Naughty Little Secret

  you with the respect your intelligence deserves—”

  She laughed. “Tim treated me like a cross between Airhead Barbie and the invisible woman. He couldn’t have cared less about my abilities beyond cooking and housekeeping.”

  “Tim can be an utter moron.”

  “Thank you.” Her expression softened, and her gaze seemed to reach for him, linger. “On that, we’re agreed.”

  “I’ll help you today as much as I can. It’s a good idea and an excellent plan. You know I’m on your side.”

  Her big brown eyes softened even more. “Thanks again. I know you’ve neglected your own projects to help me with this one. I appreciate you taking the time.”

  He shot her a direct stare. A heated one. Could she see it? Did she understand?

  Lauren’s gaze clung to him from beneath thick lashes before skittering away.

  “Sugar,” he whispered.

  Her dark brown stare was back, uncertain, almost questioning.

  “I’ll always make time for you.”

  Noah knew time—and Tim’s amount of it away from Lauren and home—had been a centerpiece in the divorce. After their split, Tim had shown up at his place, shitfaced, and spilled his guts. Sensing his chance with Lauren after all these years, Noah hadn’t stopped Tim’s verbal regurgitation of their marital problems. Even Tim admitted he did everything he could to climb the corporate ladder and volunteered to travel whenever the subject came up. He had nothing against Lauren or marriage…but he didn’t want either. Neither of them had cheated or lied. Tim had just acted as if Lauren and the girls didn’t exist.

  The guard in Lauren’s gaze dropped, and suddenly he could see pain and…was he actually seeing longing?

  “Hey, you two whispering the secrets of the universe, or are you going to start this meeting?” Gus Martin, one of Noah’s partners, groused. “I’ve got other things to do this morning.”

  The jackass hadn’t even finished speaking before Lauren’s face closed up. She jerked away and began straightening papers again. Noah resisted the urge to march across the room, grab Martin by the throat, and pound his head into a wall.

  She stared right at her nemesis, giving him a cool, take-no-prisoners stare. Noah was so proud of her moxie and smarts, he nearly burst with it.

  “I’m ready, Mr. Martin.”

  Chapter Five

  “I think we did it!” Lauren shrieked the minute they entered Noah’s office and he closed the door behind them.

  “You did it,” he corrected. “And I think you’re right. The decision will come quick and be favorable because you did great and kept your cool. You had all the right information. You gave Martin logical arguments. You shut him down when he tried to run you over. Everyone was impressed.” He smiled.

  Lauren basked in the glow. His eyes were a cool blue, but that grin of approval made his whole expression so toasty, she could have roasted marshmallows. “I would never have succeeded without you. You’re the one who made me ruthlessly prepare.”

  He stepped closer. “I just helped you make sure you’d thought of crap that would occur to Martin. I know how his mind works.”

  “Yes, you do.” She clapped. “How soon do you think we’ll hear?”

  “This afternoon,” he assured. “There are only four other voting members, since I already cast my vote. Dave Danson is behind the project. I shot hoops with him yesterday.”

  “Wow, you really do plan ahead and think of everything.”

  “Good planning always has rewards.” He shrugged. “Yours will come. I think you swayed Martin. After him, the other two should be a piece of cake. Honestly, I think they’ll green-light you to start the focus groups quickly.”

  “That would be awesome. I still can’t believe how well it went. If the project gets approved, that will really help me refine the whole scope. With the feedback from the focus groups, I can capture what patrons in the identified demographics will want. If the data bears out my thoughts and these locations actually open, these will be more family-oriented than our current locations, but will—”

  Noah grabbed her hands. “Sugar, you don’t have to sell me. You persuaded me a long time ago.”

  “Thanks for believing I could.” She bit her lip.

  “I never doubted it.”

  Lauren smiled and looked up at him. His eyes sparkled with affection and sincerity. She sucked in a breath. Taking in that expression at point-blank range was like being star struck. It hit her square in the chest. God, he was so beautiful, it hurt.

  Noah still held her hands in his. Warm. Slightly calloused. Large and long-fingered. He was standing nearer than ever. Dangerously close. And he was looking straight down at her. The room was suddenly thick with silence.

  She swallowed.

  The moment her stranger had slid deep in her body while she’d fantasized about Noah rushed back to her. Mr. Mysterious’s touch made her blood hot, but when she’d conjured up a vision of Noah, he’d cranked up her blood to a roiling boil. The thought of him wanting her, binding her under him, and compelling her to accept his passion had sent her over the edge, head first into pleasure as sharp as a machete and so hot, lava felt like ice cubes by comparison.

