Mr. Kincaid turned to him. “I appreciate a man who can admit he made a mistake and not let pride come before a fall.”
By the end of the evening, Ayden was shaking hands with the Kincaids and wishing them a good night as he sent them back in a limousine to their hotel. Meanwhile, out the corner of his eye, he could see Ryan speaking privately with Maya. He saw him hand her a business card and watched Maya give him a smile. Then Ryan touched her arm as he left. Ayden was not amused. He was thankful when Ryan got in the limo and they drove away. He handed the valet his ticket.
“That went rather well,” Maya said. “Don’t you think?”
Ayden gave a half smile. “Yes, it did. Thanks to you.”
“Me?” Her voice rose an octave. “I didn’t do anything.”
“Of course you did. You had the Kincaids, each and every one of them, eating out the palm of your hand. I’m impressed and so glad I brought you along.”
Maya shrugged and smiled smugly. “What can I say? We make a good team.”
Ayden met her gaze. Their eyes locked, held. “Yes, we do.”
Desire flared, hot and tangible, between them. Ayden didn’t know what possessed him, but he stepped right into her personal space. He wished she hadn’t looked at him like that. It heated his blood, and the cool air did little to settle the fever that was coursing through him. He caught her hand and pulled her toward him, compelled to do what he’d wanted to do all night, which was kiss her. He didn’t know where this wildness was coming from because he was usually so composed, but Maya’s proximity throughout the evening had gotten to him. Her eyes sparked and flared, radiating heat right through him. When she wet her lips with her tongue, Ayden found himself wondering what she would taste like again.
He was bending his head to brush his lips across hers when the valet pulled up in Ayden’s Bentley, breaking the trance. He’d been just as enthralled by Maya as Ryan had been, perhaps more so because he knew her, had been with her. But he couldn’t be again. He’d given her his word.
Slowly Ayden released her. He gave Maya a small smile because in her eyes he could see she’d been anticipating that kiss as much as he’d been. Would it have been light and sweet, or would it have been the frantic passion they’d shared so long ago?
They would never know because Ayden quickly moved to open the passenger door. Maya didn’t say a word for several moments. She simply stared at him in confusion. He knew he’d given her mixed signals. One minute he was hot for her and the next he was pushing her away. But it was for the best. When he didn’t say a word, Maya finally stepped toward the car and slid in. When she did, the skirt of her dress hiked up and Ayden couldn’t resist feasting his eyes on her sumptuous thighs.
When he glanced up, Ayden found Maya watching him. Had she known where his thoughts had gone? If so, her eyes were shuttered and she didn’t let on. He closed the door, came around to the driver’s side and jumped in. After buckling up, he pulled away from the curb.
The drive to her apartment was fraught with pent-up tension. Awareness rippled through the air, but Ayden ignored it. He had to take Maya back home while he still could. He just couldn’t walk her upstairs, because if he did, he’d be asking to come inside. In more ways than one.
They pulled up to the apartment’s main entrance ten minutes later. He glanced at Maya. “Thanks for tonight. You did great. Sleep well.”
She didn’t even look at him as she said tersely, “Good night.” Seconds later, she was out of the car without a backward glance. He stared at her retreating figure before pulling away to drive home.
Could he blame her for being angry at him?
He’d behaved horribly earlier, pulling her to him like he was going to start something he couldn’t possibly finish. But Maya had been different tonight. He’d seen another side to her. A sexy siren. And it was contrary to what he’d always known about her. That mix had desire ripping through him, igniting a fierce desire to kiss her, claim what had once been his. Because there was no way Ryan Kincaid was going to have his woman. But did he really have a right to think this way? Wasn’t this what had led him down the wrong path and caused Maya to leave in the first place? It had taken months to find the right person to replace her, and although Carolyn was awesome, she couldn’t read his mind like Maya. He had to back off.
