One Winter's Night Page 5

  In fact, she’d forgotten a lot of joys before spending these past few days with Kit. When they weren’t busy in the barn, they were enjoying his delicious meals. They’d taken a long walk on his property down to the lake where he sometimes fished. They’d ridden one of his ATVs to the top of the ridge to view the sunset. And, of course, when they weren’t doing those things, they were discovering the many ways they could pleasure each other in bed.

  It was the type of weekend she could get used to, escaping the noise of the city for a simple weekend on a ranch, not to mention the wonderful company. And as Kit’s fingers stroked pure luxury through her muscles, she wondered why this peach of a man hadn’t already been snatched up by a deserving woman.

  “Why aren’t you taken?” she asked, lolling her head to the side as he dug those talented fingers into the curve of her neck.

  “I’ve come close a couple times.”

  “You’re a great catch. How could they let you get away?”

  He laughed and kissed her bare shoulder. “Sweetheart, whether or not I’m a catch depends on what you’re fishing for. I’ve got businesses in three states, a home in Texas and a sailboat down in Florida. I’m on the go a lot, and at first, women find that exciting. But eventually they want more than I can give.”

  He shifted behind her so that his legs straddled either side of her waist, and she leaned closer to him, using his thighs as armrests.

  “Don’t get me wrong,” he went on. “I’m not a playboy. I’d love to find a life partner, someone to grow old with. But a woman who’s looking for kids and peewee football and a man who’s home every weekend ends up mighty frustrated. I can’t do that kind of routine. I’ve got a brood of nieces and nephews from my two sisters, and I treat them as my own. But more than that, my lifestyle isn’t suited to having children, and I don’t really care to change it.”

  Monica understood completely. And she knew firsthand that most people didn’t. She loved her family, adored spoiling her nieces and nephews, but she’d never wanted kids of her own. She knew what a sacrifice raising a child was, and hadn’t wanted to give up so much of her independence. Some people called that selfish, but in her opinion, the selfless act was accepting her limitations and leaving the parenting to people who could truly devote themselves to the task.

  “I’m afraid I broke a few hearts before realizing I was hooking up with the wrong type of women,” he said.

  “What type would you consider right?”

  He leaned close and spoke low to her ear. “I’ve got a fetish for short-haired brunettes with pretty green eyes.”

  She smiled and sipped her wine.

  “I do better with women who enjoy their independence,” he went on. “I’d love to be a part of her life, don’t mistake me. But I need to be an equal, not the focal point. I could just as well be the spouse at her corporate functions as her being the spouse at mine. I’m career-minded, one of my passions is my business, and while I like to take time off to relax, I can never fully step away from it. My ideal partner is one who understands that and can maybe even share in it.”

  She sighed and shook her head. “We really are perfect together,” she muttered, not even realizing she’d said it out loud until Kit replied, “That’s exactly what I think.”

  He circled his arms around her and she relaxed against his broad chest, allowing her head to rest on his shoulder as she contemplated this fast relationship growing between them. From the moment he first approached her in that airport lounge, she’d been smitten with the man, finding him both sexually alluring and devastatingly handsome. Now she was becoming more and more intrigued by what was inside. But what did that mean? Would it even be possible maintaining a long-distance affair? Would it be enough to have a man who popped in and out of her life when their schedules happened to mesh? Or could they manage more?

  And then there was the pesky issue of his business relationship with Stryker. If she’d ever placed one thing high on her priority list, it was never to mix business with pleasure. This didn’t just mix it, it emulsified it.

  Unfortunately, she had more questions than answers. Ironic, considering that she’d hoped spending the weekend with Kit would help get him out of her system. Instead, he’d only managed to sink in further.

  “Come spend Christmas with me,” he said.

  She laughed dismissively. “That’s impossible.”

  “Why? You did such a beautiful job on my niece’s present I’d love for you to be there when she sees it. Besides,” he said, kissing the base of her neck, “I can’t think of a better present than you in my bed.”

  She shook her head and sat upright, turning to face him. “I couldn’t possibly spend the holidays with you. I’m due in Connecticut Wednesday night. My mother has plans that can’t be changed.”

  He shrugged as though this were a simple discussion about where to meet for lunch. “So spend the days up until Christmas Eve with your family and I’ll fly you down to Austin in time for Christmas dinner.”

  She backed up, feeling the need to make some space as the moment of truth she’d been avoiding swept up to greet her. “It’s out of the question,” she said, recognizing by the look in his eyes that this was a conversation about more than just the upcoming holiday.

  He wanted to talk about tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, to establish where this relationship was going and how they could make it work. But she didn’t have answers to any of that. She was only just absorbing the idea of a real relationship here. She wasn’t at all ready to start making plans—especially ones that interfered with her holiday traditions.

  Tomorrow morning she’d be back at work in her old environment and her familiar life. It would be her opportunity to think clearly and get a better perspective on all this. Until that happened she couldn’t begin to entertain thoughts of anything beyond this weekend.

