“I, uh, no.” She dismissed him with a brief wave of her hand and nodded at the laptop. “What do you have there?”
He laughed, the rotten scoundrel. The sound, rich and a little rusty, tickled every cell in her needy body. When she glared at him, he rotated the computer so it faced her.
She did her best to ignore his presence. On the screen were pictures of water bottles, friendship and effigy bowls, and arrowheads. Kara moved closer, studied the style and designs. She scrolled down to more effigy bowls and masks. The ceramics were Native Americans, the jade pieces Costa Rican pre-Columbian Ax gods. Each god could easily sell for more than a thousand dollars.
“Is this it?” she asked without looking up.
“A small part of it. Mrs. VanderMarck promised to send a disk with the remaining photographs. She’d meant to have them authenticated before the scandal but didn’t have time. She wants us to do it.”
Kara nodded. “We can do that.” She frowned at a gold piece. “This Shaman piece is Colombian, probably worth twenty grand.” She felt Baron’s presence beside her and looked up. She hadn’t realized he’d moved from the other side of the counter.
“Which one?” he asked, leaning in, entering her personal space.
She pointed at the screen, trying hard not to be distracted by his nearness.
“The one beside the lime bottle,” she said in a voice that wasn’t steady.
“I see. Have you checked the paintings yet? They’re at the bottom.”
He was so close his warm breath brushed her temple. For a moment, Kara closed her eyes, wanting so badly to lean to the left and make contact. Where’s your sense, Kara? Her eyes snapped open and she pressed the mouse. More pieces rolled past before she stopped at the paintings. They looked promising, almost all by turn-of-the-century artists, but she couldn’t concentrate. The current of energy humming between their bodies was too unnerving.
“Interesting,” she said, but sounded unimpressed. She really needed some space between them.
Baron shifted until their gazes connected. “She wants us to finish authenticating them then sell them at the gallery. Some need to be cleaned and framed.”
“That would be wonderful. Would you like dessert?” Kara mumbled as she slid off the stool. When he appeared surprised by her question, she flushed. She usually went ga-ga over paintings. The heat from his body messed with her head and the wine didn’t help either. “Since you provided dinner, I thought I’d supply desert. Choices are chocolate mint or rocky road ice creams, and of course tiramisu.”
“Tiramisu…my favorite.”
I know. He used to have some every time they worked late five years ago. She reached for the bowls and spoons, but was aware of his eyes watching her every move. The tension in the room shot up a notch, making her more alert to every tiny sound in their vicinity—the whirring of the computer, the tick-tock of the clock in her living room, the pounding of her heart. She racked her brain for something to say and came up blank.
“Do you think you’ll be done with the piece you’re working on by Tuesday?” Baron asked.
“Oh yeah.” She opened the fridge doors, retrieved the mint ice cream and tiramisu. “All that remains is to apply the new varnish and repair the damaged corner.”
“That’s good. I’ll get the tickets for Wednesday.”
A prickle of unease made Kara put the dessert boxes on the counter and turn to face Baron. “Tickets for what?”
“Our flight to Hope, Idaho.”
She shook her head. Her heart galloped hard, her mind struggling to grasp what he’d just said. “You mean the collection isn’t here in L.A.?”
“No. Mrs. VanderMarck doesn’t live here anymore, Kara. With the negative publicity and her stepson hounding her, she retired to a small vineyard in Santa Barbara. That’s where I went yesterday. The collection is housed in her summer home in Idaho. It should take us a week or so to wrap things up.”
Us? As in, he and I, together? Her mind started imagining what could happen if they were alone in some secluded cottage, what she’d wanted for years. Images of sweaty bodies and intertwined limbs had her heart pulsing off track. No, she refused to let her wanton half abduct her logical side. Nothing like that could ever happen between them.
“Maybe Rick might be the best person to do this, Baron. He—”
“Will be in charge of the gallery during my absence,” he interjected. “I plan to offer him a chance to run the San Francisco gallery once it opens.”
