Ms. Bravo and the Boss

by Christine Rimmer

  So he kept his eye out, ducking quickly out of sight whenever she got too close or looked as though she might glance his way. It wasn’t easy, keeping her from spotting him. She was constantly on the move. She kept track of everything and yet at the same time, she didn’t seem to be rushing or under any pressure. She was serene. Unruffled. Even bobbing and weaving to keep her from spotting him, he could see that this was her element.

  And that had him worried all over again that he didn’t have a chance with her now. Why would she ever come back to a man who’d tried to bully her into giving up the work she loved?

  As the guests started filling plates at the buffet, the sweet older lady who’d greeted him at the door took his arm. “I’ve been trying to place you. Now, let me guess. You’re Jerry’s cousin Silas, aren’t you?”

  He made a vaguely agreeable sound that could have meant anything.

  “I knew it.” The old lady chuckled. “I’m Marlena. So lovely to finally meet you, Silas.”

  “Marlena, the pleasure is all mine.”

  She squeezed his arm. “A big man like you? You must be starving.”

  “Now that you mention it, that prime rib looks amazing.” There was a guy in a chef’s hat carving a giant, juicy-looking roast halfway down the buffet line.

  Marlena let go of his arm and patted his back. “Well, get after it, Silas. And don’t be a stranger, you hear me now? I know you and Jerry have had your disagreements, but family is family. Jerry speaks of you often. He misses you terribly.”

  By then, Jed was starting to feel a little guilty for letting the sweet old lady think he was someone he wasn’t. He gave her another grunt of agreement and hit the buffet.

  Once he had a plate piled high with prime rib and several mouthwatering sides, he chose a table in the corner, kind of out of the way, with a pillar to duck behind whenever Elise came too close. A couple of guys who were probably at least Marlena’s age joined him. The food was delicious—no surprise there, given Elise’s talents in the kitchen. And the company was great, too. The old guys, Mervin and Bob, were brothers, WWII vets who’d both been at the Battle of the Bulge. The three of them were talking brilliant military maneuvers through history when Jed smelled clean sheets and knew he was busted.

  She was standing right behind him. Dear God, just the smell of her...

  Longing coursed through him. She bent close and a loose curl of her hair brushed his cheek. He had to order his grasping hands not to reach back and grab her. “Outside,” she whispered. “Now.”

  When he dared to turn his head, she was already headed for the door. He made his excuses to Bob and Mervin and hustled out after her.

  She led him halfway to the field where the cars were parked. Then finally, she stopped and braced her hands on those fine, full hips. “I’ve seen the guest list. You’re not on it.”

  He kept his arms at his sides, though every muscle yearned to reach for her. “I needed to talk to you. I was going to wait until the party was over, I swear to you I was.”

  Those coffee-brown eyes got softer—or was that just wishful thinking on his part? “It’s not the time, Jed. I’m working.”

  “I know, but—”

  “Look. If you’ll call me tomorrow, we can meet, okay? We can talk.”

  Hope. He felt it now. A feather lightness in his chest, a burning in his brain. He only needed to grab her and kiss her, shove her in the Range Rover and drive away fast. Somehow, he kept himself from doing that. “Tomorrow? I’ll call, you’ll answer. You mean that?”

  Her eyes were softer still. “I do.”

  His control broke. “Elise.” He reached for her.

  But she jumped back. “Not here. I mean it. Tomorrow. Please.”

  It took all the will he had, but he put a lid on it. “Tomorrow. Okay.” And he made himself turn and head for his car.

  He went back to his house.

  But he couldn’t stay there. He stopped the car in the garage—and then shifted into Reverse and backed it right out.

  Where the hell to now?

  He knew where: her place.

  * * *

  The back door onto the parking lot was locked when he got there. But he went around front, bought a glazed donut and ate it as he wandered down the hallway past the restrooms. The door at the end was unlocked.

  Did he feel like a stalker?

  Maybe a little.

  Too bad. She’d said she would take his call tomorrow. He was only moving the time frame up a little. Nothing wrong with that. He polished off the donut and ducked into the men’s room to rinse the sugar off his hands.

  When he went back to the hallway, it remained deserted. He went on through the door at the end. Five steps more and he reached the stairs leading up to her apartment.

  He went up and sat on the top step to wait.

  An hour went by. And another. She still wasn’t back.

  Well, fine. He would wait all night if he had to.

  Eventually, he leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes. He must have dropped off because he woke up to the sound of a motorboat speeding toward him.

  “Wigs. What the hell?” Wigs didn’t answer, but the purring got louder. He pulled the cat onto his lap. “She’s not going to like finding you out here with me.”

  Wigs reached up a hairy paw and gently patted his cheek. Jed stroked the thick orange fur. Eventually he leaned his head against the wall and went back to sleep.

