Recipe for Attraction (3 page)

“Well Kelly Designs aims to please.” Her father gave her a sideways glance, as if doubting the sincerity of Neil’s comment, her abilities.

“Carson,” he pointed to her, “has been here every day and keeps me up to speed with every tiny detail. I am sure you’ll understand that this is the busiest time for me and I’m sure you’ve put your daughter in charge for a good reason. So you don’t have to deal with the little things, isn’t that right?”

Carson suppressed a smile. God bless Neil Harrison and his beautifully plump mouth.

“With all due respect Mr. Harrison, I know you’re a busy man but I would be remiss if I didn’t follow up personally. This is one of Carson’s first jobs on her own and…”

Eighth. It was her eighth job on her own. Not to mention the numerous jobs she’d done alongside her father.

“I don’t really think it’s necessary to make Mr. Harrison sit down with you,” she assured her father.

He shot her a sideways glance. “Very well. If I can’t convince you to meet with me, then my right hand will be along to make sure everything is finalized.”

Carson fisted her hands at her sides. If there was ever a time when she wanted to punch her father in the face…it was now. He had just embarrassed her. Humiliated her. In front of a client no less. In front of Neil Harrison.

“I must run along. Mr. Harrison, always a pleasure.”

They shook hands again and then her father nodded, his usual detached attempt at a goodbye. He turned and walked out the door.

“I thought your father retired?”

She sighed. “Officially not until next month. He seems to forget that…often.”

Neil reached across the table and turned around the concept drawing she’d been working on for her next project. “Who’s this right hand?” She tensed when a weird expression crossed his face. “Sounds like an ass-kisser.”

She laughed at his astuteness. “You’ll find out soon enough.” She laid her finger on the paper and pulled the drawing back to its original position. “He’ll be here to check up on me.”

He smiled. “Don’t you mean meet with me?”

“Yes.”
Shit.
She nodded with a little too much vigor. “That’s what I meant.”

He gave her a curious stare. She was giving too much away. Neil didn’t need to know that she was rattled at her father’s lack of confidence in her. She needed to change the subject, and quick.

“Why did you kiss me?”

Wrong topic, Carson.
That’s what happened when she was nervous. She failed to filter the words that seemed to just fly out of her mouth.

Neil stepped back, crossing his arms over his chest, almost as if he had been pushed. He glanced around the site before answering. “We’re not going to get into that here. Now.”

“We certainly are.” She stepped forward around the table and pointed at his solid chest. “You had no right to kiss me.” Wrong move. He now towered over her, all powerful, masculine energy.

“I deserved a kiss.”

Her pulse quickened at his rough voice. No matter the time of day, it always sounded as if he’d just woken up. She found it sexy as hell and completely distracting.

“Plus you were the only person I knew so I went after what I wanted.”

She gasped. “You wanted to kiss me?”

Please say yes. Please say yes. Please say you want to do it again.
Carson shook out the thoughts that repeated inside her head.

“I wanted
a
kiss. It didn’t necessarily have to be you. And I suspect Hector Diaz wouldn’t have been appreciative if I went after one of his women.”

She sneered. “I never understood that barbaric ritual. The sex after a race.”

“What do you know about it?”

She froze. Again saying too much.

He shoved his hands in the pockets of his dress pants. “You’re really uptight. You should find a way to get rid of some of that energy.”

“Like racing?”

He slipped his hands into the pockets of his pants. “Whatever floats your boat.”

Despite that kiss, Carson was no dummy. She knew Neil Harrison thought of her as a ball-busting bitch. All work and no play, more argumentative than not. She shouldn’t care. She was hired to do a job—build a multi-million dollar facility—not socialize with the man who paid her to build it.

“Look, we don’t have much time left on this project. Can we at least try and be civil?”

“Civil or not. I know this project will get done to my satisfaction.” He walked away, leaving Carson to quiver at the scent of his spicy aftershave.

