One Night with the Boss (14 page)

For a few seconds she didn’t feel the cold. Then it hit her, but Brady was there, so close the heat from his body warmed her. She turned and he handed her a snifter with a small amount of amber liquid splashed in the bottom.

“What should we drink to?” His voice was deep and velvety with seduction.

One thing after another skipped through her mind, but not one seemed right. “Too much pressure. You decide.”

“Okay.” He thought for a moment, then said, “To you.”

“And you.” She touched her glass to his.

Olivia sipped and swallowed, letting the liquor burn down her throat. It settled in her stomach and warmed her from the inside out, giving everything a sort of magical glow.

When she finished her drink, Brady took the snifter from her and set both of them on the patio’s table for two. Then he moved close and stared into her eyes.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look more beautiful than you do now, in the moonlight, with the Montana mountains behind you....” He stopped, seeming at a loss for words. “Simply stunning.”

Her heart pounded and the moment seemed surreal. “I don’t know what to say to that.”

“Good. Because talking is the last thing I want to do.”

He settled his hands on her hips and tugged her close before lowering his head to touch his mouth softly to hers. Her pulse went from zero to sixty in a heartbeat. Their breath mingled and escalated, making white clouds in the cold air.

When she shivered he pulled away and swore. “I’m an idiot. Let’s get you back inside.”

Olivia didn’t feel cold, just warm, fuzzy and turned on. He could take her anywhere as long as he kissed her that way again. Sliding his arm around her waist, Brady walked her back into the suite and closed the French doors behind them.

“Now, where were we?” Indirect light from the living room illuminated the bed and she could see the sexy, amused look in his eyes.

“I think—here.” She stood on tiptoe and brushed his lips with hers.

His arms came around her, pressing her soft breasts against the solid strength of his chest. He groaned and his breathing grew labored as his fingers grazed the bare skin on her back.

The next thing she knew the zipper on her dress was going down. Air whispered against her spine and she knew when she moved away, her flirty little dress would fall at her feet. Since she wasn’t wearing a bra, that meant she would be naked except for panties and four-inch pumps.

Breathing hard, she pulled her mouth from his and let her arms slide down his chest. Then, taking a deep breath and a step back, she watched his expression go from intense to awe to unmistakable male approval.

“Liv, I—” He stopped and cleared his throat. “I take it back. You look more beautiful now than you did in the moonlight.”

This time she knew what to say. “I’m glad you think so.”

“I do.”

He pulled the bottom of his dress shirt from the waist of his slacks and yanked it over his head without undoing the buttons. She started toward him and he said, “Hold that thought.”

Turning away, he moved to the bed and tossed off the pillows, then dragged down the comforter, blanket and top sheet in one sweeping motion. He opened the nightstand drawer and removed a small square packet.

“You are prepared,” she said.

“A regular Boy Scout.”

“What if I said no?”

“I’d have been very disappointed.”

The thing was, he’d all but said this was what he had in mind, so it really wasn’t a surprise that he was ready. So was she.

He smiled and held out his hand. “Come here.”

After stepping out of her heels, she moved closer and put her fingers in his palm, letting him tug her to him. He lifted her into his arms and set her in the center of the huge bed. Never letting his gaze drift from hers, he unbuckled his belt, unzipped his slacks, toed off his loafers and removed boxers and pants, followed by his socks.

When he joined her on the soft mattress he was naked and with a sweep of his hand, her panties joined his clothes on the floor. He rolled toward her and gathered her close, threading his fingers into her hair as their mouths reconnected. While he kissed her senseless, his palm stroked over the curve of her waist to caress her hip.

Olivia could hardly breathe. Brady took her to a place she’d never been before, where passion and desire grew until she could hardly stand it. She explored his bare chest, her palm wandering over the muscled contour while the masculine dusting of hair tickled her fingers. When she grazed his nipple, he sucked in air.

“Oh, God...” His voice was a ragged whisper. “I want you, Liv.”

“Yes...” She dragged the single word out until it became a hiss.

Brady didn’t hesitate. He rolled away from her long enough to grab the condom, then opened the packet and covered himself faster than seemed humanly possible. Settling himself over her, he took most of his weight on his forearms, entering her slowly, gently nudging, letting her grow accustomed to him. Eagerly she arched her hips up to meet him.