It was simply that talking and laughing with her tonight had caused memories to resurface. There were sparks of desire between them, of that there was no doubt. He would love nothing better than to kiss her, touch her and undress her. But there was no way he would or could allow them to burn as hot as they once had.
Maya had made it very clear that she wasn’t interested in rekindling a personal relationship with him. And he had to respect her decision even if his libido didn’t like it. And truth be told, she was too good for him anyway. She certainly wouldn’t settle for a light and sexual affair, which was all Ayden was capable of. Maya was the kind of woman that you married and made the mother of your children. Ayden wanted no part of that life, and his penance was to go to bed longing for a woman he could never have.
Five
Maya was furious as she stormed through the apartment lobby toward the elevators. How dare he touch her like that? Look at her like that? Who the hell did Ayden think he was? Once again, he was showing that he could not be trusted. He’d told her that their relationship, going forward, would be strictly business, but tonight he’d changed the rules. Back at the restaurant, he’d pulled her to him, like...well, like he wanted her. Her stomach had lit up like a ball of fire, and she’d sparked at the desire that had lurked in those hazel-gray depths. Then, just as quickly, he’d cast her aside as if it hadn’t happened.
Just as he had five years ago.
The elevator chimed and Maya entered. Leaning against the wall, she exhaled and closed her eyes. She was trying to force the kick of adrenaline she’d experienced to dissipate. Why had he done it? Stirred up a hornet’s nest of emotions that she’d kept buried? For so long, she’d accepted that Ayden didn’t want her. Never had. That he’d slept with her that night out of pity. And then tonight, he’d flipped the script, making her wonder if she’d gotten it wrong all those years ago. Had he wanted to make love to her? Had it been more to him? Is that what had scared him off?
No, no, no. She shook her head. She couldn’t do this to herself. She’d dealt with this years ago. She couldn’t resurrect those feelings of self-doubt. Not again. Maya had gone to therapy to deal with Raven and Thomas’s betrayal and her night with Ayden. It had all done a number on her ego and self-confidence, but she’d picked up the pieces and finally felt as if she’d let go of the past. She’d faced those demons a few weeks ago when she’d gone to her niece’s baptism.
Maya had hoped that taking this job again would not only help her mother financially, but exorcise those buried demons and remind her of her self-worth. She didn’t need Ayden’s mixed signals and she wouldn’t abide it. Not anymore. She wouldn’t just accept what Ayden or anyone else doled out to her. He would soon learn that she’d grown and was no longer a doormat.
* * *
The next morning, Maya arrived at the office ready to work and full of spice. She was prepared to give Ayden a piece of her mind, but he called to let her know that he had morning meetings and wouldn’t be in until later. Maya was puzzled. There were no appointments on his calendar, so she could only assume he didn’t want to face her. And perhaps it was for the best. Now she would have time to cool down and regain her composure.
By the time Ayden arrived midmorning, Maya had determined to put last night in the past, like an aberration, and move forward with the job. When he strolled into the office, walking with a lithe, purposeful gait, threading his way toward Maya, she was in control.
And so was Ayden.
“Maya—” he thrust a sheath of papers across her desk without looking in her direction “—I need copies of these imme
diately.” He swept past her into his office and closed the door.
It didn’t surprise her that he was ignoring what had transpired last night. He was good at that, acting as if nothing had happened. She would do the same. She did as instructed and made the copies. When she was done, she knocked on his office door. A terse “come in” was issued and she entered.
Ayden’s office was as immaculate as the man himself. It held a dark walnut desk along with built-in bookshelves that spanned an entire wall. A sitting area with a leather sofa, low table and wet bar was in the opposite corner.
She headed to his desk. “Here you are.” She leaned over to hand him the papers, but he seemed determined to act as if whatever he was reviewing on his laptop was more important than acknowledging her. So Maya dropped the copies with a flop on his laptop. That got his attention and he glanced up.
“Is there anything else, boss?” She said the last word with a measure of sarcasm, impossible to ignore.
