From USA TODAY bestselling author Yvonne Lindsay comes a Texas Cattleman’s Club tale of big business, seduction and betrayal.

Ever since Sophie Beldon’s boss vanished, she’s been working for Zach Lassiter. But Zach’s been acting mysteriously, and Sophie can’t help wondering what he’s hiding. Could he be involved in the disappearance?

The trouble is Sophie’s had a red-hot yearning for Zach from the moment they met. So when she decides to seduce him to uncover his secrets, perhaps she’s kidding herself about her reasons. Because the soul-searing passion she discovers in his arms has Sophie praying that her mistrust is unfounded.

“If you had any questions, you could have asked me.

“Instead of snooping behind my back.”

“I thought you were hiding something to do with Alex,” Sophie explained.

“You thought I was involved in Alex’s disappearance? You slept with me, thinking I might be responsible? I thought we had something special, but you were just using me, weren’t you?”

“Zach, I’m sorry,” she said again.

“What were you planning to do? Seduce the information out of me?”

“You were so secretive. I just started to get suspicious. And while it started with wanting to seduce information out of you, it’s not like that now. Please, Zach, please give me—us—another chance.”

Dear Reader,

When I was invited to participate in the Texas Cattleman’s Club continuity, I was both deeply honoured and scared witless! :-) What do I, here in New Zealand, know about Texas? The best form of research, I’ve always found, is to read—and what better to read than previous Texas Cattleman’s Club books to give me the texture and flavor of the people and the country that makes up this enduring continuity.

A continuity is, by its very nature, a group effort. From the concept and the development of the stories that comes directly from our editorial team, to the authors who bring the characters, setting and plotlines to life, we become a like-minded community that strives toward a joint goal—bringing you, our readers, the stories you love to read, again and again.

In Something About the Boss…, you will meet Sophie Beldon. Calm, capable, superefficient and totally unflappable…until, due to her boss’s disappearance, she’s forced to work with her biggest crush—her boss’s work partner, dark, sexy and secretive Zach Lassiter. Their work-based relationship soon flares into something bigger than either of them can anticipate, with threads that can weave them together and have the equal potential to tear them apart, forever.

I hope you love reading this installment in the Texas Cattleman’s Club: The Missing Mogul, and I wish you happy reading ahead through the rest of the continuity!

Best wishes, always,

Yvonne Lindsay

Something about the Boss…

Yvonne Lindsay

www.millsandboon.co.uk

New Zealand born, to Dutch immigrant parents, YVONNE LINDSAY became an avid romance reader at the age of thirteen. Now, married to her “blind date” and with two fabulous children, she remains a firm believer in the power of romance. Yvonne feels privileged to be able to bring to her readers the stories of her heart. In her spare time, when not writing, she can be found with her nose firmly in a book, reliving the power of love in all walks of life. She can be contacted via her website, www. yvonnelindsay.com.

This one is for the amazing team at Harlequin who, I’m sure, often miss out on thanks for all you do in the foreground, the background and the playground. :-)

Special thanks and acknowledgment to Yvonne Lindsay for her contribution to Texas Cattleman’s Club: The Missing Mogul miniseries.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Excerpt

One

Sophie flew into the office five minutes later than usual. It drove her crazy to be late, for any reason. She’d woken way past her usual time and had had to forgo her morning coffee and bagel in an attempt to make up for it. With a vague wave at their receptionist and the skeleton staff already working at their stations in the open-plan office behind reception, Sophie went through to the executive office suite, smoothing her short blond bob with one hand.

She flung a glance at Zach’s office door—it was open. Darn. He was already here. Despite her best efforts, Zach Lassiter had beaten her into the office, again. Not good. Not when she was doing her best to keep everything running on an even keel, and certainly not when she needed to do some snooping in his office. He was hiding something, she just knew it.

She dropped her shoulder bag on the corner of her desk. The bag didn’t quite make it, though, and it slid off the surface to fall silently onto the thick carpeting, its contents spilling at her feet.

“Damn!” The curse slipped from her lips and even now, though she hadn’t lived under her mother’s roof in more than four years, she felt the quiet reproof of her mother’s gaze for dropping her standards so. They might have been poor, but her mother had always expected her to act like a lady.

She scrabbled to put everything back where it belonged—a place for everything and everything in its place; it had been her mantra for longer than she could remember. Her hand hovered over the photo she carried with her everywhere and she straightened with it still in her hand. They’d been so young, so innocent. Victims of circumstance.

Silently she renewed her vow to find her half-sister; Sophie owed it to them both. And she was getting closer. The latest report from the private investigator she’d hired to find her sister had listed a new possibility to explore. Thinking about it had kept her awake half the night, hence her sleeping past her alarm this morning.

A noise from behind her, from the kitchenette that she kept well stocked, sent a prickle of awareness tiptoeing between her shoulder blades.

“Cute kids.”

Zach gave one of his lazy, killer smiles that always managed to send a bolt of longing straight to her gut, as he handed her a coffee. Sophie fought to quell the tremor that threatened to make her hand shake as she accepted the mug. She’d tried to shore up her defenses against her crazy attraction to him, but even after eighteen months she still failed miserably. Working in the same office space with him had been taxing enough, but now working directly for him—well, that was a whole new kettle of fish altogether.

“I’m supposed to be the one bringing you coffee,” she said quietly. “Sorry I’m late.”

“No problem. I was getting myself one. Is that you?” he asked gesturing to the photo in her hand.

It was the kind of snapshot that most kids had taken at some stage in their lives. Siblings, oldest behind, youngest in front. Gap-toothed smiles fixed on their freckled faces, hair pulled back into identical pigtails, bangs straight across their eyebrows. Oldest staring dead ahead, youngest—still baby-faced at age four—with eyes unfocused, distracted by whatever it was that day. Sophie certainly couldn’t recall although she remembered well the sensation of her sister’s bony shoulder beneath her hand, the steady warmth of Susannah’s body standing close to hers, almost leaning into her in that way she did when she wasn’t entirely comfortable with a situation.

“Yes, me and my younger sister.”

“Are you guys close?”

“Not anymore,” she hedged.

Suzie’s father, Sophie’s much-adored stepdad, had died suddenly shortly after that photo had been taken. With their mother struggling to make ends meet, Suzie had gone to live with her father’s sister. Financially independent and also recently widowed, Suzie’s aunt had an open heart and open arms for her brother’s only child. Contact between the two families had been severed almost immediately—deemed to be in the best interests of the girls at the time. It had been more than twenty years since they’d seen each other and Sophie still felt the emptiness inside, even though she’d long since learned how to mask it.

She thumbed the well-worn edge of the photo before tucking the picture back in her bag. She was doing what she could to reestablish contact with her sister. She had to be satisfied with that. She gave herself a mental shake and locked her handbag away in the bottom drawer of her desk. Even though this was downtown Royal, Texas, Sophie didn’t take chances. It wasn’t her way.

Clearly taking the hint that the subject of her sister was closed, Zach turned his attention to work.

“What’s on your agenda today?”

Sophie briefly outlined what she had planned in her other boss’s absence before asking, “Is there something else you need me to work on instead? None of this is urgent right now, especially with Alex still out of the office.”