  “My mother would have a heart attack if I cut my visit short, especially at this late date.”

  “That control thing. I remember.” The man lay sprawled across the rug, propped up on one elbow and sipping his bottled water as if this whole conversation was no big deal. And she supposed that for him it wasn’t. He owned his own business that allowed him to do whatever he pleased. He wasn’t a woman trying to make a name for herself in an old-school corporate world. She doubted he could even fathom a life that required putting up appearances and maintaining a level of professionalism over and above her male counterparts.

  “It’s not just that,” she said. “You’re a client of my company. As much as I enjoy what we’ve found here, I’m still not comfortable with that relationship.”

  “That’s an easy one to resolve. If I have to choose between you and Stryker I’ll move my business to another firm tomorrow.”

  “You can’t!” Her heart began to pound. This was exactly the type of thing she feared and precisely why she avoided entanglements like this. Losing Kit’s account because of her would be unconscionable. She’d be humiliated in the face of John and the other board members.

  She set down her wine. “If you pull your account it will be my fault. How could you do that to me?”

  He smiled and tugged her back toward him, closing the space between them and running a calming finger across her chin. “I’ll never do anything to jeopardize your career or your image with the company. I’m only saying that you’re more important to me than my business dealings with Stryker. If the connection makes you uncomfortable, we’ll figure a way to get around it.”

  He kissed her, leveling his gaze with hers to express the sincerity in his words, and though it eased her slightly, she still couldn’t get past the fear that they were playing with fire. Up to now, her career had always been her top priority, her comfort zone even. She didn’t dabble with anything that might interfere with it. But now she was feeling the real pull to try to blend a relationship into the mix. It made her feel unsteady, uncertain even. Kit’s connection with her company only complicated things. This wasn’t something she co
uld absorb in a two-day weekend.

  “It’s too much, too fast,” she admitted.

  His response was that casual calm that both infuriated and reassured her. “Then we’ll slow down.”

  Easy, just like that. But why did she feel as though none of it would work out quite so simply?

  “If you need more time, we’ll take more time. I’m not going anywhere.” He tugged her down on the rug then kissed her gently, soothing her fraying nerves under the warmth of the crackling fire. “I’ll be in Chicago until Tuesday morning. Will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?”

  “Tomorrow night?”

  She tried to think about her schedule, but that got difficult when he nudged her tank top up and began circling his tongue around her navel. This was exactly what got her into this predicament in the first place. Every time Kit wanted something from her, all he had to do was scramble her thoughts with those talented lips and she lost her ability to think straight.

  “Tomorrow night,” he said, dipping his hand down under her sweats and cupping the heat between her thighs.

  He slipped a finger between her folds and all the worry on her brow drained away to pure pleasure. It wasn’t fair, his ability to win a discussion through this sinful distraction, but heck if she could work up the argument to stop him. He was too good and her body was too willing.

  Propped on his elbow, he wrapped his lips around her breast and sucked while his finger began circling her most sensitive spot. “Ohhhh, tomorrow,” she groaned, parting her legs and offering him access.

  He replied with a gentle bite to her nipple.

  Threading her fingers through his hair, she closed her eyes and listened to his sensual moans as he worked her body to another peak. They shed their clothes, pulled pillows from the couch to craft a bed on the floor in front of the big stone fireplace. Then he filled her, using his hard length and soft touches to take them both to the edge and over.

  And with her thoughts now vacant of anything other than the luxury of his naked body over hers, he bent close to her ear and said, “I’ll take that as a yes.”

  6

  MONICA STEPPED DOWN the hall to John’s office Monday morning feeling woefully ill-prepared. She never did send him a preliminary report. During her weekend with Kit, she’d shamelessly brushed off the task, continually telling herself she still had time—up to the point that she’d woken up this morning to realize time had run out. Now she had to face walking into John’s office with only some cursory notes on a report she should have had memorized inside out.

  She hated the vulnerability of not being on top of her game. To her it was like walking into a room naked or stepping out onto the windy ledge of a high-rise building. Yet even with her current state of unease, she knew she’d do it all again if given the chance.

  Despite her suffering now, her weekend with Kit was the most fun she’d had since her trip to Morocco last summer, and it had made her realize that she needed more from life than her job and an annual vacation. In between trips abroad, she wanted those sensual nights with a sexy man who made her laugh. She wanted to explore the side of herself that wasn’t the corporate executive—the woman with a creative flair and a love of nature, the stargazer who loved old movies and might actually consider buying a pair of purple cowboy boots. The woman with talents and secrets and friends to share them with.

  She didn’t see that woman often enough, only a few times a year when she got away from it all. And after spending the weekend with Kit, she realized those rare ventures into the open weren’t nearly enough. She wanted more, and she’d take it right now if she could only get over the fear that gaining this new side of her might somehow destroy everything she’d worked so hard to achieve.

  And walking into John’s office with only some scribblings on a pad of paper wasn’t helping at all.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, stepping into his office and taking a seat at his desk. “I didn’t get a chance to put together my formal report before our meeting.”

