LITMIR.BIZ

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gradual descent. “I—you what?”

      “I need your help with a client.”

      “Oh, right. A client.”

      Embarrassment flooded through her. What exactly had she thought Zach was confessing? Some deep, emotional need? Please! The man lived and breathed work. She knew that. So why had she so quickly jumped to such a ridiculous conclusion? And why would she even consider testing the waters of her attraction for him when she knew how it would end? Business would win hands down and she’d be so far behind, she wouldn’t even show up in the picture.

      “Can this wait until tomorrow? I’m kind of off the clock.”

      He was shaking his head before she finished speaking. “No, it’s an emergency,” he declared as the elevator doors opened to the parking garage. He caught her hand and started pulling her down the aisle of cars, leaving her little choice but to trot alongside. “I need you to come with me.”

      Late in the day and with the security lights not yet on, the parking garage was cloaked in shadows. Keeping pace beside Zach, Allison felt like she’d stepped into a spy thriller. Any moment, bad guys would jump out and spray the surrounding cars with a volley of bullets. Despite the slightly dangerous air and her own overactive imagination, they reached his car unscathed.

      Almost unscathed, Allison amended, feeling the imprint of his palm branding hers. That slow burn inched up her arm, across her torso, tightening her breasts and centering in her heart.

      “Emergency? People have medical emergencies, mechanical emergencies, plumbing emergencies. They don’t have receptionist emergencies! There’s no such thing—”

      “I’ll pay you overtime. Double time … triple time. Whatever you want.”

      “It’s after five-thirty. I want to go home.” Of course, going home meant hanging out alone because, despite the message she left, her sister wouldn’t call back. But she was not a workaholic Not anymore. She refused to sacrifice everything for money or success or whatever demons drove Zach.

      He halted beside a black BMW and turned to face her. “Please.”

      That single word, one she sensed Zach didn’t say often, swayed her. A razor-sharp determination always ran beneath his polished surface, but today that edge was slicing through the façade, revealing the real man inside. That was the man who caught her attention. The real man she sensed was buried so deep few people ever saw a hint of him. And this might be Allison’s last and only chance to see more …

      Ignoring the warning in her head, she conceded, “Okay, I’ll help. What do you need?”

      “I’ll explain on the way.”

      “On the way where?”

      “Where we’re going,” he said cryptically as he opened the passenger door.

      She should be at least a little annoyed by his arrogance. After all, she was the one helping him, not the other way around. But a quick check of the emotions ping-ponging through her body as she slid into the leather seat, and nope, not an annoyed ball in the mix. Just curiosity and attraction bouncing back and forth, jumping through her stomach and along her nerve endings.

      Zach didn’t speak as he drove, the traffic-filled streets slowly taking them toward Scottsdale. Now that she’d agreed to help, he seemed willing to keep her completely in the dark when it came to how she was supposed to do that. Fidgeting with the beads on her purse, she kept quiet as long as she could before bursting out. “If I’m going to help you, you’ll have to tell me what you need.”

      Stopped at a red light, he glanced over at her. Their eyes met, and questions about what Zach needed to break through the stress and tension constantly pulling at him tempted Allison. She knew it had to be a trick of the setting sun that a spark of desire in his blue eyes seemed to answer those questions …

      The honk of a horn behind them jerked Zach’s attention forward once more, freeing her from the intensity of his gaze. Allison exhaled a sigh of relief as she practically wilted against the seat. She didn’t know what the rest of the night had in store, but she’d never survive it if she kept letting her imagination run away with her.

      “I have a dinner meeting in half an hour,” he said, his grim tone a sharp contrast to the simple statement.

      “Okay,” she said slowly. “That watch of yours tells me you’re usually a little more excited about meeting with clients.”

      Everything she knew about Zach Wilder told Allison he was a man who lived for the hunt, that victory—and conquest—could never live up to the chase. All the more reason to stay out of his sights, but she sensed his desperation, a chink in Zach’s normally impenetrable armor. And not that she was searching for a weakness, but somehow, she couldn’t let this opportunity go.

      “You’ve had tough clients before. What about this dinner has you so stressed?”

      Zach winced. “I’m not supposed to be so easy to read.”

      “Oh, don’t worry. You’re a total mystery,” she said wryly. On one hand, Zach was an open book. Or, more like an open business journal—focused on one thing and one thing only. As for the reasons why … Allison was completely in the dark. “But why aren’t you more excited?”

      “I am excited,” Zach protested, his shoulders straightening against the padded leather seat in a defensive stance. “This was supposed to be my second meeting with James and Riana Collins of Collins Jewelers. James recently moved to Scottsdale, planning to hand over the reins of his company, but his retirement only lasted a few months. Now, instead of taking a step back, he’s decided to expand his stores to the Southwest, starting in Scottsdale and Las Vegas, and I’ve got a good shot at winning the security contract for Knox.”

      “Sounds great. What’s the catch?”

      His hands tightened on the wheel as if he thought the car might be the next thing to spin out of his control. “Riana left a message that James can’t make it.”

      “But you can still meet with her.”

      With a dark and emphatic scowl, he muttered, “Exactly.”

      A burst of understanding hit her. “So it’s like that, is it?” Allison couldn’t blame any woman for finding Zach attractive, but she had little respect for anyone who would cheat on a spouse. Her parents’ marriage had shown her what a union built on love and trust could be like, and she clung to that ideal even if her own relationship with Kevin had fallen woefully short. He might not have cheated on her, but he was still a cheat.

      Shoving thoughts of her ex aside, Allison said to Zach, “I’m sure Mrs. Collins—”

      “Ms. Collins,” Zach interrupted. “Riana is James’s daughter.”

      “Oh,” Allison said, as her mental image of James Collins as an outraged husband altered to overprotective father, and Riana from cougar to kitten. “Still, Ms. Collins can’t be the first admirer you’ve had. You must know how to let a girl down easy.”

      Even as she said the words, she wondered if they were true. Was Zach the type to send flowers along with an “it’s not you, it’s me” note? Or was he more the kind of guy who simply stopped calling?

      Not that it mattered; she wasn’t considering a relationship with Zach. At least, not seriously considering one.

      “That’s different. Riana Collins isn’t someone I met in a bar. This is business.” He underscored the word with such emphasis, words like HUGE, IMPORTANT or EVERYTHING could have been used in its place. “Turning her down could offend her. If I so much as hurt her feelings, it could end this deal. And I will not let that happen.”

      “Well …” Allison pretended to think for a minute. “I suppose you could always sleep with her.”

      “That’s something else I won’t let happen,” he said.

      Because

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