A difficult Man to Love

by Elizabeth Lennox

  Was he being fanciful? He mentally scoffed at the idea. He’d never had a fanciful moment in his life! Hayden just looked like a sweet, sometimes tart, and rare person. A bit like a blueberry.

  No, that wasn’t fanciful, he silently vowed. It was a simple observation because he wasn’t a fanciful kind of man. He was practical and logical.

  She led him into the family room where the furniture was comfortable, but obviously hadn’t been updated in a while. There were a few tears, he noticed, but someone had carefully darned the areas so that the spots were barely visible unless someone was looking for them.

  The rest of the house looked solid if outdated and pretty rough. Just about everything needed to be replaced, repaired, or repainted. He thought a few walls should be knocked down to open things up and new windows installed that were more energy efficient. About thirty minutes into their discussion where he was half listening to her plans and half cataloguing all of the issues that needed to be fixed, the doorbell rang.

  Hayden looked at the clock, then back at him. “I’m sorry, I have no idea who that is. I wasn’t expecting anyone.”

  She jumped up and walked to the door with an innate grace that continued to dazzle him. It was all the more amazing since he suspected she had no idea how enticing her walk was. There was a soft, gentle sway to her hips. Nothing overt. Just a delicate, feminine walk.

  When she opened the door, Hayden stepped back, blinking in surprise at the stranger standing in the doorway. “I’m here to take a look at your heater,” a gruff man in a navy blue suit announced. He was polite, but his eyes were mainly looking down at his clipboard.

  Hayden stared at the man, astonished and worried. A repair man? She couldn’t afford this! And even worse, Viktor Chenko was right behind her. She could feel his eyes on her back and she cringed as the shame hit her. Viktor Chenko never had to worry about pinching pennies or suffering through a cold night because he couldn’t afford to pay for the heating system to be fixed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t call anyone to fix my heater,” she said, biting her lip as she contemplated her bank balance.

  “I did,” Viktor announced, stepping behind her and opening the door wider. “Come in.”

  The man looked up from the clipboard and nodded, immediately more subservient with Viktor’s more dominating presence behind her. The repair man’s arrogance and impatience was gone and he showed significantly more respect as he explained, “My orders were to take a look and fix whatever is wrong with it.”

  Viktor nodded and slipped an arm around Hayden’s waist, pulling her out of the way so the stranger could enter. “Exactly. I don’t know where the furnace is. Just get it working again by five o’clock this evening.”

  The man nodded enthusiastically. “Sure thing, mister.” A moment later, the repairman was walking into the living room, then moments later, disappeared into the basement.

  Hayden turned a furious glare up to Viktor. “How dare you! I can’t afford a repair person at this point so you need to tell to tell him to leave!”

  Viktor moved closer to her, taking her hands in his. “Hayden, the overnight temperature is supposed to drop below freezing tonight. There’s no chance I’m letting you sleep here without adequate heating and I doubt that you would be willing to stay with me, correct?”

  Hayden ignored his outrageous suggestion, shook her head and whipped her hands out from his. “I don’t know who you think you are,” she snapped, “but this is still my home and you can’t just come in here and take over!”

  He moved closer and, with each step, she took one back. But he continued to move forward until she was pinned against the wall.

  Only then did he speak. “I think I’m the man you are going to marry. And my fiancée doesn’t sleep in a house without heat.” His hands rested on either side of her head.

  Hayden pressed her palms against the wall behind her, praying that she could resist the temptation to reach out and touch this man. She didn’t even like him! Why in the world would she be tempted to touch him?! “I’m not going to marry you!” she gasped. “I didn’t tell you no before just so I wouldn’t hurt your feelings, but there’s no way I’m going to marry a man I don’t love, much less a man I barely even know!”

  His finger caressed her cheek. “You know me.”

  Frantically, she shook her head, trying to resist the temptation to turn her head into his touch, to feel his fingers more firmly against her skin. She trembled with his touch, wanting so much more and feeling horrible because of that desire.