Out of the office. She gave an inward sigh. Some euphemism for missing. It had been over a month since her boss had simply disappeared off the face of the earth. Each morning she still hoped that she’d come in and find him in his office, his energetic personality filling the room, but each morning she was disappointed. The police were now involved in the hunt for Alex Santiago and his disappearance looked more sinister by the day.

“Any news from Sheriff Battle?” Zach asked.

She shook her head. Sophie had racked her brain trying to think of anything that could have been a clue to why Alex had gone, and where. But nothing had been out of the usual. The guy had disappeared the same way as he’d arrived in Royal, although with a great deal less fanfare. He was the kind of man who made things happen—things didn’t happen to him. Which made his disappearance all the more puzzling. Surely someone had to know something. Someone, somewhere was keeping secrets, and Sophie had a worried feeling it might be Zach.

The muscles around his mouth tightened slightly, his only tell that something was bothering him. If anyone knew anything about Alex, it should have been Zach, as the two men had become firm friends in the time they’d worked together and shared office space. She watched him carefully. Zach Lassiter had a reputation for keeping his cards close to his chest and only letting you know what he thought you should know, when he thought you needed to know it.

The man was locked tighter than the vault at Fort Knox. Goodness only knew he’d remained impervious to the subtle and not-so-subtle questioning from local men and women alike. All anyone knew about him was that just under two years ago he’d arrived here in Royal with his own investment company and a knack for turning high-risk investment opportunities into sure fortunes. When Alex Santiago had arrived a couple of months later and set up his venture capital business, they’d created the perfect successful partnership.

It hadn’t taken a whole lot of research to find out that Zach Lassiter had been married, not when his ex still called him almost every day, although Sophie had been unable to find any photos online that included Anna Lassiter. It also hadn’t taken a lot of poking to discover that Zach’s knack for turning high-risk investment opportunities into gold had started several years ago with an investment firm in Midland.

But the man himself? What made him tick, what drove him? There was nothing. Dark good looks and urbane charm aside, he could be hiding anything beneath that smooth, sophisticated exterior. It was whether that “anything” involved Alex’s disappearance that Sophie wanted to find out.

“What? Have I got something on my face?” Zach asked, reminding Sophie she was staring.

Color flooded her cheeks and she ducked her head. “No, sorry, I was just distracted for a minute.”

The phone on Sophie’s desk chimed discreetly. Zach’s line. He usually took his own calls, but since he was here with her, Sophie reached for the handset.

“Zach Lassiter’s office, this is Sophie speaking.”

“I can’t reach Zach on his phone. Is he there? Put me through to him,” the woman’s querulous voice demanded, belatedly adding, “Please.”

“One moment please, I’ll see if he’s free to take your call.” Recognizing the voice, and putting the woman on hold, Sophie said, “It’s your ex-wife. You’re not answering your cell phone. Do you want to take it?”

“Of course.” He patted the breast pocket of his jacket. “I must have left my cell in the car again.” He fished his keys out of his pocket and handed them to Sophie. “When you have a free moment, could you get it for me?”

“Sure,” she said, taking the keys and trying desperately to ignore the buzz of attraction that warmed her skin as his fingertips brushed her palm.

She watched as he walked back to his office and heard the deep murmur of his voice through his closed door as he picked up the call. Not for the first time she wondered about the relationship Zach had with Anna Lassiter. She could count on one finger the number of people she knew who were still on speaking terms with their exes, let alone daily speaking terms. As far as she could ascertain, he and Anna had been divorced for nearly two years. She shook her head. He had to still be in love with the woman. Why else would he devote so much time to her?

Sophie fought to quell the pang of envy that struck deep in her chest. What would it be like to be the object of Zach’s devotion? His closed demeanor aside, the man was sex on legs. Or maybe it was that very aloofness that made him so appealing to her. She took a sip of her rapidly cooling coffee. No, it was more visceral than that. To use a more colloquial expression, the man was prime beef. It was no hardship to imagine the lean, hard-muscled lines of his body beneath the tailored suits he wore.

A tiny thrill coursed down the length of her spine, setting a tingle up in her lower back. Lord, she had it bad. Just thinking about him was enough to send her pulse up a few notches and a flush of awareness to heat all those secret parts of her body that were hidden by her office clothes.

Combine a killer physique with a handsomely chiseled face, expensively cropped jet-black hair, green eyes that looked straight through you and a mind as sharp as a tack, and he became a very appealing package. From the first day he’d walked through the front door of the professional suite and taken up the spare office next to Alex’s, Sophie had been mesmerized by him. He carried himself with an air of confidence that made it clear that he was there to succeed at whatever he turned his hand to. And succeed he did. His investment advice had made his client list an exceptionally large and equally wealthy one. Some even said he had a Midas touch and, if his address on the outskirts of town was any indicator, he certainly knew how to put his money to good use.

She also knew that you didn’t get anywhere without hard work and dedication and if she didn’t apply some of that to the list of things she had to do today, she’d have to answer to Alex when he came back. If he came back, whispered a small voice in the back of her head.

* * *

Zach hung up from the call and just for a moment allowed himself the indulgence of resting his head in his hands. He was worried about Anna. She’d always been high-strung, but right now she was acting as if she was stretched to the breaking point. He had to do something, and do it soon. Her parents still insisted there was nothing wrong with her, keeping their heads in the sand regarding any potential mental imbalance.

Their refusal to admit to her instability wasn’t doing her any favors. She needed help—professional help—and it was up to him to find it for her. Drawing in a deep breath, Zach straightened and booted up his laptop, opening a search window. Before long he had a list of people and places to contact. He’d do more research tonight.

Zach pressed his fingertips against his closed eyelids. He felt so damned responsible. He should never have married Anna, never bowed down to her father’s—his boss’s—unstintingly direct pressure to court his only child.

Sure, Zach had been attracted to her. She was blonde and beautiful and had an air of delicacy about her that had appealed to the caveman inside him in a way he’d never experienced before. But he’d been all wrong for her. She’d needed someone less driven, more devoted. Certainly someone less earthy. It hadn’t taken long for the fragility to wear thin, for him to feel trapped. Then, just when they’d begun separation proceedings, she’d discovered she was pregnant and it had become far too late to walk away. He’d tried to do his best by her—after all, he’d vowed to her before man and God that he’d stand by her through all that life could throw at them.

But life had thrown them a complete curveball with the death of their baby son. And while Zach had learned to hide his pain beneath a shell of self-preservation, Anna’s guilt over the car wreck that had taken ten-month-old Blake’s life had seen her spiral deeper and deeper into depression.

“Zach? Is everything all right?”

He hadn’t even heard Sophie come into his office. He snapped to attention. “Sure, everything’s fine. Just a bit tired is all.”

“I found your phone. You’d left it connected to your hands-free kit.”

She slid it across the desk toward him, the screen letting him know exactly how many calls he’d missed from Anna. He sighed. Tonight he would definitely make some decisions. It was past time.

“Thanks, I appreciate it.”

