by Desiree Holt
Taylor caught her breath as she walked into the private sanctum of the man whose genes she carried. Would she find anything in here to give her a clue to his personality? She inhaled deeply, as if the essence of the man still lingered and she could capture its scent.
The room was very masculine. She trailed her fingers along the edge of the massive desk. Eyed the vast array of telephones and other electronic equipment on a table set at right angles. Silently admired the woven Native American rug that partially covered a gleaming hardwood floor. Through a wide picture window she could see a corral holding several horses and beyond that a row of barns with immaculate coats of paint and a smattering of cattle.
“The rest of the stock is pastured further out.” Noah had come up quietly behind her. “We rotate them depending on the season and the calendar. When we sit down with Tony we’ll go over the details of the cattle operation.”
“Good. I’d like to see the books before I do that.”
“I’ll arrange it.”
A row of framed photographs sat on the long credenza behind the desk. They were all of the same man—astride a horse, in a pickup, standing beside a plane with two other men, sport fishing. She picked one up, curious.
“Josiah?”
Noah nodded once.
“The newspaper photo barely did him justice.”
Josiah Gaines, like Noah, had been tall and both his erect carriage and the look on his ruddy face bespoke a go-to-hell attitude. His thick head of salt and pepper hair was cropped close to his head, almost military style. Even at his age, he had been a very good-looking man.
“I can see why my mother fell in love with him,” she said softly.
“As did many other women.”
She frowned. “But he never remarried.”
“No.” And in that one word was a wealth of meaning to be explored at another time.
“I wish I had known him.” Her voice was sad. All these years she’d had a father she knew nothing about. What kind of impact would he have had on her life?
One of Noah’s arms came around her waist and pressed against her stomach, pulling her back against him. She could feel the hard length of his cock pressing into the cleft of her buttocks.
“You’ll be the topic of conversation if you don’t get rid of that bulge in your trousers before we reach Arroyo headquarters,” she pointed out.
The other hand slid inside the jacket of her suit and into her bra, cupping her breast. His mouth was next to her ear. “I’d love to get rid of it, little girl but the damned business is getting in the way.” He nipped the lobe of her ear. “You drive me nuts. I get hard just watching you walk into a room. Have you cast a spell on me, Taylor? Is that it?”
“I must be under the same spell.” Her breathing quickened as his hand slid lower until it rested on her mound. His swollen cock rubbed in the crease of her ass and moisture dampened her panties. This wasn’t a spell, it was a drug and there didn’t seem to be any cure for it. Whatever happened there was no place to go in a relationship with Noah Cantrell besides the sex, so why didn’t she just stop it right now?
Noah’s fingers pinched her nipple and his teeth but lightly on her ear lobe. “If this wasn’t Josiah’s office I’d lay you across that desk and fuck your brains out.” His voice was thick with wanting. He moved his hands to slide her skirt up to her waist, grunting at the obstruction of pantyhose but managing to slip his hand inside and find her wet cunt. “You want it too. Damn it, Taylor. Danger’s out there waiting and all I can think of is how many times can stick my cock inside you.”
She moaned as his fingertip grazed her clit but a knock at the door made him pull back and smooth down her skirt. She kept her face turned toward the window, sure if anyone looked at her right then they see a face marked by passion.
“Señor Cantrell. My mother hopes this is to your liking. And the señorita’s.”
“Taylor?” Noah touched her shoulder. “This is Rey Pedrosa, Lupe’s son. Lupe does all the cooking for the ranch.”
Taylor hoped her face was composed as she turned and held out her hand to the good-looking twenty-something man. “Hello, Rey. Thank you for bringing our food.”
“My pleasure, señorita.” He arranged their trays on the desk. “Señor Cantrell will show you the house phone. Please call if you need anything else.”
“I’m sure we’ll be fine.” Deliberately she moved away from him and sat down at the desk. “Shall we get started?’
Noah took a stack of file folders out of a drawer, pulled a chair close to hers and sat down. “We’ll eat while we work if you don’t mind.” He handed her the top folder containing what appeared to be a summary of Arroyo’s structure. “Arroyo started out in natural gas and oil exploration. Now it’s a conglomerate covering everything imaginable. You’ll find divisions in electronics, media outlets, farm equipment, even arms manufacture.”
Taylor raised her eyebrows as she flipped one-handed through the sheets of paper. “Arms manufacture. Doesn’t that get a little…tricky?”
Noah shook his head. “We have a number of government contracts and we’re monitored very carefully. I can make arrangements for you to visit each division and meet with the people there.”
“Yes. Later. That would be a good idea.” She looked at him.
“I drew a corporate diagram for you.” Noah pulled out the sheet and slid it in front of her. “This should simplify things for you.”
Their hands brushed and heat flared at once between them. A muscle jumped in his cheek and he moved an inch or so away. For the next hour he reviewed information with her on each of Arroyo’s divisions and gave her a thumbnail assessment of each member of the executive staff. When they were finished he locked the files in the drawer and handed a set of keys to her.
“Is this office locked when no one’s here?”
“Yes. Always.”
