He grinned.
Okay, fine. Youre right. Lets table it for now.
He nodded in agreement. We can always pick up the fight after were free.
She nodded in return. Deal. So, did you bring your master key?
Wont fit this lock.
Its a master key.
The door and the lock are old. And unique. We havent locked it in years.
Candice eyed the carved oak slabs. You think you could break it down?
Its solid oak. Besides, isnt it pivotal to the flow of the room or something?
True. It was a feature shed planned to use. Theyd refinish it, replace the brass. Maybe change the lock in case this kind of thing ever happened again.
It would be a shame to break it. But she was starting to feel claustrophobic. Not that the room was small. In fact, it was huge. It was just that Derek took up so darn much of it.
Suddenly, inspiration hit. The kitchen. She headed across the dining room. Theres a door through the kitchen.
Blocked by the new refrigeration unit, Derek called after her.
We should at least check it out.
Waste of time, he said, but he followed.
Pessimist, she countered.
Realist, he corrected.
Cynic. She stopped in front of the crated refrigeration unit. It was huge. She suspected even former linebacker Derek wouldnt be able to budge this thing.
Jenna will be here soon, Candice said with more confidence than she felt.
Maybe.
Im sure shell notice were missing.
Shes probably got her mind on her Tyler right now. I hear weddings make women feel romantic.
Candice had to admit, Derek had a point. For some women. Not me.
Why does that not surprise me?
Candice lined her hands up against the rough wooden crate and pushed as hard as she could. I am not staying in here until Monday. I have things to do, places to go. She had the library redecorating proposal to finish this weekend. The deadline was Wednesday and there were still a hundred details to check.
Are you hinting that I dont?
Well youre not acting like it. She pushed harder. For a big-time international conglomerate executive, he seemed pretty blasé about losing a huge chunk of his time.
Candy
Dont call me that.
Derek leaned back against a butchers block. It weighs a ton.
She glared at him as she peeled off her high heels. Wimp.
He straightened and opened one of the drawers under the counter, pawing through the contents. Im speaking literally. It weighs two thousand pounds. Sometimes you have to accept defeat.
Howd you ever get to be a millionaire with an attitude like that? She turned her back on the crate and tried pushing it butt first.
How do you manage to keep clients with an attitude like yours?
Im an extremely reasonable person.
Youre trying to push a two thousand pound refrigeration unit in your stocking feet.
She clamped her jaw on a small smile and stopped pushing. Thats not unreasonable.
He held up a carving knife, flexing the blade. You weigh what, a hundred? It defies at least one law of physics.
She eyed the sharp edge. Have I annoyed you that badly?
He frowned and tossed the knife back into the drawer. None of these will work on countersunk screws. We may be stuck.
How stuck?
Real stuck.
As in you and me? All night long?
He shot her a look that sizzled right down to her toes. Candy
Dont call me that.
Dont leave yourself wide-open like that.
Raw energy pulsed between them for a long second. Candice felt her skin prickle and her heart rate speed up. She was suddenly short of breath.
Derek?
Yeah?
We have got to get out of here.
NOW THAT WAS AN UNDERSTATEMENT. Never mind the fact that Derek had piles of work waiting on his desk, or the fact that Ray Yamamoto was about to have a cell phone conversation with Tyler, Derek and Candice were inches short of combusting at the best of times. Leave them alone for thirty-six hours and anything could happen.
She was drop-dead gorgeous in that tight purple dress. Despite himself, it wasnt the first time hed felt an attraction to her. She was smart. And she was feisty. And she made him stop and think, and feel, and want.
Spending the night alone together was foolish at best, suicidal at worst.
Ill go look for some tools, he said, determined to exhaust every possibility before giving in.
Tools? She stepped back from the crate, her stocking-covered feet slipping against the tiled kitchen floor.
Maybe we can take the door off the hinges, he elaborated.
Her green eyes brightened in surprise. Thats a good idea.
A compliment, Candy?
She frowned again at the nickname, but didnt correct him this time. Dont let it go to your head.
