She blanched, bit her full lower lip and then looked away. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. The next few weeks are going to be very complicated.”
Not exactly a no, he thought. He wasn’t sure what that meant for the competition or for him. “They are, but I see no reason why we should deny that we are friendly. I’m not saying we’ll go straight back to my place after dinner—”
“We won’t. I’m a lot more cautious now,” she said.
“See, that’s something I want to know more about. And we’re both going to be too busy at work. Besides, this isn’t the place for anything personal.” He wanted to know more about her. He didn’t feel like he’d had enough time with her eighteen months ago. Now he had the time while he was assessing her company.
“I agree,” she said with a cheeky smile that made him want to go over and kiss her.
“Great. What time shall I pick you up?”
“I was agreeing to your statement,” she said.
But he noticed she didn’t say no to dinner. Finally she sighed, pushed her chair back to the table and stared over at him, searching for something, he couldn’t really say what. But then she seemed to reach a decision and nodded. “Tell me where and I’ll meet you at seven. Meanwhile, I’ll have Ally get an office set up for you, but until one can be made available, you can work out of this conference room.”
He let her be in control for the moment and watched her walk swiftly to the door, her hips swaying with each step. He followed a few steps behind. She’d clearly dismissed him, and for Dec, that wasn’t acceptable.
No matter what she wanted to believe, he was in charge of this entire operation—the business one and the personal one. And she’d just dismissed him like a servant—something that wasn’t acceptable to him at the best of times, much less when he was still jet-lagged.
She turned and gasped as she realized how close he was to her. Then she licked her lips and he saw her gather her composure around herself like a shield.
God, he’d never forgotten the taste of her or how her mouth felt under his, and in this moment he wanted nothing more than to taste her again. He’d never had a problem going after anything he wanted, and until she’d waltzed into the conference room looking calm, cool and confident, he hadn’t realized exactly how much he wanted her.
“Was there anything else?” she asked.
“Just this,” he said, lowering his head and taking the kiss he’d wanted since she’d walked into the conference room and made him regret leaving her all those months ago.
Two
Cari hadn’t planned on Dec. Not at all. Not the way his lips moved over hers or the way he tasted so familiar to her. She’d missed this, she thought. Then chided herself. She hadn’t missed anything. Dec had been nothing but a one-night stand. It didn’t matter that she’d wanted him to be more. He’d only been interested in her because of this.
Sex.
She only wished she could be dispassionate in his arms, but she’d been alone, her feminine instincts directed toward mothering instead of being a woman. Dec was awakening something in her that she thought she’d lost. A wave of desire shot through her. Her blood felt like it was heavier in her veins and every nerve ending came awake.
She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, knowing this was the only embrace she could allow between them, so she was determined to enjoy every second of it. She tipped her head to the side, angling her mouth under his, and sucked his tongue. He groaned, and for the first time since she’d learned he was back in her life, she felt a measure of control.
But control was fleeting. When he put his hands on her hips and drew her in so that she felt his erection against her lower body, she felt her breasts respond.
Shocked and afraid he might notice, she lifted her head and looked up at him. His eyes were closed and there was a flush of desire on his skin.
He was a hard man, but his lips were always so soft on hers. She lifted her hand and rubbed her thumb over his lower lip. She paused a moment, hoping for something that would resolve the conflict inside her. But then his hands tightened on her hips and she knew this was only bringing more complications to the table.
She dropped her arms and pulled her blazer around her to ensure that he couldn’t see the wetness that would be a sure giveaway that she had a baby.
She sighed. She wasn’t ready for Dec to come back into her life. She’d just settled into her routine with her job and her son, and now Playtone Games and Dec were throwing her back into a tornado. She wanted to grab DJ and her staff and head for the cellar until this passed, but she knew she couldn’t run away. She was the one in charge of everyday operations and the takeover meant she was the best person to advise Dec on her staff. It was up to her to somehow persuade Dec to keep as many employees as possible.
He laughed. “Was my kiss that bad?”
“That good,” she said, opting for honesty. She’d always been a lousy liar. Something her sisters had twigged on to the first time she’d refused to name DJ’s father. But it had been important to keep her secret from them given the bad blood between Dec’s family and hers.
“Then why the sigh?” he asked, his fingers flexing and drawing her nearer to him.
She put her hand between them to preserve the distance and her illusion of control, because it was becoming startlingly obvious that she hadn’t been in charge of anything from the moment she’d walked into this conference room. She stepped back and stumbled into the door.
He reached out to right her but she shook her head. “I can’t do this, Dec. We need to talk and there are things—”
“I’m not doing this for revenge,” he said.
“What?” she asked. She hadn’t even considered that, but now that he’d mentioned it, wouldn’t it be fitting for one of Thomas Montrose’s grandsons to take sexual revenge on his sworn enemy’s granddaughter?
“I just wanted you to know that what is between us has nothing to do with business or our families. This is you and me. Just us,” he said.
“Ah, that’s a nice thought,” she said, thinking of her son and her sisters and the fact that no matter what he wanted to believe, they didn’t live on an island. It would never be just them.
“It’s my opinion. I’m not one to let my cousins dictate my personal life,” he said, touching a strand of her hair, tucking it back behind her ear the way she normally wore it. “I had the impression that you were someone who made her own decisions, as well.”
“Of course I am. Stop trying to shame me into—” She stopped. “What exactly is it that you want from me?”
She felt panicked and nervous, but not because of him. It stemmed from herself and the fact that it would be easy to surrender and give him what he wanted. A casual affair. But that wasn’t like her at all. Dec Montrose was danger, she thought. She had to remember that.
“I want a chance. I don’t want you judging me
