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CHATROOM Lovers

Nona Gallien

Copyright © 2020 Nona Gallien.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Archway Publishing 1663 Liberty Drive Bloomington, IN 47403 www.archwaypublishing.com 1 (888) 242-5904

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Author photo taken by Foto Teunissen, Maassluis Netherlands

ISBN: 978-1-4808-8539-4 (sc) ISBN: 978-1-4808-8540-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019919351

Archway Publishing rev. date: 12/31/2019

CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

EPILOGUE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CHAPTER ONE

W hen the report of the plane crash reached the office, it was devastating to everyone. Quentin had been on a private charter going to the East Coast to meet with a new client. Janice, his secretary, had been so broken up that she had to be driven home. Christine hadn’t wanted to believe it. Now she’d been in denial for days. She didn’t working, going home, sleeping, or anything; she was in a daze. Neal had tried to talk to her, but she couldn’t talk. She feared she might say too much. Neal knew she’d been close to Quentin. He knew she was his prized engineer. What he didn’t know was that she had been his mistress for the past four years. It had been a well-kept secret. Several days after the plane crash, she got a call from Quentin’s friend and private attorney. Benjamin Hamilton had been taking care of personal matters for Quentin. Initially, she thought he would tell her she had to get out of the penthouse and find somewhere to live. She didn’t care. She’d lost the most important person in her life. She’d sat in a chair across from Benjamin’s desk, holding her head up high. “Christine, I want you to know that this is very hard for me. Quentin and I have been friends since we played football together in high school. I still can’t believe he’s gone.” He opened a folder on his desk and shifted in his seat. “The penthouse is yours. It’s been yours for several years. He had it changed over from the corporation to your name.” “Corporation … what corporation?” She couldn’t believe what he was telling her. “Why would he change the penthouse to my name?” “He wanted you to have your own home if it didn’t work out. You didn’t have your apartment anymore, and it was important to him.”

Christine chuckled, thinking of her perfect gentleman. He always thought of everything. He was always thinking of her and her future. How was she going to live without him? “He started a corporation to buy the penthouse. And later he started adding money to the corporation every year on special occasions, as he called it. The corporation is yours now,” Benjamin told her. “Is his family taking over Hamilton Construction?” she asked, still stunned. “No. I have two letters for you. And I have one for Neal Langston. I’m going with you to meet with the other attorneys next week about Hamilton Construction.” “Neal too?” she asked. What had Quentin done? She hoped he didn’t cut his children out. They didn’t have the same ion he had for the company his grandfather had started. “Yes, it concerns you and Neal. I’m having his letter delivered today by courier.” Benjamin exhaled and sat back in his seat. “One more thing: Quentin’s wife filed for divorce about a year and a half ago. She confessed to having an affair, and she remarried. You didn’t sound like you knew.” “What? No. He didn’t tell me she asked for a divorce. He told me he had a surprise and something to tell me before he left for his trip.” Christine broke down crying. She’d driven him to the airport that morning before going to work. They’d made love before going to sleep the night before and again when they woke up. She’d never imagined that would be her last kiss at the airport. He’d told her he loved her, and she’d told him she loved him more. The next few days were even harder for Christine. Neal had received his letter from the attorney, and he knew nothing about what was going on. His letter stated an attorney’s name, address, and appointment time. He asked Christine if she knew what was going on, and she shook her head. She didn’t tell him she’d gotten the same letter, along with a personal one. The sealed letter was dated months after her pregnancy scare. She’d read her letter over and over and over. Apparently, Quentin had been making plans

behind her back.

My dearest Christine,

If you are reading this letter, then something has happened to me, and I am no longer with you. I love you with all my heart. You don’t know how hard I fought my urges in the beginning. I wanted you the moment I shook your hand your first day. I watched you from afar, hoping and wishing I could be twenty years younger. I enjoyed our friendship as it grew. Then you kissed me that evening in the lab, and it changed a lot for me. I wanted to be more than just your friend. I used our friendship to spend time with you and to be close to you. I was happy just being near you. My family had grown apart, and I didn’t know why. I did everything to make it better. I gave them everything they asked for. Unfortunately, they never included me in their plans, and they left me alone a lot. Then you came into my life. I’m sorry I used your accident to pull you closer to me. I needed a friend, and you needed someone to take care of you. I tried hard not to fall in love with you. You were young and should have been with someone your own age. After you found out you weren’t pregnant, I was both devastated and happy. I knew then that you didn’t need, that we didn’t need to have children together. They would have thought I was their grandfather. You were like a sponge, absorbing all I could teach you about engineering, and it became so clear that you would follow in my footsteps. Your ion is as strong as or stronger than mine. I want you … no; I need you to carry on my legacy. I want you to have a husband that loves you as much as I did. I want you to have children to love and to love you. You are a beautiful woman, and I’m sure your children will have a beautiful personality just like you. I want the company to become your dream and your children’s dreams and your children’s children’s dreams. I know you can do this for me. I knew there would come a day when you walked out of my life. And I didn’t want you to have any regrets . So I made provisions for you so you would never ever have to worry about money. I hate to say this because I’m sure you are crying and hating

me right now. But I’m sure your name was the last words on my lips. This is my last chance to make your dreams come true. P.S. Whether you realize it, you and Neal make a great team. He and I share a great ion. I know you and Neal together can make the company grow and prosper. I know you can do this for me. Take care of Neal. He will need you to get through this.

Goodbye, Christine, I’ll love you forever, Q

The end of the week came sooner than Christine wanted. It was time to see the lawyers. Neal was there, sitting in a chair at the table when she arrived. He had a surprised look on his face. She didn’t sit in the chair next to him. She sat a few seats away at the conference table. There were three men in suits sitting across from them. One lawyer announced that they would start in a minute; they were waiting on one more person. Neal assumed it would be Mrs. Hamilton, whom he’d seen and met once since he started working at the company right out of college. Neal tried to get Christine’s attention, but she sat like a stone statue. Benjamin walked in and sat in a seat between them. “Everyone is here. Let’s get started.” An attorney opened a folder. “Neal Langston, Christine Billingsley, you were summoned here today because of the last will and testament made by Quentin Hamilton. First, I would like to say what a wonderful man Quentin was and that he trusted the two of you completely. He left the company and its assets to both of you. You each have 50/50 shares in the company. Neal, he named you the CEO, and Christine, the president. His will has some stipulations. First, continue to donate to charities. And second, if you two can’t or don’t want to share in the responsibilities of running the company, then we’re instructed to sell it in pieces.” “What do you mean pieces?” Neal asked. “It means we can’t allow one person or corporation to own over 10 percent of the stock.”

“That’s ridiculous. The company can’t maintain its value like that. That would bankrupt us in six months.” Neal stood up, shouting. “Christine, did you know any of this?” She shook her head. “No, Neal. This is my first time hearing this, just like you.” She held her hands tightly in her lap. She was tired of crying, and right now, she wanted to cry like a baby. Neal walked over to her and squatted next to her chair, speaking low. “It’s your decision. Do we keep Quentin’s dream alive, or do we let everything he worked so hard for to die with him?” He touched her arm, something he hadn’t done in a long time. “Can we work together again like we used to? Are we friends or coworkers, Neal?” “This would make us co-owners,” he said, and his green eyes twinkled. “Yes, I’ll do it. But if this doesn’t work out, can we sell it?” Christine asked the of attorneys. The attorney shook his head. “No, it would fall back to his original stipulations. Any offspring will only inherit the company. So when either of you has children, we will add their names to Hamilton Corporation. If neither of you has children, then it will fall back to the stipulations. If the two of you marry and have children, it stays in the family.” Neal jumped up from his position and moved his hand off Christine. He moved away from her as if something had stung him. “What about Quentin’s family? Shouldn’t the business go to them?” Neal suddenly asked. One of the other attorneys spoke up. “Mr. Hamilton’s family had no desire to run the company. They have signed over all rights to the company forever.” “What about his wife? She will contest all of this. We can’t win,” Neal stated. “At the time of his death, Mr. Hamilton didn’t have a wife,” the attorney interjected.

“What? Quentin was divorced? When did that happen? He said nothing to me, nor did he act like anything was wrong.” He looked at Christine. “Did you know?” “No, he didn’t share that with me either.” It hurt Christine to say that, but it was a true statement. She felt her insides crumbling again, and she couldn’t stop it. Neal looked over at Benjamin. “Are you representing Mrs. Hamilton?” “No, I represented Quentin in other matters.” Neal noticed that Christine’s eyes were full of water, about to spill over. He pulled her into his arms for a hug, and she started crying. “It will be okay,” he said and held her while she cried, rubbing her back. “I miss him, too,” he whispered in her ear. The attorneys asked if they were ready to sign all the papers. This time they sat next to each other and signed all the papers. When they finished g stacks and stacks of papers, the attorneys ed them a set of folders. The documents showed all the figures, finances, and assets. It displayed the net worth of the company. Neal was glad he was sitting down. Neal couldn’t figure out why Quentin felt he could trust him with his company. This situation had him confused, and now he was being forced to work with Christine for life. He’d moved on with his personal life. She didn’t look at him the same way anymore. Everything between them now was all business. He didn’t have a woman special enough to marry or have children with. Neal figured Christine would marry soon. She’d done a good job of holding on to the man she was dating. He’d only noticed her sad since Quentin had died. So, whoever the guy was, he needed to take care of her and keep her happy. Or he might just try again. They were ready to walk out when Benjamin called to Neal. He needed to speak to him. Benjamin opened his briefcase and pulled out a letter. “My instructions were to give you this only if you agreed to partner with Christine.” He ed the letter to Neal. Neal looked at the sealed letter with his name written across the front in Quentin’s handwriting. Perplexed, he turned to ask Benjamin a question but

found that he was alone in the room. He wanted to open the letter but couldn’t. More than likely it was some kind of explanation. Neal was too mad at his friend and boss, and he was mad at himself because he never told Quentin about his ranch. Quentin wouldn’t have treated him differently. He walked out and found Christine waiting in the hall for him. The letter was in his hand. She looked at it, her eyes wide with shock. “Did you get one?” Neal shook it at her. “Yes,” Christine said, not wanting to think about it. She cried every time she read hers. “Christine, I need a drink. Will you me? I don’t want to be alone.” “Sure, partner.” She bent her elbow as Quentin had done to her many times. She would miss her perfect gentleman very much! Christine and Neal walked out of the building together, arm in arm. Christine drove her Jaguar and followed Neal in his Dodge Ram truck. It was still lunchtime, and they found a restaurant. A waiter took their order after they received their drinks. Neal tilted his glass toward Christine, and she followed his gesture with her wineglass. “Here’s to Quentin, our friend, and that we continue to make him proud.” After touching the glasses together, they sipped. During their meal, they decided that the employees of Hamilton Construction needed to know what was going on. Many of them were more concerned that “the wicked witch,” whom none of them had seen would come and take over, or maybe the stupid son. Multiple employees were working on their résumés. During the drive back to the office, Christine drifted back to the first time Quentin Hamilton II and Neal Langston became a part of her life. They’d come a long way since then. The tears fell freely as she thought of her letter from Quentin. She’d read the letter so many times that she could see every word and hear his voice. g those papers made everything real and had opened up fresh wounds. And now Neal had one too. What had Quentin said to Neal in his letter?

CHAPTER TWO

C hristine Billingsley was a twenty-one-year-old college student studying to be an architectural engineer. She’d transferred from Stanford University to a university in Fort Worth, Texas, after she’d had her heart broken. At least that had been her excuse to her parents for the sudden move. At this college, they awarded her an internship at one of the largest construction companies in Texas, Hamilton Construction. Christine was from California. Her parents were professors at Stanford University, where her mother taught drafting and design and her father taught civil engineering. From the time she was a little girl, she liked to design and build things. She’d dreamed of being an architectural engineer and wanted to follow in her parents’ engineering footsteps. On her first day at Hamilton Construction, she stood nervously with the group of interns while they were introduced to the staff and to the CEO, Mr. Quentin Thaddeus Hamilton II. There were five interns, three men and two women. She was the only black female in the group. Mr. Hamilton shook hands with everyone and smiled. When he stopped in front of her, there was a noticeable pause. His smile almost dropped, and his pupils became larger with excitement. He opened his mouth to speak and closed it immediately, clearing his throat. The CEO shook her hand and held it in a tight grip. “Please forgive me … and welcome to Hamilton Construction. Congratulations on your internship.” Quentin moved to the next person in line before she even opened her mouth. She didn’t even get to say thank you. After a moment, she realized her hand was hanging in midair. She recovered, rubbing her hand against her skirt as if a chemical had burned her. She’d seen his picture on the company’s website, but it didn’t do him justice. This man was gorgeous with his dark-chocolate skin. He was just drop-dead,

hot-and-sexy gorgeous, and he had to be around the same age as her father. The man was well over six feet tall, and his smile—it melted something inside her. Christine was glad he stopped smiling at her and was happy when he moved to the next person. She would be even happier when this was over and she could get as far away from him as possible. He made her feel things. His touch was like fire to her skin, and she was burning deep inside. It’s not a good thing to feel lust for your boss on the first day. The company had been in Quentin’s family for many years. His son and namesake had become a lawyer instead of working at the company. He had high hopes for his teenage daughter, Amanda, whom he hoped would want to take over the company someday. Quentin had transformed his grandfather’s company from just building houses to building huge buildings, like high-rise offices and multilevel apartments, along with warehouses for industrial use. His goal was to build bridges. He’d started the internship program with the university, hoping to find brilliant new engineers. For a man in his forties, he was way beyond where he’d ever imagined he would be. Quentin had turned a small company into a large one with an enormous reputation and now listed in the Fortune 500. He’d never had an intern who turned him inside out and upside down. Never had any woman, as long as he could , do that to him, and he’d seen some beautiful women in his day. He was a family man and never strayed in his marriage. Was he having one of those midlife crises he’d read about? He’d started staying at the penthouse in town more, but only when his wife and daughter were out of town. And lately, that had been a lot. He had just bought an expensive new Mercedes sports car. Oh no, he was having a midlife crisis, and he wanted the new intern to top it off. Christine adjusted to her new life in Texas and the new school. She missed California and her parents, but mostly she missed her friends. She chatted as often as she could, but with this being her senior year, her classes were more demanding, and she was really enjoying the internship, which was an easier transition. It gave her something to focus on besides not having a personal life. She was at the top of her class for a reason, and being a female in this field meant she had to work even harder than everyone else. She didn’t have time for socializing. There was no time for social media and definitely no time for partying.

A few months into her internship, the CEO announced a new project, a new high-rise office building in northern Texas. Her supervisor, Mr. Neal Langston, who was also a structural engineer, had asked all the interns to prepare some specs and designs to present to a group of engineers, including the CEO. Christine enjoyed working with Mr. Langston. He was patient and kind. She had learned so much in the short time she’d been at the company. He helped her to perfect her blueprint drawing, and he was easy to talk to and exceptionally cute. When Christine started doing some research on the new project, she found out that the city in northern Texas was in an area known as Hurricane Alley. So she decided that the first thing she needed to work on was what type of material would withstand high winds. First, she drew several types of designs and shapes for the building; then she researched other buildings that were destroyed during hurricanes. She was ready. At least she hoped she was. She hadn’t seen Mr. Hamilton since the first day of her internship, two months earlier. Her stomach was in knots again. Maybe it was a fluke because she was nervous that day too. Christine presented her PowerPoint presentation for the group, starting with the concept of a hurricane and the importance of stability. She built the presentation from the bottom up, showing the design and structure and then by adding layers to the structure that should tie it in together for stronger stability. When she finished her presentation, she noticed Mr. Hamilton had the brightest smile on his face. She had to look away to keep from melting into the floor where she stood. His smile had a look of come and sit on my lap. Or was it all in her mind? If so, why did the thought of sitting on his lap make her tingle? Was she the only one who saw him like that? Maybe because he was facing her and all the eyes in the room were on her at the moment. The whole group was speechless as if she had grown another head. Had her design been that bad? She broke into a sweat and wanted to run. Taking a deep breath, she licked her dry lips. Christine looked down at the computer for a second. Then she heard movement. Glancing up, she saw several people with their hands up for questions. Christine pointed to the closest person, with a shaky hand. She answered his question with information from her research material. Smiling, Christine pointed to the next person, her confidence level shot through the roof. She answered

most of the questions, but they delayed others for further research. Neal informed her that she was the last intern to present to the group. He asked her to step out of the room and wait across the hall. Christine sat nervously and fidgeted with her skirt. She doubted they would choose her design, considering the experienced engineers operating within the company. Mr. Langston asked her to return to the room and stood beside her. The first thing he did was congratulate her on her design and idea. He told her it was the best one out of all the interns, and the CEO agreed with her ideas of stability. Mr. Hamilton stood up and addressed the group of engineers. He told them that this stability idea could bring in more business to the company in and around Hurricane Alley. Initially, it may be a little costly, but the quality of the work made for good business. When the meeting was over, several of the engineers from various departments came over and congratulated Christine personally. She noticed Mr. Langston was still hanging around, and Mr. Hamilton asked if she would come to his office. He had a few more questions for her. She was nervous again and glad to see Mr. Langston accompanying her. After they were all seated in Mr. Hamilton’s office, he asked about school. Christine told him she would graduate in a few months. He asked if she liked the internship program and whether there was anything that needed improvement or change. She answered honestly about how she felt. “Your program has been a great inspiration to me. I see nothing that needs changing, sir.” “Oh, please don’t sir me. It’s Quentin,” he said with a melting smile. “Ms. Billingsley, how would you like to come and work beside me? I mean work for Hamilton Construction.” Excited and yet afraid, she licked her lips. Christine looked over at Mr. Langston, who was smiling and nodding in agreement. She wouldn’t mind working alongside him any day. She looked back at Mr. Hamilton, but he didn’t have any expression on his face this time. He almost looked like he was in pain, and she became worried. Glancing around his office, she saw that it was simple, not overdone like some rich millionaire that she knew he was.

Christine didn’t want to work for a presumptuous, overinflated, self-centered know-it-all boss. She saw some family photos behind him on the desk, as well as plaques and trophies on a shelf. She knew from internet research that he donated to charity events. Did he really do this out of the kindness of his own heart, or did he do it for a tax break? She looked back at him with a small smile. “Can I think about it and give you an answer in a few days?” “Sure, that will be just fine, Ms. Billingsley. In the meantime, I want you to work on the team for this project. I am seriously considering your idea and design.” “Really? Are you serious?” Christine asked, almost falling out of her chair. “Yes, Ms. Billingsley. I will have my head engineers go over all your specs. I like your idea. We’ve never used that style of structure before, and it is very interesting.” Mr. Hamilton stood, and she decided that was her cue that their meeting was over. She grabbed her bag from the floor beside her and thanked him again for the opportunity. Mr. Langston followed her to the elevator, and they rode down together. She wanted to ask him some questions, but then she thought again and closed her mouth. Neal stood almost behind her because he didn’t want to have to see her mouth. She’d licked her lips during the presentation, and he thought he’d come unglued. It was so sexy, and it drove him wild.

CHAPTER THREE

A fter leaving work, Christine needed to think, so she went to one of her favorite thinking spots. She sat in the booth alone, eating a salad, at a restaurant in downtown Fort Worth. From the window, she could people watch. There was a large fountain that children would play in for hours, with their parents sitting close enough to watch over them without getting wet. Sometimes there were people of all ages running through it. Her most memorable day here had been watching an elderly couple teasing each other at the edge of the fountain. They were laughing, and she could tell they were happy. She wondered if they were one of those couples who had been married for over fifty years or if they found love for each other late in life. Christine hadn’t thought about marriage for a while now. She thought she’d found the love of her life back in California, but she’d been wrong. Now she only wanted to graduate and be successful. Love was the last thing on her mind. Her favorite pastime was sitting and watching the people who walked through the square, trying to guess which were locals and which were the tourists. Sitting downtown was where she did her best work. She studied the buildings and then rebuilt them on her computer using more modern technology. Christine wanted to see her name etched into the wall of a building one day, knowing she’d designed it. She always came alone and sat alone, never realizing that she had an irer who frequented the same restaurant. Quentin sat in his corner and watched Christine. He knew she would be good for his company, and she could help to make it grow. He saw a lot of potential in her. Quentin wanted her to work for his company, but he wanted her more for himself. She was so young, only a few years older than his daughter, but she was a woman, and he wanted her. Quentin watched her around the company, always keeping to herself and always

working. He rarely saw her engaging in conversation with the men, although he knew there was plenty who were just as affected by her as he was. He wanted to see her laugh and smile, but mostly he wanted to make her moan. He’d had an ache in his pants since the first day he laid eyes on her. Why would she want an old man like him? Quentin had just gotten up enough nerve to go over to her table and say hello when he spotted Neal Langston walk in and stop at her table. “Hello, Ms. Billingsley,” Neal said, smiling. “Please call me Christine.” “Call me Neal, since it looks like, we’ll be working together.” “Okay, Neal. You eat here too?” “No, I was across the street at a bar with some guys from work. I waved at you from the sidewalk. You didn’t see me, so I came in to check on you.” “Would you like to sit down?” Christine asked shyly. “Only for a few minutes. I don’t want to interrupt you if you are waiting on someone,” he said coyly. “No, I’m not waiting for anyone. I was sitting here thinking about the job offer.” Christine paused, wanting to quiz Neal about Mr. Hamilton. She never thought Mr. Hamilton would offer her a job so soon. She really thought she’d graduate and go back to California. Christine pondered whether she should wait for more offers or take the job and get the experience under her belt and then go back to California. Christine had that staring look in her eyes again. Neal liked that look. She was an amazing, intelligent woman, and she didn’t flaunt her brains or her looks. He thought she was beautiful, and she didn’t realize the effect she had on him. Neal could imagine the wheels turning in her brain when she did that. He had the utmost respect for her. He also had an ache for her and wondered if she liked white guys, wondered especially if she’d date one.

“Hey, Christine!” He touched her hand to bring her back from her deep thoughts. She did it a lot, yet it always gave him time to ire her and find something more beautiful about her. She blinked. “I’m sorry Mr. Langst— Neal. I have so much on my mind right now.” “I’ll let you get back to your thoughts.” “Don’t go.” She covered his hand with hers. “I’m sorry … you probably have a wife waiting for you at home.” She pulled her hand back quickly. She’d been so starved for affection that she was about to make a mistake and come on to her supervisor. “No wife, no girlfriend, just some four-legged creatures waiting for me.” He exhaled, wanting her to put her hand back, but she didn’t. “Huh, four-legged creatures? Do you have some dogs waiting for you to come home and feed them?” she asked jokingly. “No, I have horses. I live on a ranch.” “Horses! You really have horses and live on a ranch? You don’t look like a cowboy,” she said, sounding more intrigued about this sexy, handsome greeneyed … Neal started telling Christine about his ranch. He told her about being born and raised in Fort Worth and growing up on a ranch. His mother had ed away from breast cancer when he was a teenager. And now it was just him and his father. When he turned twenty-one, he’d taken over running the ranch; that had been five years ago. It was adjacent to his father’s ranch. That was how his parents had known each other growing up and had eventually married. Neal talked about his father being the real cowboy. His mother had started rehab programs for children. It had been a ion of hers. He had a sad look on his face when he talked about his mother, and Christine placed her hand back on top of his as he spoke. Neither of them saw the man who watched them and silently slipped out of the restaurant, realizing

he’d missed his opportunity. They spent the next few hours talking. Christine liked that Neal was telling her about his life on the ranch, and she really enjoyed knowing that he was a gentleman with a heart. Here was a man who used part of his ranch to help children with disabilities and cancer. Who couldn’t like a man like this? He’d built special accommodations with wheelchair ramps and bunkhouses that they used for camps. During the summer, the children came out in groups from all over Texas. Each group spent a week at the ranch. During school, some children came out on weekends and used the horses as a rehabilitation treatment. Neal’s face was full of light and energy when he talked about the children and the horses. He told her about multiple breeds on his ranch. Neal talked about the Clydesdales and how his workers used them to take the children on hayrides. He even housed one of those huge original beer wagons. Christine propped her elbows up on the table and rested her chin on top of her hands while she listened to Neal. He was very interesting, and she wanted to know more, learn more. He was also kinda hot and had a sexy voice. She thought he was good-looking for a white guy, around six-three and muscular, with not an ounce of fat visible. He always dressed nicely and wore cowboy boots. He smelled good, like the outdoors or fresh-cut grass; now she knew why. His eyes were his most striking feature. She’d never met a man with green eyes. It was almost spooky, but on him it was sexy. He was so close that she noticed he had a pierced ear. She’d never seen him with an earring on at work. She bet he looked even better as a bad boy with a diamond stud. But he was one of her bosses, and she didn’t think it would be appropriate to get involved. Still, she liked his voice and his body. She could tell he was ionate about his ranch. Christine closed her eyes and imagined him naked astride one of those Clydesdales, running through some trees. She was so caught up in her fantasy that she didn’t notice he’d stopped talking and was staring at her happy, grinning, dreamy face. “Christine?” Neal whispered and touched her face with a very soft caress. Why did it feel so nice being touched? She leaned her face in, welcomed the touch. It felt like he’d reached down from the tall horse and caressed her, wanting her to him. His hand moved. It wasn’t caressing her anymore. A

soft no escaped her lips. She heard him calling her name. “Christine … Christine?” He needed her to come back to reality. Her mouth was so tempting. Her lips had been a perfect circle when she whispered no. Neal wanted to kiss those tempting lips, hold her in his arms. He wanted to make love to her, and he didn’t want her telling him no. She opened her eyes slowly, ing where she was and who was sitting across from her. “I’m so sorry,” she said, embarrassed. “I must be more tired than I thought. Did I fall asleep?” Licking her lips evasively, she hid the real reason her eyes had been closed. She needed to get out of here. There was a tightness in her loins from wanting this man to touch her. Christine wanted this man to make love to her. She was so lonely, but he was so off-limits. “I think … I better get home. Thanks for staying and telling me about your horses. I really enjoyed hearing about them, even if I fell asleep.” Neal didn’t want to let her go. “Would you like to come to the ranch tomorrow and ride?” Christine thought about it for a second. “No, I’m sorry. I can’t … I, uh, have a lot to do. And I’ve never ridden a horse in my life.” “Okay, maybe some other time then. I can let you know when the children will be at the ranch. Do you like children?” Why had he asked her that? Dumb dumb dumb. “Yes, I like children, and I would love that.” She stood, reaching over beside her and picking up her purse. “May I walk you to your car? I hadn’t realized we talked so long, and now it’s gotten late. I’d hate it if something bad happened to you on the downtown streets of Fort Worth.” He wanted to walk her to her car and hopefully find a way or a reason to kiss her goodbye. He hadn’t felt this way about a woman in a long time, and it had been a while since he had—well, it had been too long for him for anything. “That’s not necessary. I only live a couple of blocks away.”

When they reached the door, Neal held it open for her like a perfect gentleman. Somehow his hand found a way to the small of her back as they stepped out onto the sidewalk. The feel of his hand on her back made her warm and fuzzy below. She felt her insides twitching from his touch. Christine closed her eyes, and the warmth surrounded her. Neal touched her like it was a reflex, like she was his woman and his touch meant possession. “Can I walk you home? The offer still stands.” “Sure.” It was the only word she could say. Christine was afraid to say more because she might reveal what she wanted. She wasn’t the type of woman to be so forward. Anyway, he was probably just being nice. As they walked, Neal quoted some historical facts about downtown Fort Worth. She asked questions and found out that his ancestors had been among the first settlers and the size of the two ranches combined. She’d have to look up the measurements for acres. Just how big was thirty thousand acres? Christine stopped when they reached the front of the apartment building. “This is it,” she said nervously, digging for her keys. Shaking them in the air, she tried not to act awkward. Neal wanted to kiss her badly, but he wanted to remain a gentleman even more. He opted for the gentlemanly approach, so he stuffed both his hands in his pockets. They both stood there silently, each waiting for the other to make a move. Finally, Neal got up the courage to speak. “Well, good night. You have a good weekend, and I’ll see you on Monday.” He said each word slowly enough that she could intervene whenever she wanted if she didn’t want him to leave. He sensed there was some tension if only a small amount. It wasn’t in his nature to make unwanted advances. They had to continue to work together. He hoped she would accept the job offer. Then maybe he would have a chance, eventually. If not tonight then he’d have a chance another night. Sadly, Christine put the key in the lock. “Yeah, you too … see you. Good night.” She licked her lips and turned. She focused on the door and turned the key. Pushing it open, she walked in without looking back. Oh, how she wanted to

look back. Was he still standing there? Neither could see the other. She leaned against it, listening, trying to hear if she heard his footsteps walking away. She wanted—hell, she didn’t know what she wanted. There was an attraction; she’d felt it. Neal watched her turn and saw her shoulders drop as if disappointed. He wished she’d invited him up to her apartment. Looking up at the building, he wondered which apartment was hers. He stood on the sidewalk under a tree longer than he needed to. She was safely inside, probably sitting on her couch by now or in her bedroom undressing. Shaking his head to rid his mind of those thoughts, he walked away. Now he wished he’d done something, said something to let her know how he felt. Neal walked in the restaurant’s direction, trying to where he’d parked his truck. This woman could almost make him forget where he lived, especially when she licked those luscious lips. Christine walked into her apartment, dropping her purse on the couch and rushing to the window. She hoped to get a glance of Neal, but he was nowhere to be seen. He must have left as soon as she was inside the building. She dropped onto her couch, searching for the remote. It would be another boring weekend cooped up in her apartment or sitting in the square, watching other people with their loved ones. Tears rolled down her cheeks. It was times like this that she wished she had someone special in her life. She immediately wiped her face. “Distractions … no distractions.” This is what she always said to herself. Looking at her schoolbooks on the coffee table, she pulled her laptop from her bag. Christine knew how she would spend her weekend the same way as always. Her GPA was over 4.0, and she would keep it that way, even though she wanted to go to Neal’s ranch and see his horses. She’d never ridden a horse before, and she bet he was a good teacher. He seemed to have a lot of patience. Maybe that was why he was such a good supervisor. Christine opened her lessons. She needed to focus on finishing her senior project, figuring that she’d use the designs and specs she made for Hamilton’s project. If a man like Mr. Hamilton liked it and wanted to use it to build a building, then she should definitely get an A in that class. She only had to make

a scale model of the building, and she could get the materials from work. Mr. Hamilton would need one to show the company. It would be a win-win situation. Then she looked down at her book on structural design, which had to be a different project. Maybe she could call her dad for help. Neal popped into her head again. That was his specialty. He was a structural engineer. She wondered if he’d assist her on her project. Maybe she could call him and ask for his help or at least use it as an excuse for calling him. She pulled the folder from her bag with a list of numbers at Hamilton Construction. Scanning the list, she found his name. Damn! It only listed his office number. The section next to his cell was blank. Why was she looking for distractions? Why was she looking for reasons to talk to him? She’d had her chance, and she’d let him walk away. Why hadn’t she invited him up to her apartment? She knew the answer to that stupid question. Because if she had, she’d be naked and having sex by now. She felt a stirring between her legs. Damn! Hoping the feeling would go away, Christine squeezed her legs together, which didn’t help. Pushing the book onto the couch, she jumped up. A shower was what she needed, and she wanted a hot one. She hated cold showers, even if she thought it would make her sexual tension go away. Stripping off her clothes, she headed to her bathroom, turning on the shower. While the water was warming up, she looked at herself in the mirror. Would Neal like her body? She wasn’t a tiny woman. She was tall and had hips. People often asked if she was a model. But he was taller and muscular, with broad, wide shoulders. She’d studied his physique when he wasn’t looking. It was noticeable that he had a nice body. His pecs protruded in the shirts he wore. Christine wondered if he worked out to keep his body looking that good. She bet he had a six-pack and rubbed her hand across her own flat stomach. Her mind drifted, wondering why such a good-looking man was single. Since the mirror had fogged up, she knew the shower was definitely hot enough. She lathered her body, with Neal on her mind. Taking extra care, she washed everywhere like he was waiting in the bed for her. She wanted to be squeaky clean and smell like her jasmine body wash. Wrapping the towel around her body, she went into her room. Falling back on her bed, she closed her eyes. Her

body was hot from the shower and still damp. Opening the towel, she laid there to cool off. Christine didn’t know how long she lay there, only that she crawled up in her bed and slid under her sheets. They felt so cool on her naked body. She drifted off to sleep immediately. Christine heard a ringing in her ear. It was her phone. She answered it, still sleepy. “Hello?” “Christine?” It was the sexy voice of Neal. She’d recognize that sound anywhere. “Where are you?” “I’m at your door. Open the door and let me in, Christine.” Christine never ed opening the door, only seeing him standing over her, next to the bed. She scooted over, pushing the covers back and making room for him to her. “Come to me, Neal. Do you know how much I want you?” Then he was naked and lying next to her. God, his body was so hot! He wasn’t even touching her, and she could feel the heat radiating between them. Stretching out on her back, she arched, exposing her breasts for him. She wanted him to touch her, wanted him to kiss her nipples. They were erect, just for him. He didn’t touch her. His eyes roamed to her face, her mouth, and he scanned the length of her naked body. She became hot and moist, watching him as he looked at her. Neal touched her face lightly, barely brushing his hand along her jaw and down her neck between her breasts. Christine inhaled and gasped from his touch, arching her back. He traced his hand down her torso toward her hot spot. Damn! Spreading her legs, she held her breath, waiting, anticipating his touch. After closing her eyes, she felt the bed move and heat radiating over her. She blinked; opening her eyes, a green-eyed devil was over her on his knees. Tracing her lips with his finger, he leaned in and placed a soft, wet kiss on her lips. Then he made a circle around her nipple with his finger. He did the same with each breast, followed by his tongue, making the same circle on each breast. Christine sighed and thought she was in heaven with the devil. He nipped at her

nipples with his teeth and sucked them slowly, making them harder. Her body was writhing with want and need. There was throbbing between her legs while he made her moan from the ion she was feeling. He traced his finger down her stomach and made circles around her navel, then moved his lips to that spot. This time he placed small kisses around the circle. His hands caressed the insides of her thighs. She thrashed her head from side to side, the heat radiating. Now it was burning her from the inside, wanting to escape. The only sounds in the room were her moans. He spread her thighs wider. Then his fingers were making small circles. She felt his lips kissing the exact spot he’d traced. Her moans became louder. The next sensation was heart-wrenching; he lapped at her folds. There was no tracing of the finger. She almost shot off the bed. If his arms hadn’t been across her thighs, she would have. “Oh, my!” she whispered when he did it again and again. Slowly, he licked her most sensitive spot and sucked on it, making her scream out, grabbing for the covers. She needed something to hold on to. He pushed his tongue inside her and held on to her thighs while she bucked and arched her hips. Slowly he slid his finger in and out, licking and sucking, causing her to thrash wildly on the bed. He quickened his pace and flicked his tongue faster and faster. Christine jumped in the air, screaming his name and waking from her dream. Looking around the room, she was alone. Damn! Damn! Damn! She was wet from sweat and lying on top of her sheets. Her bed was all tousled, and her blanket lay on the floor. She touched herself, finding that she was wet there too. She’d never had such a realistic wet dream before. Now she had a bigger ache. It made her want Neal even more.

