by Cat Schield
A black town car idled near the front door. He parked behind the vehicle and got out. As he approached the car, the driver met him by the rear passenger door.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Case.”
“Hello, Burt.” Sebastian used this driver often when he traveled. “Did Miss Ward go inside?”
“No, sir,” the driver said, hand on the door handle. “She wanted to wait until you got home.”
“How long have you been here?”
“Ten minutes.” He opened the door.
Sebastian peered in, expecting to catch the brunt of Missy’s annoyance and found her curled sideways on the seat, cheek cradled on her hand, asleep. The sight dismantled all the walls he’d erected around his emotions. In an instant he was transported back to their first night together when he’d spent an hour watching her sleep.
Crouching beside the car, he skimmed a russet strand of her hair behind her ear. When she didn’t stir, he scooped her into his arms. “Bring her bag,” he told the driver as he strode up his front steps.
His housekeeper must have been watching from the window because the door opened as he neared it. Without pausing, he carried Missy up the wide marble stairs and down the hallway to his bedroom.
How taxing had her time away from him been that she’d fallen asleep in ten short minutes? Hadn’t her brothers and their wives pitched in? Or had everyone taken advantage of her generous nature and let Missy shoulder all the nursing duty?
She woke as he eased her down onto the mattress. “Sebastian?” She reached up and touched his cheek, her eyes soft and barely focused.
“I missed you,” he admitted, stretching out beside her.
She rolled onto her side and snuggled against him. “Missed you, too,” she murmured into his neck, her warm breath puffing against him. Her fingers tunneled beneath his tie and between his shirt buttons, finding skin.
Instantly aroused, he cupped the side of her face in his palm and brought his mouth to hers. Desire blindsided him. Going without her in his arms for a month had turned him into a ravenous bear. He feasted off her soft sighs and the press of her lithe body against his. Rolling with her across his king-size bed, he stripped her down to her underwear and settled between her thighs, his jacket, tie and shoes gone, his shirt ripped open by her impatience.
Breathing in her delicious scent, he drifted his lips down her throat and between her breasts to the lacy edge of her bra. Drawing his tongue along the edge of the lace, he savored the rapid rise and fall of her chest as his fingers tickled up her thigh.
“Make love to me,” she gasped, her fingers coasting down his sides and burrowing between their bodies in search of his belt. “I need to feel you inside me.”
Her words inflamed his already overstimulated body. “Don’t rush me. I intend to get reacquainted with every inch of you before that happens.”
“I can’t wait that long.” She rotated her hips, bringing his erection into better contact with her core.
Even through the layers that separated them, he could feel how she burned for him. That knowledge pushed him over the edge. In seconds he’d shed the rest of his clothes and come back to find her naked and waiting for him.
Driving into her tight sheath, he groaned as she closed around him, drawing him deeper inside. He buried his face in her neck. Her fingernails sank into his back as they moved together, as connected in soul as they were joined in body.
He struggled to hold off his climax, but her impassioned cries and urgent movements slashed the tethers binding his willpower. Reaching between their bodies, he touched her, setting off the chain reaction of her orgasm. With a final thrust he let out a triumphant cry.
“That wasn’t the homecoming I pictured,” he muttered, rolling over so her limp body draped across his chest like an erotic daydream.
She nuzzled his neck. “Really? It’s all I thought about.”
Her round backside called to his hand. He followed the curve with his fingers, measuring the perfect rise from the small of her back to her thigh. Every inch of her fascinated him. Contentment settled over him as he stroked her hip with his thumb.
She raised her head and braced her forearm against his chest. Her voice may have been light and airy a second ago, but she wore a serious expression now.
“Something on your mind?” he prompted as the silence stretched.
“I’m just going to come right out and say this.”
But still she struggled with whatever she needed to tell him. Making love to her had pacified his earlier impatience. He kept silent and let her work out whatever was bothering her.
“I think it would be better if we got dressed first.”
She shimmied off his body, her long hair falling forward to conceal her expression as she retrieved her clothes and slid into jeans and shirt. Jerky movements and her lack of playfulness warned him something serious was up with her. He ignored the agitation that flared in his gut. The month-long separation had been harder on him than expected. Now that she was within his grasp once more he wanted nothing disagreeable to distract him from the pleasure of watching her.
She tossed his boxers at him. As he slipped them over his hips, the words erupted from her.
“Tomorrow I’m starting as the new director of communications.”
If the situation were reversed, and Sebastian had kept something this big from her, Missy would have stormed hard enough to level a house.
But Missy never knew him to thunder and rage like a summer squall. No, Sebastian had a calm, icy way of being furious that was ten times worse.
“When did this happen?” There was enough frost in his voice to ruin an entire orange crop.
“Your father mentioned the idea to me in Las Vegas.” She searched his rigid expression, assessing just how angry he was. “Then Max called me a few days ago and I said yes.”
“I see.”
What did he see? That she was perfect for the job? That discussing a job with his father and brother made her feel disloyal and low? That she loved him so much she’d rather spend every day thirty feet down the hall than never see him again?
