Celia had just done a cursory examination of her stock of food—cursing the fact she hadn’t been to the market in far too long—when the door buzzer sounded.
She strode across to the call box and mashed the button. “That you, Noah?”“Yep, buzz me in?”A few seconds later, Noah walked in, and she smiled her welcome.“I know that smile,” he said suspiciously. “That’s a smile that says you lured me here under false pretenses. You don’t have any food, do you?”“Weeeell, no. But I did just order pizza.”“You’re forgiven, but I refuse to have a reasonable discussion until it gets here.” She laughed and punched him on the arm when he flopped on the sofa next to her.“If I didn’t need a favor from you, I’d make you pay for it.” His expression grew serious. “So what is this favor, anyway?”“Oh, no. I’m not asking you for anything until you have a full stomach. Again, since you ate not even three hours ago.”He grunted but didn’t offer any argument. His stomach was too important.He reached for the remote and flipped on the TV. A few seconds later, the sports recap was on, and he settled back against the couch.The pizza didn’t take long—thanks to the bistro right around the corner offering delivery service. Soon the decadent smells of a completely loaded pizza filled her apartment. Despite all she’d eaten at lunch, her stomach growled in anticipation. She eyed the gooey dripping cheese and grimaced. It might taste good, but it would go straight to her hips. Then again, that’s what the treadmill was for.She dropped the box on the coffee table in front of Noah, not bothering with plates. He eyed the mountain of toppings with something akin to bliss.She waited until he’d grabbed the first piece before she carefully took a slice and nibbled on the end. It was, in a word, sheer heaven. She leaned back and waited for Noah to down the first slice. When he was on his second, he turned and said around a mouthful of pizza, “So what’s this favor you need?”She sat forward, putting half the slice down on a napkin.“I have this client…..well he’s a client I want to land. Evan Reese.”Noah stopped chewing. “The guy who sells athletic wear?”She nodded. “Yeah. He fired his last agency and has yet to sign with a new one. I want him. Maddox Communications wants him.” “Okay. So where do I fit into the picture?”For a moment her nerve deserted her, and then she mentally slapped herself upside the head. In her profession there was no room for the spineless. She hadn’t worked her way into the confidence of Brock Maddox acting like a jellyfish.“I want you to agree to front his new line of athletic wear.”Noah blinked then he frowned, and finally he put down his half-eaten slice. For a moment he was quiet. She waited, fully expecting him to say no or to launch into all the reasons why he didn’t take endorsement deals. She knew them all. But he did none of those things. Instead he studied her carefully, his gaze sliding over her features as though he was reaching right into her head and pulling out her every thought.He wouldn’t ask why him. He was a huge name in baseball, and he was more sought after than any other professional athlete mainly because of his refusal to take endorsement deals. Instead of deterring companies, it made them all the more determined to be the first to lure Noah Hart to their brand.She could beg. She could hurry through a prepared explanation as to why she needed him, but she wasn’t going to wheedle and cajole.Noah was still frowning as he studied her. “This is important to you.”She nodded. “Evan is a big client. My boss is trusting me to land the account.Don’t get me wrong, I’ll get him with or without you, but you’d be the nail in his coffin. Plus it would be huge for you. Reese will pay a lot to have you be the spokesman for his sportswear.”Noah sighed. “I wish you’d just quit this job. You don’t have to work, and you know it. You don’t have to prove yourself to anyone, Cece. Certainly not to your family. Adam, Dalton and I make more than enough money to support you. It would make Dad happy if you didn’t have such a stressful job. He’s convinced you’ll have an ulcer before you’re thirty.”She smiled faintly. “I am thirty.” He shot her an impatient look.“Look, Noah, would you quit baseball just because your brothers make enough money to support you? They do, you know.”A derisive, strangling sound rose from his throat. He licked his lips as if to rid himself of a really bad taste. “It’s different.”“I know, I know. You’re a man, and I’m a woman.” Her lips curled in disgust. “Noah, I love you dearly. You’re the best brother a girl could ask for. But you’re a chauvinist to your toes.”He huffed but didn’t dispute her accusation. Then his expression grew thoughtful again. “I assume you’ve done your research on this man and his company.”Celia nodded before he’d even finished. On the surface, Noah looked and acted laissez-faire. He had all the appearances of a golden-boy jock whose only concern might be fast cars and faster women. But beneath that illusion lay a man who had a deep social conscience.His refusal of endorsement deals had gained him a reputation of eccentricity from some. Others regarded him incredulously as a fool to pass on the opportunity to make millions by doing nothing more than lend his name to countless companies willing to part with their dollars for his endorsement. But the simple fact was that Noah did meticulous research on all the corporations that approached him, and so far none had passed muster with him.