emotions clawed through him. It was bad enough that his son was totally besotted with the daughter, now it seemed he was becoming obsessed with the mother. He hadn’t even managed to brush his teeth this morning without Kylie consuming his thoughts. He gritted those same teeth, not liking the position he was in one damn bit.
It wasn’t as if he hadn’t dated since Cyndi’s death. But he quickly admitted that Kylie was different from any woman he’d taken out. She had a strong, independent nature that he admired. She had raised her child alone and when times had gotten tough with the downsizing of her job, she had made what she’d felt were the best decisions for the both of them. Even considering all of that, he still wondered what about her had not only grabbed his attention but was holding it tight. Could it be that now that he was getting older with a son who would be leaving for college in a couple of years, the thought of being alone scared him? Of course, he had his brothers, but they had their own lives.
Sebastian was the corporation’s problem solver and troubleshooter. The Steele Corporation was more than just a company to Bas; it was his lifeline. Bas had been the last brother to join the company, and of the four, he had been the one to give their parents the most grief while growing up. Cutting school on a regular basis had been minor considering the other things he’d done. His reputation for getting into mischief was legendary. Trouble had seemed to find Bas, even when he wasn’t looking for it. His engagement had mystified his brothers since he was the last Steele anyone would have thought would want to tie the knot.
Then there was Morgan, who headed R & D. Although he dated, everyone teased Morgan about holding out for the perfect woman. So far he hadn’t found a woman who qualified for the role, although he was convinced one existed.
Last but not least was Donovan, who women claimed could seduce them with his voice alone. The youngest of the Steele brothers headed product administration, but unlike Bas, who was married to the corporation, Donovan always managed to carve out some play time.
“It doesn’t look like you’re busy, big brother, so I’ll just come in.”
Chance turned his head and watched as Bas entered his office. He sat up, a little surprised that anyone, including his brother, had made it past his secretary without being announced. “Where’s Joanna?” he asked. It was a rare occurrence for Joanna Cabot to leave her post without advising him.
Bas smiled. “Just where is your mind today, Chance? Have you forgotten that Robert Parker is retiring and today’s his last day in sales? We were all at the celebration downstairs and wondering where you were. I made an excuse for you by telling everyone you probably had gotten detained on an important call.”
Chance muttered a low curse. He had forgotten about Robert’s retirement party. Robert had been part of the Steele Corporation when their father, Lester Steele, had run things. Now their retired parents were living the life in the Keys, doing all the things they’d always dreamed of doing, and had left the family business in the hands of their capable sons and niece.
“Yes, I’d forgotten about it.”
Bas leaned against the closed door. “Umm, and you were just talking about it yesterday, which makes me wonder what’s weighing so heavily on your mind.”
Chance stood and quickly slipped into his suit jacket. “Trust me, you don’t want to know.”
Bas scowled. “You aren’t losing sleep over that Marcus affair, are you? You are chilling like we told you to do, right?”
Chance decided not to tell Bas that the Marcus affair had conveniently become his own personal affair, thanks to Tiffany Hagan’s mother. “Yes, I’m chilling.”
Bas laughed. “You wouldn’t know how to chill if your life depended on it.”
Chance rolled his eyes, grinning. “Look who’s talking.”
It was a couple of hours later that Chance arrived back in his office. A part of him was still obsessed with hearing Kylie’s voice. Deciding not to fight it any longer, he pulled out his wallet to find the business card she had given him the other day at the café. He picked up the phone, then put it back down. Damn, he wanted to do more than talk to her. He wanted to see her.
He reached for the phone and punched in the number to connect with his secretary. “Ms. Cabot, I’m leaving early today. If an emergency comes up you can reach me on my cell phone.”
Strategy and tact were the methods he’d mentioned to Kylie for bringing their children around. Little did she know he was about to apply that same technique on her.
Kylie turned at the sound of the shop door opening with a smile of greeting on her lips. The smile quickly faded when she saw it was the one man who had invaded her dreams last night.
She took a calming breath, remembering her reaction the first time she’d seen him when he’d walked through her door two days ago. Nothing had changed. Dressed in another power-house business suit, he looked drop-dead gorgeous.
She tried not to stare at him like a love-struck teenager, but found she was helpless in doing so. Chance Steele wasn’t just any man. He was the one man who had started her blood circulating again in some very intimate places. He was definitely a man who was the very epitome of everything male.
“Hi,” she said, deciding to break the silence when they just stood there staring at each other.
“Hi.” He then glanced around. “You’re not busy.”
“No, the lunch crowd has come and gone.”
“Oh. Would you like to go out?”
She raised a brow. “Out where?”
“To lunch.”
Surprise flickered in the depths of Kylie’s dark eyes. “To lunch?”
“Yes,” he said, giving her a smile that made her stomach clench. “Would you go to lunch with me?”
“Why? Do we need to talk about the kids again?”
“No.”
That single word sent her mind into a spin. He wanted to take her out but not to talk about the kids. Then what on earth would they talk about?
Chance must have seen the question in her eyes because he said, “I discovered something very important yesterday at the café, Kylie.”
“What?”
“I enjoyed your company a lot. A whole lot.” Then as an afterthought, he added, “I don’t date often.”
His confession was the same as Tiffany had said that very morning. Although she knew it probably wasn’t good manners, Kylie couldn’t help asking, “Why?”
He shrugged. “For a number of reasons but I can probably sum it up in one rationale.”
“Which is?”
“Lack of interest.”
Kylie knew all about lack of interest. She’d been dealing with it for over fifteen years. She hadn’t wanted the drama of getting into a hot and heavy relationship with someone, nor had she wanted to expose Tiffany to the drama, either. “Oh, I see.”
“Do
