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  Although he knew it was a rhetorical question, he answered her anyway. “Enjoying a brownie.”

  Her gaze immediately sharpened as she reached over and snagged the box off the top of her desk. “These weren’t in the cookbook.” She sent him an accusatory stare. “Why weren’t these in the cookbook?”

  Lucas chuckled slightly. “I take it you liked it.”

  She stared down at the box in her hands, an almost reverent expression on her face. “These are phenomenal.” There was a shy, almost hesitant look on her face when she gazed back at him. “You made these for me?”

  He could tell the idea pleased her and he was glad he’d given in to the urge to make them. “Made them fresh this morning.” He could see the question forming on her lips again. “And they’re not in the cookbook because I didn’t want them in there.”

  He saw no reason to tell her that the real reason his special brownie recipe wasn’t in the cookbook was because he’d sold it to a giant food manufacturer. Katie’s husband, Cain, had helped him with the negotiations. In fact, Cain had actually been the one to suggest the idea after he’d tasted some of them. The deal was very lucrative, not only giving Lucas money up front, but making sure he obtained a percentage of the profits as well. It was the main reason he’d been able to afford the new building he’d just bought.

  “But they’re fantastic. They should have been in the book.” Her eyes darkened as she became more impassioned about the subject.

  “Be thankful there was a cookbook. I didn’t even want to do the damned thing.” He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, reminding himself again why he’d bothered to come all the way over here this morning.

  “Then why did you do it?” she snapped back.

  “Because Katie asked me to.” The memory of how Katie had come to him after the deal was all but done, cajoling him to do it made him angry all over again. The only reason he’d even agreed to it was because she’d said it would be a good way to publicize her artwork. And she’d also reminded him that he owed her for selling her first painting without her permission. The little minx had him on that and she knew it. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth at the memory. That action had been responsible for Katie and Cain meeting.

  “I hadn’t realized that you and Katie were close.” The way she said the word close made his hackles rise. “I thought she was married.”

  “Katie is like a sister to me.” As hard as he tried, he couldn’t keep the anger from his voice. “And you obviously don’t have a very high opinion of me.” He paused. “Or Katie.” This had obviously been a waste of time. Sighing, he turned away.

  Candy scrambled out of her chair and grabbed his arm, stopping him cold. “I’m sorry, Lucas. That was uncalled for.” He could hear the sincerity in her voice. “I had a really bad night last night and I’m taking it out on you. Please, let’s start over.”

  He took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay.”

  “Sit down and tell me why you came here this morning.”

  He knew she expected him to go around the front of her desk and sit in one of the chairs. Instead, he propped himself against the edge of the desk, crossing his arms over his chest. “I came to make sure you were all right after last evening. You left so abruptly after we were interrupted.”

  “Yes, well,” she began. She met his gaze squarely as she slowly sat back down in her chair. “I don’t do things like that, Lucas.”

  “Like what?” He kept his tone even and unthreatening when all he wanted to do was pull her into his arms and hug her.

  “Like what?” She stared at him as if he were nuts. She raked her hand through her hair, dislodging a few more locks from the barrette in the back. “Like practically getting naked with a man I don’t even know.”

  “Candy.” He leaned forward and hauled her chair over in front of him. With his hands locked around the arms of the chair, he effectively had her caged in. “For the record, I didn’t think it was something that you usually did.” Taking one hand off the chair, he carefully tucked a curl behind her ear. It sprang back immediately, making him grin slightly. Her hair was as unpredictable and untamed as she was. “And as long as we’re on the subject, it’s not something that I do either.”

  She cleared her throat. “Okay. As long as you know that and understand that there won’t be a repeat performance.”

  That made him scowl. “Why not?”

  “You’re a client, Lucas.” She laid her hand on his forearm and he wished he wasn’t wearing his coat so he could feel her fingers brushing against his skin.

  “You don’t work for me and I don’t work for you. There is no conflict. Besides which, that’s what I’m here to talk about.”

