The Perfect Candidate

Former foster kid Lauder Tolson is running for North Carolina state senate, but his bachelor status makes him look less than family oriented. He needs a lady love—just for the campaign. The ideal candidate is childhood nemesis Willow Dawson. But he once broke the beauty’s heart and barely has her vote! Still, to fulfill her own dream, she agrees. Suddenly, they’re a devoted couple in public. But neither expects how hot it gets in private.

JOY AVERY works as a customer service assistant. By night, the North Carolina native travels to imaginary worlds—creating characters whose romantic journeys invariably end happily ever after.

Since she was a young girl growing up in Garner, Joy knew she wanted to write. Stumbling onto romance novels, she discovered her passion for love stories; instantly, she knew these were the type of stories she wanted to pen.

Joy is married with one child. When not writing, she enjoys reading, cake decorating, pretending to expertly play the piano, driving her husband insane and playing with her two dogs.

Also by Joy Avery

In the Market for Love

Soaring on Love

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

Campaign for His Heart

Joy Avery

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-07804-7

CAMPAIGN FOR HIS HEART

© 2018 Joy Avery

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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www.millsandboon.co.uk

Dedicated to the dream.

Acknowledgements

I acknowledge everyone who continuously supports

me along this beautiful journey!

I love and appreciate you all!

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Epilogue

Extract

About the Publisher

Chapter 1

Lauder Tolson sat on the edge of his desk, tossing a stress ball into the air and listening to his best friend and campaign manager, Chuck Carlisle. The man went on and on about the fact that he needed to appear more family oriented if he wanted to win the senate seat, especially in the great state of North Carolina.

Six months until the election and Lauder still couldn’t believe he’d actually decided to run for congress. A bold move, Tolson. A bold move.

Chuck—or Chuckie, as Lauder liked to call him—snapped his fingers, drawing Lauder’s attention back to the conversation.

“You with me? You listening?” Chuck said. “This is serious, L.”

Lauder tossed the ball to Chuck. “Think fast.”

Chuck knocked the blue puff across the room. “I need you to focus.”

Lauder rubbed a hand over his close-shaven head. “Calm down.”

“These aren’t calm times.” Chuck paced. “I know that snake in the grass Edmondson has something up his dingy white sleeve. I can feel it.”

Jeff Edmondson had been a thorn in Chuck’s side since the man had decided to throw his hat into the race some months back. If being a family man was what would win the race, Lauder should drop out now, because Edmondson had him beat in that arena. The man had been married for countless years to his high-school sweetheart and had enough well-mannered children to start their own baseball team. But what the man lacked, in Lauder’s opinion, was passion. Edmondson wanted the win because Senator preceding his name would add to his prestige. Lauder wanted to win because he truly wanted to make a difference in his home state and in a foster care system that had failed so many, including him.

Chuck stopped so abruptly he nearly stumbled over his own feet. “We have to polish up your image, and fast. You need a significant other. Now.” Chuck massaged his clean-shaven jaw.

Lauder knew that cunning look on Chuck’s face. The man was up to something. Something Lauder was sure he wouldn’t like. Lauder’s brow furrowed and lips parted, but Chuck cut him off before he could speak by tossing a hand up.

“Before you get all I don’t do long term, it doesn’t have to be a real relationship. It just has to appear that it is. In the political game, it’s all about perceptions,” Chuck said.

Nope, he didn’t like it one bit. Lauder folded his arms across his chest. “Let me get this straight. You want the man running on a platform of truth and accountability to lie about having a lover. And on top of that, you expect me to convince someone to be my fake girlfriend.”

“Wife.”

Lauder pushed to a full stand. “Wife! Hell, no!”

Chuck massaged the back of his neck. “Okay. Girlfriend will work. Unless you are just totally against a fake wife. That would play so much—”

Lauder shot Chuck a death stare.

“Girlfriend will work.” Chuck started to pace again. And stopped again. “But none of the women in your little black book. Those women would do more harm than good.”

“I’ll have you know I only deal with the cream of the crop.”

Chuck released a condescending laugh. “Yeah. I’ll handle it. I know your type. I’ll make sure I choose the opposite.”

For kicks, because no way would he ever entertain such a ridiculous idea, Lauder said, “Shouldn’t I have a say in whether or not I want to parade around town with some stranger on my arm for the next several months?”

“Wayment. You’re telling me you’re okay with a stranger in your bed but not on your arm.”

It always tickled Lauder when uptown and proper Chuckie allowed his hoodness to slip out. But since they were having a serious conversation, he bit back his amusement. Plus, he had him there. He’d never favored attachments. He was a product of his past. And that past had taught him not to get used to anything or anyone.

“First off, I’m a thirty-six-year-old grown-ass man. Whom I allow in my bed is still my damn business. No one else’s.”

“Lauder...” Chuck paused as if to get his thoughts together. “You’re running for a state senate seat. Your business is everyone’s damn business. Welcome to politics.”

Lauder dropped into his chair and massaged his now throbbing temple. What in the hell had he been thinking running for congress? He was a businessman. He wasn’t a politician. Why in the hell hadn’t he kicked Chuck out of his office when he’d first approached him with the idea?

“You’ll make a hell of a senator,” he’d said. “You can change the world.”

Lauder scoffed, remembering his friend’s words. Change the world. All he wanted to do was change North Carolina. Tackle homelessness, poverty, foster care. Definitely foster care. A severely damaged system, in his opinion. That alone still made this journey so worthwhile.

“When did this crusade to polish my image become an agenda? My wifeless, kidless image hasn’t been a problem before,” Lauder said.

“Before Edmondson started parading his trophy wife and his perfect little renditions of himself all around town in their color-coordinated outfits, smiling and waving like they’re on a parade float.” Chuck grimaced, then started again, “This is the south, L. The perfect family allusion works on multiple levels. You do want to win, right?”

“Yeah, but you want me to lie to get what I want.”

“You say it like it’s a new concept. Politicians have been lying since the beginning of time.”

“But I’m—”

“Not a politician,” Chuck said, continuing Lauder’s thought.

“Exactly. And that’s not how I want to build my campaign. Not on lies.”

Chuck rested his hands on his hips, lowered his head and sighed. “What do you want to do, L? You want to drop out of the race? Concede to Edmondson before there’s even been an election? Bow down to the same cocky bastard who said you didn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell against him?”

Hearing Edmondson’s words hurled at him caused his jaw to clench now, just as it had when the self-entitled jerk had first spewed them to a room full of reporters.

Chuck leaned against Lauder’s desk and eyed him. “Tell me what you want to do, L? I’ll support whatever decision you make.”

Lauder stood with urgency. “I want to get a drink.” A second later, he ambled to the door.

“You don’t drink,” Chuck said.

“I’m about to start. That’s what politicians do, right?”

Several minutes later, Lauder stood in line inside the Drip Drop Coffee Shop, eyeing the board as if today would be the day he strayed from his usual order—iced cinnamon caramel macchiato. A creature of habit.

He slid his gaze from the board and skimmed his surroundings, snatching his eyes back to a table situated in a dimly lit section of the restaurant. Couldn’t be. His eyes narrowed on the brown-skinned woman beaming at something on her tablet screen.

A flash of light from the device highlighted her features and that scar. The one above her right eye. The one he’d given her so many years ago when he’d been attempting to hit a tree, but had dinged her instead. Every cell in his body fired all at once, sending a longing through him he hadn’t felt in years. Close to twenty to be exact, because that was how long it had been since he’d seen her. Willow Dawson. The only woman who’d ever claimed a piece of his heart.

* * *

Willow could feel the presence of evil before her eyes rose to face it. Without the man in front of her uttering a single word, she instantly recognized him. Lauder Tolson. Candidate for a North Carolina senate seat and her childhood nemesis.