  Pressing her lips together, she took a deep breath, trying to shore up her resistance. When she finally could speak, she tried to sound confident even though every particle in her body was betraying her common sense. “I don’t know anything about you! I don’t know where you’re from, where you’re going, what you like or dislike…and I definitely don’t understand why you would propose to a woman to whom you’ve exchanged perhaps five or six sentences!”

  He didn’t answer the first few questions, focusing on her last statement. “We’ve already established that there is something between us. Don’t make me prove it, Hayden.”

  That threat terrified her because…well because he was right. There was some sort of weird chemistry going on between them, but that didn’t mean it made sense to pursue it. Instead, she ducked down and slipped away from him. “You’re crazy!” she gasped, pacing back and forth. “That’s the only explanation for it. You’re insane.” Spinning around, she glared up at him. “Is that it? Are you just a nutcase? Do you go around proposing to everyone?”

  He laughed softly. “Let’s go for a walk and talk. I’m going to suggest some things to change about your business tactics.”

  “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  He stared at her for a moment, the corners of his mouth tilting upwards as if he were trying not to laugh at her.

  “Your inventory is all wrong.”

  She stiffened with his words, forgetting to admonish him for his amusement at her expense. “What’s wrong with my inventory? I supply the things most people want, plus the hard to find plants that people call me about.”

  He took her hand and led her out through the still-open front door. “The evergreens need to be moved together. And they should be against the back of your stock over there,” he pointed out to the left hand side of her rows of plants. “They should form a colorful backdrop to everything else. And they need to be in neat rows so customers can see each of them.”

  She bristled against his advice. “You don’t know anything about plants. Why should I listen to you?”

  “I don’t know anything about plants, that’s true. But I am extremely good at marketing.” He led her over to the front area, turning her body so that they could both see her entire stock of plants. “Look out this way,” he said and explained how each of the plants could be a backdrop, explained the psychology behind purchasing, the power of the impulse buy.

  Hayden listened to him and, initially, ignored his advice, refusing to give in. He was taking over, she thought. And she didn’t like it. But as he went through the different ideas, she realized that he was right. What he was saying made sense, but the suggestions were overwhelming. She could get her guys to shift her inventory around so that it was more aesthetically pleasing, but the other suggestions…tax advantages, marketing, internet sales…she wouldn’t know the first thing about starting those ideas.

  “I can’t do all that,” she admitted. “First of all, I know how to grow plants. That’s what I do. I specialize in plants and caring for plants. All that other stuff…well, first of all, I don’t have enough space for many of your ideas.”

  He nodded. “I agree. You need to move this whole operation away from your house. This should be your sanctuary, a place no one invades.” He took her across the gravel parking lot. “Everything should be moved there,” he decided, pointing to the area on the other side of the street from her house. “And you need a business manager. This person should be in charg
e of implementing all of the issues I’ve just mentioned, as well as the financial aspect of things.” He took her hand and led her back towards her house. “I’ll have my human resources department get you some resumes. Just tell them the candidates that seem interesting to you and they will arrange interviews.” He thought about that for a moment. “Better yet, I’ll go through the resumes first, then you can pick someone that you think you can get along with.”

  She felt as if her head were going to explode. “Why can’t I interview them first?”

  His face was purposely blank when he looked down at her. “Because you’ve already admitted that you’re not good with business, you think with your heart, not your head.”

  She wanted to argue with him, but stopped and thought about it. He was right. She made all decisions based off of how things felt, not a logical analysis of the situation. “Fine. But I’ll have to wait until I can afford a business manager. I can’t…”

  They were back at her kitchen now and she put her shoulder into pushing the door closed, embarrassed that it took so much effort.

  “I’m setting up a line of credit for you at my bank. You’ll need to go in and sign the papers tomorrow.”