His brow rose. “Actually, yes. Can you get Kincaid on the line?”
“I’ll get right on that.” Seconds later, she was slamming his door and returning to her desk. The jerk!
She was smarting over his casual disregard when a delivery man strolled toward her with one of the biggest bouquets of flowers Maya had ever seen. “Maya Richardson?” he inquired.
“Yes, that’s me.”
“These are for you. Sign here, please.” He handed her a clipboard while he placed the fragrant bouquet on her desk. Maya signed for them even though she had no idea who they were from. She was still looking for a card when she heard Ayden’s door open behind her, but she ignored him. She was curious who could have sent her flowers.
“Who are they from?” Ayden asked over her shoulder just as Maya found the card.
“Excuse me.” She spun away from him, slid the small card from the envelope and read it. Enjoyed your company last night. Have dinner with me, Ryan.
A smile spread across Maya’s lips.
“Well?” Ayden sounded annoyed when she still hadn’t spoken. “Who are they from?”
“Ryan.”
Ayden frowned. “Kincaid?”
Maya nodded and then swiveled around in her chair to face the computer. She’d suspected Ryan was interested in her personally, but she’d never thought he’d act on it.
“What did the card say?”
Inflamed, Maya spun back around. First, Ayden wanted to ignore what had happened last night, and now he wanted to play twenty questions with her personal life? “What business is it of yours?”
His face turned red and Maya could see she’d angered him, but she didn’t care. “The Kincaids are a client, an important one, so it darn well is my business.”
“It has nothing to do with work,” Maya replied hotly.
Ayden leaned down. Both his large hands bracketed her desk and made Maya feel caged in. “Did he ask you out?”
Her brow furrowed. “How would you know that?”
Ayden rose to his full height and glared at her. “Because it’s what I would do. I saw the way he was looking at you.”
“And just how was he looking at me?” Maya folded her arms across her chest. She dared Ayden to say more.
Ayden turned away from her for several moments, and when he faced her again, his features were schooled. “It’s unseemly for you to accept dinner with a client.”
“That’s not fair!” Maya rose to her feet to confront him. She didn’t appreciate Ayden implying that she would do anything that would harm Stewart Investments. She’d been a valuable employee for five years. “You know I would never hurt you, I—I...” she stammered. “I mean hurt the company. And you know it.”
Ayden colored. She’d hit her mark. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to insinuate otherwise. So let me rephrase. It’s not a good idea to mix business and pleasure.”
“Is that a fact?” Her gaze met his and held. There was no mistaking she was referring to last night when he’d almost kissed her. Air bottled up in her lungs as she waited for a response.
Ayden had the grace to be embarrassed and looked away. “Do what you want!” He turned on his heel and slammed his door a moment later.
Maya told herself she didn’t care how Ayden felt. She was being given an opportunity to go out with a good-looking, emotionally available man who was interested in her. Why not see where it led?
She glanced at Ayden’s door. Because deep down, the man she wanted was closed off to her. Literally.
* * *
Ayden stared out his window for several moments before returning to his desk to concentrate on the figures and reports on his laptop, but it was useless. His brain was addled. Never before had he sat at his desk only to discover he’d wasted ten minutes thinking about a woman. And it wasn’t just any woman. It was Maya. His Maya. He was imagining her going out with Ryan. Wondering if she’d kiss him. Let him touch her as he once had. He was jealous.
And he hated it.
He had no right to be.
He had no rights to Maya. But the thought of her with Kincaid stuck in his craw. He had seen the lust in the man’s eyes when he’d looked at Maya. He had wanted to get to know her all right; he wanted to get to know her intimately! And worst of all, Maya didn’t have a problem with it. He suspected she was doing it to give Ayden the finger for last night and today.
And she’d be within her rights.