Something fluttered in her stomach when she inhaled a whiff of his cologne. Ignoring the violation, she gave him a quick perusal, one that revealed a lot of change. This was not the gangly, pimple-faced boy she remembered. This was a full-grown man. Easily six-four and as solid as a brick wall—an extremely sturdy, wide-shouldered brick wall—with dark, daunting eyes that bore into her.

An unexplainable heat circled her neck, rose to her ears and settled in her cheeks.

“Weeping Willow.”

His smooth, deep timbre caused her skin to prickle. She prayed he hadn’t noticed. When his full lips curled into a lopsided smile, she almost forgot he’d broken her heart when they were younger.

Fighting the urge to show her teeth and growl, she said, “I hated that name then, and I hate it even more now.” Not only because it was mocking, especially coming from Lauder, but because it reminded her of a past she wanted to forget.

Lauder rested his hand on the back of the chair directly across from her. “May I?”

“I’d prefer you—” she stopped when Lauder eased down, blatantly ignoring her impending objection “—didn’t.” She sighed, pushed her tablet aside and leveled an emotionless, hard stare at him.

Her first mistake.

Despite whatever lingering distaste she held for the man, she couldn’t deny how good-looking he was. Even more attractive in person than on television, attempting to convince everyone that he was the right candidate to represent them. He’d definitely grown into a fine...very fine man. She wasn’t sure which was smoother, the molten chocolate latte she sipped on or Lauder’s deep chocolate skin. Neither was good for her, she reminded herself.

No, this was not the man—boy—she remembered.

“It’s been a long time,” he said, taking a sip from his cup.

Willow ignored how his full lips wrapped around the plastic lid. Unscrambling her lust-laden brain, she said, “Some would say not long enough.”

Lauder chuckled and smoothed a hand over his stubble. She noticed the absence of a wedding ring. But she already knew he was a bachelor, never married and no kids from the interviews she read online. The Lauder she’d once known had been an asshole. Lauder the politician held her attention. Especially when he talked about the big plans he had for the foster care system in North Carolina.

“Come on, Willow. It’s been close to twenty years. Are you still holding a grudge?”

Was he serious? After what he’d done to her? Did he think that even after all of this time she could forgive him? Tamping down the fury rising inside her, she flashed a broad smile. “A grudge? Of course not. How could I possibly resent the man who made my life a living hell?”

Which wasn’t all true. At one time, he’d made her happier than she’d ever been in her life. He’d made her feel wanted, which had meant so much to her since she’d grown up in foster care feeling unwanted all of her life. Then he’d shattered her heart.

Lauder’s expression turned sad. “People change. I’ve changed.”

“Really? Well, I wouldn’t know because you—” She stopped abruptly before revealing too much. What did it matter after all this time anyway? The past was the past, and she preferred to leave it right where it was.

“You should get to know me, Willow. I promise you’ll like this new and improved, much more mature version.”

Get to know... Ha! Was he serious? He couldn’t actually be suggesting they spend time together, could he? Beyond the five minutes she’d already endured? She studied the no-nonsense expression on his face. Yep, he was dead serious. “I’ll take your word for it.” She collected her things and made a motion to stand.

“You haven’t always hated me, Willow. And truth be told, you don’t have a reason to hate me now.”

In a bold move, he reached over and slid the pad of his thumb across the scar above her right eye. Her forever reminder of him. She snatched away, his touch infuriating her even more than his words had. She did have a reason to hate him. “I allowed my guard down once and trusted you with...” She stopped and cleared her throat when her voice cracked. Refusing to relive the angst of their past, she stood. “I have to go. I would say it was nice running into you, but it wasn’t.”

With that, she walked away from the man who’d long ago walked away from her and had never looked back. Neither would she.

Chapter 2

For the past week, Lauder hadn’t been able to think about anything but Willow. Even now, in the back of the sedan on his way to an interview, he studied the picture of Willow on the About Us page of her company website.

He liked her brown hair cut in that sassy, short style. It gave an unobstructed view of her neck. Man, his lips yearned to explore that neck. She was far more beautiful in person than on a screen. Though he knew it was real, recalling seeing her in the Drip Drop felt like a dream. A dream come true.

“I guess there’s no changing your mind about her, huh?” Chuck asked, seated in the back of the chauffeured vehicle with Lauder.

Without looking away from the screen, Lauder said, “Nope. She’s definitely the one.”

Lauder had agreed to Chuck’s charade, but with one condition: Willow played the part of his would-be lover. Chuck had rattled off his objections, but in the end, Lauder had made it clear that it was either his way or no way.

Now, all he had to do was convince Willow. And judging by the icy reception he’d received from her, that wouldn’t be easy. But he liked a good challenge.

“The one?”

Lauder could hear the surprise in Chuck’s tone. This brought Lauder’s gaze to him. “You know what I mean. She’s the perfect one to play this part. We have history. That’ll make this thing appear much more authentic.”

“Uh-huh.” Chuck rummaged through his briefcase, removed a stack of binder-clipped papers and flipped through them. “History you probably should have thought to mention to me. The fact that you two resided in the same group home for a while does play well.”

“It didn’t—Wait. How do you know that?” Lauder scrutinized the papers Chuck held. “What are you reading?”

“You didn’t think you could send me an email stating you’d found the perfect candidate to play the part of your fake girlfriend and not expect me to vet her, right? And for future reference, it’s best we talk about this face-to-face.”

Lauder laughed to himself. Chuck sounded as if he was running for the presidency. No one cared what was in his emails. Still, he nodded his agreement, then said, “Vet her? You had Willow investigated?”

“Don’t sound so surprised. I have a dossier of people attached to this campaign. Politics can be ruthless. I want to make sure we’re not blindsided.”

Lauder was unsure how he felt about Chuck invading Willow’s privacy or the privacy of the others in his camp. “This feels an awful lot like crossing the line, Chuck.”

“Calm down. Most of the information is public knowledge.”

“Most? And how was the rest gathered?”

Chuck sent a gaze in Lauder’s direction, the look on his face suggesting Lauder didn’t want to know. Lauder shook his head and slid his attention out the window. This was the murky part he hated about politics. How far was too far?

Chuck continued to peruse the papers. “Her credit score is better than mine. Highly respected in the law enforcement community. Her company does a lot of work with Raleigh PD. Obviously, she’s good with her hands because she’s won a ton of awards for her clay work.” Chuck flipped several more pages. “Uh-oh.”

Lauder whipped his head toward Chuck. “What was that for?” When Chuck didn’t readily respond, Lauder leaned in to see for himself.

Chuck moved the pages out of view and laughed. “Chill, man. You’re invading my personal space.”

“What the hell is uh-oh?” Lauder couldn’t explain his dire need to know what had happened in Willow’s life that would warrant an uh-oh. An urge to wrestle the man for the papers came over Lauder, but he resisted.

“Seems Ms. Willow Dawson has been bitten by the baby bug. She has a pending adoption application. Looks like she tried to adopt once before. A kid she’d been fostering.”

“What happened?”

“The application was denied.”

Lauder’s brow furrowed. “Denied? Why?”

“‘We feel the applicant lacks a stable enough home structure and financial outlook to support adoption at this time,’” Chuck read. “It looks like she was just starting her forensic facial reconstruction company and had quite a bit of her finances tied up in it. The social worker made a note about not believing Willow would have enough time to dedicate to a start-up and raising a child. Especially as a single parent. That’s cold.”

“That’s bullshit,” Lauder said, sending a hard stare out the tinted glass. How many kids had been denied a loving home because of BS like this? The system has to change.

“Whoa.”

This drew Lauder’s attention back to Chuck. What had he uncovered now? And could it be any more devastating than the adoption news? “What?”

Chuck waved him off. “Nothing. I just didn’t realize she used clay and skeletal remains—namely, a skull—to recreate what a person looked like. A deceased person,” he said, as if the skull hadn’t been a giveaway. “It’s kind of eerie.”

Lauder shook his head at his friend, then turned his attention back out the window. He couldn’t explain why, but his urge, his need to get close to Willow was greater than ever.

