Seductive Reasoning (16 page)

Seth turned to leave.

Her heart plunged to her toes.

Just like that, he was going to
leave her all hot, itchy and bothered. “Seth, where are you going?”

He stopped in his tracks halfway
across the room. Dim light from the hallway flowed in and she barely saw him in
the gloom. “I’m going downstairs. I have work to do.”

“That’s it? After what you just did
to me you’re going to walk away?”

Slowly, he turned and looked at
her. She could barely see his face. Needing to see his eyes, needing to know
what he was really feeling, she reached over and snapped on the bedside light.
The room glowed with light. Seth stood before her, his hair ruffled, his
glasses firmly in place. He tucked his hands into his pockets and assumed his
professorial attitude. The kind she had seen him put on in the classroom when
he had something important to explain, something he really needed them to
understand. “Yes.”

His firm yes reverberated through
her and punched her solidly in the chest.

“I told you in the beginning, Kate,
that I’m here to win that bet. Nothing more. I let myself get carried away
downstairs and I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

It won’t happen again.

She wanted to get up out of the
bed, walk over to him stark naked and prove him wrong, but her pride wouldn’t
let her. The money. How could she have forgotten? The money was everything, and
her feelings or his be damned. She wanted him to make love to her more than
anything, but she wanted him to come to her freely. She didn’t want to coerce
him--although that’s what he thought she was supposed to do. If truth were
known, the thought of Seth making love to her simply out of lust wasn’t such a
wonderful prospect. She wanted his emotions involved, his feelings as well as
his body.

“Why did you touch me like that
when you never intended to take what you started further?”

“Look, I admit that the lingerie
you were wearing was drop dead sexy. I let myself be distracted from my goal. I
gave in to unprofessional feelings. I--”

“Say it. Why can’t you say that you
wanted me, that you were attracted to me? Isn’t part of a scientist’s job to
record the data accurately and not cover up his findings?”

“I’m not covering up anything.”

She nearly smiled at that. She quirked
a brow looked down at the quilt covering her naked body. “I beg to differ.”

He raked a hand through his hair
mussing it further, a job she wanted for herself. “Go to sleep. I’ll be up
later.”

With those last words, he
disappeared into the hallway. Kate leaned over, switched off the light, and
slumped down into the covers. The man was infuriating, exasperating, and damn
it she wanted him more than she wanted to take her next breath.

She was getting to him. Minute by
minute. Second by second. They still had three more days. And two full nights.
Kate intended to make the most of them.

Seth strolled onto the back porch
intending to breathe in some fresh air and clear his head when he saw the
lingerie Kate had been wearing in a white puddle on the floor. The gown and
robe glared in the half-light like a beacon, urging him to reach out and take
what she offered. So why shouldn’t he? He’d all but mewed in her arms and
begged her to never let go. What was wrong with him?

He was a professor, an
intellectual, and a scientist. His family thought with their hearts, and he had
never understood them. He prided himself on his control, his ability to look at
a situation in a logical and scientific manner. In one evening, he’d thrown his
control to hell and back.

Christ, it must have been the wine.
He’d drunk a glass and a half and the alcohol had clouded his judgment. Seth
wasn’t a drinker. Never had been.

Seth reached for the lingerie lying
on the floor of the porch. The material slid against his skin and reminded him
of how the combination of the silk and Kate’s skin had driven him to
distraction. He tossed the lingerie onto a chair.

No more wine.

No more distractions.

This experiment would have an
ending. They would shake hands and go their separate ways.

What the hell was his problem? He’d
had women come on to him before. Lots of women. Not that he’d invited their
advances, but he’d handled them quite well.

He was a healthy heterosexual man
with needs like other men. He just didn’t believe in spreading those needs around
to other women in order to help himself out. But Kate ... Kate was something
altogether different. She got under his skin.

She was completely out of control,
irrational, illogical. But she was also the most beautiful woman he’d ever
seen. Her smile lit up the room. The sound of her voice drove him crazy. She
touched him deeply inside in a place he had never allowed any woman to touch.

