No, it doesnt. I would never pay an immense amount of money for a valuable property in order to destroy it.
But you think my father blackened your fathers name and then profited after buying your father out. Thats why youre so determined to destroy everything hes built, everything he loves including Jaycee.
His lips thinned. Suddenly, his eyes were arctic. My father built Murray Oil, not yours. Only back then it was called Sullivan and Murray Oil. Your father seized the opportunity, when my dad was down, to buy him out at five cents on the dollar.
My father made the company what it is today.
Well, now Im going to take it over and improve upon it. Marriage to a Murray daughter will reassure the numerous employees that family, not a vengeful marauder, will be at the helm of the business.
That would be a lie. You are a marauder, and youre not family.
Not yet, he amended. But a few Saturdays hence, if I marry Jaycee, we will be family
Never. Not over my dead body! She expelled the words in an outraged gasp.
The thought of anything so awful happening to your delectable body is hateful to me. When he hesitated, his avid, searching expression made her warm again.
Okay, he said. Lets say I take you at your word. Youre here to save your sister from me. And youd die before youd let me marry her. Is that right?
Essentially.
What else would you do to stop me? Surely there is some lesser, more appealing sacrifice youd be willing to make to inspire me to change my mind.
I dont know what you mean.
Well, what if I were to agree to your proposal and forgo marriage to your lovely sister, a woman you say is so un-suited to my temperament I could never love herI want to know what I will get in return.
Do you always have to get something in return? You wouldnt actually be making a sacrifice.
His smile was a triumphant flash of white against his deeply tanned skin. Always. Most decidedly. My hypothetical marriage to your sister is a business deal, after all. As a businessman, I would require compensation for letting the deal fall through.
Awful man.
His blue eyes stung her, causing the pulse in her throat to hammer frantically.
Maybe er the satisfaction of doing a good deed for once in your life? she said.
He laughed. Thats a refreshing idea if ever I heard one, and from a very charming womanbut, like most humans, Im driven by the desire to avoid pain and pursue pleasure.
And to thinkI imagined you to be primarily driven by greed. Well, I dont have any money.
I dont want your money.
What do you want, then?
I think you know, he said silkily, leaning closer. You. You interest me quite a lot. I believe we could give each other immense pleasure under the right circumstances.
The unavoidable heat in his eyes caused an unwanted shock wave of fiery prickles to spread through her body. Shed seriously underestimated the risk of confronting this man.
In fact, I think we both knew what we wanted the moment we looked at each other today, he said.
He wanted her.
And even though he was promised to Jaycee, he didnt have a qualm about acknowledging his impossible, unsavory need for the skinnier, plainer, older sister. Maybe the thought of bedding his future wifes sister improved upon his original idea of revenge. Or maybe he was simply a man who never denied himself a female who might amuse him, however briefly. If any of those assumptions were true, he was too horrible for words.
Im hungry, he continued. Why dont we discuss your proposition over dinner, he said.
No. I couldnt possibly. Youve said more than enough to convince me of the kind of man you are.
Who are you kidding? You were prejudiced against me before you showed up here. If Id played the saint, you would have still thought me the devil and yet you would have also still been secretly attracted. And you are attracted to me. Admit it.
Stunned at his boldness, she hissed out a breath. Im not.
Then why was she staring at his darling dimple as if she was hypnotized by it?
He laughed. Do you have a boyfriend? he asked. Or dinner plans you need to change?
No, she admitted before she thought.
Good. He smiled at her as if he was genuinely pleased. Then its settled.
What?
You and I have a dinner date.
No!
What are you afraid of? he asked in that deep, velvet tone that let her know he had much more than dinner in mind. And some part of her, God help her, wanted to rush toward him like a moth toward flame, despite her sister, despite the knowledge that he wanted to destroy her family.
Kira was shaking her head vehemently when he said, You came here today to talk to me, to convince me to do as you ask. Im making myself available to you.
But?