He lifted his gaze and met Sophie’s. She was a sight for sore eyes, with her cute blond bob and those warm, whiskey-brown eyes of hers. Today had been the first time he’d seen her approach anything outside of her usual unflappable mien, when she’d arrived a few minutes late. He kind of liked seeing her a little off-kilter. It made her seem more human, more approachable.

She always looked immaculate—her clothes well cut but not flashy—and he’d long envied Alex her calm, capable efficiency. As Alex’s executive assistant, she kept the place running like clockwork, keeping an overview of not only all the pies Alex had his thumb in but every aspect of every pie. You had to admire a mind that could compartmentalize and draw information out on command the way hers did. In Alex’s absence, the cracks would surely have started to show by now without her talents.

Zach hadn’t wasted a second on availing himself of her skills over the past month, when it had become clear that Alex’s disappearance was more than the temporary foray they’d all thought he might have indulged in. With the police now handling the disappearance of his good friend, Zach had doubled his workload, juggling both his own clients’ portfolios and Alex’s venture capital concerns. Without Sophie he’d have dropped the ball by now.

He really ought to show her some appreciation. He spoke out loud before thinking on the subject long enough to talk himself out of it.

“Sophie, you’ve been a godsend these past weeks. I couldn’t have managed it all without your help. I know you’ve been putting in some long hours and I’d like to make it up to you. How about dinner at Claire’s at the end of the week? Sound good?”

“You don’t need to do that, Zach. I’m only doing my job—one I’m very well compensated for.”

“I know, but I am grateful and I’d like to show it. I’ll make the reservation today, and Sophie? I won’t take no for an answer.”

She gave a little laugh, the sound a gurgle of amusement that removed the last of the dark cloud in the back of his mind and pulled an answering smile across his lips.

“Well, when you put it like that, what can I say? Thank you, I’ll look forward to it.”

He watched her turn and leave his office, noted the way the fabric of her straight skirt skimmed her hips and pulled across her buttocks with each no-nonsense step. An unwanted pull of desire tugged deep inside him and he forced himself to avert his gaze. Acknowledging that Sophie Beldon was an attractive woman was one thing, but actually doing something about it was off-limits. They worked together, and he didn’t want to jeopardize that. Too much hinged on them continuing to work in synchronicity until Alex’s return. Besides, look at the disaster of his last work-related relationship. It wasn’t something he was in a hurry to repeat.

He’d asked her out to dinner to express his gratitude, that was all. There couldn’t be any more to it than that—no matter what his clamoring libido insisted to the contrary.

Two

“Thank you, I shall look forward to it?” What on earth had she been thinking? The words played over and over in her head, so stilted, so... Argh! Why couldn’t she have come back with something witty or sophisticated? Something that might have attracted his interest just that little bit more.

This was further proof that a man like Zach Lassiter was out of her league, Sophie castigated herself as she settled at her desk and tried to force her mind back to analyzing the projection figures that had come in on Alex’s latest venture. They made for interesting reading and her fingers itched to compile her report. But even as she started entering the data into her computer, her mind kept flicking back to Zach’s dinner invitation.

Her pulse skipped an excited beat. Claire’s was not your run-of-the-mill restaurant and the prices there reflected that. She’d only ever made reservations there for Alex and his various business contacts—she’d never had the good fortune to dine there herself. Sophie quelled an inner squeal of delight and reminded herself she was a sage twenty-eight years old, not a giddy teenager. Besides, this wasn’t anything like a date. It was a work-related bonus, that’s all. And the sooner she started believing it, the better.

When her phone rang, she was glad for the interruption to her thoughts, even more so when she heard who was on the end of the line.

“Lila,” she greeted one of her dearest friends, “how are you?”

Lila Hacket had been making a strong name for herself in set production design in Los Angeles. Sophie was so very proud of her for carving out such success in that competitive world. A world as far from hers as it was probably possible to get, when you thought about it. When Lila had been in Royal to work on a movie being filmed there, the two women had had scant opportunity to catch up beyond the barbecue Lila’s father had hosted last month. Even then it had been so packed they’d had little chance to really talk. Except about Zach Lassiter, that was. Strange how he kept coming up in her thoughts and conversations, Sophie mused before pushing him to the back of her mind.

“I’m feeling just fine, thank you,” Lila said. “Under the circumstances.”

Sophie could hear the grin that was undoubtedly painted on her friend’s face. She could always tell when Lila had news she was itching to share.

“Circumstances? C’mon, spill,” she demanded. “I know you too well for you to keep a secret from me for long.”

“I have news.” Lila chuckled.

Sophie’s lips twitched into a broad smile. “You and Sam? I knew it! There always were too many sparks between the two of you.”

“More than sparks, we’re getting married.”

Sophie let go a shriek of delight, then, remembering where she was, rapidly tried to calm herself. “Congratulations! When?”

“Last Saturday of the month. We’re having it on the Double H. We just want to keep it simple and low-key.”

“And your father agreed to that? Low-key really isn’t his style, is it?”

Lila laughed. “No, you’re right, but I’m standing firm on this. Close friends and family only. Besides, any more than that will probably wear me out, seeing as how I’m pregnant and all.”

Sophie’s breath caught in her throat as the news sank in. Excitement and sheer joy swelled up within her.

“Pregnant? Oh my, that was quick. Congratulations again, that’s wonderful news.”

“Not so quick, actually, I’m just over four months along.”

“You’ve been holding out on me,” Sophie accused her in a teasing tone. “We’ll need to talk this out face-to-face, I think.”

“Definitely. Oh—” Lila hesitated for a moment and Sophie heard her draw in a deep breath “—and it’s twins.”

“Twins! How long have you known?”

“About the twins? Not all that long, although I have known for a while about being pregnant. I just needed some time to come to terms with it. To sort out in my own mind what I was doing next. It’s part of why I came home last month.”

Sophie could easily imagine what it was like to face raising a child on her own. Although Lila’s position, both financial and social, was vastly different from what Sophie’s mother’s had been. Lila would never have been short of support, emotional or monetary, which was a luxury Sophie’s mom had never had. She pushed those sad thoughts aside, wanting instead to give her full focus to her friend’s exciting announcement.

“I’m so very happy for you, Lila. A wedding and twin babies to look forward to? It’s wonderful, wonderful news. You have to let me host your baby shower, please! My mind is already brimming with ideas.”

“Are you sure it won’t be too much work for you? You’ve got so much on your plate already, especially with your boss still gone.”

Sophie made a shushing sound to her friend. “Don’t be ridiculous. It would be an honor to host your shower. You just leave it all to me.”

“Thank you, Sophie.”

“You’re very welcome. It’s the least I can do for you. So does this mean you’ll be staying in Royal?”

“Sam’s offered to relocate to L.A. with me, to set up a branch of Gordon Construction there, but we’re holding off making a decision until after the babies are born.” She gave another breathy laugh. “I still can’t believe it. Babies!”

“It’s going to be amazing,” Sophie reassured her. “But are you sure we’re talking about the same Sam Gordon?”

Sam had vocalized his thoughts about a woman’s place being in the home on more than one occasion. In fact he’d been one of the most vociferous in opposition to the new child-care center at the Texas Cattleman’s Club when it was initially proposed.

