“How did the visit with Bubba’s owner go?” she asked as they approached her building.
“He worries me a little. That’s why I’m checking with my lawyers this afternoon to make sure the amended contract will hold up.”
She squeezed his hand. “You’ll be able to protect that little guy. I have faith in you.”
“Let’s hope you’re right.”
In the lobby of her building, an empty elevator stood open. “Come on!” She hurried toward it. “We can make it.”
He laughed and lengthened his stride. They dashed through the doors, barely making it before they closed.
Catching her other hand in his, he faced her as the elevator started up. “You okay?”
“Yes. Yes!” She launched herself into his arms and whisked off his hat. “I feel great. Kiss me, Adam.”
With a groan he pulled her tight, and this time his mouth was more demanding. Gratifyingly so. The thrust of his tongue told her exactly what he was thinking, and he boldly cupped her bottom so that she could have no doubt about his immediate intentions.
Her plan for tonight was a very good idea. They’d get down to the nitty-gritty and then she’d know whether to dive into this relationship headfirst or pull back. As the heat of their kiss intensified, he backed her against the elevator wall and pressed his thigh between her legs. The elevator pinged to a stop, and he released her with a soft curse.
Straightening her clothes and taking a deep breath, she looked into his passion-glazed eyes. “Don’t make reservations for tonight. We’ll eat in. I’ll text you my address.”
His sharp intake of breath and the searing glance he gave her provided all the encouragement she needed to follow through with that plan. When she walked out of the elevator, she knew he’d watch her leave. She deliberately twitched her hips and smiled at his moan of frustration before the doors closed and the elevator started back down.
She was playing with fire, and she knew it. She’d pretty much promised him sex tonight, which raised the stakes for her and might be simply a fun romp for him. But having sex was the only way she’d find that out. She’d know by his behavior afterward where she stood.
As for her elevator phobia, thanks to Adam and his sexy kisses, she had it on the run, perhaps forever.
* * *
“I figured you might like a report on how your matchmaking efforts are progressing.” Adam studied his friend sitting across the small table.
“I wouldn’t call it matchmaking, exactly.” Will took a sip of his draft. “Sending her out to the Triple Bar was a logical move. I knew she was a good candidate for working with your horses.”
“And a good candidate to draw me out of my shell?”
“Maybe. Do you like her?”
“No.”
“I’m sorry. I thought you two would—”
“My feelings go way beyond like. She’s the sexiest, most interesting woman I’ve met in a long time.”
“See there?” Will sat back in his chair and smiled. “I had a feeling she’d appeal to you. And for what it’s worth, I’m very encouraged by her progress. How did the elevator ride go?”
“You knew about that?”
“She told me today was the day, and then this morning she called to say you were riding with her. She wondered if she was wimping out, but I urged her to go with whatever worked. She needed to get on that elevator.”
“Well, she rode it. Twice.” He didn’t dare think too much about that second time while he was sitting here with Will.
“That’s great.”
“After the first elevator ride, we went to lunch and sat at a table in the middle, fairly far away from the door. I didn’t even think about it until she mentioned passing another milestone.”
“Excellent.” Will took another swig of beer. “You two could be very good for each other.”
Adam nursed his beer. He was only allowing himself one, because he wanted to be completely sober when he arrived at Valerie’s apartment. “There might be an issue, though.”
“What’s that?”
“She seems to think I’m some kind of hero.”
Will laughed.
“Yeah, I know. Funny, isn’t it?”
“No, it’s not at all. I’m laughing at the way you said it, as if you couldn’t possibly be any woman’s hero.”
“Hell, you of all people know I’m not hero material.”
“Don’t sell yourself short, buddy.”
“Oh, come off it, Will. I should never have taken the CEO position, and marrying Elise was a huge mistake. She had every right to kick me to the curb after I changed the rules of the game. Valerie’s put me on a pedestal and I don’t deserve to be there. I’m going to disappoint her, and then what?”
Will leaned forward. “Sure, you might disappoint her, but not in the ways that count. You’ve made mistakes, sure, but we all do when we’re trying to figure out where we fit in the world. You’re a good man, and that’s what she values in you. She might be the first woman who sees who you really are and likes what she sees.”
“I wish I believed that.”
“I wish you did, too. I’m sure it’s damned unfamiliar, unfortunately.”
“I don’t know, Will.” Adam sighed and picked up his glass. “I just have the awful feeling she’s built an image of me that I can never live up to.”
“Maybe you already have lived up to it.”
Adam shook his head. “Not a chance.” Then he changed the subject, because that one was too depressing. He and Will talked sports and politics, but his mind never strayed far from thoughts of Valerie.
He planned to go to her apartment for dinner because he couldn’t stay away. And he’d make love to her, because that was what she obviously intended, and he couldn’t resist her. If he had any sense at all, he would resist, but he kept seeing that little twitch in her hips as she’d walked away from the elevator. Yeah, he would go to her apartment tonight. He could hardly wait.
