over sixteen years. Inhaling deeply, she snuck a glance at the man standing in the doorway of her office and was bowled over.
It was none other than Gage Campbell.
How? Why was he here at her office? A morass of feelings engulfed her and she tingled from head to toe. The last time she’d seen Gage there had been nothing but hatred in his eyes, not the amused expression he now wore. Fallon reminded herself to breathe in then breathe out.
Calm yourself. Don’t let him see he’s affected you.
So instead she took the offensive. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Hello to you, too, Fallon.” Gage closed the door behind him and strode toward her desk.
Fallon regarded him from where she sat. Her blood pumped faster as she took in the sight of him. Time had been very good to Gage Campbell. Immaculate and imposingly masculine, he was utterly breathtaking. With his neatly cropped hair, warm caramel-toned skin, thick, juicy lips, bushy eyebrows and those brandy-colored eyes framed by black lashes that always drew her to them, he was impossible to ignore.
He was even sexier than the last time she’d seen him especially with those broodingly intense eyes. He reeked of money and looked as if he was born to wear the bespoke three-piece designer suit, cream shirt with striped tie and polished designer shoes. Fallon knew he hadn’t always been this way. The Gage of yesteryear was happier in faded jeans and a wife-beater mucking out stables. The man in front of her was far removed from those days. He stood confident and self-assured.
“I hope I pass the mustard,” Gage said after her long perusal.
Fallon blushed at having been caught openly staring and glanced up to find Gage’s eyes trained on her. She blinked to refocus. “My apologies. I’m just surprised to see you after all this time.”
“I’m sure,” Gage responded as he unbuttoned several buttons on his jacket before sitting across from her. Fallon remembered how impossible it had always been to resist those dangerous gleaming eyes of his and today was no different. He looked intriguing, like a total enigma. “It’s been what—sixteen years since we last saw each other? You’re all grown up.” He dropped his gaze and used the opportunity to give her a searing once-over.
Fallon was in her usual work mode. Her naturally wavy hair had been tamed with a flat iron until it lay in straight layers down her back while her makeup was simple: coal eyeliner, mascara, blush and lipstick. Having been blessed with her mother’s smooth café-au-lait skin, she required little makeup. And although she was no clothesmonger like Nora, Fallon always managed to be fashionable. She was sporting linen trousers with a sleeveless silk top. She’d abandoned the matching jacket earlier in the day. She wondered what Gage thought of her.
“Oh, yes, you’ve definitely matured since I last saw you.”
Fallon noticed his eyes creased at the corners when he spoke. The sly devil was actually staring right at her breasts and she felt her nipples pucker to attention in her blouse. Immediately she rose. “What can I do for you, Gage? I’m sure you didn’t come here for a walk down memory lane.”
His eyes narrowed and she could see she’d touched a nerve. “Now that wouldn’t be pleasant for either of us, would it?”
Fallon flushed. She’d never forgiven herself for the horrible action she’d taken that had caused his mother to lose her job. She wanted—no, she needed to apologize. “Gage, I’m—”
He interrupted her. “I’m here because Stewart Technologies is in financial trouble and I thought I could help.”
Her brow furrowed. “And why would you want to do that?”
Gage laughed without humor. “Is that any way to treat a potential investor? Or don’t you need an influx of capital to save your father’s company?”
“My company now.”
“I stand corrected.” He inclined his head. “I thought perhaps we could discuss the matter over dinner. My afternoon is rather full and I barely managed to squeeze in this reunion.”
“Dinner?” she choked out as she looked at him in bewilderment. Why would he want to break bread with her after their checkered past?
He tilted his head to one side and watched her, waiting for her to speak. “It’s the meal commonly eaten after lunch. Or do you have a problem being seen with the former maid’s son?”
Fallon looked him directly in his eyes and replied coolly, “Of course not. I’m not a snob.”
“Really?”
“You sound surprised.”
“If I recall, back in the day you wouldn’t be caught dead with me except in the stables or when we were alone.”
“That’s not true.” She felt the flush rise to her cheeks at the memory. “I didn’t want us to be disturbed. If my mother found out, she would have forbidden it because...”
“Because I wasn’t good enough for you.” Gage finished the sentence.
Fallon lowered her head. He was right. It’s what Nora had thought. But never Fallon. She’d been too much in love with Gage to see his class or station in life. Agreeing to dinner would show him he was wrong about her and that they were equals. It would also enlighten her as to his true motives.
Several seconds passed and she glanced up to find he’d leaned closer toward her. “Shall I pick you up?”
Fallon shook her head. “No, that’s not necessary. I can meet you wherever you like.”
“Still not wanting to be seen with me, eh?” Gage uncoiled his tall length, stood and rebuttoned his jacket. A deep chuckle escaped his lips as he made his way to the door. “I’ll meet you at the Driskill Grill at seven.”
And then he was gone, leaving Fallon to stare at the door. What was his real agenda?
* * *
Irritation fueled Gage as he headed for the elevator. He was offering Fallon a lifeline and she refused to even allow him to pick her up for dinner! Her arrogance irked him, but so did her beauty. He’d hoped to find a spoiled, selfish shell of a woman, but instead he’d found a stunning and fierce ice princess. Fallon Stewart wasn’t the young teenager he remembered. She was a woman. And it angered him that he still found her so...so damned attractive.
When he’d walked through the door and seen her, blood had stirred in his veins and his belly had clenched instantly. He’d wanted to touch her. To refamiliarize himself with her exquisitely soft skin. To crush those sinfully pink-tinted lips underneath his and lose himself. But Fallon had cast her eyes down and acted as if she was unaffected by him.
But the willful sexy teenager who’d come to his bed in the middle of the night wearing nothing but a teddy was still there. Gage was certain he’d seen a spark flare when her eyes traveled the length of him. Now they were both grown and consenting adults, and it was time they finished what they’d started sixteen years ago.
Resolve