* * *

Willow preferred clay over people. Clay didn’t disappoint. It simply remained there in one big clump allowing you to manipulate it in any manner you wanted, not the other way around. Clay didn’t work you like men.

A vision of Lauder’s handsome face burned into her thoughts, and she gritted her teeth. Her best friend, Hannah, stood next to her and laughed, pulling her from the offending image.

“Um, sweetie, everything okay?” Hannah asked.

“Perfect. Why do you ask?” Willow said without looking at her friend.

“Because instead of John Doe, you’ve sculpted a Nubian god. One that looks very familiar.”

“Huh?” Willow eyed her work and gasped. “Oh, God.” How had she... She groaned. It had been two weeks since she’d seen Lauder. Why couldn’t she stop thinking about him?

“Who is it?” Hannah asked, scrutinizing the form.

Willow sighed heavily, debating whether or not to go into details. Deciding it might help her rid the thoughts of Lauder, she said, “Remember the guy I told you about? The one from Drip Drop?”

“Dude from your past?”

Willow nodded, then fanned her hand toward the chunk of clay she’d unconsciously molded into Lauder’s likeness. “Meet Lauder Tolson.”

Hannah’s cinnamon-colored eyes widened, awareness apparently setting in. “Senatorial candidate Lauder Tolson?”

Willow wiped her hands down the front of her brown apron. “Yep, that’s the one.”

“Oh, my good Lord. Lauder Tolson is your ex? The Lauder Tolson?”

“He’s not my ex. He—”

“Deflowered you.” Hannah grinned.

Heat warmed Willow’s neck and rose to her cheeks. “Yeah, that.” Willow thought back to her sixteenth birthday and the bold, shaky words she’d said to Lauder. I want to do it. I want to do it with you. The lopsided smile Lauder had flashed right before he’d kissed her senseless mimicked the one she’d created on his clay face.

Lauder had spoken the truth at the coffee shop. She hadn’t always hated him. That had happened when he’d taken her virginity and then told all of his friends. Then had the nerve to adamantly deny it—more like lie—to her face.

Hannah started again, drawing Willow’s attention.

Reaching for the piece, Hannah said, “Well, the brother is fine. If you don’t want him, I’ll gladly take him.”

Willow swatted Hannah away, surprised by her protectiveness over the bust. How in hell had she managed to sculpt an entire bust of Lauder without realizing it? This man was too much in her head, too potent in her thoughts. She had to stop thinking about him. But how, when his presence had opened a cavern of old memories? Some good, some not so good.

“Don’t let the strong jaw and perfect bone structure fool you. He’s the Antichrist,” Willow said, staring at the figure as if it were speaking to her. She felt like punching it in the face; however, since it was some of her best work, she refrained. But at that moment, she vowed to never think about Lauder Tolson again.

“Um, Willow?”

“Mmm-hmm.”

“You might want to cover the Antichrist.”

Cover him? Hannah was being overdramatic. Lauder wasn’t that dang tempting. Willow tilted her head to one side and studied the sculpture. Actually, he was. Even in clay form, the man was beautiful. Ugh. Never thinking about him again, she reminded herself.

Lauder did foolish things to her system. Sinfully delicious things. Things that got her juices flowing. She made a mental note to call Reggie, her occasional friend with benefits. She needed his benefits tonight. That would help rid her system of Lauder Tolson.

“I don’t think covering him is necessary,” Willow said. “Now, had you said toss him in the trash, I could have supported that.”

“Nah, you should probably cover it. Apparently, someone left the gates of hell open. And look what just escaped. I might just be willing to sacrifice salvation for a night with that delicious devil.”

Willow glanced over her shoulder just as Lauder was being directed toward them. “What the hell—” She gasped. “No way.”

She frantically looked for something to conceal her rendition of him.

“Use your apron,” Hannah said out the side of her mouth.

Good idea. Willow fiddled with the strings. “Shoot. I can’t get it untied.”

“Oh, yeah. He wants you, Will. Look at how he’s undressing you with his eyes. He wants to blow your back completely out. And judging by those long, muscular legs, he could do just that. Lawd, I love a man in a tailored suit.”

Glancing up caused Willow to lose valuable time. Mainly because watching Lauder float toward them stalled her brain. As she raked her eyes over him, her stomach fluttered. Why did she keep responding to him?

Out of time, Willow blocked clay Lauder with her body as the real thing strolled inside the room. The idea that clay Lauder was staring at her ass made things even more awkward. What had she done to the universe to deserve such a disturbance in her life as Lauder?

One good thing came from Lauder’s approach. It shut Hannah up. When he nodded at Hannah, Willow thought the woman would split the corners of her mouth smiling so hard. Shameless, Willow thought until Lauder slid his gaze to her. The mild sensations she’d experienced moments ago blossomed into full-fledged lust convulsions.

“Willow.”

Lauder’s tone was so damn smooth, so damn steady, so damn confident one would think she’d actually invited him to invade her space. “Lauder.” Nope, her tone wasn’t smooth. Probably couldn’t be considered steady. Definitely wasn’t confident. But at least she’d managed not to moan. A triumph in her book. Small, but a win nonetheless.

When Lauder’s eyes lowered to her lips, a bout of nervous tension knotted her stomach. Why was he eyeballing her mouth? Her eyes were what he should have been focused on. They were the only things he would ever connect to.

Lauder’s eyes rose, and his lips curled slightly. “I found you.”

“I wasn’t lost.”

“We’ve all been lost at one point in our lives. Sometimes, we don’t even realize we’re waiting to be found.”

Willow’s eyes narrowed at him. What in hell does that mean? She didn’t bother asking him to elaborate, because she wasn’t interested in his cryptic logic.

“I really hope these sprinklers work,” Hannah said, eyeing overhead.

Willow scowled at her friend.

Hannah visually attempted to bite back a smile. “I’m going to give you two some priv—”

Willow’s scowl deepened, warning her against leaving the room.

“Like I said, I’ll be right over here.” Hannah pointed over her shoulder and backed away.

Refocusing on Lauder, Willow tried not to pay attention to how good he smelled. Like mature, sexy man. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to see you.”

She folded her arms across her chest. “Why?”

“Because you’re nice to look at.”

Hannah made some ridiculous sound that drew both their attentions. Yep, the woman was fired as her best friend. Although, she could admit—only to herself—that he was pleasant on the eyes, too.

“Well, thank you for stopping by to look at me, but I want to do you.”

Willow’s body went board stiff. There were a hundred ways she could have responded to her word blunder: sprint from the room like she was on fire, fake a blackout, slide a heated glance in an audibly tickled Hannah’s direction. Instead, her gaze remained pinned to Lauder’s. She straightened her spine, because that’s what a lady in complete control did. And she was in complete control. Completely.

Clearing her throat, she said, “I apologize. What I meant to say was I have work to do. I should show you out.”

Not bothering to wait for his response, she took off toward the door. Hannah’s warning—a sharp gasp—came a fraction too late. Willow realized the mistake she’d made.

“Huh. Damn, you are good with your hands.”

Lauder said it as if he’d discussed her abilities with someone. Again, straightening her spine, because that’s what a lady in—Oh, hell. Who was she kidding? She wasn’t in control. Hadn’t been since Lauder crashed into her world again. The best she could do was to pretend his presence had no effect on her.

Backtracking to join real Lauder staring at clay Lauder, she said, “I can explain that.”

“Oh, this should be good,” Hannah said just loud enough for Willow to hear.

Lauder lifted one of his large hands. For a brief second, a memory of how his hands used to explore her body—slowly, cautiously, thoroughly—played in her head. Stop it, she warned her defiant brain.

“No need. Obviously, you think I’m nice to look at, too,” Lauder said.

Willow barked a laugh. “Don’t flatter yourself. There’s a perfectly good explanation for this.”