  She pulled back. “Now stop right there!’ she gasped. “I don’t want a line of credit! I don’t want a business manager.”

  “Yes, you do. Hiring a business manager will allow you to focus on growing things, which is really what you want to do. You don’t want, or even know how, to handle all of the business details.” He turned to look down at her. “Hayden, stick with your strengths and give the other aspects of your business to someone else. Trust me, this is what I do. I don’t try to do everything. No one can be an expert at everything. Being in business means figuring out what you don’t know how to do and finding a good candidate to accomplish that task.” He was looking at her gently, which is the only reason she continued to listen. “I have no idea about the legalities of my various businesses. I don’t even attempt to file any tax forms. I hire excellent employees and let them do their job.”

  Looking up at him, she once again was struck by the look in his eyes. She couldn’t really decipher it, but his grey eyes called to her.

  He needed her! She’d thought that back in his office and…was she just seeing things? Was she trying to find something about this man that she liked…other than his physical attributes, that is? Her heart throbbed painfully as she looked up at him, trying to ignore the look. But it was there. She could feel it, even though his eyes were looking back at her with a hardness that belied any kind of need.

  “That’s very generous of you, Mr…” she stopped, laughing softly as his look changed. Yes, her stomach flip-flopped with the threat in his eyes. And one day, she’d like to know what happened after she challenged that silent threat. But right now, she suspected that caution was the smarter choice. “Viktor,” she corrected quickly and almost laughed at the approval in his eyes. “But I won’t go into the bank. I won’t accept the line of credit.”

  He glared down at her for a long moment, then shrugged one of those massive shoulders. “Fine. I will simply deposit money into your bank account as a wedding gift.”

  The coughing, sputtering noises she made at that announcement could only be described as unlady-like but she couldn’t help it. The man took arrogance to a new level! “You will not!” she told him firmly. “This is my business and I will run it however I want to! If I want to bankrupt myself, then you’re going to…” she stopped, realizing how ridiculous that statement was.

  Her mouth snapped closed and she ignored the amusement in his eyes. “Just no! You’re not going to deposit any money into my account since we are not getting married, Mr….” again she stopped and corrected herself. “Viktor.”

  “Wise choice, my beauty,” he replied with a low, vibrating chuckle that sent zings of awareness through her body.

  Shaking her head, she tried to clear out the fuzziness his presence was causing. “Viktor, the thing is…”

  “All fixed.”

  Hayden jumped at the stranger’s voice, turning to try and figure out where it had come from. As she turned, the furnace repairman walked around the corner, his tool box in his hand. “Simple issue. Two of the compression valves were loose and needed O rings to seal the connections. I also changed your filter and fixed a few other things that would have caused problems in the future.”

  The man looked at Hayden, then up at Viktor, obviously realizing that he’d interrupted something. The awkward moment extended and Hayden looked up at Viktor, almost laughing as she took in his blasé expression. Did nothing phase this man?

  Turning back to the repairman, she extended her hand to him. “Thank you so much for your speedy assistance, Mr….” she glanced at the name on his shirt, “Ben. Could you send me the bill?” she asked, pasting a smile on her face in the hopes that the man wasn’t expecting a check immediately. She had exactly eight dollars in her checking account. Hayden was fairly sure that the repair would cost more than that.

  “Send the bill to my office,” Viktor snapped, handing the man his business card.

  The man took the card, glanced at the name on it, and nodded efficiently. “Will do.” With a slight wave of his toolbox, he nodded politely to Hayden and left.

  Hayden bristled with anger at his highhandedness. Turning around, she glared up at the man. “You are not paying for the repairs to my furnace, Viktor!”

  He leaned in closer. “Yes. I am.”

  Her whole body was trembling with…anger! Yes, it was just anger because he was trying to take over her life. It had nothing to do with the fact that they were once again alone. Alone and he had that look in his eyes that made her insides quiver with awareness. Awareness of him as a man and herself as a woman who liked the look of him as a man. Was she really so superficial that his appearance could turn her on this much?