Rick would be thrilled at the opportunity, but right now Kara couldn’t afford to be distracted by such news. She had to find a way out of going away alone with Baron. A week with him would be disastrous.
Liar, you’d love to get him alone somewhere, away from nosy friends and coworkers, an annoying voice in the back of her head mocked. Kara ignored it and latched on to the promise she’d given Rick about his nephew’s bar mitzvah.
“I already made a commitment to help out a friend with something next Saturday,” she said.
“I’ll fly you back.” Baron closed his computer. “Did you mention dessert?”
He thought he was slick.
“Dessert can wait.” Her voice came out snappish, but she didn’t care. “Why can’t you pack the entire collection and ship it back here?”
“Most of them are intended for the San Francisco gallery. Why waste the expense of unpacking and repackaging them or increase the chances of some careless delivery man chipping a piece?” He pushed his computer into the bag and stared at her. “What’s really bothering you, Kara?”
“I just can’t pack up and leave. I’m still trying to negotiate a deal for my office space and…and….” Tessie chose that moment to leave the comfort of the couch and walk to her side. “My cat. Who’d take care of her? She’s so high maintenance.” God, that was lame even for her. The indulgent smile that lifted the corner of Baron’s mouth as he studied her confirmed it.
“You know, they have a fax and e-mail access at the house, so communicating with your realtor or bank shouldn’t be an issue. As for Tessie, bring her with us or have my sister Jade look after her. She loves animals.”
He had an answer to everything, damn it. Why couldn’t he see this was a terrible idea? “It won’t work.”
She didn’t realize she’d spoken aloud until he said, “What won’t work?”
She glowered at his chest, too rattled to think up any more excuses. “Everything.”
Next thing she knew, Baron stood a breath away from her, lifting up her chin, looking at her hungrily. Her senses went into hyper-drive. The rich aroma of Chinese food mingled with the intoxicating scent of the gorgeous man standing in front to her. She opened her mouth to object to his ruthless invasion of her space, but he silenced her with his next words.
“You’re scared. I understand.” His voice, smoky, late night seduction, caressed her nerves.
“Scared?” Kara tried to step back but was trapped by the L-shaped counter. So she attempted to laugh off his comment. “Of what?”
“This,” he said and covered her mouth with his.
Her first thought was to protest. She’d expected an invasion of her senses, tongue and teeth at full throttle. Instead she got little licks and nips, his tongue running over her lower, fuller lip, teasing, tasting. The gentle kisses had her closing her eyes and sighing with pleasure, evaporating any thought of protest. He was deliciously intoxicating, his lips soft yet hot, his taste a mixture of red wine and forbidden pleasure.
“You taste so good,” he murmured.
If he’d set out to reduce her to a whimpering idiot, he’d succeeded. Kara couldn’t string a thought, let alone a sentence. A wildness brought by years of unrequited passion surged through her. She lifted her hand to his cheek, held his head still, and asked for more.
Baron responded, sliding a hand under her hair to cup her neck and deepening the kiss. Her hands fluttered to his chest, bunched his shirt, and pulled him closer. She was so starved for him it shock
ed her. She wrenched her mouth away, but he blazed a path along her jawline, down her neck, drowning her in sensations all the way to her shoulder. Kara shuddered, her head thundering so hard she was sure he could hear it.
“Wait,” she said, gripping his head and wiggling some inches between his mouth and her skin. “Please.”
“Why?” He turned those dreamy blue eyes on her hapless self. The air between them, steaming and dense, vibrated with unfulfilled desire.
Kara looked away. What was she thinking? Kissing him like she couldn’t have enough of him? Touching him like she had a right to? Even now, her body craved his, her head filling with images of the two of them naked, and having a mind-numbing…no, I will not go there. She yanked her thoughts to the present, to a situation she should have nipped before it got this far.
“We shouldn’t be doing this. I work for you. There’s a policy against—”
“To hell with the policy,” he ground out. He must have felt her flinch because he stepped back and rubbed his nape. “There’s something between us, Kara. I felt it from the very first day we met. Five years later, it’s still there, only stronger.” His voice was soft and calm, soothing as though he expected her to bolt. “You can’t deny it.”