Lauder folded his arms across his chest, causing his biceps to mushroom against the steel blue shirt he wore. The sight was like a magnet, and her eyes were drawn to it. At seventeen, his arms hadn’t been puny, but they hadn’t been sculpted like this, either. Clearly, he spent a lot of time in the gym.

“Okay. So...” Lauder said.

“So, what?” she said absently.

“So, what is the explanation?”

Willow released a nervous chuckle, sobered, then laughed. “I’m a forensic sculptor. This is what I do. I sculpt people.”

“Oh, I get that. But why did you sculpt me?”

Stay cool. You’ve got this. Don’t let him shake you. Play it cool. “Oh, you...you thought that was you?” Okay, so playing dumb was probably not the best strategy.

Lauder narrowed his eyes at her, then slid them to the clay, then back to her. “That’s not me?”

“No.”

He chuckled a sound so smooth and sexy, it caressed her skin, causing fine bumps to prickle her skin.

“That’s not me?” he asked a second time.

“I said no.”

Lauder nodded once. “Huh.” A second later, he glanced in Hannah’s direction. “Excuse me? Can you come over and help me out a second?”

What was he up to? Hannah joined them in front of the sculpture, visibly just as confused as Willow was.

“Lauder Tolson, by the way.” He offered Hannah his hand.

Another toothy smile spread across Hannah’s face. “Oh, I know who you are. Hannah Burrows. Nice to meet you.”

“Same here. So, Hannah, does this excellent work of art resemble me?”

Willow held her breath as Hannah scrutinized real Lauder, then the clay version. She tilted her head to the right, then to the left. A second later, she pressed her index finger into her chin.

“There is a strong resemblance. Especially here in the jaw region.” She used her finger to point out the area. “But I don’t think it looks exactly like you. If you hold your head just right, I guess it could pass for your distant cousin.”

Lauder burst into laughter. “My distant cousin?” He laughed some more. “Okay, I get it. Some kind of woman-code thing going on.”

Willow smirked. Hannah was definitely rehired. Eyeing Lauder, she said, “Now that we have that mystery solved, I’m guessing we can move forward.” Finally getting her apron unknotted, she tossed it over clay Lauder. “I’ll toss it in the garbage later.”

Lauder unapologetically checked her out. His scrutiny diminished some of the confidence Hannah’s flawless performance had given her.

Finding her eyes again, Lauder flashed one of those lopsided smiles he’d clearly perfected over the years. “Will you have dinner with me tonight?”

“Yes,” Hannah said, answering for Willow. “Um, I’ll be over...yeah.” A second later, she was gone.

“So? Dinner?” Lauder said.

“No.”

“No. Wow.” He massaged his jaw as if she’d slapped him. “Just like that? You sure you don’t need a few minutes to pretend to consider it?”

“There’s nothing to consider. You asked me a question, I gave you an answer.”

“The wrong answer.”

“In your opinion.”

“Reconsider.”

“I have plans tonight.”

“A date?”

“None of your business.”

“How about tomorrow night? Or the night after?”

Why did he seem so determined? And was she actually contemplating a yes in her head? Clearly, his delicious scent had made her delirious. “I’m busy for the foreseeable future.” She shrugged. “Work. I’m sure you know how it is.”

Lauder studied her for a long moment. “Well, if you’re busy, you’re busy.” He flashed a half smile, then turned toward Hannah. “It was nice meeting you, Hannah.”

“Same here. And you have my vote. Edmondson is a joke.”

“I agree. Thanks for the vote. I appreciate that.”

Willow rolled her eyes at the unnecessary charm Lauder dripped all over the place. Just leave already.

“I hope you enjoy the rest of your day, Willow.” He started away, but stopped. “Oh. Here’s my business card. Just in case you change your mind.”

Willow took the wedge with a smile, then watched Lauder glide away like a sexy jaguar. Damn, he should really come with a warning label. Hannah came to stand next to her and shook her head. “What?”

“I can’t believe you lied to that fine, fine specimen of a man like that.”

“I didn’t lie. I am busy. With work...and other stuff.”

“You should have asked him to escort you to the A Hope for Home fund-raiser. With that sexy beast on your arm, every eye in the place would be on you.”

“I don’t want every eye in the place on me. I prefer blending into the background.”

“Remaining in the background is going to be kind of hard as a senator’s significant other.”

Willow whipped her head toward Hannah. “I’m not a senator’s significant anything.” She glanced back in time enough to see the elevator doors close, freeing her from Lauder’s spellbinding presence.

Hannah laughed. “You don’t even see it, do you?”

Willow turned back to Hannah. “See what?”

Hannah pinched Willow’s cheeks like a little old lady did a child. “Your cluelessness is just so adorable,” she said in a voice reserved for babies. “Honey, does Lauder Tolson strike you as a man who would give up that easily? He’s coming for you, sweetie.” She rested her hands on Willow’s shoulders. “I suggest you prepare to be conquered.”

Willow wanted to protest, tell Hannah she was insane. Unfortunately, she, too, had the feeling she hadn’t seen the last of Lauder. Prepare to be conquered? Ha! Lauder would never get close enough to conquer her. And that she could guarantee.

Chapter 3

For the life of her, Willow couldn’t figure out why she’d agreed to spend her Saturday night mingling with total strangers. Why hadn’t she gone with her first instinct and simply written a check to show her support for A Hope for Home Foundation like she typically did?

Hannah, Willow grumbled to herself. Her friend had given her this long, drawn-out speech about how getting out once in a while was good for the soul. Hannah was always giving her speeches, so why had she chosen tonight of all nights to listen?

The gnawing in her gut that urged her to come, she reminded herself. Next time, she’d just take an antacid and go to bed.

Maybe she could slip out as quietly as she’d slipped in, climb back into her vehicle and hightail it back across town. Sipping an ice-cold glass of grape punch in her T-shirt and panties sounded really good right about now.

Just as she made her mind up to leave, she spotted Gloria Barrett—organizer of this fine affair—headed her way. Shoot. She’d never get away now.

In her early sixties, Gloria could easily pass for a woman twenty years younger. With her caramel skin, curves most twenty-year-olds would die for and dazzling gray eyes, she had men flocking to her. But ask anyone and they’d tell you her heart belonged to one man and one man only, her husband of over three decades, Patrick Barrett.

“Willow. You made it.” Gloria snatched her into a tight hug, then held her at arm’s length. “You look amazing. Hon, you’re going to get some of these married men in trouble with this figure-hugging number here. And that deep teal color... Gorgeous.”

Willow ironed a hand down the front of the satiny full-length gown. “Thank you. Just something I threw together.” Which was a lie because she’d spent a month searching every evening-gown site on the internet until she’d finally found something that caught her eye. The sleeveless dress had cost her a pretty penny, but when she’d scrutinized herself in the mirror, she was convinced it had been totally worth the expense.

“Come with me. I have someone I want to introduce you to. Plus, I’m sure he’d appreciate us saving him from those lust-filled vultures circling him.”

Willow didn’t get the chance to protest before Gloria had her halfway across the floor of the large ballroom. With all of the positive energy in the stylishly decorated space, Willow considered being here not such a bad thing after all. And it was for a good cause. Two hours of her Saturday night wouldn’t kill her.

Besides, it wasn’t like she would have been painting the town red anyway. Inwardly, she sighed, agreeing with Hannah’s frequent piece of advice. I have got to get a life. One good thing about being here, it kept her mind off—

Willow gasped. Lauder? What is he doing here?

Something ridiculous crossed her mind. Had he known she’d be there? No. How would he?

Willow’s eyes raked over him. If Hannah thought he looked scrumptious when he’d visited their office, the woman’s mouth would be watering now. Dressed in all black, with the top button of his shirt unfastened, he was so alluring that it was sickening.

She gnawed at the corner of her lip. It made no sense for one man to be so damn gorgeous. Even his body language—sure, confident, relaxed—made him attractive. While there were plenty of handsome men in attendance, Lauder was in a category all his very own. Obviously, she wasn’t the only woman affected by his magnetism. He practically had a harem of women surrounding him.