CHAPTER FOUR

N eal walked in circles until he ed what street he’d parked on. The streets downtown were one-ways, and after his mind-boggling evening with Christine, he could hardly think straight. After finally locating his truck, he drove the thirty minutes it took him to get home. Rolling the windows down, he breathed in the fresh, cool air to clear out his head. Neal went straight to the stables instead of going to the big house. For some unknown reason, he didn’t want to go to an empty house tonight. He wanted to take his favorite girl out for a ride, his prized Friesian. He pulled a pair of jeans and his old trusty boots from the back seat of his quad-cab truck. As soon as he walked into the stable, she knew he was near. Neal heard her whining and blowing before he got to her stall. Opening the top half, she almost knocked him over with her head. At least she was glad to see him. “Hey, girl! You miss me?” He stroked her nose, and she bucked her head in his hand. “You want to go for a ride?” She backed up a few steps in the stall and stomped her foot, then lowered her head and bent one leg. This was her answer of yes. She was a smart and very spirited horse and she didn’t let too many people handle her. Most of the hands only walked her. She was a massive, muscular, and frightening horse. Neal was offered thousands upon thousands of dollars from breeders for this mare. He’d said no to all the offers. When he was ready to breed her, he’d decided he would keep her offspring for his own ranch. He fed her a carrot before draping the blanket across her back. Then he lifted the custom-made western saddle from the rack. He threw it across her and buckled and tightened the girth. The bridle was last, and he gave her a sugar cube for not being stubborn. Leaning over, he grabbed the stocked saddlebag that he kept hooked next to her saddle. While he buckled the straps, he

decided to ride to the stream that bordered the two properties. He hoped a long ride would clear his mind of Christine. Before leaving, he strapped his singleaction Colt .45 to his hip. Chances were high that he might run across a wild animal. His father had ordered the pistol custom made with Neal’s name engraved on it. It was the same style of gun that his hero wore. Neal walked his mare outside of the stables and took hold of her reins. Putting his foot in the stirrup, he jumped onto her back. He leaned down, whispering to her and patted her on the neck. Taking hold of her reins in his left hand, he pulled upward. She reared up in the air on her hind legs, just like the Lone Ranger and Silver. When her front hooves touched the ground, he tapped his boot heels against her hindquarters and yelled, “Giddy up, Xena!” Xena took off running at top speed, and Neal leaned forward toward her mane. He loved the feel of the outdoors and riding into the wind. Some people compared it to a roller coaster ride, except on the back of a horse there was no slow climbing upward on steep rails or a quick drop after reaching the top. This was straight, fast, and thrilling. Pulling back on Xena’s reins to slow her down, Neal sat up straight. They galloped at a normal pace, and he could inhale the fresh air and exhale from his exhilarating ride. Neal talked to Xena as if she really understood everything he was saying. This was probably the reason he didn’t have a wife or girlfriend. It was easier to tell all his problems to Xena and never get a complaint about talking too much. It took him an hour to get to his favorite spot. When he reached it, he dismounted and pulled the saddlebag off of Xena. He dropped it next to a large tree while Xena walked over to the stream for some cool water. Removing a cup from the saddlebag, he bent to a section of the stream that had rushing water. He filled his cup and drank the fresh water fast, then filled it again and drank slowly, this time savoring the cool water. He grabbed Xena’s reins from the stream and walked her back to the tree. Throwing the reins across a low branch, he fed her a handful of grain. He stripped Xena’s blanket and saddle and then began to give her a rubdown. When he finished rubbing her coat, he fed her more handfuls of grain. He pulled the reins off the limb so she could walk back to the stream if she wanted. Neal wasn’t worried that she’d run off and leave him. It was dark, and he only had the light of the moon, so he gathered some wood to make a fire. He came to this spot all the time, so there was a small stone fire pit. He dropped the wood into the pit, and then his stomach growled. Christine had

him so tied up in knots, he’d literally forgotten to eat. Fortunately, his father had taught him how to survive out in the wilderness. They’d spent many nights out in the woods, either with the cattle drives or on trail rides. Using the light from the fire, he dug out the fishing line in the saddlebag and searched for a long enough stick to use as a pole. Neal was laying out his sleeping bag when he heard splashing in the water. Rushing to the pole, he lifted it out. There at the end of the line was a nice fat crappie. Laying the fish on one of the flat stones, he cleaned it and fileted it. Neal washed it off in the stream and laid it on a rock while he retrieved the small skillet from the saddlebag. He was ready to cook his dinner. Neal propped up against the tree and enjoyed a cool drink of water after eating his dinner. He closed his eyes and sighed, listening to the sounds of the wilderness. It was very peaceful, very different from the sounds of the city. The soft sounds of the stream were better than music. He didn’t realize that he was drifting off to sleep. Neal dreamed of Christine; he saw her sitting in her room, getting ready for bed. She’d watched him standing in the doorway and crooked her finger, inviting him to her on the bed. He stripped off a piece of clothing with each step he took. By the time he made it to the bed, he was just as naked as she was. He stood in front of her, and she touched his chest and ran her hand down his muscled abdomen. Her touch was sensual and soft. She lay back on the bed, exposing her breasts, her arms extended over her head. “Come to me,” she whispered, licking her lips. He looked at her lips calling to him, and he wanted to kiss those full lips, wanting them swollen from his kisses. He leaned down over her and kissed her flat stomach, kisward toward her breasts. Neal kissed the valley between her breasts. He wanted those lips. That was his goal. He’d wanted to kiss those lips since the first day he met her. Hovering over her, he slowly descended toward her mouth. His first kiss was soft and wet. She licked her lips to taste him. Then she parted her lips slightly, asking for more. He obliged and opened his mouth to kiss her deeper. She kissed him back with built-up ion. Only their lips touched. She kept her hands extended, and he used his hands beside her as leverage. She

pushed her tongue into his mouth and pulled it out slowly. Christine did it again, and he captured it with his mouth and held it while she pulled. She did it again, causing a moan from both of them. He thrust his tongue into her mouth, and she sucked his tongue while he pushed and withdrew. They made love to each other’s mouths, creating an unknown ion and heat. He kissed her furiously and ionately. Lifting his head, he saw how swollen her lips were. Sliding his hands under her, he flipped her over on top of him. He wanted her so much. She was above him, looking down, panting and catching her breath. “Do you want me, Neal?” she whispered. “Show me how much you want me,” she said, tracing her tongue across her lips. Neal was way past hard. His loins were stretched to the limit. He lifted her so she was above him. He needed her, needed to be inside her. There was a deep need to show her how much he wanted her. He touched her to the tip of his enlarged penis. She was wet for him. He started to lower her, and a moan escaped his lips. Christine felt so good in his hands. She licked his face. She … oh! Why did it feel so strange? She was pushing him off the bed. Nooooooo! Neal woke from his dream to find that Xena was nudging him. Shit! “Xena, how could you?” Neal exhaled. It was all a dream, yet he was hard as a brick. He stood, stripped off all his clothes, and ran into the stream. He waded out to the deepest part and submerged until he couldn’t hold his breath any longer. Neal emerged from the cold water mad, but he wasn’t hard any longer. Grabbing Xena’s blanket around him, he sat next to the fire. After he warmed up enough, he dressed in his boxers and T-shirt and crawled into his sleeping bag. Neal slept terribly, tossing and turning in his sleeping bag. It was still dark, barely light, and he knew he wasn’t going back to sleep. He got out of the bag, pulled on his jeans, and rolled it up. He added more wood to rebuild the fire, needing coffee. Those were some of the most memorable mornings he’d had with his dad growing up. He dug out the old-fashioned percolator from the bag, filled it with water from the stream, and set it on the thickest piece of wood. He

put some coffee grounds in the strainer and put the top on. “You got enough for two?” Neal looked up to see his father, Peter Langston, astride a horse. “Always for you, Dad,” he said, smiling. “Come and me. Sorry, but I have nothing to eat.” “Good! I’d hate for these eggs and bacon to go to waste,” his father said, pulling a sack out of his saddlebag. “How did you know I was here?” “I called looking for you last night, and James told me you left your truck at the stable. “Did you know you left the door open with your pants, cell, and wallet on the seat? He saw you saddle up Xena.” “Does he tell you everything I do?” Neal asked, annoyed. “Is anything wrong?” “Why would you think something’s wrong?” Neal asked as he got his skillet and started breakfast. “Because you always try to leave the world behind when you’re upset. I the first time you did that. It gave your mother fits.” “Yeah, I was ten, and Mom tanned me good when I got home the next morning.” They shared a laugh, and Neal rubbed his backside, thinking about it. “Is it a girl? You know you need—it’s time to move on, son. Bernadette’s gone. It’s been over two years now, and you know James doesn’t blame you. He never did. She was as good a rider as you.” Peter wanted his son to find someone and be happy again. “It’s nothing, Dad. I think our coffee is ready. I hope you didn’t forget your cup.” Peter turned, and there, hooked on his belt loop, was his cup. He ed it to

Neal, who filled both their cups. Since the pot only made two cups, Neal fixed it up again and set it on the log. They ate their food and drank their coffee just like old times. Peter and Neal watched the sunrise and drank one more cup of coffee each. They heard the horses whining and blowing, playing with each other. Peter’s horse, Zeus, was Xena’s father. Xena had been a gift to Neal when she was born. Peter owned a stud farm and raised cattle. He also did cattle drives, just like they did in the movies. People loved to enjoy the experience of chasing cattle across the country on horses. Between the two ranches, Peter and Neal owned thousands of cattle and horses. The two Langston men rode back to Neal’s ranch together. They dismounted near an open corral. A ranch hand came over and took the reins of both horses. Neal saw the vans coming and knew the children were coming from the rehab hospital. He asked his dad if he wanted to hang around for a while. Peter answered yes because he had nothing pressing at his ranch. He wanted to help with the children today. Neal retrieved his phone to see how many missed calls he had. He huffed, seeing the missed call from his boss. Why hadn’t he given his number to Christine? First thing Monday morning, he would do that, just in case she needed to talk to him. He saw the two missed calls from his dad and one from Quentin.

CHAPTER FIVE

N eal wondered what Quentin could have wanted. He’d call him later after the children left. This was their time, and he always made sure they had a wonderful time. The two vans pulled up beside his truck, and the children were waving from inside. He waved back with a huge, genuine smile on his face. Neal opened the door for the physical therapist, Regina. She had a big smile for Neal, and she was often flirtatious. She’d made it plain that she was available. Accompanying the children were two nurses and two orderlies, who always came with the group. All the women seemed to give Neal a lot of attention. Sometimes it was too much. The ranch hands hooked the Shetland ponies to a revolving wheel. The nurses and orderlies dressed the children in safety gear and helmets. These children had been to the ranch before, so they knew the drill, but the therapist would go over the rules. The children were antsy and ready to ride and then to care for the horses. There were three children in wheelchairs and two on crutches. The other five children could walk. Neal lifted Nina from her wheelchair and set her on some bales of hay. He helped to dress the eight-year-old in her safety vest. After tightening her helmet, he picked her up and walked her to the horse. When he set her in the saddle, she laughed. “I know what to do!” she said, smiling. “I try and squeeze my legs, and I hold the horn.” “Good girl.” Neal held on to her safety vest while he walked with her. “What else are you supposed to do, Nina?” “Oh, yeah! I have to sit up straight.” She adjusted her body and sat up as straight as she could in the saddle. “Mr. Neal, do you have any children?” she asked. “No, sweetie, I don’t have any children.”

“Is that why you let the children come and ride your pretty horses?” “Yes, that is why I let the children come and play at my house,” he said. Then he thought he and Christine could have some beautiful children together. Some pretty little brown-skinned babies with green or light-brown eyes. “Mr. Neal, Mr. Neal … did you hear me?” “No, sweetie, I’m sorry. I was thinking about something. Did you ask me something?” “Yeah, I want to know when I can ride the big, pretty horse.” She pointed toward Xena, who was jumping around and giving the men near her fits. Neal yelled at Xena to stop, but it didn’t help. He needed to leave his walking post, but he knew he couldn’t leave Nina unattended. He called for one of the other handlers to come and walk with her. When the handler arrived and took hold of Nina’s vest, Neal took off running across the ring pen and jumped the fence. He had to cross two more corrals before he could get to Xena. While he was running, he was wondering why she was so upset. He’d figure it out later; right now he had to calm her down before someone got hurt. Neal looked up and saw two men on the ground and Xena standing up on her hind legs. He ran faster, not realizing there was an audience watching him race across the field. Skidding to a stop in front of Xena, he waved his arms to get her attention. She nudged him with her nose, looking toward the children. “You’re making all this trouble because you’re jealous? Really, Xena? You know I can’t take you around the children. You would scare them to death. Look how you’ve been acting!” Xena ran to the fence and reared up again. She stepped back and bowed her head and bent a knee. The children cheered. Everyone had stopped walking and was watching the show between Neal and Xena. “You want to go to the children?” Neal asked, and Xena acknowledged with her yes answer. “Okay, but if you make any attempts to hurt or scare them, I’ll send you to the glue factory.” Xena shook her head and whinnied. Neal started walking to the gate. Xena followed him and head-butted him in the

back. He turned to her. “No! Absolutely not.” Xena stopped following and reared up again on her hind legs. She was acting like a child having a temper tantrum. “You just want to show off.” Xena shook her head, whining. “Okay, okay we’ll do it one time for the kids, and you better not mess up. Let’s go.” She galloped back to him so he could jump on and ride her bareback. They were a nice distance from the group that was still staring in awe at the exchange between a man and his horse. When they got closer, all the children were cheering. Neal jumped off Xena’s back in the middle of the large corral and stood on a huge stump. Xena galloped away to the edge of the corral and then turned and ran back toward Neal. Neal stepped off the stump and backed up. As Xena galloped toward him, he ran and jumped from the stump. Using his hands, he pushed himself up onto her back. He grabbed her mane with his left hand and pulled. Xena reared up, and he extended his right arm in the air for balance. Just like the Lone Ranger, minus the hi-ho Silver or Xena. When Xena dropped back down on all fours, the crowd started shouting and cheering. Neal reed the group. He jumped off Xena’s back, and she followed him. She walked around the ring and let all the children rub her nose and pat her neck. Neal went back to his walking station with Nina. “Mr. Neal, when can I ride your big, pretty horse?” she asked again. “Well, if you continue your therapy and be a good girl, I’ll make sure and give you a ride someday. And her name is Xena.” “I wish I could do tricks like you.” Nina said sadly, knowing she would always be in a wheelchair. “Well, it took a lot of practice, and I have a few broken bones to show for it.” Neal rubbed his shoulder. After their hour, the therapist called that it was time for grooming. The handlers started unhooking the ponies from the rings. The children liked to rub down the ponies and feed them grain from their hands. Neal lifted Nina off the horse and cradled her in his arms. He walked over and set her on top of the hay bales while he removed her safety vest and helmet. Xena nudged her, and Nina giggled and hugged the mare as best she could. Then she rubbed Xena’s nose while talking to

her. “Did you know that Xena is a warrior princess on TV?” she asked the horse. “Now I know two princesses. I like you, Xena.” Neal returned Nina to the wheelchair, and Xena turned and walked away. “Where you going, Xena? Don’t go away!” Nina said loudly. She turned and asked Neal where the horse was going. Neal only hunched his shoulders. “Who knows? She has a mind of her own. She doesn’t even listen to me.” Xena kept walking until she found what she was searching for, then returned and dropped a brush into Nina’s lap. “You want me to brush you, Xena?” Nina asked, looking up at the giant horse. Xena bowed and bent her knee. “She said yes!” Neal replied. “But you’re too big, and I can’t reach you.” Neal took Nina out of the wheelchair and set her back onto the pile of hay bales. Nina started brushing the only place that she could reach, which was the side of the horse’s head. Xena shook her head in agreement, and Nina giggled again. Neal was astonished. He never expected Xena would like children. She rarely let any of the ranch hands handle her. This was the first time she’d been out of her stall when the children were around. Neal looked up when he heard someone calling his name. Quentin was standing on the other side of the fence. Neal couldn’t leave Nina, so he waved for him to come over. “I didn’t expect to see you here. I was talking to the CEO from the children’s hospital, and he told me about The Wild Equine. I’m always looking for new charities to . I came out here to check out the place and volunteer. I didn’t know there were children here today.” “Yeah, the rehab facility brings out a group of about ten every other weekend.”

“Why haven’t you told anybody about this place? I’m sure some of the staff from the office would love to come out and volunteer.” “I don’t know. I never thought about it.” “So, does the hospital fund all this?” Quentin asked, looking around at the hospital staff. “The hospital funds a small portion, and—the rest is donated by the ranch owner.” Neal didn’t like to tell people he had money. He’d inherited millions from his trust fund and the deed to this ranch when his mother died. And by the sound of it, Mr. Hamilton didn’t know who the owner was. “I’d like to sponsor a fundraiser for this cause and ask the employees to participate. Then I could host an employee and family picnic. I’ve always wanted to do that.” “You want to host a fundraiser and an employee picnic?” Why hadn’t he thought of that? Then he could get Christine to his ranch, then hopefully to his house, and then to his bed. “Do you think you could persuade the ranch owner to let us have the picnic here?” “I think I could persuade the owner,” Neal said, smiling and nodding. “Mr. Neal, my arm is tired. I don’t think I can brush all of Xena.” “You did a good job, Nina. I’m sure Xena doesn’t mind. Say hello to Mr. Hamilton. He’s my boss at work.” “Hello, Mr. Neal’s boss. Mr. Neal, I thought you worked here.” “I do work here with you and the children,” he answered. “I see they are setting up the tables to eat. I’m going to push you over and finish talking with my boss, okay?” Neal gently set Nina in her wheelchair and pushed her toward the tables. She waved goodbye. He reed Quentin and told him some basic information about the ranch. Quentin liked everything he heard and asked Neal to come to his

office on Monday so they could start planning. “By the way, I saw I had a missed call from you last night. I’d forgotten my phone when I went riding.” “Oh, it was nothing, probably a question about a project. I don’t now why I called,” Quentin said and quickly made his way to his car. He’d called to see if Neal was with Christine. Neal walked into his house after his day of helping the children. He’d brushed down Xena and praised her for being a good girl around the children. Now he needed a hot shower and something to eat. He hoped James had brought him a plate from the bunkhouse. There were ranch hands who lived on the ranch, and James was in charge of them. James always made sure Neal had a hot cooked meal. The men took turns cooking, and sometimes Neal ate at the bunkhouse with the guys. He slowly made his way to the kitchen in search of food. After he found some food and ate his dinner, he took a beer with him upstairs. After his hot shower, he felt much better. He propped up on his bed and watched TV until he fell asleep. He dreamed of Christine again, and this time there was no horse to wake him.

CHAPTER SIX

C hristine had early-morning classes on Mondays and Wednesdays, so she didn’t get to the office until after lunch on Monday. When she arrived, she found a note from Neal at her workstation. He needed to see her. She walked down the hall and caught the elevator up to his office. His door was open, and he was looking down at some papers. When she knocked, he barely lifted his head. His eyes bore into her, and she became speechless and nervous. A vivid image of him naked and standing over her with those green eyes shadowed made her tingle. “You … you wanted to see me?” “Yes, I did. How are your organizing skills?” “They are okay, I guess.” She licked her lips “Good. Would you like to help me organize an employee picnic?” He wished it had been his idea from the beginning. It would give them a chance to be together if she agreed to help him. “I … I have a structural project due in two weeks, and I haven’t even started on it. I don’t think I’ll have time.” She thought being with him too much was a terrible idea. She hadn’t finished her lessons over the weekend because she’d been thinking about him. She’d even taken a cold shower once, and she hated cold showers. “Okay, I understand that school comes first. I’ll ask someone else to help me. Quentin is hosting a fundraiser for the children and the rehab facility and a picnic at the ranch. That’s all.” He looked back down at the papers in front of him. He hoped that he’d played on her sympathy. “Oh, so this is for the children?” “Yes, it’s for the children, and Quentin’s inviting all the staff to participate. He

wants to reward them with a family picnic.” He tried to sound sad and look sad when he mentioned the children. “I would love to help do anything for the children, but … I need to do something about my project. When is the picnic?” “It’s a month from now while the weather is still warm. Quentin is handling all the fundraiser parts, and he put me in charge of the picnic. I was looking at some aerial photos of the ranch to find a good spot. Do you think we should have it at a spot near the lake or just out in the open field?” Christine rushed in behind his desk to look at the photos. She was touching him and bending down, looking at the pictures. This almost drove him mad. He wanted to shove his nose and face into the crook of her neck. It was so close! He inhaled. She smelled so good! Immediately, he put his hands under the desk and locked his fingers. At this angle, he could pull her into his lap and kiss her senseless. Neal looked sideways at her perfect breast right in his face. He wanted to bury his face between her crevices. She didn’t have on a revealing blouse, but she was bent over, giving him a good view of her light-brown mounds. He almost moaned, catching himself, but not before he felt his penis rising. He needed her to move now before he did something he might regret. Neal grabbed the pictures and held them off the desk, making her straighten up so fast that her breast brushed against his face. He thought he would scream. She was still standing close, and her arm was touching his shoulder. “You … why don’t you take these pictures with you? Look over all of them and get back with me.” He would say just about anything right now to make her stop touching him. He exhaled, not realizing he’d been holding his breath. “I just ed I need to make some calls. I’ll come down to your workstation when I finish.” He was about to bust his pants. “Okay.” She looked back when she got to the door, licked her lips, and smiled. “Can you close the door on your way out? Please.” He picked up the phone, pushing buttons. As soon as he heard her heels going down the hall, he looked down at his huge

bulge. He rubbed his hand across it. “Down, boy,” he whispered. Maybe he needed to rethink the idea of her helping him. He stood up and bent over, taking deep, deep breaths. That only helped a little, so he walked around his office until he cooled down.Christine walked down the hall quickly. She knew exactly what she’d done. She saw him eyeing her breast. She was touching him and could feel his heart racing. It made her bolder. That was why she’d brushed her breast against his face. Maybe now he would make a move. She wanted to fix—no, she needed to fix—the ache between her legs. She was moist because she’d been trying to torture him and had tortured herself in the process. She’d recognized the stress in his voice when he asked her to close the door. Now she was curious if she gave him a boner. Did he touch it to relieve himself? This made her twitch even more. She needed to stop thinking like this at work. She was attracted to him, and now she knew he liked her too. Or at least he lusted after her. And lust was really the only thing she wanted out of this. Christine didn’t want a relationship; she didn’t need that big of a distraction. Looking at the pictures, she saw a cabin near the lake. It would be the perfect place for the picnic, and she could ask to see it before making a final decision. Christine didn’t see Neal until two hours after lunch. Did she have that much of an effect on him? She hoped so. She was sitting at her cubby, making some notes for her project. She was looking in a portfolio at some designs Hamilton Construction had done in the past. “See anything you like?” Neal asked, walking up behind her. “No, not really. I want something original and practical. I’m thinking of portable and movable.” “Wow, you do think over the top!” “Yeah, I do. Except I’ve procrastinated, and two weeks is not enough time to research, design it, draw blueprints, and build a model.” “I’m sure if anybody can do it, you can. Now, did you find any possibilities for a good picnic spot?” “Maybe. Tell me about this cabin. How far is it from the lake? I can’t tell from

these pictures. You know, having that many people eating and drinking, somebody will need to use a bathroom. How many bathrooms are inside the cabin?” She was trying to sound seductive, except talking about bathrooms was not sexy at all. “Oh, wow! I hadn’t thought about bathrooms. See why I needed you? I could just kiss you for that … Oh, I mean … sorry, that would be inappropriate.” He wanted to kiss her, but for so many other reasons. “Yeah, there are some bathrooms in the cabin. Actually, it has three bedrooms and three and a half baths.” “How far from the lake is the cabin? I’m still waiting for that answer.” She wished for an invitation to look at it without appearing like she was begging. Christine licked her lips slowly and parted them seductively as if she were about to speak. He was staring at her lips, so she traced her finger across them like she was thinking about something. This time she had to bring him back from his trance. “Neal.” “Ah, it’s close, very close … mere steps away. But there is one problem. That area is not accessible by vehicle. I know … I have a good idea. Would you like to see it?” Christine nearly fell from her chair. “Yeah, sure, that would be awesome. It sounds great.” She didn’t want to act overzealous, but her insides were doing somersaults. “When would be a good time for you?” “How about this weekend?” Neal felt as if all his fingers and toes were crossed for luck. “And we don’t have to ride on horses. We can go on a four-wheeler.” “It depends how far along I am with my project. Otherwise, I might be here in the office working on it this weekend.” “Okay, we’ll figure something out. I have to get back upstairs for a meeting.” Neal walked a few steps away and ed he needed to give her his number. “I forgot something.” He bent down next to her and wrote his number on a sticky note. This time it was her turn to inhale his fresh scent. “Talk to you later.” He walked off, whistling. Christine dug in her purse, searching for her cell as soon as he was out of sight.

She touched and punched and slid her finger on the screen, trying to get it to cooperate. Finally, the screen came to life, and she was able to add his number to her list. She breathed a sigh of relief. She’d gotten his number without having to ask for it. Now she needed to work on her project. She wanted to go to the ranch this weekend. Should she pack a bag just in case, perhaps bring her own condoms? Or should she go out and buy some sexy new underwear? She would hyperventilate if she didn’t calm down. Focus, Christine, focus! Number-one priority: school project. Check. Number-two priority: sex with the hot white guy. Check! Neal sat in the chair in his office. There was no meeting. He just couldn’t stand there any longer. His hands wanted to touch her. He wanted to kiss those hot, sweet lips. Oh no, why him? When she licked her lips, it made him want her even more. And his wish would come true. His plan was to take her to the cabin, kiss her, make love to her, and make her his woman. He had to help her with her project first. Sitting at his desk, he looked through some material in his office to offer some suggestions. A magazine fell out of the pile. There on the front was a picture of an oil well. Maybe she could do something with this. She was looking for portable and practical. This should prove challenging to her. He’d grown up seeing lots of oil wells on his family’s property. Neal picked up his phone to call her. Shit! He hadn’t even gotten her cell number, and there was not a phone at the desk where she worked. Using work as a distraction, he had to wait an hour, since he was supposed to be in a meeting. And this wasn’t cheating. He wouldn’t do it for her, but he would help her as much as possible. His need for her to be available was great. Christine sat at her desk, pondering over her structural project. What was she going to do? She looked through the same books three times and researched building after building after building on the internet. She spent an hour staring at her computer, but nothing jumped out at her. Maybe she needed to leave and go somewhere surrounded by something else, because sitting here, knowing her real distraction was upstairs merely feet away wasn’t helping her at all. Leaning her head back on her chair, she closed her eyes. She couldn’t concentrate; there were too many thoughts of a hot, sexy, green-eyed devil. Her thoughts were becoming too vivid; not only did she see him, but she smelled his freshness. She inhaled and breathed deeply.

“Aweee.” She inhaled again, this time linking her arms behind her head. “This is … too real.” “What’s too real?” Christine became stiff as a board and opened her eyes. She was looking at an upside-down version of Neal. Her brain wasn’t working; she was too afraid to move or speak. She licked her lips and parted them. Apparently, it was a habit, and she didn’t realize it did something to Neal. Before he realized what he was doing, he put his hand on her nape and pushed her head straight up, turning her chair to face him. Neal put his hands on the arms of her chair and got close to her, his nose almost touching hers. Her arms fell into her lap as she inhaled and gasped. She licked her lips again. “Please … please stop doing that.” She licked her lips again. “Stop doing what?” “That. If you lick your lips one more time … I’ll do something I might regret.” He stood up and made plenty of space between them. “Does that regret involve something inappropriate?” she asked snidely, ing his previous comment. Neal didn’t answer her. He shoved the magazine at her. “I found this and wondered if this is what you were thinking about for your project.” She was still in shock at his close proximity a moment before. Christine thought he was going to kiss her right there. She’d wanted him to. But no, he only thought of her as regret. Is that how he really felt? He’d been acting so differently. Her hands were still in her lap, so he dropped the magazine on her desk and left. She sat there, stunned and pissed, folding her arms across her chest. The more she breathed, the more pissed off she became. Why did he make his problem with her licking her lips her fault? She’d done nothing wrong. Fine! Good! She didn’t need the distraction anyway. Turning her chair around, she faced her desk, wanting to throw something.

