The Love List

Ethan flashed her a hot, private smile and Nora tried to concentrate on breathing evenly. She really had to stop this now. This flirting thing she had going with him. Now would be a good time to remember that flirting, and everything that usually came after, was off her To Do list for the foreseeable. She didn’t have the time. Couldn’t afford the distraction. Look what happened to her when she tried to multi-task.

Admittedly it had been a while since she’d indulged in more than flirting. Her eyes squeezed shut as she remembered Sephy’s comment from last night—that if she wasn’t careful, outside of a work context, she’d forget how to talk to men altogether. Coming on top of the rest of the lecture she’d received from her younger sister, the comment had stung. Nora sighed. As if Sephy hadn’t known that accusing her of being a workaholic, who’d put her grief on hold, wasn’t going to put her in the best of listening moods. She knew Sephy’s little digs were designed to sneak under her shield and penetrate, but after the disaster of her last relationship Nora knew that relationships weren’t for her. She had much clearer goals. Until she was back on an even keel at KPC, work came first, second and third for her.

‘How’s the hand?’ Ethan asked.

His question had her turning her attention to his own hands as they rested competently on the steering wheel. Any idea of work flew straight out the window as she wondered idly how those hands might feel against her skin, smoothing their way up and over her naked flesh, from hipbone to breast.

Nora blinked, squirmed against her seat and looked down at the bag, now containing the remnants of her shoe.

‘Okay,’ she said, determined to shake off the attraction she felt for him. Peering closely at the hand in question, she cleared her throat and forced some more words out. ‘No lasting damage. It was a close-run thing, but thanks to the wonders of modern medicine, well, chemicals, actually… Turns out I probably could have done it DIY with the nail varnish remover.’ She sighed dramatically as she opened the bag carrying the rest of the shoe she had embarrassingly asked to keep because it was vintage Moorfield. ‘To be honest, I think I’m experiencing a little separation anxiety.’

Ethan’s deep laugh trickled over already hyper-sensitised nerve endings and left her feeling as though someone had left a window ajar in her heart. She had a desperate need to keep busy. To be doing many things at once. Anything to stop her nerves jangling at the idea of what a kick it was to make this man laugh. Honestly, the sooner she was out of his car and breathing in some normal, heavily polluted, air, the better it would be for her sanity.

Now that she didn’t have to worry about missing out on pitching to Eleanor, Ethan’s scent was staging a staggering assault on her senses, causing her to behave completely out of character. It was time to rein herself back in, she thought, as she suddenly realised whereabouts they were. ‘Oh, this leads straight to the back entrance of KPC’s offices. It’s about a hundred yards up on the right.’

Ethan stopped the car as the lights changed and Nora’s mind raced to try and come up with something to break the crazy sense of anticipation creeping in.

‘Eleanor really said she’d be in touch within the next couple of days?’ she asked, her voice higher in pitch than she would have liked. She had a feeling her babble-rate was about to grow exponentially, and she hated the fact that a simple attraction was the explanation.

‘She really did.’

‘As soon as I get back to the office I’m going to call a couple of contacts. I have a few buildings in mind for headquarters and then I need to look through the information she gave you about where she wants to base her manufacturing. There are a couple of options that become available mid-March. And there’s something special I want to try and get for her, right in the middle of London’s fashion district. Sort of baroque-meets-boutique, but with plenty of ground-floor space. All polished floorboards, wrought-iron work everywhere and bevelled windowpanes. High-end but perfect romantic style for a flagship store. Modern office complex and concrete and glass shopping mall is not the way to go. I’m fairly sure I’m right about this.’ Finally running out of steam she glanced across at him but he was concentrating on the signals ahead. The lights changed and as Ethan drove forward, Nora’s hands moved against the bag sitting on her lap. ‘So we’re coming up to the office. There’ll never be any parking around at this time of day. You can drop me off in the middle of the—hey.’

Ethan calmly drove until he reached the next junction, turned the car around and drove back so that he could ease the car to a halt right outside the back entrance to her offices. Where, for the first time in recorded history, there was an empty parking space, complete with meter. He switched off the engine and calmly turned to look at her.