  He could tell he’d aroused her interest, but she leaned back in her chair and eyed him coolly. “Oh?”

  He’d give her credit— she didn’t jump at the bait, but waited to see what he’d offer. He admired her for that. A lot of other people would have started demanding an explanation, but she obviously had patience. “You want me to do some promotion for the book.”

  “Yes. It’s the reason I’ve been trying to track you down for the past few weeks.” She tried to reach around him to snag her calendar off her desk, but gave up when she realized that he wasn’t moving. He caught a haunting whiff of vanilla-scented lotion as she shifted closer to him.

  Leaning forward, he cupped her chin in his hand. “I’ll agree to do a select few promotional interviews. But,” he continued before she got too excited, “only if you agree to have dinner with me.”

  “That’s blackmail.”

  “The brownies were blackmail to get you to talk to me. Okay, technically they were more of a bribe than blackmail, but you ate one of them,” he pointed out.

  “That’s different,” she sputtered. “I didn’t even know you had brownies. And this entire conversation is absurd.”

  “That may be, but the offer stands as is. You want me to do some promotions, then you’ll have dinner with me.” He rubbed his thumb across her bottom lip. It was lush and full and moist. “Besides.” He angled closer to her, bringing his mouth nearer hers. “I’m not asking you to have sex with me. Just dinner.” Giving in to temptation, he licked her bottom lip, tasting the chocolate from the brownie she’d eaten mingled with her own sweet flavor.

  “Just dinner?” she whispered as she shifted forward until their lips were barely touching.

  “Hmmm,” he agreed as his lips skimmed across hers. “That doesn’t mean I won’t try to convince you to have sex with me, Candy. I want to finish what we started. We’d be so good together. You know it as well as I do.” He slid his tongue past her lips and tasted the warmth of her mouth before retreating. “I want to fuck you until you scream with pleasure. I want to lick every inch of your body until you beg me to fuck you again.” He slipped his tongue into her mouth again, mimicking the sexual act.

  Both of them were breathing hard now. Candy’s hands had moved at some point and were now gripping the sides of his neck as she pulled him closer. He forced himself to retreat once again. “Have dinner with me, sugar. You won’t regret it.”

  She let out a whimper as he captured her mouth again. This time there was no holding back. What was it about this particular woman that made him lose all control? At his age, he thought his days of being led around by his dick were long over. But Candy made a mockery of his self-discipline. His entire body was clenched tight with need and he was so incredibly close to shoving everything off her desk, spreading her across the hard surface, flipping up her skirt and driving himself into her waiting warmth.

  And she would be wet for him. He knew she would.

  Without breaking their kiss, he hauled her out of the chair. Pulling her between his spread thighs, he cupped her ass in his hands and rubbed her mound over his erection. Tugging at the fabric of her skirt with his fingers, he yanked it upward until he could slip his hand beneath it. Once again, she was wearing thigh-high stockings. He promised himself that one day he’d fuck her while she was wearing nothing but a pair of those ridiculously high-heeled shoes that she seemed to favor and these fabulous stockings.

  The image made his cock throb, so he yanked open his jeans, allowing his erection to spring forward. At the same time, he pushed her skirt upward in the front and pulled her closer so that his aching flesh was pressed tight against the heat of her silk panties. He almost yelled with pleasure as she rotated her hips, grinding her pussy against him. Clasping her silk-covered behind with his hands, he silently encouraged her.

  Slanting his lips over hers, he devoured her mouth, fucking it with his tongue, claiming it as his. He pushed one of his hands lower over her ass, slipping it between her thighs. She widened her stance, letting him touch her, moaning her pleasure as his fingers slid over the slick, wet fabric. Skimming the edge of the fabric, he slipped his fingers beneath.

  His breath was coming so hard now that he was afraid his chest might burst. She was hot and wet, just as he’d known she would be. Damn, she was so naturally sensual and giving, she drove him wild. He had to have her.

  There was a loud knock at the door.