Will, who was as perceptive as most therapists, picked up on Adam’s underlying agitation. “Do you need to head back to the ranch? Is that why you’re fidgeting?”
“Uh, no.” He should have realized that meeting Will for a drink was a tactical error. The guy could read him better than any human on the planet. “Valerie invited me to her place for dinner.”
Will’s blond eyebrows lifted. “Did she, now?”
“She did, and I’ll thank you not to comment on that fact.”
“Wasn’t planning to say a word.”
“No, but you’re thinking plenty. Should I cancel?”
Will held up both hands, palms out. “I’m not about to make that call. But I’m glad to hear she invited you over. It’s a positive sign.”
“Will, I haven’t . . . I’ve been off the market for . . . well, you know.”
“I do, and I think this is also a positive sign for you.”
“You’re looking entirely too pleased with yourself, buddy.”
“All I did was put two people on the same path and let nature take its course.”
“And if it all blows up?”
Will shrugged. “Life is messy. But you’re both intelligent people with good hearts. I have faith that you’ll be able to work it out.”
“Just so you know, I told her I was having a drink with you tonight before I came over to her place.”
“Then tell her I said hi.”
“Will, what if tonight is a disaster and she refuses to come out to the Triple Bar anymore? How will that affect her progress?”
“First of all, I doubt tonight will be a disaster, and second of all, she’s doing well. If she never came out to your ranch again, she’d still have sessions with me, and I have every confidence she’ll recover. You can be proud of the help you’ve given her. She’s going to be just fine.”
“Good.” Adam polished off his beer in three gulps. “That’s very good.” He didn’t say that the idea of Valerie never coming out to the ranch again tied his stomach in knots. If going to her place tonight could ruin that, then he shouldn’t do it. He shouldn’t take that risk.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I’m going to cancel. I can’t take a chance that something will go wrong tonight and she’ll give up on coming out to the ranch. She loves it there.”
“Don’t cancel.”
“Why not?” Adam paused, the phone in his hand. “Give me one good reason.”
“I could give you dozens, but I’ll settle for what you just said. Did you hear yourself?”
“I can’t take a chance on something going wrong.”
“Not that. The last part. You said she loves it there.”
“Yeah, she does. Her face lights up when she arrives, and she’s really bonded with Rocket Fuel and Saucy Lady. I’m afraid she’s attached to Bubba, too, but she understands about him. I’m hoping that soon I can get her up on Rocket Fuel and we can go for a ride. Not a long one, just a short little ride, to get her used to—”
“Adam, you’ve found a woman who loves your ranch. Why in God’s name are you going to cancel your evening with her?”
“She loves the ranch, William. But the rancher, who would be yours truly, could end up being a huge disappointment to her. If I avoid that by backing off, then she can continue to enjoy the ranch she loves. Do you see what I’m saying?”
Will shook his head. “It must be hell to be you. Listen, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you’re screwed. If you cancel tonight, she’ll be pissed, and you’ll lose her. If you mess up tonight, she’ll be pissed, and you’ll lose her. So your best option is to head on over there and do your damnedest not to mess up.”
“You’re just a basket of rainbows and butterflies, Will.”
His buddy smiled. “That’s what they tell me. Now get on your horse and ride over to Valerie’s place.”
“Right.” Adam threw some money down on the table because it was his turn to pay. “If this doesn’t work out, you owe me free counseling.”
“It’s always free, Adam.”
He left the bar and prayed that he wouldn’t end up sitting in Will’s office next week, pouring out his troubles.
Seven
What had she been thinking? Valerie had arrived back at her apartment at five forty-five after a mad dash to the grocery store. Adam would be at her door in forty-five minutes. She was about to risk having a man in her apartment again. More than that, she’d given him plenty of reason to believe they’d have sex.
Earlier she’d thought it was a fabulous idea. Now she realized that having sex involved giving up control, at least if you planned to do it right. For the past several months she’d been all about keeping things under control.
But she trusted Adam. He’d guided her through the process of learning to be comfortable with his horse, Rocket Fuel. He’d taken her successfully through her first elevator ride in months, and he’d protected her from suffering in a crowded elevator, which could easily have sent her into a panic.
She’d been fantasizing about him for three weeks, and their kiss during the second elevator ride had been hot enough to melt the buttons on the control panel. Inviting him to her place so they could explore this attraction on a deeper level was an obvious next move. Except she was having some of those pesky second thoughts.
Sometime this afternoon, when the glow from the elevator kiss had worn off, she’d started thinking about the fact that he wasn’t just any cowboy. As they worked with the horses at his ranch, that was how she tended to view him, probably because she wasn’t intimidated by a guy who wore faded jeans and scuffed boots. But he was also a billionaire.
This afternoon, Valerie had tried to convince herself it wasn’t important. Adam shouldn’t care what her apartment looked like or whether she’d cooked a gourmet meal. And he wouldn’t, if he was the kind of man she thought he was, the kind she could get serious about. But they’d always met on his turf.