“E-mail it all to me. I’ll take a look. If it checks out, I’m willing to listen to his offer.”She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Thanks, Noah. You’re the best.”“I don’t suppose you’ll be so grateful that you’ll volunteer to clean my apartment?”She snorted and picked up her slice of pizza again. “Put it this way. I’d rather quit my job and let you and Adam support me than clean your place.”He winced. “Well, damn. No need to be so mean about it.”“Poor baby. Oh, hey, I need one more favor.”His eyes narrowed, and he glared at her. “You just turn down my request for you to play cleaning lady and you insult me in the process and then have the cheek to want another favor?”“How about I find you a replacement cleaning service? Then both of us are happy.”He got a hopeful puppy dog look that would probably make mush of most women. Thankfully she was his sister and completely immune to any adorableness on his part.“Okay, you find me someone to clear a path in my apartment and whatever this other favor of yours is I’ll do it.”“Wow—and you don’t even know what it is.”“Should tell you how desperate I am,” he muttered.She laughed and punched him in the arm. “All I need are two very cushy seats behind home plate for the season opener. I’ll be taking Evan. Hopefully.”“Anyone ever tell you how expensive you are?”“Hey, wait a second. A minute ago, you were trying to convince me to quit my job so you could support me.”His expression went from teasing to serious with one blink. “I just worry about you, Cece. That’s all. What happened in New York would have never occurred if—”She stiffened and held her hand, halting him in mid-sentence. “I don’t want to talk about New York.”Regret flashed in his eyes. “Sorry. Consider it dropped.”She waited for her pulse to settle and then she forced a smile. “So you’ll take a look at the research I’ve compiled? You’ll like Reese. He’s a veritable Boy Scout. His employees love him. He has a cracking health-insurance plan. He’s had no layoffs since his business started and he’s not shipping jobs or production overseas. Let’s see. What else? He’s a regular contributor to a half dozen pet charities—”Noah held up his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay, he’s a saint. I get it. How do other men ever measure up?”“Cut the sarcasm.”He checked his watch and let out a sigh. “Sorry to break this up so early, especially since I haven’t finished the pizza. Somebody talked too much. Very distracting. E-mail me the stuff. I’ll take a look. And the tickets will be waiting for you at the box office.”“You always were my favorite sibling,” she said affectionately.He dropped a kiss on top of her head then stood and stretched lazily.“I’ll give you a call when I’m through reading everything.”Evan walked into the suite of offices he leased for the times he was in San Francisco. It wasn’t home, and though Union Square was a sumptuous neighborhood that catered to upscale businesses, he preferred the funky modern feel of Seattle. He nodded a good morning to his receptionist but halted when she came out of her seat, a concerned expression on her face.“You shouldn’t go in there,” Tanya said in a hushed whisper.He raised an eyebrow when he realized she was gesturing toward his office.“Why the devil not?” he demanded.She put one hand up to shield her mouth and then she tapped her finger against her palm—in the direction of his office.“Because she’s in there.” Evan turned to stare down the hall toward his office, but the door was closed. Damn, but he didn’t have time for this. He looked back at Tanya and tried to stifle his growing impatience. The girl was highly efficient if a little eccentric. But he liked unconventional, and while she’d probably fit in better with his Se
“Not now, Ash, she called as she hustled by. “Late for an important lunch date.” She didn’t even look to see his reaction.She ran past Shelby and hollered back as she punched the button for the elevator.“If Brock asks, I’m having lunch with Mr. Reese. Just tell him Friday got moved up. If anyone else asks, just tell them I’ll return this afternoon.”The elevator opened and she ducked in. As she turned around, she saw Shelby’s look of befuddlement just as the doors slid shut again.When she reached the lobby, she stopped in the bathroom long enough to check her appearance. She wouldn’t stop traffic for sure, but at least she didn’t look as frazzled as she felt.The heels she’d chosen to complete her outfit were fabulous—as long as she didn’t have to actually walk in them. A trek down the block on uneven cement sidewalks wasn’t what she had in mind. She kept tennis shoes in her office for just such occasions, but five minutes notice on the most important lunch date of her career didn’
Celia stepped off the elevator and walked by Shelby, who held her hand up to get Celia’s attention. “Later, Shelby,” she called as she headed for Brock’s office.When she got to his door, she was nearly run over as Ash came out. He sidestepped her and kept on walking, his forehead wrinkled as if he were lost in thought. She wasn’t even sure he’d seen her.She stuck her head in Brock’s door and breathed a sigh of relief when she found him alone. He glanced up and motioned her in.“What’s with him?” she asked, jerking her head over her shoulder in Ash’s direction. “He’s been weird lately.”Brock gave her one of those puzzled male looks that suggested he didn’t have a clue what she was talking about. She rolled her eyes. Ash had been walking around in a fog, which wasn’t typical. He was usually on top of everything and everyone. Celia had overheard Shelby talking about a falling out with a girlfriend, but then she hadn’t even known Ash had been seeing anyone. Not that he would have con
