“No reason to rush it.” Or to rush her treatment. Ha. She knew exactly why she wanted to drag it out. She was looking for an excuse to keep seeing him. But they were having lunch on Monday. That would change the dynamic.
Her mind leaped ahead as she thought of where they’d go and what she’d wear. She’d never dated a billionaire before. But as she stood next to him watching Bubba nurse, she realized he wouldn’t show up looking like a billionaire.
No, he’d walk into her office in jeans, western shirt, boots, and Stetson. He’d look the way he always did. She’d be the one in a whole different costume. And after appearing in plain old jeans and T-shirts for three weeks, she had the purely feminine urge to knock his socks off.
Five
On Monday morning, Adam parked his truck in a garage a block away from Valerie’s law office. He’d chosen a cafe close by, one that advertised quick lunch service. Although he would have rather taken her somewhere more atmospheric, he wasn’t sure what her schedule was. She might have so many appointments that she wouldn’t be able to linger.
This whole setup was new to him. His dating years had involved debutantes with plenty of free time and a taste for luxury. But he was at a different point in his life, and as a result he’d asked a working girl to lunch. His usual approach of champagne and caviar wouldn’t fit the occasion.
To say he was nervous would be grossly understating the case. He’d called Will yesterday and asked him point-blank if he’d hoped for a romance between Adam and Valerie. Will had admitted the idea had crossed his mind, which in Will-speak meant he’d planned the entire thing.
Adam couldn’t be upset with the guy. Valerie was terrific, and something might actually come out of Will’s meddling. Will had asked to meet for a drink after work today so he could find out how lunch had turned out. That meant Adam had to stay in town for the remainder of the day, so he’d made an appointment with his lawyers to go over the amended contract for Bubba and make sure it was ironclad.
But that was all later. First he had to manage this date, for that’s exactly what it was. Because despite the offer to help Valerie handle her first elevator ride since the fire, he’d also invited her to eat a meal with him. Anyone with the slightest bit of common sense would classify that as a date.
He was familiar with the building. His grandfather had owned it, and made a killing when he sold it. Adam had grown up hearing about those spectacular financial victories, but that kind of challenge held no interest for him now. Truthfully, it never had.
Walking inside the tasteful lobby, Adam located the directory and found the law firm of Meacham and Daniels, where Valerie worked. When Adam had been married to Elise, he’d attended social functions with the senior partners, Stan Meacham and Robert Daniels. He’d liked them both. Valerie had chosen a good firm when she’d hired on here.
He rode the elevator to the fourth floor and listened for any alarming rattles or squeaks in the mechanism. The elevator seemed smooth, and the posted certification said it had been recently checked out. He hoped the damned thing wouldn’t malfunction.
Thinking about the elevator had distracted him, but once he was walking down a carpeted hallway to the law offices, his chest grew tight. What the hell was he doing? Was he ready for this? He’d tossed the lunch idea out in a moment of insanity when he hadn’t been able to imagine her riding the elevator alone, at least not the first time.
Now he was committed to an actual date, and most women expected that would be followed by a second date, right? He had no trouble imagining himself in bed with the gorgeous Valerie Wolitzky. He’d fantasized that many times, and his dreams about her had become super erotic. But this dating thing sucked. He was woefully out of practice.
Too bad. It was game time. He opened the door to the suite of offices and walked over to the receptionist’s desk without hesitation. He wasn’t going to let some cute blonde who didn’t look more than twenty, max, see him sweat.
“I’m here for Miss Woltizky.”
She smiled, revealing even white teeth. “You must be Mr. Templeton. If you’ll have a seat, I’ll tell her you’re here.”
He didn’t want to sit, but pacing the reception area would send the wrong message. So he lowered himself onto a brown leather sofa and picked a magazine from the ones arranged across a glass coffee table. He didn’t bother to look at the title.
When he realized what magazine he’d grabbed—Career Woman’s Weekly—he put it back. He wasn’t going to be found reading Career Woman’s Weekly when Valerie walked into the reception area. Inspiration hit and he pulled out his phone. He could check his messages. Brilliant.
