Keeping Her Guilty Secret (Forever Yours Trilogy) (2 page)

She squared her shoulders and looked him in the eye. “I’m not paying you twenty-five thousand dollars, Carlo, I don’t have it. You—”

He gave a maniacal laugh. “Then you’d better find a way to get it—and fast—or the rest of the world will learn what a bad little girl you’ve been.”

Chapter 2

Nicole placed the file down on the conference table in the Paradis and McNamara conference room and rubbed her bleary eyes. She hadn’t gotten one wink of sleep last night. Thoughts of the past tormented her. No doubt Carlo would make good on his threat if he didn’t receive the money and then all her sacrifices and hard work would be for nothing.

But where would the money come from? There wasn’t anything close to that amount in her bank account and she had no hope of raising so much money, especially in the short term.

The only way to lay her hands on that kind of cash would be to sell what was left of her mother’s jewelry and she couldn’t do that. Not again. The few pieces were the only things she had left. Everything else had been sold to pay off the bills after her parents’ deaths.

No, she’d find another way.

Her stomach growled. A quick glance at the clock on the wall confirmed the lunch hour had passed. A sandwich and can of soda were stored in the refrigerator at the end of the hall. She went to retrieve them.

She returned to the conference room a few moments later and found a man sitting at the table, thumbing through her paperwork.

Who was he? And how did he get up to the tenth floor without a badge? Had the security guard down in the main lobby brought him up? “Excuse me, can I help you?” He lifted his eyes to meet hers. “Max?”

He nodded.

Max. Here. In person? She stared down at him. Strong jaw, check. Thick wavy hair, check. And those eyes. Heavy lidded and fringed with long, lush lashes. Amazing didn’t quite cover it. Magnificent, maybe? No. Spectacular. His eyes were spec-tac-u-lar. He smiled, and she almost went weak in the knees. Max. Here.
In person.
And the reality . . . So much better than the fantasy. Oh boy, she was in trouble. “I thought you were out of the country.”

“Not anymore,” he drawled.

Pull yourself together, girl, and get your jaw off the floor.
She extended her hand to him. “It’s nice to finally meet you in person. I’m—”

He rose to his feet. “I know who you are. Reed told me about you on the phone last night. But how did you recognize me? We’ve never met.”

Right.
They hadn’t. So what was she supposed to tell him?
I’d know you anywhere. You’re my fantasy man, after all
. Yeah, that’d go over well. He’d think Reed had hired a crazy woman. “Oh, I’ve seen pictures. On Reed’s desk.”

He nodded.

Damn it. What was he doing here? He was supposed to be away. Far, far away. Not here. “I don’t understand. I thought you were calling from Saudi Arabia last night?”

“The plane had just landed at O’Hare. When Reed told me about the engagement, I said I’d meet you here today.”

Nicole frowned. “Why would you meet me here?”

He came toward her with long, purposeful strides, never once dropping his gaze from her. “You know, my brother didn’t do you justice when he described you. You’re not just beautiful, you’re gorgeous.”

Shivers skittered down her spine.
Oh, yes.
Definitely in trouble here.
“Thank you.”

He came closer and the heady scent of his cologne invaded her senses, making her lightheaded. She sucked in a deep breath and tried to steady her pounding heart.

Yep, a whole lotta trouble, here.

A smart woman would walk away.

She was a smart woman.

She was.

She didn’t move. Instead, she reached out and stroked his cheek. His soft skin made her fingertips tingle.

His lips parted.

Blood roared through her ears, drowning out reason. Want—no, need—raced through her. Rising up on her tiptoes, she brushed her lips over his.

He pulled back and stared, probably as stunned by her action as she but before she had time to say anything, he crushed her against his strong, muscular body. His mouth moved over hers, devouring its softness.

Wave after wave of pleasure crashed over her. The rational part of her brain begged her to stop this madness. She’d only met the man moments ago. But,
oh my
, the taste of his mouth and the feel of his hands in her hair and his citrusy scent—

A sudden noise had her jerking away from him. Turning, she found Reed standing in the doorway.

Max uttered a soft curse.

Reed chuckled. “Well, it looks like you two have met so I’ll spare you the introduction.”

Max clenched his hands into tight fists.
Son of a bitch!
What the hell was wrong with him?

Nothing
, his subconscious retorted.
It’s about damned time
.

And it had been one hell of a kiss. He hadn’t been this hot for a woman since . . .

Angela.
And what a mistake she’d been. God, when he thought back on the ten years they were together. Her lies, the affair she’d had right under his nose. He closed his eyes and made a conscious effort to stem the bitterness roiling in his gut. The anger and humiliation he experienced hadn’t faded one bit since learning the truth about her.

And this siren, with her fiery hair and delectable mouth, was leading him down the path again. Would he ever learn?