Yes, she could. Baron was wrong for her on so many levels. He was commitment phobic, her boss, had a new girlfriend according to Gena, and…was the best darn kisser she’d ever locked lips with. Kara shook her head. I must be jinxed to lust after this man. The one thing she couldn’t deny was how much she wanted him, not after the way she’d kissed him.
She shook her head. “No, I can’t, but we can’t always have what we want.”
“Why not, when it’s within your reach?” He ran a finger along the neckline of her T-shirt, leaving a heated trail in its wake.
She brushed his hand and ducked past him, putting as much space between them as possible. Once the counter was between them, she turned and faced him. “I really think—”
“That’s your problem, Kara. You think too much.”
She bristled at his tone. “At least it stops me from making mistakes.”
“Point taken.” He propped his elbows on the counter and leaned closer, sexual energy pulsing from him. “How about this? Give me the time in Idaho to show you…to prove to you that what we have is not a mistake.”
She must have misunderstood him. “Are you asking me to have an affair with you?”
“Yes.”
One word, so direct and an unapologetic, yet it sent a thrill through her senses. The man would have her in knots in no time. And what would that make her? Another notch on his belt. The conversation she’d heard between Gena and her caller flitted in Kara’s head. His new woman was probably pining for him somewhere while he attempted to seduce her into doing his bidding.
“What about your girlfriend?” she asked.
“I don’t have a girlfriend, Kara. I haven’t had one for awhile.”
Could he be telling the truth? The sincerity in his eyes and voice confirmed it, yet she couldn’t discount what Gena had said. Oh, what did it matter? She wasn’t agreeing to an affair.
“What about you? Are you involved with anyone?” he asked.
“No, I’m not.” She answered without thinking and watched a grin spread across his handsome face. “Not that I’m agreeing to your proposal. Okay? I don’t go for casual sex.”
“Who said anything about casual? You’ve seen how it is when we kiss. Sex between us will never, ever be casual, Kara. I promise you that.”
He’d take charge of her body, every breath she took, and every move she made just as he did everything else in his life. Her last serious boyfriend had put her off domineering men. But instead of feeling repulsed by Baron’s proposal, a flush of heat skidded under her skin, making her nipples tighten and her stomach clench with need. What did that say about her?
“Look at me, Kara.”
She didn’t want to, sure he’d see her needs written all over her face. Too bad she couldn’t stop herself. When their eyes connected, the unbridled hunger in his eyes shocked her.
“I’ll let you call the shots,” he said.
Erotic images of Baron tied to a bed, totally under her control flashed in her head. Now that was something she would love to see. Kara licked her lips, which had gone dry at her wanton thoughts.
“Meaning?” she asked in a squeaky voice.
“You decide when it ends.”
“What you’re saying is that if I decide to call things off after a night together, you’ll respect my decision?”
“Absolutely.”
“You won’t try to make me change my mind?”
“No.” He straightened, picked up his laptop in its case, and walked around the counter. “I’ll just make damn sure I don’t give you a reason to kick me out of our bed.”
Our bed? Panic set in at his assured tone. “I can’t.”
He reached out to push a lock of hair behind her ear. His hand lingered on the sensitive skin. “Don’t make up your mind yet. Think about it.”
Kara opened her mouth to tell him there was nothing to think about and stopped when he closed the gap between their lips and pressed a soft kiss on her mouth.
“I want you, Kara, and you want me. We’re both consenting adults. In a month’s time, you’ll be gone. Is it asking too much to make the remaining weeks memorable?” His hand fell away. “We’ll leave on Wednesday. Don’t give me your answer until we’re in Idaho.”
“Why?”
“So you know that working on the VanderMarck collection has nothing to do with my proposition. I’ll let myself out. Goodnight.”
