by Desiree Holt
Nick held up his hands. “I’m going. I’m going. I’ll go arrange for the system.”
Tony grimaced. “Nothing like making her feel last minute.”
“I’ve been working up my nerve for a week,” Reno admitted sheepishly. “She intimidates me.”
Reno frowned as Nick burst out laughing.
“What?”
“That’s the most absurd statement I’ve heard. Sarah Madison is one of the warmest, most gracious individuals I have ever met. Well, you’d better get to it.” He opened the door and threw one final word of warning over his shoulder. “You have to tell her the whole story. Including the kidnapping.”
“I can’t tell her what you want,” he said. “She’d run in the other direction. And I wouldn’t blame her.”
Reno stood in the doorway, watching Sarah at her desk, busy with some last minute chores. From the first day he hired her, his office had run like a well-oiled machine. If there was ever a glitch, he never knew it. He had yet to see or hear of a disgruntled employee or client. Or have a piece of paper misplaced or miss an appointment. Sometimes he felt he just showed up at the office and Sarah took care of the rest.
He needed the same thing at his house, making order out of the chaos there, giving Molly the emotional security he wasn’t able to. The idea of marriage to Sarah had risen from the fog of his miserable existence sharp and clear. She could just apply the skills she used at the office and everything would fall into place. Molly would have a parent to love her, and he would provide the best financial environment possible.
He reviewed again in his mind the little he’d been able to find out about her. Valerie in Human Resources had given him whatever information she had, which was meager at best. Five years ago, shortly before coming to work at Guardian, her husband had been killed in a carjacking and she’d had a difficult miscarriage.
“She never discusses her personal life,” Valerie had told him, “but once a bunch of us were having coffee in the cafeteria, right after she started here. Everyone was talking about babies. She looked so sad and told us the loss of the child was devastating to her, especially since she didn’t think she could have any more. Then she clammed up about it, but I always see that sadness in her eyes. Too bad. She has a lot of love to give some lucky child.”
More than anything else, this was what had made him think his idea would work. And now it was even more imperative.
Sarah was well aware of the kind of work Guardian did. It wasn’t all corporate security. She knew about the hostage they’d rescued from Luis Aguilar as well as some other dicey situations. She’d even insisted on learning to shoot. He’d taken her to the range himself, pleased at how well she did. Then he’d signed her up for classes to get a Concealed Carry license. She’d also taken some self-defense courses, telling him she wanted to be able to defend herself if the need arose. Talk about a lucky thing.
She was closing down her computer and locking her desk when he finally walked up to her. She turned to him, smiling.
“Whatever it is, we’re closed for the day,” she joked. “I understand the boss refuses to pay overtime.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets and blurted out, “Sarah, would you have dinner with me tonight?”
As soon as he’d said it, he mentally kicked himself for his abrupt approach. So much for his well-rehearsed little speech. What was the matter with him? He felt like a teenager asking a girl out for his first date.
“I beg your pardon?” Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.
His mouth went dry, and he tried to swallow. What if she turned him down? “Let’s try this again. I was wondering if you were free for dinner tonight.” There. That was a little smoother.
“You want me to have dinner with you?” She was still gaping at him.
Surprised at her unexpected loss for words, afraid she’d turn him down out of hand, he tried to dredge up what Tony called his famous Sullivan charm. “I can promise you a good steak and fine wine.” He smiled and named one of San Antonio’s top restaurants, located on the famous Riverwalk, the city’s hot tourist spot.
“Well, I am a Texas girl born and bred,” she reminded him, the shock fading from her face, “so, yes, steak is my weakness.” Curiosity was still reflected in her eyes. “But I’d like to know what this is all about. Why the sudden invitation? Something special come up?”
He raked his fingers through his hair. Had something come up? Oh, yes, more than she knew.
She watched him carefully, questions in her eyes. “Reno?” she prompted, still waiting for an answer.
