forget all about you again.”
A faint smile tugged up one corner of his mouth as he stepped close and slipped an arm around her waist. “I don’t think you’ve ever forgotten. Right now I think you recall that night as clearly as I do. I remember how soft you are,” he said in a voice that dropped and grew thicker. “I remember how passionate you can be—”
Her heart pounded while desire consumed her even as she placed her fingers on his mouth to stop him from talking. He kissed her fingers, his tongue touching them, and she yanked her hand away and wriggled out of his embrace.
“We get back on an impersonal basis, or I eat dinner elsewhere,” she threatened.
“We can do whatever you want,” he said, stepping away. “But sometime soon we’ll do what I want. We could make a wager on that one. A wager I would win.” He turned to walk toward the bar. “What would you like to drink tonight?” he asked, stepping behind the bar to face her. “We have everything. Fully stocked. What’s your pleasure?”
His transformation had been far swifter than hers. She still burned with desire and struggled to think of business and to get Jared out of her thoughts. She wanted to return to a purely business relationship, wanted to maintain an impersonal one tonight. “I’ll have a piña colada,” she said, naming the first drink that came to mind.
She climbed onto a bar stool to watch him mix drinks. His well-shaped hands moved with efficiency, stirring her memories of his hands on her body, her legs, moving over her, creating magic. Inhaling a shaky breath, she shifted her attention to the swimming pool with a waterfall and three fountains. All except the pool were dry, turned off since the mansion was no longer lived in, she assumed.
“Are you busy with jobs like this one all the time?” he asked.
“Not at all. We have sales. There’s always inventory to keep track of, billing, office stuff. If I have a chance, which is rare, I spend time studying antiques, their history, the different styles of furniture, art history. I’m amazed by how much my dad knows. This is a fascinating field,” she said, thinking the most fascinating thing in her life at the moment was the tall, dark-haired man she faced.
“So you like what you do,” Jared said, coming around the bar to hand her a drink while he held his. “Let’s go sit where it’s a little more comfortable,” he suggested before she could answer him.
“Yes, I love this work. Sloan will never go into this line of work, but I want to help my dad and help grow the business,” she replied as Jared directed her toward a grouping of outdoor furniture. When she sat, he pulled his chair close, turning slightly to face her.
He raised his drink. “Here’s to success,” he said.
She had to smile. “I’ll drink to that,” she said, raising her glass and taking a sip. “Even though you didn’t specify what endeavor you had in mind with this toast.”
“Care to try to guess what’s on my mind?”
She laughed. “I don’t think so. I’ve told you what I want. What do you want in your future?”
“Made you laugh. That’s good,” he said. “What do I want in the future?” he repeated. “In the near future—tomorrow night—I want to take you to dinner.”
“Thank you, that would be nice,” she said, deciding not to fight him at every turn.
“‘Nice’ sounds a little dull.”
“‘Nice’ sounds absolutely perfect to me. A simple dinner out.”
“Good. Half past six. We’ll go early because I’m anxious.”
She had to smile again. “I doubt if you’ve been ‘anxious’ over a woman since you were ten years old.”
“You may have the wrong impression, which hopefully I’ll change.”
“I don’t believe you need to give one second to that endeavor. It’s unnecessary,” she said. Wanting to change the subject, she steered their talk back to their work. “As far as the furnishings are concerned, so far, the oldest piece I’ve found in this house is a sixteenth-century chest.” He evidently caught on to her intention, because he couldn’t hide a smile.
“Let’s forget the inventory and business for the evening,” he said. “In a way, we know each other intimately. In another way, we barely know each other at all. I know your family. Your brother is my best friend, and your dad has worked with me on two projects. But you are a mystery. Besides the business, what do you want in life? You’ve told me that you like the business and want to see it grow, so I assume you’ll stay in it as long as it’s successful.”
“That’s right. At least that’s what I plan now, and Dad needs my help,” she replied, aware Jared gave her his full attention. “I want to marry, have a family, lead the same kind of life I had growing up. Isn’t that what you want?”
“I like life’s challenges. My dad did, and maybe that’s where I got that need. I watched him spend a lifetime putting off the risky things because he was a husband, a dad, a businessman with a growing company. Then when he could retire and do the things he had dreamed of all his life, his health was gone and he couldn’t do any of the adventures he had postponed. It was sad. He was filled with bitterness and regret,” Jared said, his gaze shuttered as if looking back into the past. “I lost Mom two years before Dad. I don’t know if she had things she wanted to do that she’d never done. She never said.”
For the first time Allison didn’t think she had any of his attention. She wanted no part of the lifestyle he craved, but she could understand a little better his reasons for choosing it.
“My brother never felt that way, yet he used to do some of the things you do.”
“Sloan has a zest for life. He did things and satisfied himself about them, and now he doesn’t live that way. He’s settled. His choice. That’s better than the way my dad lived, filled with regret. I don’t want that to happen to me. I want to do all those things while I’m young.”
“Even though it means you’ll stay all alone in life?” she asked. “You might be missing out on the best parts of life and will have as many regrets later as your dad, just different regrets.”
“I don’t intend to be alone all my life. As for a family for me? I see that sometime in the distant future. I have things I want to do, and it’s better to be single to do them. At least that’s what I think. Climb Mount Everest, for one. Look how Sloan’s life has changed since his marriage. Your brother has dropped out of the rodeo circuit. At one time he wanted to climb Everest with me. He’s out of that now. Your brother is a family guy, which is good for him. I’m just not there yet.”
“That’s an honest answer,” she replied.
“And I’d like to do more with salvaging. I’ve already explored two sunken ships and brought up artifacts that are in museums, and some treasures that are in my own collection. I’m sure you know that’s when I worked with your dad. Salvaging is my most fascinating pursuit, and I’d like to spend more time doing it.” He sipped his drink.
“And I’m still riding the rodeo. In fact, I’m riding in one in Ft. Worth soon.” He put his drink down and leaned toward her. “Go to the rodeo with me. You used to go with your family to watch your brother.”