She watched him walk away then flopped on the nearest chair. For the past five years, she’d wanted this man with every cell in her body, and now he was offering himself to her, no strings attached. And she was hesitating? Of course she must hesitate, reject his proposal. No one roomed with a timber wolf and came out unscathed. She couldn’t do it. Come Wednesday, her answer would still be the same, a big fat no.
CHAPTER 6
Decisions, decisions, Kara chanted to herself as she tossed and turned, eyes closed tight as though to force sleep through sheer will. It didn’t work. She threw the floral comforter aside and swung her feet off the bed. Tessie, curled up at the foot of her bed lifted her head, meowed, and sunk back into la-la land.
Lucky girl, Kara thought with envy.
Her toes sunk into the thick carpet as she reached for her terry robe on the bedpost. The single night light in the hallway filtered into her room and helped her eyes adjust to the dimness. Two days and she still couldn’t make up her mind about Baron. How crazy was that? Kara shrugged on the robe, padded into the kitchen to get water.
Why can’t I live dangerously for once like a normal, healthy woman? Renee did. Chloe used to. My baby sister was the queen bee of perilous living before her marriage. Why am I always so uptight about sex?
Kara retrieved bottled water from the fridge, twisted off the cap and took a long sip. When the two guys she dated in college ditched her for Briana, she’d blamed her sister. Briana was gorgeous, outgoing, and had no problem going the whole nine yards after a few weeks of dating. Kara, on the other hand, tended to drag her feet for months, fretting about where the relationship was headed before committing to intimacy. Could that be the reason the men dumped her? Was she short-changing herself by being too cautious?
Sighing, Kara pushed the fridge door shut, and once again, enveloped herself in darkness. She finished the water, placed the empty bottle on the counter, and shuffled back to her bedroom. Tessie whined again when Kara crawled back in bed and her foot came close to where the tabby slept. She ignored the cat and harangued the ceiling.
I can’t do this. Baron might be food for fantasy and sex with him was sure to be a mind-blowing experience, but was she so desperate to have him on any terms? What if she wanted more? What if she lost her heart?
What makes you think you haven’t already? No, she wasn’t in love wi
th Baron. He had haunted her dreams for years and her lustful feelings toward him made it almost impossible to be happy with another man, but that was it. In the last five years, she’d dated good men with likeable qualities, financial stability, and some, not all of the men, had bods any woman would die to sink their teeth in. Yet after a few weeks, just before things went beyond kissing, she’d find faults with them and call it quits. The two she thought had potential turned out to be too possessive. Crazy about her, she could handle, jealousy was too juvenile.
But Baron wasn’t the type to get gung-ho over a woman. She could be eating her heart out while he breezed in and out of her life. Kara groaned and pulled the covers over her head. Why did it always come back to her and her feelings? Just once, she needed to let herself be swept away with lust without thoughts of tomorrow. Easier said than done.
Kara punched the pillow to get more comfortable. Fretting about Baron’s proposal and guarding her heart wasn’t going to make her go to sleep, or solve her other problem—her sister.
Her calls to Briana had gone unanswered, which wouldn’t have bothered her if her sister wasn’t expecting. Saturday night, Kara had called twice and left messages. Today, she’d even texted her in between doing chores, rushing to and back from the gym, and eating dinner. No answer. Finally, she’d called her mother.
“I’ve tried everything, Mom, but no one is picking up the phone.”
“Maybe Jim took her out somewhere special. He has a game somewhere back east this coming week.”
Kara did an online check on the schedule of the Padres. For the first half of May, the team had a lot of away games. Her mother got it right—the Padres had a game in Atlanta tomorrow evening. Briana often traveled with her husband, so maybe she was with him.
Sleep finally claimed Kara after midnight.
***
The next morning, she studied herself in the mirror and groaned. She had bags under her eyes. Her mind sorted through remedies Chloe’s Spa recommended for puffy eyes as she hurried to the kitchen. Grated or sliced potatoes. She didn’t have time or potatoes, for that matter. Neither did she have cucumber or rose water. That left tea bags.
Kiss Me Crazy Page 8