Seth turned to walk into the
kitchen and nearly bumped into Kate. Her face seemed calm; the anguish he’d
seen in her eyes earlier had vanished. She looked at him as if she didn’t
expect to find him on his porch, as if she wished he hadn’t been there.

As if she wanted to be alone.

Damn it, why wasn’t she churned up
like him?

She wore a bathrobe this time, a
robe that covered her from neck to toes. Thank God. She stood there with her
skin washed clean of makeup, her lips moist and pink, and her hair still a bit
damp from the shower she’d taken. She’d never looked more desirable. “Why
aren’t you asleep?”

She pointed toward the kitchen. “I
came down for a glass of water. Want some?”

Some. Oh, yeah. “No. I’m fine.
Thanks.”

She swiveled and walked into the
kitchen. He heard her open a cabinet door, then the sound of running water.

How had this bet suddenly turned so
personal? Why was he allowing himself to get emotionally involved in an
experiment? How could she look at him with so much want in her eyes and touch
him as if he truly mattered, as if he were more to her than just the means to
an end one minute and the next practically look right through him?

Why did that irritate him so damn
much?

He knew the answer.

He’d allowed himself to care.

Seth waited for the crowded feeling
to hit him like it always did whenever he let a woman complicate his life. Kate
had complicated the hell out of it, but to his utter surprise and disbelief he
found that he didn’t mind. He kind of liked it. He waited until she left the
kitchen, until she switched off the light and he heard the soft pad of her feet
sound on the stairs. Only then, did he lift her lingerie from the chair, slump
to the seat, and bury his face in the material.

Now that he cared, what was he
going to do about it?

Kate held a nightgown the size of a
placemat against her body. Muted shades of blue and green blended through the
material. Stylized waves decorated the hemline.

She smiled and teased him with that
you-know-you-want-me-glint in her eyes. “What do you think of my new design for
Aquarius?”

Seth cleared his throat. The only
thoughts in his brain were of Kate wearing the gown with absolutely nothing on
underneath. “Nice. I like it.”

She looked at the garment, then
back at him. “Me too. I think these are going to sell--”

All color drained from her face.
Her smile dissolved. She licked her lips nervously and hung the nightgown back
on the rack. She glanced down at her clothes, rubbed her hands over her dress,
and smoothed back her hair. Surprise and apprehension filled her eyes.

Seth peered over his shoulder. A
tall, elegant woman glided into the store. Dark hair swept up into a neat
chignon revealed a graceful, swan’s neck. She wore a cream colored suit with
matching pumps. The strap of a leather purse lay neatly on her shoulder. The
woman looked like an older version of Kate. But there was something very
different about her, something that bore no resemblance to Kate.

The woman’s gaze swept around the
store. Distaste filled her face and eyes before her focus settled on Kate. She
moved toward Kate with a clipped, efficient stride, her heels clicking against
the wood floor. Customers filled the shop and continued to paw through tables
and racks of lingerie, oblivious to the tension in the air. The grinding beat
of new age music vibrated through the store.

The woman stopped directly in front
of Seth and Kate. Green eyes, the color of Kate’s, gave them both a systematic
once-over.

“Katherine.” She had a
well-modulated voice tinged slightly with disappointment.

Why disappointment? What had Kate
done to disappoint her?

“Mother.” Kate’s voice trembled.

Shocked, Seth studied Kate. Anxiety
swam in her eyes. Why was she so nervous?

Kate’s mother leaned forward,
gripped Kate lightly by the shoulders, and gave her an impersonal air kiss next
to her cheek.

He wanted to grab the woman and
shake her. Was that any way for a mother to greet her daughter? His mother
always gave him a loud, smacking kiss.

Kate’s mother turned her eyes on
Seth. Her makeup was discreet and flawless. “Katherine, aren’t you going to
introduce me?”

Kate cleared her throat. “I’m
sorry. Of course. Mother, this is Dr, Fallon. Dr. Fallon, this is my mother,
Mrs. Elizabeth Summers.”

She held out a pampered hand with
light polish on her nails. Seth took her hand. The brief shake they shared was
cool and businesslike, just like the woman. “Mrs. Summers. Nice to meet you.”