“Just goes to show even a leopard can change his spots with the right motivation,” Lila answered, and Sophie could hear the happiness ringing through her voice. “So, tell me. You haven’t done anything silly about what we talked about last month, have you? I’m worried about you.”

Sophie huffed out a small breath and lowered her voice. “To even have an opportunity would be a fine thing. No, don’t worry, I still haven’t been able to do any snooping around Zach Lassiter. I’m quite safe.”

Their conversation turned to more general matters and after Sophie replaced her handset on the cradle, she took a moment to hug Lila’s exciting news to herself. Her friend had been fiercely independent for so long, had carved a strong career for herself against some pretty tough odds, and now here she was—on the precipice of a whole new adventure in her life. Marriage to a man she clearly loved with all her generous heart, and expecting his babies.

Truth be told, Sophie felt a little envious of Lila. What would it be like, she wondered, to carry the baby of the man you loved? Without realizing it her eyes strayed to Zach’s closed office door. She shook her head. She wasn’t in love with Zach Lassiter. Of course she wasn’t.

Sure, she was attracted to him. Majorly attracted to him, even though she had some niggling suspicions that he knew more about Alex’s disappearance than he was letting on. But she didn’t know him. Not really. Certainly not enough to begin contemplating what it would be like to have his child, and certainly not enough to fully trust him. Even so, she couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to be the sole focus of his attention. To feel not only his gaze upon her, but his lips, his hands, his body, as well. Zach stood a good six inches taller than her own five and a half feet and he had a strong build. How he found the time to stay in shape with the hours he spent in the office or out on business calls she didn’t know, but it was easy to see in the way he walked and in the fit of his clothing that he took care of himself.

She could only begin to imagine what it would be like to trace the outlines of his muscles from shoulder to chest...and lower. Tendrils of heat spread from the pit of her belly and made her insides clench on a surge of need so intense it almost made her gasp out loud.

Sophie pushed away from her desk and went through to the kitchenette to grab a glass of water. She took a long drink of the chilled liquid, but it did little to quell the turmoil in her body. She was being ridiculous. A woman like her was not Zach Lassiter’s type. She lacked the refinement he’d surely expect in his women. Not that anyone ever saw him out with a woman on his arm. He was as closed and careful about his relationships, if he had them, as he was about everything else in his life.

It made her wonder again just how much he knew about Alex Santiago’s disappearance. Unlike everyone else, he hadn’t openly speculated on where Alex could be. Did that mean that he knew something and was keeping it secret, even from the police? Sophie shook her head slightly. She didn’t want to contemplate it. Surely Zach wouldn’t withhold vital information from what was now a police investigation.

Zach appeared in the doorway, a sheaf of papers in his hand and a worried frown on his forehead.

“Did you w-want me for something?” she asked, her voice a little wobbly.

An inner groan tore through her. Want her? Like she wanted him? She’d have to work harder to guard her tongue. She turned away to reach for a mug from the cupboard so he wouldn’t see the twin spots of color she just knew would be glowing in her cheeks the way they always did when she was uncomfortable.

“Yeah, can you come into my office when you’re finished in here? I’ve been going over the pitch we’re sending out for potential investors in the Manson project. I need you to help me fine-tune some things.”

“Sure, I’ll be there right away. Coffee?”

“Thanks,” he replied, already walking away.

Sophie quelled the sigh that built in her chest. Yes, he wanted her all right. For work, not for play.

* * *

Her nerves were stretched raw by the end of the week. She and Zach had worked late most nights, he even later than she, and he’d beaten her into the office each morning, as well. Even getting half the chance to check around his office was impossible. Lila certainly would have no worries on that score.

Sophie knew it was important that they get their pitch perfect for the Manson project. It was something that Alex had started before he had disappeared. It had become a matter of pride for both her and Zach to deliver no less than Alex would have when it came to sourcing investors for Ally Manson’s start-up. The seventeen-year-old prodigy was an IT genius and Alex had been hugely excited by the opportunity to launch her idea of a nationwide computer-assisted home disability network. Astute investors at the outset would be integral to her success and, by association, theirs, as well.

For all the hard work and long hours they’d been putting in, Sophie was still surprised that Zach was spending so much extra time at the office, and most of it with his door closed. A couple of times she’d entered his office, only to hear him abruptly put his caller on hold or close his laptop so she wouldn’t see what was on his screen. There was something going on that wasn’t quite right, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

But it wasn’t his hours that had unsettled her the most this week. It was just him. For some stupid reason, Lila’s news had triggered something in her that had begun to blow out of proportion. She’d been able to control her attraction to him without any issues over the past eighteen months, even though they’d started working together more closely since Alex had disappeared. Now, though, the proximity was driving her crazy and affecting her concentration when it was more important than ever that she be on the ball.

It was as if her hormones had gone into overdrive, as if her friend’s pregnancy had triggered a persistent reminder that Sophie was twenty-eight, painfully single and childless—and that time wouldn’t forever be on her side. Her body remained in a heightened state of awareness even when she wasn’t around Zach—but when she was, it was a hundred times worse.

He only had to brush past her for every cell in her body to spring to aching, and embarrassingly eager, attention. And her dreams...she didn’t even want to think about them, or about waking—hot, sweaty and wanting in the worst way.

Several times this week she’d battled with canceling tonight’s dinner but some masochistic inner demon stopped her whenever she found the words to tell him their date was off. But it wasn’t a date, was it? It was a reward, a bonus. He’d made it clear in his invitation he wanted to say thank-you for her work. Technically, she’d earned it. Still, the prospect of an evening in his company was winding her as tight as a spring and her constant battle with herself had worn her defenses ragged.

Sophie shut down her computer at five-thirty and slid her backup drive into the side pocket of her bag. She planned to have a long, hot, invigorating shower and take her time over getting ready for this evening. She was going to enjoy herself, dammit. He was an attractive, well-educated and erudite male. Tonight was a reward for her hard work. She had earned every second of it and would savor every bite of what would no doubt be a delicious meal.

“Everything still okay for this evening? I thought I’d pick you up at your place around seven-thirty.”

Zach’s voice cut through her resolve like a hot knife through butter. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t sit opposite him over an intimate meal and not be driven totally crazy with wanting him. She’d be hopelessly uncomfortable and make some stupid mistake, like letting him know how she felt, and no doubt he’d end up embarrassed for her. It would be a kindness to both of them to avoid being in that situation altogether.

“About tonight,” she started.

“I’ve made our reservation for eight,” he continued before stopping to give her a sharp, assessing look. “You’re not pulling out on me, are you? Thinking about dinner at Claire’s tonight has been the only thing that’s kept me going through the TV dinners and takeout all week.”

“Yes, I... Oh, um, no,” she vacillated. “There’s no need to pick me up. I can meet you there.”

“What kind of a gentleman would I be if I didn’t collect you? My mama would be ashamed.” He gave her a cheeky smile, then rattled off her address. “That’s right, isn’t it?”

She gave a brief nod.

“Good, I’ll see you at seven-thirty.”

