Propositioned By The Tycoon: Mr Strictly Business / Bought: His Temporary Fiancée / A Win-Win Proposition

“You can count on it.” The promise glittered like sapphires in his gaze and gave the hard angle of his jaw an uncompromising set. “But in this case I was actually talking about dinner.”

“You don’t have to do anything special,” she protested.

He hooked her chin with his knuckle so they were eye-to-eye. “Yes,” he assured her. “I do. I’ll see you about six.”

The rest of the day flew by. Giving in to the inevitable, she phoned the movers. She barely hung up the phone before two burly men arrived on her doorstep. It was almost as easy as shopping on the Internet. They were user-friendly, and all she had to do was point and click. In no time they had far too many of her possessions packed and carted down to their moving truck. Just as Gabe predicted, the other end of the procedure proved equally as painless.

The one uncomfortable moment came when they asked where they should put her clothing. She briefly debated whether to direct them to one of the spare bedrooms, or to Gabe’s master suite. Considering the close call she and Gabe had experienced back at her apartment, it seemed pointless to take a stand she suspected wouldn’t last more than a single night. Even though she knew that nothing would come of their relationship—that nothing could come of it—she might as well enjoy the fantasy while it lasted.

The instant the door closed behind the movers, she finished the few unpacking chores she preferred to see to herself. Then she took a leisurely tour of Gabe’s penthouse suite. It felt peculiar to be back again. Part of her felt right at home, as though she’d never left.

There was the table where she used to sit and keep track of their social calendar and plan the parties that had become her specialty. And in the window seat over there, she and Gabe would curl up together on a quiet Sunday morning over a steaming cup of coffee while they watched the rain pound the city. And over there…How many times had they entertained guests in the living room? Gabe would sit in that enormous chair he’d had specially designed, and she’d squeeze into a corner next to him.

Of course, there were a few changes. A different set of throw pillows were scattered on the sofa. She came across a gorgeous wooden sculpture that hadn’t been there before. It was of a woman in repose and made her itch to run her fingertips along the graceful, sweeping lines. The drapes were new, as were a pair of planters on either side of the front door.

After delaying the inevitable as long as she could, she gathered her nerve and entered the bedroom, only to discover this room showed the most changes of all. The previous bed and furniture, darkly masculine pieces, had been removed, and Gabe had replaced them with furnishings made with a golden teak heartwood that brought to mind sailing ships from the previous century. Catherine couldn’t help but smile. Nothing could have suited him better, though she couldn’t help but wonder why he’d replaced his previous bedroom set.

To her surprise, the changes brought her a sense of relief, as though all the old, negative energy had been swept clean. Checking her watch, she realized that Gabe would be home in just under an hour and if he’d planned something special for their dinner, maybe she should consider dressing for the occasion.

She took her time primping, finally settling on a casual floor-length sheath in an eye-catching turquoise. For the first time in ages, she left her hair loose and flowing, a tidal wave of springy curls that tumbled down her back in reckless abandon. She touched up her makeup, giving her eyes and mouth a bit more emphasis.

She’d just finished when the doorbell rang, and she went to answer it, fairly certain it was whatever dinner surprise Gabe had arranged. Sure enough, it proved to be a small catering company that she’d used for a few of her events. She greeted the chef by name and showed her and her companion to the kitchen.

“Gabe said we were to get here right at six and serve no later than six-thirty,” Sylvia explained. “It’ll only take a few minutes to unload the appetizers and get them heated. In the meantime, I’ll open the wine and let it breathe while Casey sets the dining room table. She’ll be serving you tonight.”

“Thanks,” Catherine said with a warm smile. “I’ll be in the living room. Gabe should be home any minute.”

Or so she thought. By six-thirty, she’d nibbled her way through any number of appetizers that she was certain should have tasted like ambrosia, but for some reason had the flavor and consistency of sawdust. At a quarter to seven Sylvia appeared in the doorway. “Should I hold dinner a little longer? I’m afraid to wait too long or it’ll be overcooked.”

“Hold off for fifteen more minutes. If he’s not here by then, you can wrap everything up and stash it in the fridge.”