Instead, she packed up her laptop in her bag and looked at the pile of books again. Christine had a terrible feeling she would fail this class. Maybe she should just break down and call her dad. He’d help her. After all, he was a structural engineer too. Christine picked up her bag, and the magazine fell to the floor. She’d been so upset that she forgot Neal brought this magazine to her. She took one look at the picture. This was just what she was looking for. Damn! Why did Neal do a whole U-turn? That was something to think about later. Right now she had some research to do. Christine didn’t go back to the office for several days. She’d done a lot of research on the internet and visited a couple of oil well companies and some actual pumping wells in the area. They were pretty much all the same. She was informed that when a well stops producing, the pumping machinery was usually left at the site. She wanted to design something to replace those styles of machinery. Some blogs she’d read complained about the eyesores of leftover nonproducing wells. Derelicts as the locals called them. She needed to work on a pumping well that could be transferred to another location after the old well was dry, to not leave so many eyesores. Riding around the outskirts of Dallas and Fort Worth for hours, she saw firsthand some pump jacks that were working while others were stationary and rusty. She’d stopped and talked to several people she saw working nearby and asked their opinions about the nonworking pumps. This would be great information for her report, along with the blogs. Now she needed to work on some specs and designs for these portable pumping stations. It was late, way past regular hours on the third day, when she ed by Hamilton Construction. There were a few cars in the parking lot, and she hoped that one of them wasn’t Neal’s. She thought this would be a better opportunity for her to get some work done without having to run into him. His remark still hurt, yet she still had an ache, or was it simply lust? Christine entered the building and showed the guard at the front desk her badge. She went immediately to her workstation and found several folders on her desk. Opening the top folder, she found a new assignment. The second folder was a design that needed a model. She decided to work on the model first. Grabbing both the folders, she stuffed them in her bag. Then she saw a sticky note on the

bottom stuck to her desk. She stared at the simple message, Call me. It was signed by Neal. Walking away from her desk, she left the note. She was almost at the elevator when she realized that he’d know she’d been in the building. He was the one who put the folders on her desk. So she sent him a message. Rushing back to her desk, she balled up the note and left it. Her lips turned upward, and more than likely she licked her lips. Christine returned to her mission, going down to the model lab. Christine was alone in the lab and didn’t hear the soft steps of the man. He stood for a while and watched her work at putting together the design. There was the base, a flat platform with some grass and shrubs. The building was a high rise made purely of golden glass. She was in her own world. He didn’t want to scare her, so he cleared his throat instead of speaking. She looked up toward the sound. “Ah … um, hello, Mr. Hamilton.” “It’s Quentin. Why are you here so late?” “I’ve been working on my project for my structural engineering class for the past few days, and I came by to get my assignments. This was on the list, so I started on it. I know you are the boss and all, but why are you still here?” “I was working on some letters for the fundraiser.” “How’s that coming along?” she asked. “We won’t know anything until I mail the letters and big, fat checks start coming in. I was stuffing envelopes until my stomach growled.” At that same moment, Christine’s stomach growled, and she realized she’d missed eating dinner. “It must be contagious.” She rubbed her stomach. “Don’t you have people to do that for you?” “I’m sure my poor secretary would love to add it to the work she’s already doing,” he added with a little sarcasm and a laugh. “I enjoy doing some real work behind a charity project. I love getting my hands dirty, so to speak. How about we call it a night? I’m on my way to get something to eat. You want to

me? My treat.” He was hoping she’d agree. This was the first time he’d seen her where he could talk to her without any staff around. “I don’t want to keep you from your family,” she said, looking down, afraid to look into his smiling face. He’d actually laughed a moment before. It made him sound more human and kind. Quentin wanted to approach her and touch her face. He wanted to kiss her and caress her. He wanted to tell her she gave him a burning sensation inside, something he hadn’t felt in a very long time. Instead, he stayed on the other side of the table. “It’s just me. My family is out of town until next week. I’d like to hear about your class project.” “Okay, but I can pay for my own meal.” Maybe she could find out about the real man and not the rich man who sits in the office up above everybody else. “Great, is there anything particular you like to eat or don’t eat?” he asked. “No. I eat just about everything. But I love sushi.” Christine didn’t want him choosing an expensive restaurant and ruining her monthly budget. And then he’d have to pay the bill. She didn’t want that because he might expect something from her in return, considering she had a slight crush/lust feeling for him. “I like sushi too. I know a good sushi bar downtown. Would you like to ride with me? We can come back and get your car.” He didn’t think she’d ride with him. She sounded very independent. He liked strong black women. And because she was one, he might not get what he wanted. “Is it the one where you select your food from the mobile bar?” He nodded. “I’ll just meet you there.” She knew exactly the place he meant. It was her favorite and within walking distance of her apartment. Christine was standing outside the sushi bar waiting. When Quentin approached her, she noticed that he was wearing jeans and a comfortable shirt. He was just as handsome as she ed from her first day, except that day he’d been wearing a designer suit. She needed to be careful, very careful, because this man was her real boss. She couldn’t flirt with him like she’d been doing with Neal.

Quentin opened the door and held it for her. Okay, gentleman. Check. He held up two fingers for the hostess, who showed them to their seats. They scanned the menus, but Christine already knew what she liked. A waiter asked them for their drink order and disappeared. Quentin was studying the menu, which gave her a chance to see him up close. She looked at his soft, wavy hair, which showed a few strands of gray. He had a mustache and a trimmed beard that lined his chin. She compared him to the actor Idris Elba. He looked in shape and was sexy as hell in those jeans. She didn’t think he had a six-pack hidden under his shirt, but there definitely wasn’t a pouch sticking out in front of him. She looked him up and down like she was choosing a steak at the butcher shop. Then her thoughts went left. Christine wondered if he was good in bed. She wondered if he moaned or was silent when he was giving or receiving pleasure. Oh no, it had happened again. He asked her a question, bringing her back to reality. She hoped he hadn’t noticed her checking him out. Was his question about food? Was she ready to select some food? Damn! She had to ask him to repeat the question. “I’m sorry, can you repeat that? I was thinking about all this food and so many choices.” “Yes, have you decided what you want to select?” “I’ll just have a small variety plate,” she said, pointing. Quentin picked up the plate she requested and set it in front of her. She thanked him, and he picked two plates for himself. They ate their food and talked about work. Christine was wondering when or if he would ask her about the job offer. She hadn’t been thinking about it, especially with all that was going on with Neal and with trying to complete her class project. She wasn’t ready to give Quentin an answer yet. If he asked, that’s what she would tell him. Quentin had ordered a carafe of sake and two cups. Christine tried to protest, but he insisted on sharing. Besides, he told her, it would be a bad idea if he drank the whole bottle. She held up her cup and smiled. He asked her about her class

project, and she told him everything about the oil wells and what she was trying to accomplish. Christine talked about everything except who’d given her the idea. He bounced some questions off her, which gave her more to think about. She asked him if he ever thought of making something other than buildings and houses. He confessed that he wanted to build bridges. She had a surprised look on her face and almost told him about her father. But she kept her mouth closed. She wanted her work performance graded on its own merits, and not because of some past work built by her father. Christine had finished eating all she could hold and turned slightly so she could face Quentin. They were still drinking the sake slowly, so she asked questions about the fundraiser and the picnic. Quentin shared the information about the picnic being held at The Wild Equine horse ranch. “It’s the ranch where they help children from the hospital and the rehab facility,” he said. Quentin talked about the children riding the ponies with the help of some ranch hands and people from the hospital. Christine sat up straighter in her seat. Wasn’t he talking about Neal’s ranch? Had Neal lied to her, telling her it was his ranch and all the things he did for the children? Did he say all that to get into her panties? Did he think she’d fall all over him because of a sob story? Now she was pissed all over again. And she was so weak that she’d been planning on having sex with him at the cabin. Oh, no! Had Quentin asked her another question? Damn! Damn! Damn! “I’m so sorry, but I need to leave,” she said abruptly. “Is something wrong?” “No, no! Nothing is wrong. I … ah think I drank too much sake.” She waved at the guy behind the belt and pointed at her colored plates for her ticket. “I really want to thank you for a nice evening. I enjoyed your company, and I want to help you with the fundraiser. Can I come by your office and help you stuff some envelopes?” She’d leaned in close to thank him, and her voice was low and soft. For a quick second, Quentin thought she wanted to kiss him and thank him.

“Yes, that would be nice. Are you sure you’re okay? Do I need to see you home?” Quentin asked with great concern. “No, I’m fine. I live close by. See you tomorrow.” Christine was grabbing the ticket and heading to the checkout counter. She was furious, and she didn’t want to take it out on Quentin, considering that she was warming up to him. He sounded like a much better person than that liar Neal! She walked so fast that she made it home in five minutes. Quentin watched her run out of the restaurant. What had he said? He didn’t think he’d said anything to upset her. Yet he thought he saw a slight scowl on her face. Maybe she had an upset stomach and was too embarrassed to say. Yes, that had to be it. At least she said she’d see him tomorrow. She left so quickly that he didn’t get to tell her he enjoyed his evening as much as she did. He emptied the rest of the sake into his cup because he didn’t have to drive anywhere. His penthouse apartment was a couple of blocks away. He would have loved to walk her home, except he had a bulge in his pants. It had been that way when he noticed her checking him out. She was so close, and now and then her arm would brush up against him. His only thoughts had been of her naked and under him all evening. He didn’t know how he held a decent conversation. And to top it off, she’d practically whispered in his ear that she’d enjoyed his company. He wanted to pull her into an embrace and kiss her until she forgot who she was. The waiter stopped in front of him and asked if he was ready for his check, and he nodded.

CHAPTER SEVEN

N eal opened the computer on his desk to check his emails. What he wanted was to go looking for Christine. He hadn’t seen her in days, and he wanted to apologize for the way he’d acted and what he’d said. His words hadn’t come out the way he wanted. He would never regret kissing her or anything with her. He wanted her so much it hurt. Neal was hurting now because he had no way of ing her. She had his number and hadn’t used it one time. He’d looked in her file, and the only number in it was a landline in California. He’d called that number only to speak with a man who said she was in Texas. It was probably her father, and he was too chicken to explain or ask for a cell number, so he’d hung up. Neal opened the first email from an employee asking some questions about the picnic and answered them quickly. He moved the mouse down the line one by one, checking each message and answering those that were simple. Then his hand stopped the mouse in mid-move. There was an email from Christine Billingsley with a Hamilton Construction email . He didn’t know that human resources had given the interns email s. If he’d known, he could have sent her an email days ago. He didn’t want to put a personal message in it. He took a deep breath, exhaled, and doubleclicked. On the body of the email, in large letters, were the words “I HATE LIARS.” There were two attachments. One was about her assignment, saying when it would be ready. The other attachment was a picture and a message. The picture was a partially completed model, and the memo said, “working on it.” When had she done this? She must have come in after hours, gotten her assignments, and worked on the model. So she wanted to avoid him. And now he wanted to kick himself. But what did she mean that she hated liars? If she’d found her folders, then she had to have seen his note asking her to call him. She must really be mad! And what did she

think he’d lied about? Neal thought about sending her a simple email and asking her. Maybe she was downstairs at her workstation or in the model lab. Neal left his office to look for himself before sending an email. Hopefully, he could ask her in person. He checked her workstation first, finding his note crumpled on her desk. His last chance was the model lab. When he didn’t find her, he felt defeated. Damn it, where could she be? Christine had access to Hamilton Construction’s computer system, so she worked on the report from home along with other school assignments. She spent her evenings perfecting her blueprints and drafting her report. The weekend ed that she would have spent with Neal. She was close to being finished with her other assignments, and she had to complete the report on her structural engineering design. Her life was as it should be. After working all morning, she stopped for a short break to eat some lunch. After she finished her report for her class, she called the office and asked to speak to Mr. Hamilton. “Hello, Christine! I was wondering if I would hear from you. Are you feeling better?” “Yes, much better. Thanks for asking. I was calling to see if you were working late again tonight. I need to start on my model for my class.” Christine was glad they gave the interns permission to use the model lab for school projects. Hamilton’s inventory was much larger than what they had on campus, which meant she’d have to come out of pocket to buy supplies. “It’s Friday! Shouldn’t you be out doing what college …” He almost said kids, but she was a woman, and he didn’t want to think of her as a kid. “… collegeage people do on a Friday night?” “Quentin, I have the highest GPA in the engineering department, and I have it for a reason. I’m not the average college person. I have goals and responsibilities.” “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to insinuate that you were a party animal. I know about your GPA, and that is why you got into the internship program. I also know you have excelled at everything you’ve done here at this company. That is why I also

offered you a job. I want you … I mean … I want you working for this company.” Christine knew the subject was bound to come up in a conversation eventually. Was she reluctant because of her lusty nature or buying time? “I haven’t made my decision yet. I’ve been busy working on my project. As soon as it’s done, I can think about something else. Now, are you working late tonight? I wanted to devote some of my time to helping you stuff envelopes as I promised.” “Yes, I’ll be here. It seems after hours is the only time I can work on them anyway,” Quentin said with a big smile. He hadn’t planned on working tonight, but if she was coming, he’d stay. “Okay. I’ll see you in a couple of hours.” Christine really felt bad about not helping Neal with the children. This way, she felt like she was helping in a small way. Christine packed up her materials for her project and took a cab to the office. Catching an elevator, she went down to the model lab and began working on her own model with items from the supply room. She grabbed a cart and began walking around the huge room, collecting material she needed to build her model. Putting the machine together was similar to building a puzzle. Not only was her pump going to be portable, but it was also smart. She’d been a very busy girl in a short period of time. The alarm on her phone went off, and she knew it was time to take a break and head upstairs. She caught the elevator to the top floor. The building was quiet and creepy this time of evening. She walked down the dimly lit hall to his office and knocked. Quentin opened the door quickly as if he’d been standing next to it, waiting for her. He stepped aside so she could enter. There was a small conference table with piles of letters and envelopes sitting on top. He took one look at her standing in the doorway with shadows against her back. It made her more alluring. Gripping the doorknob, he smiled and invited her

inside. He pointed to the table, and Christine walked over, looked at the pile, and shook her head. “Well, come on! We have a lot of work to do.” “Okay, you’re the boss!” he said with one of his heart-melting smiles. There was a pile of generic letters that asked for donations to the Children’s Hospital Rehab Foundation. Quentin showed her a machine that folded the letters. They only had to stuff the folded letters inside the envelopes. There were several boxes piled in the corner near the table. Some had more letters, and some held empty envelopes. She looked at the pile on the table and then up and down at the pile in the corner. “Exactly how many letters are you mailing?” “Several thousand.” “Really, why so many?” “In order to have a successful fundraiser, the secret is the quantity of people you ask for money. The percentage of people who usually donate is very small. It’s less than 20 percent. Some people ignore the request, some put off donating, while others write a check right then.” Christine didn’t ask any more questions. She continued to stuff envelopes and put them in an empty box. Once the box was full, she sealed the envelopes. She asked about the list of people who would receive a letter. Quentin told her that the one thing his secretary didn’t mind doing was creating a mailing list. He pointed to another box, which contained printed address labels. They made small talk and stuffed envelopes for another couple of hours. He asked her about her project, and she told him what she’d done so far and that she was coming back over the weekend to finish. While they worked, Quentin revealed his family history to Christine. He told her how the company started more than fifty years ago. She looked at the framed photo of his family that sat on a shelf behind his desk and asked about them. He hesitated, took a deep breath, and began. His wife had been an attorney until their daughter turned ten. Then she’d decided she didn’t want to work anymore.

Now she traveled a lot, including most weekends, taking their daughter with her. His son worked at a law firm nearby. It wouldn’t help his cause if she knew how young he’d been when he was born. But he did the right thing by marrying his mother. He exhaled when he finished. Quentin didn’t want her to feel pity for him. Even though he and his wife had drifted apart, he still loved his family. Christine figured that was why he worked late all the time. He didn’t have anyone to go home to. He got involved in charity work to have something else to do with his time. She was feeling so much better about him as a person. He was a devoted man to his family, his business, and his community. Good guy. Check. She looked at the clock on the wall. They’d been working for a good three hours and hadn’t made a dent in the pile. She stood and stretched her arms. He asked if she was tired, and she nodded. Nodding, he agreed that he too was tired. “I know it’s late, but would you like to grab a bite to eat?” she asked. He answered quickly because he was having a good time. “Sure.” She looked around. Then she ed that she had left her bag in the model lab. “I have to go to the lab and get my bag. Oh, and can I get a ride this time? I came in a cab.” “Is something wrong with your car?” “No…no it’s at the shop near my place, just getting the oil changed and stuff. I’ll pick it up in the morning. I’ll meet you outside.” She sure as hell didn’t want the security guard to see her leaving with Quentin at this time of night. She left him in his office gathering his own belongings. Christine waved at the guard and walked out the door, looking for Quentin. She heard the engine of the car coming around the building, and he stopped in front of her and jumped out. He opened the car door for her, just like a real gentleman. Check. When she was all buckled up in his sports Mercedes, he asked her where they were going, since she so kindly invited him to eat. She itted that she liked to eat breakfast food this late. He drove them to the nearest IHOP. He parked and again jumped out, rushing around to her door. She was having problems with the buckle. Quentin bent into the car over her to release the

button, and Christine almost gasped. She felt feverish. He was touching her whole body with his in the tight spot. Her first reaction was to reach up and caress his face or kiss his neck, which was level with her lips. Christine tried to lean back, but there was nowhere to go. She had to brace her right hand against his waist. She felt him when he jerked slightly. It felt like time stood still as he pushed the button and the seat belt clicked. He moved his body out the way he’d come in. But his face turned toward her, and their lips almost touched. Quentin stood up straight. Christine sat frozen to her seat, her left hand squeezing the seat. She’d done that to keep from touching him. The seat belt retracted and made a noise, bringing Christine out of her frozen state. Quentin’s hand was in front of her to help her out of the car. Slowly she placed her hand in his, and he pulled her up. He was standing next to the door and in her space. Putting her hand on his chest, she braced herself. She heard him inhale, or was it a slight hiss? She looked up into his face as he looked down at her, and something was exchanged between them. Was it heat, ion, lust, or just a need for companionship? He dropped her hand and backed up. It all happened in seconds, yet it felt like hours had ed. Christine looked down and brushed at nothing on her blouse. Quentin was now on the other side of the door and closed it when she moved. Christine’s feet started moving toward the door, and Quentin followed. Had something just happened between them? Was she having one of her fantasies again? Quentin seemed fine, like it was nothing. Maybe it was all her. So she shook it off and walked in the door that Quentin held for her. Quentin told the hostess the number in their party and asked for a booth. Quentin sat across from her in the booth. And yes, the closeness affected him more than he wanted to it. Why had he bent into the car like that? He should have gone around to the other side and helped with her seat belt. There had been a smile on his face, but his insides screamed. When she touched him, it made him feel something unexplainable. The waitress asked them for a drink order as soon as they took their seats. They both ordered coffee. Christine wanted to know if it would keep him from sleeping. He said no, and she said the same. They looked over the menu and decided on breakfast food. They ordered the special. Sitting at the table littered with lots of plates, they ate and talked. This time

Christine talked about California and how much she missed it. When she couldn’t eat anymore, she asked the waitress for a to-go box. She told Quentin that pancakes were even better the next day. The waitress returned with the bill, and Quentin grabbed it quickly. Christine protested, but Quentin held up his hand in defiance. “Sorry, but a gentleman doesn’t let a lady pay for her food twice.” They left the restaurant, and Christine gave him directions to her apartment. Quentin stopped and parked in a no-parking zone in front of her building. She turned in her seat and thanked him for a wonderful evening. She looked down where the seat belt was and attempted to push. This time he helped her from his seat. Quentin came around the car and opened her door again. She knew to sit and wait. He seemed to be an old-fashioned gentleman. She dug her keys out of her purse, and this time he gave her plenty of space to get out of the car. He walked her to the door, then took her hand and kissed it like the leading man in a scene from a fifties movie. She looked into his eyes and saw desire and confusion. He made no attempts to hit on her or ask to come up to her apartment. She put her key into the lock and opened the door. “Good night, Quentin.” “Good night, Christine.” That night, Christine dreamed of a gentleman who would be a gentle lover and friend. She woke feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. Fixing the coffeepot, she pulled out her leftover pancakes and ate a filling breakfast. After eating she cleaned up. She had a lot of work to do today at the office. Packing up her bag, she made sure she had everything she needed. Was there some unknown reason she felt happy with no pressures hanging over her head? The building wasn’t open all day and night like it was during the week, so she needed to get as much done as possible. Waving her badge to security, she headed down to the model lab. It was quiet, too quiet for Christine. Testing her previously made materials, she made sure it was dry and ready. Taking the cart into the supply room, she gathered the last of the items she needed to build her props.

Opening the app on her phone, she turned on the iPod, found some upbeat music, and hit play. She started on the final stages of her project. Christine was humming to the music and didn’t notice that she had a visitor. She was swaying, captivated by the music and feeling happy. “Can you use another pair of hands?” Christine looked up, startled. There was Quentin, dressed in a faded New Orleans Saints T-shirt and jeans. She wasn’t expecting him, and he hadn’t mentioned that he was coming to the office. “Sure, if you don’t mind getting your hands dirty.” “Yep, I’m in my dirty clothes.” He spread his hands and laughed “Yeah, me too.” Christine pointed to her T-shirt with dirt smudges on it. “Tell me what to do.” Christine explained what she was doing. Quentin worked on his assignment while Christine connected all the parts, including the wheels and pulleys. Quentin stood back, iring her work. Her project needed a paint job, so she returned to the storage room and found a small can of paint and a brush. She found a throwaway cloth and put it underneath. Quentin had finished his part and sat in a chair, watching her work. Last, she painted the miniature rig and exhaled. Quentin clapped, and she took a bow and laughed. “I’m not done yet. My machine has to pump the oil.” “Okay, but I love what you’ve done. If I was your teacher, you’d get an A. Do you want to grab some lunch while the paint dries?” “I don’t know. You’re pushy and won’t let me pay for my food.” “You need pushy. Some things don’t require being independent and stubborn. Would it hurt you terribly if I paid for a meal?” “No, I guess not. Let’s get a sandwich from somewhere.” “A sandwich sounds good. Come on, I’ll drive,” Quentin told her.

Christine knew how he operated now and waited for him to open the door. When they were both settled inside the car, she needed to know something. “Do you think it’s a good idea that security saw us leaving together?” “Why would you ask? Are we doing something wrong?” Quentin said calmly, with that winning smile on his face. “No, it’s just that you’re a married man. And we’re driving around in your car. I wouldn’t want someone to get the wrong idea and start rumors.” “You’re a known staff member at the company. I don’t want you worrying about rumors. Okay?” “Okay.” After a leisurely lunch, they returned to the lab, and Christine finished the last touches on her project. Then she connected the motor and turned the hand crank. She hit the button, crossed her fingers, and closed her eyes to say a small prayer. Quentin came and stood next to her, grabbing her free hand in . The machine made some gurgling noises until the horsehead picked up some speed. This part of the machine made it actually pump the oil from the bottom to the top. They watched as some oil slowly started oozing up. When it reached the top, the horsehead rotated as it should. They watched the view from the side of the glass and saw oil in motion. It looked like it was being pumped out of the ground. Christine jumped up and down. Quentin shouted, “You did it! You did it!” “I did it! I did it! I can’t believe it. It works! It actually works!” Christine was so excited that she grabbed Quentin and hugged him. He hugged her back. She didn’t know who kissed who, but he was holding her in an embrace and kissing her ever so gently. It was ionate and caring, with no tongues involved. Christine liked how she felt, so protected in his arms. He broke the kiss first and continued to hold her, looking at her face for a response. “I’m so sorry, Quentin. I didn’t mean to do that.” “I’m not sorry, Christine. I’m glad you did.” He still held her, and she didn’t

move. “I don’t want to cause any problems. I like our friendship, and you’re my boss. I can’t … do this with my boss.” “I’m not your boss, Christine. Have you decided on coming to work for the company?” “I’m confused. I’m sorry … I don’t think I can work for you.” “Why?” “Because I … I want you to kiss me again.” Quentin kissed her again. This time he deepened the kiss and pressed her tighter to him. He caressed her back and kissed her with ion. She held him around his middle and squeezed him tightly like she wanted to with his body. Christine moaned into his mouth and opened her mouth wider to accept him and let him know that she wanted him. Kissing him made her want him more. She broke the kiss. “I can’t do this, Quentin, I’m sorry. You’re married with a family. I could never live with myself knowing that I caused problems in your marriage. I want us to be friends. I want you to be my boss.” “Okay, I truly understand. I want you to work here, and I never want you to feel uncomfortable. Let’s forget this ever happened. Do you want to help me stuff more envelopes?” “Sure. I want to do that.” They went up to his office together and stuffed more envelopes. They talked and laughed as if nothing had happened between them. Christine looked at a clock, saying she needed to head home. She asked if she could take a box home and work on the envelopes there. Quentin nodded and fixed up a box with a little of everything in it. Christine put several stacks in the machine that folded the letters automatically. She could work on them tomorrow while she thought about Quentin and his hot, searing kiss. She wished she could come to the building and work on the other model, but the

building was closed on Sundays. If she asked Quentin about opening the building, he would want to accompany her, and she’d be alone with him again. Quentin toted the box outside and put it in his car. “I thought the box was for me,” Christine said, puzzled. “It is, but it’s heavy. I’ll follow you home and take it inside.” “But …” “I am only delivering this box, Christine. I would never force myself on you, if that’s what you’re thinking.” “That’s not what I wasn’t thinking. I don’t want you to go to this much trouble for me.” “It’s no trouble at all. Anyway, you’re doing me a favor by doing this. It’s the least I can do. Now let’s go, and I’ll follow you.” Christine jumped in her car and headed home. She was trying to if she had cleaned up before she left home. Did she leave dishes on the coffee table or clothes all over her couch? Why couldn’t she what she’d done this morning before going to the office? Everything was a blur. She grabbed her stuff and locked her car. Standing next to an elevator while she waited on Quentin, she was nervous. She never had visitors come to her apartment, and her boss would be the first. Quentin ed her, carrying the box, and she pushed the button. Not knowing what to do, she patted her leg, trying to calm her nerves. She wasn’t afraid that he would attack her. It was just the thought of what had transpired between them a few hours ago. Would she have a weak moment and ask him to kiss her again? She’d let him in and allow him to set the box down and leave. Yeah, that was her plan. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled and looked into his smiling face. She opened the door and peeked inside quickly before she opened the door wider. Everything looked in order. She sniffed. Okay, it didn’t smell. She walked inside and held the door. “Where would you like me to put the box?”

“Over on the table is good. I appreciate you bringing the box up. You really didn’t have to do it, you know.” Christine’s heart was in shambles; she wanted him to leave because she didn’t trust the temptation to kiss him again, yet she wanted him to stay. She knew at least he’d told her that his family was out of town. He’d go home to an empty house again. It wasn’t fun to be lonely, and she knew how that felt. “I know.” Quentin set the box on the table and walked back to the door. Christine stood with the door open and her hand squeezing the door handle. Quentin stood in the open doorway with his usual melting smile. “Goodbye, Christine.” “Goodbye, Quentin.” He didn’t ask if he could stay. He didn’t even say goodbye with puppy-dog eyes. Quentin walked out and headed to the elevator. Christine watched him walk away. He’d told her the truth—he only wanted to bring the box up, just like the gentleman he was. The doors opened, and he waved to her, stepping in. “Quentin!” Christine shouted and ran down the hall. She put her hand out to stop the door from closing. “Don’t go! Stay as a friend … please. We can stuff envelopes, maybe order some Chinese.” “I’m glad. I like Chinese.” Quentin stepped off the elevator and followed Christine back to her apartment. She opened the box and took out the contents, making two piles of everything. Quentin sat at the table, and she found the Chinese takeout menu. Christine asked him what he liked and then called in the order for both of them. Before opening her fridge, she told him the choices of drinks. He chose red wine. She pulled two glasses from her cabinet and put them on the table, bringing him the bottle and the wine opener. They’d only done a few dozen letters when her bell rang, letting her know the delivery guy was outside her building. Quentin pulled his wallet from his pocket. “Do you mind?”

“I’ve learned that with you it doesn’t matter if I do or not.” While she was staring him down, the doorbell rang. “There’s cash in it.” He ed her his whole wallet. Christine took the wallet and walked to the door, stunned. The delivery guy told her what the amount was, and Quentin shouted across the room, asking her to tip him well. She closed the door and took the bag into the kitchen. He heard her pulling dishes from the cabinet and getting silverware, and he cleared the table so they could eat. She brought the boxes of food out and set them in the middle of the table, setting a place for each of them. Quentin stayed for a couple more hours after they’d eaten and stuffed more envelopes. He didn’t want to overstay his welcome, so he wrote his cell number on one envelope and ed it to her. “Call me anytime.” Quentin stood up and walked to the door. Christine walked with him and held the door open. She thanked him for another wonderful evening, and he kissed her hand and headed to the elevator. This time Christine didn’t call him back. She knew they were friends, and she wanted to keep it that way.

CHAPTER EIGHT

C hristine woke up feeling just as refreshed as she had the day before. What had changed so quickly that she wasn’t tied up in knots and not getting a good night’s sleep? She’d finished her project, along with the report. That had been one of her biggest pressures. She only had a couple more months of school, and then it was on to real life. She thought back to Quentin and touched her lips. Had he offered her a job because he wanted to sleep with her? No way, she knew that wasn’t true. He was too old-fashioned. She rolled out of her bed whistling. After making a pit stop in the bathroom, she brushed her teeth and her hair. Now she felt like a cartoon character, singing because she was happy. After making herself some coffee, she sat at the table. Christine stuffed envelopes until her stomach growled. Taking a break, she heated some leftover Chinese food. Then she washed the dish and went back to stuffing envelopes. Picking up an envelope, she almost slid a letter into it when she saw something written on it. She’d forgotten that Quentin had written his cell number for her. Taking the envelope to the couch, she sat down, adding the number to her s. She went back to stuffing envelopes until she grew tired. The box was almost empty. Christine dragged her tired body to her couch and propped up her feet. She wanted to relax for an hour and then do some class assignments. Christine woke up hearing her phone ringing. She must have been more tired than she thought. She’d been sleeping for over an hour. A picture of her mother was on the screen, and she answered it with a cheery hello. She hadn’t talked to her mom in over a week. Excited, she told her about the structural engineering project, and she wanted her mom’s opinion about the job offer. They talked for a long time, but her mother didn’t give her the answers she wanted. She wanted her mother to tell her to come home to California and get a job close to home. Life would be so much easier if her mother decided for her. Maybe she should talk to her father; he would tell her to come home. Wouldn’t he? Maybe they

were ready for her to get a job and start taking care of herself. She moved her foot, and the envelope fell to the floor. Picking up her phone, she thought about calling Quentin. He would make her feel better, but how? She didn’t want to talk about the job offer, and she didn’t want to ask his advice right now either. She threw the phone down on the couch. Christine opened her laptop to work on her class assignments. When she finished her assignments, her stomach growled. Dinner—what was she going to eat for dinner? She’d eaten with Quentin for the last couple of evenings, and she thought of him again. What was he doing? His family was still out of town. She looked at the envelope. No, she wouldn’t call him for that ridiculous reason. But she enjoyed his company, and he said he enjoyed hers, so what was wrong with two people who enjoyed each other’s company—as friends. She picked up her phone and hit the call button before she gave herself time to think about it. It was ringing, ringing; maybe this was a bad idea. “Quentin Hamilton.” “Hello, Quentin. It’s Christine.” “Hello, Christine.” He was excited. She’d thought about him. “I hope you haven’t been stuffing envelopes all day.” “I it I did some. I was just checking on you, that’s all.” She became silent. She didn’t know what else to say without giving herself away. “So sorry … I wanted to call and beg you to come over. I’m so lonely.” Ha, ha, ha. She would never say that. “Well, it’s nice of you to think of my well-being. I’ve been a bum all day, just relaxing and watching football.” “The New Orleans Saints, I presume.” “That is my favorite team, yes, but there are almost ten hours of football on TV today. It’s the beginning of the season. Not to mention multiple games on multiple sports channels.” “You mean to tell me you can sit in the same spot for almost ten hours and watch a bunch of men knock each other around?”