He was gone and out the door before she could say another word. The faint chime of the elevator in the outer reception area galvanized her into action. If she didn’t hurry, she wouldn’t have time to gather her wits together for tonight, let alone present herself respectably.

Forty-five minutes later, she surveyed the underwear she’d chosen to wear for tonight. Respectable was the last word on her mind. She’d bought the tiny scraps of fabric during a girls’ day out with her friend Mia Hughes, who worked as Alex’s housekeeper. The pale-green silk had looked stunning against her ivory skin and the texture had felt deliciously sinful. The half-cup bra made it the perfect piece to wear beneath the deep-V-necked teal dress she’d bought for a “sometime” special occasion but hadn’t yet had the opportunity to wear. Like the underwear, she’d bought it on impulse—something she rarely did after a childhood of poverty—and tonight seemed perfect to wear it for the first time. Armored with the expensive threads, she would feel like a million dollars—and right now she needed all the strength she could get.

Sophie luxuriated as long as she could under the stinging-hot spray of her shower, lathering her body twice with the expensive scented shower gel Lila had sent to her on her last birthday and which she saved only for special occasions. As she dragged her washcloth over her breasts, she felt her nipples pebble in anticipation of the evening ahead.

As conflicted as she felt about tonight’s dinner, she knew one thing very clearly in her mind. She wanted Zach Lassiter with an ache that went straight to her core, and if all she could have of him was this meal together, then she was going to make the most of it.

By the time she’d toweled off, styled her hair and applied her makeup, she felt almost bulletproof. It felt decadently wicked sliding into the tiny panties and hooking the bra before stepping into her dress and shimmying it up her body. She cast an eye at the clock beside her bed. Darn, she was cutting it close. Sophie reached for the zipper and started to tug it upward while slipping her feet into the killer heels she’d bought with her dress, but the zipper halted in its tracks.

She squirmed, trying alternately to tug it down or ease it up. Blasted thing was stuck fast and no matter how much she wriggled, it just wouldn’t budge. She tried to ease the gown off her shoulders but quickly gave that up as a bad idea. The dress was designed to be a skintight fit. There was no way she was going to get out of this one easily. What to do, what to do? She gave the tab on the zipper another jiggle, but still no luck.

This kind of thing did not happen to her. She was the consummate swan, gliding effortlessly across the lake of her life—outwardly, anyway. Control was the foundation of her life. Being at the mercy of something as inane as a stuck zipper was not something she was used to, not from this end, anyway.

But then again, the past week had been an exercise in levels of frustration she’d never experienced before. She huffed a sigh of exasperation. Zach would be here any minute now and, of course, right on cue, the doorbell rang.

Three

Zach pressed the doorbell again. He had said seven-thirty, hadn’t he? He checked the TAG Heuer on his wrist. Yep, he was on time. He stepped back from the door and checked the side window. Lights were on inside and, yes, right there he saw a flash of movement through the crack in the drapes.

The door slowly opened.

“I’m sorry to keep you waiting,” Sophie said, her light-brown eyes looking bigger and sexier than ever with the smoky makeup she wore.

“No problem, we have half an hour until our reservation.” He hesitated, waiting a second for her to invite him in, but when no invitation was forthcoming he continued, “So, shall we head out?”

She gave him an awkward smile. “Yes, well, maybe in a minute or two. I’ve got a bit of a problem with my dress.”

“Anything I can help with?”

Her dress? Maybe that explained why she wasn’t opening the door fully and was talking to him with just her head popped around its edge.

Sophie sighed. “I think you might have to.”

Huh. Well, there was no need for her to sound so eager, he thought. He waited again for her to open the door wider and to invite him inside. Still, she didn’t move.

“Is this something we can fix here on the doorstep?” he inquired.

“Oh, no. No, of course not. You’d better come in.”

She looked flustered, something he wasn’t used to seeing in her. He raised his eyebrows slightly and, taking the hint, she finally eased the door wide enough for him to pass through. She closed it behind her, keeping her back to the door.

She was as skittish as a newborn colt. He wondered what had gotten her so riled up.

“It’s my dress,” she started, then stopped just as suddenly and worried her lower lip with her teeth.

His eyes were caught and mesmerized by the action. Sophie’s lips were slick with gloss, several shades richer than what she normally wore to the office, he noted, and the color made him think of candy apples and all their sugary sweetness. Would she taste like that, too, if he nibbled on her lip the way she was doing right now?

Zach dragged his gaze from her mouth and from the forbidden thoughts she incited in him. She was strictly off-limits. What had she been talking about again? Yeah, that was right. Her dress.

“What’s wrong with it? You look great to me,” he said, letting his eyes skim over her.

Oh, yeah, she was the full package tonight. Her hair sat smooth and sleek in its unassuming bob. Fine, pale-blond hair that made his hand itch to reach out and feel if it was as silky soft as it looked. Desire hit hard and hot, driving a surge of lust straight to his groin. He fought to control it. This wasn’t what tonight was supposed to be about. He firmed his jaw and wrestled his libido back under control, right up until she turned around, exposing the long ivory column of her back.

“My zipper. It’s stuck. I think I’ve caught it on the lining. Do you think you can work it loose for me?”

Think? The woman expected him to think? Without realizing it, his hands moved to her back. One knuckle grazed against her warm skin. He felt her flinch beneath his touch.

“Sorry,” he muttered and forced himself to concentrate on closing his fingers on the delicate tab of the zipper.

“Do you think you’ll be able to work it loose?” she asked over her shoulder. “I’d hate to have to rip the dress.”

He quelled a groan at the image of doing just that. Of ripping the dress from her slender form and exposing more than the hint of sheer green confection that was masquerading as underwear beneath her gown. If that was the back of her bra, he could only begin to imagine how alluring the front would be. On second thought, better not to imagine it, or his current discomfort would be nothing compared to what his body would do next.

“Sure,” he ground out through gritted teeth. “Just give me a minute.”

His knuckle brushed against her skin again. This time she didn’t flinch, but he could see the reaction to his touch as tiny goose bumps rose in a scatter across her skin.

“I’m going to have to pull your dress down a bit,” he said, warning her of his intention to hold the fabric firmly against her as he pulled the tab gently up.

There, he could feel the teeth letting go their grip on the smooth silk lining of the dress. He was almost sorry when the tab pulled free and he slid it up, closing that enticing view of her back and the band of her sheer bra.

“You’re all set,” he said, dropping his hands to his sides and stepping back from her. “And you look amazing.”

“Oh, thank you,” Sophie said, turning around to face him.

“Shall we go?” he suggested, eager now to put them in a position where they were surrounded by other people and where he wouldn’t have to continually fight this urge to reach out to pull her to him and find out just how good those candy-apple lips tasted after all.

“Let me get my bag.”

He looked around the apartment as she went into what he assumed was her bedroom. He liked what she’d created here. Despite its compact size the apartment had a light, airy feel to it—the furnishings combining a few good pieces with what were obviously refurbished yard-sale finds. It felt like a home. More so than his expertly furnished mansion on the outskirts of town. He loved living there, but it lacked the small touches that made a place more than just somewhere to eat and sleep. Mind you, for the amount of time he’d spent there lately, what did it matter? Besides, it was a prime investment. One he wouldn’t hesitate to flick off when he was ready to move on or when the market was right. He didn’t like to attach sentiment to assets the way his parents did. You never got ahead that way.