  The next time he woke, Elise was standing over him. The view was spectacular. But he tried his best to look regretful. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t stay away—and I have no idea how this damn cat got out. I was sitting here minding my own business and suddenly he was in my lap.”

  She shook her head—at him. And at the cat in his lap, too. And then she said something wonderful. “Come on inside.”

  So he rose and carried Wigs into the one-room apartment. It wasn’t fancy and it was much too small. Still, she’d made it cozy, with bright pictures on the walls and comfortable furniture attractively arranged.

  “Homey,” he said, and it was, because she was there.

  She took the cat from him. He waited while she opened a can and filled one of the cat bowls. Wigs dug in. She washed her hands and dried them, took the pins from her hair and shook it out on her shoulders, at which point he realized he would pay half his next advance to be allowed to sift his fingers through the coffee-colored strands.

  But first things first. He held up a memory stick.

  When she eyed it with wariness, he quickly explained, “This is the first three chapters of my next book. I wrote it using voice recognition software—which I have to admit, has come a long way since the last time I tried it.” Did she look doubtful? He couldn’t really blame her. “I get that the last thing you want or need right now is an update on Jack McCannon. But still, I’m asking you to bring this up on your laptop. I need you to see that I really did it—I wrote sixty-three pages without terrorizing a single innocent assistant.”

  By then, those eyes had gone soft again and her beautiful mouth trembled. “I would love an update on Jack McCannon.” She whipped the stick from his hand and opened the laptop that waited on the counter. “There’s a beer in the fridge. Take another nap. Whatever. I’m going to need at least an hour. Maybe more...”

  He did grab himself a beer. But sleeping? No freaking way. He sat on the sofa with Wigs draped along the back of it while she read the material through.

 
When she turned on her stool to meet his eyes at last, hers were suspiciously misty. “It’s good. It’s really good. I do have a few suggestions...”

  He stood. “And I can’t wait to hear them.”

  “But not right now.” She sounded slightly breathless. Breathless was excellent.

  “No. Not right now.” He closed the short distance from the sofa to the counter. Gently, he guided a curl of hair behind her ear—and she let him. She even leaned a little into his hand. “I went to Bravo Catering today. It’s beautiful, what you’ve done with the bakery. And the wedding? I wasn’t even invited and I had a great time. The food was so good. And I watched you.”

  Did she seem disapproving? A little. He couldn’t say he blamed her. She asked, “How long were you there?”

  “I lurked for hours, ducking out of sight whenever you got near and I shamelessly pretended to be some guy named Silas.”

  She laughed. “What in the...? Silas?”

  “Long story. Doesn’t matter. What I mean is, you were doing what you love to do and you’re really good at it and it shows.” He caught her hand then, brought it to his lips and kissed it. “Elise, I was so wrong. I can’t even count the ways.”

  Her eyes got misty. “Oh, yes you were. And I was so afraid, Jed. That you would never come for me.” A tear escaped then. It left a shining trail as it slid down the velvety curve of her cheek.

  He wiped it up with a finger and put it to his tongue—salty. And very sweet. “I couldn’t come for you. Not until I knew what to do, how to move forward. And it’s been bad, Elise. Now I’ve been with you, none of it makes much sense if you’re not there.”

  “Oh, I know the feeling.”

  “I couldn’t stand for you to see me like that, desperate and scared. Trapped in a bad place, afraid I would never find my way out.”

  “But Jed, you saw me like that the first morning I made you breakfast.”

  He ran the backs of his fingers down the side of her throat. Her skin was cool velvet. “I remember that day. You made me French toast. Best I ever tasted.”

  “And then I burst into tears and ran to my room and you followed me and listened to me pour out my sad tale of woe. You held me and comforted me and...well, you made it all better. I want to be the one who makes all better for you.”

  He caught her face between his hands, bent down and pressed a kiss against those lips he would never get enough of tasting. “You do make it all better for me.”

  “But you sent me away.”

  “I told you. I didn’t want—”

  “—me to see you like that. I heard you.”

  “And there’s more,” he admitted. “It gets worse. After you, there was no way I was having another person in my office sitting in your chair, typing my words for me. No one could compare, that’s a simple fact. And then there was what you told me the day I asked you to leave, that I needed to get out of my own way, not be so hung up on my precious process. You were so right. Until I did change it up, until I proved to myself that I could make it happen on my own, there always would have been the danger that I would start in on you again, that I would try to manipulate you into typing my words for me, into saving my ass.”

  She laid her cool, soft hand against his cheek. “I have more faith in you than that.”

  “How can you? I did try to manipulate you. You told me repeatedly that you were done when the book was done and I refused to believe you.” He shook his head and grumbled, “And I can’t believe I’m confessing all this. I should keep my mouth shut. Quit while I’m ahead.”

  “Uh-uh. You should be honest with me. And you are.” Her smile bloomed wide. “And I’m so glad. But I do need you to promise me that in the future, if things get bad for you, turning your back on what we have together won’t be an option. In the bad times, you have to let me be there for you, no matter how tough it gets for you. That’s part of what we are, part of you and me together.”