The second he was out of sight, she raced out of the building to the large maple tree outside. She rested her body against the bark and slid down, letting her hand fall against her knees.

Things were going to have to change if she expected to stay in this line of work. She wouldn’t be able to work with her father hovering, wouldn’t be able to live her own life with her father constantly interfering.

And now this sudden
thing
with Neil.

She remembered his muscular body pressed against hers, his strong hands roaming over her curves while his mouth plundered hers.

A familiar ache settled between her legs as she grew more aroused.

Thank God the project was ending soon. Then she could leave Neil and this unwanted attraction behind.

Chapter Three

Neil sat in his cottage-turned-office and scrolled through the list of emails on his BlackBerry for the tenth time. No new messages. He’d contacted everyone on his to-do list, replied to everyone who’d sent him a text. Even his brothers weren’t online.

Construction was complete. Permits and plans finalized. All that remained was the final inspection and then the interior designer could do her thing. For once, he could actually relax. Not that he was big on relaxing.

The Madewood Farm would be a state-of-the-art facility and include a five-star restaurant, a barn venue to host private events like weddings as well as an exclusive family site with berry picking in the summer, hay rides, and farm animals. The site would also house one of the Madewood gourmet food stores. Neil had hired a pastry chef to oversee an on-site bakery where pies and desserts would be available daily.

He even kept the tiny cottage at the top of the property thinking he’d eventually renovate. The previous owners of the farm had called the space home, but rustic didn’t even begin to describe his surroundings. He had turned it into an office for the construction’s duration. It had running water and electricity and even a bed, since he crashed here most nights, spending almost twenty-four hours a day on site.

It was off the trail and not accessible from the road. Maybe he could make it a honeymoon suite. There were so many things he could do with this space. The sky was the limit.

The farm was the most elaborate project the Madewood family had ever taken on. Neil had dreamed up the idea one day when he was riding his bike. He’d merged off the highway and followed the twisted and turning roadway. About two kilometers from the main road, he had come upon a
for sale
sign for a berry-picking farm.

He’d surveyed the land and even returned for the next three days to formulate a plan. Knowing the five acres wouldn’t be enough, he’d approached the homeowners next door and given them an offer they couldn’t refuse.

Neil loved that he had all the money in the world and the power to do what he wanted. To dream as big as he could and know that anything was possible. He’d spent too many years with nothing, too many years believing that
he
was nothing.

But even the excitement that came with the finalization of the farm didn’t suppress the need for speed that buzzed through his body. Nothing was enough anymore.

His life had been a dream. He had become a successful business tycoon and chef, with a family—albeit different from the norm—that loved him. He had been on top of the world.

Until the bottom fell out the day his foster mother Vivian succumbed to breast cancer. It had been fifteen months since she’d passed and Neil just didn’t know how to rein himself back in. That’s when he’d taken to the streets, racing his way into emotional oblivion.

He knew he was out of control in every possible way. Professionally, he had reached far above his own limits to pull off a restaurant experience most people wouldn’t even consider. Physically, he risked death almost every night by racing his bike.

And Carson…

He never expected to see her at the race—the woman who had preoccupied his fantasies since the day he saw her for the very first time.

She had been confident and cool under pressure. Always taking control. A real alpha chick. Which wasn’t at all what he usually went for in women. But something about Carson Kelly III had him turned up in knots. Something more than just her perfect ass.

Damn, she was hot. His attraction overwhelmed him to the point he was fighting it constantly—his need to touch her, brush up against her, grab her and thrust her up against a wall.

It was even more explosive now that he’d actually kissed her.

Thinking about Carson had kicked up his libido. A dangerous combination with the urge to ride fast and hard. Since he couldn’t ride Carson, he’d settle for a high speed of a race.

He picked up his keys, grabbed his jacket and headed down to the base of the hill where his truck was parked. The restaurant sat on the front of the property and when he approached the entrance, he noticed a bike parked beside his truck.

