The anxiety in her voice again struck that nerve that told him something about this woman was off or wrong. For a second he toyed with asking her. After all, if she were someone he wanted to do business with he wouldn’t hesitate. He always needed to know everything about his partners. But this wasn’t a potential business partner. Olivia Prentiss was a temporary assistant. A young, single woman. Did he really want to risk hearing about her bad weekend or latest breakup?
No.
He picked pretend lint off his black trousers. “As I said, you did very well in there.”
“Thanks.”
She hazarded a glance at him and gave him a shy smile. His instincts hopped again. Trapped by her pretty blue eyes, he sat frozen as the urge to smile back plucked at the corners of his mouth and an unexpected desire to flirt with her rose up in him.
Fortunately, that brought him to his senses. She was a pretty girl and like any normal man, he was attracted to her. But she was an employee. A struggling working girl who shouldn’t have to worry about her boss hitting on her.
This “attraction” he felt was purely sexual. The normal reaction of a man to a very pretty woman. Not a big deal. And certainly not something he’d pursue.
* * *
The limo pulled up outside the office building. Tucker exited first and offered his hand to Olivia to help her out.
She took it instinctively, then was sorry she had. Little sparks of electricity spiked up her arm.
Confusion rattled through her. She had been pleased that he’d treated her normally during the limo ride to the signing and again as they drove back to the office. But what she felt right now wasn’t boss-employee goodwill. These sparks were attraction.
Really? After Elias had just scared the snot out of her? Three years since she’d even been on a date, she picked today to be attracted to someone? Her boss?
But she hadn’t really “picked” anything. This feeling was natural, an instinct. And Tucker Engle wasn’t anything like Elias. He wasn’t sleazy or overly complimentary or all over her the way Elias had been, the way Cord had been the night he’d attacked her. Tucker was mature, savvy, handsome—sophisticated.
Sheesh, no wonder she was attracted to him. Personality-wise he was Cord’s polar opposite.
Fortunately, she didn’t think he liked her.
So her being attracted to him was irrelevant.
Thank God.
She slid out of the limo and stopped in front of him on the sidewalk. Their gazes caught and held. Her breath slid in then stuttered out as he just stared at her. His smoldering emerald eyes held her captive. Tingles danced along her hand where their palms touched.
Their palms touched!
Good grief! She still had his hand! No wonder he was staring at her.
She dropped it like a hot potato. “Um. Thanks for taking me with you.”
He stepped back. “You’re welcome.” He took another step away. “I have a lunch meeting. Don’t expect me back until two.”
“Right.” Without waiting for him to get into the limo, she turned and scrambled to the revolving door.
She would not be attracted to her boss.
She would not be attracted to her boss.
She would not be attracted to her boss.
That would be about as stupid as the poorest girl in town dating the son of the local rich family.
And she’d never be that stupid again.
CHAPTER THREE
AT NOON THE next day, Olivia called out “I’m going to lunch,” grabbed her backpack and hit the button for the elevator. But before the door opened, the phone on her desk rang.
Not wanting to further disturb Tucker, who’d come back from his business meeting the day before quiet and sullen and hadn’t spoken two words to her today, she raced to the phone and answered it. “Tucker Engle’s office.”
“This is Stewart, the lobby security guard. There’s a man and woman here who say they’re your parents.”
Heat flooded her face and her chest tightened. Her parents? Oh, Lord! Their overprotectiveness had now reached its legal limit. It was one thing to check up on her. Checking out Tucker Engle was quite another. How could they embarrass her like this?
“Mr. Engle doesn’t allow us to send anybody up to his private offices without prior approval and they aren’t on the list.”
She thanked her lucky stars for that rule. “No. Of course not. I’ll be right down.”
“Right down where?”
Hearing Tucker immediately behind her, she pressed her hand to her chest to still her thumping heart, hung up the phone and spun to face him.
“Lunch. I’m going downstairs to lunch, remember I told you that?”
“I did hear you say something. But that was before the phone rang.” He caught her gaze. “Who was on the phone?”
Manipulating the timing hadn’t worked. And she didn’t lie, so this was a moment of truth. Literally. “It was Stewart.”
Tucker frowned. “Is he sending someone up?”
Heat blossomed on her cheeks. “No. The people in the lobby didn’t have prior approval. So I’m going down.”
He turned to his office. “Get him back on the phone. I have time today. I can see whoever is down there.”
She stood frozen.
When she didn’t answer, he stopped and faced her again.
The warmth in her face intensified. “There’s no need to call Stewart. He told me who was in the lobby.”
His eyebrows rose.
She sucked in a breath. “It’s my parents.”
“Oh.”
Though it pained her, she knew she might as well go the whole way with this. “I have a sneaking feeling they’re here to meet you.”
“Sneaking feeling?”
“You know. A feeling that just sort of creeps up on you when you don’t want it to.”
“Ah.” He waited a second then said, “You don’t want me to meet your parents?”
“No! No!” What else could she say? “That’s not it.”
“Then have Stewart