“Just look at him. Getting every panty in the room soaking wet,” Gloria said in a hushed tone.

Gloria was a mix of a prim and proper socialite and an unfiltered comedian. Judging by the dreamy-eyed women clinging to Lauder’s every word, Gloria was right about the panty thing. Willow didn’t want to be a casualty of whatever drug he was dispensing. But before she could devise an escape plan, Lauder slid his dangerously dark and daunting gaze in her direction.

The intensity of their connection caused her lips to part slightly, a stream of heated air escaping. She refused to label it a searing line of suppressed desire. Swallowing hard, she fought the need to turn away. And let Lauder think he had an effect on me? No way.

The faint furrow of his brow suggested he was just as surprised to see her as she’d been to see him. The straight line of his tempting lips slowly curled into a tantalizing smile. His intense scrutiny felt like delicate kisses feathering her skin. Just the thought of his mouth on her caused the space between her legs to tingle.

Why? She hadn’t known his touch in close to twenty years.

“Excuse me, ladies. Might I steal this handsome creature for a moment?” Gloria threaded her arm through Lauder’s and led him away. “Lauder, sweetie, between you and this pretty lady right here, y’all are going to cause a riot in here.”

Willow could feel Lauder’s eyes on her, but this time she refused to look in his direction.

“Lauder Tolson—future Senator Tolson—I’d like you to meet—”

“Willow Dawson,” Lauder said.

Gloria glanced from Lauder to Willow. “You two know each other?”

“Um...yes. We, um, we knew each other once. When we were younger.” Willow felt as if she were a specimen in a petri dish being scrutinized for the slightest change in composition.

Gloria smiled. “I see. Well, Lauder is one of the most generous contributors to A Hope for Home. And he donated one of his warehouses for us to use as a staging location.”

“Wow. A modern-day Robin Hood,” Willow said. Instantly, she regretted sounding so patronizing.

Gloria started to speak, but someone summoned her. “Excuse me. Got to go earn these zeros,” she said. “I’ll leave you two to catch up with one another.”

A beat of awkward silence lingered between Willow and Lauder. At least, awkward for her because his eyes fixed on her as if trying to read her mind. Oh, he really didn’t want to read her thoughts right now.

Deciding she’d be the bigger person, she said, “The Robin Hood comment... I didn’t mean to sound so—”

“Condescending?”

“Yes.” Another string of silence played between them, Lauder’s gaze never leaving her. “A Hope for Home is a great organization. How long have you been involved?” she asked.

“Since its inception, so a little over two years. Gloria can be very convincing, but when she told me the foundation intended to furnish the first permanent home for foster youth who’d aged out of the system, she had me. I’m too familiar with the struggle of trying to survive after foster care.”

The sadness that flashed in Lauder’s eyes stirred Willow’s curiosity. Had he gone through something? If he had, he’d clearly gotten through it okay.

“I usually never attend these things,” Lauder said.

They had that in common. Not that she was keeping a tally. “So how did you end up here tonight?”

“Something drew me here.”

A similar thing had happened to her, but she would never in a hundred years share that with him. The smile melted from Willow’s face, her stomach fluttering from the way Lauder eyed her. Was he insinuating she had led him here? How ridiculous. Lines like that probably worked on his other women, but it wouldn’t work on her. “Uh-huh. Well, if you’ll excuse me.”

Lauder flashed a half smile and gave a single nod. “It was nice seeing you again.”

Willow walked away without mirroring his sentiment, because it wasn’t nice seeing him again. In fact, she’d prefer to never see him again. Unfortunately, he seemed to keep popping up.

Not wanting Lauder to believe he’d run her off, she forced herself to stay at the event a little while longer. Despite her attempts to maintain a safe distance from the man who made her body hum, everywhere she turned Lauder was there. Looking like a ripe apple straight out of temptation’s orchard.

Was she crazy or did he seem determined to be near her? The fact that she found the idea faintly endearing angered her. What was he doing to her? And why in hell was she allowing it?

Lauder joined her at one of the fabric-draped highboy tables. “If we keep bumping into each other like this, I’m going to call it fate.”

“Oh, yeah? Well, some people would call it stalking.” She flashed a low-wattage smile.

He laughed a sweet, sexy sound that made her stomach quiver. Why? Why couldn’t she simply ignore him? Ignore his delicious scent, those hypnotizing eyes, that gobble-you-all-the-way-up mouth, the way he filled out that suit. What kind of sorcery was this man? Shaking some sense into herself, she dispelled the idea he’d cast some sort of seduction curse on her.

“Do you want to get out of here? Grab a coffee or dessert or something?”

Willow glanced to the overabundance of desserts on the long table several feet away, then to the coffee bar next to it. Eyeing Lauder again, she said, “I should really get home. I have—” she searched the depths of her brain “—church in the morning. Early in the morning. Like seven o’clock.” Lying on the Lord. Yep, she’d just secured herself a nice, hot front-row seat in hell. “Good night, Lauder.”

When she turned to leave, Lauder captured her arm. She gasped at the onset of tiny lightning bolts striking through her system. The raw intensity of his touch overtook her. And had she not placed a hand on the table, she was sure she would have toppled over.

Lauder’s tone was gentle when he spoke. “Willow, wait.”

He was in luck. She couldn’t budge, despite desperately wanting to sprint away from him, from this—the insanely powerful connection that had her rooted to the floor. Maybe he was the energy she’d felt earlier. Not the entire room. Just one man.

Drawing in a deep breath, she spoke over her shoulder. “What do you want, Lauder?”

“You.”

That was the last answer in the world she’d expected and not one she wanted to hear.

* * *

It was a long while before Willow turned to face him, but when she did, Lauder could tell he’d stunned her. Hell, he’d stunned himself. Yes, he’d been thinking the word you, just hadn’t meant to say it aloud. Or had he?

Truth be told, he did want her. Wanted her in the best and worst ways imaginable. Wanted to yank her into his arms and kiss her like a madman. Wanted to strip her out of that curve-hugging dress that made the sexually deprived beast inside him ravenous with desire. Wanted to explore every inch of her with his tongue. Wanted to taste and savor her essence. And after all of that, he wanted to make slow, passionate love to her. All. Night. Long.

But right now, he had to push that want aside and focus on need. He needed her, because like he’d told Chuckie, no other woman would do. Seeing her tonight, experiencing this unexplainable tug toward her, made his desire to get close to her even more urgent.

Confusion replaced the shock on Willow’s beautiful face. A thousand scenarios had to be rushing through her head. At least she hadn’t taken off across the room. She seemed pretty good at running. Mainly from him.

“Can we talk?” he said, holding out his hand for her to take.

Willow eyed his hand like it was a snake that would strike if she made the slightest of moves. Apparently, she determined the serpent wasn’t poisonous because she slid her trembling palm against his. Why was she so nervous?

His palm sizzled from her touch. He clasped his fingers around her delicate flesh and led her from the crowded and noisy ballroom. Passing the bay of public elevators, they ventured to the private one that would take them to his residence located on the upper level of the De Lore Hotel.

Willow didn’t budge when the door opened. Reclaiming her hand, she stared at him as if she were totally confused by what was happening.

“Where are we going?” Her tone was quiet and guarded.

“To my place.”

“You live in a hotel?”

That seemed to concern her more than the fact that he was leading her there. He nodded. “The upper levels are residential.”

“Oh.”

When the elevator doors started to close, Lauder stepped between them. “We can talk here if you’d prefer.” He didn’t want to scare her off.

After a second or two, Willow shook her head and brushed past him. Lauder pressed the button, and the doors closed. The ride to the twentieth floor was a quiet one. He used the time to admire how damn gorgeous Willow looked. Her hair was in a tight bun positioned on the top of her head, exposing that neck he craved to lick, nip and kiss.