“Oh. Oh, sure. We can do that.”

Catherine flinched at the unmistakable pity in the other woman’s voice. “Thanks, Sylvia. I’ll be in the bedroom if you need me.”

Keeping her chin high, she marched to the master suite and gently closed the door. Then she proceeded to remove her belongings and transfer them to one of the guest bedrooms. Why, oh why, had she allowed herself to believe for even one single second that he’d changed? Nothing had changed. Business always came first with Gabe and it always would.

From deep inside the apartment the phone rang. More than anything, she wanted to ignore it. But it would only make matters worse if she allowed the answering machine to take the call so that Sylvia and Casey could overhear whatever excuse Gabe cared to offer for his delay.

She picked up the bedroom extension. “Hello?”

“I’m sorry.” Gabe’s voice rumbled across the line. “This wasn’t how I planned our first night together.”

She held on to her self-control by a shred. “I’m sure it wasn’t.”

“You’re furious, and I don’t blame you. That deal I told you about earlier came to a head. Roxanne managed to get LaRue to the table, and this was the only time he’d agree to.”

“I’ll bet.”

“It’s going to be a while. I’ll be home as soon as I can.”

She heard the unspoken question and answered it. “I promised I’d be here, and I will. The rest we’ll negotiate in the morning.”

He swore softly. “This will be the last time.”

She shook her head in disbelief. He still didn’t get it. “You think it will, Gabe. That’s part of the problem. You always think that next time will be different. But it never is, is it?”

She didn’t wait for his response, but hung up. She needed to inform the caterers that their services wouldn’t be required. But first, she needed a moment to herself. A moment to grieve over the death of a tiny blossom of hope that had somehow, at some point when she wasn’t looking, managed to unfurl deep in her heart.

Chapter Five

It was two in the morning before Gabe keyed open the lock to his apartment. Catherine had left a light burning for him, the one by the sculpture of the sleeping woman—a sculpture whose gentle curves and sleek, soft lines reminded him vividly of her. It was why he’d bought the damn thing, even though he suspected it would torment him every time he looked at it. And it did.

Turning off the light, he headed directly for the bedroom, pulling up short when he realized Catherine wasn’t there. For a single, hideous moment, he flashed back on the night she’d left him. His gaze shot to the dresser, half expecting to see another crisp white envelope with his name neatly scripted across the front. Of course, it wasn’t there. Nor was the dresser. Within a week of her departure, memories too painful to bear had him replacing every stick of furniture in the room.

Stripping off his suit jacket and tie, he went in search of Catherine. He found her in the spare bedroom farthest from the master suite. She sat at a small antique desk by the window, her head pillowed in her arms, sound asleep. She wore a long, sweeping silk nightgown in a stunning shade of aqua, covered by a matching robe.

Gabe silently approached and glanced at the papers littering the desk beneath and around her. They were accounting records, he realized, and he tugged free a few of the sheets. As he glanced down the rows and across the columns, a frown knit his brow. Hell, she was skating precariously close to disaster. First thing tomorrow, he’d take a closer look at this and see just how close to the edge she’d come and what it would take to turn it around…assuming that was even possible.

Tossing the pages aside, he circled the desk and gently tipped her out of the chair and into his arms. She stirred within his hold, but didn’t awaken until he reached their bedroom and eased her onto the bed. She stared up at him in confusion, her golden eyes heavy with exhaustion and brimming with vulnerability.

“What…?”

“You fell asleep at your desk.”

He saw the instant her memory snapped back into place, watching with keen regret as her defenses came slamming down. She bolted upright. “What am I doing in your bed? How did I get here?” she demanded.

“You’re in my bed because it’s where you belong,” he explained calmly. “And you got here because I carried you here.”

“Well, you can just carry me back, because I’m not staying.”

He toed off his shoes without saying a word. Then he proceeded to strip. He was one article of clothing away from baring it all when she erupted off the bed.

“You’re not listening, Gabe. I’m not sleeping with you.”

“Then don’t sleep,” he retorted mildly. “But when we go to bed, we’ll be doing it together.”