“Are you okay with it?”
“We can’t keep seeing each other if you work for Case Consolidated Holdings.”
“I considered that.” Was it wrong of her to choose something sensible like a fabulous job instead of a risky venture like dating Sebastian for as long as he wanted her? The old her, the impulsive girl who’d made a brief appearance in Las Vegas, would have chosen an uncertain future with Sebastian. Unfortunately, she’d spent more than a decade making decisions with her head, not her heart. “But we’d already agreed that once we left Las Vegas it was over between us.”
“That’s what you wanted. I had something different in mind.”
She refused to feel guilty for disappointing him. It was ridiculous to think she could keep his interest long-term. “I’m perfect for this job.”
“Then if the job is what you want, you should take it.”
Throat too tight for words to escape, Missy nodded. Sebastian’s impassive acceptance of her decision left her stomach in knots. But what had she expected? An impassioned plea for her to choose him over her career? Eventually he’d be glad she’d given him the perfect out.
Wrung out and miserable, she let Sebastian take on the bulk of the conversational duties as he drove her home. He asked her about her family and updated her on what had happened with the business since she’d been gone. By unspoken consent, they avoided discussing the elephants crowded in the backseat: her new job, how everyone at the office would react to her promotion and what had happened between them an hour earlier.
“Thank you for sending the car to pick me up,” she said as he carried her suitcase into the condo she rented. Feeling awkward for the first time ever around him, she fiddled with her purse strap and wondered if she should offer him something to drink.
“You’re welcome.” He bent down and grazed his lips against hers.
Although the touch
of Sebastian’s kisses would forever cause her to melt like snow in the tropics, Missy’s stomach clenched in despair. The brief kiss was goodbye.
“I’ll see you tomorrow morning,” she said.
“I have a breakfast meeting. I’ll stop by your new office when I get in.”
He left her standing in the middle of her living room, nodding after him like a bobble-head doll. He’d changed from ardent lover to supportive ex-boss so fast she had whiplash. She was glad she’d decided against telling him about the baby.
Once her pregnancy became public knowledge, she’d let everyone believe Tim was the father. No reason to let what had happened between her and Sebastian in Vegas create lifelong consequences for him. So what if her instincts told her what she was doing was wrong? She’d ignored her gut feelings for fifteen years and let her head lead. She’d grown accustomed to weighing options. Logic dictated her actions.
Back when she’d been a teenager, she’d learned what happened if she let her heart run amuck.
Pity she hadn’t remembered those lessons in Vegas.
Sebastian let himself into his parents’ house. He was furious with his father for interfering in the running of the business again and angry with himself for not thinking of putting Missy into the communications director position himself.
“Sebastian,” his mother said, getting up from the computer in her office. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to talk to Dad.”
She surveyed his expression. “What did he do now?”
“He offered Missy a job without telling me.”
“I’m sure he had good intentions.”
“You give him the benefit of the doubt too often.” Sebastian tempered his tone. After all, he wasn’t angry with his mother. “Where is he?”
Following his mother’s directions, Sebastian found his father in the library. “You offered Missy the communications director job?”
“Hello, Sebastian.” Brandon pulled off his reading glasses. “I did.”
“Why did you do that?”
“Because she belongs with us. And she can do the job. You should’ve promoted her years ago. If you had, maybe she wouldn’t have quit.”
Sebastian bit back a growl. As much as he hated to admit it, his father was right. Missy was overqualified to be his assistant. He’d been a selfish bastard to keep her as long as he had.
“You should have talked to me first.”
“I spoke with Max. She’d be working for him. He liked the idea.”
How could Sebastian argue? His father’s logic was flawless. It was his methods that set Sebastian to grinding his teeth. Nor would he stop Missy from taking a job she so obviously wanted more than she wanted to keep seeing him.
He wasn’t about to admit he’d realized he was glad she’d resigned. That he was glad she’d be sleeping in his bed instead of working for his company. Letting passion dominate reason went against everything he believed in. So, why did he want to hit something?
“Why didn’t anyone talk to me about it?”
“Missy wanted to be the one to break the news.”
“I wish you’d come to me before speaking to Missy. I would have liked the opportunity to offer her the position.”
“Sorry we left you out of the loop.” Brandon didn’t look one bit sorry that he’d bypassed Sebastian and asserted his authority once again. “After I found out she’d quit, the decision happened pretty fast. I spoke to her about it in Las Vegas, but because of what happened to her dad, she didn’t give us her answer until a couple days ago.”
She’d kept this from him for a month.
“You’ve been busy with Smythe Industries,” her father continued. “I don’t see why you’re so annoyed. We’re keeping a valuable employee.”
And Sebastian had lost the ability to pursue a personal relationship with her.
The temptation to ask his father to back off held Sebastian mute. He’d never felt less like a leader in his life. Leaders were the ones with all the answers. The ones in control. He was neither.
“Missy will make a terrific communications director,” his father said. “You’ll see.”