  Even remembering her fantasies made her blush.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked, wearing a sexy smile that challenged her to tell the truth.

  Oh, no. Did he have any idea that she was thinking about sex? With him?

  Her bet? Yes. Time to lie like hell.

  “A million things.” She discreetly tugged her hands from his grasp and crossed the room to stuff the papers she’d brought from the meeting in her laptop case. “Gosh, doing well at this meeting was like a head rush, as amazing as an upside-down rollercoaster ride.”

  “The idea of beating up on Martin’s intellect makes you blush? And here I thought maybe it was being close to me. I must be slipping.”

  Lauren heard his mocking tone, but still, she snapped her gaze up to his face. To his teasing smile that made her heart stop. Noah wasn’t slipping. Since the day she’d become aware of him as a man a couple of years ago, she’d learned he was devastatingly effective against her resistance. If he ever turned the full force of his charm on her, she suspected he’d be lethal to her heart. After all, Noah had left a string of younger, sturdier hearts in his wake. She couldn’t be stupid enough to add hers to his collection.

  “You could never slip, Noah. But remember, I know you too well to fall for all that charm, so…” She shrugged and tried to toss him a light smile, then quickly segued to another subject by glancing at her watch. “Wow, look at the time. I didn’t realize it was already almost eleven. I think I’ll treat myself to an early lunch. Bye.”

  “Wait. I’ll take you to lunch. You’ve more than earned it.” He crossed the room to stand beside her again. “You can even have a glass of wine. I won’t tell the boss,” he whispered with a grin.

  Lauren forced a laugh. What she really wanted to do was tear his clothes off. Bad, bad, bad idea.

  Her head told her to refuse. Her mouth had a mind of its own. “All right. Let’s go.”

  He placed a hand at the small of her back and guided her out the door. Lauren felt her nipples harden just from that inconsequential touch. She took a discreet half step away from him.

  “I need to collect my purse and stop at the restroom.”

  “I’ll meet you in front of your desk in five.”

  Nodding, Lauren darted to the bathroom. Inside, she was blessedly alone and stared at herself in the mirror. The upswept do was professional. Her suit impeccable, thanks to her sister’s great taste in clothing. The jewelry helped bring the look together for a casual sophistication that really was perfect for this office.

  Unfortunately, her flushed cheeks, swollen lips, and dilated eyes all screamed “fuck me.”

  Lauren groaned. She’d splash a sink full of cold water on her face if it wouldn’t ruin her foundation and run her mascara.

  Deep breaths, one a
fter the other. She could do this. It was just lunch. Noah liked to tease, always had. His banter meant nothing. The fact that she wanted his flirtation…well, that was her problem.

  Quickly, she used the facilities, washed her hands, returned to her desk and retrieved her purse. Noah stood quietly, waiting, watching. His gaze drilled her. Hot. Almost…like he wanted to strip her down and spend the afternoon between her legs. Surely he didn’t mean to look at her that way. Impossible.

  “Where to?” she asked brightly, hoping the sudden spike in her body temperature wasn’t all over her face.

  He suggested a nearby Mexican food restaurant, which she adored, and they were off. The car ride was tense. Lauren tried to fill it with conversation, but he kept sending that stare her way until she lost her train of thought and shut up.

  They arrived at the restaurant and were seated right away. Again, Noah guided her across the place with a hand at the small of her back. His touch jolted her, vibrating through her, all the way down to her…better not to dwell on that part of her just now. Focusing on the wet ache would only kill her conversational skills.

  Unfortunately, seated across from him, Lauren had almost nowhere to look except at Noah. She was never so grateful for a basket of tortilla chips so that she had something to do with her hands that didn’t involve ripping that pristine white shirt from his yummy chest.

  “You look tense, sugar. Relax and tell me what’s wrong.”

  “Um, worried about the outcome of the meeting,” she lied after swallowing her chip.

  “It’ll all come out in your favor. You watch.”

  Lauren suspected he was right, and she wasn’t one to count her chickens. But she had to say something appropriate to the man. Somehow, she didn’t think bringing up her midnight fantasies to him—about him—would be considered appropriate.

  “Hey, while I’ve got you out and away from the office, can I ask you a question?”

  She hesitated. “A question?”

  “Yeah. Something personal.”

  Oh, this subject sounded ripe with possibilities, none of them good…

  “Sure.” What else could she say?

  “I’m interested in this woman…”

  “There’s a shock.”

  Lauren winced as soon as she said it. Part pure sarcasm, part jealous annoyance, she hoped it hid her disappointment. This shouldn’t upset her. At all. Noah and his sluts de jour were nothing new. It wasn’t like she loved the man. Actually, she was more attached to her boss than was wise, so maybe his pursuit of another woman was for the best.