“I’m ready. Sorry for the delay, Zach.”

She’d replenished her lip gloss while she’d been in her room and looked so incredibly perfect from head to toe it was difficult to equate the woman in front of him with the slightly nervy creature who’d greeted him when he’d arrived. Women. He’d never understand them fully, nor did he really want to. Who had the time? But he certainly was in the right frame of mind to appreciate this one.

He guided her outside and waited on the path while she locked the front door, then escorted her to his gleaming black Cadillac CTS-V Coupe.

“New car?” Sophie inquired as he held open the passenger door for her.

“Not so new, but it’s my fun car. For weekends and special occasions only,” he said before closing the door on the inviting view of her slender legs.

He settled himself in the driver’s seat and started up the engine, allowing the growl of the 6.2-liter V8 engine to course through him for just a moment.

“You like it?” he said with boyish enthusiasm.

“It certainly looks and sounds sleek and fast, but somehow I would never have pictured you driving something like this,” she commented as she fastened her seat belt.

“No, why so?”

“With your reputation, I’d have picked you for European flash.”

“My reputation?” He raised an eyebrow.

“For being a risk taker. I would have thought your idea of a fun car would be some imported speed machine.”

He smiled. “No, proudly American all the way, that’s me.”

She was easy company on the drive to Claire’s, not being one of those women who felt the need to fill empty space with constant idle chatter. By the time they entered the restaurant, he felt it safe enough to lay his hand at the small of her back without worrying that it would trigger a wave of heat and desire. He couldn’t have been more wrong.

The instant his hand rested against the fabric of her dress, he could sense the warmth of her skin through its fine weave. The effect was more of a tsunami, threatening to swamp him. This was ridiculous, he thought as they were promptly shown to their table. He worked with Sophie every day. She was attractive, he’d always found her so, but he’d never had this kind of trouble keeping his attraction under control before.

He’d also never been quite this close to her before, never touched her, never smelled the light fragrance that trailed her now—a scent that reminded him of summer and roses and long hot aching nights. Maybe this was the real reason he’d envied his friend his capable assistant. Maybe it had nothing to do with her efficiency and all too much to do with the fact he hadn’t been laid in far, far too long. He’d have to remedy that. For now, though, he had to exert his self-control—and remind himself that Sophie was off-limits.

They sat at the table, Sophie refusing an aperitif when the waiter offered.

“Did you want to have a glass of wine with dinner?” Zach asked as he perused the menu once the waiter had left.

“Sure, just one.”

“Not much of a drinker, then?”

“No, I don’t like losing control.”

For a second there she looked surprised that she’d admitted as much. Zach gave her a nod.

“I know what you mean. It can bring out the best and the worst in people.”

She smiled back at him, relief evident in her eyes.

“I’m glad you understand. Most people just think I’m some kind of control freak.”

“I’ve seen you at work. I know you’re a control freak,” he teased gently.

A light flush colored her cheeks and she ducked her head, her short blond hair swinging forward to obstruct his view of her face as she put her attention to studying her menu.

“Anything in particular take your fancy?” he asked. “I know the steak is always good here.”

“I’ve never been here before, but it all looks good to me.”

“Did you want an appetizer?”

“No, I’ll save myself for dessert.”

“Ah,” he said, “a sweet tooth, huh? I didn’t know that about you.”

“I would think there’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

Her tone was slightly quelling, but Zach was nothing if not challenged by her statement. He noticed the exact second she realized the light of that challenge had reflected in his eyes.

“Not that I expect you to know anything about me, that is,” she said, her voice flustered.

“I’d like to know more about you,” he answered, closing his menu and laying it on the crisp white linen of the tablecloth. “We work together. There’s no reason why we can’t be friends also.”

* * *

Sophie swallowed. There was a determined set to his jaw that she knew from watching him at work meant he wasn’t going to let this go. Why, oh why had she been so careless with her tongue? From the second she’d agreed to this dinner she’d been off balance. Could she be friends with someone like Zach? She very much doubted it; especially considering how unfriendlike she’d felt when he’d ever so slightly touched her while rescuing her dress from the voracious teeth of the zipper.

She’d all but melted at the unintentional caress, and had had to draw on every last ounce of self-control to stifle the gasp that had threatened to expose her reaction to his touch. No, friendly was the last word she’d ever employ to describe how he made her feel.

Could she be friends with him, though? Honestly?

It would be tantamount to torture. But worse, how on earth could she explain that to him? She took a deep breath and let it go slowly before speaking. “I’m pretty boring, really.”

“You think so?” he answered, cocking his head and locking those startlingly green eyes of his onto her like twin lasers.

She squirmed a little in her seat, and immediately regretted the action as she became even more aware of the silky softness of her underthings against her skin and of the way the silk lining of her dress whispered against her body.

“Well, by comparison to you, for example,” she deflected, quite neatly she thought, right up until he let loose with a rich belt of laughter.

“Oh, Sophie, you couldn’t be more wrong. I’ve been told I live to work. There’s not much more boring than that.”

Even though he joked at his own expense, she could see the light of an old hurt lingering in the back of his gaze. Compassion flooded her. A man in his early thirties, in his prime both mentally and physically, living to work? It was sad. Something must have shown on her face, because he sobered and reached across the table to grasp her hand.

“Don’t worry about me,” he said, his voice dropping intimately.

Oh, she wasn’t worried about him, not exactly. Of more immediate concern was the crazy flip-flop her stomach did as his thumb lightly stroked the inside of her palm. She gently pulled her hand away from his, relief and regret fighting for supremacy as he made no move to stop her.

“What makes you think I’m worried?” she asked, a note of defense in her voice.

“You have the most expressive face,” he answered, his eyes not shifting an inch. “It’s easy to see when something’s troubling you.”

As long as that was all he could see, she thought worriedly. What if he could see the longing she felt every time she looked at him? A man like Zach Lassiter was so far out of her league it wasn’t even funny. But a girl could dream, couldn’t she?

“There’s not much that troubles me,” Sophie said, closing her menu and placing it in front of her. She could barely concentrate on the culinary delights the pages offered. It wouldn’t matter what she ordered, it was bound to be delicious.

“But you’re worried about Alex, aren’t you? I can see it on your face every morning when you arrive in the office and he’s not there.”

“Aren’t you?” she countered. “He’s your friend as well as your colleague. Aren’t you worried about where he is, what might have happened to him?”

“Sure I am,” Zach replied. “I feel frustrated I can’t do more. The only thing I know I can do is keep all those plates he had spinning from falling down so that when he comes back everything will still be as it should.”

“Is that why you’re in the office so early each morning and don’t leave until after I do?” Sophie asked without thinking.

He looked startled at her question and his eyes became slightly shuttered before he replied. “Yeah, there’s a lot going on right now.”

“Can I take more of your load off you?” she offered.

“No, of course not. You already are the glue that holds the office together. No one could expect more of you than you already give. In fact, let’s make that the end of the subject of work. We’re here tonight because I wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done, not discuss how you can do more.”

