The Pint-Sized Secret (10 page)

“Not another one,” she pleaded, staring at the bag in his hand.

His smile faltered. “I thought you loved these.”

“I do, but I’m going to be as big as a house if you keep feeding them to me. And Carly has flatly refused to eat them when I’ve tried to foist them off on her.”

He pointedly surveyed as much of her as was visible. “Maybe a small toolshed,” he countered with a grin. “Never a house. As I recall, Carly doesn’t have anything to worry about either. She could probably work off the calories just running that smart mouth of hers.”

“Don’t knock my assistant. She may be chatty, but she’s pure gold when it comes to details. In fact, she’s the one who recited the precise number of calories in one of those things. I think my arteries clogged just hearing her.”

“Which is why you need to start running with me,” he said. “Then you could eat all you want and not worry about it.”

She shook her head at his logic. “We’ve been over this. I couldn’t run far enough or fast enough to work these off.”

“Every run starts with just one step. I’ll come over at nine tomorrow instead of ten and show you.”

“Sorry. No can do. I have an early meeting.”

He perched on the corner of her desk, which put him way too close. Then he leaned down and whispered conspiratorially, “Tell the truth, Brianna. Are you sure you’re not just making excuses to get out of starting a new fitness regimen?”

“Of course not,” she insisted, crossing her heart with an exaggerated gesture. Impulsively she touched his cheek. “Thanks for tempting me, anyway.”

“We’re not talking about the invitation to exercise, are we?”

“No way. This is all about the chocolate croissants. You can pass this one along to Mrs. Hanover when you leave. You will make her a very happy woman. Carly hasn’t given her the calorie lecture yet.”

“And if your secretary is happy, I will never have a problem getting a call put through, will I?” he mused. “I can see the benefit in that.”

“As if anyone in this company would refuse to put your calls through,” Brianna said.

“I don’t like to use my clout,” he said. “Especially when the call is strictly personal.”

“But you have no qualms about using a bribe?”

“Nope,” he said unrepentantly. “Absolutely none.” He headed for the door. “See you in the morning.”

Brianna stared at the door for a long time after he’d closed it behind him. It had only been a little over a week since the first time he’d popped into her office, and already she was starting to look forward to the unexpected treats, the surprise visits. She was in over her head, all right. Way over her head.

He tried his darnedest to get inside her head, to figure out what made her tick, but there was always a part of herself she held aloof. It remained as mysterious as that locked room, and kept him from ever fully trusting that what they had was real in any way that mattered. Being on the receiving end of the same kind of treatment he was known for doling out was darned frustrating. Now he knew why women hated it.

It also made him more determined than ever to break down the barriers between them. Getting her to agree to go to dinner seemed like a good place to start. What kind of relationship could be built on stolen moments? He wanted a whole evening, just for the two of them. It became as much a cause as the investigation that had started all this.

Four weeks after he’d started seeing Brianna, Jeb finally saw his chance. She was going out of town on business, a four-day trip that would take her away from Houston and whatever demands there were on her time. Jeb decided to tag along, though he didn’t mention the fact to her until they were at the airport, where she had assumed he intended only to drop her off. When he headed instead for a parking lot, she stared at him.

“You’re going in?”

“Actually, I’m going with you,” he said cheerfully, keeping his attention riveted on the road.

“Excuse me?”

“I haven’t been to London in ages. I thought we could see a couple of plays while we’re there, maybe even take an extra day or two and drive to Cornwall. Have you ever been?”

He could all but feel the heat of her anger radiating in his direction.

“Jeb,” she began, her voice tight. “This is a business trip, not a vacation. I have a conference to attend, along with some very important meetings.”

“You won’t be working twenty-four hours a day.”

“Close to it,” she protested. “This is a very bad idea. What will people think if they discover that the boss’s son is tagging around after me?”

“Do you honestly care what people think?”

“When it comes to my professional reputation, I certainly do. I can’t imagine why you thought I’d go along with you on this.”

