Kiss Me Crazy (7 page)

By the time Kara left the galery on Saturday, she’d convinced herself she could sit across from Baron, enjoy a meal, and discuss business like a calm, mature woman. She wouldn’t do or say anything to indicate her ambiguous feelings toward him.

Yeah, right. There was nothing ambiguous about the raw attraction she felt toward the gorgeous man. Her hormones were out of control. She needed an intervention, a libido crusher or something.

She settled for listing everything she disliked about Baron as she showered and changed into a pair of jeans and simple burgundy T-shirt. He was a womanizer, ruthless, distant, and cold. Okay, she could scratch that last one. If the past few days were an indicator, the man was thawing faster than ice in scalding water. Why? What was he up to?

Kara gave up her hopeless attempt to figure Baron out and removed her hair from the bun, brushed the fine mass until it was tangle-free then left it loose. A quick look in the mirror and she left the bathroom.

Her cat jumped off the bed and rubbed against her leg, meowing up a storm. “Tessie, what’s wrong now?” She picked up the tabby and scratched behind her ears as she headed toward the kitchen. Her living room was neat, everything where it should be. The kitchen was…

She gave herself a mental shake. Baron was coming for a business meeting slash dinner, not to inspect her home for cleanliness.
I need to keep busy or the next twenty minutes will
seem like forever.

She picked up the phone, speed-dialed her parents’

number, and settled on a couch in the family room, putting her feet on the armrest
.
Tessie curled on her lap and purred happily.

The phone went unanswered. She sighed and was about to hang up when her mother picked up the phone.

“Mom, finaly. I’ve been caling the last hour. Where have you guys been?”

Her mother laughed. “Since when do we have to check with you before go anywhere, missy?”

“I cal every Saturday evening.” It was
her
time to catch up with them because their crazy work schedule didn’t leave room for social cals during the week. Sundays they visited with her sister Briana. “Where did you guys go? Out to dinner?”

“We were at Briana’s. She’s going to have a baby, Kara…

my first grandchild.” Her mother’s voice became wobbly as she finished talking.

“Mom, don’t cry. That’s wonderful news, a cal for celebration not tears.” Her high-maintenance, boyfriend-stealing younger sister was pregnant? It was hard to imagine. Briana often said pregnancy would destroy her figure. Or could this be another one of her ruses to get attention? It wouldn’t be the first time her baby sister faked something to upstage Kara. She was sure their parents had shared the news about her plans to start a company.

“How far along is she?” Kara asked.

“Twelve weeks.”

“Twelve?” Now she felt bad about doubting Briana’s news.

“She’s just teling you now?”

“She said she’d miscarried twice, Kara, and didn’t want anyone to know until she was sure the baby was okay. Did you know about the miscarriages?”

I’m the last person Briana would share anything about
her marriage to Jim Wilkins, San Padres’ wonder boy, whom
she stole from me.
Not that Jim was her first boyfriend to switch camps, with Briana’s ful cooperation. It happened twice while Kara was in colege. Since the wedding, her sister avoided her like the plague. Cal her a fool, but she stil hoped Briana would one day feel a tinge of remorse for her deplorable behavior and apologize.

“No, Mom. I didn’t know about her loss.”

“I wish you’d cal her more often, dear. She gets lonely in that big house, you know. It’s not easy being married to a professional athlete.”

Neither was it a hard life. Whenever Briana bothered to return her cals, al her sister talked about were the celebrity parties she’d attended, her wardrobe, or where she went on vacation.

Sometimes it was hard to imagine the two of them were related.

She loved her sister, but Briana’s shalowness often shocked her.

“I know I get a little too busy sometimes, Mom, but I promise to cal her more often. In fact, I wil as soon as I hang up.”

“Thank you, sweetheart.” There was a pause, and then,

“Funny, I always thought I’d hold your child first.”
Here we go again.
Kara closed her eyes and blew out air.

“How could you possibly think that, Mom? Briana’s been married for nearly four years while I’m stil single.”

“A mother can hope, can’t she? Tel me you’re at least dating.”

Kara scowled. She could invent a fictitious man to placate her mother, but then she’d have to pile more lies when it came to details about her supposed boyfriend. No, she refused to be reduced to teling whoppers just because she didn’t have a man in her life.

“This is not the right time for me to start a relationship. I have so much to do before I open my business.” She forced her voice to sound upbeat even though frustration bubbled inside her.

Her mother’s obsession with finding a man for her was wounding.

Whenever Kara went home to visit, she lined up young men from her church, sons, nephews, and grandsons of her friends. It was becoming embarrassing to visit them.

“Your name on the company logo won’t keep you warm at night, Kara. There’re a lot of eligible men in Los Angeles, and you’re such a lovely girl. Why can’t you find somebody?” Baron’s face flashed in her head. “I wil.”

“Maybe you need to move back home, dear. Jonathan’s son recently came back from Iraq. He’s single and realy interested in meeting you.”

Kara roled her eyes. Her mother just pawned her off on another man without an ounce of shame. Why not just hold an auction?

Before she could think up a response, her father’s faint voice reached her from the background, “Leave the child alone, Penny. She’l settle down when she’s ready.”

Emotions blocked Kara’s throat. She was a daddy’s girl, always had been. Many a time her daddy had defended her when her mother started on her about something—getting married or dating, the way she wore her hair or her choice in clothes.

“If I don’t push, she’l die an old maid, Cliff,” her mother answered just as the headlights lit Kara’s windows.

“Mom, I’ve got to go. I’m expecting a guest.”

“Who is it?”

She couldn’t dare tel her mother the truth. She thought the sun rose and set on Baron. The first time they visited her, Kara was closeted in the basement, working on a piece, and Baron had taken time to show them around the galery and even took them to lunch.

