The Texas CEO's Secret

by Nicole Foster

  Logic and reason gave her a definite yes. But her heart stayed silent, steady, Blake’s name echoing on every beat.

  Chapter Eight

  Katie rubbed at her temple, feeling the threat of a headache. “Is there some reason why these grant applications have to be six-dozen pages long?” she grumbled.

  Looking up from her notes, Tessa grinned. “I’m sure it’s nothing personal.”

  “Right now, it seems like it. I feel like we’ve been working on this same paperwork for weeks.” She sighed, put aside her frustrations and started scanning the next section of the packet only to be interrupted by the chime of her cell phone. Tempted to ignore it, she changed her mind when the displayed number told her it was Blake. She hadn’t seen him since she’d gotten back from New York a few days ago and their phone conversations had been unsatisfying to say the least.

  “I need to get this,” she told Tessa, who, focused on her paperwork, gave a vague wave in reply.

  “Is something wrong?” she asked after their hellos.

  “Not that I know of,” he said. “Does something need to be wrong for me to call you?”

  “Of course not. You just surprised me, that’s all.”

  “Pleasantly, I hope.”

  “It depends on your reason for calling,” she came back lightly and he laughed.

  “I wondered if you were doing anything this evening. I thought I might stop by. It’s the first chance I’ve had to see you since you got home.”

  More than a little curious, she told him, “I don’t have any plans. My parents are having dinner with Uncle Peter but I didn’t feel up to another fund-raiser disguised as a social event. Is this about the ball?”

  “About six, then?” He completely ignored her question. “I’ll bring dinner.”

  “That’s fine, but Blake—”

  “I’ll see you then.” And he cut the connection before she could question him any further, leaving her staring at the phone in confusion.

  “Wow, it really is true.”

  Katie looked up to Tessa, her assistant’s face avid with interest. “What really is true?” Although she already had a good idea of Tessa’s answer.

  “You and Blake McCord being an item. He’s the last man I would have thought you’d fall for, especially after Tate. I mean he’s rich and gorgeous and I’m sure there isn’t a lack of women who’d love to get him in bed,” Tessa added hastily at Katie’s frown. “But I never figured you’d be attracted to the cold, arrogant type.”

  “You don’t know Blake. There’s another side to him than the one everyone sees,” Katie defended him. “And we’re not an item. I like him, we’re friends—”

  “You’re spending tonight with him, apparently just the two of you.”

  “It’s just dinner and talking, and I’m sure it’s something to do with the plans for the ball.”

  “Right,” Tessa drawled. “So how long has this been going on? Wait—is he the guy you’ve been daydreaming about since you and Tate broke up?”

  “Tessa—”

  “That’s the reason you and Tate called your engagement off, because you and Tate’s brother…?”

  “Of course it isn’t,” Katie said, sounding more defensive than she would have liked. “I told you, Blake and I are friends. We’re working on planning the Halloween ball together. That’s all there is to it.” It was a flat lie, but she couldn’t define what she and Blake were beyond that to herself, let alone anyone else. “Even if we were seeing each other, Blake doesn’t have anything to do with what happened between Tate and me. Tate and I were over long before then. We just didn’t make it official.”

  “You are seeing Blake, then,” Tessa persisted.

  Exasperated by Tessa’s determination to get her to admit what Katie hadn’t decided for herself, she said, “Oh, stop already. Let’s just get this paperwork done.”

  Katie focused on the work in front of her, but Blake and his cryptic call kept distracting her, leaving her wondering, speculating, imagining just what he had in mind for them this evening.

  Blake tossed his cell phone on his desk, satisfied he’d successfully convinced Katie to spend an evening with him without the necessity of making an excuse that it had anything to do with the hospital benefit. He wouldn’t have resorted to directly lying, but had no qualms about editing what information he did give in order to get his way. If he’d told her his plans for the night, she might have turned him down and he wasn’t going to take that chance.

  A hesitant tap at his office door interrupted his review of his agenda for the evening and Penny poked her head into the room. “Do you have a minute?”

  “What have you got?” Blake asked, gesturing his sister to a chair and accepting the portfolio she handed over the desk.

  “These are some of the new designs I’ve been working on using the canary diamonds. I think you’ll like them, at least I hope you will.”

  “Your work is always good,” he told her absently, while looking over the sketches with a critical eye. Perched on the edge of her chair, Penny, her fingers laced tightly together, watched him flip through her efforts. There were a few more modern looking pieces Blake didn’t care for, but overall, Penny had used both canary and white diamonds in white gold, silver and platinum settings to give the designs a rich, romantic feeling, as if the jewelry itself was centuries old, yet timeless in its beauty and appeal. He was nearly at the end of the sketches when one ring in particular caught his eye. It was a classic, square cut solitaire set in platinum.

  Without taking his eyes off the sketch, he said, “This is something special,” and immediately Katie came to mind. He thought she would love this, something unique and beautiful, but not ostentatious, like Katie herself.

  “What do you think?” Penny asked and Blake caught the anxious note in her voice.

  “That you’ve done a great job with this, especially these—” He spread out the designs he liked best. “I’m not a big fan of the others, but I suppose it’s wise to include them.”