Jeb decided to pull rank. He glanced over and met her furious gaze evenly. “Because my father approved it.”

Her expression faltered. “He did?”

“He said it would be good for you to take a break. We have his blessing to stay as long as we like.”

“Dammit, I can’t stay,” she protested.

“Can’t or won’t?”

“It doesn’t really matter. The bottom line is, I have to get back as quickly as my business is wrapped up. That means putting in as much time as it takes to get it done.”

Jeb pulled into a parking space, cut the engine, then slowly turned to look at her. “Is it always going to be this way? Are you going to squash any attempt I make to get closer to you?”

She seemed genuinely shocked by the accusation. “That’s not what I’m doing. The last few weeks have been lovely.”

“But they’re not going anywhere. Is that what you’re telling me?”

“Yes. No.” She stared back at him in frustration. “Jeb, we can’t have this conversation in a parking lot when I have a flight to catch.”

“Fine,” he said, stepping from the car. “Then we can have it on the plane. We’ll have lots of time.”

She seemed about to argue, but then with a little huff of apparent resignation, she joined him for the walk into the terminal. She didn’t say much else until they were in the air, and even then, most of her remarks were addressed to the flight attendant. Jeb began to get the message that she was royally ticked off at him. What he’d hoped would be a pleasant surprise had seriously offended her.

“Brianna?”

She glanced up from the report she’d been studying intently since takeoff.

“I’m sorry.”

“For?”

“Overstepping. Assuming that you would want this time as much as I do.”

The tension in her face eased just a little. “I do,” she said softly. “I think maybe that’s what made me so angry. I don’t want to want you so much.” A smile flickered. “And you were awfully pushy and presumptuous.”

Sensing victory, Jeb grinned. “I’m a Delacourt. What can I say? We’re a pushy bunch.”

“It’s not something to be proud of.”

“Pushy has its rewards,” he pointed out. “I’m here with you, aren’t I?”

“On a
business
trip,” she reminded him.

“I’ll stay out of your way when you’re working. I promise.”

Her gaze narrowed. “I assume you have your own room.”

“I’m pushy, darlin’, not crude. Of course I do.” His gaze settled on her face. “Unless you’d like me to cancel it.”

“I don’t think that will be necessary,” she retorted with the first real smile she’d given him since they’d arrived at the Houston airport. “Then, again, you have four days to change my mind.”

“It will be my pleasure,” Jeb assured her, relieved that the mood had shifted.

As low-key as he tried to remain, there were those who recognized him and wondered if he was there as backup in case Brianna faltered in some way.

He was as deeply offended by the question as she would have been. “Absolutely not. The company has complete faith in her. I’m just here as an observer.”

“And what is it you are observing,” one sly gentleman had the nerve to ask. “Our meetings or Mrs. O’Ryan?”

“If you had a choice, which would you pick?” Jeb retorted lightly, preferring not to slug the man and cause an incident likely to get reported back home.

As if she sensed trouble, Brianna picked that precise moment to slip into place beside him. She beamed at both of them. “Do you mind if I steal Jeb away for a moment? We have business to discuss.”

“Of course not,” the man responded. He then muttered something that sounded like, “Lucky man.”

Brianna’s smile remained frozen in place until they were alone in an elevator. “Are you beginning to see why I didn’t want you along? People are speculating.”

Jeb shrugged. “Let them.”

“Even if it leaves my professional reputation in tatters?”

“Brianna, your professional reputation is the last thing on their minds,” he grumbled. Only after the words were out did he realize his mistake.

“What are you saying?”

“That every man down there was envying me, not worrying about how brilliant you are.”

“Wasn’t that my point? I’m supposed to dazzle them with my intelligence.”

“Then you’ll have to tone down the beauty,” he said. “Which I doubt you could do if you wore the dowdiest dress ever made.” He stood facing her, putting one hand on the elevator wall on each side of her. “Face it, Mrs. O’Ryan. You’re a knockout.”

“Me?” she asked incredulously.

