"Thanks for the advice," Duncan said, standing up to leave.
"But you're not going to take it."
"I did what the board asked. That's all you're getting from me."
Lawrence stared at him for a long time. "Not everyone leaves."
Duncan didn't react to the statement, even though he knew the old man was wrong. Nearly everyone who mattered left. He'd learned that a long time ago. It was better not to care. Safer.
"Annie doesn't leave," his uncle added softly. "Look at her life."
"What do you know about it?"
"What you told me. She has her cousins and their friend living with her. She's helping to pay for their college educations. She agreed to date you to help her brother, after he tried to throw her under the bus. She's not a person who gives up easily."
True, Duncan thought uneasily. Annie took responsibility, hanging on with both hands. "That's different," he said.
"It's not and you know it. Annie scares the hell out of you because with her, everything is possible. Don't let what happened before ruin this for you. Don't live with regrets about letting her go. They'll eat you alive."
"I'll be fine."
"You can keep telling yourself that, but it won't be true. You've never been afraid of anything but risking your heart. Annie's the closest to a sure thing you're ever going to find."
Duncan found himself wanting to listen, which would only lead to trouble. "Annie got into this to save her brother. It has nothing to do with caring about me."
"Maybe it didn't, but it does now. Just pay attention. All the signs are there. She's falling for you. Maybe she's already in love with you. Chances like this don't come along very often. Trust me, you don't want to blow this one."
Lawrence walked out of the conference room. Duncan stood there, alone, wondering if the old man was telling the truth. Would he regret letting Annie go? In time he would find out. His uncle was also right about Annie scaring the crap out of him. There were possibilities with her. Great ones.
But he'd already given his heart to someone. He'd already believed in forever, and he'd learned a hard lesson. Love was an illusion, a word women used to sucker punch men. Maybe Annie was different, but he didn't know if he was willing to take the chance.
Despite three late nights at the office, getting by on minimal sleep and a workout schedule that would exhaust an elephant, Duncan still couldn't get his uncle's words out of his mind. He couldn't stop thinking about Annie.
Taking a chance violated everything he knew to be true and yet … he was tempted. It was the only possible explanation for his being in a mall less than a week before Christmas, fighting the crowds and looking for presents for her cousins and Kami.
He should have had his assistant buy something online, he told himself, as yet another shopper stepped in front of him without looking. What did he know about the wants and needs of college-age girls? He was about to leave the department store when he saw a sign that proclaimed every woman loved cashmere.
There was a display of sweaters in an array of colors. A well-dressed salesperson came up and smiled. "Are you buying something for your wife or girlfriend?"
"Her cousins," he said. "And a friend. They're in college. Does cashmere work?"
"Always. You don't happen to know sizes, do you?"
He shrugged, then pointed to a young mother walking by. "About like that?"
"Got it. Do you want to pick the colors?"
"No."
"Should I gift wrap?"
"That would be great."
"Give me fifteen minutes and it will all be done. There's a coffee bar over by shoes, if you want to get away from the crowd."
He nodded and wandered in the direction of coffee, only to be stopped by a display of Christmas trees. They were small, maybe two feet, covered with twinkling white lights and miniature ornaments. The one that caught his eye was done in white and gold and decorated with dozens of angels.
They were all blonde and innocent, with big eyes. For some reason, they reminded him of Annie. He picked up the tree and carried it to the register.
Annie glanced anxiously at the box of fudge next to her. Despite her sudden stop at the unexpected light change, the box stayed firmly on the passenger seat of her car. Normally she was a careful driver who anticipated stops, but tonight she couldn't seem to get herself together. Probably because Duncan had completely rattled her with his invitation to "drop by."
They were in a lull-a four-day stretch with no parties-right before the last-minute craziness started. On Thursday, there was a party every night through Christmas Eve. When she'd first seen the party schedule, she'd been excited about the break, but now she found herself missing being around him. The four days, and nights, had seemed endless.
And then he'd called, inviting her over.
Why? She wanted it to be because he was missing her, too, but she couldn't be sure. There was no reason to think anything about their relationship had changed-at least not from his end. She was in serious danger of falling desperately in love with him, which, if she'd thought things through at the beginning, shouldn't be a surprise. Handsome, smart, funny, caring man suddenly in her life. What was there not to like?
If only, she thought, before shaking her said. No. She was going to be sensible. Falling in love might be inevitable, but she wasn't going to let herself be swept away by her feelings. When this was over, pride might be the only thing she had left. She needed to remember that.
She parked in the guest spot, then took the elevator to his penthouse condo. Duncan opened the door right away.
"Thanks for coming," he said, his gray eyes dark with a smoldering need that made her thighs tremble.
"Thanks for asking me." She held out the box of fudge. "I made this. I don't know if you like chocolate. If not, you could take it into the office or … "
Instead of taking the candy, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her inside. The second the door closed behind her, she was in his arms, his mouth on hers.
She hung on as the world began to spin. There was only the heat and the man and how she felt pressed up against his strength. He was already aroused, his hardness flexing against her belly. She managed to shove the fudge onto a table by the door and drop her purse, before hanging on to him with both hands.
She parted her lips and he deepened the kiss. Their tongues danced, touching, tracing, playing an erotic game. He bent her over slightly, then straightened, pulling her up off the floor.
Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around his hips. Despite being up in the air, she felt safe. Duncan would never drop her. He carried her into the bedroom, then slowly lowered her to the carpet. When her feet touched solid ground, he drew back, put his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face the room.
On the dresser there was a tiny Christmas tree. White lights twinkled, the only source of light in the huge room. She could see little angel ornaments on every branch.
Her throat got a little tight. "I thought you didn't want a tree," she whispered.
"I saw it and thought of you."
The words, whispered in her ear, made her eyes burn. Telling herself he wouldn't appreciate a girly show of emotion, she did her best to blink them away. He hugged her, pulling her close. She turned in his embrace and stared into his gray eyes.
Emotions raced through her. Not just desire, but love. There was no escaping the truth. She loved Duncan with all her heart. Whatever might happen, however it might end, she loved him.
The feeling was different, more powerful than anything she'd ever experienced. Getting over him would take a whole lot of time and effort, because as much as she wanted to believe everything would work out, she tried to be a realist. Her and Duncan? On what planet?
But for now there was the night and the man and she was determined to have as much as possible of both. She leaned into him, claiming him with a kiss. She couldn't tell him how she felt, but she could show him, she thought as she traced the powerful muscles in his arms.
She raised the hem of his sweater and ran her fingers across his broad chest. He took the hint and pulled off the sweater, then tossed it away. She pressed her lips to his breastbone, tasting his warm skin.
For a second, he was passive, accepting her caress. Then he reached for her, cupping her face and kissing her.
Even as they held on to each other, he was moving her toward the bed. When the backs of her legs bumped the mattress, he stopped. He pulled back enough to pull off her knit shirt. She stepped out of her shoes. Then they were tumbling onto the bed, him landing next to her.
They reached for each other. Even as they kissed, she reached for the hooks on her bra. She wanted to feel her bare breasts against his chest. He pushed her hands away and unfastened the bra in one easy movement. The lace-covered garment went flying.