  She passed over the notes she did have as John smiled and shrugged. “No problem. That’s what this meeting is for.”

  Some of her angst dissipated with the easy smile on his face. Maybe this meeting wouldn’t be the disaster she feared.

  “Here are the preliminaries on the year-end results,” she began, then went on to discuss the highlights and other points of interest. For the next hour, they pored over the report together, calling in staff members as needed to explain some of the numbers. And when they were done, she was left with a long list of tasks to delegate and an overwhelming sense of relief.

  The meeting had gone off fine. Not much different than it would have had she spent her weekend analyzing the data alone and drafting a formal report, though she still believed it was always better to do more than less. After all, she hadn’t climbed the ladder all the way to chief financial officer by barely skating by.

  “So did you enjoy the party Friday night?” John asked as he set the report on top of a pile of papers.

  “Yes, I enjoyed it very much.”

  The man grinned. “I noticed Kit Baldwin managed to get you out on the dance floor.”

  Her cheeks warmed. “He’s…very coercive.”

  “I was happy to see it. Employees like to see management relax and have fun. It makes us feel approachable, as we should be.”

  “Absolutely.”

  “I looked for the two of you after the dance, but you’d disappeared.”

  She fluttered her eyelashes, not entirely comfortable with where this conversation was going, but before she could work up a response, John laughed casually. “I’m not trying to pry. I know how private you are when it comes to your personal life.”

  “I—I don’t mean to be.”

  “It’s only that Kit seemed pretty interested in you Friday, and I wanted to offer my endorsement. He’s a fine man. I’ve known him for a number of years.” He shrugged and added, “I could actually see the two of you hitting it off quite well.”

  “We did,” she blurted, not realizing until after the words flew from her mouth how revealing the statement might be.

  “That’s great. I’m glad you enjoyed his company.” His smile turned and he shifted in his seat. “To be honest, I’ve been a little worried about you lately.”

  “Worried?” It was the last thing she’d expected him to say.

  “You’re a tireless worker,” he said. “You give this company two hundred percent when I only ask for one. Not that I don’t appreciate the effort. But I’ve been in this business long enough to recognize someone on the road to burnout. I don’t want to lose the best financial officer this company’s had during my tenure.”

  She blinked. “I can assure you I’m very happy here.”

  “I’d like you to stay that way.”

  She sat and awkwardly stared at her boss, having no idea what to say. Never would she have imagined being faulted for doing too much. It wasn’t part of her vocabulary—wasn’t part of her family’s values. The way she was raised, perfection was merely average. It was only acceptable to be the best. In fact, as an executive she continually struggled to have more realistic expectations of her staff, not wanting to be the slave driver she knew some people considered her. But never did she expect she’d be asked to lower the bar on herself.

  “I’m only trying to express that I was happy to see you relax somewhat on Friday night. It’s good for your image. It’s good for the spirit. That makes it good for the company.” John sheepishly smiled. “And I admit I’m rooting a little for you and Kit. I think you two would be good for each other.” He raised a quick hand. “Not that it’s any of my business, I know.”

  Her eyes froze on her boss, not certain that she was really hearing this. Was he actually encouraging her to date Kit?

  Somewhere through the fog of disbelief, she heard herself utter, “I fear if things go badly, he’ll pull his account with Stryker.”

  The words shouldn’t have come out of her mouth. It rev
ealed more about her dealings with Kit than she felt was prudent at this point. But a side of her felt desperate to clear her conscience when it came to their business relationship. John was right. She and Kit were good. So good that she’d spent half of last night asking herself if she’d be willing to resign her position here if it meant she could keep him.

  She’d rather not. She wanted them both.

  John casually shook his head. “I wouldn’t worry about that.”

  “But what if he did?”

  As her heart raced, his expression sobered. “Then I’ll lose an account but still have the sharpest financial officer in the industry. Monica, I’m more concerned with you overworking yourself than an account we have on the books. Business comes and goes. Good employees, I need to keep.”

  “I appreciate you saying that,” she said.

  She rose from the desk and gathered her things, still a bit stunned but slowly absorbing what she’d just heard. John was right. All work and no play made Monica a dull gal. What she hadn’t understood was that it was also hurting her professionally, isolating her from a staff that had homes and families, who made mistakes and asked for concessions. Over the years she’d tried hard to accept that she had unrealistic expectations and it had always been a struggle. What if the answer was as simple as accepting some limitations of her own?

  Could the personal life she feared improve her career instead of destroy it?

  As she left John’s office and entered her own, a thrilling sense of relief came over her—not to mention irony. What were the odds that John would have this conversation with her right as she was struggling with the very issue? It must be life’s way of taking care of itself when a person reached a crossroads, and as she continued to reflect on their discussion, she dropped her planner on her desk and out slid a miniature candy cane wrapped in cellophane. It was the one she’d received from that odd Santa Claus Friday night at the party. She’d forgotten all about him.