‘Do you know, I have a feeling you were about to nip out into the middle of the traffic and run off, and all without setting up a meeting to discuss Ryan.’

‘Oh. Well.’ She couldn’t quite meet his eyes. How could she have forgotten who it was that had brought him to her office this morning? Was she so obsessed with KPC at the moment that nothing else could intrude? Or was it that in the space of a hundred yards, it had become awkwardly apparent to her that breathing in his scent and getting herself all stirred up was making it impossible to concentrate on anything but him. She needed to get out of this car. She needed space to be able to clear her head. Sephy was right. She really was out of practice at talking to men. ‘So. Thank you for this morning. If I could grab my laptop and the information Eleanor left you with..?’

‘What’s the hurry?’

‘No hurry. Well, I do have a lot of work to do. Why don’t you phone me with a time for us to discuss Ryan. You must be really exhausted by now—’

‘I’m really “something” right now. Not sure “exhausted” is the word, though.’

‘Sorry. I didn’t mean to come across as rude. I—’ she tailed off when she saw smouldering blue eyes track their way to her lips. I have to get out of this car before I do something properly stupid, like climb over onto your lap, grab you by the lapels of that sinfully sexy blue suit you fill out so well and give in to this insane need to touch my lips to yours.

She was being utterly ridiculous, of course. She was supposed to be offering up a business-like thank you. Not wanting to devour a man she’d just met. Maybe if she hadn’t caught sight of his chest packed with all that tight, hard muscle in her bathroom. Yes, Nora. Absolutely blame the pecs. But honest to God, he’d looked so good standing there, was it any wonder she’d lost her professional A game?

Biting down on her bottom lip again she tried to ignore his scent. The smile. The body. When he wasn’t using all that muscle helping people he was probably working out in his own gym. Yes, that body…she mentally swooned, picked herself up and gave herself a little slap.

Never mind the package, get with the programme. None of this should be on her radar right now. Her sole focus should be on KPC. ‘I don’t know how to thank you for all your help.’

‘You don’t?’

At his quiet, teasing question, Nora dragged her gaze to his. Oh, not fair. It turned out that when Ethan Love actually wanted a person to know what he was thinking, he had no problem letting his eyes do the talking.

She simply didn’t understand why he was able to affect her so, but his charm offensive was leaving her with no other option than to hastily erect her official Deflector Shield.

‘Ethan, I—’

‘Have to go?’ he asked with an indulgent smile on his face.

‘Uh-huh.’ Like soonest. A few minutes more and she’d be simpering, whimpering and quite possibly whispering heated instructions as to where he could put those beautiful hands of his.

What on earth was wrong with her? She closed her eyes and pictured herself surrounded by her Deflector Shield. The one she employed when she panicked that she was getting side-tracked from her goals in life.

‘Okay. You’re excused,’ Ethan said grinning. ‘It was nice meeting you, Princess. I’ll be in touch.’

Nora looked at him suspiciously. Perhaps he was bored bouncing off her official Deflector Shield because he seemed to be letting her off the hook. Which was a good thing, she reminded herself. He was Love-Rat’s brother.

Way, way too complicated.

Tearing her gaze away, she refused to acknowledge the slice of bitter disappointment that she felt. She glanced up at the impressive steel and glass construction that housed KPC. That was where she belonged. Not down here in this intimate space with a man who slipped past her Deflector Shields and was connected to her family.

She let the seatbelt drag through her fingers as she released the buckle, and, muttering a heartfelt ‘thank you’, exited the car.

She was halfway up the shallow steps at the rear of the building when she heard his amused and oh-so-casual, ‘Oh, Nora?’

She couldn’t help herself. Her head whipped around at the sound of her name, which sounded like a warm invitation on his lips.

Chapter Three

Ethan was at the bottom of the stairs, holding the Moorfield bag out to her. ‘This should help you out with the separation anxiety.’

Nora eyed the bag as it swung tantalisingly back and forth from his forefinger.

‘Eleanor asked me to pick out something that I thought represented you best,’ he told her. ‘I think she was rather expecting to get a handle on you by the shoes you wore.’

Nora’s eyes narrowed speculatively.