Her sweet scent filled the close space. The fragrance only made him want her more.

Inside his place Willow surveyed her surroundings before moving to the floor-to-ceiling window and staring out. “This is a fantastic view.”

Lauder shrugged off his suit coat and joined her. “Thanks.” He studied her profile, unapologetically admiring the woman she’d become. Being here with Willow felt right to him. Too right. She’d taken him completely off guard. No woman had ever roused him like this one. At seventeen and now.

A beat of silence passed.

“Why am I here, Lauder?” she asked, never sliding her eyes away from the glow of downtown Raleigh.

Lauder inched his hands into his pockets. “I need your help.”

Willow’s head slowly turned toward him, uncertainty dancing on her pretty face. “My help?”

“Let’s sit,” he said, resting his hand on the small of her back and leading her to the sofa.

For the next several minutes, Lauder explained everything to Willow. He couldn’t read the stony expression on her face. Was she considering his proposal or thinking he was crazy as hell?

Then out of the blue, she laughed. This wasn’t a ha-ha-you’re-funny kind of laugh. It was a struggle-to-catch-your-breath, aching-sides, belly roll.

“You’re not serious,” she said between fits.

Lauder leaned forward and rested his elbows on his thighs. “As a heart attack.”

Willow’s amusement dried up, and she eyed him with a gaped mouth. “There are a thousand women who I’m sure would jump at the opportunity to play your love interest.” Her brow furrowed. “Why me?”

He shrugged. “We have history.” Maybe not the best, but history nonetheless. And chemistry. But he kept that part to himself. She didn’t need him to point out something he was sure she felt, too. Such a potent attraction was hard to ignore or deny.

“Huh.” Her gaze slid away. “I’m not...” Her words trailed off. “No. I can’t—”

“I know this is a lot to process. Don’t answer now. Take some time to think about it. This could benefit the both of us.”

She whipped her head toward him. “How in the world could this possibly benefit me?”

He debated whether or not to mention what Chuck had told him about her adoption attempts, but deciding it would help strengthen his case, he said, “I know you’re trying to adopt.”

Willow pushed her brows together. “Should I even bother asking how you know this?”

“It doesn’t matter, Willow. All that matters is I may be able to help.” Lauder could see her mulling his words over in her head. To sweeten the deal, he added, “There are perks to dating a politician,” and hoped she’d agree.

“You’re okay with deceiving your constituents?” She gave a single, humorless laugh. “Of course you are. You wouldn’t have approached me with this if you weren’t.”

Chuck’s passionate argument had persuaded Lauder to go along with this needing-a-girlfrend-to-improve-his-image charade, but the judgment present in Willow’s voice made him question whether or not he’d done the right thing. Standing, he moved back to the window. “Do a little harm to perform a lot of good,” he mumbled more to himself.

“What?”

Lauder turned to Willow. “Nothing.” Sliding his hands into his pockets, he said, “I have big plans for this state, Willow. Including the foster care system. Especially the foster care system. A system that failed you. A system that failed me. A system that’s still failing kids every single day. You have seen this firsthand.” Offering his hand, he said, “I’ll escort you back downstairs.”

She ignored his outstretched arm. “I can find my own way.”

It was evident she was attempting to escape him, so he didn’t protest. A second later, she was gone. And he doubted he would ever hear from her again.

Chapter 4

Willow hadn’t slept well for the past two days. Every time she placed her head on the pillow and closed her eyes, Lauder’s handsome face filled her thoughts, along with the ridiculous request he’d made. Pretend to be his significant other. For votes.

Clearly, he hadn’t changed all that much. The same old deceptive Lauder Tolson, just in larger and more exquisite packaging. She punched the mound of clay she’d been working on, chastising herself for finding him so attractive and being unable to ignore the intense chemistry between them.

“Uh-oh. Whenever you knead clay like that, all rough and barbarian-like, you’re upset,” Hannah said, moving up behind Willow.

Willow hadn’t shared with Hannah the conversation she’d had with Lauder. Not because she didn’t trust her best friend with the information, but because she was still in shock by it herself. “It’s nothing.”

“Out with it.”

Willow really didn’t want to discuss it, but on the other hand, she did. She needed to vent to someone about just how insane this all was. She sighed and faced Hannah. “Total secrecy.” It was something they said when what would follow had to be taken to the grave.

“I understand,” Hannah replied.

Willow spent the next twenty minutes telling the story as it had been told to her. Including the part about them both benefitting from this ludicrous scheme. At the end, she waited for Hannah to burst out laughing just as she had. Nothing.

“And you said no?” Hannah said.

“Of course I did. This proposition is insane. I won’t get caught up in his web of deceit.”

“Let’s discuss the pros and cons of such an arrangement.”

She must have been nuts for even entertaining Hannah, but she sighed and nodded.

“Con: you’d have to give up this thing with Reggie. But if he’s as lousy in bed as you claim he is, that shouldn’t be much of a hardship.”

“He’s not lousy in bed. He’s just...unadventurous.”

Hannah grinned. “I bet Lauder is plenty adventurous.” She bounced her brows twice. “Anyway, severing ties with Reggie might not be such a bad thing. It could definitely be a pro.”

Reggie was familiar. They both got what they wanted, then went their separate ways, until they needed more. Out of curiosity, Willow inquired, “Why?”

“Because he’s falling for you.”

Willow laughed. “What? No, he’s not. Reggie and I are just friends with occasional benefits.”

“You may not see it, because ‘just friends’ is what you agreed to, but he has a thing for you.”

Could Hannah actually be right? Was Reggie falling for her? The idea might have put a smile on most women’s faces. Not hers. She didn’t want any arrangement she couldn’t easily walk away from. She didn’t do attachments. In her mind, they exposed you to potential heartbreak. Something she’d had far too much of in her life.

Hannah’s words broke into Willow’s racing thoughts.

“Lauder was right, you know? There could be a major perk to dating him.”

“Like what?”

“Your adoption application. Or have you forgotten about that?”

Of course she hadn’t. It always lingered in the forefront of her thoughts. Waiting for that call revealing whether or not she’d be allowed to give a child the love she’d never had was daily torture. “No, I haven’t forgotten. You know I want to adopt a child more than anything in this world.”

“Lauder’s proposition could be the answer. A senatorial candidate has clout.”

For the first time, Lauder’s proposal had her attention. But it only lasted briefly. “I don’t agree with what he’s doing.”

“But we can agree that it’s not the worst thing in the world. If it’s not you, babe, it’ll be someone else.”

For some crazy reason, the idea of another woman playing the role she’d been handpicked for troubled her more than it should. Actually, it shouldn’t have bothered her at all.

“Who would you rather see win, Edmondson or that fine, fine chocolate Lauder Tolson?”

That was an easy one. Edmondson was a joke, parading around town with his robotic family, when everyone knew he didn’t care one iota about improving anyone’s life but his own. “Lauder, of course, but—”

“But nothing. It’s settled. You’re doing this. For the good of your fellow voters of this state. And the precious child who’s going to have the most amazing mother in the whole wide world.” Hannah hugged Willow, then held her at arm’s length. “Now repeat after me: I’m going to do this.”

Willow bit at the corner of her lip, still unconvinced that this was a road she wanted to travel. Hannah had made valid points, but there were risks involved with playing Lauder’s pretend lover. So many risks. Clearly, there was a real attraction between them. Could she actually spend extended amounts of time with him and not fall prey to his charm?

“Say it,” Hannah continued. “Say, I’m going to do this.”

After several moments, Willow mumbled under her breath.

“What was that? I didn’t hear you.”

“I’m going to do this,” she said, the declaration feeling like the kiss of doom.

* * *

Lauder hadn’t expected Willow’s impromptu visit, especially since he hadn’t had any contact with her for close to a week. Now here she stood, mere feet from him and looking like the gold at the end of a rainbow. He played it cool, but all he wanted to do was yank her against his chest, sweep an arm across his desk, gently place Willow on top of it and bury himself inside her.