Derek chuckled as he headed back into the dining room. Candy was definitely a misnomer, given her tart personality. But he got a kick out of the way the name made her bristle.
He glanced around the dining room. Plywood, two-by-fours and sheets of foam insulation were stacked against the walls. The floor was littered with sawdust and shavings. And the dining tables were clustered in one corner, protected by a canvas tarpaulin.
The carpenters were half done, the plumbers had moved in last week, and the electricians had cut holes in everything that didnt move.
Although it looked like the tools had been cleaned up for the weekend, Derek was hoping somebody had left something behind. He headed toward the new bank of windows overlooking the hotel boardwalk and the marina on Lake Washington. Hed definitely give Jenna and Candice points for discovering the big arched window openings. The view alone was going to increase the Lighthouses customer base.
He peeked under a couple of tarps and moved some plywood, hoping for an air ratchet or a stray Phillips head screwdriver. He found nothing. The tradesmen were obviously neat and well organized.
Any luck? asked Candice from the kitchen doorway. Shed left her shoes behind.
He wasnt sure which was worse, the way her sleek little calves had curved down toward the skinny straps and spiky heels, or her sexy stocking-clad feet. The strapless dress revealed her smooth shoulders, and it was tight enough to prove that, despite the hard edge to her arguments, she had a body that was soft in all the right places.
Her blond hair was done up in swirls and curls, but the long evening was beginning to show on it. Wisps had worked their way free to tickle her temples and the base of her neck. She oozed tousled sensuality, and he had to drag his attention away.
Nothing so far, he said.
She began hunting from the other end of the room. Why would Tyler do something this drastic?
Hes protecting Jenna. Derek was trying to be charitable toward his brother, but he had to admit it was tough to keep from plotting his demise.
He doesnt need to protect Jenna from me. Im her partner, her friend. I was her maid of honor for goodness sake.
He lifted the last tarp, checking a makeshift construction table underneath. Sawdust, a measuring tape, a plumb line and a carpenters pencil. Nothing of any value to their current plight. Its your relationship with me thats the problem.
Candice stepped carefully around a couple of saw-horses. I dont have a relationship with you.
Jennas tired of listening to us bicker on the job site. He frowned at Candices feet. There could be metal shavings and stray nails on the floor. Not to mention the danger of splinters. You should put your shoes back on.
I dont bicker. And I cant put my shoes on.
Why not? The shoes part. He could debate the bicker part all night long if necessary.
My feet are swollen. The shoes dont fit anymore.
Well then sit down. He strode over to the corner of the dining room and pulled one of the padded restaurant chairs from under the tarp. Their red velvet upholstery was faded, and the carved walnut arms would have to be refinished, but they were still very comfortable.
Choosing a relatively clear corner near the windows, he set it down. Last thing I need is for you to get hurt.
Always the gentleman.
He retrieved a second chair, then placed one of the tables between the two. Damn straight.
She picked her way across the room and sat down.
He was both surprised and grateful that she finally did something he asked. He suspected there was a first-aid kit in the kitchen somewhere, but he didnt want to have to look for it because Candy had a nail in her foot.
Find anything we can use? she asked.
Nobody left a screwdriver behind, he replied.
And, you cant break down the door?
You really want me to?
She sighed, curling her feet beneath her, tucking the dress over her knees. No. That would be irresponsible. Its a great door.
Derek sat down in the other chair. My shoulder would probably break before the door anyway. They dont make them like that anymore.
True. She propped her elbows on the table. You really think were that bad?
Bad how?
Enough of a problem to warrant this. She gestured around the room.
Tylers overreacting.
Maybe it is a joke. Maybe hell be back soon.
Derek doubted that. Maybe.
Candice brightened. Good. So, what do we do while we wait?
Youre asking me? I thought I was a waste of air.
A grin sneaked out on her face. Did I really say that?
More than once.
Goes to show you how desperate I am.
You hungry? He didnt know about Candy, but he hadnt had a chance to eat at the reception. Since theyd exhausted all of the obvious escape plans, and sitting here twiddling their thumbs wasnt going to do any good, they might as well make the best of their captivity.