“Yes, you,” he said, then slowly lowered his head. “And I’ve been wanting to do this all evening long.”

He claimed her mouth with an urgency he hadn’t known existed. Possessiveness, need and desire combined to form a white-hot burst of combustion that would have melted anything else he touched. With Brianna, though, she met that blazing heat with a passion of her own. For once, she held nothing back.

“Sweet mercy, I want you,” Jeb murmured against her neck as he fought for some measure of self-control. They were in an elevator, for goodness’ sakes. Unless he managed to jam the thing between floors, it was no place for what he desperately wanted to do with Brianna.

She gazed back at him with dazed eyes. Her hips cradled his arousal, welcomed it. “My room,” she whispered eventually.

Jeb studied her intently. “You’re sure?”

She laughed at that. “I haven’t been sure of anything since the day we met. But I need this.” Her eyes caught his. “I want this.”

Only when the elevators doors slid open did Jeb move away. Then he grabbed her hand and all but dragged her down the hall. She was fumbling in her purse for her key. Impatient, he took the tiny evening bag and barely resisted the urge to upend it on the carpet to find the elusive key.

“How the hell can it be missing when there can’t be more than a tube of lipstick in here with it?”

“One of those feminine mysteries,” Brianna responded with a nervous chuckle. “Let me.”

She took the purse and dumped everything out. The key fell amidst a flurry of tissues, coins and cosmetics. While she gathered those, Jeb opened the door, then scooped her up and walked inside. His mouth was on hers, even as he kicked the door closed behind them.

He reminded himself that Brianna deserved care and finesse, but the rake of her fingers down his suddenly bare chest pretty much put an end to reason. She had very wicked fingers. Somehow, without him quite knowing how, she had his shirt off and his pants undone before he could blink.

Not that he objected. It just meant his plan for slow and easy gave way to raging demand. She slipped out of her prim tailored suit, but when she reached for the lacy scrap of a bra, he stilled her hands.

“My turn,” he insisted, easing open the front hook, then trailing his fingers along bare flesh as the lacy cups fell away. Her nipples peaked into such hard little buds that he simply had to taste them, drawing a gasped response. Head thrown back, she seemed to savor every stroke of his tongue.

Before everything spun wildly out of control, Jeb grabbed a condom from his wallet, then stepped out of his pants and tossed them aside. The rest of his clothes followed, along with her panties. They stood facing each other, he fully aroused, Brianna suddenly looking shy.

“I guess we should have canceled your room after all,” she murmured.

He touched her cheek, rubbed his thumb over her kiss-swollen lips. “We can save that for next time,” he suggested. “You know what they say? Variety is the spice of life.”

She regarded him wryly. “I don’t think we need to worry about that just yet.”

Jeb moved to the bed, then beckoned to her. “Let me make love to you, Brianna.”

She eased onto the bed beside him, allowed him the role of the aggressor that she had claimed for herself earlier. Then they traded off again, tormenting each other until their bodies were straining for release.

When it came, it was explosive, like nothing Jeb had ever experienced before. It wasn’t just the passion—which had rocked him to his core—it was something more. For the first time in his life, making love had touched his heart. He felt complete, as if something he hadn’t even realized was missing from his life had just returned. How could he possibly have gotten so lucky?

With Brianna cradled in his arms, he was still trying to make sense of his good fortune when her phone rang.

“Ignore it,” he pleaded.

“I can’t. It could be…it could be important.”

“More important than this?”

She didn’t respond. Instead, she sat up and lifted the receiver. “Hello?” Bright patches of color tinted her cheeks and then she handed the phone to him. “It’s for you.”

Jeb grabbed the phone. “This had better be good.”

“It is,” Michael assured him. “But I think you might want to put your pants on and get back to your own room before you hear it.”

“Just tell me.”

“We lost another deal today. Aside from Dad and me, the only other person who knew about it was Brianna. Be careful, Jeb. I think your doubts about her may have been well-founded after all.”