  He couldn’t make that promise fast enough. “We have a deal. From now on, no matter how bad it gets, we’re both staying. Nobody gets away. There’s no escape. You’re stuck with me.”

  “Good.” She said it so easily, with no hesitation.

  He stroked a hand down her hair. “How’d I get so lucky to have a chance with you?”

  “Well, you did agree to pay me four thousand a week—and then there was that jetted tub.” She was grinning.

  And he couldn’t let another minute go by without saying it. “I love you, Elise.”

  Color flooded her wonderful face. “And I love you, Jed.”

  Words rose in his throat and he let them spill out. “I want to marry you. I want a life with you...” What was he saying? He was babbling like an idiot. He should shut up. But the words just kept coming. “It’s too early, right, to be asking you that? And there should be a ring. I know that. A ring with a diamond so big, you can’t possibly say no. I’ve botched it. I can see that. I’m doing this all wrong and I—”

  “Jed.” She gazed up at him, surprisingly dewy-eyed after all his stupid blathering. “Yes.”

  The world spun to a stop. “I don’t... I can’t... Did you just say yes?”

  She laughed then, full out and glorious. “Yes, Jed. Yes, yes, yes!”

  That did it. He kissed her—a proper kiss. Slow and wet and deep. And then he scooped her up, carried her over to the bed in the corner and got to work undressing her. Once all her beautiful curves were bare for him, he got rid of his own clothes, as well.

  They stood together, naked by the side of her bed. “Come home with me tonight, you and the fur ball.”

  “Yes, we’ll come home with you.”

  “But first...” Taking her shoulders, he guided her down to sit on the edge of the bed. Then he kneeled at her feet. Looking up into her misty eyes, he saw the truth so very clearly. From the day his father died, nothing in the world had really made sense to him. There had been no one who claimed him, no one who felt like his own—not until now. “You’re everything to me, Elise. I can’t believe I’ve found you at last, can’t believe that you’re here, that you said yes, that you’re taking me back.”

  “I love you, Jed.” She bent over him, close and then closer. He smelled her fresh scent, felt her breath in his hair, her soft fingers caressing his neck. She urged him up onto the bed with her and held him to her heart. He lost himself in the welcoming heat of her body.

  Afterward, she fell asleep in his arms. He didn’t want to wake her, so they ended up staying the night in her little apartment.

  In the morning, she made him French toast for breakfast. Then she packed up her suitcases and gathered all the cat stuff together. He helped her carry everything down to the cars. She followed him home.

  When they got there, before she even brought Wigs in, he took her hand and led her out the open garage door, around to the winding front walk and up the wide porch steps.

  “Wait right here.” He unlocked the door, stepped in just long enough to turn off the alarm and then stepped back out. She laughed as he swung her high in his arms and carried her over the threshold.

  And then she kissed him. “I love you,” she said, her dark eyes shining. “I’m so glad you came to get me, Jed. I’m so glad you’ve finally brought me home.”

  * * * * *

  EXCLUSIVE EXTRACT

  When Dea Caracciolo agrees to attend a sporting event as tycoon Guido Rossano’s date, sparks fly!

  Read on for a sneak preview of

  THE BILLIONAIRE’S PRIZEr />
  the final instalment of Rebecca Winters’ thrilling Cherish trilogy

  THE MONTINARI MARRIAGES

  The dark blue short-sleeved dress with small red poppies Dea was wearing hugged her figure, then flared from the waist to the knee. With every step the material danced around her beautiful legs, imitating the flounce of her hair she wore down the way he liked it. Talk about his heart failing him!

  “Dea—”

  Her searching gaze fused with his. “I hope it’s all right.” The slight tremor in her voice betrayed her fear that she wasn’t welcome. If she only knew…

  “You’ve had an open invitation since we met.” Nodding his thanks to Mario, he put his arm around her shoulders and drew her inside the suite.

  He slid his hands in her hair. “You’re the most beautiful sight this man has ever seen.” With uncontrolled hunger he lowered his mouth to hers and began to devour her. Over the announcer’s voice and the roar of the crowd, he heard her little moans of pleasure as their bodies merged and they drank deeply.

  When she swayed in his arms, he half carried her over to the couch where they could give in to their frenzied needs. She smelled heavenly. One kiss grew into another until she became his entire world. He’d never known a feeling like this and lost track of time and place.

  “Do you know what you do to me?” he whispered against her lips with feverish intensity.

  “I came for the same reason.”

  Her admission pulled him all the way under. Once in a while the roar of the crowd filled the room, but that didn’t stop him from twining his legs with hers. He desired a closeness they couldn’t achieve as long as their clothes separated them.

  “I want you, bellissima. I want you all night long. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  THE BILLIONAIRE’S PRIZE by Rebecca Winters