What the hell was Carson doing here at this hour?

He checked his watch. It was ten to midnight.

He pushed the two heavy wood doors and stepped into the foyer.

Soft music wafted from inside the restaurant. Carson sat at the far end of the workspace hunched over a table—the same table she had claimed as her work space the day the interior construction had been completed and her drafting table was no longer necessary.

She looked beautiful. The soft light of the table lamp accentuated the smooth lines of her face. Her perfect cheekbones and plump lips. Her dark hair shone in the light, at least the strands that were visible under her hard hat. Even after hours she followed the rules.

He stepped further into the space, his boot catching on the hard wood and jerking him forward.

Carson jumped and looked up from the table, her hands gripping the sides tightly.

“Shit!” She shook her head and released her grip. “You scared the crap out of me.”

He lifted his hands, palms forward. “Sorry. I saw the light on. Was just checking it out. What are you still doing here?”

“I was going over the inspection documents one more time.” Her files were piled up in the corner of the table. “But then I got an idea.” She glanced at her watch and furrowed her brow. “I must have lost track of time.” Her eyes lowered to where he held his keys in his hand. “Going somewhere?” Her eyebrow lifted in curiosity. Busted.

He slipped his keys into the pocket of his jacket but fisted his riding gloves in his hand.

“You’re going to race, aren’t you?” She dropped her crayon on the desk. Wasn’t she a little old for crayons?

But he saw the honest concern in her eyes and it made it hard for him to lie. So he didn’t respond.

“You’re even more stupid than I thought.” She snorted and focused back on her work.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that despite the fact that you’re a smart man and know how dangerous—and fatal—your actions can be…you’re an idiot. Why would you risk it? You have too much to lose.”

“You’re not my mo—” Mother. He no longer had a mother.

Her shoulders dropped. “I didn’t know your mother but given the fact that she raised you for half of your life, she is a saint as far as I’m concerned.”

“Sweetheart, I pay you to design a restaurant, not psychoanalyze me.”

“You’re right.” She put down her crayon and pushed the paper across the table away from her. “I have no right to lecture or criticize.” Yet the look of disgust was still on her face.

He stood, his arms crossed over his chest. She might not have the right to lecture but as the man who hired her to do a job, he deserved to know why she showed up at the track the other night.

He stalked forward, getting closer to the sexy woman that had a raging effect on his libido. When his leg hit the edge of the table, he asked, “Are you going to tell me why you know all about this racing world?”

He waited a beat, but she still didn’t answer.

Reaching forward, he ran one of her silky locks through his finger, then leaned forward until his lips hovered by her ear. “I bet Mommy and Daddy didn’t approve of their precious angel involved in something so seedy.”

She jerked away and shot him an evil look. He’d obviously hit a soft spot. And with the way her father acted earlier that day, he knew without a doubt, disappointment was high on her list of concerns.

“Why were you at the race last night?”

She sighed and slid out of the chair. She turned her back to him and headed down the four levels of the restaurant to the panoramic window that overlooked the pond. The trickle of the water wheel could even be heard inside the restaurant.

She wrapped her arms around her body. He had to admit, watching her from behind was one of his favorite things to do. The tight black pants she wore accentuated her even tighter bottom.

Her head turned slightly as she finally spoke. “I noticed the red clay mud on your bike’s tires last week.”

“But how did you know where the mud came from?”

She faced him. “Let’s just say ten years ago Diaz and I were friends. I spent a lot of time at those tracks.”

Neil stepped back. Carson Kelly, illegal street racetress.

“You raced?”

She nodded.

His mind reeled with her confession and for a moment, shock replaced desire. “But you gave it up. Why?”

Neil walked a little closer. Still giving her some space, knowing that this conversation had just taken a serious turn.

She hugged her body tightly. “I found my path. I wanted to be an architect.”

“Are you sure it’s
your
path?”

