I will love you for the rest of my life. You are the centre of my world.’
She choked with emotion as Scott stood, swung her up into the air, her arms linked behind his head, whirling her around and around until her feet connected with the chair.
In an instant Scott lowered her to the floor, grabbed her hand and threw her over his right shoulder as though she weighed nothing.
He was almost in the middle of the street before she managed to wriggle free and, holding hands, they pulled and twirled each other around and around, heads back, laughing and shouting in pleasure, thick snowflakes falling around them, before collapsing into each other’s arms, their heads pressed together into a passionate kiss.
It was picture perfect.
* * * * *
Cat Schield
For my parents.
Your love and support have helped me follow my dreams.
“You.” The word came out as an unfriendly accusation.
“Hello, Max.”
Rachel Lansing had been bracing herself for this meeting all day, and now that it had arrived, it was so much worse than she’d imagined. Her heart stopped as the gunmetal gray of Max Case’s gaze slammed into her with all the delicacy of a sledgehammer.
She dug her fingernails into her palm as his broad shoulders loomed closer, blocking her view of the tastefully decorated lobby with its soothing navy-and-olive walls and stunning original art.
Was it her imagination or did Max seem bigger, more commanding than the creative lover that haunted her memories? Or maybe his presence overwhelmed her because in a charcoal business suit and silver tie, he was less approachable than the naked fantasy man that frequented her dreams.
Only the public nature of this reunion enabled her to subdue the flight impulse in her muscles. She rose from the comfortable couch in the reception area at a deliberate, unhurried pace. Keeping her body relaxed and her expression professional required a Herculean effort while her pulse jittered and her knees shook.
Pull yourself together. He won’t appreciate you melting into a puddle at his feet.
“Thank you for seeing me.” She stuck out her hand in a bid to restore her professional standing and wasn’t disappointed when Max ignored it. Her sweaty palm would betray her nerves to him.
When he remained mute, Rachel plowed into the tense silence. “How great that Andrea had her baby. And two weeks early. Sabrina told me she had a boy. I brought her this.” She raised her left hand to show him the pink and blue bag dangling from her fingers. She’d bought the gift for his assistant weeks ago and was disappointed she wouldn’t get to see Andrea’s expression when she opened it.
“What are you doing here?”
“I was supposed to meet with Andrea.”
“You’re with the employment agency?”
She whipped out a business card and extended it across the three feet that separated them. “I own it.” She made no attempt to disguise her pride at what she’d accomplished.
He rubbed his thumb over the lettering on the business card before glancing down. “Rachel … Lansing?”
“My maiden name.” She wasn’t sure why she felt compelled to share this tidbit with him. It wasn’t going to change how he felt about her now, was it?
“You’re divorced?”
She nodded. “Four years.”
“And now you run an employment agency here in Houston?”
She’d come a long way from the girl who was barely able to support herself and her sister on the tips she made waitressing in a beach restaurant in Gulf Shores, Alabama. And yet, how far had she come when no matter how well her business did, she never felt financially secure?
“I like the freedom of running my own business,” she said, pushing aside the worry that drove her day and night. “It’s small, but growing.”
And it would grow faster once she moved into larger offices and hired more staff. She had the space all picked out. A prime location that wouldn’t have lasted on the market more than a few days. She’d signed the lease yesterday, gambling that the commission she’d get from placing a temporary assistant with Case Consolidated Holdings would give her the final amount she needed to move. Maybe then she could stop living day to day and start planning for the future. However, now that she’d run into Max, that fee seemed in jeopardy, and just to be safe, she’d better back out of the lease.
If only Devon had been able to come here in her stead. A skilled employment specialist, he was her right hand. Unfortunately, his mother had gone to the hospital yesterday with severe abdominal pain and had been rushed into surgery to remove her gall bladder. Rachel had told Devon to stay with his mother as long as she needed him. For Rachel, family always came first.
“How many assistants have you placed here?” Max’s piercing stare didn’t waver from her face as he slid her business card into his breast pocket. The effect of so much icy heat coming to bear on her was starting to unravel her composure.
“Five.” She dropped her hand into her jacket pocket to keep from plucking at her collar, lapel or buttons and betraying her disquiet. “Missy was the first. Sebastian’s assistant.”
“That was your doing?”
Rachel blinked at the soft menace in his voice. Did Max have something against Missy? She’d been with Case Consolidated Holdings for four years and had worked out great. In fact, it was that placement that had jump-started her business.
“I heard she recently got promoted to communications director.” And married Max’s brother, Sebastian. Surely that proved how good Rachel was at her job.
“That means you’ve been in Houston four years?” The question rumbled out of Max like a guard-dog growl.
Anxiety spiked. “About that.”
“Why here?”
When she’d left him in the Alabama beach town, he’d never wanted to see her again. Was he wondering if it was fate or determined stalking on her part that she’d shown up at Case Consolidated Holdings?
“I moved here because of my sister. She went to the University of Houston and has friends here. It made sense for us to settle in Houston after she graduated.”
Inferring that Rachel hadn’t had friends where she’d lived before. Curiosity fired in Max’s eyes. The intensity of it seared her nerve endings. Five years had passed since she’d last seen him and her physical response to his proximity hadn’t