If Reed hadn’t walked in when he did . . .
Reed, oh god.
A little harmless flirting hadn’t killed him, but his brother just might. He’d been kissing his brother’s fiancée!
What the hell were you thinking
? The trouble was he
hadn’t
been thinking—at all. The minute her soft lips touched his, lust, pure and simple, raged through him.

He shook his head.
You’re not a god damned randy teenager. You’re thirty-four friggin’ years old and you should know better.

He peered over at his soon-to-be sister-in-law. For someone who agreed to marry his brother less than twenty-four hours ago, she certainly had no qualms about coming on to him. “This is some fiancée you have, Reed.”

Her eyes flew to his. “What are you talking about? I am not marrying your brother.”

“No?”

Reed let out a choked laugh. “Before you say anything more, and make a complete fool of yourself, you’d better listen to what I have to say.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “What?”

The click of footsteps on the tiled hall floor had Reed turning toward the door. Two women appeared moments later.

Reed smiled and tugged one of them into the crook of his arm. “This is my fiancée, Ashley, and this is Kate, Ash’s sister.”

Max whirled around to face the woman he’d been devouring moments before. “Then who the hell are you?”

“Nicole.”

He threw up his arms in a helpless gesture. “Who?”

Reed grinned. “Nicole. Also known as Nik.”

“Nik? But I thought Nik was a . . .” He turned back to face Reed, heat creeping up his neck. “You said
he
was your right-hand
man
. Naturally, I assumed . . .” His voice trailed off as he turned and gazed at Nicole once again.

Reed roared with laughter.

“But, if you thought I was a guy, how come you said you knew who I was?” Nicole asked.

Max sighed. “When you finally connected my call yesterday I asked Reed who I’d been speaking to. He told me it was Ashley and I assumed you were her.”

Color invaded her cheeks. “Ash was the one to transfer your call, but she wasn’t at her desk when it came through, so I answered it.”

Reed smirked. “I understand your confusion, Max. What I don’t understand is why you and Nicole were—”

“Let’s see your ring,” Nicole said.

Max almost laughed. Apparently the little vixen didn’t want anyone else to learn of their . . . lapse in judgment any more than he did.

Ashley snuggled closer to Reed and held out her left hand.

Nicole gasped. “It’s gorgeous!”

Reed smiled. “We’re celebrating by taking the family out to dinner tonight. Reservations are at six o’clock.”

Nicole frowned, easing away from the group to step out into the hall.

While the others continued talking, Max followed her. He spotted her around the corner, leaning against the wall and speaking quietly into the phone. He couldn’t hear the conversation from this distance and waited in silence for her to finish. “Is everything all right?” he asked when she ended her call a moment later.

Her head jerked up to meet his gaze. The phone dropped to the floor. Muttering something he couldn’t make out, she bent to pick it up.

Max stared at her very shapely derriere and the erotic images racing through his mind had him hot and hard within seconds. Hell, here he was, a refined businessman, reduced to leering at a woman’s rear end, imagining all sorts of things. He should be ashamed of himself. He should stop staring. Still he couldn’t bring himself to lift his head until the sound of Ashley’s voice floated down the hall. Hearing it now, he didn’t know how he could have mistaken it for Nicole’s sexy purr.

“Nicole, Reed and I are going over to visit his parents. Oh, and Kate needs a ride home.”

Nicole nodded and eased by him, then went back to the conference table, grabbed a set of keys, and tossed them to Kate. “Go ahead and take the car. I still have more work to do here. Can you pick me up in a couple of hours?”

“Will do.” Kate shoved the keys in her pocket and headed out.

Nicole turned her attention to the files in front of her.

Max regarded her thoughtfully. Why had she given him that first tantalizing kiss? And how could the briefest touch of her lips on his cause him to respond with such recklessness?
It doesn’t matter.
As beautiful and sexy as she was, he didn’t want to be involved. With
any
woman. But especially not with one who stirred feelings inside he’d thought died a long time ago.
Focus on what’s important.
Rebuilding his life now that his divorce was final. Coming home was only the first step.

He took one last look at Nicole. She lifted her gaze to meet his. Her lips parted and . . .
Damn!
He wanted to feast on them again, wanted to taste her soft cries of pleasure as he crushed her against him.
Idiot.
Hardening his resolve, he turned and strode through the door without saying another word.

Chapter 3

Kate tapped on the open bathroom door and stepped inside. “Ashley says to hurry up. If we don’t get going soon we’re going to be late.”

“Nicole!” Ashley called.

“I need a few more minutes,” she said.

“If you and Kate don’t come down now, I’m leaving without you.”

Nicole sighed and stared at her reflection in the mirror. A damp mop of curls hung down in long strands over her shoulders. So much for the sleek, sophisticated hairstyle she’d planned to accompany her simple, elegant, golden-green silk sleeveless dress with matching bolaro-style jacket and heels. There wasn’t enough time to even blow-dry her hair, let alone straighten it and create the intricate style she’d planned.
Wild and sassy it is.
Grinning in the mirror at Kate’s reflection she squeezed the bottle of anti-frizz gel into her hands and worked it through the unruly mass. After one final check in the full-length mirror she hurried downstairs and Kate followed behind.