He kissed her then trailed his mouth over her chin and neck, nibbling her collarbone until finding her breast. He raked his tongue over the sensitized peak and the electric sensation started a trembling in her core that radiated outward. The instantaneous and unexpected release shattered her into a thousand pieces but he threaded his fingers with hers, squeezing gently and holding her until she was whole again.

Then he began to move and she met each thrust, ready and willing to go with him. His breathing was harsh and shallow before he suddenly went still and groaned as he buried his face in her neck. She held him and felt the corded muscles in his back as she kissed the broad curve of his shoulder, showing him with everything she had just how deep her feelings went.

It seemed like forever but was probably just moments before he lifted his head and looked into her eyes. Smiling he said, “Wow.”

“That goes double for me.”

He laughed and kissed the tip of her nose. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back.”

Olivia had no intention of ever moving, except maybe to burrow more deeply into the thick mattress and pull the cozy bedding up over her body. So this was what contentment felt like. For once in her life, reality was way better than her fantasies.

Then Brady came back and slid into bed beside her, snuggling her against him. “How are you?”

“Never been better.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Me, too.” He kissed the top of her head, then rested his cheek to the spot his lips had just brushed. “You know this means that you can’t be with Leonard.”

She went completely still. Oddly enough, her make-believe boyfriend had not once crossed her mind since Brady had said he planned to take her to bed. The reality was that she’d lied to him and it was time to come clean.

Olivia took a deep breath and said, “About Leonard...”

Chapter Fourteen

E
ver since Olivia had told her fake-boyfriend whopper, she’d had many opportunities to regret it, but never more than now. Confessing her transgression wasn’t the sort of postsex pillow talk she’d fantasized about. She wanted to snuggle in closer, except that seemed wrong somehow, so she shied away a little but couldn’t completely give up the lovely, warm circle of Brady’s arms.

“Liv?” he prompted.

“Okay. I was just—” Procrastinating, mostly. She sneaked a peek at his expression, which fell under the heading Amused Indulgence. “I’m just trying to figure out how to say this.”

“Just spit it out,” he suggested. “How bad can it be?”

“Pretty bad.” She pulled the sheet up more snugly, almost to her neck. “You have no idea how awful this is. You think I’m such a goody two-shoes. Honest and trustworthy. I just really hate to shatter your image of me.”

“Liv, just say it. Seriously, you’re not capable of anything that requires this much qualification.”

“Okay. Spit it out.” Probably for the best. “I lied. There is no Leonard Sebastian Honeycut.”

His lips twitched as if he was trying to hold back laughter. “Really?”

“Yes. I know it was wrong, but the words just came out of my mouth.”

“Why?”

Olivia thought back to that January day and why she’d made up her mind to quit. The alternative was that she’d turn into a dried-up old prune who wore an ancient ratty sweater. A spinster with no man, no kids, just a bunch of cats. Not that she didn’t like animals, but she didn’t want to be the cliché. It was the third time she’d tried to quit and she’d been determined to be successful. And then she’d said her piece and he was so cocky and cavalier.

“Do you remember when I told you I was quitting?”

His brows drew together in thought. “Vaguely.”

“Let me recap.” She gathered her thoughts. “First you made my decision to leave all about you. I believe the word you used was
abandon.
”

“Did I?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm.”

He removed his arm and propped the pillows against the headboard before sitting up to settle against them. The sheet pooled at his waist, highlighting the wide chest and muscular arms. The sight was almost as intoxicating as the rogue dimple that always distracted her.

“When that didn’t talk me out of it, you implied it was a new year’s resolution. Same-time-next-year sort of thing. You suggested that it was my way of asking for a raise.” She met his amused gaze, trying to decide if she was annoyed or still explaining why she’d lied. “Does any of this sound familiar to you?”

“A little.”

“FYI, about the raise...if I wanted one, I’d ask for it.”

“Understood.” He folded his arms over his chest. “Please go on.”

“When none of that was successful in getting what you wanted, you simply refused to accept my resignation.”

“And you said you wouldn’t show up. You reprimanded me for not looking for your replacement on the double.”

“Wow.”

“What?”

She rose up on her elbow and rested her cheek in her hand, staring at him. “Color me impressed that you were paying attention.”

“I always listen to you.”

“Right. Do you remember what happened after that?”

“It’s a little hazy,” he admitted.

“You begged.”

His mouth curved up. “That’s a little harsh.”

“But true.”

“Are we getting close to the part where you made up your mind to fib?”

“Yes.” She sighed. “When none of your tactics had the desired results, you attacked and asked why I was doing this now. You said nothing had changed in my life.”