‘She was a little thrown when she got me instead of you,’ Ethan continued. ‘But I assured her I was up to the challenge.’

Wait, he had picked out shoes for her? Was he kidding? She stared at him. He wasn’t. He really wasn’t. For what seemed like the hundredth time that morning she could feel herself getting all heated, flustered and distracted. That enticingly sexy shoe bag had been sitting there on the back seat of his car the entire drive back. Had he been thinking of her wearing what he’d chosen every time that slow devilish smile had come out to play? She snatched the bag and clutched it to her chest.

‘Don’t you want to open it up and check what I chose for you?’ Ethan asked with a look that said he knew damn well she was practically salivating to open it.

‘I’m super busy,’ she muttered inanely, needing her will to hold out just a little longer because he looked way too sure of himself and she was feeling…so much less sure and quite possibly a little punch-drunk on him.

‘Uh-huh, well I think you’re going to take the lift instead of the stairs and you’re going to be looking in that bag before you’re in your office.’

Nora, clasped the bag tighter to her, gave him her haughtiest look and then turned on shaky legs to walk into the KPC offices.

Don’t you dare look back, Leonora King. Don’t you dare.

It wasn’t until much later that afternoon that she realised she had left her own carrier bag, containing the remnants of her shoe, on the front seat of her car. How could she have done that? Had she subconsciously wanted to leave part of her in his car so that he would continue to think about her? Wasn’t the fact that he’d picked out shoes for her enough?

She rose abruptly and went over to where she had mutinously stashed the Moorfield bag earlier. Glancing around, she decided to store it behind her door, where it couldn’t continue cluttering up the place. She would not look inside until she’d put in a good afternoon’s work. Better yet, she wouldn’t look until she was back in the safety of her own apartment, where she could have whatever reaction she wanted to have in private.

Her thoughts inevitably returned to the shoe she’d left in Ethan’s car and she sighed, quite disgusted with herself. She was now seriously worried that in the space of one day she had turned into some sort of sad Cinderella cliché.

The phone on her desk rang and she pounced on it, glad of the interruption. ‘Yes?’

‘I have Eleanor Moorfield on the line for you,’ Fern said with a tiny telltale trill of excitement in her voice.

‘Thanks, Fern. Pop her through.’ The hand that had only that morning been attached to her shoe pressed on her stomach to try and still the rampaging butterflies. ‘Eleanor? Lovely to hear from you. I was just going through the information you left with Ethan.’ At least she would have been if she hadn’t been thinking about Ethan.

‘Wonderful. It was a pleasure to meet Ethan.’

What did that mean? ‘He did a good job, then?’

‘Oh, he did a great job, really made me feel like he understood my needs,’ Eleanor confirmed in a voice that almost sounded purring.

Nora bristled. She just bet he did.

‘He’s a great asset to have. It was astute of you to bring him on board.’

Nora’s mouth felt dry. Perhaps now would be a good time to apologise for not being at the meeting in person. Explain to her that, technically, Ethan didn’t work for KPC. ‘I’m so pleased the meeting sounds as if it was constructive, but I feel I must apologise for not being there myself—’

‘No need to worry. Ethan explained everything.’

‘He did?’ Nora didn’t think it was possible for her heart to beat any faster. What, exactly, had Ethan said?

‘Mmn—don’t worry about it. I tend to go by my gut instinct and after what I saw today I’m happy to start my lawyers looking at contracts. Think you can get one to me by the end of the week?’

Nora’s hand clenched against her stomach. She had thought letting Ethan help her today had been about family, but maybe her gut instinct had finally kicked back in. ‘No problem at all. You want me to throw in a transition package for releasing the property you already own in Italy, or do you have someone handling that for you already?’

There was a smile in Eleanor’s voice as she said, ‘You’re very good at this. Go on then, I’ll take a look.’

She was good at this, wasn’t she? Nora grinned like a Cheshire cat, feeling lighter than she had in weeks. ‘I’ll have one of my corporate solution professionals phone you to discuss your requirements.’

‘Okay. I really want to push forward with this. I’m happy to listen as long as you don’t start wanting to move my entire company into some cold City office tower. I assume you’re open to discussion about the finer points?’