  “Not necessarily. If you’re planning to tie the collection in with the Santa Magdalena diamond, then considering the history behind it, you might want to stick with the more traditional-looking pieces.” Looking happier at Blake’s praise, Penny started gathering up her sketches. “I like those best, too, so I’ll focus more on them.”

  “Not this.” Blake pulled back the sketch of the solitaire ring. “I don’t want this included in the collection.”

  Penny’s eyes widened slightly. “I thought you said it was special.”

  “It is. Which is why I only want one of them.”

  “You want it?”

  “Yes, is there a problem?”

  “No.” Penny dragged out the syllable, eyeing him doubtfully. Blake could see she wanted to pursue the matter, but it wasn’t in her nature to push. Instead, she settled for a nod and “All right, if that’s what you want.” She finished putting her portfolio back together then stood up, readying to leave.

  It wasn’t the best timing but since he hadn’t seen much of Penny lately, and unwilling to let her go before he had his say about a subject that had nothing to do with jewelry designing, he said abruptly, “Are you still seeing Jason Foley?”

  Starting, Penny recovered quickly. “I’m not going to talk about that with you.” An uncharacteristic defiance settled over her face. “I already know you don’t approve. There’s no point in us discussing it.”

  This new show of stubbornness took Blake aback. “Penny—”

  “I thought you might understand, at least a little,” Penny went on, “because of Katie. You should know how it feels when people want to talk about things that are private between two people.”

  “That’s completely different. Katie isn’t a Foley.”

  “It’s not different. You just won’t see it any other way because of this stupid feud with the Foleys that doesn’t mean anything to anyone anymore, except you.” With that, Penny turned and almost ran from the room, leaving the do
or flung open wide behind her and Blake staring at her wake, wondering what the hell had just happened and whether Jason Foley was responsible for this different side of his baby sister.

  It was an unwelcome thought. And yet, reluctantly, he could understand how Penny felt having someone dissecting her relationship and telling her it was completely wrong. He wasn’t sure where he and Katie stood with each other, but he did resent the attempts by their families, friends and even acquaintances to influence how they felt about each other. He didn’t trust Jason Foley; he was sure the only reason Jason was pursuing Penny was because he wanted information about the diamond. On the other hand, maybe his badgering Penny about it was only making things worse by spurring her determination to stick with Jason and prove Blake wrong.

  Doubting himself and his certainties made Blake uncomfortable. Katie had more or less accused him of being inflexible and he conceded in some areas, she might be right. When it came to the Foleys, though, he couldn’t afford to question himself. Not when he had so much riding on this plan to find the diamond and revive McCord Jewelers.

  So for now, he pushed aside his misgivings and focused his thoughts on the evening ahead and those plans that had more promise of succeeding exactly as he hoped.

  Though Blake had made it clear he’d decided the agenda for the evening, Katie determined she’d be the one setting the mood. Blake needed to learn to relax once in a while and she admitted she liked being the one who coaxed him into it. She deliberately dressed casually in jeans and a button-down white shirt, leaving her hair loose, her makeup minimal, and enjoyed his approving look when, promptly at six, she opened the door to him.

  “Are you going to tell me what this is about?” she asked, leading him into the kitchen so he could deposit the large hamper he carried. He apparently had been thinking along the same lines as her as far as mood because in khakis and a dark blue shirt, sleeves rolled halfway up his forearms, he looked more dressed down than she’d ever seen him.

  “Escape,” he answered in a word. “You told me I needed to do it more often.”

  “And you listened? I didn’t know I had that much influence over you.” Her lips curved up. “You could be in trouble.”

  “Be nice. I brought champagne.”

  “You had an ulterior motive for that.”

  “And this—” Reaching into the hamper, he handed over a DVD.

  It was Bogart’s In A Lonely Place, one of the few she’d never seen. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you had spies.” The smug look on his face stopped her. “How did you—?”

  “While you were in New York, I asked your housekeeper to check your collection.”

  It was so typically Blake, not content to settle for less than perfection in executing a plan, and yet the gesture touched her because he’d cared enough to make the gift and the evening personal to her. “Thank you,” she said softly, and pressing her hand to his chest, lightly kissed him. “For all of this. I can’t think of a better way to spend the evening.”

  “Can’t you?” His eyes swept over her. “Then I need to try harder.”

  “I don’t think so,” she said, quickly shifting the subject from one that evoked dangerously seductive images to one more mundane. Lifting the hamper lid, she peered inside. “What’s for dinner?”

  “Lasagna and chocolate cheesecake. It seemed like a strange combination but—”

  “I know, you talked to the cook, too, and she gave away my secret passions.”

  Blake laughed. “No, just your favorite dinner.”

  He helped her unpack the provisions and after a leisurely meal, Katie insisted on carrying the cheesecake and champagne into the den, and having dessert while they watched the movie. She even persuaded Blake to try the combination, giggling at his grimace after one sip. Afterward, it felt natural to sit next to him on the couch, her shoulder brushing his, until eventually, his arm slid around her and she leaned into him.