Except he had no messages. Earlier this morning he’d deleted everything he didn’t need, and no one had texted or e-mailed him since then. There was a time when he couldn’t keep up with his messages, but ever since he’d changed direction, he had no trouble whatsoever.
Normally he loved that. Not having a ton of messages was evidence that he had indeed taken control of his life. But while he sat in the reception area waiting for Valerie, he would have liked to have some messages to answer.
“Adam?”
He glanced up from his messageless phone and leaped to his feet. Wow. It wasn’t that he’d expected her to come out of her office in jeans and a T-shirt. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but the short black skirt, paired with a emerald green blouse and black jacket, was a knockout. That wasn’t even taking into account her sexy heels and silver jewelry.
She hadn’t worn jewelry to the barn, which made sense, but the silver teardrops looked great with her short hair, and the layered necklace emphasized her slender throat. Several silver bangles jingled when she moved her arm. He couldn’t stop staring at her.
“Ready for lunch?” She adjusted the strap of her black shoulder purse and gave him a quick smile.
That’s when he really looked into her green eyes and saw the anxiety there. She might be dressed like a confident professional, but she was afraid to get in that elevator. Thank God he was here.
“Yep, we’re all set,” he said. “I’ve found a little place that should get us in and out fast, in case you have an early afternoon appointment.”
“Thanks for that, but my afternoon is pretty clear.”
“That’s good.” He tucked his phone in his pocket. “Let’s go.”
“You two have fun,” the receptionist called after them.
“Thanks, Carol!” Valerie sounded breezy and carefree.
But when Adam rested a hand against the small of her back, he could feel her trembling. “You’ll be fine,” he said in a low tone as they walked out of the office.
“I’ll be better, now that you’re here. It’s such a small thing, but I’ve been worried about it since we made the plan on Saturday.”
She reminded Adam of the skittish horses he’d worked with at the ranch. “Let’s not get on the elevator yet.” He slipped a hand around her waist and guided her down the hallway toward a window that looked out on the street. “Let’s talk for a minute.”
“I thought a nervous person was supposed to dive straight into something before she has a chance to think about it.”
“Too late. You’ve been thinking about this elevator for nearly two days. Now you need to think about something else.”
“Like what?”
He racked his brain for a way to distract her. Finally he settled on the only thing that he could come up with. At the end of the hallway, he took off his hat and drew her into his arms. “This.” Before she could protest, he lowered his head and took firm possession of her mouth.
She went rigid with surprise. Clearly she hadn’t expected him to make a move like that. But she didn’t pull away, and he took that as a sign that she wasn’t totally opposed to the idea of kissing him for real, and not just the butterfly kiss she’d given him three weeks ago.
Slowly her resistance melted, and she nestled against him. He couldn’t help groaning at the pleasure of it. That seemed to excite her. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she parted her lips and offered him . . . paradise.
He sank into the kiss, surrendering to a hunger he’d barely acknowledged until now. Cupping the back of her head, he buried his fingers in her soft curls and held her steady while he tasted, shifted his angle, and tasted again.
She was the perfect combination of sweetness and sin, carefree joy and dark desire. Her enthusiasm for the kiss fueled his, and he lost track of time and place. If someone had told him they’d been magically transported to a tropical island, he would have believed it.
Then a phone played the first notes of “The Yellow Rose of Texas” and broke the spell.
Valerie pulled away, her breathing uneven, her eyes dark with passion. “That’s Astrid. She probably . . . wants to know about . . . the elevator.”
Adam released her and dragged in air as he put on his hat. Holy hell. What if her phone hadn’t rung? How far would he have taken that kiss? How far would she have let him take it?
She fumbled in her purse and came up with the phone. “Hey.” She sounded normal as can be. “Nope, not yet.” She glanced at Adam. “He’s here and we’re about to get on. Thanks for thinking of me. Sure. I will. ’Bye.” She disconnected and had started to put her phone back when the theme from the TV show Dallas chimed.