“I’ll see you again soon,” he said.The words were laced with promise.
His gaze lingered.His eyes no longer seemed as cold, yet they appeared ten times more dangerous.
With a decisive move, he closed the door then walked away, each stride purposeful.
In the scant few minutes they’d spent together, she’d felt the vortex of his authority.She knew she could have refused his help, but there had been something mesmerizing—something seductive—about the way he’d instinctively taken control of the situation.
She gave the driver her destination and tried to shake off Connor’s effect.
* * * *
“You should ask my brother to marry you.”
Shocked by the statement, Lara jerked her hand, causing wine to slosh over the rim of her glass.“What?”Even the thought of suggesting such a thing made her heart stop before rushing on in a fury.Absently, she reached for her napkin to blot at the red stain that was seeping across the white tablecloth.
“You should marry Connor.You remember him from the cocktail party, right?”
As if she’d ever forget.
“You two would make a fabulous couple.”Erin Donovan reached for her glass of chardonnay and sat back, wearing a huge smile.“So there you are.It’s the perfect solution.”
“Perfect?I don’t see how marriage changes anything.”
“First of all, you’d have access to Connor’s advice.”
“I’ve already hired advisors.”
“Who aren’t running companies as successful as Donovan Worldwide.”
“I can’t argue that,” Lara agreed.
“If he thinks it’s worthwhile, he may help with the financial issues.”
Which her father would never consider.
“Surely you could get him a seat on the board if he were your husband?”Erin persisted.“You’d have someone to back your position.And most of all, you’d have a lover to share the emotional burden with.Stop scowling.You’ll give yourself frown lines.”
Lara stared at Erin.They’d known each other since graduate school, and they’d continued to meet once a week to discuss business, as well as other issues in their lives.Years had made them more than friends, it had also made them confidantes.
Until this moment, Lara had considered Erin to be extremely intelligent and a gifted problem solver.But her suggestion that Lara marry someone she didn’t love, especially the aloof and dynamic Connor?Even though her father’s stubbornness meant BHI’s situation was dire, marriage wasn’t the way to solve the problems plaguing her family’s business.“You’ve lost your mind.”
After taking a sip of wine, Erin put the glass down and leaned forward.“You should think about it.”
“Not in a million years.”Even though her interaction with Connor had only been a few minutes long, its impact had stayed with her.The next day, she’d caught herself thinking about him, wondering what might have happened if she had let him drive her back to her bungalow.
Probably nothing, she’d told herself.Just because he’d offered a ride didn’t mean he was sexually attracted to her.
Unfortunately, she’d been so turned on by him that it had taken several ridiculous days and lots of determination to free herself from the hold he had on her.
Now, more than three weeks later, the tendrils of the memory still unnerved her.“Rumor has it he’s not in the market for a wife.”Not only that, but according to reports, he rarely dated.
“Which means you looked him up!”Erin pronounced.
“I didn’t say that,” Lara protested.
“How else would you know?”Erin grinned cheekily.“I think you’d be ideal for him.You saw him.He’s too damn serious about everything, always has been.Since Dad died, it’s gotten worse.Not that I can blame him.But he’s recently become even more of a hard-ass than he used to be, like he doesn’t deserve to be happy.He needs a vacation.Or someone to shake up his careful little world.Aunt Kathryn agrees.”She tipped her head to the side, as if considering Lara’s suitability.
“Don’t look at me,” Lara said.“I’m not that woman.My life is complicated enough.”When she went out, it was generally for happy hour with a group of friends.She could kick back, have fun, have an occasional hook-up, but keep her time free.“Besides, I like a different kind of man.”