She shook her head, and her sleep-tangled curls danced in agitation. “You stood me up tonight. You promised me this time would be different and then you stood me up.” The vulnerability he’d seen earlier leaked through her defenses, nearly killing him. “You can’t do that and then expect me to—” She waved a hand in the direction of the bed.

“Just for my own edification, is this how I’m supposed to react when the shoe is on the other foot?” he asked.

That stopped her, if only for a moment. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that your business is as demanding as mine. Most of your events take place in the evening or on the weekend when I’m off work. Having spent the past two years building up your business, you know there are times when the unexpected arises and you have no choice but to deal with it.”

“Damn you!” She glared at him in frustration. “I’m not in the mood for your brand of logic. You can’t turn this back on me.”

“I’m not trying to. I’m trying to make you see that every once in a while something like this is going to happen. We’d better learn to deal with it starting right here and right now. Tonight was on me, and I’m sorry, Cate. I’m more sorry than you can possibly know. I wanted your homecoming to be special, and instead it was a nightmare. But you tell me how to handle it the next time or how I should react when you’re the one calling with the last-minute emergency.”

He could tell she was at a loss for words. The fire died, leaving behind pain and confusion. “I was looking forward to tonight so much,” she confessed.

The admission hit and hit hard. “So was I.” He stripped off his shorts and tossed back the bedcovers. Then he held out his hand. “Robe.”

When she didn’t immediately comply, he simply took matters into his own hands. He flicked buttons through holes with ruthless efficiency before sweeping it from her shoulders.

“Don’t,” she whispered. “Please don’t.”

If she’d used anger against him, or that ice-cold wall of defiance, he might have ignored her request. But he couldn’t resist her when every scrap of defensive armor lay shattered around her and unhappiness coursed from her in palpable waves.

“Okay, sweetheart,” he said in a husky voice. “It’s okay. We’ll just sleep.”

He gathered her close, locking her against him, and his eyes shut at the feel of her body curving into his. This time she didn’t protest when he urged her toward the bed. How long had it been since he’d had her head pillowed on his shoulder and felt those crisp, wayward curls tickle his jaw? How long had he waited to have that silken skin flowing over his, her small, perfect breasts pressed against his side? He’d craved this, just this, for endless, torturous months. Now that he had her back in his arms he could afford to be patient. As much as he wanted to make love to her, this would do until the time was right. He could give her some space while they worked through their issues.

“Are you asleep?” she asked.

“Not yet.”

“Did you make the deal?”

He smiled. It was a start. He could be satisfied with that.

Gabe woke at first light and realized that this time he wasn’t dreaming. This time it was real. He held Catherine safely tucked within his arms, tight against his side, the rhythm of her heart and breath and sleep-laden movements perfectly synchronized with his. He’d always considered her an elegant woman, small and delicate. But not here. Not now. Not when she abandoned herself to sleep and was at her most unguarded. Then he saw through all the defenses and shields to the very core of the woman. Mysterious. Powerful. Gloriously female.

She’d entwined her body around his, all slender shapely arms and legs. Even in sleep she clung to him, a delicious, possessive hold that cut through all the conflicts and difficulties that separated them and simply lay claim. In the real world she dressed with style, presented herself with calm self-confidence. She’d always impressed him with her cool, professional demeanor. But here in their bed she revealed a passion that never failed to set him on fire.

He traced the planes of her face, reveling in the sensation of warm, silken skin, skin covering a bone structure of such purity that it quickened his breath and annihilated reason. He thought he would forgot, that over the long months they were apart that time would steal precious memories. But it didn’t. He knew each curve, remembered them all, would have recognized the feel of her, even if he’d been blind.

She was back. Granted, it wasn’t out of choice. But in time, that would change. He’d make sure of it. His fingers trailed downward, across a pale shoulder, sculpting the feminine dip and swell of waist and hip. The hem of her nightgown had bunched high on her slender thighs, offering him a tantalizing view of the shapely curve of her backside. He’d missed waking up to this. Would she still moan if he caressed those sinewy lines with his fingertips?