  They pulled apart and stared at each other. Lucas swore as he gingerly removed his hand from inside her panties. Candy hurriedly pushed her skirt down and stared at his groin as he carefully zipped his jeans over his erection. Even though he was clenching his teeth against the pain, he almost grinned at the look on her face. Part hungry, part appalled, it made him feel better to know that she was in this just as deep as he was. “Sugar, you’re not helping.”

  Her head jerked up and she gasped, her cheeks turning pink.

  The person on the other side of the door knocked again. “Candy, are you busy?” The doorknob turned and a woman walked in. Lucas managed to seat Candy back in her chair and take a step away from her before the new arrival realized that there was someone else in the office. She looked startled but recovered quickly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know Ms. Logan was busy. I’ll come back later.”

  “That okay. We’re done… for now.” He left those last two words hanging in the air. It was up to Candy now. She knew his terms. The last thing he wanted to do was leave her, but he forced himself to walk across the room. It was surprisingly difficult given the tightness of his pants. He saw the other woman’s eyes widen in surprise, but thankfully she refrained from making any comment.

  When he got to the door, he turned back. Candy was still sitting in her chair, looking slightly stunned. Her lips were swollen, her cheeks were rosy and her hair was a bit more mussed. But other than that, she appeared almost exactly as she had when he’d arrived. “Enjoy your brownies.”

  As he turned to walk out the door, he tossed one parting challenge over his shoulder. “I’ll wait for your call.”

  Feeling much better in spite of his unrequited sexual desire, he sauntered toward the elevator, already planning what he’d make Candy for dessert.

  Chapter Seven

  Missy never took her eyes from Lucas as he strolled out of the office. She carefully closed the door and turned toward Candy. “Should I even ask?” Before she could respond, Missy was shaking her head. “Forget I said that. I have to know.”

  Seating herself comfortably in one of the chairs, Missy propped her elbows on the arms and steepled her fingers together in anticipation. She waited quietly for about thirty seconds before her curiosity finally got the better of her. “Girl, who is that hunk of man who just left here? I know I interrupted something. With the heat level in here, I’m surprised y’all didn’t set off the sprinkler system.”

  Candy pushed a lock of hair out of her face and blew out a breath. “That, my dear, was Lucas Squires.”

  Missy’s mouth dropped open and then abruptly clamped shut. “You’re joking.”

  Her friend’s reaction made her grin. It was rare that anything ever ruffled Missy’s composure. “Nope.” Ignoring the dampness between her thighs and the desire still flooding her body, she leaned forward and picked up the white box from her desk. She offered it to Missy. “Here, have one of these. You’ll definitely feel better.”

  Missy plucked a brownie from the box and took a large bite. More slowly, Candy selected another of the chocolate treats, bit into it and allowed the flavors to explode on her tongue. She knew what to expect. Her friend, on the other hand, was in for a surprise.

  First Missy frowned, then she began to chew more slowly and her eyes closed as she continued to eat. She swallowed and moaned with pleasure before opening her eyes and staring at the remaining piece of brownie in her hand.

  Candy took another tiny bite while she waited. Missy eventually looked at her, then back at the brownie and then back to her again. “Please tell me he didn’t make these?”

  Nodding smugly, Candy chewed and swallowed, refusing to talk while she still had chocolate in her mouth. “He made them for me this morning.”

  “Omigod. If you don’t want him, I’ll take him.”

  A wave of jealousy washed through her at Missy’s casual comment and her entire body stiffened. She’d always been insecure about her own looks and didn’t want to think what might happen if Missy made a play for Lucas.

  “I want him.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she knew they were the absolute truth. She did want him. Badly. She wanted to have dinner with him and spend time getting to know him as they promoted his book. But most of all, she wanted to sleep with him.

  She’d never reacted to any other man she’d ever met the way she did to Lucas. There was an earthiness about him that drew her. The man oozed bad boy sex appeal with his jeans, T-shirt and leather jacket. The explosiveness of their first two meetings guaranteed she’d be more than sexually satisfied if she decided to take him up on his offer. But why did she always seem to attract men who weren’t good for her?