He laughed. “I never thought about it like that. There is so much more to football than that. Have you ever sat and watched a game?” “No, I haven’t. Have you eaten at all today?” Christine asked sternly. “Yes, I had some snacks. Football usually means hot dogs, hamburgers, or sometimes pizza. And beer.” “You mean junk food. That’s not healthy.” Quentin wondered about the real reason she called him. He’d given her his number, wishing she’d call him. Did she miss him as much as he missed her? He’d sat around all day wishing and watching his phone like that would make it ring. He didn’t ask for her number, because he’d had a feeling. There was a strong feeling that she’d call him when she was ready. “The real question, young lady, is, have you eaten?” “Yes, yes, I’ve eaten. This is not about me.” “What have you eaten today?” Quentin was hoping she hadn’t gone out to eat already. Or had she needed an excuse to call and talk to him or an excuse to see him? “I’ve eaten real food, not junk food.” “I bet you a thousand dollars you had leftover Chinese.” Maybe he should have bet a strip dance. “Did you plant a spy cam when you were here?” Christine looked around her apartment like there was a hidden camera. “No, I saw the inside of your refrigerator. And I figured you eat out a lot and have leftovers like any college student.” “Yes, but it was a lot of Chinese leftovers.” “No, it wasn’t. Let’s get something to eat.” “Oh, no! I’m not interfering with your football. I’m not a crazy woman. I’ve

heard stories of men and their sports.” “I’ll be there in ten minutes.” Quentin hit the end call button on his phone. He went into his bedroom and pulled on some jeans. He was wearing another football T-shirt, which was acceptable on any given Sunday, and they could walk to a restaurant in the neighborhood. Preferably one with TVs showing some football. Christine looked down at her clothes. Did he say ten minutes? Where was he, driving around near her house, waiting on her to call? No, that couldn’t be. She heard the TV in the background. She figured he lived on the outskirts of town. There were no big-ass million-dollar houses within ten minutes. She jumped up off the couch, pulling off her PJs. Stepping away, she turned and grabbed them. He might want to come up, and she didn’t want her pajamas on the couch. She ran into her bedroom and found some jeans, looking them up and down to make sure they weren’t wrinkled. Pulling them on, she almost fell over. She needed a shirt, a blouse. Oh, no! Where were they going? Her feet—she needed shoes—sandals or heels? She hated this, and she would tell him so as soon as she saw him. She stood in the closet door, scanning side to side. Finally, she found a cute button-down blouse and a pair of cute flat sandals to match. Her hair! She ran into the bathroom, brushed her hair and her teeth. The bell rang, telling her someone was downstairs. Damn! Had it been ten minutes already? “Yes?” “Come on down, Christine.” “Okay, I’ll be there in a minute.” Christine wanted to kill him for this. She didn’t have time to put on any makeup, not that she wore much. But she liked to add some mascara and eyeliner, a little blush, and lipstick. At least she had time to put on lipstick. She ran back into the bathroom, added some lipstick, and ran out. Grabbing her purse and phone, she rushed out the door. Christine swung open the front door of her building to find him standing on the sidewalk, looking like he was about to do a commercial for Old Spice. He’d dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. Another dreaded football T-shirt at that. And where was his car? Did he park it somewhere? Yes, that must be it. He’d parked

it, and they were going to walk to it and then drive somewhere. But that made no sense, at all. “Where’s your car?” “At home.” “Just where is home?” Christine asked, very confused and puzzled. “What’s with all the questions? We’re walking until you find the perfect place you want to eat.” Christine looked at him, scrunching up her face. Then she folded her arms across her chest in a stance that said I’m not going anywhere. “First, you rush me to get dressed, and yes, I said dressed, because I was sitting on my couch in my pajamas. Second, you give me no clue where we’re going. Third, I have on no makeup. And fourth, you can’t answer one of my questions.” She was counting and touching her fingers as she fussed. She was a little upset with him. Quentin was laughing inside and smiling. He liked her a little feisty. It made her more beautiful. “Technically, I answered one of your questions.” “No, you didn’t.” “You asked me where my car was, and I told you it was at home.” “Damn! Sorry, I guess you did, but that was not the question I wanted an answer for.” “It was your first question.” “Yes, it was. I was just wondering how you could get here in ten minutes, that’s all. And by the looks of it, you walked! Or did you come by taxi?” “If you want to know, I’ll tell you over dinner. Let’s go.” He bent his arm for her. It was a beautiful fall evening in downtown Fort Worth. She accepted his arm, and they walked toward the square. He asked her what she

wanted to eat, and she shook her head and said she didn’t know. She’d know when they got there. He was fine with her answer, so they walked and talked. They stopped and watched the children and adults playing in the fountain. There was a bench across from the fountain, and Quentin asked her if she wanted to sit. She nodded. They sat and watched the children. Quentin looked at her profile while she watched the children. “Do you ever want children?” “I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it. My current goal is to finish college and start a career. I want to travel and enjoy my life for a while before I have to think of taking care of someone else. Is that being selfish?” “No, it’s not selfish. At least you are thinking responsibly and hopefully acting responsibly.” He hadn’t meant to sound fatherly. “I’m sorry. That didn’t come out right.” “It’s okay. And if you want to know, I believe in practicing safe sex.” Why had she told him that? They’d agreed to be friends, not lovers, especially since she wanted to work at the company. He wanted to know, and secretly he hoped she’d made her final decision. He wanted her to work at the company, and he wanted them to be lovers. But would he be enough for her? Would she eventually come to hate him? They couldn’t have children together. He’d never leave his wife and family. How could he even consider asking her to be his mistress? “Are you ready to search out a good place to eat?” “Yes, I’m ready. Come on, ole man.” “I know you didn’t just call me old. I may have to rethink our friendship.” Christine jumped off the bench, jogging backward and laughing. “I didn’t call you old. I called you o-l-e. There’s a difference!” she shouted. Quentin caught up with her, picked her up, and put her over his shoulder. He put his hand up to spank her. She yelped, and he stood her back up on her feet. Both of them laughed, and he put his arm around her waist as they walked. They were crossing a street, and Christine inhaled. She pointed at a seafood restaurant/bar.

They could eat there and probably watch football on TV. “Last one there has to pay!” She took off running, which wasn’t fair because it was only a few feet from where they were. “I guess I have to pay, huh?” He’d picked her up so fast, and she was light as a feather. She felt good in his arms, even if it was over his shoulder. He wanted to act like a caveman, claiming his woman and taking her off to his cave. Quentin told the hostess he needed seating for two as close to a TV as possible. He ed her a twenty-dollar bill, and she smiled. She asked them to follow her, taking them straight to a table with a reserved sign on it, right in front of a huge flat-screen TV. Christine looked at him, and he hunched his shoulder, touching his shirt. The hostess snatched the sign off the table quickly and told them a server would come and take care of them. They ordered some food and beer. They watched the game, and Quentin explained the basics, not that she understood it, but she acted as if she did. Christine watched and waited because she wanted him to answer her question without her pestering him about it. She wasn’t one of those nagging women, and she never wanted to become one. Perhaps he didn’t want her to know too much about his private life. Private, that was the keyword here, and she should respect that. So, she tuned out her thoughts and paid attention to the game. She asked some stupid questions about football, and he answered them without treating her like they were stupid. There was her gentleman again. Not that he’d ever left. It was late. All the football was over for the night. They’d both had a few drinks, and now it was time to leave. Quentin hadn’t brought up the questions or answers, but Christine had already decided she was okay with his private life staying private because he was her friend, nothing more. They left walking arm in arm with no cares in the world other than the fact that they had places to be early the next day—even though they didn’t act like it. They didn’t walk back the same way they’d come, and Christine knew neither she nor Quentin was drunk. They were a few blocks from her apartment, closer to the more expensive hotels, restaurants, and high-end designer shops. They were standing on a corner. Quentin pointed his finger. “What do you think about this building?”

“What am I looking at?” “It’s a building that I designed. They’re flats, and I have a place at the top.” “I thought you lived in a big house somewhere outside of the city.” “I have a house outside the city. When my family is not home, I stay here. I hate driving all the way out there to a big, empty, lonely house.” “I see.” Christine turned and headed toward her moderate apartment. Quentin chased after her. He stopped in front of her. “You see what? You make it sound like I’m some playboy, and it’s my place to take women when my wife is out of town.” “Isn’t it? Is this what you’ve been buttering me up for?” Her chest was rising and falling fast. “Your next … plaything?” Christine was furious. She’d already gone through this once. That was why she’d left California. “Christine, you have to believe me. I’ve never taken a woman to my house, either of them. My wife knows I have a place in the city. I respect her enough that when she’s home, I go home. I’ve never had a plaything, as you call it. I’ve never even kissed another woman.” “Tell me what makes me so special then!” she yelled at him. “I don’t know. I truly don’t know. All I know is, I enjoy being around you. I want to be around you, and if being your friend … I’m happy being your friend. I’m sorry if I made you think I had other intentions. I’m truly sorry.” “I’m going home now, Quentin, and I want to be alone.” “I’m sorry, Christine, but I can’t let you walk these streets alone this time of night.” “I don’t give a damn what you want!” Christine stepped around him and started walking. Quentin waited a moment and followed her at a distance. He followed her until she unlocked the door and went into her building. He waited on the sidewalk,

looking up to where her apartment should be. It bothered him when he never saw a light come on. After waiting another ten minutes, there were still no lights. He pulled his phone from his pocket and called the last number on his phone. It went to voicemail. It was her soft, sweet, happy voice. He left a message. He’d upset her terribly, and worse, he may have even ruined their friendship. So he headed back home with his head down. Christine woke up groggy; she hadn’t slept well. She’d thought about Quentin all night. She knew he’d followed her home. Why did he always have to act like a gentleman? Was he really a gentleman, or was that his style to get a woman hooked? Why was she such a bad judge of character? When would she ever learn? First, it was the asshole in California, then Neal, and now Quentin. Maybe this was a sign to finish school and go back to California. Yeah, it had to be; problems with two men in a week. That had to be some kind of record. One was a liar, and the other was a playboy, an old playboy at that, but a cute old playboy. She got dressed and went to class. Christine turned in all her assignments that were due and headed to the office. It was time to turn in her report to Neal and work on the model. She was an adult, and she needed to face him, so she might as well get it over with. She’d seen his emails apologizing and asking her to call him. She knocked on his door. “Come in.” “I came to turn in my report.” Christine stood on the other side of his desk with a folder in her hand. She left the door open so she could make a hasty escape. He looked up from his computer. “Christine! I’ve been so worried about you. Why didn’t you call me or answer my emails?” He stood up. “Can you close the door please, so we can talk?” “There is nothing for us to talk about, Neal. Nothing happened inappropriately, and nothing will ever happen, so there’s nothing for you to regret. Bye, Neal.” Christine backed out of his office. Neal stood next to his desk befuddled. She didn’t give him a chance to explain what he meant or ask what he’d lied about. Maybe this was for the best. They had to work together, and workplace romances were never good. And her bye

had sounded very permanent.

CHAPTER NINE

C hristine worked on her model for the next two days in peace. Quentin didn’t call her phone. Nor did he seek her out. And she was sure he knew when she was there. She’d taken some completed envelopes to his office, crossing her fingers that she wouldn’t run into him. She explained to his secretary that she wanted more material if possible and asked her to get the items for her. Janice informed her that Mr. Hamilton wasn’t in his office and that she could get whatever material she wanted. As soon as she entered, she noticed the pile of boxes was diminishing. She packed up a box that wasn’t too heavy. Working diligently for the next few days, she was alone each evening, stuffing envelopes. After completing the envelopes, she returned them to the office again. The secretary thanked her for her time and for helping with the letters. Christine asked if she could get more, and the secretary told her that there was no more to do. This was the last batch to go out in the mail. Christine wanted to ask how they’d finished so soon, but she knew the answer to that. Quentin had been staying late and had stuffed even more envelopes than she had. When she returned to her workstation, she found a folder from Neal. She had a new assignment: to design a series of houses, one-story houses with multiple bedrooms and large yards with a pool and/or a pond. Two-story houses with three to five bedrooms and with pools, ponds, and various size yards. This was a lot of work! Was he punishing her? Was she the only intern who had this crazy assignment? It was lunchtime, so she headed to the sandwich shop on the first floor. After selecting a small salad from the cool box, she looked around for a seat. Seeing two of the other interns, she headed in their direction, asking if she could sit with them. They made small talk, and one student commented about her structural engineering project. Apparently, it was the talk of the campus. She needed to ask them if they’d received the same assignment or something different. She was eating her salad quietly and listening to their conversation when one guy made a comment about the newest assignment from Neal. And yes, they had the same

assignment. Christine was almost finished with her salad when Neal showed up next to her, looking a little peeved. “Christine, may I speak to you a moment, please?” Christine looked into the eyes of her green-eyed devil and saw that he wasn’t happy. “Sure, Neal.” She got up and excused herself from the guys. “Yes, what’s up?” “If I had a number to reach you, I wouldn’t have to search the whole … building looking for you. You have a meeting that requires your attendance in ten minutes with the project team and Quentin. It’s in the big conference room. They want to go over the design you created so they can select a start date.” “I hadn’t thought of that. I’m sorry, Neal,” Christine said, and she licked her lips. “I promise, if I call you, it will be only for business,” Neal said with a slight cold shoulder and walked off. Christine went back to the table to gather her things and throw away her trash. After running into the bathroom to wash her hands and reapply some lipstick, she headed up the elevator to the conference room. She was the last one to arrive, and the only chair left was sitting right next to Quentin, with Neal on the other side. Just what she needed—to be between the two men she wanted to avoid the most! Christine sat in the seat, took a deep breath, and exhaled as silently as she could. Speaking to Quentin, she noticed that he had bags under his eyes and he looked like he hadn’t slept in days. She wanted to apologize for her behavior, but she couldn’t do it here with ten sets of eyes watching. The chief engineer started the meeting and told everyone to open the folders in front of them. Christine was excited to be a part of this project. She hoped this was the first of many. Looking at the material in her folder, she paid close attention to everything that was happening. She could deal with Quentin later. The rest of the information Christine needed was in the folder, all the engineer specs and surveyor reports that she needed to turn in for her senior class project. The last step was to build the model. When the meeting was over, Quentin asked Christine if he could speak to her in

his office. She nodded because she couldn’t make a scene in front of so many staff. She stood by the door waiting while Quentin and Neal talked about the picnic. Quentin looked at Christine standing by the door, looking lost and nervous. He gestured for her to exit ahead of him. “Ladies first.” They walked down the hall side by side. “I wanted to thank you for helping me with the fundraiser. Because of you, we’ve already received a few checks. I couldn’t have done it all by myself.” Quentin had his hands in his pockets and was speaking low. “I didn’t mind. I was glad to help.” They were alone in the hallway. Christine touched his arm. “Quentin, are you okay? You look like you haven’t been sleeping.” He flinched slightly at her touch, and she removed her hand quickly and looked around, hoping no one saw. They were still alone, so she figured he was either upset with her or it was a bad idea to touch at work. When they entered the office, Quentin’s secretary told him there was an important call for him on the phone. He asked Christine to have a seat and said that he would be with her in a minute. While she waited, she toyed with her phone in her hand. She sent Neal a text, giving him her number. Then she looked at the time and realized that she’d been waiting for fifteen minutes. Thinking back to Quentin’s reaction in the hall, she didn’t want to be alone with him in his office. Janice walked away from her desk, and Christine sneaked out. She rushed downstairs to her workstation, retrieved her bag, and left the building. Christine was a coward and couldn’t face Quentin. She had no idea what he wanted to talk about, but she figured if it was business then they could have talked in the conference room, so it had to be personal. The next week was uneventful. Christine went to the office and worked on her assignments and the model for her senior project. She hadn’t seen or talked to Quentin. She’d had to deal with Neal only because of her assignments. He kept his promise and only called her when it pertained to business. She asked once about the picnic, and he told her everything was being handled. The week before

the family picnic, there were posters hung throughout the building. All the employees were excited and curious. They planned the picnic as an all-day affair. Saturday morning, Christine woke up excited. She was ready, thinking she might even try to ride a horse for the first time. The emails listed all the activities for the children, and there were some family challenges included and some department challenges. Christine showered and dressed in some denim shorts, a T-shirt, and her tennis shoes. She pulled the map out of her laptop bag and left her house. The activities were starting early, and she wanted to be on time. The directions stated that the Wild Equine Ranch was about thirty minutes outside of town. As soon as she hit the highway leading to the ranch, she started seeing traffic. A few miles later, she could see cars turning off the road and driving through a huge gate. There was a long trail of cars, and Christine didn’t see a house or anything in sight. She must have driven for another mile or so before she saw people and parked cars. There were men dressed as cowboys, directing traffic in a big open field. There were people walking from their cars toward a wagon hooked up to a team of horses. She felt like a kid at Disneyland! Finally, it was her turn to park. She threw her purse into the trunk, locked her car, and walked fast with the other people. The children were screaming and running. Christine wanted to be like the children, but she waited her turn patiently. The wagon was filling up fast. It was the same wagon and the Clydesdales that Neal had told her about. That still didn’t mean this was his ranch. She thought about asking one the cowboys. She bet they’d know whose ranch this was. As she drew closer to the wagon, she saw parents who were trying to hold on to their children. This thing was huge, with long benches and stacked bales of hay in the middle for people to sit on. It could hold at least thirty or forty people. Now she was as antsy as the children, wanting the wagon to move. She wanted to see the lake and the cabin and whatever Neal had done to the field. Christine watched the children jumping up and down, full of energy. The wagon started moving, and everybody, including the adults, cheered. Christine stretched her neck, looking for a house or the stable; the road she’d taken in went on and on. Hamilton Construction had well over a hundred employees, not counting the

other people he’d invited. She couldn’t imagine the preparation it took to make all this happen. She felt a twinge of guilt after being so mean to Neal. He’d asked her to help him organize the event, and she’d turned her back on him. Christine was still straining to see around her and behind her, and she couldn’t see what was in front of her. However, the children standing could, and they were yelling and screaming. The adults near the front of the wagon were only saying, “Oh my God!” Standing up, she looked ahead, her eyes wide. They had transformed the big open field to a wonderland. The wagon finally stopped, and a cowboy ran over to help people off the wagon. The bigger children started jumping over the sides and running in all directions. There were areas set up for the challenges and the children’s activities. There was a makeshift corral with lots of horses that ranged in all sizes and a smaller corral with Shetland ponies hooked to a ring. Neal had told her about them too. She figured they were using the same setup for the smaller children. There were tables covered by a huge canopy with enough room for several hundred people. She saw golf carts and four-wheelers. There was a long barbecue pit, where some men wearing aprons were cooking. Next to the pit was a wagon that looked like a chuck wagon from the movies. It was full of boxes and two small storage buildings with generators sitting outside and rumbling. She figured they must have some refrigerators or ice in there to keep the food and drinks cold. Christine could see the lake and people playing near it. She walked in that direction and saw a cart with tons of fishing poles and accessories. Looking further down the bank, she saw some poles and nets and sand. She couldn’t believe it—they’d made a small beach to play volleyball! This place was unbelievable. Everywhere you turned, there was something to do. No wonder it would be an all-day affair. There were men everywhere dressed as cowboys. Wondering if Neal was dressed as a cowboy, she started looking for him. She saw the wagon coming back, loaded down with another group of people. At 9:00 a.m. sharp, she heard a man talking on a bullhorn, asking everybody to come to the covered area. Then she saw the cabin; it was on the other side of the tent. Christine made it to the tables and found an empty seat. A man with a bullhorn

started telling the group about the activities and the official lunchtime. He announced that they had set a buffet area up with some breakfast sandwiches and fruit. The cowboys were all lined up around the outside of the tent. The man with the bullhorn introduced these guys as the helpers for the day. Christine was facing the front and didn’t see Quentin and a group of men walking up the middle aisle. When they came into her view, she looked at all of them. They must be the bigwigs from the hospital and the foundation. There was one young guy with them, who stopped in front of her and winked. Christine looked at him and frowned. The men walked up to the man with the bullhorn, who introduced Quentin as the host of the picnic and fundraiser. The crowd erupted into cheers. Then the announcer put his hands in the air for silence, saying that the next man he introduced was behind everything they were seeing. He called Neal’s name, and everyone heard the loud thundering of hooves. Neal and Xena made their grand entrance. The horse reared up on her hind legs and kicked her front legs in the air. The crowd was speechless for about ten seconds. Then the screams and shouts were deafening. The announcer took the bullhorn to Neal, who was still astride the horse. “Welcome to the Wild Equine Ranch. I want to thank everybody for coming out today. Please enjoy yourself and have lots of fun.” He returned the bullhorn and rode off toward the corral. The announcer took the bullhorn and ed it to Quentin, who thanked his staff for participating in the fundraiser. He announced that he personally would match the funds donated by the employees of Hamilton Construction. He stated that his employees had raised over $50,000, which included a large anonymous donation. Quentin introduced the men standing near him, with one exception. He told the group that he would present them with a check later today. His next announcement was very clear. He shouted into the bullhorn, “Let the games begin!” When he finished his speech, he looked directly into Christine’s face, showing his heart-melting smile. Everyone started piling out of the tent and headed in different directions to play games and have fun. Christine sat frozen in her seat. She hadn’t realized how

much she’d missed Quentin’s smile, his laugh, and especially his company. The bigwigs surrounded him, and he couldn’t see her anymore. She saw the young man who’d stopped and winked earlier coming toward her. “Hello there! I’m Trey. Do you work at the company, or are you someone’s daughter here at the picnic?” He was grinning and practically salivating. “Can I get your number? I’d love to take you out sometime.” “I … I—” Christine had a disgusted look on her face. “Christine.” She was so glad to hear Quentin’s voice. Maybe this jerk would leave. “I’d like to introduce you to my son. This is, Quentin the Third, better known as Trey.” “Your son, this … this is your son?” He was nothing like his father! No gentlemanly qualities at all, and so far, she didn’t like him. He must take after his mother’s side, because he wasn’t tall or good-looking like his father either. “Dad, you didn’t tell me you had a hottie working for you.” “Trey, please! Show some respect for the lady. She is one of the new interns that I hope will accept a position soon.” Quentin was looking at her with heat in his eyes. He’d missed her. “Come on, son. I want to introduce you to a few people. I’m sure the lady wants to enjoy the picnic. Goodbye, Christine.” He grabbed his son’s arm and started walking fast. He didn’t like the way Trey had talked to her. Why was his son such as an ass with women? “Goodbye, Quentin.” Christine eventually walked out of the tent, ready to have some fun. She wanted to learn how to ride a horse. That was where she was going. Maybe Neal was there and would give her a personal lesson. She approached the corral and saw a large group of people there. Several people were already riding. There was a group listening to a man who was standing beside a horse, talking. She asked a nearby cowboy if there was an area for beginners. He pointed to the man and the group. She stood next to the fence, where she could see and hear. The cowboy explained that there was nothing to be afraid of, that these horses were very tame. First, he explained and then demonstrated how to get on the horse, making

it look very easy. When he finished, he called for volunteers to come and try. Wanting to watch other people before she attempted it, Christine waited. She noticed that someone stood beside her, but she didn’t look because she was concentrating on watching people attempt to get on the horse. A few people fell on their first attempt, and Christine cringed because they got laughed at by the group. “You know, if you’d come out to the ranch a few weeks ago, I would have given you lessons.” She turned and found herself face to face with the green-eyed devil. “Neal!” She took a step back so she could look at his whole face and not just his chin. “Are you still upset with me?” Neal draped his arm across the fence because he wanted to take her into his arms and kiss her. He looked straight ahead because he knew she had a bad habit, which drove him mad. He took a deep breath. “No, Christine, I’m not upset with you. I just don’t think you treated me fairly. You didn’t … you wouldn’t let me explain.” “I’m sorry, Neal. So much has happened in the last few weeks. I have to it I have a strange attraction to you. But I didn’t think it would be a good idea to get involved and work together.” “Can we talk about it over dinner one night? And can you please tell me what I lied about?” Christine was about to ask him about the ranch and the real owner. “Heyyy, Christine! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Trey said, coming to stand between her and Neal. “Trey!” Christine bit her lip and closed her eyes. Why her? “I have to go. See you later,” Neal said and left before Christine could speak. Maybe that was what happened to her in the last few weeks. She was dating the boss’s son. “Look, Trey, I’m not interested. I have a boyfriend. Now go away,” Christine said to get rid of him.

Christine walked off, looking around for Neal, but he was nowhere in sight. She needed to know the truth. The guy on the bullhorn announced for departments that were participating in the volleyball tournament. She headed to the makeshift beach by the lake, where a large group of people was sitting around on the grass. She spotted one of the other interns and sat next to someone she knew. Christine sat and watched volleyball until her legs screamed to be stretched. She got up and left, walking past a group of kids fishing. They were having a catchand-release tourney. She watched the kids throwing their lines in the water. Several children caught a fish while she watched. She’d never fished before either, being afraid of the worms. There were cowboys helping the children with baiting hooks and taking off the fish and weighing them. One little girl screamed and frightened Christine. She thought they hurt the girl, but then she saw that the little girl had a fish on the end of her line and needed help. Christine walked from place to place, looking and watching. She didn’t participate in any activities herself. Besides, the only thing she’d wanted to do was ride a horse, or at least attempt to ride. She was watching some small children riding the Shetland ponies with the help of some cowboys when she heard the loud cowbell. This was the signal for lunch. The cooks set up multiple stations with plenty of barbecue and fixings. There were even some cowboys helping the single moms corral their children and fix plates for them. Christine had a plate full of food and was looking for an empty seat when she heard Quentin’s voice calling her name. He was standing by a table and waving for her, pointing to an empty chair next to him. She looked around at the room and at him, shaking her head. He left the table, walking fast, grabbed her elbow, and coerced her to the seat. She placed her plate on the table, and Quentin held the chair for her. “Gentlemen, I’d like to introduce you to Ms. Christine Billingsley. She is one of my interns, and she recently topped my engineers on a design for a new project.” The men rose from their chairs, nodding and making her feel welcome. She saw Trey heading to the same table and was relieved that there were no available seats. He looked at her and winked and found a seat at a table nearby, close enough that he could watch her. Christine ignored him and ate her delicious food as she conversed with the gentlemen at the table.

Several asked questions, wanting to know where she was from and about which schools she’d attended. Christine answered California and Stanford University before transferring to Texas. They nodded at her answers. She had some new fans, and her oldest fan was grinning, smiling, and touching her leg under the table with his leg.

CHAPTER TEN

C hristine finished her lunch and headed to the cabin. She needed to use the bathroom, and she hadn’t checked it out. Someone had blocked the front door open. Inside she saw rustic wooden furniture, a fireplace with a furry rug in front of it, and a flat-screen TV mounted on the wall. She walked down a hall, peering into the bedrooms, since all the doors were open. There were big wooden beds with rustic matching furniture. The paintings on the walls had nature themes, some with wild animals. Stopping in the last room, she went into the bathroom and locked the door. It surprised her that the house was empty. But she’d noticed some Porta-Potties out near the activities. She’d enjoyed a wonderful day so far, but she was considering escaping. Hiding from Trey was becoming a chore. After washing her hands, she stepped into the bedroom and found Neal standing with his back to the closed bedroom door. In an aggressive stance, he stood with his arms crossed. “Can we talk now without your new boyfriend interfering?” He pushed off the door and strolled over to stand in front of Christine, lifting her chin upward. She was speechless. He was in the bedroom with the door closed or probably locked. And he thought the obnoxious ass Trey was her boyfriend. She licked her lips as usual and opened her mouth to speak. Before any sounds came out of her mouth, Neal covered her lips with his. Neal mumbled something. “Stop … and lick … and lips.” Christine understood nothing he said. His lips felt just like she thought they would. She moaned, and every fantasy she’d had about Neal popped into her head. She wrapped her arms around him as he bent to kiss her. She squeezed, pulling him closer, tighter. Neal wanted to drop her on the bed and rip her clothes off. He lifted her up by her butt, and she wrapped her legs around him. She wrapped her arms around his

neck, and she entwined her fingers in his curly black hair. Opening her mouth, she pushed her tongue into his mouth. Their tongues danced, circling, entwining. She held him tighter and ground her hips into him, feeling him hard between her legs. As she rubbed against him, he moaned into her mouth. His hands were under her shirt, touching her bare skin. Christine arched and moaned louder. He tried to pull her shirt up, between their bodies, but it wouldn’t budge. Trying to make some space, he slowly slid her shirt up. He turned, so her back was against the door. Christine gripped his face, burying it between her breasts, and he rubbed his nose on her exposed mounds. She was rubbing against him harder and harder, and Neal bit her nipple through her bra. Sliding his hand inside her bra, he rubbed his thumb across her nipple. Christine whimpered, calling his name, encouraging him. He pulled one side of her bra down and looked at her dark-brown nipple, stiff on her heaving breast. “Oh, Christine …” was all he said before he opened his mouth and covered her nipple and sucked on her breast. He pulled her nipple into his mouth and licked it. Christine moaned over and over and kept rubbing against his hard penis. “Oh, Neal.” He was breathing hard, barely able to speak. “Christine, will you come to the house with me? We can ride Xena.” “Christine, Christine? Where are you? I saw you come in here,” a familiar voice called. “Damn! Damn! Damn!” Christine whispered. She knew who that was. “I know the answer to that question. Your boyfriend’s here.” Neal exhaled, blowing hard. He pulled Christine from around his waist, standing her on the floor. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you’re here hiding with someone. Christine?” Trey’s voice was getting closer. “You’d better go,” Neal said and unlocked the door. “Neal, it’s not what you think. Let me explain,” Christine whispered.