He put thought into action and was rewarded with the lightest of sighs, one of undeniable pleasure. She shifted against him, softening and opening. Her head tipped back, spilling golden curls across their pillow, offering up the long sweep of her throat. He buried his mouth against the hollow at the very base and at the same time cupped her breast through the thin layer of silk covering it. It felt warm within his palm, the nipple a small perfect bud, ripe for the plucking. He grazed the tip. Once. Twice. The third stroke had her stirring with his name on her lips, the sound escaping in a strangled cry of sheer need.

There wasn’t any just-woke-up confusion about Catherine. There never had been. She went from a dead sleep to aroused woman in the blink of an eye. Her arms circled his neck and she pulled him in for a hot, hungry kiss. He didn’t need further prompting. He rolled over on top of her, sinking into her warmth.

He’d planned to give her a moment to adjust to both his weight and his embrace. But she took the initiative. Hooking a leg around his waist, she anchored him close and deepened the kiss. In this area they’d always been in perfect accord, each the perfect mate for the other. Her lips parted and he delved inward, stoking the heat. He could feel her tremble in response to his touch, feel her heartbeat pounding against his palm, and his own pulse caught the rapid-fire rhythm and echoed it.

Need ripened between them, escalating with dizzying speed. As though sensing it, she ended the kiss with a small, nipping tug of his bottom lip. “Not so fast.” The request was half plea, half demand. “Give me time to think.”

“Forget it, Catherine. No more waiting. This is all that matters,” he told her fiercely. Once again he plied her lips with small, biting kisses while his hands traversed sweetly familiar pathways that had been left unexplored for far too long. “This is what’s important. What we feel right here and right now.”

“I wish that were true.” Her breath hitched when he reacquainted himself with a particularly vulnerable curve of skin, just along the outer swell of her breast. “But we can’t just forget what came before. What about my reasons for leaving you? What about all the empty space during the time we were apart? As enjoyable as it will be, knotting up the bedsheets isn’t going to make all our problems go away.”

“But it’ll ground us,” he maintained. “It’ll give us a common base from which to work.” He swept his hand across her heated flesh to prove his point, watching as her eyes glazed and her breath exploded. “We were meant to be together.”

She managed to shake her head, but he could see the effort it took her. If he pressed, she’d cave. And though parts of him wanted her any way he could have her, the rational part of his brain preferred her willing, not fighting regrets. He leaned in and gave her another wickedly slow, thorough kiss before easing back.

She eyed him in open suspicion, while she probed her swollen lips with the tip of her tongue. “Are they smoking? They feel like they’re smoking.”

He choked on a laugh. How did she do it? How did she take him from overwhelming hunger to heart-melting amusement with one simple question? “Your lips aren’t smoking, but your tongue is. Just a little around the edges.” He leaned in. “I can show you where. Make it all better.”

Now it was her turn to laugh. “I’ll just bet.” She closed her eyes. “You make it impossible to think.”

“Then don’t.” He couldn’t keep his hands off her. “Just feel.”

“That’s not smart. Nor is it safe.”

“I won’t hurt you, Cate.”

He felt the tremor that shook her, the quiver of remembered pain. “You already have,” she whispered.

“Let me heal some of that hurt.”

His offer provoked tears and they glittered in her eyes like gold dust. He didn’t know if he’d said the right thing, or the wrong. He just knew it was honest, welling from the very core of him. Her arms slid up along his chest in response and she cupped his face. This time she initiated the embrace. It was her lips that sought his and slid like a quiet balm over his mouth. She probed with a delicacy unique to her, dancing lightly. Sweetly. Tenderly.

Just as he’d reacquainted himself with the dip and swell, the remarkable texture and scent, now so did she. Her hands cruised along his back, testing far harder planes and angles than those he’d examined. “This is where you carry it,” she told him between kisses. “The weight of your responsibilities.”

He trailed his fingers along her shoulders, scooping up the narrow straps of her nightgown and teasing them down her arms. “I’m strong. I can take a lot of weight.”

“Not right now. Right now I want you right here. With me. No responsibilities. No interruptions. Just the two of us.”

Didn’t she understand? “There’s nowhere else for me to be.” And he’d find a way to prove it.