“I’m sorry, Ash. I was late picking Nicole up at work,” Kate said.

Ashley herded them toward the door. “It doesn’t matter. We need to go. Now.”

They arrived at the restaurant with five minutes to spare. Nicole dropped her sisters off at the front door, parked the car, and hurried inside.

Max strode through the crowd toward her. The breath caught in her throat. He cut an imposing figure in a pair of black trousers that emphasized his lean, narrow waist and a tailored slate-blue dress shirt and matching tie. Tonight his wavy hair was combed back into neat submission, except for one curly lock that fell across his forehead. She squashed the impulse to reach up and push it away from his handsome face.

Good grief, what was wrong with her? Hadn’t she learned anything? Earlier she’d acted on impulse and what a disaster that had turned out to be. Sure, Max had kissed her back. Heck, if she wasn’t mistaken, he’d enjoyed it as much as she but, after . . . Oh lord, the anger and resentment she’d seen burning in his eyes.

What on God’s green earth had possessed her to behave so recklessly? Again. Okay, the man had more sex appeal in his little finger than any other man she’d ever met and when her fantasy turned into reality . . . A delicious shiver ran down her spine and she almost groaned out loud. Just thinking about what those fabulous lips could do to her.

“Hello, Nicole. It’s nice to see you again.”

His greeting was cool, and Nicole swallowed hard against the disappointment in her throat. Yup, that kiss was not going to be repeated any time soon. “Hi. Where are the others?”

“They’ve already been seated. Come with me.” He placed a hand at the center of her back and guided her into the dining room.

The slight brush of his fingertips against her exposed skin sent tiny frissons of pleasure darting down her spine.
This is crazy.
Stop it. Now!

After she’d taken a seat and they’d ordered their meals, Reed’s mother, Audrey, said, “Nicole, Ashley tells us you’re going to make her wedding dress.”

Nicole aimed an inquiring glance in Ashley’s direction. “Oh,
really
?”

Ashley blushed. “Okay, I should have asked you before. I just assumed you would. You will, won’t you?”

“Of course. Have you thought about when the wedding will be?”

Ashley cringed. “Actually, Spiaggia has a cancellation the last week in May so we thought—”

Nicole’s eyes widened. “Of this year?”

Ashley nodded.

A wedding. In less than eight weeks. How was she going to create and sew a gown in that short amount of time? Better yet, how could she swing it? Working two jobs barely covered their current bills not to mention the twenty-five thousand Carlo demanded. “That’s not a lot of time, Ash. There’s your college graduation to consider. Not to mention—”

“I know, I know, but if we don’t take the date we can’t get another for almost two years. I really want the wedding there and I don’t want to wait that long.”

Nicole sighed. A gown in eight weeks was doable, and maybe she could get a loan from the bank to help pay for the wedding. Grams had left the house to the three of them. She’d use it as collateral. “All right, but we’ll have to settle on the design before you go back to school and you’ll have to come home at least once for a fitting. Oh, and—” Max’s raised hand had her stopping in mid-sentence.

He eyed her quizzically. “You design wedding gowns?”

Ashley nodded. “Not just wedding gowns. She designed the dress she’s wearing right now. Pretty incredible, huh?”

Max let out a low whistle. “It’s stunning. But how did you wind up working at a construction management firm if you’re a clothing designer?”

“I don’t actually design clothes for a living. I—”

“But you could have,” Ashley said. “You had the talent and the right connections. What you needed to do was to stay in New York, not come home to take care of Kate and me.”

Nicole shook her head.
Don’t go there.
“Ash . . .”

“You gave up your dream,” Ashley insisted. “I never realized what you had to sacrifice for us. Your designs were incredible and you would have been successful.”

“Ashley, I’m happy with my life the way it is. I’ve never regretted coming home. Being a fashion designer wasn’t in the cards for me and I’m okay with that. Really.”

Throughout the rest of the evening Nicole sensed Max watching her. She tried to shut out any awareness of him, but her body wouldn’t let her. It kept reliving the delicious ecstasy of his supple lips pressed against hers. She should never have kissed him.

She glanced up. Max’s glittering eyes met hers and lowered to linger on her lips and,
oh lord
, she wanted to taste him again.

The air sparked and crackled between them. Anticipation hummed inside, engaging every one of her senses.

No. This is madness. Absolute insanity.
How could someone she met a few short hours ago have this effect on her?

She groaned. Getting involved with Max would be crazy and she wasn’t the foolhardy, impulsive type. Anymore. She hoped.

With concerted effort she quelled the shudders skittering along her nerve endings and resolved to keep Max Paradis at arm’s length.