Sebastian offered his father a tight smile. “I don’t doubt that for a second.”
“Then this isn’t about me interfering?”
“Do you want to be CEO again?” Sebastian wasn’t sure where the question came from. He only knew he was ready to walk away from the job he was born to do. Maybe he’d go work for a Fortune 500 corporation. Or start his own company. Do something that wouldn’t involve family. “Say the word and I’m gone.”
From the surprise on his father’s face, Sebastian could see he was finally getting through.
“I don’t want to run the company. Retirement…”
“Is boring as hell. I get it. Mom wanted me to convince you to stay retired. She’s enjoying having you around. Heaven knows why when all you do is golf.” Sebastian set his hands on his hips. “I think she’s scared if you go back to work it will aggravate your heart problems. But maybe she’s wrong to keep you from something you love so much.”
“Sebastian?” His mother entered the room. How much had she heard? “Can you stay for dinner?”
“No. I’m heading back to the office. Without Missy’s help these past few weeks, I’m behind.” He shot his father one last look. “You were right to want her to stay with the company. I just hope you did it for the right reasons.”
Sebastian eased his car toward the curb in front of the downtown Houston hotel. As he put it into Park, a valet stepped up to the passenger door. Missy smoothed her hands down the front of her cornflower-blue cocktail dress. The gown’s silky material grazed her curves with elegant style. The cool color contrasted wonderfully with her red hair.
“I don’t see why you needed me to come here with you,” she complained, questioning his motives for about the tenth time. Her tension was palpable in the confined space. She’d been clenching her evening bag hard the entire drive from her house.
“Because you’re our director of communications and there are a lot of people attending that you should meet.” For the past two weeks, he’d been keeping discreet tabs on her. She stepped into a position without anyone to show her the ropes. That couldn’t have been easy. Sebastian knew no one who could have handled the transition as well as Missy had. “Relax.” He took her hand, compelled by a strong need to reassure her.
“Easy for you to say—you do this all the time.”
“There’s nothing to it.” He stepped out of the car and circled the vehicle. “Just picture them all in their underwear.”
For a second his suggestion flustered her. She stared at him in astonishment before a wry grin curved her lips. “I thought that only worked for public speaking,” she said, tucking her purse into the crook of her arm and letting him guide her into the elegant lobby.
“It works anytime you need it.”
The organizers of the fundraising event—which was geared toward supporting a local food shelf—had decided a casino night was a fun and profitable way to raise funds. Sebastian experienced a moment of déjà vu as they entered the ballroom.
Missy rubbed her hands together gleefully, her earlier nerves forgotten. “Time to take a little cash home.”
“This is a charity event,” Sebastian murmured, amused by the frankness of her avarice. “I think the idea is to leave your cash on the table.”
“How about I try not to win as much as you lose?”
Sebastian gripped her elbow and steered her toward the roulette table. “What makes you think you’re going to win?”
“You’re my good luck charm, aren’t you?” A flirtatious glance slipped from beneath her eyelashes.
“Is that all I am to you?”
Before she could answer, a man stepped into their path. With a drink in his left hand and an ingratiating smile plastered on his face, he swung his palm toward Sebastian. An executive in name only at one of Houston’s larger banks, Bob Stokes attend
ed these functions because his wealthy wife liked being seen with her attractive younger husband as much as she enjoyed flaunting her family’s money.
“Good to see you again, Sebastian.”
“Bob.” He gave a curt nod as he crushed the man’s hand in a firm handshake. “This is Missy Ward,” he added. “Bob Stokes.”
Missy murmured a polite greeting that was scarcely acknowledged by the man. Her gaze shifted past the interruption toward the roulette table. Sebastian felt her sigh as Bob launched into a detailed description of his new driver and how it had improved his golf game.
“Sorry, I don’t golf,” Sebastian said, turning down an invitation to join the man at his club. “If you want to talk about drivers, catch up with my father. He’s the enthusiast.”
“You don’t golf?”
Sebastian was too busy running a multimillion-dollar corporation to putter around on the links like so many of his colleagues. He’d always believed that the boss should work harder than any of his employees. His father had never shared that opinion. Brandon had only worked as hard as he had to. That partially explained why the company’s profits had been so erratic during his father’s stewardship.
Steering Missy around Bob, they resumed their trek toward the roulette wheel. Five steps later, he was waylaid again.
“You came,” the petite brunette exclaimed. Ignoring Missy completely, she rose on tiptoe and kissed Sebastian on both cheeks. “Wait until I tell Gina that Sebastian Case came to my fundraiser. Stay here while I fetch her.”
“We’re heading for the roulette table,” Sebastian told her.
“We?” The brunette blinked her bright-blue eyes in confusion.
Sebastian turned to Missy. “Missy Ward. Communications director for Case Consolidated Holdings. Tanya Hart.”
The brunette frowned at Missy as if trying to place her. “Nice to meet you.” Suddenly she began waving to someone across the room. “Don’t move,” she commanded.