The car that Evan had sent to collect Celia pulled up to the plane parked on the paved landing area that led to the single runway and stopped just a few feet from where the door to the jet lay open. Celia looked out the window to see Evan standing a short distance away. He was waiting for her.The driver opened her door, and she stepped into the afternoon sun. She blinked a few times then pulled her shades from her head over her eyes. Maybe then it wouldn’t be so obvious how she ate Evan up with her gaze.He was dressed casually. Jeans, polo shirt and loafers. She’d only ever seen him in suits, and she hadn’t imagined he could look better. She was wrong. So, so wrong.The jeans cupped him in all the right places. They clung to his thighs, rounded his butt and molded to his groin. They weren’t new, starchy-looking jeans, either. They were faded and worn, just like a good pair of jeans should be.“Celia,” he said with a nod as she approached. “If you’re ready, we can be on our way.”“I
Celia froze. There was a horrible buzz in her ears, and she stared in horror at Evan. She hadn’t heard him right. What kind of idiotic thing had he just done? She wasn’t sure who was more stunned. Her or his family. Bettina looked as if she just swallowed a lemon. Mitchell looked annoyed, while Evan’s father simply frowned. His mom was the only person who actually seemed happy about the bomb.“Oh, Evan, that’s wonderful!”Celia found herself in the older woman’s arms and was hugged so tight that she was in danger of passing out.“I’m so glad to meet you, my dear.”She held Celia out at arm’s length and beamed at her. Then she proceeded to kiss her on both cheeks and if that wasn’t enough, she yanked her into another long hug.This was insane. Evan was insane. His entire family was nuts. She opened her mouth to blast Evan with both barrels and ask him what the hell kind of stunt he was trying to pull when Evan’s father put his hand on Evan’s shoulder to steer him away from the women.
He waited, and she stared ahead. Still, he waited. Finally, she gave in and turned to look at him.“I completely and utterly messed this up. I freely admit it. I expected to have time to discuss this with you before we ran into my family.”She struggled to control her temper. He obviously wanted a reasonable discussion when she was feeling anything but reasonable. What she really wanted was to crack his skull on the coffee table and leave, but then she’d be without a room, and if anyone was sleeping in the hallway, it wasn’t going to be her.“First, this has nothing—and I mean nothing—to do with you landing my account. You’re going to have to do that on your business and advertising savvy. I’m not putting my entire company in the hands of a woman based on her looks or anything else. Can we at least be clear on that?”She swallowed. “That’s not how it looks to me, Evan. It looks to me like I got played for the fool and that you led me here on the premise of listening to my pitch when
Evan watched as Celia sat sideways on the couch, her back against the arm and her knees doubled in front of her. She looked comfortable and completely relaxed, which was more than he could have hoped for given how stupidly he’d sprung the whole engagement thing on her. After her initial fury, though, she’d calmed down and had taken it well. Damn, but he liked this woman. Oh, he was definitely attracted to her sexually, but beyond that, he genuinely liked spending time with her.If he was smart, he’d take that as a huge warning sign to stay away and not become involved, but he’d never claimed brilliance.She’d changed into nothing more glamorous than a pair of sweatpants and a San Francisco Tide jersey. Odd, but she hadn’t struck him as a baseball fan.Her shoes had long since been shed, and her toenails, painted a delicate shade of pink, teased him. Hell, he was even attracted to her feet. Small and dainty.He was officially losing his mind. Never before had he lusted after a woman’s
Slowly she nodded. Her fingers went to her forehead and she dug them into her hair. Still, he could see them shaking, and she swallowed again, her slim neck working with the effort. “Please,” she whispered. “I can’t do this, Evan. It’s the one thing I can’t do. Don’t ask it of me. If you want me to admit it, fine. I want you. More than I’ve ever wanted another man.”Savage satisfaction gripped him. Didn’t just grip him but lunged for him and wrapped a hand around his throat and his groin. His entire body reacted to that simple statement. She wanted him more than she’d ever wanted anyone else.She turned on the couch until she faced forward and her feet met the floor. She looked in turns miserable and scared. Her eyes closed in what looked to him like self-condemnation. He swore, startling her with the force of his curses.“Whatever you’re thinking, I don’t like it,” he said flatly. “I have no idea what the hell kind of blame you’re placing on yourself, but I can guarantee that you di