way her tongue peeked out and slid slowly over her parted pink lips. He also caught the dip of her gaze to his fitted dress pants and button-down shirt before quickly returning to his face with a flash of guilt darkening her eyes.
Surely it wasn’t terrible to use that interest to his every advantage? Selfish, maybe. He wouldn’t let that sway him. “But I do think we will be getting to know each other very, very well.”
“What?” The squeak in her voice and the hot blush that rushed into her cheeks told Kane he’d struck a nerve.
“Macarthur.” He stepped closer, herding her toward the wall. “I recognize your name, Presley. Your stables, your family.” He had a feeling his grin was not putting her at ease. “So does everyone else in the state, and beyond.”
“So?”
Ah, he loved that breathless tone. “So, if we were together, it would put your seal of approval on Harrington stables.”
“Together?”
Her voice was high and nervous. He propped one of his hands on the slatted wall above her shoulder. Had he reduced her to a one-word wonder? The thought made him grin even more. His proximity threw her off, and she seemed to squirm under his direct attention. And not in fear, which made the knowledge a delicious treat.
“Presumably together,” he qualified. “As in, give the impression that we have a thing going.” At her frown, he pushed farther. “Let everyone think we’re lovers.”
Suddenly, the beauty before him shut down. “Um, no.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“I’m pretty sure I can think of another way to endorse your stables.”
But that wasn’t what he wanted. Not anymore. “Without sounding like you’re being forced to?”
“Better than I could pretend to be your...ugh...”
“Lover?” Kane was getting the feeling that personal topics made Miss Macarthur very uncomfortable.
“Absolutely not.”
Kane stepped back, palms out in a hands-off gesture. “Okay. We can simply tell them the real story instead. How your stepmother tried to swindle me out of an incredible amount of money—”
“She did not.” Presley planted her fists on her hips, with the unintended effect of pulling her dress tighter over her body, giving him a glimpse of firm curves that set off interesting sparks in his brain.
Presley was oblivious. “She simply...well...”
“What?” Kane challenged, crossing his arms over his chest. “Made a mistake with a million-dollar horse that didn’t belong to her?”
The expressions of indecision and ultimate acceptance that played out on Presley’s face in that moment told Kane a hell of a lot about the woman before him. He knew plenty of men and women alike who would have thrown their hands up and declared the situation not of their making, so they weren’t taking any responsibility. Not Presley. She could have thrown her stepmother to the fishes, but instead she tilted her chin and asked, “Exactly what expectations are we talking about here?”
Well, since he’d just thought this up on the fly, he wasn’t sure. “We can discuss that.”
“Now’s as good a time as any.” She moved to mimic his stance, crossing her arms beneath a surprisingly abundant chest.
He was beginning to see that this was a woman of contradictions. Soft woman. Smart woman. Hard worker. Astute business manager. Timid on an interpersonal level. Which of these was the truest part of Presley Macarthur? The puzzle had his full attention, and it was the first time he’d been drawn away from his goals since—he didn’t want to think about that.
“I already planned to spend a substantial amount of time making the social rounds over the next racing season,” Kane said, softening his tone. He could afford to ease up when his instincts told him he was about to get what he wanted. “You could accompany me—”
“As in a date?”
He quickly suppressed a smirk. It wouldn’t help to appear pompous. “Quite a few dates, actually. You can introduce me around, engage me in conversations that help showcase my business—”
“All while making you look like a stud yourself.”
“If you underestimate the value of personal connections, you haven’t been in this business long enough.”
Despite being much younger than him—he’d guess almost ten years—he could see she understood. She knew how this industry operated. Potential customers wanted to work with people they knew, people who had already been vetted and accepted.
“We will attend together, and if I’m satisfied at the end of the season, all will be forgiven.”
“No,” she said, to his surprise, as she caught him in that narrow gaze once more. “Seems to me you’d be getting a lot of value for very little effort on your part.”
“Is there something else you’d like me to...offer?”
“Yes. A ten percent discount on your refund.”
Kane waited, almost amused at the vibration of energy holding her taut. What would that much emotion feel like? Taste like?
“Attending a bunch of events is going to cost me a good bit—of time and money. I think it’s only fair to be compensated since you are the one getting the positive publicity.”
Kane nodded slowly as he thought. He could afford to be generous at this point. “I think a consultation fee would be even more than that. Let’s make it forty percent.”
Those green eyes widened, which made Kane want to chuckle. Obviously she hadn’t expected him to be so generous, but the facts were: he had more money than he knew what to do with and he wanted to spend more time with this woman. No matter what it cost him.
“But you will pretend to be my lover.”
This time her protest was clear in her expression. He cut her off before she could speak. “No one is going to care about your endorsement if they know you’ve been paid to give one. And lovers touch. So this is part of the deal. Take it or leave it.”
“Then one other condition,” she said, holding her finger up in warning—as if that would ever hold him back. “You keep your hands to yourself.”
“I’ll keep my hands to myself, except when necessary.”
“You mean when you think it’s necessary?” Her disgusted tone told him just how she felt about his caveat.
She was a smart one. Considering the volatile extremes of this encounter, Kane wondered just how long that condition would last.
Or how long he’d be able to talk himself into obeying it. “But Presley, you are welcome to touch me any time you see fit.”
* * *
“Since I’m