  Katie sighed when the movie ended, stretching as she picked up the remote and switched off the television. “Much better than an evening of politics,” she said, sitting back.

  “Or business,” Blake agreed. He began idly sifting his fingers through her hair, occasionally skimming against her neck, watching the motion as if it fascinated him.

  “Blake…” His name came out almost a plea and she wasn’t sure if she was reminding him her parents would soon be home and to stop, or asking him to go further than the barest contact he was making on her skin.

  He looked up, their eyes met, and later, reliving the moments, Katie could never remember who moved first, only that they were in each other’s arms and locked in a kiss that had gone from a tentative caress to sensually explicit so fast it dizzied her. The thought of holding back never crossed her mind. His hands roving her shoulders, her back, made her greedy for every feeling, careless of where they were and who might see them.

  Distracted by the openmouthed kisses he dragged along her throat that caused her to arch back, offering him better access, she fumbled blindly with the buttons of his shirt. Finally succeeding in freeing them all, she jerked his shirttails out and spread her hands over his chest, drawing a low groan from him that rumbled against her ear.

  She pulled him with her as he eased her down on the couch. Blake claimed her mouth again at the same time he unbuttoned her shirt, pushing it off her shoulders, taking her bra straps with it. The intensity of the sensations felt like a wild slide down a high mountain, an incredible, addictive rush, and so new to her. All those years of being Tate’s lover, she’d thought she understood passion. She realized now everything she’d felt before was only a hint of what she could feel, what Blake could make her feel. And she knew Blake shared it from the hungry way he kissed and touched her, as if he’d been holding back for so long and all at once had let go every restraint.

  Any inhibitions, any doubts she’d had, burned away. They’d both lost control of this, if they ever had it to begin with. It was crazy, and exciting, and probably wrong in a hundred ways, but Katie didn’t care.

  “Don’t stop,” she murmured in between kissing his neck, along his collarbone.

  The sound of her voice seemed to give him pause. “Katie…” Breathing hard, he looked at her and there was something vulnerable in his face, an almost stunned expression. “Are you…is that what you want…here?”

  “Yes.” She kissed him. “Yes.”

  His mouth moved hotly against her ear. “Your parents—”

  “They’re not here.”

  “But soon…” he muttered at the same time his hand cupped one breast, his caresses becoming more intimate. “I don’t want to do this in a hurry.”

  “Please, Blake.” It came out half demand, half begging.

  As if he’d come to a decision and it sobered him, Blake straightened, bringing her with him so they faced each other, his hands still gripping her arms. “I want you,” he ground out and kissed her hard and fast. “But you deserve better.”

  For a moment, Katie wasn’t sure whether he meant himself or better than a quick tumble on her couch, with the threat of her parents catching them in the act. The thought it could be both quelled her frustration at him stopping and lifted her hand to gently touch his face. “Maybe we both do. But it feels pretty good right now.”

  “You’re not making this easy.” Blake groaned, closing his eyes at her touch.

  “Sorry,” she murmured. She leaned in and pressed her lips to his and he took charge, kissing her slowly, thoroughly, until they were both breathless again, and she was entertaining thoughts of persuading him to throw caution out the window.

  Sounds of doors closing, voices and footsteps put an end to that fantasy. They both moved quickly to straighten their clothes and to appear as if the last minutes had never happened. Their attempts, in Katie’s eyes, didn’t do them much good. Blake’s hair was tousled, even more after he ran a hand through it, and he looked ruffled; she doubted she was any better.

  “That’s probably my cue to lea
ve,” he said without much conviction behind it. “They’ll have seen my car.”

  “I guess you should, then. It’s late…”

  He slid his hand around her nape, pulled her to him, and kissed her, long and deep. “Next time,” he promised.

  Katie, walking Blake to the door, hoped they could escape her parents notice. She thought she’d gotten lucky when, after a lingering kiss of thanks and goodbye, she saw him off, but her luck ran out almost the moment she turned to retreat to her room.

  “It was Blake’s car, then,” Anna said, coming into the foyer. “I thought you told me you weren’t involved beyond the planning for the ball.”

  “No, you told me we shouldn’t be involved,” Katie returned. “And as I said before, you’re jumping to conclusions.”

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake, Katie, I’m not blind or stupid. It’s nearly midnight and you don’t kiss a man like that to finalize plans for a ball.”

  Flushing, Katie stood her ground. “No, but it’s time I started making my own choices.”

  She expected a rebuttal from her mother, repeating all the reasons why Anna thought Blake McCord was wrong for her daughter. Instead, Anna said quietly, “That may be. But are you really sure you know what you want?”

  There was no certain answer to that question and for a long time after she left her mother, into the tiny hours of the morning, Katie lay awake, trying to decide if what she wanted from Blake and what she needed were the same thing.

  Chapter Nine

  Blake found Eleanor in the greenhouse, tending her orchids. It was hard making the trip to his mother’s sanctuary in answer to the message she’d left for Blake to find her after work. The last thing he wanted after a day like the one he’d had, having to face the latest reports that McCord’s sales were still slipping, was a confrontation with his mother.

  But not responding to her would be worse. Then she’d find him, demanding explanations he didn’t intend to make.