LITMIR.BIZ

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sending fresh skitters of awareness up her arm. The darkness and distant night sounds isolated them with too much intimacy.

      Alexa eased back a step toward their suite and the soft serenade of Mozart on the breeze. “Have you looked into finding someone else to take care of your children?”

      Still, he didn’t move. He didn’t have to. His presence called to her as he simply stood a couple of steps away, his broad shoulders backlit by the moon, starlight playing across his blond hair, giving him a Greek godlike air.

      “Why would I need to do that?” he asked. “You’re here for them.”

      “Our agreement only lasts for twenty-four hours,” she reminded him, holding onto the door frame to bolster her wavering resolve.

      “I thought we established the time frame had expanded because my meeting with Javier Cortez fell through tonight.” He stepped closer, stopping just shy of touching her again. “You even rearranged things at your work to accommodate our business agreement.”

      He was right, and she’d allowed him to scramble her thoughts once more. She locked onto his last three words and pushed ahead. “Our business agreement.”

      “You’re angry.”

      “Not…angry exactly. Just frustrated and disappointed in both of us.”

      His eyes flared with something indefinable. “Disappointed?”

      “Oh—” she suddenly understood his expression “—not disappointed in the kiss. It was… Hell, you were here, too. There’s no denying the chemistry between us.”

      Another arrogant grin spread across his face. “I agree one hundred percent.”

      “But back to the Brad Pitt principle.” She stiffened her spine and her resolve. “Just because there’s an attraction doesn’t mean it’s wise to act on it. I’m disappointed that we did something so reckless, so unprofessional. My business has to be my primary focus, just as you’ve said your children are your main concern.”

      “Having my priorities in order doesn’t cancel out my attraction to you. I can separate business from pleasure.” He held her with his laser hot gaze. “I’m very good at multitasking.”

      Anger did build inside her now alongside the frustration. “You’re not hearing me! This thing between us is too much, too soon. We barely know each other and we both have high stakes riding on this trip.” She jabbed him in the chest with one finger. “So, listen closely. No. More. Kissing.”

      She launched through the door and into the suite before he could shake her resolve again. But as she raced across the luxurious sitting area into her bedroom, his voice echoed in her ears and through her hungry senses.

       “Damn shame.”

      She completely agreed. Sleep tonight would be difficult to come by as regrets piled on top of frustrated desire.

      * * *

      Staring off over the city skyline, Seth leaned back in his chair, staying on the turret balcony long after Alexa left. The heat of their kiss still sizzling through him, he finished his seltzer water, waiting for the light in her room to turn off.

      He’d only met her today, and he couldn’t recall wanting any woman this much. The strength of the attraction had been strong enough on its own. But now that he’d actually tasted her? He pushed the glass aside, his deeper thirst not even close to quenched.

      Now he had to decide what to do about that feeling. She was right in saying that giving in to an affair wasn’t wise. They both had important reasons to keep their acquaintance all business.

      His life was complicated enough. He needed to keep his life stable for his kids. No parade of women through the door, confusing them.

      He eyed his smartphone on the table where it had been resting since his four attempts to contact Pippa. She still wasn’t returning his messages, and his temper was starting to simmer. What if there had been something wrong with one of the kids and he needed to contact her? She should at least pick up to find out why he was trying to reach her.

      His phone vibrated with an incoming call. He slammed his chair back on all four legs and scooped up his cell fast. The LED screen showed a stored name…his cousin Paige back in Charleston.

      Not Pippa.

      Damn it.

      Even his extended family kept in better contact with him than the mother of his kids. His cousins Paige and Vic had both moved from North Dakota, each starting their families in the Charleston area. With no other family left out west, Seth had followed and started his own business.

      He picked up without hesitation. “Paige? Everything okay?”

      “We’re fine.” His cousin’s voice was soft as if lowered to keep from waking her children. Classical guitar music played softly in the background. “The girls are both finally asleep. I’ve been worried about you all afternoon. How are you and the twins? I feel so bad that I couldn’t help you out.”

      “No need to call and apologize. We prefer to steer clear of strep throat.”

      “Actually I’m calling about Vic and Claire…”

      Oh. Hell. In the chaos with the twins, he’d actually forgotten that his cousin Vic’s wife had gone into labor today. “How’s she doing?”

      “She delivered a healthy baby boy just before midnight. Nine pounds thirteen ounces, which explains the C-section. But Mom and baby are doing great. His big sister and big brother can’t wait to meet him in the morning.” Two boys and a girl. A family.

      Seth scratched the kink in his neck. “Send my congratulations when you see them. I’ll swing by for a visit when I get back in town.”

      “I’ll let them know.” The reception crackled as it sounded like she moved her phone to the other ear. More guitar music filled the airwaves… Bach, perhaps? “Actually, I called for a different reason. Now that Claire’s had the baby and Vic has picked up their kids, her sister Starr says she can watch the twins. They know her two kids. They’ll have a blast. You could fly Olivia and Owen up early in the morning before your first meeting.”

      “That’s a generous offer…”

      “My girls won’t be contagious in another day or two once the antibiotics kick in, so I can relieve her then. No worries.”

      Her plan sounded workable. And yet, he hesitated, his gaze drawn back to the suite where Alexa slept. “You’re all busy with your own families, and I have a plan in place here.”

      “You’re family,” Paige insisted sincerely. “We want to help.”

      “I appreciate that.” Except he genuinely wanted his kids near him—and he wanted to keep Alexa near him, too.

      The thought of cutting his time with Alexa short—it just wasn’t happening. Crazy, really, since he could contact her later, after this deal was cinched. If she was even still speaking to him once she realized he never intended to give her the Jansen Jets contract.

      No. His time to get to know Alexa was now. He needed to figure out this unrelenting draw between them and work through it. She was here, and he intended to keep it that way. “Thanks, Paige, but I meant it when I said I’m set. I have help.”

      “Hmm…” Her voice rose with interest. “You have a new nanny?”

      His family chipped in most of the time, but he didn’t want to take advantage so he hired a couple of part-time nannies on occasion, all of which Paige would already know about. “Not a nanny. More of a sitter, a, uh, friend actually.”

      “A female friend?” she pressed, tenacious as ever.

      “She’s a female, yes.” Definitely female.

      “That’s it?” Paige laughed. “That’s all you’re

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