She nodded. “Good. I’d like to come in here by myself and go over these things again. I can make notes and come up with some questions to ask you.” She drained the last of her coffee.
“Tomorrow I’ll brief you on Josiah’s community and social activities. You’ll be expected to take up the slack in a lot of them.”
“That’ll certainly be interesting,” she said, her tone dry.
“We’ll be leaving for the office in twenty minutes,” Noah told her as Rey removed the dishes. “Do you need more time than that?”
“I’ll be ready in ten. Where shall I met you.?”
“I’ll come get you.” He opened a cupboard in the wall and took out a slim briefcase. “for you.”
She held up the briefcase she was carrying. “You bought me a new briefcase? Why? I already have a perfectly good one.”
“You might want to make a switch. I wasn’t the one who bought this. Josiah did. Before he was killed he planned to go to Tampa, make amends with you and bring you back here.” His hand came up and brushed her cheek in a curiously tender gesture. “I think you’ll do him proud.”
For the first time since the beginning of this entire nightmare, Taylor was overcome with a desire to cry.
* * * * *
Noah slammed papers into his briefcase and snapped it shut with enough vehemence to break the locks. He’d told Taylor there was danger hiding out there, awaiting them but for him the greatest danger was just down the hall. Touching her was like putting his hand to a hot flame. Only this one burned him everywhere.
Damn it all to hell anyway. How had he gotten himself in this situation? And what the fuck could he do about it?
This couldn’t go anywhere, for reasons far beyond the fact she was Josiah’s daughter and heir. There were things he could never tell her, the same things that made a long-term relationship impossible with anyone. He’d learned that very painfully.
He had to find a way to resolve this before things got really out of hand. He’d given her a taste of sex that was mild compared to how he really liked it. If he pulled out all the stops she’d run screaming into the night.
But maybe that was the answer. Let her see the full scope of his needs and desires, the games he liked to play and that would be the end of it. A wave of pain and bitterness reminded him just how efficiently it worked once before.
Then of course, he’d have to leave. No way could he stay around her when it was all out in the open, everything about him and still he’d want her beyond all rational thought. From the minute he took her to bed he’d known this was more than sex, more than a tangle in the sheets. More than he wanted or could handle. And he desperately needed to find a way to kill it.
Because there was no place to take this.
Ever.
* * * * *
They caravanned into San Antonio in the same manner they’d used the night before—Taylor and Noah in the lead vehicle, Tomas and Charlie trailing.
“I feel like I’m in a movie.” Taylor smoother imaginary wrinkles from her skirt, trying to keep the nervousness from her voice.
“Too bad it isn’t.” Noah’s voice was tight. “We’d already have all the answers. Just so you know, we also have men on the two country roads that cut into this one, checking traffic. When they know we’re rolling they’ll make sure no one’s setting up an ambush as we go by,”
Taylor shivered. “Somehow when we talked about all this it didn’t seem quite real. Now it does.”
“Oh, it’s real enough all right. That’s the hell of it.”
Silence stretched thickly between them, the air charged with the sexual energy that was so combustible it shimmered. Then Noah cleared his throat.
“You’ll be under a microscope today. I want to assure you I’ll make sure nothing about our relationship is obvious to anyone today.”
“Our relationship?” She turned her head to look at him. “Do we have a relationship?”
Fuck. He clenched the steering wheel. “To tell you the truth, I don’t know what we have. Or where we can go with it. I’m… There are things… Damn.”
Taylor looked straight ahead through the windshield, then turned to look out the passenger window. Anywhere but at Noah. Her pulse was beating hard enough at her throat to leap through that tender covering of skin and the butterflies had come to life in her stomach. This was a terrible time for her to wonder if he wanted more from her than just sex. To hope for it. She had to focus, keep it together to deal with what awaited her.
She swallowed, forcing saliva past her dry throat. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Unless you’re referring to the fact that from the minute we fell into bed together we haven’t been able to keep our hands off each other. I accept as much responsibility as you do. We both agree there’s nothing beyond that, so what difference could anything you’re keeping bottled up possibly make? And why would I even care?” She hoped her voice sounded cooler than she felt.
“Listen, little girl. You’re a novice at this. A neophyte. And I’m not talking about the corporate quicksand waiting for you. There are things about me you don’t know…”
From day one Noah Cantrell had unerringly found her weakness—an unexplored passion that yearned to burst into full flower—and taken control of her with it. The control she’d been determined not to give him. She must find a way to unravel the invisible ropes he bound her with. In this strange world of international finance and intrigue she’d been thrust into, she admitted to herself Noah’s support and guidance were critical. There could be no hint of the flames they danced in at night. Certainly nothing that could give the waiting vultures any sign of weakness on her part. And his presence had to be defined as her choice, not his.
But just when she began to almost like the man he turned into an asshole again.
“I think we’d better drop this for now.” She fought to control her anger. “Let’s discuss what’s waiting for us at Arroyo headquarters.”
As if he’d donned a second skin, the man next to her became someone else—cold, aloof, all business. They might never have shared an intimate moment, not be fighting the sexual pull that kept drawing ever tighter. The rest of their trip he went over again the people waiting for her, the meetings he’d set up and what she could probably expect.