He frowned. “I don’t remember that.”

“Of course you don’t. But I do.” She would always remember the humiliation and hopelessness of her pathetic life and how that fueled her determination to reinvent herself. “You were smug and so confident that my life revolved around you. That I’d always be around, at your beck and call.”

“When you’ve got the best, the smart play is to maintain.”

“I’m flattered, but twice before I tried to quit and always gave in. It would have happened again if I had nothing to fight back with. So—” she lifted a shoulder “—before I thought it through, the words came out of my mouth that I’d met a man and was moving away from Blackwater Lake.”

“What about the job offer in California?”

“That’s real. And it’s a great opportunity.” Although the fact that they were having this conversation in bed might mean everything had changed. A seed of hope started to grow. “I’m sorry, Brady. I didn’t plan to lie to you, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.”

He nodded. “I understand.”

“You do?” She piled her pillows up and slid to a sitting position beside him. Their shoulders brushed, sending sparks of heat skipping over her skin.

“Yes. And I have a confession to make, too.”

“Okay.” This could be good or bad. She held her breath and waited.

“I knew you were lying.”

She blinked at him for several moments then asked, “You knew? From the beginning?”

“No.”

She thought she’d pulled it off rather well and admitted to a bit of satisfaction at shaking up his unshakeable confidence. Still, he didn’t seem particularly upset about being lied to. “When you snooped in my email? Did you know then?”

“No.”

“Did Maggie tell you?” she demanded.

“Not at first. But I figured it out.”

“How?”

“Just little things. The fact that you hadn’t told your mother. When I kissed you, you kissed me back. I know you better than you think. If you were in a committed relationship, you wouldn’t kiss another man as if you meant it. Your story worked for a little while. But you need to face the fact that you’re really not a very good liar.”

Olivia started thinking back, trying to pinpoint the change. That day she’d come back from lunch. She aimed an accusing finger at him. “You were testing me. That day you were waiting for me and started the snowball fight. I thought you were acting weird.”

“Really?” He grinned.

“Yes. Now that I think about it, your behavior was different even before that. When you invited me to dinner and said I should dress up. That was out of character.”

“It was a romantic gesture.”

“And the very first one I’d ever experienced from you.” She’d been too wary to relax, but— “I had a good time that night.”

Now, here they were, getting everything out in the open.
Naked,
she thought, as little bubbles of happiness floated inside her. Then she noticed his expression.

He looked uneasy. “Liv, why did you feel as if you had to resort to a make-believe boyfriend in order to convince me you were serious about quitting? Why was it that important for you to get away from me?”

That was the question. Her motivation was, no pun intended, at the heart of the matter. He didn’t want anyone to get close and she wanted closeness and everything that came with it. Should she sugarcoat this and let him off the hook?

Olivia couldn’t believe she was thinking like that, still protecting him. The time had come to face up to the truth and she owed him that.

“Do you remember that night I came by the house unexpectedly? It was a couple of years ago,” she added.

There was a dark intensity in his eyes when he nodded. “You ended up falling asleep on my couch. Without telling me what was on your mind. Although it was obvious that you had something to tell me.”

“I still do. Nothing has changed.”

“Once you say something, you can’t take it back. Maybe it’s better left unsaid.” Now he didn’t look cocky and confident.

“No, the truth is best.” She took a deep breath, then met his gaze. “I love you, Brady. I have since I was fifteen years old. I thought I’d outgrow the crush, but that’s not what happened. Working for you only made me more sure that I’m in love with you.”

Olivia stared at him, waiting for him to respond to her heartfelt declaration. The longer she waited, the more her hope began to fail until finally it was gasping for survival. He just blinked at her.

“That’s what I thought.”

Tears burned her eyes but she refused to let them fall. At least she could get out of this with her dignity, if not her heart, intact.

Without a word, she slid out of bed, grateful there were no lights on in the bedroom as she gathered up her clothes. She fled to the suite’s living room to dress, then collected her coat and purse before letting herself out.

Brady still hadn’t said a word or tried to stop her, the complete opposite of his behavior when she’d quit her job. Who knew that instead of making up a fake boyfriend, all she had to do was confess her love to get him to accept her resignation? She’d bared herself, body and soul, and his silence was answer enough.

He didn’t feel the same.