‘Of course. Absolutely.’

‘And if I want to I can deal with you directly? I may not like being handed over to a posse of staff as soon as I sign on the dotted line.’

‘Well, I usually assign a personal account manager, but of course I’ll make myself available if you feel something isn’t being handled appropriately.’

Nora’s mind whirled. Ethan hadn’t simply given a good presentation; he’d saved the day and clinched the deal. It seemed an official upgrade to Mr Knight in Shining Armour was in order. She wanted to whoop for joy when she thought about being able to announce to the board who she’d snagged as their latest client. And if some of the property in Italy was worth hanging on to, their property portfolio would get a healthy bump, too. Barely managing to cling to any semblance of professionalism, she heard Eleanor speak again.

‘I’m having a little party next week, a celebration for being back in London. You should come. Bring Ethan, too.’

‘I’d love to. Um, I can’t vouch for Ethan. He’s very busy,’ she excused.

‘Well I’d love for him to be there, there are a lot of people I’d like to introduce you both to. It won’t feel like a proper celebration without him. I’ll send invitations out to you.’

Nora didn’t have to work very hard to read between the lines: Ethan was expected there. ‘I’ll see what I can do,’ she answered in her best non-committed tone. ‘And thanks again, you won’t regret having KPC handle all your property needs.’

Nora replaced the handset and pressed her hands to her lips. The grin started somewhere deep inside her chest and worked its way quickly up to her lips. Could it be true? Was it possible that a day that had started so abysmally could have turned around so fantastically?

She spun in her chair.

She’d done it. She’d actually done it.

Or rather, Ethan had done it.

Feeling dizzy, she stopped spinning and rose to pick up her bag as an overwhelming need to buy Ethan a special thank you present filled her.

Opening the office door she saw Fern tapping away on her keyboard. ‘Why don’t you switch everything off and finish early?’

Fern looked up at her with a frown. ‘It’s 5:55pm.’

‘And that’s early by your standards. Go on. Go home and phone the boyfriend. Maybe cook some pasta, open a bottle of wine…’

Fern smiled. ‘Well if my boss is ordering me, who am I to disagree? I take it the phone call went well?’

‘Ethan certainly seems to have charmed Eleanor Moorfield, so keep your fingers crossed.’

‘That’s wonderful.’ She took in the handbag Nora was holding. ‘Where are you off to, then?’

‘Quick shopping trip and then back here for some more work.’

‘Uh-huh. Okay. Or…you could go another way, and, say, stop by a certain hotel, where a certain hot guy might be staying—’

Nora’s eyes narrowed a fraction.

‘—to, you know,’ Fern continued, cautiously, when she deciphered the warning look, ‘discuss his brother.’

‘Good night, Fern,’ Nora said, mock sternly. ‘I do not expect you to be here when I get back.’

‘Yes, boss. Um, you might need your coat?’

Nora rolled her eyes, thinking that her head was all over the place. Popping back into her office, she dragged her coat off the coat-stand and was about to turn around and head straight back out the door when she spotted the Moorfield bag. An image of her standing in front of a hotel room with a bottle of champagne, wearing only her coat and whatever was in that bag sizzled and then her eyes crossed. Yes—because turning up at the door of a man you had only met that morning with nothing but a bottle of champagne, a coat and a pair of shoes, was such a subtle message, wasn’t it? She could only imagine her sister’s face when she had to explain quite how well Ethan and she were acquainted. Wracking her brain she tried to remember if Sephy had ever mentioned Ethan when she’d been seeing Ryan. Not that during those years Sephy and her had been sisters who’d confided everything. Mostly Nora had used university as an escape from dealing with the fallout of Jared leaving and Sephy, well, she’d kind of used Ryan as her escape. After graduating Nora had spent all her energy immersing herself in KPC, working hard to ensure no one could ever accuse her fast-track through the business as not being fully earned. Then things with Sephy and Ryan had fallen apart when she’d got pregnant with Daisy and Nora had launched straight into over-protective mode.