Correction: They’d always met in his barn. The barn was functional, not fancy. On her first visit to the Triple Bar, she’d paid attention to the obvious display of wealth in the pristine pastures and the elegant two-story house on the hill. After that, none of it had mattered because she’d focused on Adam and the horses.
But ignoring his wealth, especially if she envisioned a possible future with him, would be naive. Tonight she’d find out how well he managed in a setting that was several notches down from what he was used to. That would be a good thing to know, right? If he was ill at ease, or if he patronized her, even a little bit, a relationship between them wouldn’t work.
Therefore she shouldn’t worry about how her place looked, but she wasn’t that strong. The first thing that stood out in her initial survey was a smear of yellow paint on her white living room wall. Her landlord had given her permission to repaint and she’d tested that cheery color with one ten-inch swipe of the brush. She wanted to cover it up.
Her bedroom closet yielded nothing but rolled up rock band posters from her younger days. Then she spied her collection of scarves. Twenty minutes later, thanks to the scarves and some pushpins, she’d created a fabric wall decoration that looked . . . weird.
But she was out of time to worry about that, so she left it. Next she made a sweep of the area, grabbing up newspapers and magazines, straightening throw pillows, and blowing the dust off her coffee table. It would have to do. She still had to get dinner started, set the table, and change clothes.
Damn! She’d forgotten to buy wine. She had a half-bottle of Chardonnay in the refrigerator. Yeah, that would be classy. Here’s a glass of leftover wine. Hope you didn’t want seconds because that’s all there is.
Stopping in her tracks, she took several calming breaths. She could do this. Presenting a perfect scenario wasn’t in the cards. No matter what she did, the ambiance wouldn’t match what Adam had experienced while he was married to Elise.
Ah, there was her other hidden fear. While at work this afternoon, she’d Googled a picture of his ex, who was poised, blond, stunning, and dripping in expensive jewels. He might not want to be married to her anymore, but she was still the type he was used to. Elise would never offer him leftover wine and spaghetti sauce from a jar.
Screw it! Valerie rolled her eyes, impatient with herself. She’d taken this step, made this plan, and she might as well see it through. At six twenty-seven, she turned on the burners under the pasta water and the pan for the spaghetti sauce. Then she ran into her bedroom and changed into a green and blue patterned dress that was on the slinky side and looked sort of hostess-like.
Her doorbell rang before she’d decided on shoes. Shoving her feet into some sparkly flip-flops, she took a deep breath, left her bedroom, and went to answer the door.
He stood in the hall holding a bottle of wine and a bouquet of flowers. His silver gaze was intent, his smile a little tense. She hoped to hell he wasn’t having second thoughts, too.
Her heart thumped wildly. They were about to be completely alone for the first time since they’d met. So much hinged on tonight. So much.
He hoisted his gifts. “I know I’m a walking cliché, but—”
“No, it’s sweet. Come in.” She stepped back and he walked through her door, into her world. She was so nervous she could barely breathe. “Let me . . . let me take those.”
He handed her the bouquet and the wine. “You look beautiful, Valerie.”
“It’s just—” She caught herself before she dismissed his compliment. He’d made it with a soft reverence that told her it was more than an offhand remark. Even though he’d moved in circles where women wore designer clothes, her quickly chosen outfit had dazzled him. That touched her. “Thank you.”
He took off his hat. “Where should I put this?”
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br /> “On the coffee table’s fine.”
He set it there without spending any time looking at the table, or the sofa and chairs, or any part of her living room, including her scarf wall art. His hot gaze came back immediately to rest on her. “Could you put those down for a minute?”
“Sure.” Her heart beat faster as she laid the bouquet on the coffee table next to his hat and set the wine bottle beside the bouquet.
“I know you have dinner going. I can smell spaghetti sauce. But I need—”
“Me, too.” She stepped into his arms with a moan of happiness. “Oh, me, too.”
His hungry mouth on hers swept away her misgivings. He was desperate for her, and she was equally desperate for him. He crushed her to him, sending her racing pulse into overdrive. Yes, oh, yes.
Lifting his mouth from hers, he gripped her tight, as if afraid that ending the kiss would make her vanish. “Can dinner wait?”
She had no idea, but the ache building deep in her body answered for her. “Yes.”
“Good, because I can’t.”
“Come with me.” Wiggling out of his arms, she caught his hand and led him back to her bedroom. The sun hadn’t set, and light filtered through her gauzy curtains, bathing the room in a golden glow. There would be no hiding in the dark this first time.
She didn’t care. His obvious need for her made her bold. And puts you in control, whispered a little voice. She ignored it. Turning back to him, she pulled her dress over her head and tossed it aside.
He sucked in a breath. “Hold it. Don’t move.”
She paused, but she couldn’t be completely still. She quivered in anticipation of what would come next, and what would happen after that, and how it would be when they finally . . .
“I don’t want to forget how you look. You’re outlined in gold, Valerie. You shimmer.”
“Because I’m shaking.”
“So am I. I want you so much that it scares me.”
Safe in His Arms Page 6