And so her fantasy was really and truly over, with a completely different outcome from the one her imagination had cooked up. Real life was cruel that way, spoiling the happy ending. It had been a lot more magical in her head. She should have known when he’d poured the brandy and his toast had been “to you” and not “to us.”

“There is no us and never will be.”

Tears she’d kept him from seeing rolled down her cheeks as she walked away.

* * *

When Olivia didn’t show up for work by ten o’clock on Monday morning, Brady started to worry. He’d known the clock was ticking on her departure after employee-appreciation weekend, but they’d agreed she would work one more week with her replacement. It wasn’t like her. If he wore a watch, he could set it by her. On top of that, her replacement had arrived, but there was no one there to fine-tune her training. He’d sent the woman home with orders to read company handbooks and policy manuals again. He was too preoccupied to deal with someone who was practically a stranger.

The first hour he’d assumed Olivia was just late, even though it was out of character. Then another sixty minutes passed and he decided she was punishing him. For the record, he didn’t see that he’d done anything wrong.

So during the last two hours he’d answered the phone but couldn’t help anyone who’d called, because Olivia always did that. In between, he couldn’t do his own work because it was impossible to concentrate, so he paced like a caged tiger between his office and her empty one.

While pacing, he had a lot of time to think and his thoughts went back to what had happened Saturday night. They’d had sex. Somehow it felt deeper and more profound than just the physical act. It was fantastic. Then she’d said she loved him and he didn’t respond. Now he allowed that might have been thoughtless.

And he’d taken thoughtless to a whole new level by not contacting her. He hadn’t talked to her since she’d left the Lodge, figuring that would give her some space to cool off. Again, hindsight was twenty-twenty, and he realized that might have been a mistake. To cool off presupposed that someone was angry, and maybe that’s not what she was.

That left hurt. But she was very important to him and hurting her was the last thing he’d ever do. At least not on purpose. So he had to correct his thoughtless mistake and talk to her.

He took his cell phone from the case on his belt and hit speed dial. Hers was the first number and it rang several times before he got her voice mail.

“This is Olivia Lawson. Please leave your name, number and a brief message and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”

When he heard the beep Brady said, “Liv, it’s me. You’ve got my number. Call me back.”

He clicked off and his frustration built to the breaking point. Brief message, his ass. “You’re late for work” was short. Ditto for saying her behavior was childish. Throwing his phone against the wall seemed like a good thing to do, but rational thought came through just in time. It was just that hearing her voice made him long for her to walk through the door, say good-morning, then sit at her desk so they could get back to normal.

And then his imagination kicked in. Maybe there was something wrong. She could have fallen in the shower and hit her head. He needed to find her, see her, talk to her. If he knew any of her neighbors, he’d call them to check on her, but he didn’t. So he’d go himself. Anyone in the company who really needed him could call his cell.

He left the house, slamming the door behind him before getting in his car. He peeled out of the driveway, which wasn’t like him but seemed appropriate under the circumstances. She didn’t live that far away, but the drive seemed to take a lifetime. When he finally got to the apartment complex, he drove in but didn’t see her car, so she’d gone somewhere.

Still, he was here and should be thorough. He parked and hurried up the walkway to her door, then knocked loudly. Listening intently, he didn’t hear anything from inside, but knocked again anyway, louder this time. It was like raising your voice to someone who didn’t speak English, as if a higher decibel level would help them understand what you were saying.

The door next to Olivia’s opened and a woman in her late fifties or early sixties came out. She smiled at him, locked her place up and started to walk away. When he rapped again, she stopped and came over.

“Are you looking for Olivia?”

“Yes. I’m her boss. Brady O’Keefe.”

“Oh, yes. I’ve heard about you. She said you were nice-looking, but that doesn’t do you justice. You remind me of that actor from the movie
Magic Mike.
”

“I don’t think I know that one.”

“I’m not surprised. It’s about male dancers. They’re all hunky and seriously ripped. I’m old, not dead.” She grinned and held out her hand. “Sally Smith.”

“Nice to meet you.” So, Olivia had talked about him. That was good, right? “Do you know where she is?”

If the woman thought his not knowing his assistant’s whereabouts was strange, she didn’t show it. “I don’t know. But I saw her leaving pretty early yesterday morning with a suitcase.”

“Where was she going?”

“Not a clue. She just said she was taking a vacation and I wished her a good trip.” Her blue eyes narrowed now. “Is anything wrong?”

“No.” Not a complete lie. There wasn’t
any
one thing wrong, it was everything.