She dropped her arms, fisted her hands at her side, and glared. Neil could practically feel the daggers shooting from her eyes. “Why do you have to be so annoying? Can’t you just have a normal conversation without calling people out?”

She obviously had no idea how glorious she looked, angry in the moonlight. He chuckled. “Usually, but something about you just makes me want to spar.”

He didn’t know if it was her privileges, or that she had a better bike, or maybe it was the fact that he would really like to strip her down and see how mouthy she got when his mouth was on her—

“I’m following my own path.”

“So the love of buildings put you on the straight and narrow?”

She nodded and walked over to stand in front of him, enveloping him in her sweet fragrance. “I know what’s going on in that head of yours. The buzz that takes over your body. The sounds of engines that occupy your mind. I know exactly what it’s like to let that darkness take over.”

He scoffed. “What do
you
know about darkness?”

“I know because I turned to the same thing when my mother died.”

Her mother died? He knew she was an only child but never…

“You can think I’m privileged, a daddy’s girl or whatever other colorful stereotypes you can think of, but we have a lot more in common that you think. I know what it’s like to have that darkness manifest itself on the track.”

His brothers didn’t understand. But Carson, without even knowing anything about his personal life, knew exactly what he was feeling.

There was more to Carson’s story, he could see it in her eyes. Something more than the loss of her mother. Something that made her run full speed ahead into the family business. Maybe she was right. They did share similarities, following the family dream, but trying their best to make it their own.

This was all getting a little too real for him.

“Make sure you turn off the light when you’re done.”

He turned and walked back to the table where Carson had been working but her tiny voice stopped him in his tracks.

“Please don’t go. Stay here with me.”

He froze, then turned and faced her. “I think I’d rather take my chances with the pavement. You and I…”
You and I would make beautiful music in bed together? You and I would steam up the windows in two seconds flat? You and I would be even better sparring partners in bed?

“Please don’t go.” She walked closer, her arms reaching out. “I just couldn’t live with myself if anything were to happen to the annoying guy.”

Conflict warred within him. Part of him wanted to stay and do all of the things to her luscious body that he’d fantasized about since the first time he laid eyes on her. Another part of him knew getting involved with a hired employee was a terrible idea…even if the employee in question was turning out to be one of the most exciting women he’d ever known. “We can do whatever you want?” she added, as if sensing his hesitation. Her full lips curled in invitation. It was clear she was pushing hard to take his mind off racing but he doubted she was fully aware of where his thoughts were headed.

“Anything I want?” he asked.

There was no way she was up for what he had in mind—what he’d had in mind almost non-stop for the last year.

“I know you feel anxious,” she said.

Did she have any idea she was tempting the beast?

“Anytime you feel anxious. Feel the need to race, call me and I’ll be there for you.”

His eyebrow lifted in question.

“There’s only one thing that will keep my mind off the track…and I don’t think you’re up for that challenge.”

“Are you daring me to have sex with you?” The smile that spread across her face told him she wasn’t displeased with him. “You’re bad.”

“Not bad,” he corrected. “Determined. I’m going to race or you’re going to distract me. It’s as simple as that.”

Neil stalked forward, not saying another word. So much for avoiding sexual complication. He took in his surroundings. The restaurant looked pretty finished to him, so their professional relationship was almost over. And Carson was just too enticing to pass up.

She stepped back with his approach but had nowhere to go. The window was now flush against her back and a tiny shadow of fear skittered across her face. Desire sparked in her eyes, but it was quickly extinguished by fear. She was scared. She wasn’t the only one. Something about this woman ignited a desire Neil had never felt before.

“I’m demanding,” he said, his lips hovering over hers.

“I know.”

His hips brushed her stomach. “I’m insatiable.”

“I have no doubt.”

He dropped his gloves onto the ledge then raised his hand and secured a strand of her soft hair behind her ear. “I think I could use some
distracting
right now.”