He was falling back into old patterns. He’d acted as if he hadn’t hauled her sensual, soft body against his hard one. Felt the pebbles of her nipples harden in response to their closeness. Heard her breath quicken as she anticipated a kiss between them. But he’d denied her. Denied them both. And now they were both miserable because they, or rather, he was trying to forget it happened.
It would have been easy if Maya was in her normal attire of navy skirt and button-down blouse. Except today, she’d chosen to wear a fuchsia-colored blouse that did wonders for her beautiful brown skin. He’d thought Maya returning to Stewart Investments was going to be easy. He had an active love life with plenty of women at his disposal. All he had to do was pick up the phone. There was no reason for him to feel like this; yet, he couldn’t get his beautiful assistant out of his mind.
“Ayden?” Maya’s voice rang through the intercom. “You have a call on line one.”
He sighed. “I’m rather busy right now. Who is it?”
There was silence on the other end. “It’s your sister, Fallon.”
“I’ll be with her in a moment.” Ayden let go of the speaker button.
His half sister, Fallon. Four years younger than him, they shared the same DNA, but they had different mothers. He hated her witch of a mother, Nora Stewart, who was the cause of the downfall of his mother’s marriage to Henry. The wily waitress had made sure she’d gotten pregnant and used it to lure his father away. Ayden had met Fallon a couple of times, but theirs certainly wasn’t a normal brother-sister relationship. Why was she calling?
He had to know the answer. Ayden picked up the receiver. “Hello?”
“Ayden, it’s so good to hear your voice. How are you?”
“I’m fine, Fallon. But I doubt this is a social call.” The last time they’d seen each other had been six years ago when he’d expanded Stewart Investments and bought the building. Fallon had come to the grand opening. He’d been surprised by her appearance, as he was now by her call.
“Wow! I’d forgotten how you like to get to the point,” Fallon said from the other end of the line.
“Yes, well, time is money.”
“Of course. I was hoping if you had some free time, we might get together for lunch this week.”
“I don’t know.” Ayden kept minimal contact with his half siblings. Although he couldn’t blame them for their existence, Ayden still saw them as the chosen ones. The children that Henry deigned to acknowledge as his heirs
while Ayden was left out in the cold to fend for himself.
“C’mon, Ayden. It’s been several years. Aren’t you the least bit curious about me? Dane?”
At times, he was. When he was lonely, Ayden wondered about his siblings and what they were doing with their lives. He knew Fallon ran Stewart Technologies, Henry’s baby. Then there was his half brother.
Dane Stewart was an A-list actor in Hollywood. Ayden knew that Dane wanted no part of the Stewart family because he’d said so in several interviews. Ayden was certain there was a story behind Dane’s estrangement and Fallon’s absolute devotion. He’d even wondered what it would be like to have them as friends, but then he remembered that they’d had different lives. Ayden sighed heavily. “What is it that you want, Fallon?”
“Not over the phone,” she whispered. “I need to speak with you privately. Can you meet me on Friday?”
Ayden was curious, so he agreed. “Yes, I’ll have my assistant set it up.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it. I’ll see you then.”
The line went dead, but Ayden was still holding the receiver. Exactly what did his sister want, and what did it have to do with him?
* * *
By Thursday, Maya was both giddy with excitement for her date with Ryan Kincaid this weekend and perturbed by Ayden’s attitude the last couple of days. The only way she could describe his behavior toward her was chilly. Ayden was not happy about her spending time with Ryan. His interactions with her were strictly business. Email this. Call this person. There was none of the warm camaraderie they usually shared at the office.
He’d overheard Maya making plans with Ryan for Saturday night after she’d called to thank him for the beautiful arrangement. Since then, Ayden had been acting like a sullen child. He barely spoke to her. He’d been absent the last couple of days and was giving her a wide berth. Maya supposed it was a good thing. They’d gotten too close for comfort the other night. If dating Ryan kept her from obsessing about Ayden and wondering what might happen, it was for the best.
At the CEO's Pleasure Page 6