He gave her a slow, insolent grin. If you want to save your sister from the Big Bad Wolf, wellheres your chance.
Two
When they turned the corner and she saw the gaily lit restaurant, Kira wished with all her heart shed never agreed to this dinner with Quinn.
Not that he hadnt behaved like a perfect gentleman as theyd walked over together.
When shed said she wanted to go somewhere within walking distance of his office, shed foolishly thought shed be safer with him on foot.
Youre not afraid to get in my car, to be alone with me, are you? hed teased.
It just seems simpler to go somewhere close, shed hedged. Besides, youre a busy man.
Not too busy for what really matters.
Then hed suggested they walk along the river. The lovely reflections in the still, brown water where ducks swam and the companionable silences theyd shared as theyd made their way along the flagstones edged by lush vegetation, restaurants and bars had been altogether too enjoyable.
Shed never made a study of predators, but she had a cat, Rudy. When on the hunt, he was purposeful, diligent and very patient. He enjoyed playing with his prey before the kill, just to make the game last longer. She couldnt help but think Quinn was doing something similar with her.
No sooner did Quinn push open the door so she could enter one of the most popular Mexican restaurants in all of San Antonio than warmth, vibrant laughter and the heavy beat of Latin music hit her.
A man, who was hurrying outside after a woman, said, Oh, excuse us, please, miss.
Quinn reached out and put his strong arm protectively around Kiras waist, shielding her with his powerful body. Pulling her close, he tugged her to one side to let the other couple pass.
When Quinns body brushed against hers intimately, as if they were a couple, heat washed over her as it had the afternoon when shed been muddy and hed pulled her into his arms. She inhaled his clean, male scent. As before, he drew her like a sexual magnet.
When she let out an excited little gasp, he smiled and pulled her even closer. You feel much too good, he whispered.
She should run, but the March evening was cooler than shed dressed for, causing her to instinctively cling to his hot, big-boned body and stay nestled against his welcoming warmth.
She felt the red scarf she wore around her neck tighten as if to warn her away. She yanked at it and gulped in a breath before she shoved herself free of him.
He laughed. Youre not the only one whos been stunned by our connection, you know. I like holding you as much as you like being in my arms. In fact, thats all I want to do hold you. Does that make me evil? Or all too human because Ive found a woman I have no will to resist?
You are too much! Why did I let you talk me into this dinner?
Because it was the logical thing to do, and I insisted. Because Im very good at getting what I want. Maybe because you wanted to. But now Id be quite happy to skip dinner. We could order takeout and go to my loft apartment, which isnt far, by the way. Youre a curator. Im a collector. I have several pieces that might interest you.
Ill bet! Not a good idea.
Again he laughed.
She didnt feel any safer once they were inside the crowded, brilliantly lit establishment. The restaurant with its friendly waitstaff, strolling mariachis, delicious aromas and ceiling festooned with tiny lights and colorful banners was too festive, too conducive to lowering ones guard. It would be too easy to succumb to temptation, something she couldnt afford to do.
Ill have a taco, a glass of water. Well talk about Jaycee, and Ill leave. What could possibly go wrong if I nip this attraction in the bud?
When told there was a thirty-minute wait, Quinn didnt seem to mind. To the contrary, he seemed pleased. Well wait in the bar, he said, smiling.
Then he ushered them into a large room with a high-beamed ceiling dominated by a towering carved oak bar, inspired by the baroque elegance of the hotels in nineteenth-century San Antonio.
When a young redheaded waiter bragged on the various imported tequilas available, Quinn ordered them two margaritas made of a particularly costly tequila he said he had a weakness for.
Id rather have sparkling water, she said, sitting up straighter, thinking she needed all her wits about her.
As you wish, Quinn said gallantly, ordering the water as well, but she noted that he didnt cancel the second margarita.
When their drinks arrived, he lifted his margarita to his lips and licked at the salt that edged the rim. And just watching the movement of his tongue across the grit of those glimmering crystals flooded her with ridiculous heat as she imagined him licking her skin.