  Nice rationalization, she thought, restraining the urge to roll her eyes.

  He laughed at her. Actually laughed! Unbelievable.

  “I’m sure to you it looks like I’ve dated my fair share.”

  “Your share and half that of the male population in Texas. But whatever.” She shrugged, pretending not to care.

  The waiter came by and slapped glasses of water on their table, took their orders, and fled as only a busy man trying to keep up with the lunch rush could.

  Once they were alone again, Noah continued, “This woman, she’s divorced. And she’s giving me the ‘get lost’ vibe. I’m not exactly sure why. Got any insider tips?”

  “What, on the mind of a divorced woman?”

  He nodded. “I mean, if you were her, why would you be blowing me off?”

  “That’s easy. Fear of pain. Divorce sucks. Relationships suck. They all end with someone hurting, and guys like you have no lasting power when it comes to matters of the heart, so she knows she’s likely to be the one to be sitting at home with a bottle of wine, listening to sad country songs when it’s all over. Given that fact, she’s not going to take a chance on you, especially if you’re still seeing Misty.”

  “Misty is out of the picture. She has been for a few weeks, actually.”

  Lauren was more pleased to hear that than she should be. “Still, your reputation precedes you.”

  Noah hesitated. “But I don’t think it’s me she’s objecting to. I think it’s the idea of relationships in general. And I don’t get it.”

  “Because clearly, you’ve never had your heart broken.”

  “I wouldn’t say that.”

  To say Lauren was shocked was a huge understatement. “You, broken hearted? I can’t picture it.”

  “Try. I’m not impervious or immune. I’ve been hurt. Sometimes, it still hurts.” He glanced away for a second, then shrugged. “That’s never stopped me from dating and trying to move on. It’s frustrating that she won’t let her guard down with me. If you were her, what would be stopping you?”

  “Aside from your cheerleaders and your reputation?”

  Noah leaned forward, into her personal space, and directed her a stare that just about singed her toes. “Aside from that.”

  She tried to back away, but in a small restaurant booth, she really had no place to go. “I don’t know this woman…”

  “You’re a lot like her, I think. You have a lot in common.”

  Lord, Lauren wanted to know who this woman was. And where did he meet her? A bar? A business trip? A bus stop? No telling.

  “Look, I don’t know her situation, so I probably shouldn’t—”

  “Please. I need your help. I really… This means a lot to me. She means a lot. I think she’s the one.”

  Lauren sighed in defeat, grinding her teeth to try to hold in her…no, that couldn’t be despair. She was upset. A little. That’s it. Damn it.

  Noah ditching his string of Miss Right-nows in favor of one Miss Right had to happen someday. The timing sucked, but she certainly didn’t need a serious guy, much less another trip down the aisle. Maybe she should give him hints, send him on his way. Their office relationship would be much less strained if he had a serious someone else. Maybe she’d stop fantasizing about him. Someday.

  She should help him…but the idea made her want to sharpen her fingernails on the woman’s face.

  “Divorce taught me that men always want what’s new and shiny,” she whispered. “With Tim, it was promotions and trips to Rio and Moscow, Paris, Hong Kong, Cairo, etcetera. Fill in the blank. The bottom line was, his work was always more important. He wasn’t even there when Cass was born.”

  “I remember. I was there.”

  Her anger softened. “I know. It was sweet of you to wear out the carpet in the waiting room.”

  Amusement danced in his blue eyes. “Do you think she’s afraid I might be a workaholic?”

  “Not you. If she knows you at all, she knows that’s not the problem. Focus, here. Shiny and new. With you, it’s women. And with you, there’s always plenty of those swarming around.”

  “I think swarming is a strong word.”

  “Yeah, you’ve never been crushed by the horde. Remember that Fourth of July picnic—”

  “Ancient history,” he insisted. “You’re telling me you’re convinced it’s because she believes there’d be another woman to replace her sooner or later.”

  “Sooner rather than later. Even if she isn’t specifically worried about you leaving her for someone else, it takes a while before a girl wants to risk her heart again. God knows, I’m in no hurry.”

  Noah shot her a piercing stare. “But what if, in your hesitance, you’re passing up Mr. Perfect-for-you?”

  Lauren paused. That had never actually occurred to her. Clearly, she was too young to spend the rest of her life alone. She might be ready for a steady boyfriend in the next decade. But what about all the opportunities—men—she was passing up now?

  “I guess if it was meant to be, he could wait until I was ready.”