“Like you let me explain? Goodbye, Christine. Go to your boyfriend.” Neal went into the bathroom and closed the door. Christine was flustered and furious with Trey for interfering again. She walked out of the bedroom and found Trey walking down the hall. “What are you doing here, Trey? Why are you following me?” She didn’t shout, because other people were walking in the front door. “I was wondering if you’d go out with me. I bet I could get you a good deal with my dad if you did.” “I don’t need you to get me a good deal, Trey. Your father is aware of my talents as an engineer.” She walked out fast, leaving Trey standing in the middle of the hall. Christine had had enough of the picnic and of Trey. She wanted Neal. She needed to get away. Where was that damn wagon? Maybe she could ask a cowboy to take her back to her car. She saw several of them, but they were busy helping children. An hour ago, there must have been hundreds of cowboys, and now that she needed help, they’d all disappeared. Christine walked in the tent’s direction. Maybe she could find a cowboy there. Now she wished she knew how to ride a horse. She was considering stealing— okay, borrowing—one to get back to her car, but she didn’t even know where that was. She hadn’t paid attention to the direction the wagon was going this morning; she’d been too excited. Now she was the total opposite. Damn! Where were all the cowboys? She ran toward the chuck wagon, planning to ask one of the cooks for help. She heard talking and took off running to the sound of voices. Not looking where she was going, she tripped, falling in a hole and twisting her leg. Damn! Now she was dirty and— “Ouch.” She couldn’t get up. Had she broken something? She tried to stand, but her leg hurt too much. “Help! I need help! Please help me!” she sobbed, sitting back down on the ground and lying on her back with tears rolling down her cheeks. Her leg hurt. “Help! Help!” By the time she got the second “help” out, she saw some guys in aprons running toward her. “Can somebody help me, please? I think I broke my leg.” She tried to explain,

feeling like she was about to out. “Neal …” she whispered. “Do you mean the boss, ma’am? Neal Langston?” “Yes.” The other man took off running and yelling. One cowboy was on the phone. The cowboy in the apron ran and got Christine a bottle of water, telling her not to move. Five minutes later, several men were running toward Christine. She saw Neal, Quentin, two men from lunch, and Quentin’s stupid-ass son. She fell back down, covering her face. She’d been trying to get away from him, and that was how she’d ended up like this. The men were down on their knees, surrounding her. Quentin was the first to speak. “Christine, what happened?” He sounded hurt, and she was the one in pain. “Christine, let me see if you broke your leg.” Neal ran both his hands down her bent leg to her foot. Christine winced. “Neal, are you a doctor and keeping it a secret?” she said, delirious. “No, Christine, but I’ve tended to a few broken bones before. I think nothing’s broken, but your ankle is swelling fast. You need to go to the hospital.” Trey jumped in. “I’ll take her. I’ll do it. Dad, aren’t you about to present the check?” Neal had a sour look on his face and never offered. Although he felt concerned, the situation was out of his control. “If you don’t mind, I’ll call and check on you.” Christine nodded, and he sent the cowboy after the golf cart. The men lifted Christine gently and set her on the back seat with her leg stretched out. Trey stood back and watched with his chest out like he’d done something. Christine dropped her head because now she was stuck with this imbecile. She could kill Neal for not offering to drive her, but he was busy playing host.

Quentin looked at her and couldn’t say what he wanted to say. He wanted to hold her hand and tell her everything would be okay and that he would take care of her. “Call me from the hospital and let me know what they say.” The driver hit the pedal on the golf cart, and they were off with a jerk. The ride to the parking lot was much quicker than the wagon ride out had been. The men at the parking lot helped to get Christine in the back seat of Trey’s Mercedes, a larger model than his father’s sporty edition. After she buckled in, Trey pulled onto the road. “My purse! I need my purse.” “Where is it?” “It’s in the trunk of my car, a white four-door Honda Accord.” “That’s what you drive? You need a man like me so you can look good in a Mercedes.” Trey backed up and started looking. There were too many cars, and he wasn’t about to walk around looking. He waved to the closest cowboys and told him Christine needed her purse from the trunk of her car. He snapped his fingers at Christine. “Keys, give me your keys,” Trey demanded. Christine would have to tell Quentin that his son had no manners and was very rude. Actually, she already had a long list of his negative attributes, and it was getting longer. She sat propped up on the seat, tapping her fingers on her thigh, waiting for her purse. “They got it, they found it.” A guy was yelling, and another was running in their direction, waving a purse in the air. He ed the purse through the window. Trey’s response was, “It took you long enough.” Christine shouted, “Thank you,” from the back seat. They arrived at a walk-in clinic forty-five minutes later. Christine was glad they

weren’t too busy. An aide took her to a room in the back, helped her out of her clothes and shoes, and put her in a gown. First, the nurse did all the usual stuff, checking her blood pressure and asking her lots of questions. Afterward, the nurse informed her they’d have to X-ray her leg. The nurse gave her something for the pain, and it made her drowsy. Trey came into the room and asked the nurse how long she would be. He was being his usual jerky self. The nurse told him the doctor was waiting on the results of the X-ray. He asked if he could look under Christine’s hospital gown. It was Christine who threw something at him, which turned out to be a plastic urinal. She lay back, smiling. The X-ray results showed that Christine had a fracture of the fibula, so they fitted her with a boot and some crutches. The last thing she wanted was for Trey to know where she lived. Now she needed to find another way out of the clinic and a ride home. She asked the nurse about a different exit and whether it was accessible for a cab. The nurse called her a cab and offered to help her escape. Christine redressed and put the gown over her clothes. She knew Trey would be back. He had no patience whatsoever. She needed to know what kind of lawyer he was, because he had to be the worst lawyer ever. Just as she figured, he showed up acting bossy. The nurse told him Christine was waiting on her discharge papers and that she would be another twenty minutes max. As soon as he was down the hall and around the corner, the nurse came for her. She put her in a wheelchair and told her to hold her crutches. The nurse wheeled her outside and helped her into the cab. Christine thanked the nurse and gave the cab driver her address.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

T he cab driver felt sorry for Christine and helped her in the front door of her building. Slowly she hobbled down the hall to the elevator and then to her apartment. Finally, she sat on her couch with her leg propped up and her head leaned back. She was in pain and hadn’t thought to ask the cabbie to take her to a pharmacy. She needed something, and her Tylenol was a million miles away in the bathroom vanity. She didn’t know how long she sat there after dozing off. Her mouth was dry. Was she going to die like this? The doorbell rang. Oh, no! Had Trey found out where she lived? Who else would be at her door? It rang again. She got up and hopped on one leg and peeked through the hole. Quentin was standing there, looking scared and upset. “Christine, oh my, I’m so glad you’re all right!” he said, out of breath. “Trey called and said he lost you at the hospital. He looked everywhere for over an hour, and eventually someone told him you left in a cab. Why did you leave like that?” Christine laughed, hysterically. “Quentin, your son is an ass, a big jerk, and an obnoxious baboon. Keep him away from me. I don’t like him. He’s not a gentleman like you.” She palmed his face. “Come sit down. Let me help you.” He helped her to sit on the couch and put a pillow under her boot. “Tell me what the doctor said.” He had a worried look on his face. “Why are you here, Quentin? I thought you were busy with the picnic.” She tried to move her leg and winced. A small cry escaped her lips. “Pain! Oh, my leg hurts.” “Where are your meds? Did the doctor give you a prescription?”

“I have some Tylenol in the bathroom.” “Tylenol? Didn’t the doctor write you something stronger?” “It’s in my purse. I didn’t think to ask the cabbie to take me to the pharmacy.” “Christine, let me take care of you. Let me take you home with me.” “No, I can’t go there. What if your wife …?” “My wife and daughter left for Europe yesterday. I have an extra bedroom. You can have your own room. Your couch isn’t big enough for me to sleep on.” She agreed, but with a stipulation of staying only for a few days. Christine attempted to get up and pack a bag, but Quentin made her stay on the couch. He asked her where to find an overnight bag. Christine told him there was a bag in the bottom of her closet. Quentin went into her tidy bedroom, asking what she wanted to pack. She told him to look in her closet and grab two or three sundresses that were hanging up. She cringed and told him which drawer to look in for underwear and bras. Quentin opened the drawer and found her underwear all neatly folded. He picked up several pairs like they were gold and put them in the bag. Quentin returned to the living room holding the bag. She sent him into the bathroom to get her toothbrush and toothpaste from inside the vanity. Opening the vanity, he spotted her toothbrush. Right next to it was her pack of birth control pills. He grabbed the pack as well and dropped it into the bag. There was no need to ask that stupid question. She yelled at him to grab her pajamas off the hook on the back of the door. He grabbed the clothes off the hook and held them up by a finger. This was pajamas? It looked more like a bikini! He planned to buy her some real pajamas. There was no way he could survive watching her hobble around his house wearing this. But he threw them into the bag anyway. “Are you ready? Do you need anything else?” “Yes, my laptop bag, my schoolbooks, and my phone charger,” she rattled off. Quentin grabbed everything she mentioned. He was wondering if he needed to make two trips. He looked at Christine, then at all her stuff. Two trips. Picking up her overnight bag, books, and laptop bag, he took them down to his illegally

parked car. He’d been in a rush to get to Christine to make sure she was okay. He couldn’t imagine what had happened to her at the clinic. When he got back upstairs, she was standing in the open doorway on both crutches. “You ready? Have you forgotten anything?” “I’m ready,” she said wearily. Quentin took her keys and locked the door. Christine took slow steps, trying to use the crutches. She was having problems and kept wincing at the pain in her leg. He couldn’t help it any longer. “Stop walking,” he said, shaking his head. “Please stop trying to walk on those things.” He propped them against the wall and scooped her up off the floor, cradling her in his arms. He carried her down and put her in the car, then hurried back upstairs to get her crutches. Quentin did the same when he arrived at his place. When he reached his front door, she stood on one leg while he opened the door. Carrying her inside, he set her on his sectional couch. He propped her up and put a pillow under her leg. “Now, where is your prescription?” She dug it out of her purse and ed it to him. “I’m going to the pharmacy to get your prescription filled. Do you want me to bring you anything from the store? We can order some food, or I can pick something up while I’m out.” “You know, I heard that soup makes you feel better when you’re sick. I think there is a soup/salad restaurant near the pharmacy. Can I have some chicken noodle soup, please?” “You can have anything you want.” Quentin walked out and left her gazing after him. Quentin returned and found Christine asleep on the couch. He put her soup in the refrigerator and sat on the other end, watching her sleep. She was beautiful, even when she slept.

Her phone rang in her purse and woke her up. Looking around bewildered for a moment, she saw Quentin sitting on the couch. She reached for her phone. The caller ID said it was Neal. She gave Quentin a strange look and answered her phone. “Hello?” “Hey, I was just checking on you. What did the doctor say?” “The doctor said that I have a fractured fibula and that I have to stay off my leg for a week. So I guess I won’t be at work next week.” “Do you … need anything?” “I’m good, and I have a friend taking care of me.” She looked at Quentin and smiled. She knew he would take very good care of her. “Okay … let … bye, Christine.” He wished he were the friend taking care of her. He almost had her. If only he’d gotten her away from the picnic sooner. Now he was mad at himself. “Bye, Neal.” After staring at her phone for a moment, she hung up. She looked at Quentin. “Why didn’t you wake me? And where is the bathroom?” She was trying to get off the couch. “There’s one that connects to your room. Here, let me help you up.” Quentin put out his hands for her to grab so he could pull her to her feet. “I hope you aren’t planning on toting me to the bathroom?” “No, I’m giving you your crutches and showing you how to use them correctly.” After showing her how to use them without putting any pressure on her hurt leg, he pointed to the bathroom door. “Are you ready for some soup?” “Yes, soup sounds wonderful.” Christine ate her warm soup, and Quentin suggested she take some medicine and

go to bed. She agreed but said she needed to get a shower first. He asked her if she was sure she could stand up in the shower. She nodded and hobbled to her room, sitting on the bed. Lifting her leg, she stretched it across the bed, trying to unhook the boot. She couldn’t reach all the buckles, so she bent her leg slightly and screamed with pain. Quentin came barreling into the room like someone was killing her. “What’s wrong? What happened?” he asked frantically. “I can’t get this stupid thing off my leg. I can’t take a shower with it on.” Christine felt like she wanted to cry. She’d never been this helpless. “Let me do it.” Quentin finished unbuckling her boot and peeled it off her leg slowly. Christine breathed a sigh of relief and tried to stretch her leg, only to wince in pain again. “I guess that’s not a good idea. Okay, I think I can manage from here. Thanks, Quentin.” “You don’t have to thank me. I’m doing this because I want to help you.” Quentin walked out of her room and closed the door. He returned to the kitchen to finish cleaning up the dishes. When he finished, he sat on the couch, turning on the TV. Hopefully, he could find a late college game or some highlights. He channel surfed until he found a game being replayed from earlier in the day. Quentin was engrossed in the football game until he heard a blood-curdling scream coming from Christine’s room. Quentin burst into the room, but she wasn’t there, so he ran into the bathroom and found her on the shower floor on her knees. Ripping open the shower door, he turned off the water, grabbed a towel from the vanity, and wrapped it around her. He lifted her off the shower floor and took her back in the bedroom. She was crying, and he cradled her in his lap while he sat on the bed. He rocked her, trying to soothe her as she tried to explain what had happened. “I … slipped and … tried to … catch myself. I … fell.” Christine said between sobs.

“Why didn’t you call for me?” “I … was … naked!” Christine said and started laughing. She realized that she was still naked but wrapped in a towel. He was still the perfect gentleman and had covered her. “Do you think you injured your leg worse? Do I need to take you back to the hospital?” he asked. “No, I injured my pride because you had to pick up a naked woman from the shower floor.” She was smiling now and looking down. She knew he would never take advantage of her, naked or not. “I promise I didn’t see a thing. Now, why don’t you get ready for bed?” “I can’t.” “Why not? Are you sure you didn’t hurt yourself?” “No, I can’t get into my pajamas without help. This is so embarrassing! I’m afraid to move my leg. It hurts so badly.” Quentin reached for her bag and unzipped it. He told her to get what she wanted from the bag and he would help her, eyes closed. She found her pajamas from the bathroom, ing the tiny shorts to Quentin. He looked at them but said nothing. Then he got down on the floor and put her feet through each leg and slid them up slowly. She was still holding the towel and stood up on her good leg. He made it all the way above her knees and to her thighs. Then he stopped. “You can finish pulling them up now,” he said. He was standing in front of her, looking down. His breathing was a little uneven. He’d volunteered to help her, but he’d never thought he would have to dress her. She was standing in front of him, naked under a towel, and his hand itched. Christine knew she couldn’t pull them up and hold the towel. “No, can you pull them all the way up, please?” “Sure.” Quentin closed his eyes, took a breath, and pulled her pajama shorts up and over her butt. He dropped his hands and opened his eyes.

“Good night, Christine.” He walked out of the room, closing the door a little too hard. It almost made her jump. Christine dropped the towel and put her top on. Why hadn’t she waited until he left? She could have pulled up her own shorts after she turned the towel loose. But she’d wanted him to do it. She’d felt his hands lightly touching her skin as he pulled up her shorts. It had given her goosebumps. She ed the kiss between them and wondered if he ever thought about it or thought about her that way anymore. That wasn’t a kiss you gave a friend. He’d accepted her offer of friendship and had acted or pretended as if the kiss had never happened. He had been nothing but a perfect gentleman since then, and seeing her naked didn’t seem to have affected him at all. She lay in the bed and positioned her injured leg, trying not to cause it any more pain. She pulled the covers up and closed her eyes. After Quentin closed the door to Christine’s room, he made a few circles around the couch. He shook his hands in the air like there was something on them. The tingling feelings in his hands needed to go away. He hadn’t wanted to help dress her. He didn’t know how he’d kept sane after seeing her naked in the shower. After seeing her perfectly round ass and breasts, the images were burned permanently into his retinas. The same ones he wanted to touch and taste. Why did he bring her here? He should have left her at her own place. He’d heard the call from Neal. Did she have feelings for him? He ed seeing them together that evening at the restaurant. They didn’t act like a couple at work. When she fell at the picnic, Neal hadn’t volunteered to take her to the hospital. Maybe he was just a concerned supervisor. Quentin fixed himself a stiff drink. That would help him take his mind off the gorgeous, sexy woman lying in a bed a few feet away from him. She was a woman he desperately wanted and couldn’t have. She was the woman he desperately wanted to make love to, and the woman he’d probably never have. He drank the warm liquid and fixed another one. Turning off all the lights, he went to his room. After dressing in a pair of sleep pants, he lay in the bed with his arms folded behind his head. What was the real reason he’d brought her here? He kept asking himself the same question, but he never gave himself an answer. Sleep evaded

him all night. He saw every hour on the clock. His excuse was that she might need him, that she might cry out in pain during the night. “Quentin … Quentin.” Christine sat on the side of his bed, touching his chest and whispering his name. Quentin heard his name called. Was he dreaming? It sounded like the soft voice of the woman he wanted so terribly. Why would she be calling him? Why was she touching him? “Yes, Christine?” he mouthed. “Christine!” he said louder, waking up. He opened his eyes, sitting up. She was sitting on his bed. “Is something wrong?” “Yes, I can’t find any coffee.” “It’s in the cabinet,” he said, exhaling, relieved that nothing was wrong. “Okay.” She got off the bed, and he saw that she had on those too-short pajamas. Christine left, hobbling toward the kitchen. She’d stood over him for several minutes and watched him while he slept. She examined what she could see. He had a nice build, muscled chest and arms. No wonder he could pick her up so easily. She knew when she licked her lips because she had thoughts, dirty thoughts. Her breasts perked up, thinking back to the kiss, his hot, searing kiss. She wanted him to do it again. “I’ll be there in a minute!” Quentin said, falling back on his pillow. Quentin climbed out of bed and went to his bathroom. He showed up in the kitchen with a white T-shirt and sleep pants on. Christine had found the coffee and made a pot. She was holding up a hot cup for him when he entered the kitchen. “I don’t know how you like your coffee.” She wished he hadn’t worn the T-shirt. “Black is fine. I could get used to this. My coffee served by a beautiful hostess.” He took his coffee and sat at the bar. Christine fixed her coffee and ed him. He asked her how she slept and if her leg was hurting. She told him she slept okay, and her leg pain was a dull throb. Quentin told her he was going to the

store today and asked her to make a list of anything she wanted or needed. His goal was to purchase a shower stool for her. He didn’t mention her pajama situation, but he figured he would surprise her with a few new gowns—long, granny-looking gowns. That way she could slip them over her head and not have to pull on shorts. He knew for a fact that he wasn’t about to keep pulling up those shorts ever again. He was smiling behind his coffee; pulling them off was a different story. They talked about her schoolwork and if she had any assignments to turn in. She answered that she had assignments due on Monday. He volunteered to take them to her instructors along with her doctor’s excuse. Quentin told her not to worry about anything at the construction company. He was the best witness to her injury, and he was excusing her from work. Christine poked out her lips. “No way. I’ll go stir crazy if I don’t have something to do. I can sit at the table and work on my current assignment. It’s only deg houses with pools or ponds.” “Okay. Do you have everything you need?” “No, I left my folder at my workstation. Can you bring it home with you tomorrow?” “I wasn’t planning to go to work tomorrow. I’m staying with you.” “No, I’m not an invalid. You can’t miss work because of me. It might look suspicious if both of us are out at the same time. And anyway, when was the last time you called in sick?” “I have never called in sick. I am the boss, and no one will question me.” “I know, but it will make me feel better if you went about your life as usual. You are kind enough to be doing this for me, and I thank you. Now, when you go to work tomorrow, can you get my folder, some drafting paper, some blueprint sheets, and a few pencils? Please?” “You know I can’t say no to you, don’t you?” “Now I do,” she said, smiling.

Christine asked for some paper to make a list. Her tastes were simple, so she put items on the list to fix easy meals during the day. She hated being cooped up already, knowing that she would be crazy in a few days. After looking over the short list, he asked if this was everything she wanted. He told her it wasn’t much but said that he would make another grocery run whenever she was ready for more. Christie hunched her shoulders. She knew she was only here for a few days. It was Sunday, and he wanted football snacks. They would deal with dinner later. Quentin left her, went to his room, and dressed to go out.

CHAPTER TWELVE

W hen Quentin left, Christine went into her room. Looking down at her pajamas, she knew she couldn’t wear them all day. She needed to change, so she looked at everything in her bag. There was only one choice, one of her dresses. Damn! She’d forgotten to ask him to pack her hairbrush. Maybe he had something in his bathroom she could use. After she dressed, she hobbled into his room. The only thing she saw on the dresser was a collection of very nice watches. He had a case that held six watches. There were five expensive, designer watches and one Timex that looked worn. It was noticeable that he liked expensive things, but he was also down-to-earth and enjoyed simple things just as much. She ventured into the bathroom and found a man’s hairbrush. After brushing her hair quickly, she put his brush back exactly the way she found it. Then she hobbled back to the living room. Sitting on the couch, she opened her laptop. She could do some lessons while she waited for Quentin to come back. Damn! She didn’t have any access to the internet. She didn’t see a computer, so he probably didn’t have the internet or Wi-Fi. Damn! Damn! Damn! How was she going to connect with the outside world? This wasn’t good. She had to go home. She couldn’t very well ask him to get internet access just for her for a few days. It would take that long to get a service call and get set up. Damn! She liked it here, and she enjoyed being around Quentin. Now she didn’t want to leave so soon. However, she couldn’t do her class assignments on her phone. There was no other choice. Christine hobbled to her bedroom to put all her things back in her overnight bag. She’d tell him as soon as he got back. Christine was sitting on the side of the bed when Quentin came back, her bag sitting next to her. Quentin stood at the door with his arms full of bags and a white stool. The look on her face told him something was wrong. He set the bags down at the door.

“What’s wrong? Why do you look like you’re packed to leave?” he asked frantically. “I can’t stay.” “Why? Have I said or done something to upset you? What … talk to me, Christine?” He was standing in front of her and dropped to his knees so she didn’t have to look up. She had a sad puppy dog look on her face. He took hold of her hands. “Please talk to me. You can tell me or ask me anything.” He didn’t want her to leave. He didn’t know what he’d done. “I can’t ask you to do that for me. I’m only here temporarily, and I don’t want to be any trouble.” “You can’t ask me to do what? I won’t know what you’re talking about until you tell me.” She took two deep breaths before she spoke. “I can’t do my class assignments. You don’t have any internet. I would go crazy without the internet.” Quentin dropped his head to keep from laughing. He thought her problem was life and death. “Is that all?” He scooped her up from the bed and then walked out with her in his arms. He ed through the living room and the kitchen. “Turn that knob.” Christine turned the knob on the door, and Quentin kicked it open with his foot. He turned her around so she could see the room. There was a large desk with a Mac sitting on it. On the other side of the room was a wall-to-wall drawing board. He seated her in the chair at the desk. “If I didn’t have internet, I’d have had someone here installing it for you within the hour. You can use everything here whenever you want. There’s a MacBook in the drawer with architectural software preloaded.” He wrote the and on a sticky note for her, in case she needed it for her own laptop. He left Christine sitting in the chair, looking at the bookshelves full of

everything she loved. There were books, magazines, and sketch pads. He even had a small couch, and a TV mounted on the wall. Quentin returned with her crutches and told her he needed to put away the groceries. First he put her stool in the shower. He didn’t need her falling anymore, nor did he want to dress her unless absolutely necessary. To surprise her, he left bags on her bed with the gowns he bought at Victoria’s Secret. He hadn’t bought her anything sexy. Actually, it was all quite the opposite. One was even a long nightshirt with a football on it. That should make her smile. He’d made Christine a happy camper, showing her his man cave. Only a woman who appreciated engineering would enjoy it. He didn’t mind sharing. Quentin sat on the couch, watching football and snacking, and she stayed in the office— doing what, he had no idea. At one point, Quentin had to make her eat something and take her medicine. It was nice having someone to take care of, someone to talk to, to laugh with. Christine emerged from his man cave hours later, smiling. She was hungry and asked him what he had a taste for. He choked on a chip, and she had to pat him on the back. He wished she hadn’t asked him that way, and he thought hard before he spoke. “I can eat whatever you want to eat.” “Do you like Italian, Quentin?” “I love Italian. There’s a nice Italian restaurant down the street. Why don’t you look online at the menu and decide what you want? I’ll pick it up.” That night, Christine used her shower stool and didn’t fall. She dressed in one of her new gowns and found Quentin in his man cave on the computer. She wanted to show off her gown and posed, pointing to the football. “Good night, Quentin.” “Good night, Christine.” On Monday morning when Christine woke up, she found some cash, a credit card, and a note from Quentin next to the coffeepot. “Just in case you need something during the day while I’m gone. Please eat and

take your medicine. Call me if you need anything, I mean anything. Have a good day, Christine!” And he signed it Q. Christine liked that he thought enough of her to leave money and a credit card. She especially liked his signature, “Q.” Quentin did his best to take care of Christine and her injury. The few days turned into a few weeks. He gifted her with a key and the code to the alarm. She had more of her personal items and clothing in her room. Christine was getting around much better and had gone back to school and work. Her relationship with Neal was pretty much business. He didn’t bring up what had happened between them at the picnic, and neither did she. Trey started showing up at his father’s company two to three times a week. He sought Christine out, and he sent her flowers and chocolates. Quentin told Christine he was trying to make up for being a jerk to her. Christine didn’t care; she still didn’t like him. Christine officially accepted the job at Hamilton Construction the week after her injury. They gave her an office down the hall from Neal’s. Quentin had given her a new laptop, and now she was the proud owner of a MacBook. In her office was a brand-new drafting table with an attached drafting machine. She even begged Quentin for a wall-to-wall drawing board. She kept her distance from Quentin at work and only saw him during important meetings. They met up each evening at the penthouse. Quentin continued to be the perfect gentleman. Christine began to want more. They’d go out to dinner or order in. Christine wasn’t much of a cook, and Quentin never asked her to cook or made any comments about it. The only thing she was good at was breakfast, which she cooked for them on weekends. Christine was trying to eat a salad in the café on the first floor. Neal saw her and stopped to ask her a question. They were discussing the specs when Trey showed up. “Christine! I just left your office looking for you.” “Does your boyfriend not trust you at work?” Neal spit out and walked off. Christine wanted to slam her head on the table. “What do you want, Trey?”

“Did you get the flowers and the chocolates I sent you? I ordered that chocolate straight from Belgium, you know.” Trey didn’t ask if he could sit down. He just sat in the seat closest to her. Christine looked down at her salad and finished eating. She didn’t respond to any of his questions. It didn’t matter, because he only heard himself talk. How in the world could this person be Quentin’s son? He was the total opposite, and if Christine stayed in her seat and listened to him ramble any longer, she’d throw up. “Bye, Trey. I have a meeting I’m late for.” Christine left the table, walking fast. She didn’t want to look back to see if he was following her. Why did he have to show up every time Neal was around? That was why Neal would never believe the truth. She got back to her office and found a note about a meeting in an hour about the project. Christine gathered the folder she needed and went to the conference room. Entering the room, she found her model in the middle of the table. Quentin came into the room with several men Christine had never seen before. After ten minutes, Quentin introduced the men to the group. They were from the corporation that wanted the new building. They’d come to Fort Worth to sign all the contracts. Quentin asked Christine to stand. He introduced her as the designer of the building. He also announced that she was the newest employee of Hamilton Construction. All the staff at the meeting clapped for her, including Neal. He was squirming in his seat because he’d to sit and watch her lick her lips. He was glad he wasn’t her supervisor anymore, and he only had minimal with her. Christine was glad when the meeting was over. She was grinning from ear to ear, because of the attention. At the end of the meeting, Quentin asked her to come to his office. When she arrived, the secretary told her Quentin would be right back. He was escorting the men out. Christine was sitting and chatting with Janice when he returned. He opened his office door and ushered her in with his traditional “ladies first” remark and closed the door behind him. Why was she so nervous and feeling guilty like she had a secret? There was a secret. She was sleeping at the boss’s house every night. She wanted to sleep with the boss. Quentin sat in his seat behind the desk and asked Christine to have

a seat. He was all business, opening a folder on his desk. Quentin started telling Christine about the contract and the bonus. It had been her idea and design, and he wanted her to receive credit for it. He was still talking, and Christine sat frozen at the word bonus. She was ecstatic. Her mind drifted, wondering how much the bonus was. She could do a little shopping. Quentin was asking a question, and she was in La-La Land. “Sorry, you lost me at bonus. Can you explain again, please?” she asked and smiled at him. Quentin knew he couldn’t refuse, so he started over at the beginning. Then he finished and ed her a form to sign. “Why do I have to sign this form?” “It’s just a formality that I explained about the bonus and if you think your boss is trying to cheat you.” “I know you would never cheat me. You’re too much the gentleman for that. I’m still technically a college student, and I’m in no position to complain.” “This is the reason I wanted you as an employee before I completed all the contracts. I didn’t tell you about the bonus because I wanted the decision to be yours completely.” His smile grew, looking at the excitement on her face. “I didn’t want you to accept the offer because of a bonus. But it is one benefit I offer my engineers.” “Okay, when do I find out how much my bonus is?” “Are you a screamer, Christine? If you’re a screamer, I can tell you later tonight at home,” he whispered. “Janice has come running before because of screamers.” “Quentin, am I going to want to scream?” “Yes, and I don’t have any pillows in my office to smother you,” he said, laughing. “Okay, you can tell me at home. Goodbye, Quentin.” “Goodbye, Christine.”