“Yes, you might say that. I do have a project I’d like to discuss with you.” Okay. Not far from the truth. “It’s dinner time. We both have to eat. I thought it might be nice for a change to do it together, and we can discuss what I have in mind. Are you free? Do you have plans?” He wanted to sound casual, but he was afraid anxiety was creeping into his voice.
“Well…” She chuckled. “I guess it beats a frozen dinner. Right?”
Reno felt his shoulders sag in relief. “Good, good. I’ll call the restaurant.”
“I’d like to go home and change, though, if that’s okay. It won’t take me long. Or are you in a hurry?”
“No, of course not. How about if I pick you up at seven? Will that give you enough time?”
“Seven it is.”
Chapter Two
Please let me get through this.
Sarah had been in an agony of indecision while getting dressed, discarding items, then pulling them back out again.
This is just a business dinner. That’s all. Don’t think it’s anything else.
But she couldn’t get rid of the flutter in her stomach. Just looking at Reno Sullivan made her nipples harden, her pussy dampen, and the muscles in her entire body tighten. It had taken a lot of discipline to put out of her mind the erotic dreams that left her shaking and go to work each day as if her boss were just a cardboard figure.
Yeah, right.
It wasn’t as if she was looking for a relationship, for heaven’s sake. Been there, done that. She and Mike had been on the verge of divorce when he’d been killed, and she’d sworn off men after that dismal experience. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t indulge in fantasies about one fantastic, erotic night with Reno Sullivan.
If she didn’t get over this, she’d have to look for another job. Maybe her mistake was taking the job even though her body went into sensual overload the first time she’d seen him. But the pay Reno Sullivan offered was extraordinary and the work really interesting.
When he got married, it put him safely out of her reach. But now he was a widower with an infant daughter. So of course the dreams had come back with stunning force.
Cut it out and get dressed or you won’t have a chance to find out what he wants.
Something was definitely up, and she tried to think what it could be. She enjoyed her job at Guardian, far more than she’d ever expected to. After five years they had settled into an easy give and take relationship. With her entire life devoted to her job, she was glad that they worked so well together and were so comfortable with each other.
Since the death of his wife he’d been driving himself even harder than before, working long hours, omitting any mention of either his late wife or his motherless daughter. His social calendar, beyond business obligations he couldn’t avoid, was woefully bleak and bare. So why the sudden interest in dinner with her? What was up with this invitation?
Finally settling on a silk blouse and skirt she knew matched the blue of her eyes, she was fastening her earrings when the doorbell rang promptly at seven. She picked up her purse, automatically checking for the little gun she carried, although she didn’t think she’d need a firearm for dinner with the boss. It had just become habit.
When she opened the front door, she swallowed a gasp at the sight of Reno in a dark gray slacks, white on white shirt, and paler gray tie. They complemented eyes framed by thick lashes, eyes so black you could fall int
o them. A square, masculine jaw set off his sensuous lips. The six-foot-four lean, muscular body was topped by a head of thick black hair.
She looked at him and saw the man as he appeared to the rest of the world—dangerous, dark, and edgy. He had a powerful presence that dominated every room he entered. His graceful movements belied the coiled energy that lay just below the surface. He was like a panther, always poised to leap. Even when dressed in his usual outfit of jeans and work shirt, he lost none of the power of his presence.
God, the man was too sexy for his own good. For her good.
“Ready?” His smile was a little strained.
All her original nervousness surged forward again. She swallowed and forced a smile. “Absolutely.”
At the restaurant the maître d’ showed them to a corner table, bowed them into their seats, shook open their napkins, and quietly handed them menus.
Sarah’s palms sweated and her pulse raced, as much from nervousness as from sexual attraction, as she looked at the man across from her. She tried to ignore the tight look on Reno’s face and let the quiet, elegant air of the restaurant work its magic on her. The polite tinkle of crystal sounded faintly in the air, punctuated by the genteel clink of silverware. Underneath it, muted conversation hummed at tables where carved tapers flickered in Waterford candlesticks, bathing the diners in a warm, amber glow.