He was always accommodating when they were in town, giving her time off and talking to her father.

“It’s just a friend from work.” Kara started toward the door.

“At least you’re not spending Saturday evening alone watching reruns. Let me get your father. He wants to say hi. Oh, how are Renee and Chloe?”

“Keeping busy. Chloe is getting married.”

“To that nice Irish boy?”

“Yes. He bought her a gorgeous ring. You should see it.”

“That’s wonderful, but I’d rather see one on your finger, baby. Work is no substitute for a good man.”

Kara would have roled her eyes if she hadn’t just opened her door and her gaze fel on Baron. He looked totaly yummy in al black, his chin shaved, and that hauntingly sexy smile on his lips.

Her heart did its usual rickety dance.

She waved him in and flattened her body against the wal to make room for his large frame, the hefty paper bag in his arm, and a laptop bag on his other shoulder.

“Where?” he mouthed.

She pointed toward the kitchen then folowed him and paused to watch as he removed Styrofoam containers from the bag and placed them on the counter. The aroma of Chinese food made her stomach growl, reminding her she’d skimmed on lunch again.

As for her hot boss, her senses stirred at the domesticated figure he cut arranging food on the counter with Tessie on a stool beside him, eying him suspiciously while her whiskers twitched.

“How’s my pumpkin,” her dad’s gruff voice reached her ear, reminding her she stil had the phone glued to her ear.

“Fine, Daddy.” Kara gestured just-a-minute with her forefinger when Baron looked up, then she went back toward the living room. Since there was no privacy in her living room, with an open archway separating it from the kitchen and the family room area, she entered the halway leading to her bedroom.

“That’s wonderful news about Briana. Are you ready for your first grandchild?” she teased.

“I could have waited a few more years.”

She smiled, knowing he only said that for her benefit. “You know you’re more than ready, Daddy.
I
can’t wait to be an aunt.

I’m going to spoil the little imp rotten. How are you doing?”

“Couldn’t be better. Wil you stop by to visit soon?” Kara smiled. His voice said he missed her. “I wil on your anniversary. Thirty years, Dad. Not many couples stay married that long anymore.”

“We Michaels are like permanent glue. We love once and forever.” He laughed. “Your mama is shaking her head. She knows I speak the truth. Now, pumpkin, I don’t want you to take what your mama says to heart. She worries a little too much sometimes.” Her mother piped something in the background that Kara missed, but her father answered, his voice sounding faint. “I know, Penny…

when the time is right.” Then his voice grew clearer as he came back on the line. “Your mother tels me you have a visitor?”

“I do. I’l cal tomorrow when I have time and we can discuss business.” She’d mentioned using him to design the frames for her store but he hadn’t been too sure. That was just her dad, cautious to the core.

“You do that,” he said.

“I’l also try to reach Briana tonight just like I promised.”

“I hope one day she realizes how lucky she is to have you for a sister. If it weren’t for you, she’d never have met Jim. I’l let you go now, sweetheart, but make sure you cal home tomorrow.”

“Promise. Love you, Daddy. Bye.” Kara hung up and scowled. She never knew her dad had connected the young man she’d taken to his place of work and the man her sister started dating a few weeks later and eventualy married. He never let on, not even once.

What would her mother say if she knew how often Briana stole her boyfriends?
It’s all in the past, move on.
Kara had moved on, but that didn’t mean she’d forgotten. She didn’t begrudge her sister the celebrity life she now led as Jim’s wife. She understood they couldn’t help faling in love. What she hadn’t liked was the way they hid and lied about their relationship for weeks until the paparazzi caught up with them. Finding out about them that way had been very humiliating.

Pushing aside thoughts of her sister, Kara hurried back to the kitchen to find Baron placing pieces of chicken in a bowl for her cat. On the counter were two plates and utensils, plus an opened bottle of Pinot Noir.

“Don’t spoil her,” she warned.

Baron patted the tabby’s head and looked up. “I’m bribing her to like me. Where did you find her?”

“Outside my door one morning. When I placed her picture on missing-cat posters, no one came to claim her, so I kept her.

Poor thing. A trip to the vet confirmed what I’d suspected—

someone had starved and physicaly abused her.”

“That’s terrible. She looks healthy now.” Tessie took a dainty bite of another piece of chicken from Baron.

“Yeah, she demands a lot of food and attention, but she’s come a long way.” Kara sat on the stool across from Baron and surveyed al the food he’d bought. There was tiny spicy chicken, shrimp and broccoli, chicken
lo mein
, egg rols, soups—egg-drop and hot and sour—and of course a choice of white or fried rice.

“This looks delicious.”

“Then I hope you’re hungry because I am. What do you want to start with?” He poured wine into two glasses.

“Soup…hot and sour.” He placed her glass of wine within reach then passed her a smal bowl of soup. Kara took a spoonful and savored the taste. “Mm.” She lifted another spoonful, then realized Baron wasn’t eating. Instead he was studying her while playing with the stem of his wine glass. “I thought you said you were starving?”

“I am.”

He sipped his wine, but his eyes, wolfish, made her stomach curl with a hunger that had nothing to do with food.

“But I prefer watching you eat,” he added.

She touched the paper towel to her lips and met his gaze.

“Why?”

“You have an honest appreciation for things, food included.

I find that…fascinating.” His gaze shifted to her mouth again.

Somehow she doubted he’d meant to use the word fascinating. “Wel, I don’t want to be your entertainment for the evening, so you either eat or we can skip the meal and talk shop.” His eyes sparkled briefly at the chalenge, but he put down his glass and picked up a spoon. The food was scrumptious, and they didn’t bother with conversation as they ate. But too often she’d look up and find Baron’s predatory eyes on her.