I think our first dinner together calls for a toast, dont you? he said.
Her hand moved toward her glass of sparkling water.
The tequila really is worth a taste.
She looked into his eyes and hesitated. Almost without her knowing it, her hand moved slowly away from the icy glass of water to her chilled margarita glass.
You wont be sorry, he promised in that silken baritone.
Toying with the slender green stem of her glass, she lifted it and then tentatively clinked it against his.
To us, he said. To new beginnings. He smiled benevolently, but his blue eyes were excessively brilliant.
Her first swallow of the margarita was salty, sweet and very strong. She knew she shouldnt drink any more. Then, almost at once, a pleasant warmth buzzed through her, softening her attitude toward him and weakening her willpower. Somewhere the mariachis began to play La Paloma, a favorite love song of hers. Was it a sign?
Im glad you at least took a sip, he said, his gaze lingering on her lips a second too long. It would be a pity to miss tasting something so delicious.
Youre right. Its really quite good.
The bestall the more reason not to miss it. One cant retrace ones journey in this life. We must make the most of every moment because once lost, those moments are gone forever.
Indeed. Eyeing him, she sipped again. Funny, I hadnt thought of you as a philosopher.
You might be surprised by who I really am, if you took the trouble to get to know me.
I doubt it.
Every muscle in his handsome face tensed. When his eyes darkened, she wondered if shed wounded him.
No. Impossible.
Her nerves jingled, urging her to consider just one more sip of the truly delicious margarita. What could it hurt? That second sip led to a third, then another and another, each sliding down her throat more easily than the last. She hardly noticed when Quinn moved from his side of the booth to hers, and yet how could she not notice? He didnt touch her, yet it was thrilling to be so near him, to know that only their clothes separated her thigh from his, to wonder what he would do next.
His gaze never strayed from her. Focusing on her exclusively, he told her stories about his youth, about the time before his father had died. His father had played ball with him, he said, had taken him hunting and fishing, had helped him with his homework. He stayed off the grim subjects of his parents divorce and his fathers death.
When school was out for any reason, he always took me to his office. He was determined to instill a work ethic in me.
He sounds like the perfect father, she said wistfully. I never seemed to be able to please mine. If he read to me, I fidgeted too much, and he would lose his place and his temper. If he took me fishing, I grew bored or hot and squirmed too much, kicking over the minnow bucket or snapping his line. Once I stood up too fast and turned the boat over.
Maybe I wont take you fishing.
He always wanted a son, and I didnt please Mother any better. She thought Jaycee, who loved to dress up and go to parties, was perfect. She still does. Neither of them like what Im doing with my life.
Well, theyre not in control, are they? No one is, really. And just when we think we are, we usually get struck by a lightning bolt that shows us were not, Quinn said in a silken tone that made her breath quicken. Like tonight.
What do you mean?
Us.
Her gaze fixed on his dimple. Are you coming on to me?
He laid his hand on top of hers. Would that be so terrible?
By the time theyd been seated at their dinner table and had ordered their meal, shed lost all her fear of him. She was actually enjoying herself.
Usually, she dated guys who couldnt afford to take her out to eat very often, so she cooked for them in her apartment. Even though this meal was not a date, it was nice to dine in a pleasant restaurant and be served for a change.
When Quinn said how sorry he was that they hadnt met before that afternoon when hed nearly run her down, she answered truthfully, I thought you were marrying my sister solely to hurt all of us. I couldnt condone that.
He frowned. And you love your sister so much, you came to my office today to try to find a way to stop me from marrying her.
I was a fool to admit that to you.
I think youre sweet, and I admire your honesty. You were right to come. You did me one helluva favor. Ive been on the wrong course. But I dont want to talk about Jacinda. I want to talk about you.
But will you think about not marrying her?
When he nodded and said, Definitely, in a very convincing manner, she relaxed and took still another sip of her margarita with no more thoughts of how dangerous it might be for her to continue relaxing around him.