“I’ve always loved this place,” she said, thinking she should attempt conversation. “I don’t get to come here as often as I used to, though. Thank you for choosing it.” She rearranged her napkin in her lap and wet her lips. “And you’re right about them serving the best steak in town.”
“Score two points for the good guys.” Reno grinned back at her, but the expression seemed forced.
The knot in Sarah’s stomach grew to enormous proportions. This must be something terrible for him to be so uptight. Was he going to fire her? Surely, he wouldn’t take her out to a fancy dinner to do it.
“Too bad none of the men you date are smart enough to bring you here,” he added.
She looked at him, then down at the table, her mouth suddenly dry. “I don’t date, Reno.”
“I’m sure that disappoints a large part of the male population.”
Sarah smiled politely, avoided commenting, and focused on the menu. She gave the waiter a weak smile as he took her order. An uneasy silence stretched between them as they worked their way through the meal, Sarah taking tiny bites of food, Reno merely pushing his around on his plate.
Reno stared at his dinner companion. She was such an obvious choice for his plan, the most together woman he had ever met. Very little rattled her. She was equally at home with corporate clients as she was with the construction crew. He saw her as the perfect combination of silk and steel. And he was sure she wouldn’t demand any kind of personal relationship with him. Yes, she was exactly what he needed to stop his life from unraveling further. Except he’d avoided the subject all through the meal, unsure of how to begin.
Now, the meal was over, and he was still stalling.
“Coffee?” He raised his eyebrows.
“Yes, thank you.” She looked at the waiter. “Some of your fabulous Spanish coffee, please.”
Her choice surprised Reno. He wouldn’t have expected her to order something quite so exotic. He tucked this little fact away among all the other little things he didn’t know about her, things he would have to learn. He hoped none of them held a trap for him to fall into.
“Just the French roast for me,” he said.
He leaned back in his chair, studying Sarah, and Tony’s words popped into his mind. His brother was right—the woman was stunning. She was maybe five foot four, but the heels she wore tonight added another three inches to her height. And her figure… Why hadn’t he ever noticed it before? All he’d seen when he’d looked at her was a female in jeans and a shirt who efficiently handled everything he and Nick threw at her.
But the work clothes apparently had disguised a body with lush, feminine curves and a graceful line of neck and chin. The light from the candles on their table reflected the tawny highlights in her abundant, coffee-colored hair, its thickness she ruthlessly tamed into a French braid every day. It warmed her almost translucent skin, accenting her high cheekbones and delicate lips. Her eyes were warm brown pools of liquid chocolate with tiny flecks of gold in the irises, the most expressive part of her face. The light jasmine scent she wore drifted across to him and teased at his nose. An image of her graceful legs as she’d walked out of her house zapped his mind, but he suppressed it with great determination.
Shit. She’s beautiful. I should have insisted we go someplace casual so she couldn’t change out of her office clothes. She’d still be an anonymous female with excellent skills.
Maggie had been a carbon copy of all the other women in his life—exotic women who were striking and out of the ordinary. In contrast, Sarah’s beauty was understated but incandescent. It should have made her less attractive to him, but unfortunately for his plans, she stirred something long buried in him. He had an unexpected urge to release her coffee-colored hair from its braid, let it tumble about her shoulders, and run his fingers through it.
Damn! An unexpected stirring of desire, a heaviness in his groin that hadn’t been there for a long time, shocked him.
What the hell?
“Have I spilled something?” Sarah asked, checking her blouse and brushing at an invisible spot.
He frowned. “No. Why?”
“You’re staring at me with the most peculiar expression.”
“Sorry.” He twirled his wine glass, the liquid nearly sloshing out. “Just lost in my own thoughts.”
“They must be pretty heavy.” She grinned. “You look as if the world is weighing on you.”
