Sheltered by the Millionaire(24)

He'd actually had a good time using his lunch break to pick up cat gear  and drop it off at his house. The calico had leaped off the ottoman in  full attack mode when he tossed her a feather squeak toy and before he  knew it, he'd spent an extra twenty minutes watching her chase a catnip  ball and wrestle a fur mouse.

But by the time dinner rolled around he'd been damn near starving. He  and Megan had decided to have supper at her house again, then her  neighbor would watch Evie after the child went to sleep.

He'd asked Megan to come to his house for dessert. He hadn't wanted to  leave his cat alone any longer. Megan's smile told him he'd said the  right thing.

She kicked off her shoes and lined them up by the door. "I can't believe you really ordered all those shoes with Evie."

"She's got her mother's entrepreneurial spirit. You've done a good job with her." He slipped an arm around her waist.

"Motherhood is the most important job I've ever had."

"Your commitment shows." His parents had vowed they loved him but they hadn't been big on teaching moral responsibility.

"How's Tallulah?"

"Come say hello to her and see for yourself." He guided her to his  study where he'd closed Tallulah in for the evening. The space had a  sunroom too, where he'd set up her litter box and food. "I put her in  here for the day while she gets acclimated. I thought she would enjoy  the sunshine through all the windows. I did some reading on the internet  last night on cat care."

He pushed open the double mahogany doors and Megan gasped. She pointed  at the six-foot scratching post he'd bought, complete with different  levels and cubbies for climbing and snoozing.

"Oh, my God, Whit." She walked to the carpeted and tiered post he'd  parked between two leather wingback chairs and reached into a cubby to  pet Tallulah. "You obviously went shopping too."

He hefted his cat out and leaned back on the dark wood desk, scratching  Tallulah's ears the way she liked. "I just stopped by the pet store on  my lunch break and picked up a few essentials."

"A scratching post the size of an oak tree is an essential?"

"It looked cool? What can I say?" He was planning to talk to his  contractor buddy Aaron about ordering mini solarium windows for Tallulah  to hang out in.

"I wish all our animals could land this well." She dusted cat hair off his suit jacket.

"She needs something to keep her occupied while I'm at work." Tallulah  purred like a freight train in his ear. "And I read online that if I  want to save my furniture from her claws, she has to have an appropriate  outlet for scratching at home."                       
       
           



       

Megan had perched on the arm of a wingback. The warmth in her eyes told him he was saying all the right things.

"I also read-" He stopped when the realization hit him. "You already know all of this."

"But it's nice hearing you're excited about having her. Not just in your house but in your life."

And he had to admit, it surprised him too. "I always thought I would be a dog person."

"It doesn't make you any less macho."

"Thanks. I'm not concerned with proving my masculinity."

"Hmm, I have to admit, your confidence about being tender with the cat  is very appealing." She trailed a lone finger down his arm in a touch as  enticing as any full-on stroke. "If you want a dog though, I'm more  than happy to help you find the perfect one for your lifestyle."

One step at a time. "Tallulah needs time to adjust to her new home first."

"Spoken like a natural pet owner. That's really nice to hear." She  flicked a cat toy dangling from one of the levels of the scratching  post. "Although if you bought Tallulah this, I wonder what you would buy  for a dog."

His mind churned with possibilities, like one of those agility courses  the Cattleman's Club was working on for the shelter. "I bought one of  those climbing trees for Safe Haven too."

"Truly?" she squealed, giving him an enthusiastic kiss with the cat  squirming between them. "You do know me better than I gave you credit  for."

He tucked Tallulah back into one of the cubbies attached to the  climbing post. "You'll even find bottles and paper in the recycling.  Will that get me another kiss?"

She laughed and looped her arms around his neck, kissing him again,  nothing standing between them now but too many clothes. Her mouth on his  felt familiar and new all at once. He knew so much about her, yet there  was still so much more of her to explore. And he had a plan in mind for  the next few hours to discover more about what pleased her.

Ending the kiss, he angled away while unfastening the clasp holding  back her hair. "I'm learning fast that the way to your heart is less  traditional than a bouquet of flowers."

She shook her hair free in a silky, wavy cloud around her shoulders and  his hands. "Oh, I should share some of the catnip you gave me with  Tallulah."

"I have some of my own." He slid an arm around her waist. All day, he'd  been fantasizing about showing her his favorite part of the house.  "Come with me. There's a part of my home you haven't seen yet."

She eyed him curiously. "I'm intrigued. Lead on."

He steered her into the hall again, toward the back of the house. "This way."

She tucked herself against his side. "Thank you again for helping Evie with the shoe donation drive."

"We shopped for some new video games too."

She stiffened and her footsteps slowed. "I have to approve all of her new games."

"Uh, sure," he said, wishing he'd thought of that himself. But he  didn't have nieces or nephews. "Kids are new territory to me too, like  the pets. Except I can't exactly shut a kid in a room with a climbing  tree and a bowl of food."

"Not unless you want to end up in jail," she said with a laugh in her  voice that let him know she wasn't angry with him. "I know you meant  well. I just need for you to consult me on anything having to do with  Evie."

"Sure, of course." He pushed open the back door into his landscaped  yard. "For what it's worth, they were all labeled for her age group and I  know the video game developer."

Walking beside him along the flagstone path, she glanced up at him, a  hint of frustration in her eyes. "Not all video games are educational."

"You're right, and I do hear you." He guided her toward the left, under  an ivy-covered arch. That led to a cluster of trees in the very back of  his property. "I'll be more careful about consulting you when it comes  to anything with Evie."

"I'm sorry for being prickly." She slid her arm under his suit coat and around his waist. "This is new territory for me too."                       
       
           



       

"You haven't dated anyone since you had Evie?" Where the hell had that question come from and why was her answer so important?

"In case you haven't noticed, there isn't much spare time in my life between my job and my daughter."

"No one at all?" He stopped at the concrete steps leading into his greenhouse, tucked away in the privacy of a circle of trees.

She took his lapels in her hands. "You're my first venture back into dating since Evie was born."

"I don't want to be your rebound guy." And he meant that. He'd already  accepted that he wanted more than a short-term affair with her.

"It's been nearly five years since Evie's biological father walked out  of our lives. I'm far past the rebound zone, don't you think?"

Five years? The bastard had walked out before Evie was even born? Whit  had heard the jerk wasn't a part of Megan's life, but this was even  worse than he'd thought. He let that information roll over him again now  that he had a better feel for how much commitment and effort it took to  raise a child. He knew logically, of course. But his admiration for how  hard Megan had worked grew even more. For that matter, he understood a  little better just how tough it must have been for her to let go of that  control.

She smoothed his lapels back in place and turned to the greenhouse. "What do we have here?"

He thought about pushing the discussion further, then reconsidered.  Better to take his time so he didn't spook her. And luckily for both of  them, taking their time had deliciously sensual implications tonight.  "Through this door, we have our dessert."

* * *

More than a little intrigued, Megan opened the greenhouse door and  peered inside the dimly lit building. Warmth and humidity wafted out,  carrying a verdant scent of lush life. She stepped inside, expecting  some fancy garden typical of the rich and famous. But instead, she found  a more practical space, filled with tomato plants and tiered racks of  marked herbs, potted trees lining the center of the aisle to give room  for their branches to spread. Curiosity drew her in deeper and deeper.