Christine left and waved to Janice, who was on the phone. Returning to her office, she closed the door, jumping up and down, doing her hallelujah dance. She couldn’t wait to call her mother and tell her about the bonus. Her insides were doing flips, and she was ready for the day to be over. Maybe she and Quentin could go out and celebrate. It sounded like she could even afford to pay for a nice meal, but Quentin would never let her pay. The ringing of her phone brought her out of the trance. “Hello, Christine Billingsley.” “Ms. Billingsley, this is Mr. Hines. We met earlier today at Hamilton Construction.” “Yes Mr. Hines, how can I help you?” “I was wondering if you’d like to go out to dinner with me. I would love to discuss your design in private.” “I’m sorry Mr. Hines, but I have plans this evening for dinner.” “Ms. Billingsley, let me be frank. I can guarantee Hamilton Construction a lot more business worth millions of dollars. I only asked for dinner. If you decide you want more, I can make it worth your while.” “Mr. Hines, I don’t know what you expect to gain from this, but I can guarantee that it will have nothing to do with me.” Christine hung up the phone, heaving. She was furious and cursing. Damn! Damn! Damn! She needed to talk to Quentin. There was a knock at her door. “Come in!” She yelled. “Hey, you okay? Who are you cursing at?” “Neal, you wouldn’t believe what just happened to me! One of those jerks that just left asked me out to dinner. But dinner wasn’t what he really wanted. He propositioned me! He said he could guarantee Quentin more business if I … you know … he implied if I slept with him.” “I told you to stop licking your lips, Christine. Apparently, it disturbs other men as much as it affects me. The only person it doesn’t affect is Quentin. Why, I

don’t know.” Neal came closer to Christine, standing in front of her but not touching her. “Christine, you’re an exquisitely beautiful woman and that call, that proposition, it will happen again. Men are pigs, and when they see something or someone they want, they try to take it. So be careful! Every man isn’t like me. I want it to be your choice.” He touched her face. “Bye, Christine.” Neal walked out of her office, his blood boiling. Everything he told her was true, and he couldn’t protect her. She wasn’t his to protect. Christine touched her face where Neal’s hand had been. Why did men have to treat women like a piece of meat? She’d never lower herself for success. She called Quentin’s secretary and asked if he was available. Janice told her he’d gone to a meeting. She hung up the phone feeling devastated. Here she was trying to be a professional, and men were treating her like a whore. Not all men; Quentin would never ever treat her like that. He was too much of a gentleman. He was a man who treated women with respect. That was why they were friends and not lovers. Christine needed to get her mind off the phone call. She sat at the drafting table and added some sketches to another project. Once she started, she kept going until she heard the usual end-of-day noises. It was time to go home, and she hadn’t heard from Quentin all day. Oh well, she’d see him at home. She packed up her belongings and headed to her car.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

C hristine walked into a transformed penthouse. There were candles everywhere, all lit. The table was set with formal dinnerware, and amazing smells were coming from the kitchen. “Q?” It had become her pet name for him only in private. He emerged from the bedroom. “Hey, it’s about time you made it home!” “Yes, what is all this?” “It’s a celebration for you. I wanted to make this evening special. So I left work early and came home to set this up.” “Really? I called your office, and Janice told me you were in a meeting. You were here doing this, and I was at work fighting off a pervert!” Christine didn’t want to sound ungrateful, but she’d needed him, and he hadn’t been there for her. She’d needed her perfect gentleman to come to her rescue. “What … what are you talking about? Fighting a pervert? Did someone hurt you, Christine?” Quentin grabbed her by her upper arms and turned her to face him. She had water in her eyes. “Christine, tell me what happened.” “One of those men from the meeting today called me. That man wanted me to have sex with him. He said he could get you more business if I … you know. He said you could make millions if I ‘went to dinner’ with him.” Christine made air quotes. “Who was it, Christine? Who called you? What was his name?” Quentin asked angrily. He wanted to kill the guy, and as soon as he found out who to kill, it was still possible. Christine sat on the couch and put her face in her hands. She had tears falling

from her eyes, and she didn’t want Quentin to see. He sat on the couch next to her and draped his arm around her. “Christine.” “Q, I’ve ruined you because I wouldn’t sleep with that man.” “Christine, I promise I will never, ever do any business with that corporation again. I don’t need them. If I hadn’t signed that contract already, I’d be withdrawing my bid. I want to know who called you.” “Why? What does it matter? It won’t make me feel better. Men like that don’t change. I’m a woman, and if I continue in this business, I’m sure I’ll face men like that again.” “There’s my strong woman that I’ve come to love.” Quentin didn’t mean to say that to her. Maybe she wasn’t listening again, and she didn’t hear him. He needed to change the subject. “Hey, we have something to celebrate. Come to the table, and I’ll fix you a plate.” Quentin jumped up from the couch and headed to the kitchen. Christine unknowingly licked her lips. Did she hear what she thought she heard? Did Quentin say the L word? He can’t love her. This isn’t what she wanted. She only wanted them to be friends. Even as she thought it, she knew it was a lie. She may not love Quentin, but she wanted them to be more than friends. She wanted her perfect gentleman not to be perfect. She wanted him to be—what? Christine got off the couch and went into her bedroom. She put on her pajamas, the short ones, and her T-shirt. It was time to celebrate. Christine sashayed into the kitchen. Quentin was holding two plates and almost dropped them when he saw Christine standing there in those shorts, with her perky nipples showing through the T-shirt. “Christine, you …” Quentin swallowed hard before he spoke. “You changed clothes. Why did you put on those pajamas?” “Put down the plates, Q. Come here.” Christine extended her hand to Quentin. She grabbed his hand and walked into the living room. She stood between their separate bedrooms. “I need to ask you something, and I want, no I need, you to

tell me the truth.” She faced him and held both his hands. “Did I hear you say you love me?” “Christine … I don’t want you hurt.” “That is not an answer. Hurt? How are you going to hurt me?” “Because I can’t have everything I want and need.” Quentin took his hands and put them in his pockets. “I’m accepting what life is giving me.” “What is life … giving you, Q?” She was getting annoyed because he was evading the answer. She heard him. She heard him say it. And deep down she knew he meant it. So why was he hiding it now? “I have a successful business, a family, even if it’s not perfect, and you are a friend, and I respect you very much. I can’t lose my friend. I can’t lose my family. And I don’t want to be like that man who called you today. If all this changed, I wouldn’t be any better than him.” “Q, you could never be like that. There’s a big difference, because you love me, and I want you to love me. You are my best friend, and that is why all this is about to change.” Christine pulled Quentin into his room. He walked reluctantly. “Christine, are you sure you want to do this … with me?” She unbuttoned his shirt, slowly licking her lips. He watched her, his desire building. She pushed the shirt off his shoulders and caressed his chest and then unbuttoned his pants. She unzipped his pants slowly, pushing them down his slender hips. He had one of those sexy V shapes with a trail of hair from his navel snaking into his underwear. Her eyes bucked and her mouth opened slightly, licking her lips the more she saw. He stepped out of his tros, having taken his shoes off long ago. Her perky nipples stared at him. She tried to pull off her T-shirt. “No, not yet.” He pulled her to him and captured her lips. She opened her mouth wider and wrapped her arms around his torso. He held her face in his hands and kissed her softly. Then he kissed her hard. He felt he needed to make up for all the time he’d wasted. His kisses told her how he felt. His soft kisses told her he loved her. Each time he kissed her, his eyes told her

how much he wanted her, and they told her he didn’t want to hurt her. “Christine, we need to talk first. I need to be honest with you. I do love you, and I’ve loved you since I brought you here. But I can’t lose my friend. But …” He swallowed. “I can’t leave my wife. I need to know if you can live with that. I want you so much. And I want to take care of you.” Quentin looked away. He couldn’t look at her. This was why he’d wanted to remain friends. This was why he didn’t want their relationship to change. “You want me to be your mistress, Q?” Christine stepped back and took a deep breath. She knew what her options were. She knew the type of man he was. He was a gentleman, and she’d corrupted him. She made him love her, living here and acting as if they could always live like this forever. Deep down, it was what she wanted. She wanted Quentin, even if it came with . “I need a minute.” Christine left the bedroom, and Quentin kicked his pants and sat down. This was it. She was going to leave him, and he’d probably lose his friend. He dropped his face in his hands. “Q.” Christine stood in front of him with two glasses of wine. “I think we have several things to celebrate. I’ll take you whatever way I can have you. I know what kind of man you are, and I’ve been here for almost a month. My answer is yes.” She ed him a glass. “Here’s to us.” They tapped their glasses together and drank. Quentin took her glass and set both of them down on the nightstand by the bed. He scooped her up in his arms and kissed her first. Then he sat on the bed and straddled her on his lap. He cupped her breasts through her T-shirt and kneaded them gently. He pinched her nipples and pulled. Christine moaned and arched her back, pushing them further into his hands. She grabbed the bottom of her T-shirt to pull it over her head. Quentin grabbed her hands. “No, in good time. Don’t deprive me of enjoying you.” Quentin pulled her forward, making a trail with his lips down her neck. He toyed with her breasts again, and she writhed under his touch. Squeezing her breasts together, he rubbed his thumbs across her nipples. Capturing her lips again, he pinched and squeezed. Christine pushed her tongue into his mouth and ground

her hips against him. Quentin put his hands under her shirt and caressed her back, pressing her closer while they kissed. Christine moaned into his mouth while his hands roamed her back and down into her shorts, cupping her butt. He squeezed her butt and rubbed her against his growing penis. Moans escaped his mouth. His lips found her neck again, and he placed small kisses down her chest until he reached her breasts. His teeth grazed her nipples through her T-shirt. Slowly he roamed his hands around to the front of her body. He bit gently and slid his hands upward under her shirt, palming her torso and flexing his fingers, touching her with each digit. He slid his hands up to her breasts and closed his eyes as he touched them ever so gently, feeling them, caressing them, and exploring with his hands. They fit so perfectly in his hands. He moaned. Quentin rubbed her nipples between his fingers, making them tighter, and they stood up straighter. His lips parted; he wanted to taste them. He pulled her shirt over her head, looking at where his hands were holding her taut, perky breasts, and licked his lips. Slowly he bent, sucking a nipple in his mouth, twirling his tongue around it. He opened his mouth wider and sucked all of it and kissed it, moaning. His other hand was still. He wanted to give all his attention to one breast at a time. Christine jerked at the sensation. Moving his hand, he palmed her back, pulling her closer to him while he enjoyed and savored her. He toyed with her breast, and Christine arched and pushed it into his face. She wrapped her arms around him and caressed his nape, twisting her lower body, trying to feel the length of him. He was hard, and she wanted him. Christine wanted him to make love to her. She tried to put her hands between their bodies and touch him. He pulled her closer, tighter. He wasn’t ready for that. His goal was only to pleasure her. “Oh, Q, I want to feel you! I want to touch you!” Christine said, raspy and breathless. Quentin kissed her again while he toyed with the breast he’d licked and sucked. She moaned into his mouth and writhed in his lap. Oh, how he wanted her, but he couldn’t have her, just yet. He had to wait. So he stood and laid her on the bed. She looked up at him, heaving and breathless. Quentin looked down at the gorgeous woman, and he lay beside her, caressing her face. Was he dreaming? Because it felt like one. He kissed the breast closest to him and slid his hand

further down across her stomach. Christine gasped, breathing, anticipating him touching her. She was still wearing her pajama shorts. He slid his hand inside her shorts, and she inhaled, holding her breath, waiting, wanting him to hurry. He stopped, holding his breath, and touched the hairs, palming her there and rubbed from side to side, teasing her. He didn’t move any further. Christine spread her legs, arching her hips upward. She put her hand on the outside of her pajamas on top of his hand. It was like he needed permission to move, to touch. She moved his hand downward, pressing his finger to touch and feel. Finally, his fingers moved without her help and caressed her gently. They both moaned at the same time. He pressed one finger and found her wet. Then he slid his wet finger up and rubbed her clit. She almost came up off the bed. He made little circles around her clit, and Christine’s sounds were louder. “Oh, yes! Q, yes!” “You like this, Christine? I want you to always tell me what you like.” “Oh yes, Q! I like it, I like it a lot.” “Christine, I need to know something.” He rubbed and looked at her face while she had looks of pleasure. “Are you a virgin?” “No, Quentin, I’m not a virgin.” She sat up on her elbows. “Is that what’s been bothering you?” “No, but I needed to know if you were. I saw your pills, but that didn’t mean that you couldn’t be.” He pressed a finger inside her, and she fell back on the bed. “And if I had been a virgin?” she asked, barely able to speak. If he kept this up, she was about to explode any second. “Then I wouldn’t continue doing this.” He pressed harder and slid his finger in and out slowly. He rubbed her clit with his thumb while he stroked her. “I want you to cum for me, Christine.” He knew she was close; her clit was so stiff, and he plunged his finger deeper and faster and rubbed her clit. Christine was thrusting her hips up to him and meeting his thrust. Her body wanted, craved his touch. But she wanted him to

stop. This wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted to feel him inside of her. Pushing at his hand, she tried to tell him. He wouldn’t stop. “Quentin, stop … this is not what I want. I want you. I need to feel you. Ohhhh. Please. Please. Um, Um.” She moaned louder “Sorry, Christine, but this is all you get tonight.” He picked up the pace, pulling out, and pushed two fingers in and upward, aiming at her G-spot. She was bucking against his hand. Her hand was on top of his. She kept trying to talk, and Quentin didn’t slow down. He thrust faster and faster, as deep as his fingers would go, pushing his fingers in and out, in and out. “Oh yes, Christine.” He was so hard and wanted her so badly. “Come on, baby.” He pushed and pulled and rubbed. Christine stiffened and screamed her release. He soothed her and pushed in and out slowly until her body stopped shaking. When her body finally relaxed, she could speak. “Q … why?” She reached for his boxers, seeing the huge bulge. She wanted to touch him. “I want you. Please.” Quentin grasped her hands and brought them to his lips and kissed them. He was trying to get himself under control. His breathing was fast. He couldn’t talk; he was too afraid to talk. Sitting up, he put his feet on the floor. Christine got up and stood in front of him. “Q, I thought you wanted me.” She saw he had an erection. Why didn’t he want to have sex with her? Was he one of those men that had sexual problems? Did he think he couldn’t satisfy her? She straddled him and hooked her legs behind him. “Q, why deny yourself some pleasure?” She felt him between her legs. He was hard as a brick; she knew he wanted her. “Christine, I never thought we would be together like this. I want to protect you, regardless if I’ve only had intercourse with my wife.” “Are you talking about condoms?” “Yes, I don’t have any condoms, and I will not have sex with you until I do.”

“Oh, Q, you will always be my perfect gentleman.” She jumped up from the bed and brought her purse back. She held up some condoms. “They them out at the campus. Did you know that more girls are prepared than guys now? A girl has to protect herself.” She pushed him back on the bed and yanked off his boxers, freeing his erection and hearing a hiss from Quentin. She ed him the condom and slid off her pajama shorts. Falling back on the bed, she spread her legs and held her arms up to him. Quentin crawled between her legs. He positioned himself and rubbed her wet spot with his hard penis. He pushed, slowly entering her and backing out. Picking up her legs, he held them, watching her face as he eased in again. She was breathing hard and licking her lips. The look on her face was full of want and need. Her body accepted him. She was mouthing, “Yes, yes, Q!” She encouraged him to go further, deeper. He was savoring the feel, the tightness. She accepted him gladly. He threw his head back and plunged in, bringing a loud moan from his own lips. “Oh, Christine! You feel so good.” He plunged in and out, and Christine pushed her hips up to meet his plunges. “Oh, Quentin!” she panted. He pushed and pulled out slowly and then pushed harder and deeper. Each time he pulled, he watched her convulse around him. He felt her throbbing and squeezing him tighter. Leaning down, he sucked on her breast and plunged in and out. He could feel her heart beating fast while he sucked on her breast. “Oh, Christine, do you like this?” he mumbled. She couldn’t speak. She mumbled, nodding, and gripped his head, holding it closer while he sucked her nipples and licked them. He lifted his head and plunged again deeper and faster. He was biting his own lips to keep from yelling. She felt so good, and he hadn’t felt like this in a long time. “Oh shit, Christine!” It made him harder. “Oh, Quentin!” she yelled.

He called her name and knew he was about to explode. She felt her orgasm rising, the intensity and ion. He was plunging deep, hitting her G-spot and rubbing against her clit all at the same time. She was about to scream. Looking into his face, she knew he was close to his own orgasm. Cupping his face, she kissed him, thrusting her tongue into his mouth. He kissed her back, accepting her mouth and her ion. It was something he’d never felt. He opened his mouth wider, trying to breathe, and howled with his orgasm. Christine screamed at the same time. He was still hard, throwing her legs across his shoulders, plunging again, harder and faster. Christine arched her back and her hips, both of them breathing hard and moaning like they hadn’t had an orgasm only moments before. Quentin felt like he couldn’t get enough. He wanted more and more. The more he thrust, the harder he became. And she wanted it too. She egged him on, begging for more. “Oh, Quentin!” He pushed her legs off his shoulders and stood, dragging her body to the edge of the bed, holding her legs in a V, thrusting and plunging. Christine screamed again from another orgasm, and Quentin stiffened and threw his head back and howled again. He stood, holding her legs for a moment, catching his breath. His legs were weak, so he dropped her legs on the bed. He bent over, holding his knees and breathing hard until he felt his chest slow. When he could breathe, he straightened up and looked down at Christine. She had a wonderful look of having been made love to, and she was glowing. “Christine,” he whispered, “you are amazing.” Without having to look down, he knew he wasn’t hard anymore. He caught the condom before it hit the floor. Holding out one hand, he reached for her. “Come and shower with me.” She sat up, moved her legs, and winced. “I’m sorry. Did I hurt you? I hope we didn’t reinjure your leg.” “No, my leg is fine. I … ah, haven’t had a workout in a long time.” She stood and stretched. “I’ll be good as new after a shower.”

Quentin and Christine were in his bed, spooning and talking. He commented that they hadn’t eaten dinner. Christine said she was full, and Quentin laughed. She told him she’d blown out the candles and put the food in the fridge when she got the wine. He snuggled closer and squeezed her to his body. Christine told him what she’d been thinking when he wouldn’t make love to her. It worried her if he had some intimacy issues. He told her he didn’t have any. But his biggest fantasy had been about her. She wanted to know why he said nothing else after they shared a kiss the first time. Quentin said it was because he respected her greatly and he’d never cross that line, no matter what he wanted. She’d made him happy when she put on her shorts. He kissed her ear, and she rubbed her butt against him. She wanted him again. He told her she needed her rest and to go to sleep. Christine turned around to face him and kissed him. She slid her tongue into his mouth, making circles around his tongue. He held her tighter to him, and she felt the first sign that he wanted more. She slipped her hand between them, and this time he didn’t have on any clothes to stop her. Cupping him with her hand, she stroked him. He moaned into her mouth and deepened the kiss. He grew in her hand, and she stroked him more and kissed him harder. She was throbbing between her legs, and she knew what she wanted, to feel him deep inside her again. Christine broke the kiss and kissed his chest, sliding down as she went. She had a good grip on his hard penis. Feeling the wetness on the tip, she rubbed her finger across it, causing him to jerk. She kissed his chest, one wet pec at a time, along with some small licks. He was stiff and his whole body rigid. He closed his eyes and tried to to breathe. She was stroking him and kissing him. He knew exactly where she was; her lips told him. Each time she kissed lower, his erection became harder and harder. He knew she was below his belly button, licking the trail of hair. She was holding his acorn in her hand, and he knew she had a few more inches to kiss. Christine paused and saw him holding his breath. She skipped the few inches and went straight to his acorn. Wrapping her whole mouth around him, he bucked and jerked. He was throbbing in her hand, and she sucked his acorn, wrapping her tongue around it. She knew he liked it. His whole body was shuddering. He grabbed a condom by the bed and tore open the package. “Please, Christine. I

don’t want to in your mouth. And I can’t handle anymore.” Christine took the condom from him and rolled it down. She didn’t give him a chance to move, jumping on top of him. Her body had missed this, and she wanted him deep. She rode him, and he plunged deep, just like she wanted him to. He held her tight and let her keep control. He needed it as much as she did, but he didn’t want to seem greedy. She brought him to a quicker orgasm than before, and he sustained his erection until she was full again. Christine screamed when she came, falling forward on his chest. He kissed her temple and held her until she fell asleep. Then he rolled her over on her side and held her in his arms. Quentin woke, feeling a warm body moving next to him. It was a sensation he hadn’t felt in a long time. When his wife was home, they didn’t have sex anymore. And they definitely didn’t sleep holding each other. This was what he missed in his relationship with his wife. He didn’t complain or comment to her anymore. They acted like an old married couple, sharing a house and a life. He felt it was only because of their teenage daughter. He wondered what would happen in the next few years when his daughter graduated and went off to college. Now he had something different to deal with. How long could he maintain this relationship with a much younger woman? At some point, she would want her own family. Would he, could he let her go? He’d take it one day at a time and enjoy what they had now. Christine rolled over and didn’t wake up, so he slipped out of bed and pulled on some pajama pants. He went to the kitchen to make some coffee, looking around at his celebration preparation, and smiled. They’d had a different celebration, and he ed he’d never told her about her bonus. She’d forgotten too. He fixed the pot and turned it on, getting two cups from the cabinet. Going into the man cave, he found his briefcase and got out the envelope with her name printed across the front. Taking it back to the kitchen, he propped the envelope against the sugar bowl next to her cup. He heard a sound coming from the bedroom. It took about five minutes before she appeared in the kitchen. He stood at the counter next to the coffeepot, smiling. “Good morning, Q.” “Good morning, Christine. Did you sleep okay?”

“I slept like a baby. How about you?” She walked straight to him and gave him a kiss. “Mmmmm! Coffee.” Christine sat in the chair at the bar, and he poured coffee into her cup. She looked around for the sugar bowl, and it took a few seconds for her to notice the envelope. Her eyes flew up to look at Quentin. “Is this for me?” Christine stared at the envelope with her name across the front and the Hamilton Construction logo on the left side. She was afraid to touch it. She looked at him again for confirmation. “Please, just open it?” he said, grinning. Christine picked up the envelope as if it would bite. She turned over the sealed envelope. Nervously she put her finger under a corner and pulled. She spread it open and looked inside first. It was a check. Slowly she pulled it out, her hand shaking. Across the top line, she saw her full name in print. She lifted it up more and stared. Her eyes fluttered, looking at Quentin. “Are you serious? This can’t be right. All this is mine?” “Yes, it’s yours. You deserve it. You did a wonderful job on that design.” “This check is for $25,000. Oh my God, Q! Did you add some money to this?” “No, that is the bonus. It’s in the paperwork if you don’t believe me. I can show you at work. There will be more of those. The bonuses are not always the same, so don’t think you’ll see checks like that all the time. But this was your first, and I wanted you to get the max.” She got up from her chair and kissed him again. “I guess everybody doesn’t get to do that either.” “No, you are the first to thank me like that. Usually, I get a lot of screaming and yelling. Now, young lady, just because you’re banging the boss doesn’t give you permission to be late for work.” He spanked her butt and told her to get ready.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Q uentin walked into his office and sat at his desk. He hadn’t forgotten about the call Christine had received, and she never told him who had called. He called his secretary into his office and asked if any of the visitors from the corporation had asked her questions about Christine. Janice shook her head and told him no one had. He called the front desk in the lobby and asked who had been on duty yesterday. The operator told him she had. He asked her if someone outside had called in and asked for Ms. Billingsley. She asked him to hold on while she checked her logs. The operator came back on the phone, telling him that Mr. Hines had called for her. Quentin thanked her for the information. He was furious all over again. Mr. Hines was one of their lawyer’s assistants and didn’t have any authority. He couldn’t guarantee any business for Hamilton Construction. Quentin picked up the phone to make a call to the head of the corporation. Cautiously he laid it back in the cradle. He needed to calm down first. Christine went about her regular job duties without distractions. She’d been worried that she’d want to see him during the day or attempted to seek him out, but she didn’t. Her only problem was still Trey. For reasons unknown, he couldn’t take no for an answer. He showed up unannounced at all times of the day, and he continued to send flowers periodically. Suddenly, very few of her male colleagues at the company wanted to be around her. No one would sit with her at lunch. She only ate with a few of the women. Quentin’s secretary liked her and sat with her sometimes. Most of the other women who sat with her talked about their personal lives. They talked about having man problems or who they slept with. Several would make comments about Mr. Hamilton and how cute he was or say that he had a nice ass. Christine would agree with them and smile. There was one woman who had the hots for Neal. She made lots of comments about wanting to get in his pants. Christine told her to go for it.

Christine and Quentin were living a happy life under everybody’s nose. They worked together and kept it on a professional level at all times. After work, they met up at the penthouse. Christine had moved most of her clothes and personal items there. She still had her apartment, since her parents had paid the lease through graduation, which was in two months. She was in her office when she received a call from Quentin. He asked her to come to his office. She walked in and spoke to Janice, who smiled and told her to go on in. Quentin asked her to close the door. He had a painful look on his face. “Q, what’s wrong?” Christine asked, sitting in the chair across from his desk. “I have to go home … I have to go to my other home tonight. My wife and daughter are back from Europe.” “Okay, we knew they were coming back soon. I can handle this, Q. I’ll pack and go back to my apartment tonight.” “You don’t have to leave. I want you to stay.” “It won’t be the same without you. Anyway, I need to check on my place. Will I get to see you for a little while?” He shook his head and mouthed yes. Christine stood up, smiled, and blew him a kiss. She walked out with her smile and said goodbye to Janice. Christine made it to the penthouse ahead of Quentin. After finding her overnight bag, she packed enough clothes for several days. Christine heard him come in. She walked out of the bedroom, and he rushed to her, scooping her up and taking her to the room they’d been sharing for the past two weeks. He didn’t talk; he just undressed her and kissed her. Quentin made love to her like it was their first time all over again. She knew exactly how he felt, but she was dealing with the news better than he was. He didn’t want to go home, and it showed on his face and in his body language. They’d talked about it several times. That was what she liked about her gentleman: he was always honest with her. She told him to take a shower before he went home to his family. She was in the kitchen when he came out all dressed in his suit. “It’ll be all right,

Q. We’ll get through this okay.” “I know. I thought I would feel different. I didn’t think I would … I love you, Christine.” “I love you too, Q.” It was the first time she’d said the words out loud. He grabbed her in an embrace and kissed her temple. “I didn’t want our relationship to change because I didn’t want to hurt you and I think … I know I’ve hurt myself.” He kissed her, opening his mouth and waiting for her to give him her tongue. She did, and he sucked it until she pulled it back. “Come on, Sunshine. Let’s go before I call my wife and tell her I’m never coming home.” They laughed together and walked out of the penthouse. Quentin held her car door for her. “See you tomorrow, Christine.” “Tomorrow, Q!” He got in his car and watched her drive off. Tomorrow—he liked the way she said it. He knew there would be a tomorrow for them. Christine went to work every day. Sometimes she saw Quentin, and sometimes she didn’t. They kept their professional lives separate. It strengthened her as a woman and a professional. She still had some sexual tension with Neal. Maybe that was why she’d enticed her coworker to pursue him. Christine slept at her place for several nights. By the end of the week, she tired of twisting and turning. In the middle of the night, she left and went to the penthouse. Sleeping on Quentin’s side of the bed, she hugged his pillow. Quentin shook her awake. “Christine, I thought you went to the apartment. I got worried when I showed up there and found your bed empty.” “Quentin, what are you doing here?” she asked groggily. “I missed you.” “I missed you too, Q. I couldn’t sleep over there.”

Quentin undressed and got into bed with her. They lay in the bed and held each other. Christine rested her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat. They didn’t talk, didn’t kiss, and didn’t have sex. They needed each other’s company. Christine’s alarm clock went off, and she knew their time was up. She didn’t want to ask Quentin when she’d see him again. She’d cherish each stolen moment they had. The next two months went by fast, and it was Christine’s graduation day. Her parents were flying in, and she was glad they were staying in a hotel, considering her apartment was only a one-bedroom, anyway. Since she hadn’t been staying there, she’d gone by several days to clean and freshen up. Quentin sent her a text and asked her to meet him at the pancake house. When she got there, he was sitting at a table and drinking coffee. She sat in the seat across from him and smiled. “Good morning, Quentin.” “Good morning, Christine. I have a graduation present for you, and I don’t want you to be mad.” “Why would I be mad? Did I get mad when you gave me an unlimited credit card? Did I get mad when you gave me these beautiful, stunning diamond earrings?” she said, touching her ears. “Have I ever gotten mad at you?” She laughed. “Yes, you got mad about all those things. But this is different. You’ve worked hard, and you deserve this present.” She closed her eyes and held out her hands, palms up. “Come on … make me mad on my graduation day.” He placed something in her hand and closed her palm around it. She kept her eyes closed and tried to imagine what it was. It had a strange shape. She opened her eyes and hands at the same time. Looking down, she still wasn’t sure what it was. It was a little black box with an emblem on it … a jaguar emblem. She dropped the key fob on the table and jerked her hand away as if it burned her. “Quentin! You didn’t do what I think you did. Is this thing to a car?” She picked it up, turning it over and examining it.

“Yes, it’s to a car. But there is no car.” “What?” Quentin put a brochure on the table. It was a picture of a convertible model. “You get to pick the color and customize it however you like. It’s paid for, and you can’t say no.” “Quentin, this is too much. And I will never tell you any more secrets.” “I love it when you tell me your secrets. I told you what I wanted to do a long time ago, and you can’t make me stop. I would rather you have my millions than give it to ungrateful people,” he said, mumbling and more to himself. “Oh, don’t pay me any attention. Look at these colors and all the choices of accessories to pick from,” he said, pointing to the brochure. “Are you coming to my graduation?” she asked coyly. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world! I’m sure you’ll have a cheering section from the company. Did you call and arrange for the car service?” “Yes, I did. My parents will think I’m crazy, having a driver pick them up at the airport.” She made a funny face. “Hey, Mom! Hey, Dad! My boss, who I’m sleeping with, ordered me to have this car for you for the next three days. He told me to tell you it’s a graduation present from the company.” What she really wanted to know was if Trey would be there. She sure as hell hadn’t told him any of the details, but he had a bad habit of always showing up. “It’s the least I can do. And stop making fun of me. Oh, don’t forget to tell them about your graduation present.” “No way! How am I going to explain this expensive-ass car, Q?” She was whispering in the restaurant. “Tell whoever asks that it’s a lease.” “I need to ask you a question. How can you hide this from your wife? Don’t you think she’ll notice a large sum of money missing from your ? And I hope you don’t have Janice paying my credit card bill!”

“You mean the credit card you barely use? I have various s that my wife doesn’t have access to and a separate lawyer who handles business for me. His name is Benjamin Hamilton, no relation. He’s a very good and old friend. I trust him completely.” Quentin shifted in his seat. “You mean he handles me.” “Yes, among other things. That reminds me, I need to give you Benjamin’s number in case anything ever happens to me.” “Don’t say that! Nothing will ever happen to you. Now come on outside and give me a kiss. I have to go home so the driver can pick me up.” Christine saw the black Town Car sitting outside her apartment building. Pulling up next to it, she asked the driver to give her a minute. Christine parked her car and got into the Town Car. She felt a little embarrassed at the airport. The driver had one of those signs with “Billingsley” on it and everything. She waited nearby, to see her parents’ reaction at having a driver pick them up. This was their first time in Texas since she’d moved here, and deep down, she wanted to impress them. Christine spotted her parents walking fast and looking around. She knew her mother was fussing about her being late. Her father saw the guy with the sign first and shook his head. Her mother was the nosy one and asked who he was waiting for. He told them, “Mr. and Mrs. Billingsley of California.” Christine thought her mother was about to faint. She jumped out from behind a big plant. “Surprise!” Christine’s mother shrieked when she saw her. She hugged her tight and kissed her over and over and over. Her dad ed in for a family hug. The driver took their bags and headed to the car. They walked arm in arm, with Christine in the middle. She asked them if they were hungry after their long flight. Her dad responded, “Yes.” Men were always hungry! Christine told them there were restaurants within walking distance of their hotel. There was plenty of time to eat

before her graduation later that evening. They sat in the back of the car, and her parents drilled her about her job. Her dad was quite interested in visiting the company on Monday before they left town. He’d done some extensive research on Hamilton Construction when Christine first told them about the internship, and he’d been beyond impressed. They checked in at the hotel and dropped off their luggage. Christine told the driver what time to come back and pick them up for graduation. She walked with her parents to one of the nearby restaurants. Along the way, Christine pointed out several historical places and a museum. She told her parents about the water fountain, saying that she would show it to them after they ate. At the restaurant, they ate leisurely, and Christine’s mother asked tons of questions. She wanted to know if Christine had found a boyfriend. Christine almost choked on the food in her mouth. She told her mother no for the thousandth time and added that she wasn’t looking for one. Her career was more important right now. Christine looked at her watch, telling her parents that they should get a little rest before the festivities. She took care of the lunch bill, as ordered by Quentin, and walked them back in the direction of the fountain. While her parents rested, she used her time for pampering. Now it was time to go. She had to be at the convention center early. During the graduation ceremony, Christine sat on the stage, looking around at the crowd. Her parents waved, and since she couldn’t wave back, she nodded in their direction. She kept scanning the crowd, looking for Quentin and her coworkers. However, she didn’t want to seem conspicuous because she wasn’t paying attention to the person at the podium. There were just too many people, so she gave up. Then it was her turn to give her valedictory speech. The announcer called her name, and she heard some clapping coming from multiple places. Christine stood at the podium and licked her lips. She thanked various professionals and lastly her classmates. When she finished her speech ten minutes later, her fellow graduates and the crowd erupted into cheers. She thought she heard her name in the eruption, but there was too much noise to tell for sure. When the announcer came back to the podium, the crowd quieted again. The

ceremony continued with more speeches, and an engineer from NASA gave the commencement address. After the address, it was time for the diplomas. When the announcer called her name, she didn’t have far to go, since she was already on the stage. This time when she heard loud noises and clapping, she looked in that direction. She saw about ten of her coworkers. They were too far away for her to tell if Quentin was among them, but she was sure of one thing: he was here somewhere. When she stepped off the stage to walk back around, she saw the one person she didn’t want to see. There was Trey, standing alone, holding some flowers. She ignored him and pretended she didn’t see him. Damn! Damn! Damn! Graduation was finally over, and the graduates marched out, all hugging and congratulating each other. The crowds of people were piling out now, each set of family or friends looking for their graduate. Christine was looking for her family and friends. The first person she saw was Trey again. She ducked down behind some people so he wouldn’t see her, and he turned and went in another direction. She stood and looked again. She saw her parents and waved. They were making their way through the crowd. She didn’t see Neal, but he was the first to reach her. He bent and kissed her half on her mouth, half on her cheek. “Mmm, you still taste good! Christine, what have I told you about licking your lips? You must have done it a hundred times on stage.” He ed her a small, rectangular box with a pretty ribbon on it. He hugged her and laughed. It had become their private joke. This is what her parents walked up to see. “Mom, Dad, this is … Neal Langston. He used to be my supervisor when I was an intern,” she said, blushing. “Neal, these are my parents, Grant and Marilyn Billingsley.” Christine heard her name being called by several women. She looked around Neal and saw her coworkers and two of the interns. They all crowded around her, giving her hugs and kisses and ing her gift bags. “Guys, you didn’t have to do that.” She started introducing everyone to her parents. They were all shaking hands and telling them they had the sweetest daughter. “Can we this party?” Quentin said, smiling. He and Janice were the last to find them. Janice gave Christine a hug and a kiss on her cheek and ed her a

gift bag. Quentin didn’t dare touch her. “That was an awesome speech, Christine! I know who to ask when I need to make a speech,” Quentin teased, considering that he’d heard it already. “Thanks, Quentin. Mom, Dad, I’d like to introduce you to my boss, Quentin Hamilton. And this is Janice, his secretary. These are my parents, Grant and Marilyn Billingsley.” Quentin shook hands with Marilyn first and told her she had a wonderfully talented daughter. “Please call me Marilyn, Mr. Hamilton.” “Only if you’ll call me Quentin,” he said, oozing charm. Quentin turned to shake hands with her dad. He did a double take. “I know who you are! You’re Christine’s father? I never put two and two together.” He turned to Christine and the group. “The Billingsley Bridge? This man is the one who developed the portable military bridges,” Quentin said to the other engineers. Grabbing his hand, he shook it hard. “Now I see why your daughter is so talented. She has it naturally.” The other engineers had to shake her dad’s hand again. They made a line. Christine was almost embarrassed. She never thought they’d react to her father like that. She guessed that in the eyes of an engineer, her dad was a celebrity. Quentin was giving Christine a look. Why hadn’t she told him who her father was? Marilyn pulled out her camera. “I need to take some pictures to show my colleagues at work.” She snapped a picture of Christine alone, and then she took several of the group surrounding Christine. Marilyn pulled Christine’s arm to take more pictures. Christine didn’t know how she got between Quentin and Neal, but her mother had been grabbing and pushing. Neal asked her if he could take a picture of the happy graduate with her parents. Quentin turned to her father. “Mr. Billingsley?”