  Shaking out of that mental block, she glared up at him. “Look, I came to you this morning offering to sell this property to you. Not myself! I’m not for sale!” And she poked her finger to the middle of his chest.

  As soon as her finger made contact with his body, she froze. There was no give on that spot. It was solid muscle. Solid, warm muscle.

  Her breath caught in her throat as she looked up into his eyes. Surely he wasn’t aware of…

  His eyes were no longer grey but a smoldering, heated, liquid silver. It was almost as if those eyes were glistening with the tension simmering between the two of them.

  Her finger trembled as his hand reached up, flattening her palm against his chest. Hayden looked at her hand. At his chest. Before she could stop it, her hand moved, sliding along those muscles. She stared hard, mesmerized by his chest, by the way the muscles shifted underneath her fingertips.

  What would happen if she…her fingers moved further. Almost sneaking along the lines of his chest, finding more muscles, feeling the shift of those muscles.

  Licking her suddenly dry lips, she let her fingers shift further. Lower. But when she heard the low grumble, her eyes snapped up to his, shocked by what she was feeling. Hayden was about to pull her hand away and he must have seen the intent in her eyes because his hand once again came up to cover hers, forcing her hand to move. His hand guided hers, giving her permission to touch him.

  So she did.

  Hayden was completely unaware of her own ragged breathing. All of her focus was on her hand. On his chest. Her mind wanted to explore, to discover everything about this man’s chest. When he realized that her hand wasn’t going to move away, he took his hand off hers but moved closer, silently giving her further invitation to explore.

  So she did.

  Her fingers slid closer and closer to the buttons of his dress shirt. When they reached that point, the tips of her fingers daringly slid underneath the fold, her eyes darting up to his, although, she wasn’t sure if she was asking permission, or seeing if he would allow it. The message in his eyes dared her. So she accepted that dare. Needing to feel the
power that would come from accepting his challenge.

  When her fingers touched his skin, she almost pulled her hand away. Never in her life had she felt anything so hot. The skin on his chest almost singed her fingers. But instead of pulling away, her fingers inched closer to that dangerous heat.

  The top half of her fingers smoothed along the hot skin of his chest, explored the rough hair, growing more daring, more confident with each caress. She looked up at him and was startled by the way he was looking down at her. His jaw was clenched, his nostrils flaring as if he couldn’t get enough air into his lungs. As her fingers moved, his body shifted, pinning her against the wall and she gasped. His thighs were pressing against her legs, his hips pressing against her stomach. But her fingers were still moving. In fact, his shift had caused her fingers to slide further into his shirt.

  It still wasn’t enough.

  Just one button, she told herself. Her eyes moved up, looking once more at his features. His eyes were closed, that rock hard jaw clenched tightly.

  Since he wasn’t looking, maybe he wouldn’t notice if she…her fingers slowly, carefully unbuttoned that one button. It was just one, she told herself. Just one simple button.

  When the material loosened, her eyes noticed his breathing change. Was that bad? Or good? Was he mad?

  She didn’t care! Her fingers had a mind of their own and she just had to know. She had to feel! Her fingers inched along the edge of his dress shirt, finding more skin, more heat!

  Oh my! Hayden had thought that the one button was enough but…

  She didn’t have a chance to investigate further. She was suddenly yanked higher and gasped when she felt that hardness against her stomach.

  “You’re playing with fire, Hayden,” he growled. “Now you’re going to get burned.”

  She wasn’t given a moment to respond. His mouth came down over hers, hard and demanding. Her hands flew from his chest to hold onto his shoulders, amazed at the strength and power under her fingers. Her world tilted slightly, but she didn’t care. The tilting only gave her a reason to hold on more tightly, to explore more thoroughly. When she felt him lift her higher, she allowed her fingers to search out more of that heat she’d found on his chest, needing that singing power.