  Candy wanted a stable man in her life. One who was responsible, dependable, made a decent living, worked hard and paid his taxes. Maybe that sounded boring, but after the examples of her father and brother, Candy wasn’t willing to settle for anything less.

  But that didn’t mean that she couldn’t have a fling with Lucas. The man never said he wanted a long-term relationship. He’d quite bluntly stated that he wanted to fuck her. She licked her suddenly dry lips, almost hearing him whisper the words as he kissed her.

  “Mmm.” Candy jerked up her head in time to watch Missy swallow the last of her brownie. “Okay, you can have him, but only if I get more of these.” Sighing, she sat up straight and gave the box a baleful stare. “But enough of this. What happened at the party yesterday afternoon?”

  Candy debated exactly how much to share with her friend, but in the end, she spilled it all. Okay, maybe not quite all the graphic details, but the gist of what had happened.

  “So let me get this straight.” Missy ticked each item off on her fingers as she listed them. “You didn’t know who he was?” When Candy nodded, she continued. “But you ended up almost having sex with him in a storage room?” Again, she paused for confirmation. “Then he shows up with these amazing brownies for you this morning?” Missy’s gaze wavered toward the white box before coming back to Candy. “He’ll do the promotion, but only if you have dinner with him, which really means he wants to have hot monkey sex with you? Am I right?”

  “I wouldn’t call it hot monkey sex.” Missy arched a perfectly plucked eyebrow at her. “Okay, maybe I would,” Candy conceded. “But you can see the problem, right?”

  “Are you nuts?” Missy sat forward in her chair, reached across the desk and grabbed Candy’s hand. “This guy is hot for you. I swear I saw steam rising off the both of you when I walked into the room. All jokes aside, though, in all the years I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you react like this to any man. You owe it to yourself to take a chance.”

  She wanted so badly to believe her friend. “But what about conflict of interest?”

  “Girl, you’re not his lawyer, doctor or priest. You’re his publicist. You’ll work with him for a few weeks now and maybe a few weeks after the book is released and then you’ll both go on to other things. You have other clients and he has a business to run. Who is going to care if you start a relationship?”

  “That’s what Lucas said.” Candy could feel the tight ball of tension that had been in the pit of her stomach since yesterday evening loosen ever so slightly.

  Missy nodded as she squeezed Candy’s fingers. “See, he is a man of good sense. He had brains enough to see past your armor to the woman beneath.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “Candy, honey, I love you like a sister, but look at yourself. You wear bland suits in the wrong size and send out do not touch vibes to every man you meet.”

  Missy’s words appalled her. “I do not.” She felt the absurd need to defend her sensible, if slightly dull, suits. “This suit is businesslike and appropriate. I don’t want to pick up men at work. I don’t want to pick men up at all.” She startled herself with her last statement.

  “I know you don’t. Ever since you and Gary broke up, you’ve pulled into a shell. That was over a year ago, Candy. It’s time to move on, or at least live a little and have some fun. Maybe Lucas isn’t a forever kind of man, or maybe he is, but you’ll never know if you don’t try.” Missy released her hand and stood. “I don’t want to see you bury yourself any longer. There’s more to life than just work. You’re both consenting adults, so there’s no problem if you want to have dinner.” Missy offered her last few words with a sly, teasing smile and a wink. “Or hot monkey sex.”

  “I’ll think about it.” Her friend had certainly given her a lot to mull over.

  “You do that, but you let me know the second you’ve set a date for dinner with Lucas.”

  “You’re so sure that I’ll agree to his terms.” Candy picked up a pen and began to tap it nervously against the top of her desk.

  “Yes. You’re stubborn, not stupid. And we’re going shopping for an outfit that will knock the man’s socks off.” Glancing at her watch, she sighed. “I was going to ask you if you wanted to go for an early coffee break, but we’ve pretty much used up the time.”

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