He painted a series of kisses along the lacy edge of her nightgown where it dipped low over her breasts, and nudged the flimsy barrier from his path. He nearly groaned at the feel of satiny skin against his mouth and cheek. Her breasts were glorious, small, firm, and beautifully shaped, but then so was she. He caught her nipple between his teeth and tugged ever so gently, watching the wash of color that blossomed across her skin and turned her face a delicate shade of rose.

“Your eyes have gone dark,” he told her. “Like antique gold.”

“They haven’t gone dark.” Her breath escaped in a wispy groan. “They’ve gone blind.”

“You don’t need to see. Just feel.”

More than anything, he wanted to make this perfect for her. To heal some of what had gone before. As much as he wanted to take her, to bury himself in her warmth and create that ultimate joining, this first time would be for her. He’d give her slow. He’d give her gentle. And he’d give her the healing she so desperately craved.

He danced with her, danced with mouth and hands and quiet caresses, driving her ever higher toward that elusive pinnacle. The air grew thick and heavy with need, tightening around them until all that existed was man and woman and the desire that bound two into one. He drove her, ever upward, knowing just how to touch, just where to stroke until her muscles clenched and she hovered on the crest.

And then he mated their bodies, kissing away the helpless tears that clung to her lashes like a dusting of diamonds. Slow and easy he moved, sliding her up and up and up, before tipping her over and tumbling down the other side with her. For a long time afterward they clung to each other, wrapped together in a slick tangle of limp arms and legs.

“I can’t remember how to breathe,” he managed to say.

“Funny. I can’t remember how to move.” She opened a single eye.“ If I breathe for you, can you move for me?”

“I’ll get right on that.” He groaned. “Tomorrow, maybe.”

“Okay.” She fell silent for so long he thought she’d gone back to sleep. Then she asked, “Why, Gabe?”

“Why, what?” he asked lazily.

She opened her eyes, eyes clear and bright and glittering like the sun. “You were always a generous lover. But this morning…This morning was a gift.”

He grinned. “Then just accept it and say thank you.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“It makes me wonder, though…” A small frown creased her brow, like a thundercloud creeping over the horizon. “Where do we go from here? What do you want from me?”

He answered honestly. “Whatever you’re willing to give.”

She absorbed that, turned it over in her mind, before nodding. “That’s easy enough. I can’t give you permanent, but I can give you temporary. We can enjoy each other these next few months. I don’t have a problem with that.”

His jaw tightened. “And then?”

Something about her easy smile rang false. “Then we go our separate ways, of course. We tried living together once. It didn’t work, remember?”

How could she lie beneath him and act as though what they felt was transient? Didn’t she feel the connection, the way their bodies fused one to the other? The way their minds and spirits were so evenly matched? “What if a couple months isn’t enough?” he argued. “It wasn’t last time.”

He watched her pick and choose her words and his suspicion grew. She was hiding something, keeping a part of herself locked carefully away. “We were different people then. We had different goals in life. You wanted a woman who would take care of the social end of your life. Someone who would nurture you and your home. At the time, I thought that would be enough to satisfy me, too.”

“Is this about your career?” Relief swept through him and he almost laughed. “You think I object to you running your own business?”

“No…at least, not yet. But I have a feeling the time will come when you’d expect me to set it aside in order to fulfill more pressing obligations.”

“More pressing obligations,” he repeated. His eyes narrowed. “Are you talking about children?”

She refused to meet his eyes. “I don’t want children, Gabe. I want a career. You made it crystal clear to me before I left that you were planning on a large family, just like the one you had growing up.”

He sat up and thrust a hand through his hair. “Is that why you left?” he demanded in disbelief. “Because you didn’t want to have a baby?”

“You were pressing for one.”

“Damn it, I asked you to marry me.”

“I remember,” she retorted. “It was a beautiful proposal…right up until work reared its ugly head. Roxanne’s call cut me off midsentence, do you even remember that?”

He fought to recall. She’d been crying. They’d been tears of joy, of that he was certain. She’d been shaking and laughing while those tears had slid down her face. And she’d said something…Hell. What had it been? “You had something you wanted to tell me.” He shrugged. “I assume it was, ‘Yes, darling, I’ll marry you.’ Or did I get even that wrong?”