“Call me Grant.” “Okay, Grant, did you have special plans for a graduation dinner?” Grant was shaking his head. “No, nothing special. We were planning to eat at whatever restaurant Christine suggested.” “Why don’t I take your family to dinner to celebrate? Do you mind if everybody goes? We’re all crazy about Christine!” Grant looked at Christine, who at the moment looked happy, chatting with her friends. “Sure. No problem, Quentin. Christine would probably like that much better. I’m sure she didn’t want to be with just two old people for a celebration party. Besides, I’d like to talk to you about a few of your company’s projects I read about.” Quentin turned to Janice and asked her to call and make reservations at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse for the group. They should be there in an hour. While her parents chatted with her real boyfriend, Christine’s fake boyfriend showed up. At least he won’t be in any pictures! Christine said to herself. “Hey, Christine, I’ve been looking all over for you!” Trey walked up and handed her the flowers. He turned with a crazy look on his face. “Dad?” Quentin introduced his son to Christine’s parents. Meanwhile, Trey was shaking hands with her parents and being a little jerk. Neal was breathing hard and thinking of making an escape. He didn’t like Quentin’s son for several reasons. Christine recognized the look on Neal’s face. She touched his arm. “Don’t go, please. It’s my graduation party.” Her green-eyed devil looked at her and half-smiled. “Okay, but I don’t want him sitting anywhere near me.” The crowd broke up and said they’d meet at the restaurant. Christine walked arm in arm with her parents to the waiting Town Car. As soon as they were in the car, Marilyn spoke.

“Christine, which of those men is your boyfriend?” “What? What are you talking about, Mother?” Oh no! How could her mother know? Christine would deny it to the end. “You know, the cute one with the green eyes that missed your cheek or the one trying to hide from his daddy?” her mother asked jokingly, having noticed them vying for her attention. “Mother, neither one of them is my boyfriend. Neal and I are only friends. You think he’s cute? Trey is downright stupid, and I would never stoop that low. Can you believe he’s a lawyer? And he kinda stalks me.” “What? Do I need to knock some sense into that boy?” her father added to the conversation. “No, Dad, actually he’s harmless. He’s stupid, obnoxious, and self-centered, but harmless. He had the audacity to think, if I dated him, I could move up in his father’s company. I have done well enough on my own.” “Yeah, I see. And you didn’t tell anybody who you were.” “No, I didn’t. I wanted to be my own person. I was tired of being the daughter of a famous engineer. You do know all that happened over twenty years ago?” “Apparently not so long ago. Your boss recognized me.” “Well, it was an old man who recognized you. You know, one old man to another old man.” She laughed at her own joke. She knew now that Quentin was a few years younger than her father and that he’d become a father as a teenager, but he was so much more than an old man. She smiled to herself.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

T hey arrived at the restaurant, and Christine told the hostess they had reservations under Hamilton. The hostess told them it would be a few more minutes until the room was ready. There were a few people waiting at the bar. Quentin, Janice, Neal, and Christine’s friend Elaine were there with glasses in their hands. ing them, Quentin asked them what they wanted to drink. He almost messed up. Quentin ordered a specific expensive glass of red wine for Christine. He was glad that the others were all chatting and weren’t paying attention. Christine heard him and stood next to him while he ordered her drink. “Thanks,” she said low enough only for him to hear. “You looked so beautiful on the stage,” Quentin told her softly. “All because of you. You bought this outfit,” she whispered. Before Quentin could reply, the hostess came and told them their room was ready. She escorted the group to a private room with a large oval table. Christine’s parents were the first to enter the room. Quentin followed and pulled out a chair two seats from her father. “You can sit here, Christine. I want to chat with your father.” Her eyes grew large. “Sure. Not a problem … boss.” Neal rushed to sit in the seat next to Christine, having spotted the jerk walk into the restaurant. Elaine sat in the seat next to Neal. Janice sat next to Christine’s mother, and the rest of the group showed up and took the remaining empty seats. When Trey walked in, the only empty seat was way on the other end, between two male engineers. Christine was glad Quentin had offered the small party. Otherwise, she would

have spent a boring evening with her parents. What kind of college graduation party is that? Everyone was having a wonderful evening, laughing and talking. Christine thought there were too many jokes at her expense. Her mother would always laugh before she started her stories about Christine, and Christine would hide her face behind her hands. Her father told all the serious stories of her accolades and accomplishments. Grant said the house was full of trophies, awards, and drawings they’d gathered since grade school. “Christine was drawing skyscrapers while all the other little children were drawing stick people and trees,” he said. The whole table laughed. Quentin was enjoying hearing about her childhood as he held her hand under the table. Neal whispered to her that he wanted to kill her because of Elaine, who’d had a few too many drinks and was hitting on him openly. Elaine had spilled the beans and told him that Christine had told her to follow her heart. Neal changed the subject, telling Christine that several of the children had asked about her and wanted to know when she was coming back to the ranch. She said she didn’t know. She’d only gone out to the ranch with the ladies because she’d been alone. Quentin had been busy on those weekends. Grant’s ears perked up when he heard ranch and horses. Quentin started telling them that Neal volunteered his time working with disabled children through a rehab facility. Grant was very interested in hearing this. Neal asked them if they wanted to visit the ranch tomorrow if they didn’t have any plans, unless the women were going shopping. Grant told him he would discuss it with the wife and let him know. He thought it would be cool to visit a real ranch while in Texas. It would impress his friends and colleagues, especially knowing that these were his daughter’s friends. Christine started yawning. It was late, and her parents were probably as tired as she was. They’d had a long flight and a long day. Her father had enjoyed chatting with other engineers working in the field. Since retiring from the military, he had only worked in the classroom. Quentin made a joke and told him that if he had more Christines, he should be sure and send them his way. Trey was still hanging around, trying to get Christine’s attention. He asked her if she wanted to go clubbing after she dropped off her parents. She gave him a

stupid look and told him no. They were in the parking lot, and Quentin gave her a quick, innocent hug. “It was a pleasure to meet you both, Grant, Marilyn,” Quentin said. “Good night, Christine.” “Good night, Quentin.” Her parents watched the father and son exchange a few words and both get into Mercedes cars. “You have a very nice boss, Christine,” her mother commented. “Well, Quentin’s company lists in the Fortune 500. And since I’ve been there, he’s been working on several multimillion-dollar deals. He’s kind and down to earth. He’s good people, and he doesn’t act snooty like his son.” “I want to hear about the young man and the ranch. I would love to see that tomorrow, if you girls don’t plan on making me go to a bunch of malls,” her dad said gruffly. “Mom! He has some of those pretty horses that dance called, um, Tennessee Walkers. Yeah, that’s them. And Clydesdales, the same ones that pull the beer wagon at Sea World. There’s also a lake and a cabin where we had an employee picnic. It’s beautiful.” “Okay, I’ll go to this ranch, but you have to promise to take me to the Galleria that I’ve read so much about.” “Deal! We’ll go to the ranch early and the mall in the afternoon.” Christine kissed her parents when they got out of the car at the hotel. She told them she’d meet them for breakfast. When the driver pulled out of the circle at the hotel, Christine asked him to make a stop at a different address. She gave him the address to the penthouse. He parked across the street to wait. When she walked into the penthouse, it surprised her to see Quentin sitting on the couch in his boxers. “Hey, baby, you didn’t tell me you had the weekend to yourself.” She sat on his lap.

“I didn’t want to interfere with your time with your parents. But after I saw you, I couldn’t help myself. And that’s why I tried to spend as much time as possible with you tonight, even if I had to share you with so many people. Why are you here?” “I needed a pair of jeans for tomorrow.” “Are your parents at the hotel?” Quentin asked, sounding sneaky like they were teenagers. “Yes, they are.” “Stay with me.” “I’d love to. I don’t have to see them until breakfast.” Christine turned in his lap, pulling up her skirt, and got on her knees. She wrapped her arms around his neck and started kissing him. Then she ed the driver. Damn! “The driver is downstairs waiting on me, and my purse and phone are in the car. I’ll be back.” Christine returned in a flash. Quentin wasn’t on the couch anymore, but she knew where to find him. She stripped, making a trail of clothes to the bedroom. He was waiting for her with open arms. She dove into the bed laughing. The next morning, Christine called her parents, and they told her where to find them downstairs. She was all smiles when she saw them and asked for coffee when the waiter came to the table. Christine had called Neal the night before and told him her parents wanted to come out to the ranch. They set up an early time so they could do both activities. She knew how to get to the stables, since she’d been there with her coworkers, but she still hadn’t seen the house. She still didn’t know if this was his ranch. The conversation hadn’t come up again. When they pulled up to the stable in the Town Car, a ranch hand rushed to the car. He was expecting them and asked them to follow him. They walked through the stables and around to the other side. There was a corral where Neal was all

dressed up as a cowboy, riding his big, black horse. Several ranch hands were walking the Tennessee Walkers into a small arena. The ranch hands led them to some seats, where they waited for the show. They placed the horses strategically in a row facing them. Neal stayed on his horse and rode in a circle around the other horses. Stopping his horse to one side of them, he yelled a command. The horses all moved in unison, doing a trot and a skip. He yelled other commands, and the horses pranced and danced for them. Next, he pulled out a whip that was hanging on his horse’s saddle. He popped the whip, and the group of horses made a circle and followed each other, synchronizing their steps. Neal popped the whip several more times, and they turned around, doing the same dance in the opposite direction. When he popped the whip and made a different sound, the horses separated and stood in front of the group again. They all bowed their heads and bent their knees. Christine and her parents clapped and shouted. The ranch hands returned and walked the horses out of the arena. Neal rode over to them, jumped off his horse, and greeted her parents. When he reached Christine, he kissed her cheek again and the corner of her mouth. Neal asked if anybody wanted a riding lesson. Two hands went up, Christine’s and her dad’s. Marilyn said she’d take pictures. They all walked back to the stables. Neal asked a ranch hand to bring out some horses he called by name. They waited on the outside of the stables while they saddled the horses. The handlers brought the saddled horses into the corral, and Marilyn stayed outside with the camera ready. Neal talked to Christine and Grant about some basics of riding and mounting the horses. Neal stood next to Christine, and the ranch hand stood with Grant. Christine went over the instructions in her head first and then followed through. She stood on the left side of the horse and put her left foot into the stirrup. Grabbing the saddle horn, she pulled herself up, throwing her leg over the horse’s back. She prayed as she attempted each step. Christine wanted to squeal; she was sitting on a horse. She couldn’t believe it, and she didn’t fall off as some people did at the picnic. Neal was giving her praise, and she hadn’t heard him. He knew her too well and tapped her leg twice until she looked at him and understood what he said. “Okay, okay, I heard you. Thanks. Now, what do we do?”

“Hold on to the reins. I will walk with you for a while until you get your balance. Just relax.” Christine was afraid to talk while the horse was moving. She looked over at her dad and saw that he was having a good time. Grant was talking with the handler and learning to lead the horse. Neal asked her if she was ready to lead the horse on her own. He walked with his hand on the saddle while she led the horse. “Just don’t kick him with your heels.” Neal said, “Or he might take off running.” Christine’s mother was clapping for both of them and taking lots of pictures. Christine was having a wonderful time, and her parents were too. They would have some amazing stories to tell when they got home. Neal was a wonderful host and showed them around. They got to see the bunkhouses where the children stayed for camp and the bunkhouse for the ranch hands. Neal took them on a golf cart ride to the lake. Christine looked at the cabin. It brought back a happy memory and a sad one. She wondered what would have happened if Trey hadn’t come looking for her and she’d gone with Neal. Would she be with Neal instead of Quentin? Neal announced that it was lunchtime and said barbecue was being served at the house. He drove the cart past the stables and further down the road for ten minutes. A huge three-story house came into view. Her parents’ mouths dropped. They lived in California and had seen multimillion-dollar mansions that didn’t compare to this mammoth. Christine’s mother spoke first. “Neal, is this your house?” “Yes, ma’am. All mine. You’ll get to meet my father. He’s the one doing the cooking.” He stopped the cart at the front steps, got out, and waved for them to follow. They entered the foyer, which looked like the inside of a Hollywood home. There was a grand staircase going up two sides and a huge chandelier in the foyer. There was a long hallway on one side and a set of large doors on the other. Neal opened one of the large doors and welcomed everyone in. Inside was a large room divided by a partition. Someone had put a table in the room to make it comfortable. There was a sectional couch facing a fireplace and a flat-screen

TV mounted over the fireplace. Christine spotted a beautifully polished grand piano sitting in a corner. “Please make yourselves at home. I’ll check on the food,” Neal said and asked what they wanted to drink. As soon as he left and was out of earshot, Christine’s mother started again. “Christine, tell me what is wrong with this young man. I can see he likes you.” “Mother, we’re just friends. Would you please stop trying to fix me up? I’m not ready to settle down.” Christine dropped onto the couch, away from her parents. Christine was glad to see Neal return with drinks and a man following him holding a platter full of meat. He set the platter down in the middle of the table and left. Neal asked them to come and him at the table. They all sat down, and the man returned with more bowls of food. Neal introduced him to the small group as his father, Peter Langston. Peter sat and ed them. They ate almost in silence because everybody was chewing, moaning, and licking their fingers. “Peter, this is the best barbecue I’ve ever had!” Grant said, licking his fingers. Everyone agreed by nodding and smacking their lips. After they finished eating, they sat around and talked for a little while. Christine announced that they had to leave. She asked Neal if she and her mother could use a bathroom before they left. He told her there were several. He showed her mother to a bathroom down the hall and took Christine’s hand and showed her to another one. Neal took her deeper into the house so he could have a moment alone with her. When she emerged from the bathroom, he was waiting across the hall with his arms folded. “Neal, why do you let everyone think you volunteer at this ranch?” She walked to him and stopped right in front of him. “Why are you keeping it a secret?” “I don’t want anyone to treat me differently. I like everyone thinking I’m a regular Joe.” “Oh no! You were the anonymous donor at the fundraiser. The ranch, the horses, this house, it’s all yours for real?” “Yes, it is. I told you that the first time we talked.”

“I thought you said it to get me to go to bed with you.” “Is that what you thought I lied about?” “Yes, it was. Why do you think people will treat you differently because of a house and a few horses?” “People treat you differently when you have money. I don’t need people sucking up to me because of it or women wanting me because I have money.” Neal exhaled and pushed off the wall. “Christine, I want you, and you know it.” He cupped her face in his hands. “Tell me you want me like you did in the cabin.” He kissed her cheek and the corner of her mouth. She didn’t stop him. “I can’t tell you that now. We’ve changed since then. I’m involved with someone, Neal.” “You can’t really care about that jerk, Trey.” “I tried to tell you a long time ago at the cabin, and you pushed me away.” She was breathing a little heavier from his touch. “I’m not dating Trey. I’ve never dated him. Neal, we can only be friends and coworkers.” She tried to touch him, and he backed up. “I got it, coworkers. I’m sure your parents are looking for you.” Neal walked back toward the front of the house. They were standing in the foyer, waiting. Neal shook hands with Grant and hugged Marilyn and invited them to come back anytime. He was wearing his award-winning smile for them. They piled into the Town Car and headed back to town. Christine was quiet during the whole ride. Her parents wanted to stop at the hotel. Grant didn’t want to go to the mall smelling like a horse. Christine asked the driver to run her by her apartment, and she did the same. Marilyn laughed at them and said she didn’t smell like a horse. They spent several hours shopping in the mall and then ate dinner before returning to the hotel. Christine asked her parents if they wanted to come to her apartment for a while, but they declined. Both of them said they wanted to go to bed and would see her in the morning. Christine didn’t know if Quentin was still at the penthouse, but it didn’t matter.

She was going anyway. If he wasn’t there, then his presence was. She wanted to sleep holding his pillow. Just as she thought, he’d left. She took a shower and climbed into the bed on his side. That night, green eyes haunted her dreams. Waking up before her alarm clock went off, she rolled out of bed. Christine made her usual cup of coffee and dressed for work. She drove her car to the hotel because her parents were leaving today. After breakfast, they planned to visit her workplace. Then she would see them off at the airport. They’d eaten breakfast and were waiting on the Town Car when she drove up. Quentin was waiting in the lobby for them. Marilyn said she wanted to see Christine’s office, so Quentin took them on a tour, starting at the top. Neal was walking down the hall when he spotted them. He went to them immediately and hugged Marilyn like they were old friends. He and Grant shook hands and shared a joke that Christine couldn’t hear. He didn’t speak to Christine, only nodded his head in her direction. She felt a sting in her heart. Had she lost a friendship with Neal? She hoped not, because she really cared about him and deep down she knew she needed to be with a younger man. She had no business with Quentin. There was no possibility for a family or children. He’d made that plain and clear when they started their relationship. Christine shook off her thoughts of Neal when they walked into her office. Christine pointed out her new modern drafting table to her father. Grant liked the huge wall-to-wall drawing board. He joked that he needed one of these in his classroom. Quentin nodded and told him he’d send him one or two. Afterward, they made their way to the model lab where employees were working on models for some new homes that were being built in a new subdivision. Christine stopped and looked like she recognized some of them. She did. These were the homes she’d designed as part of her intern assignment. She turned to Quentin. “Quentin, why are they making these models? These are my designs.” “I wanted it to be a surprise. These are the designs we’re using for a new cul-desac over in Dallas.”

Marilyn walked over for a closer look. “Christine, these are beautiful. Quentin, did she really design all these?” “Yes, she did. Actually, she did more than this. We’re only building seven houses in that area. The clients get to choose if they want a pool or a pond. I have four signed contracts already.” He was smiling like a proud papa. Christine’s parents congratulated her for her newest accomplishment. Marilyn told her it was worth all those drawings she’d made on the walls at home growing up. Marilyn told them that Christine had always boasted that she wanted to design them a big house when she grew up. Christine smiled at that memory. “Yes, I said that, didn’t I? Well, I guess I better get started on that drawing.” Marilyn laughed. “Could you please not make it five stories? I’m getting too old to clean that much house.” Everybody laughed, and Christine blushed.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

C hristine stood at the gate, waving one last time to her parents until they were out of sight. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed them until now. She’d had a wonderful time with them, and they’d been very impressed with her, her friends, and her job. It took everything in her power to stop them from getting her the graduation present they had discussed. Her father had told her they wanted to buy her a new car. She deserved it for all the hard work at school. She couldn’t tell them she already had a new car. However, she accepted the large check from them and told them she’d put it to good use. Now she could tell people her parents helped to buy the car that Quentin had bought. Thinking about it, she rubbed her hands together like a villain making plans. There was a new car in her future, and she wanted to go to the dealership. When she got back to work, she found a note summoning her to the principal’s office. She told Janice that Quentin needed to speak to her. Christine knocked on the frame and closed the door behind her. Quentin got out of his chair and crossed the room with a look of desire in his eyes. He pulled Christine into his arms and kissed her. She returned the kiss and caressed his back. He held her tighter and kissed her deeper. She pulled back first. Christine was a little out of breath from his kiss. “Quentin, you know we can’t do this here. Is something wrong?” She spoke softly. “No, nothing is wrong. I’ve wanted to do that for a long time. I would love to do other things to you in this office, but I know that’s really out of the question. Are you okay? Did your parents get off okay?” “Yes, and yes, to both your questions. Were you worried it would depress me about them leaving?” “Yes, I was. I wanted to give you something else to think about.” He turned her

loose but stayed close enough to touch her. “You accomplished that feat. But I’m fine.” She exhaled, smiling. “At the moment, I have other thoughts on my mind. I was thinking about the car. Can I leave work early today? I could pretend to be depressed if I need to.” “What kind of boss would I be if I let all my employees leave early to go car shopping?” “You’d be the kind of boss that likes to spoil his employee with a new car. And … you’d be a boss who wants to make his employee very happy because when she’s happy, she makes him very happy.” She stepped closer and rubbed his crotch slowly. She had a wicked smile and a dirty look on her face. She kept rubbing until she felt him hardening and growing. He grabbed her hands and put them next to her sides. “Okay, you win. Now get out of here. Be sure and ask for the salesman I told you about. And call me if there are any problems. I mean it.” Quentin hurried and sat back behind his desk. He didn’t need Janice coming in and noticing his boner. “Yes, boss.” She turned and walked out, telling Janice goodbye as she ed her desk. Christine stopped at her office, retrieving her briefcase and purse. Walking down the hall, she saw Neal coming her way. She would pretend she didn’t see him, or she could ignore him just like he’d ignored her. Should she look down at the floor or up in the air? He didn’t give her a chance to do either. Neal stopped in front of her. Her green-eyed devil stopped her in her tracks. “Christine, is something wrong? Where are you going? Are your parents okay?” “What makes you think something’s wrong, Neal? Haven’t you seen a person leave work in the middle of the day?” “I … I was worried it would upset you because your parents left. I know you haven’t seen them in a while. Are you planning a trip home soon?” “Are we friends, Neal? I only tell my friends about my feelings. I don’t share my personal feelings or my travel plans with just my coworkers.”

“Christine?” “Christine what?” she asked, agitated. She poked him in the chest with her finger. “I need to know, Neal.” She took a deep breath and exhaled. “I wish … I wish you hadn’t pushed me away that day. Neal, I need you to be my friend. Please.” She looked up into his face, into his eyes. He didn’t want to be friends. He still wanted more. “I guess your silence is your answer.” She stepped around him and walked down the hall, almost running. She wanted to cry. Why was she torn about Neal? She had Quentin, and she wanted Quentin, but she also wanted Neal. Neal couldn’t speak, and he couldn’t move. He wanted to go after her, but she cared about someone else. He still wanted her, and he didn’t want to be her damn friend! If she thought he wanted to be just coworkers, it was for the best. He didn’t know how long he stood there, feeling like a fool, or how long it took him to regain enough blood for his legs to move. Neal was upset with himself. He needed to get over her; there had to be a way. He’d been so focused on Christine that he never saw Quentin watching the confrontation between them. Neal went back to his office and turned on his computer to check his email. He responded to some work emails and scrolled down the page, looking for anything important. The only thing he saw was junk mail. Why was he getting these crazy spam emails about online dating? Delete. Delete. Delete. Online dating. Maybe that was his answer. He opened the next message and started reading. First, he needed to build a profile and talk about himself. They wanted to charge for this service. He needed to think about it. It wasn’t about the money; he just wasn’t sure if this was the best way to meet women. Maybe he’d ask the therapist who flirted with him all the time. Yeah, that was better. At least he knew a little about her, and they had something in common: the children. Christine left the car dealership a lot happier than she’d been when she got there. She’d fallen in love with the champagne color and all kinds of options. She kept asking the salesman if she was going over the budget, and he shook his head every time. After test-driving several models, she chose the convertible, except she preferred the sedan over two doors. When she made all her final decisions, after three hours, the salesman told her it

would take about a month before her new car was ready. The last time she’d gotten a car, they’d left the lot with it that day, and she’d thought that was one of the happiest days of her life. She’d been a junior in high school. About two weeks after her parents left, Christine received a package in the mail. Her mother sent her copies of the photos she’d taken while they were visiting. She sent one picture in a frame, the one of her with her parents. They were all smiling and happy. Christine knew she would put it on her desk at work. She looked at the rest of the pictures and stopped and held one for a long time. One of her coworkers had given her a picture frame for graduation, and she’d put this special picture in it—the two men in her life, and she was in the middle. It was strange that her mother took this particular picture. It was like she knew that Christine had feelings for both of them. Why did the picture make her feel as if she were in the middle of a love triangle? The dealership called Christine on a Saturday to tell her that her car was in. It had only taken three weeks. Hanging up the phone, she ran into the man cave to tell Quentin. She told him to get dressed so he could take her to pick up her new car. Together, they discussed donating her old car to help a charity. She was standing by the door with her purse. “Christine, don’t you think you need to get dressed? I’m sure the salesman would love those pajama shorts as much as I do, and I would hate to punch him in the face for staring.” “Damn! I’m more excited than I thought.” She threw her purse onto the couch and ran into the bedroom. Christine followed Quentin back to the house and waited for him outside. She wanted to go driving, and he had to be the first rider. It surprised Quentin when Benjamin called him and told him how much the final price was for the car. He asked him if the salesman knew that she was to get whatever she wanted. Christine would always be a frugal shopper. Quentin liked her choice of a car. He ed her telling him about her dream car. He loved making her dreams come true. She was so worth it, and she appreciated him. She was very loving, caring, and considerate. Most of all, she accepted his situation. He wanted to make sure the time she spent with him was worth her while.

Christine was growing as a professional, and her work was popping up everywhere. She was getting clients coming in and asking for her specifically. Quentin realized what a good decision he’d made when he’d offered her a job at his company. She’d increased his business. Christine had a backlog of clients that wanted her to design homes. One afternoon she sought him out, telling him about a client who’d asked her to meet with him at a restaurant. The potential client offered her $50,000 cash if she would design a house for him off the books. “Christine, you’re becoming a household name in this business. I know the day will come that you will leave and go out on your own. I don’t want you to think I would keep you trapped here,” Quentin told her sincerely. “It is my dream to own a company someday, to design buildings and homes. I’ve learned so much here, and we’re a good team. I design, and you build. I also know that you’ve taken very good care of me. Anyone else would have cheated me or taken my work and taken all the credit.” Quentin sent her a text saying that he would be at the penthouse that weekend. He said he wanted to go to a new restaurant over in Dallas. Christine liked that idea too. She didn’t see Quentin for a few days, and during that time, she had several meetings, including a new project with a team headed up by Neal. It surprised Christine that he’d asked her to be on the team, since he rarely talked to her anymore. But she was a professional and would continue to act like one, even if he wanted to act childish about their friendship. Christine attended the meetings and gave her opinion when it was necessary. Neal asked her to work with one of the other engineers on the drawings, and she was fine with that. They discussed getting together and working on the drawings in the drafting lab after the meeting. Christine wanted to go to her office and get her own drawing tools, the ones with her name engraved on them. They had become her favorites, but she’d never tell that to Neal. The kit had been her graduation present from him. She could tell that he put a lot of thought into the gift. When she walked out of her office, she ran right into him, dropping her kit. Damn! Had he been there standing in her door watching her or just ing by? Neal bent down and picked up the kit. He looked at it and shook his head as if he

thought about saying something, but he ed it to her and kept walking. Opening it, she made sure nothing was broken and breathed a sigh of relief. He might be upset or hurt or even a little mad with her, but the gift was important to her. Christine was glad when the weekend came around. She would have more stolen time with Quentin. They were celebrating two years. She couldn’t believe it had been that long. It was Saturday night, and they were in Christine’s car, headed to the restaurant in Dallas. Quentin had made the reservations several weeks prior. At the time, he hadn’t known if his wife would be out of town or not. He hadn’t cared, even if she was in town. They didn’t sleep in the same room. She wouldn’t know if he was in the house or not. The house was so big that he had his man cave with office and giant TV, as well as his bedroom, in a different part of the house. Quentin couldn’t when they’d even had a conversation or eaten a meal together. She lived her life apart from him. A waiter came to the table, and Quentin ordered a bottle of champagne. The waiter returned with the bottle and filled their glasses. “Christine, you’ve made me a very happy man in the last two years. You don’t know how I wish so many things could be different for us. I don’t want you to think I’d take you for granted. I know you could be with a much younger man and starting a family. I only ask that you be honest with me and tell me when you’re ready.” “Q, I’m enjoying my life with you, and my career is important to me. I don’t want children right now. If I feel my biological clock ticking, I’ll let you know. I promise.” She puckered her lips and blew him a kiss. They touched their glasses together and drank. The waiter returned and took their food order. They were talking about some new house designs when a visitor showed up next to their table. “Dad … Christine? What are you two doing here?” “Trey!” they said in unison with surprised looks on their faces. “Celebrating!” Quentin blurted out.