Unfortunately, none of that would happen. However, his aching body certainly wished it would.

“Willow? What a pleasant surprise.” He eased onto the edge of his desk and folded his arms across his chest. “It’s nice to—”

“I’ll allow you to use me, but I’m going to use you in return,” she said, her expression void of emotion.

Use her? Was that what she thought he wanted to do? Lauder massaged the side of his face, needing a second to recover from her words. Actually, as harsh as it sounded, it was exactly what he was doing, but she then intended to benefit from him, too. “And how will you use me, Willow?” He could think of several ways he would have liked for the usage to occur, none of them suitable to mention aloud. But every one of them stirred him below the waist.

“You were correct. I do want to adopt a child. But I don’t want any unfair advantage,” Willow continued.

Unfair advantage. Had that been meant to be a jab? “I see. So what do you need from me?”

“I don’t need anything from you, Lauder. What I want is for you to put in a good word for me when the time comes.”

Obviously, she had a distorted definition of the term unfair advantage, because her request fell snugly within those perimeters. However, he allowed her to continue to believe otherwise. She seemed set on riding her high horse until the thing died of exhaustion.

Deciding to make her sweat a bit, he said, “I don’t think this will work, Willow.”

“May I ask why?”

Lauder braced a hand on either side of the desk. “For us to be convincing as a couple, we would actually need to like one another. Now, I like you plenty, but you act as if you can’t bear the sight of me.” He shrugged. “It won’t—”

Before he could finish the thought, Willow was between his legs, her arms wrapped around his neck and lips locked to his. The sensation that shot to his groin nearly toppled him off the desk’s edge.

The kiss was unhurried and sensual.

Profound and thorough.

Hot and delicious.

Absolutely perfect.

Willow’s tongue probed the inside of his mouth without hesitation. She tasted sweet, like grape candy. Lip gloss, maybe. When his brain finally rebooted, he responded to their intimate connection, enveloping his arms around her warm body and holding her close to him.

He wanted her.

Desperately needed her.

Willow’s tense frame relaxed against him, and he held her a little more lightly. He wanted this moment to last forever. Unfortunately, several sizzling seconds later, the pleasure came to an abrupt end with Willow pulling away. She ran the pad of her thumb across his bottom lip, then stared him square in the eyes.

“I trust that was convincing enough.”

Like a deer trapped in the headlights of a big rig, he couldn’t speak or move. All he could do was gape into her dazzling eyes.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

He didn’t miss the smugness in her tone. A beat later, she freed herself from his hold and moved toward the door like a sexy siren. His eyes fixed on her ample behind in those figure-flattering jeans. His manhood throbbed so hard, he had to adjust himself. Oh, you will pay for this in the most sensual manner possible.

Blame it on ego, but Lauder couldn’t allow her to get away believing she had the upper hand—despite the fact that she did have it. Pushing to a full stand, he said, “We’re going to need to spend some time together. Get to know each other.” He already knew one thing about her for sure...she was one hell of a kisser.

Willow stopped at the door, her hand resting on the knob. Over her shoulder, she said, “This Saturday. Six o’clock.”

Opening the door, she was gone.

Lauder chuckled and massaged his jaw. He wasn’t sure what, but Willow was doing something to his guarded heart. What was worse, he liked it.

Returning behind his desk, he dropped into the plush office chair, rested his elbow on the armrest and gingerly glided two fingers across his bottom lip. The next time their lips touched—and there would be a next time—he would be the one in control.

Two taps sounded at his door, and Lauder grew overly excited. Had Willow returned? “Come in.” A smile lit his face, then melted away. “Oh, it’s just you,” he said to his foster brother Roth Lexington.

“Damn. Should I leave and come back?”

Lauder rounded his desk. “Nah, man. I just thought you were someone else.”

The two exchanged an affectionate hug. Though he and Roth weren’t related, people actually thought they were biological brothers because they favored each other so much. Both over six feet tall, both had deep brown skin tones, both had prominent features and a commanding presence.

“Where’s Alonso? I thought he was rolling with us to lunch,” Lauder said.

Roth chuckled. “He’s going to meet us there. Had to go home and kiss the twins and do only God knows what to Vivian.”

The room filled with laughter.

“Man, looking at you and Lo, I can almost picture myself settling down. Wife, kids, white picket fence. Almost.”

“It’s the best feeling in the world, man, to come home to a wife and kids you love more than the sun.”

Lauder enjoyed seeing Roth so happy. He was a good brother and deserved all the happiness life had to give.

“What about that sister who nearly plowed into me rushing from your office? Does she have anything to do with your change of heart? Last I recall, you said you’re never getting married and definitely not having any kids.”

“Willow Dawson,” Lauder said, dropping into the chair across from his desk.

Roth occupied the opposite one. “Willow Dawson?” His brow furrowed. “Why does that name sound so familiar?” Obviously, it dawned on him. “Wait, is she the same Willow Dawson who got you kicked out of the group home years ago?”

Lauder couldn’t believe Roth still remembered that. Though he shouldn’t have been surprised. Roth had the memory of an elephant. “One and the same.”

To be honest, Willow hadn’t gotten him kicked out of the group home; breaking Marvin Kramer’s nose had gotten him kicked out. But Lauder had been defending Willow’s honor, so he guessed she could share some of the blame. One day he’d get around to sharing the details of his honor brawl with her. Maybe if she knew the truth, she’d drop her grudge against him.

Roth cut into Lauder’s thoughts.

“Are you two...”

Lauder hadn’t told Roth about Willow playing his pretend lover, but knew he could trust the man with the information. “Chuck thought I should come across as more family oriented, so I’ve enlisted Willow to play my make-believe lover.”

Lauder studied Roth’s face for any signs of disapproval. There was none that he could spot.

Roth chuckled. “Are you sure it’s all make-believe? The woman has you thinking about settling down. That’s...huge. Especially for you.”

Lauder rubbed his jaw. “Can I ask you something?”

“Shoot.”

“How’d you learn to trust Tressa?” Lauder figured that if Roth could open himself up to another person, as guarded as he’d always been, anyone could.

“It wasn’t easy. But when my trust issues jeopardized my relationship with Tress, I vowed to change. I knew that woman was my forever. I didn’t want to lose her.”

“How did you know she was the one?”

Roth beamed as if reliving a beautiful memory, then in a flash sobered. “Her touch.”

By the intense expression on his face, Lauder assumed there was more to the touch story than Roth was sharing. He didn’t pry.

“You’ll know,” Roth said, standing. “Now let’s go. I’m starving.”

Lauder scrubbed a hand over his head. Thing was, he was sure he already knew. And knowing complicated things.

Chapter 5

“You did what!” Hannah’s bright eyes glowed with excitement.

Willow flailed her arms in Hannah’s direction. “Shhh,” she warned, coming from behind her desk to close her office door. “Keep your voice down.” Willow peeped out to make sure no one was within earshot of them, then pushed the door shut. Facing Hannah, she rested a hand on her forehead and sighed heavily. “I kissed him. Like, really kissed him. I couldn’t stop kissing him.”

The second her lips touched Lauder’s it was like she’d had an out-of-body experience, as if she were hovering high above watching herself kiss Lauder, unable to stop. By the time she’d pulled away, her body was so electrified she thought the current would kill her.

“Was it good?” Hannah asked.

Willow attempted to bite back a smile, but it broke through. “It was fantastic.”

Hannah squealed. “Yes! I knew it. I knew you still had feelings for him. After all of these years apart, your heart still beats for your first.” She cupped her hands under her chin and went all dreamy eyed. “That’s so romantic.”

“Because I enjoyed a spine-tingling kiss way more than I should have doesn’t mean I’m still in love with Lauder Tolson. It’s been—” Willow paused, noting the odd look on Hannah’s face. “What?”