Her mouth curved into a fleeting
smile. “Thank you.”

Without giving Seth another
thought, she shifted her gaze back to Kate. “Well, I see you haven’t come to
your senses.” She waved an elegant hand through the air. “And now you’ve pulled
a professor into your scheme.”

Come to her senses? Scheme? What
the hell was she talking about?

Kate lifted her chin. Hurt and
frustration filled her eyes and blanketed her face. Why was her mother treating
her this way? Couldn’t she see how her careless words hurt her daughter? His parents
might have thought him odd, but they always gave him their undying support and
were proud of all that he had accomplished.

“I’m still running my business, if
that’s what you mean.”

Mrs. Summers shook her head
slightly. “No, that isn’t what I mean. Katherine, when are you going to close
this place and put your mind on more serious pursuits?”

His annoyance at Kate’s mother
veered into guilt. He’d said the same thing, hadn’t he?

“This is a serious pursuit. My
business is very important to me. It’s--”

“It’s a waste of time.” As if she
were trying to placate a small child, she brushed the fringe of bangs on Kate’s
forehead aside. “I shudder to think of you here, selling lingerie when you
could be a partner in my law firm. There’s still time, you know.” She cocked
her head. “I’ll tell you what. If you sell what’s left of your inventory and
close this place, I’ll pay for law school. Every penny. You can really make
something of yourself. What do you say?”

A bloom of anger struck bright
flags of color into Kate’s cheeks.

That’s my girl.

“Why can’t you accept that I would
be miserable as a lawyer? Why is it that only Aunt Pandora has ever understood
me?”

Her mother closed her eyes briefly,
exhaled a deep sigh, and then opened them again. “Please, let’s not talk about
my sister. If it weren’t for her influence, you wouldn’t be here.”

Kate threw back her shoulders and
balled her hands into fists at her sides. “Mother, if it weren’t for Aunt
Pandora, I wouldn’t have my shop. I wouldn’t be pursuing my dream.”

Her mother spread her mouth into a
thin-lipped smile. “Oh, Katherine. Dreams only come true in fairy tales. Life
isn’t about chasing rainbows. You need to be more practical and find a pursuit
that is worthy of your time and efforts.”

“Like a law career. Like yours.”
Kate snapped out the words.

“Yes.”

Unbelievable. The woman was
unbelievable. How could she not support her daughter in whatever path she
chose? Like his own family. He never once had to question or beg for their
support. How could she not see what Kate had built here? How could she not see
the success around her? Wasn’t she proud of her daughter at all?

Even though his family thought he
was a bit strange, they always gave him their unconditional support. Kate had
started with a dream, a few designs, and now she was on her way. When she won
the money, Kate’s designs might become famous.

When she won the money.

Suddenly, the realization washed
over him, through him, and seeped into his soul. Kate’s dream had the same
merit and degree of importance as his project because she only had one chance
at receiving the money, but there would be other opportunities in his future.
Especially if he managed to keep his job.

He’d be damned if he was going to
stand here and let Kate’s mother rip apart Kate’s dream. He had to think like
an attorney, as if he were in a courtroom grilling a witness. “Excuse me, Kate.
I’d like to cross-examine the witness.”

Mrs. Summers glared at Seth and
raised one perfectly plucked brow. “Dr. Fallon, this is really none of your
concern. This is between Kate and me.”

“Overruled,” Seth stated.

Mrs. Summer’s mouth popped open in
surprise and annoyance. Seth ignored her reaction. “Wouldn’t you agree that the
development of sex roles, male and female, begins in infancy, Mrs. Summers?”

She blinked rapidly and pursed her
lips. “I suppose so, but what does that have to with anything?”

Kate stared at him, with panic
flashing in her wide eyes. She gripped his arm just above the elbow and
squeezed. “Dr. Fallon, there’s a lady at the Sagittarius table that needs some
help.”

Seth wanted to hold her, to soothe
away her anxiety, until the tantalizing sparkle bloomed again in her eyes. He
settled for a light brush of his hand over her hair. “Trust me.” His tone was
barely a whisper.