past, Julia had helped Polly with the right dresses and whatnot. And Polly was so nice…if she got along with Julia, maybe there was hope.

  “Excuse me,” Kate said quickly.

  Julia stopped midstride, her perfectly arched eyebrow lifting.

  “Look, I know we’re not the best of friends,” Kate said in a rush. “But I also know you’re an amazing stylist, and I’d like to improve my wardrobe. Unfortunately, I don’t know anything about fashion. And I can’t afford too much either, but I was thinking maybe you could give me some tips.”

  She waited. Her heart raced. Julia’s blue gaze slid up and down her figure as if she were looking at her through a microscope. Then, astonishingly, her red lips parted in a genuine smile.

  “Why, Kate,” she said. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  After setting up an appointment to visit Julia’s studio later in the week, Kate took a quick lunch break and then triple-checked the afternoon schedule to make certain she wouldn’t be dropping any balls by spending an hour at the library.

  Her simmering excitement increased tenfold at the thought of seeing Tyler again. Of course, she had to keep the situation professional since they were at work, but just being in the same room with him would be like Christmas Eve and her birthday wrapped into one package.

  The Danger sign flashed. Kate ignored it. She had to go to the library. The electronics company had set up the new computer this morning, and she needed to install the collections management system. She also had to show Tyler how to use it, thereby fulfilling her part of the bargain.

  Suppressing the reminder that they had a “deal,” she picked up her briefcase of office supplies and took the elevator to the lower level. As soon as the elevator doors opened, the beat of “Funkytown” thumped through the basement.

  What in the…?

  She paused at the half-open library door. A media player and speaker sat on a table, blasting the music. On the mezzanine, Tyler, dressed in jeans and a white T-shirt, was holding a stack of books and…dancing.

  Kate covered her mouth to prevent a laugh from escaping, even as her gaze locked on to him. He shifted and rocked, his hips jerking from side to side, his pelvis thrusting with a vigor that would have put Elvis to shame.

  Even with an armful of books, Tyler moved with a rhythmic, masculine grace, in tune with the catchy beat and perfectly at home in his body.

  Envy and need curled through Kate. In one weekend, he’d given her a whole new experience with her own body. What would it be like to feel music flowing through her, compelling her to move the way Tyler was, with his hip thrusts and arm pops or whatever they were called? No wonder he didn’t like sitting at a desk—the man was a celestial object, in constant kinetic motion.

  She couldn’t take her eyes off him. Ribbons of heat unfurled in her veins, warming her from the inside out. She wasn’t surprised he could dance like this, given her firsthand knowledge of what else he could do with his body.

  She grasped the doorjamb and pressed her thighs together, shocked by the burgeoning throb between her legs even though she could have watched him forever, captivated.

  Only when Tyler spun around and came to a halt, his gaze crashing with hers, did Kate realize the music had faded to a stop. And he’d caught her staring at him with her mouth agape and sweat dotting her upper lip.

  “Excuse me.” She cleared her throat, pushing away from the doorjamb. “I apologize for interrupting Dance Fever, but I need to get some work done.”

  “By all means.” He leaned his elbows on the railing, his eyes fixing on her like twin laser beams.

  Kate yanked her attention from him and strode to the desk, hitting the off button on the media player when “Shake Your Groove Thing” started to play. She couldn’t let their fuck buddy friendship interfere with her professionalism. She just had to keep the two things compartmentalized, like she did in her filing system.

  She turned on the bright, shiny new computer and sat down. Her heart was beating unnaturally fast. Tyler’s footsteps sounded on the stairs. She felt him approaching, the air around him charged with energy, his presence flooding her spine with heat.

  “So what’s shakin’, Darling?” he asked.

  “Your ass, apparently,” she remarked dryly. “‘Funkytown’?”

  “Nothing beats the disco music of the seventies.”

  “I wouldn’t know. I don’t dance.” God, she sounded like an eighty-year-old. A persnickety eighty-year-old at that.

  “You don’t dance,” Tyler repeated. “At all?”

  “I have better things to do.”

  “Like research library database systems.” He did an eye-roll with his voice. “Fantastic.”

  “You know, we can call off the deal.” She slanted him a glance.

  “No, we’re good.” He winked at her.

  Yes, we’re good. Too good. Crazy good.

  “I talked to Luke earlier this morning.” Kate held up her hand when irritation tightened his jaw. “It’s okay. He apologized and said he wanted me to start really taking weekends off, like he does. Your speech had an impact.”

  Tyler looked faintly surprised, as if he wasn’t accustomed to having an impact on his older brother. “That’s great.”

  Kate didn’t bother telling him she didn’t know what she’d do on weekends—at least not after their friends-with-benefits relationship was over. Just the thought made her heart hurt.

  “You’re here to do some cataloguing or whatever?” Tyler asked.

  “I’m here to install the new database and get it up and running.” She logged into the computer. “It’s an incredible system with customizable metadata structures and tools for comprehensive collections management.”

  A deep rumbling noise erupted in his chest, sending a flame of heat through her lower body. He’d made that exact same sound when he’d been buried deep inside her with his mouth pressed to her neck and his fingers digging into her hips.

  “I love it when you talk like that,” he murmured.

  “I am ignoring you because we are at work.” She brought up the database software and started the installation
process.

  “Your coldness doesn’t change the fact that you look really good, Darling.”

  Kate shot him a scowl, pressing her lips together to prevent a smile. He was—of course—leaning against the desk with his legs crossed at the ankle and his arms folded across his broad chest. The overhead light glinted off his corded forearms, dusted with gold-tipped hair. Oh, he looked good, too. Edible good.

  “How was the rest of your weekend?” he asked.

  Spent in a post-lust haze reliving every second of having sex with you and getting aroused all over again.

  “Fine,” she replied. “Yours?”

  “Fine.” His eyes twinkled, as if he knew quite well that was a major understatement. “Can I come over tonight?”

  “We shouldn’t discuss personal stuff at work.”

  “I need to go over the…” he leaned closer to her, his breath brushing her hair as he murmured in a husky voice, “…controlled vocabulary.”

  A giggle escaped her throat. She forced her attention back to her task.

  “You might want to pay attention,” she said, though she wasn’t quite sure if she was talking to Tyler or herself. “You need this to finish your job.”

  “You’re my ticket to freedom, Darling,” he replied. “There’s no agreement that I have to actually learn anything. However, since you’re my teacher, I’ll pay attention.”

  “Didn’t you pay attention in school?” She glanced at him. “What did you study in college?”

  “Business. But I dropped out.”

  “You dropped out of college?”

  “Junior year.” Tyler scratched his chin and shrugged. “Didn’t go over well with the old man, as you can imagine.”

  “Why did you drop out?”

  “I didn’t like it. Hated sitting in class, doing homework, all that stuff. I went to a tech college for a while to learn auto repair. I liked that a lot more because I was actually doing something.”

  “Well, believe it or not, library work is actually doing something.” Kate picked up a book from a nearby shelf and opened it to the copyright page. “This is where you find the information to input into the bibliographic index. The index is composed of bibliographic records, or metadata, that include information like title, author, ISBN, and keywords. Those are the data elements that users need to retrieve a resource.”