What do you mean hungry? she asked. Did Tyler leave a picnic I dont know about?
Were in a restaurant.
She glanced toward the kitchen, forehead furrowing. You mean we can
Far as I know, its still in working order. Derek rose from his chair. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe Tyler would have a change of heart in a couple of hours. In the meantime, there was no need for them to starve.
She peered through the doorway. You know how to operate that stuff? It looks pretty complicated.
He held a hand out to her. If youre hungry. Ill cook you something.
Really?
No. Im a ogre, and Im toying with you.
Wouldnt put it past you.
Come on. He moved closer. Ill carry you over the danger zone.
Oh, no you wont.
Dont get all obstinate on me. Crouching, he slipped one arm around her shoulders and the other under her knees. Not when I just got you to admit I wasnt a waste of air. He easily hoisted her up, settling her against his chest.
She stiffened. I never admitted any such thing. Put me down.
I can put you down. But if you get a nail in your foot, were going to be in big trouble.
A nail?
Its a construction site.
She glanced suspiciously at the floor. Then her hands went around his neck. Oh. Well. In that case. Okay.
His footsteps echoed as he paced across the room.
After a moment, Candice relaxed against him, all supple muscles and smooth curves. Her fingers brushed rhythmically against the nape of his neck, and her soft bottom nestled against his stomach. Her skin was warm through the sheer stockings, heating his fingertips.
Can I make a mighty steed joke? she asked.
He sucked in a breath and tightened his grip, trying to ignore the glimpse of her creamy cleavage. Not unless you want to leave yourself wide-open again.
Her clear green eyes widened and an unexpected blush rose in her cheeks as the meaning of his words sank in.
Aha. Her Achilles heel. If he made it sexy, it kept her quiet.
Hed have to remember that.
NESTLED AGAINST Dereks broad chest, Candice felt as though shed tumbled into an illicit fantasy. Shed admit to admiring his body on occasion. What woman wouldnt wonder about the feel of his sculpted muscles?
And now she knew.
They were shifting steel. Warm and hard as he easily carried her to the kitchen. Closing her eyes, she gave into temptation and inhaled deeply.
A dark flood of sensuality instantly filled her senses. Derek might be pompous and overbearing, but he was also sexy as sin. Her thighs tingled under his fingers. Her body softened and resistance was replaced by desire.
Too soon, he set her down on the tile floor. As his hand left the small of her back, a taut gaze passed between them, weakening her knees. Her breath stopped for a split second. But then he blinked, and his expression neutralized.
Turning abruptly, he headed for the walk-in freezer, grabbing the lever handle and yanking it forward. The heavy door groaned open, and he flipped the light switch and stepped inside.
Candice followed more slowly, forcing herself to shake off the unsettling feelings. A few seconds of fantasy was one thing, but this was Derek. Derek.
He was everything her mother had warned her againstan entrepreneurial shark who only existed to make money and gain power. He ate women like her for lunch.
Lets scope out our choices, he said from inside the freezer. Filet mignon, rack of lamb, sockeye salmon, baby back ribs
She rubbed her shoulders and curled her toes against the chill of the floor as she gazed at the packed shelves lining the freezer rooms walls. You know how to cook all this stuff?
Sure. Dont you?
Growing up with both a cook and housekeeper on staff had left some definite shortcomings in Candices homemaking skills. Im pretty good with a microwave.
Derek gave her a disapproving frown. You survive on processed food?
Not always. Her teeth chattered for a second. When I visit my parents, Anna-Leigh sends care packages home with me.
Thats pathetic. He shrugged out of his tux jacket and draped it around her shoulders.
She shook her head, pushing it off. This was getting way too cozy.
His hands held it firm against her shoulder. Dont be stupid.
Im fine.
Your teeth are chattering.
Were in a freezer.
He sighed heavily. Do you have to be so stubborn?
Do you have to be so stubborn?
You wear my coat, Ill make you dinner.