She wondered what Ethan and Ryan’s relationship was like. It must be solid if he had flown all the way from Italy, but surely Ryan was all right if Ethan could take the time to help her out first before discussing it?

Bundling into her coat, Nora bid Fern goodnight again and made her way down the stairs and out into the cold evening air to hail a taxi. Once she was in the vicinity of the large department stores that stayed open late, she got out and wandered over to the first huge display window she came to.

Sometimes she couldn’t imagine ever working anywhere but in the centre of London. Amongst the buzz and the hustle and the bustle.

Although, lately, whenever she made it back to her fabulous apartment with its views over the Thames, she felt drained from being so switched on all the time, as if she had only two modes: full-on or empty. At least full-on mode didn’t give her time to think or feel. And if the emptiness started to overwhelm, she always had the family home to visit.

She stared, unseeing, at the goodies on the other side of the plate-glass window. Surely her mother had been joking about selling the forty-acre family estate in Heathstead, twenty miles outside London? Nora knew it had to be hard—understood that despite the fact that the hospital bed and nursing equipment was now gone, the memory of Jeremy King’s last months were frozen very much at the forefront of her mother’s thoughts. But the house stood for so much more. It had been in the family for generations. Where her father had lived for KPC, her mother had breathed life back into the estate and even now Sephy and Daisy lived in the specially built three-bedroom apartment built over the vast garages. Where would they go if her mother decided to sell? Where would her mother go? Was she really ready to leave the place she had spent years loving and tending so that it thrived as a home. What if Jared decided that one day he and Amanda wanted to come back to the UK? Surely as the eldest of the Kings, the house reverted to him? The will-reading had probably gone through this, but at the time she hadn’t really paid attention. The only specifics she’d registered were that KPC wasn’t affected and that Jared, Sephy and she had each received a letter from their father.

She shivered and walked to the next department store, determined to move away from thoughts that tugged at the veil of numbness she had got so good at wearing since her father’s death.

Work. Work was what would see her through. Work was the only fitting way to honour her father and feel his loss less.

Sephy and Jared had already opened their letters.

She wasn’t ready yet.

Not that she had to ever open the letter, she counseled herself as the curtain of grief threatened to descend.

All the time she kept the letter sealed, his silence wasn’t final.

Nora exhaled to try and loosen the tension. Hopefully while her mother was in New York helping with Jared and Amanda’s wedding plans she’d forget all about the idea of selling.

As her breath formed a foggy circle in the window of the store in front of her, she lifted her hand and, with her sleeve, brushed the condensation clear. She didn’t have time to think about something that might not even happen. All she had time for lately was to deal with what was immediately in front of her while she kept all her work plates spinning in the air and right now, what was in front of her was what to send the knight-errant? Suddenly she spotted a square glass vase and, smiling, she realised she knew exactly what to fill it with. Back at the office, she unpacked the half-dozen silk ties and arranged them in the glass vase. Tying a ribbon around the vase, she added a gift tag and wrote: ‘Thank you for all your help today. These are more practical than flowers and will last longer. Nora King.’ She put the unusual arrangement into a presentation box and phoned a courier to have it delivered.

The next morning Nora was at her desk struggling with her concentration levels when her mobile phone rang. Answering it, she took a fortifying sip of her vanilla latte, ‘Mmmn,’ it was good.

‘Interrupting something?’ said the relaxed, earthy baritone into her ear.

Nora smiled to herself as her stomach, recognizing Ethan’s voice, performed a perfect scoring six in the vault.

‘Who is this?’ she teased.

‘You always send gifts to men you don’t know?’

Ha. She wondered what he would have to say if he had even an inkling that she’d been toying with turning up at his hotel with a bottle of champagne, a pair of shoes and a very different kind of gift in mind.

‘Oh.’ She took another sip of coffee. ‘It’s you.’

‘So, thanks for the “flowers”.’

‘You’re welcome.’

Leaving her desk, she wandered over to the full-length mirror on the back of her bathroom door to check her appearance. As she saw the flush on her cheekbones she asked herself what the hell she was doing. She was preening and he couldn’t even see her.

‘In point of fact they’re a bit of a distraction,’ Ethan murmured as if a bit disconcerted her gift had such power over him.