Momentary Marriage(7)
Somehow, she had to convince him that she wasn’t the woman for him…and she had to do it before her sister moved to London.
***
She thought she was so tough. Jared glanced up from the proofs he’d been studying, his gaze lingering on Kelsey as she made a phone call.
He’d gone to get himself a cup of coffee and returned to her office to find her absorbed in a series of phone calls, her back turned to the door.
He’d rarely met a more attractive, fascinating woman, all hip-girl on the outside, soft and sweet somewhere inside. She didn’t willingly show that more vulnerable side, but Jared guessed it was there. He’d learned to trust his instincts through the years of building Barrett, Inc. from a small hotel chain to one of the more profitable luxury resort enterprises in the country. Business was all about being able to read the other guy…or girl.
“That’s okay, Raphael,” Kelsey murmured, the sweep of her dark, smooth hair blocking her expression. “I know it’s late notice. Yes, of course. Sometime soon.”
She hung up the phone with a muttered, “Damn.”
Jared didn’t lie to himself, Kelsey was a big part of the reason he’d decided to stay actively involved in the ad campaign for The Meriton’s expansion. The New York market still had room for one more haven for the very rich, and if he found a fascinating woman while attending to business, so much the better.
She picked up the receiver, flipping through a small address book and dialed again. Turned away from the door, she was clearly unaware that he’d stepped back into her office.
His instincts went on full alert when she was near. He was the last man to fall in love impulsively, but he trusted his gut and he knew Kelsey, with her intelligence and wry outlook, had significant possibilities.
He wanted a wife. A woman to have children with, to build a solid foundation for the family he envisioned. Kelsey’s caution and her veneer of hip, city girl did more than peak his interest. She challenged him, her cool attitude getting his hunting blood up and racing through his veins. The woman was spunky, meeting his teasing with quick retorts. He liked that in her, the willingness to stand up for herself.
Doug had once let slip that Kelsey and her sister’s family background was rocky and she was, therefore, wary of commitment. According to Doug, Kelsey didn’t think love lasted.
She might doubt marriages could last a lifetime, but that was all Jared would settle for, when he did marry again. For the six months of their acquaintance, he’d been pondering the woman, considering the possibilities she offered him, more and more convinced they had a strong attraction. Just those few moments of holding her in his arms when their elevator dropped had confirmed the chemistry. But getting her to commit would call for careful handling.
He’d grown up in a happy family with parents who were married for a lifetime. Having already failed once at marriage due to his own youthful carelessness, he was determined not to screw up again.
So he’d waited and watched these last few months, making sure of his own intentions, learning his opponent’s strengths and weaknesses and waiting for the right moment to strike. Maybe Kelsey wasn’t the woman he thought she was, but every indicator so far pointed to her generosity and basic sweetness. Her glossy veneer was just a shield to keep her from getting hurt, he’d realized. She was a princess in need of a prince.
Of course, she didn’t see herself that way.
Jared glanced over the ad layout, his ears acutely attuned to Kelsey’s murmured conversation. He’d slipped into her office quietly, wanting to catch her off-guard.
“…an awards banquet. It’s tomorrow night. Short notice, I know….” She fiddled with an editing pencil, tapping it against her desk.
Watching her, Jared wondered what she was up to. Ever since he’d come back into the room, she’d been busily trying to find a date for the banquet she’d claimed she already had a date for.
He knew she often went out with Doug, so why was this event different? Perhaps, his stirring the pot with Amy was having an effect, as he’d hoped.
Kelsey’s attitude toward commitment intrigued him. What scared her so much about letting a man make her promises? Anything but a wallflower, she shook hands with a firm grasp and met his gaze openly, a faint impudence in her bearing.
Working his way into Kelsey’s arms and life might call for a little maneuvering, Jared knew, welcoming the game.
“No, no, Michael,” Kelsey laughed. “You can’t ask your fiancée if we can go out ‘one last time.’ But I appreciate the offer and wish you two the best of luck. Okay. Bye.”
Still chuckling, she hung up the phone.