And then they were pulling into the Arroyo Corporation campus in northwest San Antonio. The three-story building was skillfully landscaped with gravel and colorful plants requiring little water. The two Expeditions drove into the attached parking garage and pulled into two slots where a security guard waited for them. He came forward as Noah got out of the vehicle.
“All set, Mr. Cantrell. I’ve checked everything myself. Nothing looks out of place. And I’ve had the elevator locked on this floor.”
“Thanks.” He shook hands with the guard, then led Taylor to the elevator.
Tomas got in with them. “Charlie takes the first shift. I’ll check out the building.”
Taylor looked from one man to the other. “Are we expecting an attack?”
“Yes.”
The one word chilled her and made her remember why she was here in the first place. She gripped her briefcase, trying not to show the trembling in her hands.
When the elevator doors opened again, they walked out into an area of thickly carpeted floors and oak paneled walls, with wide hallways leading away from a circular reception desk. Sound was muted, almost hushed, people moving quietly about their business. Several of them glanced at Taylor, unable to conceal their curiosity. The king was dead, the queen had arrived, conjured up out of thin air and they all wanted to know what it meant for them.
Noah guided her past them, an air of command and inbred arrogance firmly in place. The ultimate alpha male. Taylor felt him beside her, striding confidently down the hall. Here in this building he was the man with the power and the atmosphere told her while people might not too happy about it, they couldn’t deny his position.
She had to discover the reason for his relationship with Josiah. With the situation as volatile as it was, there was no room for secrets. She needed every edge she could get.
“I feel as if I have a target painted on my back,” Taylor whispered to Noah, as he walked her down the wide corridor.
“Hopefully with us around people won’t be hitting it,” Tomas told her as he moved noiselessly down the hall at her other side.
Through partially open doors, she saw more people sitting at their desks, glancing up in what they hoped was a casual manner as they watched her progress. Still others moved out to cluster around the reception desk she’d just left, pretending to gather their messages.
“Make no mistake.” Noah’s voice was still harsh. “You do. It’s my job to find out who’s aiming it at you.”
“Now there’s a comforting thought.”
She would have said more but he ushered her into a suite of offices with a legend on the door that said simply “Arroyo Corporation.”
“Josiah wasn’t much for putting his name on doors,” he explained. “He figured if whoever came through them didn’t know who he was, they had no business being there.”
A striking woman with wavy black hair and bright, dark eyes, about Taylor’s height, was waiting for them at her desk. She held out her hand, a welcoming smile on her face. “I’m Carmen Obradors, Miss Scott. It’s an honor to meet you.”
“Thank you. I’ve looked forward to meeting you too.”
“I haven’t touched anything in here,” she said quickly, leading the way to Josiah’s private office. “You said to leave everything as it was, Mr. Cantrell and I did.” She bit her lip, then blurted out, “Mr. Hunter wanted to go through the files but I told him he’d have to clear it with you and Miss Scott.”
“Good for you.” Noah nodded his agreement. “I haven’t even gone through them myself.”
“Perhaps the three of us could go through them together,” Taylor suggested.
Noah nodded, his face implacable. “After the staff meeting.”
“Orders?” she asked quietly.
“Recommendations.” His voice was just as quiet and a grin flirted with the
straight lines of his mouth.
Taylor swallowed her own smile and looked around at her surroundings. This office, like the den at the ranch, carried the imprint of Josiah Gaines. Heavy oak furniture and soft leather and another dazzling array of electronics. On the walls artwork that Taylor recognized as the work of Texas artists. Bookshelves with volumes on Texana, oil and glass and international business.
But it was the single framed photo on his desk that made her gasp. The woman was much younger, the picture obviously years old but Taylor recognized her right away. Her mother. Laura Scott. She looked at Noah, eyebrows raised.
“He must have had it all these years. After he found out you were really his, he took it out, framed it and kept it there.”
“It gave him sadness,” Carmen interjected, the unhappiness touching her own face.
“Sadness?”
“Yes. The only thing that ever made him depressed.” She twisted her hands. “I think he loved her very much.”
“As she loved him.” Taylor shook her head. “My grandparents ruined everything for them both. And for me.” She sighed and turned back to Noah. “Somehow occupying this chair feels strange, as if Josiah’s still in it.”
“This is the office of Arroyo’s CEO.” His voice was uninflected but firm. “Right now that’s you. So this is where you sit.”
A folder sat on the desk with her name written on it. Taylor opened it to find a list of the executive staff and division heads on one sheet, a list of the board of directors on another and several newspaper stories clipped together.”
“I thought you might like to read all the stories about Mr. Gaines…your father…” Carmen looked at Taylor with a helpless expression.
“Calling him Josiah is fine. I’ve only known he was my father for a month so I can’t even get used to calling him that myself. And thank you for getting these things together for me.”
Carmen nodded and handed her a set of keys. “These are for both office doors as well as the desk drawers and the cupboards in the wall. Mr. Gaines kept everything well secured.”
Taylor put them in her briefcase. “Mr. Cantrell can help me check them over later.”