“Still?”

“What?”

“You said still in love with him. Meaning, at one point, you were in love with him.”

Willow released a shaky laugh and rubbed her shoulder. “I—I was sixteen. Of course I thought I was in love. Isn’t that what sixteen-year-old girls do? Fall recklessly in love with bad boys?”

“Yes, reckless sixteen-year-olds. Since we met freshman year of college, you’ve always been ordered, in control, methodical.”

Never been reckless? Then how did Hannah explain her agreeing to play Lauder’s fake lover? In her opinion, that was as reckless as you could get. She reminded herself why she was doing it. The idea of becoming a mother made her decision less daunting.

Hannah smiled. “How long have we known each other?”

“Over ten—”

“Yep, over ten years,” Hannah said, cutting Willow off. “So I know when you’re lying. Even when you’re not rubbing the brown off your shoulder.”

Willow allowed her arm to fall to her side. “I’m not—”

Hannah pinched Willow’s lips together. “Shush.”

Willow protested in an array of grunts.

“Shush,” Hannah repeated. “Are you listening?”

Defeated, Willow nodded her head. “Mmm-hmm.”

“Good. Let this thing between you and Lauder happen. You deserve a man like Lauder—fine as hell, rich and powerful. You deserve great sex—the kind that leaves you hobbling afterwards. And you definitely deserve love—the kind of love that will last an eternity.”

Willow hummed but.

“Shush. You’re going to go on your date with Lauder tomorrow night. You’re going to kick all caution to the wind. And you’re going to let. It. Happen.”

Another muffled but.

Hannah’s voice went from soft and sweet, to gruff and deep. “Let. It. Happen.”

Willow jerked. “Umph.” Then she nodded, because that was all she could do.

* * *

Twenty-four hours later, Willow stood in front of the full-length door mirror in her bedroom. Why in the heck was she so obsessed with her appearance for her date with Lauder? It wasn’t like she wanted to impress or entice him. And she definitely had no intentions of letting it happen. Regardless of what she’d agreed to under duress.

The elusive it made her think of the horror movie with the clown. What if tonight was just as terrifying? What had she gotten herself into? An evening with Lauder. Well, at least in a restaurant full of people, they wouldn’t be alone. That was a saving grace.

Why was she putting herself through this torture? Instead of jumping through hoops with Lauder, she could just let Reggie knock her up and forget about all of this fake lover business. No, she couldn’t imagine being tied to any man for the next eighteen-plus years. And if what Hannah suspected about Reggie—that he’d fallen for her—was true, he would surely want to stick around and be in the child’s life.

Not that Reggie was still an option anyway. She’d severed ties with him. Well, actually, not officially, but she’d declined his company for the past few weeks. She refused to acknowledge Lauder as the reason. He wasn’t. Then she recalled the last time she’d been intimate with Reggie. Well, attempted to be intimate. In her head, she couldn’t stop seeing Lauder’s face. It had ruined the mood. She hadn’t seen Reggie since.

The doorbell rang, startling her. Six o’clock on the dot. Lauder was punctual. Scrutinizing herself in the mirror once more, she headed out of the bedroom. Opening the door, she eyed the suited stranger standing there. “May I help you?”

“Ms. Dawson?”

“Yes.”

“I’m Donovan. Mr. Tolson sent me.”

Confused, Willow said, “He sent you?”

“Yes, ma’am. I’m your driver for the evening.”

“My driver?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Willow looked past Donovan and spied the black luxury vehicle. No sign of Lauder. “Where is Mr. Tolson?”

“At his residence. I’m to take you there.”

“His residence?”

Donovan didn’t bother responding this time.

A hundred questions raced through Willow’s head. Why had Lauder sent a stranger in a hundred-thousand-dollar vehicle to get her? Why were they going to his residence and not a restaurant? Where there would be other people, she added. Was she overdressed?

She ran a hand over the black off-the-shoulder scalloped lace dress that fell just below the knees. I should change. A second later, she cast out the idea. Too much energy had been spent on perfecting this look.

“Shall we go?” Donovan asked.

Willow nodded.

Less than a half hour later, she stood face-to-face with Lauder. Two things she’d learned about him: he was one dynamic kisser, and he could wear the hell out of anything he slid his muscled body into. The dark denim jeans and white button-down shirt were no exceptions.

Again, the top button of his shirt was unfastened, flashing her a scant glimpse of his chest. Her eyes fixed on his Adam’s apple, forcing her to swallow hard when her throat suddenly went dry.

When her assessing gaze made an unhurried climb, she flinched at the quizzical expression on Lauder’s face. “Um...you don’t like wearing ties.” Of all the things she could have said, she’d said something so stupid.

“Only when I have to.” One corner of his mouth lifted into a sexy smile. “But I can put one on if you prefer.”

“You’re fine. The tie,” she said quickly. “It’s...fine.” What the hell was wrong with her? Why did Lauder turn her into a blushing fool? Note to self, you will remain in control tonight. He flashed that lopsided smile, and her pulse quickened. Complete control.

“You look...nice,” Lauder said, his eyes roaming over her body.

Nice? A nice was all she got? Not wanting to be ungrateful for the mild compliment, she said, “Thank you. So do you. Even without the tie.”

“Follow me.”

Willow trailed him. For the first time, she really scrutinized the space. He truly did have an amazing home. Decorated in rich stone and a blue-gray color palette with a splash of cream, it suited him. Intense.

The spacious dwelling needed something. But what? It hit her. Warmth. It needed warmth, because while it was intense, it was also cold. In that moment, and for some unexplainable reason, she felt empathy for Lauder.

Entering the modern-style kitchen fashioned with all stainless steel appliances, fixtures and accents, Willow noticed the prep-station-type setup.

“Can you cook?” Lauder asked.

“Umm...why?”

“I thought we’d prepare the meal together. But if you’d prefer to go out...”

“No. This is fine.”

“You sure? I don’t want you to think I’m trying to be cheap.”

Willow slid her gaze over the impressive spread atop the marble island: lobster, rib eye steaks, chicken kabobs and an assortment of fresh-cut veggies. Cheap was the last thing floating around in her head. “I’m sure.” Cocking a brow, she said, “You can cook?”

“Don’t look so surprised. I can burn a kitchen down. Which is exactly what happened during my first cooking lesson.”

Willow burst into laughter. “You set a kitchen on fire?”

“It wasn’t like a four-alarm fire or anything.” He shrugged. “A one-and-a-half alarm, at best.”

More laughter poured from Willow.

“Thanks to my foster brother’s wife and her bachelors-in-the-kitchen culinary package, I can throw down.”

“You took cooking lessons?”

Lauder flashed a comical expression. “Yes.”

“You must have been trying to impress a woman.” Lauder’s bright expression dimmed, and she couldn’t help but wonder why.

“Nah. Most women I come across prefer visiting high-dollar restaurants.”

“Not me.” God, why had she sounded so desperate? “I mean... I love to tinker in the kitchen, try new things. I watch a lot of the cooking channel. I have no life.”

Dammit. Why had she admitted that? Admitted any of that. For one, it sounded as if she were vying for some of his time. For two, she’d made herself sound like a freaking couch potato. For three, she just sounded pitiful.

“Huh” was all Lauder said.

Huh? What did that mean?

Lauder stared at her, narrow eyed, for a moment, then said, “Let’s cook.”

“Uh, normally, I’d be all for this, but I don’t think I have on the proper attire.”

“Take it off.”

Willow rested a hand on her hip. “You would like that, wouldn’t you?”

“What kind of man do you think I am? I’ll give you something else to wear.” His eyes raked over her. “Mainly because that dress is distracting as hell. I don’t want to burn down my kitchen.”

Willow lowered her head to hide her smile. Had a man ever alluded to her looking too good in a dress? Nope. Latching on to his gaze again, she said, “Well, you probably should have mentioned we were going to put your culinary skills to work. I would have worn something less—”

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