He smiled at that last sentence but Sophie could tell it was a deflection. She’d been wondering what it was that was keeping him in the office for such long hours. He was right, she did keep the office running, and she knew exactly what stage each of Alex’s projects had been at before he’d disappeared. Unless Zach had suddenly become wildly incompetent, he should have been able to handle everything—his own portfolios included—within normal business hours, which made her wonder: What was he really up to?

Four

She reached for her water glass and took a tiny sip, letting the cool water slide down her throat while her mind worked overtime. The mere fact that he hadn’t sent more work her way for all the extra hours he was putting in was a glaring red flag to her. Why hadn’t she seen that earlier?

Her work had always increased incrementally depending on Alex’s output. Zach was doing something he didn’t want her to know about, he had to be. She was almost certain of it. But it was anyone’s guess what, exactly, that was. Could he somehow be involved in Alex’s disappearance? Was he actively hiding his tracks? The questions were never far from the back of her mind, even though she didn’t want to believe Zach was entangled in whatever had led to Alex virtually vanishing off the face of the earth.

There had to be some way she could find out.

“I do appreciate your hard work, Sophie,” he said, dragging her attention back. “And I know you put in some very long hours. Doesn’t your boyfriend object?”

“I don’t have a boyfriend,” she answered, feeling warm color flood her cheeks again.

Silently she cursed her fair complexion. There was only one man she was interested in and he was sitting right opposite her. What would he say, she wondered, if she told him exactly that? She fought back a smile. He’d probably make some excuse to draw the evening to a close early.

“I’m surprised. You’re a very attractive woman,” Zach said seriously, ensnaring her in his gaze like a predatory cat with its prey.

“Thank you,” she said, dipping her head.

“So, no boyfriend, huh? What do you like to do in your spare time if you don’t have a significant other filling it with you?”

“I read a lot, romances mostly and the occasional crime thriller.” She shrugged. “And I keep house, see friends. The usual things.”

“Did you grow up around here?”

She nodded, “Sure did, and I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. Big cities aren’t my thing and I love the lifestyle that Royal has to offer.”

“It’s a different pace here, that’s for sure.”

“What about you?” she asked, happy to turn the tables on him for a change. Even though she was fairly certain of the answer, she couldn’t help probing. “Girlfriend?”

His face closed again, all warmth replaced by a sorrow that flashed briefly across his face. “No girlfriend,” he said emphatically. “Too many other things going on in my life.”

And what would they be? Sophie wondered as the waiter interrupted them to take their orders. After ordering a lamb shank braised in red wine, she wasn’t at all surprised to hear Zach order the eye fillet steak. He looked like a man who liked his red meat.

“Lamb?” he said to her after the waiter had taken their orders and moved away from the table. “You come to what is essentially the best steak house in Texas and you order lamb?”

Sophie shrugged. “It’s what appealed to me at the time. At least I ordered a domestic wine, not some fancy imported beer. And here I thought you were proudly American all the way?”

“Fair point.” Zach nodded slowly, then smiled as said fancy imported beer was put in front of him and her Californian white zinfandel placed before her.

She watched as he took a long pull of the chilled lager, her eyes mesmerized by the muscles working in his throat and then by the smile of satisfaction on his beautiful features as he put the glass back down in front of him. Oh, how she wished that she could be the reason behind a smile like that from him one day. The second the thought formed, she beat it to the back of her mind again. That way could only lead to trouble.

“Now that makes a hard day at the office worthwhile,” he said with a soul-deep gratification that brought another smile to her face.

“Simple pleasures, huh?”

He looked at her as if to check if she was still teasing him after the imported beer comment, then gave another nod of acknowledgment. “Yeah, when it comes down to it, it’s the simple things that matter the most. Don’t you agree?”

“Totally. For me it’s home and family. One day I hope to have both.”

“You’ve made a lovely home out of your apartment.”

“Thank you, but it’s still not mine, y’know? Soon I hope to be able to put a deposit on a place of my own. Something small, with a bit of a garden. Somewhere that I can truly call mine.”

And that was another reason why she was so darned worried about Alex Santiago. What if he didn’t come back? Would Zach continue to keep the business running or would he fold things up and go back to where he’d come from? Where would she be then? She earned good money now and her options within Royal to earn the same weren’t bountiful. If she lost her job, that could be the end of her dream of owning her own home—she’d never earn enough to make mortgage payments and to afford extras like the private investigator she’d hired to find her sister.

“And that’s important to you because?” Zach coaxed.

She took a moment to think before answering. “Stability, not being at someone else’s whim or mercy.”

“Sounds like there’s some history there.”

She shrugged. “Isn’t there always?”

“Can you tell me?”

Sophie sighed. It wasn’t something she tended to bandy about, but there was something about Zach’s gentle questioning that made her actually want to tell him.

“Nothing spectacular. My dad died when I was a baby and my mom remarried. They had my sister and life was great for a while, but then a few years later my new dad died in an accident at work and our lives turned upside down. We had to move out of our home and my sister went to live with her aunt, because Mom couldn’t cope with us both with the hours she had to work to make the rent. It was hard for her,” Sophie added just in case Zach felt inclined to be judgmental. “We had to keep moving around, which I hated, but even then I used to keep house to help Mom out. She’d usually juggle two jobs, or pull double shifts when she only had one source of income. Things settled down a bit after I finished college. She met someone new, they married and I moved out and got my own place.”

“They kicked you out?”

Zach sounded defensive and Sophie rushed to disabuse him of that. “No, not at all. But I was ready to stand on my own two feet. Mom and Jim marrying didn’t make any difference to that. No, that’s not entirely true. I felt better about moving to a place of my own, knowing she’d be taken care of.”

* * *

Zach looked at Sophie across the table. She’d talked more personally to him tonight than she ever had in the time they’d worked together, but there was a huge amount she wasn’t saying. Listening to her, he could begin to understand why she was so good at what she did. She was used to keeping things together, keeping things calm. It was a sure bet that she’d done her best to help her mother out at home from an early age—that capable manner of hers was second nature now, but there had probably been a time when it was all about security.

His own upbringing had been completely the opposite. At least up until his dad had been laid off from his job. Even then, forced to take on a menial position at a much lower wage, his father had insisted on paying Zach’s way through college. It was one of the reasons Zach worked so hard now. He didn’t ever want to be in the position his parents had been when his father’s job had been downsized. And he’d made it up to them for all the sacrifices they’d made to ensure he’d had the best opportunities available to him. It didn’t sound like Sophie had been so lucky.

“And your sister? She’s the one in that photo you had with you on Monday, right?”

Sophie inclined her head, her cap of hair swinging gently forward to caress her cheek. His fingers itched to do the same and he reached for the dewy glass in front of him instead.

“You said you don’t stay in touch. How come?”

“Her aunt formally adopted her several months after she took Suzie to live with them. She told Mom they didn’t think it was good for Suzie to continue to have contact with us. Said it was too disruptive.”

There was a world full of hurt and loss in her simply chosen words.

“And your mother agreed to that?” he said incredulously.

Sophie’s eyes flamed. “You have no idea of what it was like for my mother. Don’t you dare judge her.”