“I’m sorry.” He sat up straighter in his chair, his mind working furiously. He was nervous as hell, a condition he wasn’t used to. He couldn’t afford to make a mistake with this. Or let his unexpectedly awakened libido lead him astray. He wiped his perspiring palms on his pant legs.
Sarah hadn’t realized how difficult it would be to come out of her self-imposed shell and use her rusty social skills. Her catastrophic marriage had made her withdraw into herself. At work, she could look at all the men—Reno, Nick, Tony, and the others as sexless individuals. She did her job, and they were part of it. Period.
But Reno’s overpowering presence crowded her, and all she could think of was how she could go back to pretending he didn’t make her panties wet or invade her dreams hot and naked. And how she would do her job after this. Maybe it would be better after all if he fired her.
Something was making him uneasy tonight, though, and it piqued her interest. It was so unusual for him. Whatever it was, she wished he’d get to it. And quickly.
“Sarah.”
“Yes?” Okay. Was this finally it?
He cleared his throat. “You’d say we’re a good team in the office, wouldn’t you? We’ve developed a good working rhythm? We almost have a better relationship than some marriages.”
What? Where was this going?
“You do such a great job,” he continued. “I don’t know how I ever got things accomplished before you came along. Guardian owes you a great deal.”
“Thank you.” She pushed away the remains of her coffee, suddenly losing her taste for the sweet drink, and took a deep breath. “This is very nice, your compliments are wonderful, the dinner was great, and I’m enjoying the evening. But I have no idea what’s on your mind. What’s going on here, Reno? What’s so important you had to ask me to dinner?”
Reno swallowed the last of his coffee and set his cup down with careful precision. “You’re right. It’s time I got to it.”
Sarah waited, forcing herself to sit quietly, even while her pulse began to accelerate. Something was definitely up, and something about Reno’s attitude unnerved her.
He cleared his throat again. “I know that you lost a child when your husband was killed, and I can�
��t tell you how sorry I am.”
How the hell did he know that? It was carefully guarded information. I wanted a child, but not Mike’s. Not something I can tell a stranger.
“What I wondered…that is, I wanted to know…” He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “If the opportunity to have a child were presented to you, would you take it? Would it interest you?”
Sarah stared at him. Now, she was really confused. What did this have to do with work?
She blinked. “Excuse me?”
The air between them was suddenly so thick a saw couldn’t have cut it.
Sarah dropped her napkin on the table and pushed back her chair back. “I think I’d like to go home now.”
“Wait, please.” Reno reached across the table and placed his hand on her arm. “I’m doing this badly. Just hear me out, okay?”
She nodded but withdrew her arm, the heat of his hand searing her skin through the silk fabric of her blouse.
“You know I have a six-month-old infant,” he began. “I haven’t done very well with her since Maggie’s death. The circumstances are somewhat difficult.”
“Difficult?”
What could be so difficult about raising a child? Not to mention the fact she had a hard time imagining this sexy as sin man with a child to begin with.
“My fault, nobody else’s,” he continued. “I can’t seem to find a housekeeper, and my situation’s desperate.”
Sarah frowned. “Did you want me to check out some agencies? Really, Reno, you didn’t have to take me to dinner to ask me that. I’d be happy to help.”
Reno shook his head. “No, that’s not it at all. I know people who’ve had really serious problems hiring through an agency. I don’t really trust strangers, and I’m not comfortable having one live in my house. It hasn’t worked so far.”
“Reno, please. Enough. Just get to the point here.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t usually botch things this badly. Okay, here’s the deal.” He took a deep breath and exhaled. “Sarah, I’m asking you to marry me.”
Sarah stared at Reno, speechless. If he’d asked her to take off her clothes, she couldn’t have been more shocked. Of all the things she might have expected, this wasn’t even on the radar. Cold liquid dripping on her skirt startled her, and she realized she’d knocked over her water glass.