Zach put up both hands in surrender. “Whoa, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to touch a nerve there.”

After Anna’s car wreck, he’d fought tooth and nail to keep his son—arguing with doctors and specialists until he was blue in the face. But after Blake had been on life support for six weeks and the doctors had repeatedly told him his son had no brain activity, Zach and Anna had had to let him go. For the life of him he couldn’t understand how a parent could give up a child the way Sophie’s mother had, not when she had every reason to fight to keep her.

“Mom couldn’t work and take care of us both at the same time. I was in school. Mom couldn’t afford day care and Suzie, well, she was a bit of a handful. She had been a demanding baby and that didn’t change as she got older. She was always just that bit more vulnerable than I was, needed that much more attention. Giving Suzie up wasn’t Mom’s first choice, not by any means, but she had to do what was best—for all of us. And Suzie’s aunt, well, family money aside, her late husband had been a very wealthy man. She didn’t have to work and she was childless. Mom knew that Suzie would be the center of her world, that she’d be loved and cared for as she deserved to be—in ways we couldn’t.”

Her choice of words—saying “we” rather than “she”—explained so much about the person she was today. He didn’t doubt that Sophie harbored some guilt that she hadn’t been able to look after her sister enough or to help her mother more so that their small family wouldn’t have to be broken up. He tried to imagine what it would be like growing up feeling like that, and couldn’t.

“Sophie,” he said reaching across the small table to take her trembling hand in his, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound judgmental. It must have been tough.”

She hesitated a moment and he could feel her inner battle rage as she fought to drag her emotions back under control. Eventually she pulled her hand out from beneath his.

“It was, but it’s in the past now.”

But it wasn’t in the past. He could see that just by looking at her. The hurts, the loss—they were all still there. Their shadows lingered beneath the calm surface she presented to the rest of the world.

Zach fought the nearly overwhelming urge he had to tell her it would be all right, that he would do what he could to assuage the pain of her past, that he’d fight her dragons for her and lay them at her feet. Grappling to get his own emotions under control, he reminded himself that he’d already taken that road once before, with Anna, and look where that had led them. No, the last thing he needed was to complicate his life with another wounded bird.

He all but welcomed the waiter out loud when the man arrived with their plates of steaming-hot food, and Zach turned the conversation to more general things, including the latest developments at the Texas Cattleman’s Club. He entertained Sophie with a passable impersonation of Beau Hacket’s blustering about the new child-care center. By the time they’d finished their meal and enjoyed dessert and coffee, he thought he’d managed to chase those shadows from her eyes. Even if only for an evening.

He wished he had a reason to make their night last longer. She was good company and, when the conversation stayed well and truly off the personal, a great talker. Even more, she was a perceptive listener—he supposed that was part of why she was so darn good at her job. She was always subconsciously taking note of what was happening around her, always ready to put her hand on what was needed almost before the need arose.

Sophie Beldon appealed to him on an intellectual level, and her subtle beauty was a siren call—from the way her eyes began to sparkle before she would laugh right down to the enticing shadow of her breasts at the V of her neckline. And her mouth. God, her mouth. A jolt of longing shook him to his core. What would it be like to taste her, to feel the softness of those lips against his, to command their surrender?

Zach placed his coffee cup back on its saucer none too gently, a tremor in his hand betraying the need that fought for dominance over his heretofore steely control. Control won in the end as he signaled to the waiter for their check. He slid his card in the wallet and when the waiter returned with the receipt, he signed off with a generous tip.

He had to get Sophie home before he did or said something stupid. Before he went over the invisible line he’d drawn in respect of his working relationship, and only his working relationship, with her.

They made small talk on the short journey to her apartment building, extolling the virtues of the chef at Claire’s and how much they’d enjoyed the food. When they pulled up outside her ground-floor unit, it was second nature to Zach to get out of the car first and open her door for her. He walked her up the short path and waited while she extracted her key from her bag.

“Well, thank you for a lovely meal. I really enjoyed it,” she said simply once the key was in her hand.

Before he could reply, she stepped in closer and leaned up to place a kiss on his cheek. That was all it took for his instincts to kick in, for him to turn his face so that her lips met his instead. His arm curled around her waist to draw her more closely against his body and he angled his head ever so slightly so he could deepen their kiss.

Heat sizzled along his veins. Her lips were every bit as soft and delicious as he’d imagined and the tiny sound she made in the back of her throat sent his pulse racing. This was way more than he’d imagined—this scorching desire combined with the raging need he’d managed to keep firmly under control for so very long. Emotion rocked him, sharp and intense, and he knew their working relationship could never be the same again. He wanted Sophie Beldon from the gleaming top of her blond head to the tips of her dainty feet and everything, yes, definitely everything in between.

His hips flexed lightly against the softness of her belly. Her answering press back against him reminded him of what it felt like to be a man—to want with a gut-aching need so strong that it almost hurt to desire another human being this much.

And then, just like that, it was over. Cool night air swirled in the space between them. She was pulling away, her eyes glittering like whiskey-colored topaz, her lips still moist from their kiss and slightly swollen with the evidence of their all-too-brief passion. She dipped her head in that way she had, closing her eyes briefly.

“Don’t,” he said sharply.

“Don’t?”

“Don’t hide from me. From us.”

“There is no us, is there?” she asked, her voice slightly shaky.

Every cell in his body urged him to say, “Yes, there is an us.” To take her back into his arms again and to repeat the intimacy of what they’d just shared. But reason intruded with harsh reality. They worked together. More than that, they had to hold things together in the office until Alex’s absence could be explained and he, hopefully, returned. And then there was Anna. The reminder was as sobering as an icy-cold shower.

“No, you’re right. I’ll see you Monday?” he said, stepping back from her—away from temptation.

“Yes, Monday.”

He waited by his car until she let herself inside her apartment, and watched as her outside light went out, followed by the living room lights being turned on. Even then he had to force himself to get in his car and to start it up, put it in gear and drive away. He was a fool. He should never have let things get away like that. Never. It went against his code of ethics in so many ways, and yet there was still this invisible thread that pulled between them. A thread that grew tighter with the more distance he put between them.

Five

“You kissed him!”

“Mia, please, shh!” Sophie hissed across the table of the booth she shared with her friend Mia Hughes. “Besides, it was only supposed to be a short peck, a good-night and thank-you, not...not what it turned into, that’s for sure.”

Her nerve endings still buzzed with excitement even now, fourteen hours since Zach had seen her to her door. Fourteen hours since she’d been introduced to the most searing, blistering ardor she’d ever experienced in her entire twenty-eight years.

Mia moved in closer. “So, tell me. Did he make your toes curl?”

“Oh, Lord, yes. And everything in between.”

“I knew it!” Mia laughed, leaning back against the back of the banquette. “Beneath that GQ look, he definitely has that smoldering-hot thing going on. Plus, he’s so dark and mysterious.”

Sophie squirmed in her seat and almost immediately wished she hadn’t. Her body still hummed from the aftereffects of their kiss and the action just seemed to increase her discomfort.

“I still don’t know what possessed me to do it,” she confided in her friend.

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