“I see the bottle of champagne. Did you close another big deal with your star engineer?” Trey asked rudely, sounding a little drunk. “Yes, Christine has been a great asset to the company. She is my most soughtafter engineer. Are you here alone? Would you like to us?” “No thank you, I have a date over there.” Trey hooked his finger behind him. He looked at Christine. “How have you been? I’m still waiting on your phone call. I can get rid of her, and you and I can be together.” Quentin stood up, towering over him. “Son, I think you need to leave this table before I lose my manners. I recall Ms. Billingsley telling you on multiple occasions that she does not care for your attitude or manners. She is in a relationship, and you need to stop harassing her.” “Okay, okay, I’m going.” Trey turned to Christine and put his hand up to his ear, imitating a phone, and mouthed behind his father’s back, “Call me.” He stumbled away. Christine hid her face behind her hands and laughed. Quentin bent his head and laughed too. “I thought we were so busted. You know he still wants me to call him?” Christine told him. “I don’t know what’s wrong with that boy. I know he has some good taste, though. He’s been chasing you for years. Did you know he had all the men at the company thinking you two were dating?” “Yeah, I figured as much. For a long time, no one would eat with me or really even talk to me. He told them he’d get them fired for messing with his girlfriend. He sent me flowers once a week to keep up his pretense. And he kept showing up at all times of the day.” Christine exhaled, thinking back about how mad she’d been when she had first found out. “I finally got him to stop when I embarrassed him during lunch in the café in front of a lot of men.” “I heard about it,” Quentin said, laughing. “You never said anything to me. I thought I might to have to tell our little secret to get rid of him. Trey, I can’t date you. I’m screwing your father,” she said mockingly. “I don’t know if that would have done any good either.”

They were both glad when their food arrived. They drank more champagne and enjoyed their meal and each other’s company. When they returned to the penthouse, they made love like they had the rest of their lives together. They continued to enjoy each other, week after week and then month after month. Christine visited her parents often to keep them from coming back to Texas. Her parents were very proud of her, and she had to visit them at school so they could show her off. She was such a hot commodity that several of her designs were published in magazines, along with dozens of articles. The biggest article was about the designs of the houses in the cul-de-sac in Dallas. There was a small brick wall at the entrance of the development naming it the Hamilton/Billingsley Estates. After years of perfecting her skills, multiple walls now bore Christine’s name. Almost a year later, Christine and Quentin had a scare. Christine was two weeks late and afraid that she might be pregnant. She was sitting on the couch looking like a scared rabbit when Quentin came home. He could tell something was wrong. Immediately he sat on the couch, pulling her into his lap. “Q, I’m late for my period. But I haven’t missed taking any pills.” Quentin took a deep breath, lifting her chin and looking her straight in the eye. “We’ll deal with this together. As long as you know that I love you very much.” Quentin asked if she wanted to go out and buy a pregnancy test or if she wanted to see a doctor. Christine didn’t have a clue at that moment. She was more concerned about ruining his life. She’d tried so hard to be responsible and take her pills and go to her regular checkups. Then she ed that, at her last appointment, the doctor changed her pills. He’d mentioned that one of the side effects of changing pills was an increased risk of getting pregnant. The doctor had mentioned using an alternative method of protection for at least a month. She’d started the new pills immediately, but Quentin stayed at the penthouse the next weekend. They had stopped using condoms after Quentin had finally confessed that he slept in a separate room at his other house. Christine finally told him she’d make an appointment to see a doctor as soon as possible. She didn’t trust those home kits, and the sooner they knew the better, so they could decide what to do.

Quentin became angry and asked her what she meant about to decide what to do. There was only one choice. He would claim his responsibility. If his wife asked for a divorce, then he’d do it. He’d give her whatever she wanted, and he could finally end his loveless marriage. Christine asked him if he was glad that she might be pregnant. She argued that she didn’t appreciate him using her as an excuse to leave his wife and family. He argued that it wasn’t an excuse. Christine jumped off his lap and stormed to the other bedroom. Quentin sat alone thinking. Was he trying to use it as an excuse? Yes, he’d be happy if Christine were pregnant, but he also had other reservations, and he didn’t trust that she’d ever tell him the truth about wanting her own family. He’d tried staying away. What was he going to do? He wasn’t ready to lose her, and he loved her too much. So he sat on the couch, waiting for Christine to come out. After sitting there for over an hour, he went to check on her. He found her rolled up in a ball, asleep. She looked like she’d been crying. Picking her up, he cradled her in his arms and took her to the room they shared. Carefully he pulled back the covers, putting her in the bed. He got undressed, got into the bed, and pulled her into his arms. He didn’t know when he’d fallen asleep, but he knew he’d stayed awake a long time. The next morning, they got up as usual and got ready for work. There wasn’t a lot of chatter, only silence. As soon as Christine got to work, she called her doctor and made an appointment for that afternoon. She moped around work in a bad mood. For lunch, she went to the café and bought a salad, bringing it back to her office. She didn’t want to be around people, nor did she want to run into Quentin. It wasn’t fair. She wasn’t ready for children. She’d promised Quentin she’d tell him when she was ready, and she wasn’t ready to lose him. She didn’t know if she would ever be ready. He was twice her age and had a son older than she was and a daughter almost her age. It wasn’t fair to him. He didn’t need to be starting over with babies. A fleeting thought entered her mind. She wanted some pretty, green-eyed babies. Would Neal donate some sperm if she asked? Damn! Damn! Damn! She had to stop thinking about Neal. He was dating somebody anyway. She laughed. It would be her luck that he’d probably get married before she was ready. Christine stabbed her salad with the plastic fork and broke it. She pushed it off her desk into the trash can. Christine was in a state of full-on stress all day. It

was past midday, almost quitting time, when she had a sharp pain in her abdomen. She recognized that pain. Grabbing her purse, she rushed to the bathroom. When she got back to her office, she sent Quentin a text. Christine: Negative. Quentin didn’t know if he was happy or sad. He knew what he had to do to make Christine tell him when she was ready. This was never going to happen accidentally again. Several days later, Quentin told Christine he had to go to Houston for business. He made all the arrangements and prepared to go out of town. Quentin called Christine later that night. They talked for a while until he feigned tiredness. He made a point of talking with her the next day. When he flew back on Saturday, he wanted to hide from her as long as possible, so he went to the other house. He met her at the penthouse on Monday after work. They hadn’t had a serious conversation about the baby issue since she found out she wasn’t pregnant. Christine was glad to see him. It had been over two weeks now, and she was ready. She went into the kitchen and poured two glasses of wine. Quentin was sitting on the couch, and she gave him a glass and snuggled up next to him. He drank and pretended to look for something on the TV. She smiled, rubbed his chest, and kissed him on the neck. He didn’t respond. Christine rubbed him on his thigh and slowly inched her hand up to his crotch. She rubbed him a little too hard, and he winced. He almost dropped his glass of wine. “Q, what’s wrong? Are you hurt? And please tell me, why are you hurt there?” She pointed to his crotch, thinking the worst. “Christine, I went out of town and got snipped.” “Snipped, you mean you got a vasectomy? You did that and didn’t discuss it with me … why? Q, I thought we could talk about everything.” She got off the couch and started pacing. “What is happening to us? Is this because I almost ruined your life?” “Christine, I did this to protect you, and so there’s no chance of any more accidents or almost accidents. I don’t want to ruin yours. You said you weren’t ready for children, and now I can guarantee that won’t happen with us.”

“You did it without telling me because you thought I would talk you out of it.” “Yes. I did it for both of us. It’s over and done with. In a few days, we’ll forget this ever happened. Now, come back over here, sit with me, and tell me you love me.” “Q, you know I love you, but I will never forget you did this.” Christine sat on the couch and laid her head on his shoulder. She knew why he really did it. He wasn’t giving her any options for her future of ever becoming a mother. How would she know when that time came? Christine and Quentin added more stolen time to their relationship. The company was growing tremendously. Christine’s fame brought them more acclaim and plenty of business. Christine had gained rank in the company, and she was now over all the interns and a team leader. Neal had moved further up the ladder and was Quentin’s right-hand man. He held the highest position under Quentin. This meant that Christine had to deal with him more and more during any decisionmaking. She and Neal had finally come to and made up. Now they were friends again. He told Christine he was happy, but he didn’t look happy. He tried to pretend, but Christine had known him for a long time now, and she didn’t see it. He told her he’d found a nice woman, but Christine didn’t see any signs of a woman in his life. No woman ever came to visit him at work or eat lunch. She asked him why once, and he turned the same question on her. After that, she left him alone and never asked again. At least she got flowers occasionally— anniversary, her birthday, and quite a few “just because I love you.” Christine and Quentin celebrated another anniversary. They’d made it to four years, and Neal gifted Christine with another new car and a Rolex watch. During her relationship with Quentin, she’d accumulated quite a collection of jewelry. She had several diamond bracelets, and every time he gave her a new one, it had one more carat than the last. He was always giving her extravagant gifts. He told her to redecorate the penthouse with all-new everything, except for his man cave. Amanda was in college out of state, and Quentin spent most of his time at the penthouse when he wasn’t traveling and rarely went to this other house anymore. He had a business trip coming up, and he told Christine that when he returned,

he had a big surprise and something to tell her.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

C hristine returned to reality when she pulled into the parking lot of the office building. This was not the surprise she would have wished for. It was real, and Quentin was dead. He’d left a huge responsibility on her shoulders. Now she wished she’d never told him of her dreams of owning a business. But he’d done it and hitched her with Neal. Neal and Christine walked into Quentin’s outer office and asked Janice to come with them. Neal sat in Quentin’s chair and fell almost speechless. Christine had to help him. “Janice, we need to tell you something.” Christine started. “We just left a meeting with some attorneys … and Quentin …” Christine couldn’t finish. “Janice, Quentin left us in charge. He named me CEO and Christine the president of Hamilton Construction!” Neal blurted out quickly. “Oh, my! That is wonderful news! So we can all keep our jobs.” Neal looked at Christine and nodded. “Yes, Janice, we can all keep our jobs.” He told Janice they needed to make all the staff aware of what was going on. He and Christine needed to have an emergency meeting with all the department heads first, and then they would meet with the of each department after that. Christine and Neal spent the rest of the day alerting the staff to the company’s new ownership. So far, they hadn’t hit any brick walls. The employees were happy with the announcement. The new owners announced there wouldn’t be any changes. They would still run the company with the same mission. It was the end of the day, and Neal still hadn’t read his letter. He was more worried about Christine, and he hadn’t seen her in several hours. After looking

all over the building, he finally found her sitting on the floor behind the desk in her office. She was holding a dried flower. Neal thought it was a flower from the lobby. After Quentin’s death, employees had made a shrine of flowers under his portrait. What Neal didn’t know was that this flower was from the last set of flowers that Quentin sent Christine. It was one of those just-because-I-love-you bouquets. Christine had an album in her desk with a dried flower from every time he’d sent her some. On the edge of her desk was the picture of her with Neal and Quentin, and the toolkit from Neal was sitting next to it. These were her favorite possessions, not the cars or the Rolex or the diamond jewelry. No one would ever know why she felt this way. Quentin would remain her secret for the rest of her life. She had a few pictures on her phone and a few printed ones at her apartment. She’d taken her favorite picture of Quentin and set it by the bed so she could kiss him good night every night before she cried herself to sleep. As usual, Neal had to bring her out of a trance. That had never changed between them. “Christine, Christine!” He touched the side of her face, and she almost screamed. “Christine it’s me. It’s Neal. Get up off the floor.” He grabbed her hands and pulled her to her feet. “You know you need to find an office upstairs now. This will not be your office anymore.” Neal picked up the picture of the three of them from her desk and looked at it. He’d done this several times after hours when she left. He would stare at the picture as if trying to find some hidden meaning. It was as if some unknown force tied their fates together. He always wondered if Quentin was sweet on Christine or if he liked her more than he let anyone know. Did he secretly love Christine and never tell her? Had he always wanted them to be together? It was always Quentin’s idea for them to work together on projects. He touched the pocket that held his letter, thinking he’d read it when he got home. That evening when Neal got home, he made a stop at the stables and visited with Xena. He sat in her stall and told her about his day, telling her he had a new position and new responsibilities at work. Neal asked for her opinion, and she

gave him a small whine. It wasn’t the answer he was looking for. He buried his head in his hands. What was he going to do about Christine? He’d felt so low when she cried in his arms. If only he could take her pain away. She’d only known Quentin for four years, and he’d known him longer. He wanted to protect her, but she had someone else to do that. His hands itched to call her and make sure she was okay. Did she cry in the arms of another man when she left work? Neal had become accustomed to seeing women cry in the last few weeks. Quentin had left his mark on every person in the building. He even thought he had heard a few sniffles in the men’s room one day. That was why he waited and cried next to Xena. When his therapy session was over, he patted Xena on the nose and wished her good night. Neal went to his room and undressed, pulling the letter from his pocket and throwing it on his dresser. After a hot shower, he sat on his bed and opened his computer. He needed something else in his life right now, something other than sadness. If he read that letter, it wouldn’t bring him anything but sadness. He could always find happiness and a female companion on the internet. He’d find a woman to make him think of anything but death and loneliness. He’d tried the dating thing, asking Regina out on a date. The first one had gone okay and even the second and the third. He kept waiting for her to lick her lips, but she never did. They’d gone out to eat and to the movies. Her lips never enticed him enough to want to kiss her. She wasn’t the woman he wanted. So he changed to picking up women in bars, but they were only worth a one-night stand. He’d tasted Christine, held her in his arms, and knew what she felt like. That one taste had ruined him. She didn’t know why, but Neal seemed to be more attentive, except he didn’t flirt. During lunch, Christine noticed that Neal started spending his free time on his laptop across the street at a coffee shop instead of eating in the café in their building. During her breaks, she constantly worked on new ideas and drawings. Now that she had a lot of time on her hands, maybe she should think about dating again. She was lonely and tired of holding Quentin’s pillow and crying herself to sleep. Elaine talked about online dating, and one coworker said she met a guy from a

chatroom. Christine thought about it and made a mental note to herself. Compare online dating to chatrooms. Christine got back to her office and opened her MacBook. She didn’t want to use the computer on her desk. She googled online dating sites, and a hundred popped up. She selected one and started reading. They wanted you to build a profile and put a picture with it. She read some reviews that other people had written. Most of the people were happy with the service. A few people said they found their soul mate. There were a few couples who got married, and a few other people had problems with men who lied about themselves, who turned out to be criminals. This was the one review that bothered her the most. She opened a few more with the same results, shaking her head. With her luck, she’d end up with a serial killer. Next, she typed chatrooms in the search engine, to compare the difference. There were several options that popped up on the screen. She opened one, and it showed a demonstration of how it worked. First, you pick a screen name, and you can select a room to chat in. There were multiple choices. Meet lonely people, married and looking for fun, single, gay/lesbian, horny people only, and so many others. Just which category did she fall in? She was almost overwhelmed. The screen popped up, and you could see a large group of people having one big conversation. There was another screen that showed how you could chat with a single person or multiple people. One thing she liked about it was that you didn’t have to add a picture to it. There was another option to webcam a person only if you wanted to. She didn’t want to do that. It couldn’t hurt to watch other people talk. She wanted to see what they talked about. Christine looked at the list of people and saw that very few people used a real name. She saw some crazy ones: coolguy, sexyguy, handsomelondonguy, sexyman, singlelady, waterpuppy, goodgirl, badgirl, sexywoman69, and sexymanwithbigbelly. She could do this! She just needed a name. Grabbing a pad, she scribbled down crazy names, bouncing them off her head. She found one she liked: girlinwhitelabcoat. That sounded mysterious, and no one would suspect it was her. Just in case the other ladies chatted on this website. She would have to pay close attention to the ladies at the table and see if they said any more about chatting.

Christine built her profile using her new name. The real screen popped up, and she saw the names of everybody who was online. Christine was on the home page, which listed the choices of chatrooms. She wasn’t ready to chat; just watching and reading the screen was informative. Who knew if any of these people told the truth about their identity? They were asking if anybody was from California and other states. One guy said he was from London and looking to chat with a sexy teacher. Wow! She hadn’t thought of that. Now she needed a secret life. Who else wears a white coat? She racked her brain—a doctor, a scientist, a researcher, or a science teacher. That would work; she could be a teacher, and she was sexy. She clicked the guy from London and told him she was a sexy teacher. He wanted to chat with her. “How old are you, sexy teacher?” She lied. “30.” “That’s cool. I’m twenty-three. I like older women. Where you from?” “Texas.” She typed too fast. “What do you teach?” “Science.” “Cool! I slept with my science teacher when I was a senior.” Christine hit the exit button, closing her computer. Oh no! She didn’t expect that answer. Was he for real? Could be, teachers have been sleeping with students for years. Some got caught, and some didn’t. She was blushing. This wasn’t work entertainment, and she might not want to do this at work. Maybe she would be nosy tonight when she got to her lonely house.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

N eal and Christine settled into their new roles quickly. They’d promised there wouldn’t be any changes, and they kept their word. Everyone was back to business as usual. Christine started visiting the chatroom every night when she got home from work. It kept her from being lonely, and she had someone to talk to, or technically chat with. She’d stay online until she was ready to out. It kept her from thinking of Quentin and feeling so alone. After work, she’d walk to one of her favorite restaurants and eat, falling back into her habits of pre-Quentin days. Her favorite thing to do was still watching the people playing in the water fountain. Often she frequented the first restaurant in which she’d spent several hours talking to Neal, hoping he’d find her again. She didn’t dare ask him to meet her there. Besides, he had a girlfriend anyway. He never asked her what she was doing after work or invited her out to eat or drink. Christine started chatting with a few of her chatroom regulars. They would see her online and ping her, or she would see them online and ping them. She had several chat buddies from other countries and a few within the States. There were several interesting conversations with a guy named TXbartender. He itted to living near San Antonio and said that he was really a bartender on weekends. She answered all his questions using her same teacher ruse. He asked her what she was looking for online. She told him she only wanted to chat and that she was just a lonely wife with two kids. Christine didn’t feel comfortable talking about sex. A lot of the chatters were only interested in “dirty chatting” as they called it. She was in the main chatroom because she never ventured into the “sexually perverted rooms” as she called them. It didn’t take long to figure out it didn’t matter which room you were in. There were different people with different tastes, and they were all looking for some company. She wasn’t the only lonely person.

One night she was online chatting, and a new chatter pinged her. His name was loneranger. She thought it was funny because that was what Neal and Xena did, the Lone Ranger impersonation. Then she ed that she was in Texas with lots of people who knew how to do that trick. They went through the usual questions first before entering a deeper conversation. The new person always asked for age and status. She’d developed several personas. Tonight she would just be a single science teacher. She’d gotten good at lying. Her new chatter was from Houston and also a big fan of the Lone Ranger TV series. He was thirty and worked at a production plant, whatever that meant. He wanted to know why a sexy single teacher was chatting with men online. So she itted that she was lonely; she didn’t always lie. It was her turn to ask a question. She asked him if he rode horses or if he was just a fan of the old Western. His answer shocked her when he said that he hadn’t ridden a horse since his fiancé died in an accident a few years ago. This made Christine sad. No wonder he was lonely. It didn’t matter how lonely she was; she’d vowed to never talk about Quentin. Anyway, this guy was probably lying to get sympathy. She asked him a dirty question. It involved teachers having sex with students. There was a long pause before he responded. First, he wanted to know if she’d done the nasty with one of her students. Christine laughed before she responded, telling him he couldn’t answer a question with a question. He answered that he didn’t like adults exploiting young children. Wow! She itted that she felt the same way. So she made up a story about catching a young girl performing oral sex on a male teacher and turned him in. He responded with a message that said he hoped he “fried.” She asked him if he’d had many romances since his fiancée died. His response was a quick no, and the next message, he was leaving the chatroom. He didn’t wait for her to respond; he just left. Had she offended him with her last question? Okay, she knew not to do that anymore. She wasn’t ready to go to sleep yet, so she found someone else to chat with. Christine woke the next morning with her computer in the bed, still on the chatroom website. She’d fallen asleep. It was her new sleep drug. It wasn’t the first time she’d fallen asleep while chatting, and it probably wouldn’t be the last.

She had lunch with the ladies, and they talked about men as usual. Christine was waiting to hear stuff about the chatrooms. She wanted so badly to tell them she’d been doing it! She was twitching in her seat, listening for any good stories she could use. While she was sitting there, she saw Neal leave the building and go across the street to the coffee shop. He had his laptop again, and she was curious. She was the boss now, and no one could question what time she returned from lunch. She waited until everyone had finished eating and made an excuse that she was going to the model lab. They went up in the elevator, and she left the building, crossing the street. When she opened the door, a strong aroma hit her in the face. She loved the smell of coffee. Inhaling, she looked around the shop, finding Neal sitting in a corner, looking at his computer. She could tell he was typing, and he was smiling and laughing to himself. He looked peaceful and happy; maybe this was his form of therapy. Christine decided not to bother him, but she liked the coffee shop. It was peaceful, not a lot of loud chatter like their café. Turning away, she left quickly. It wasn’t nice to invade another person’s solitude. Christine returned to her office. There were no meetings scheduled, and she had nothing imperative to do. Turning on her laptop, she looked for chatters she knew, and she heard a chime. “Hey, science teacher.” “Hello, loneranger.” “Where are your students?” “This is my free hour. Are you off work today?” “No. It’s my lunch break.” “What about lunch?” “I can eat a sandwich and peck a keyboard. Are you going to be online again tonight?” “Maybe.”

“My lunch break is over. I’ll look for you later.” As usual, he left quickly. Didn’t people know how to say goodbye anymore? She loved the way Quentin always told her goodbye or good night. Even Neal had an evil way of saying goodbye. She went back to reading the screen. “Christine.” She looked up at the sound of Neal’s voice. She moved her hand slowly on the keyboard and hit the exit button. “Yes?” “Can you come to my office so we can go over some reports?” “Sure, be right there.” She touched the shutdown button on her computer and closed it. He sounded better. Did he have a good lunch break or what? At least loneranger ate a sandwich. She didn’t see Neal eating anything. Maybe she needed to ask him what he ate for lunch. Quentin had told her to look out for him, and she needed to try harder at honoring his wishes. Christine walked into his office, smiling and bubbly. “Okay, I’m ready to work.” She looked at Neal, and he held his head down. Damn! Had she licked her lips? That must still bother him. “Where are the reports?” He was sitting at the desk and walked over to a table with two folders. Sitting down, he pointed to the other chair. He ed her a folder that contained the same information he had. They discussed the reports and came to some conclusions, making notes where needed. Neal went over some requests from different cities that were requesting designer homes built in cul-de-sacs. After an architecture magazine printed an article about Christine, Hamilton Construction started getting calls from all over the country. Christine told Neal that she wanted to continue drawing and deg. Just because she was an owner, she didn’t have to give up her original ion. It was important for her to stay busy. Neal asked her if everything was okay. She said it was, but he noticed that she didn’t have any fresh flowers on her desk anymore. She’d had fresh flowers on her desk almost every week for more than a year. He

paused. “Are you having issues with your boyfriend?” Christine had started lying so much online that she could come up with a good lie quickly. “Yes, we had a big fight. I’ve been so upset about Quentin that he accused me of having an affair with him. He says that’s the only reason I cry so much.” She looked down to give it a better effect. “How dare he accuse me of something like that?” “Do you want me to talk to him? I can tell him how close we all were to Quentin. If he came up here to the office, he’d see someone crying every day.” “No, I told him I didn’t want to speak to him until he apologizes to me. I haven’t heard from him in over a week. Do you think he’ll apologize to me, Neal?” “If it were me, I’d need more proof before accusing you. I don’t know him, and I don’t think I like him for treating you like that. I’d prefer to knock some sense into him. Give me his name and address,” Neal said angrily. How could any man treat her like that? He almost sounded like that jerk, Trey. “No, Neal, I don’t want you getting charged with a crime because of me. I’ll be all right. I’ll go home and find something to eat, curl up on the couch, and find a boring movie on TV.” She sounded sad again, and this sadness was real, but it was awesome that he’d want to defend her honor. “Would you like to have dinner with me?” Then we could curl up on your couch, he thought. Why was he still hung up on this woman after all these years? He didn’t know. Apparently, she’d moved on and hadn’t thought about him at all. “I don’t want to keep you from your girlfriend.” “I don’t … I don’t have to see her tonight. I have an idea. Let’s meet at that restaurant around the corner from your apartment.” He almost let it slip that he didn’t have a girlfriend. “I … ah moved to a different apartment downtown. But we can still meet there.” Christine wondered if he’d want to walk her home again. She would love to invite him to her apartment, but that was totally out of the question. There was

too much of Quentin lying around. Maybe it was time to do something with his things. The closet was still full of his clothes, the bathroom still full of man stuff. She knew he wasn’t coming back—ever. This weekend she’d do it. She had to try. “Okay, it’s a date. I’ll meet you after work.” He was glad he’d asked about her flowers. Her jerk of a boyfriend could drop dead for all he cared. Neal and Christine met at the same restaurant and ended up sitting in the same booth as their first meeting there. He couldn’t believe that it had been more than four years ago. Now they were back where it all started. This time they both ate. Neal talked about some stuff going on at the ranch. He told her several of the children were doing much better with rehab. Several of them had advanced in their riding and were riding the Shetland ponies by themselves. He was smiling and grinning. Christine noticed that he was always happy when he talked about the children. He talked about his favorite one, Nina. “She asks about you every time. She says you’re beautiful.” He smiled his devilish grin at her. “I give her a little ride on Xena to reward her.” “I hope you don’t do your hi-ho Silver trick when she’s riding.” Christine laughed and unthinkingly licked her lips. Saying that made her think of her online friend, and she looked at her watch. Neal stiffened in his seat momentarily. “No, I’d never do that. Do you have another date? I saw you look at your watch.” “No, I don’t have another date. I just wanted to know what time it was.” “Christine … I just want to say it’s been good working with you again.” “Neal, we’ve never stopped working together.” “It’s hard to explain. I’m not the same man I was three years ago. I wanted something I couldn’t have. I gave up on something that was inspiring to me. It’s like when you extinguish a candle and you’re left with a stream of smoke. I became a stream of smoke. Now I feel like the candle is burning again. I want the company to survive.” Neal paused, swallowing. “I had planned to quit working. I … ah, took a month’s vacation and told myself I wasn’t going back. I wrote a letter of resignation and took it to Quentin. He read it and told me I

couldn’t leave him because he’d already lost a child, and he couldn’t lose another. He said he needed me and that he had plans for me. He tore up my resignation letter and told me to enjoy the rest of my vacation.” Christine gasped. “Was this a little over a year ago?” Was he talking about work or a woman? What did he give up on? “Yeah, how did you know? I don’t think I told anyone other than Quentin.” “I … think … ah … that’s the only time you’ve ever taken off that long at one time.” She exhaled. That was around the same time when she thought she was pregnant. It had affected Quentin more than she’d thought. He really had wanted her to be pregnant with his child, and she knew he would have moved heaven and earth to do right by her. She knew he would have been a good father to her child. Now she knew it was his wife who had turned their children away from him. Damn! Why did he have to get that vasectomy? She wished she could turn back the clock. “Christine … Christine? What are you thinking about?” “I was thinking about life, a friend, and a clock.” She told him the truth, as much of it she dared to share. “What?” He thought she had the saddest look in her eyes, and for a moment he thought she was about to cry. “It’s nothing, Neal. Just something that happened in my past. Tell me when the children are coming back to the ranch. I’ll like to see Nina,” she said, trying to smile. He told her they’d be there the coming weekend—the very weekend she wanted to move Quentin’s things. She told him she’d let him know, looking out the window at people ing by the restaurant. Christine itted to Neal how she used to sit and watch people and play her guessing game. He wanted to know how she decided. Laughing, Christine said she looked at their shoes. Neal asked why shoes. Her face changed, and she told him it used to be their faces, and she stopped. She

paused and exhaled. What she didn’t want to tell him was how lonely she’d been, and looking at couples holding hands, smiling, and laughing didn’t help. Now she was right back where she’d started; she was lonely again. Who would rescue her this time? Neal looked at her face and saw that it was different. There was something different. She was different. “Christine, is something wrong? Tell me, what’s wrong?” He gripped her hands in his on top of the table. Was she thinking about the jerk who hadn’t called her in a week? Christine looked at him. He sounded like Q, always making her tell him what was wrong. But this was Neal, and she couldn’t tell him what was wrong. “Hey! Let’s see if we can pick out the tourists and the locals!” she said, smiling. “Okay, I’d like that. Where are we going?” “Just follow me.” She had a big smile and was laughing. Neal waved to the waitress for their check. Christine pulled her wallet out of her purse. “I don’t think so. I invited you to dinner.” Christine felt déjà vu all over again. She pointed in the direction they were going. They walked toward the square where the water fountain was. Seeing a couple get off a bench, she grabbed Neal’s hand and ran. She told him to hurry before someone else got the bench. He grabbed her around the waist and lifted her off the sidewalk. They reached the bench and fell onto it laughing. Neal looked at her, and he liked that better. He told her he was ready, rubbing his hands together. She picked a lady walking in front of them holding a bunch of bags. “Tourist!” she yelled. “How can you tell that by her shoes?” he asked. “Her bags; no respectable local would shop at that store.” “I thought we were looking at people’s shoes.”

“I’m sorry! Did I not tell you to improvise?” “No, you did not, and that is cheating.” “It’s not cheating! There are no rules to this game.” “Well, there should be! I think I will write to my congressman … or to Parker Brothers.” He laughed hard and loud. Christine liked the sound of his laugh. She’d never heard him laugh like that. She laughed at his silly remark. They sat on the bench and pointed, smirked, laughed, booed, and hissed at people. This was the best couple of hours either of them had had in a long time. Christine looked at the clock on the tower in the square. “Do you know what time it is? We have work tomorrow!” “You do know we’re the bosses? We can be late or even play hooky.” “No! We have an early morning meeting tomorrow.” “I don’t want to go in. I want to keep playing outside!” he said, sounding like a little pouting boy. “If you’re good, we can play again another day.” Christine said, sounding like a mother. Neal looked at her with a serious face. Her green-eyed devil had a different look in his eyes. “You promise?” he said like a man wanting something. “I promise,” she said, sounding like she meant it and licking her lips. Her eyes were wide, and her breathing was a little too hard. She wanted him to kiss her. She parted her lips, ing it drove him wild. Neal leaned in closer, looking into her eyes. He wanted to touch her, taste her again, but he’d never take advantage of her right now. She was vulnerable, and he knew it. Standing up quickly, he extended his hand. “Come on. I’ll walk you home if I’m allowed. I don’t want some crazy boyfriend to jump out from behind a bush and attack me.”

She assured him that no one would jump out and attack him because she knew there was no one to jump out. They strolled making small talk. Neal was paying attention to where they were going. It was a few more blocks than last time, and this time he ed where he parked his truck. He noticed the block was a little more upscale. She stopped when they reached the front of her building. “New digs?” “Yes, I’m working and making money now.” She stood on the bottom step, and their faces were almost even. She ed the last time he’d walked her home. They’d stood there looking at each other. She also ed she’d let him walk away, and she wanted it to be different this time. Christine licked her lips and saw a flicker in his shadowed eyes. It was dark except for the streetlamp. Neal stepped back, putting his hands in his pockets again. Damn! Déjà vu! “Neal, aren’t you going to kiss me good night?” “Christine, I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” “What if I kiss you good night?” Neal stepped back to her. Oh, how he wanted to kiss her. What he wanted most was to go up to her apartment. Christine palmed his face. She knew he still had some feelings in there for her somewhere. Neal trembled, closing his eyes. Her hands felt good on his face, and he knew she was close. He gripped his leg inside his pockets. He exhaled, and his lips parted. Christine kissed his cheek and the corner of his mouth. She backed up, and he inadvertently traced his tongue across the spot she’d kissed. “Bye, Neal.” He cleared his throat, because for a few seconds he couldn’t breathe. He had a flashback to the cabin with Christine in his arms, his mouth sucking her breast. “Bye, Christine.”

Neal didn’t wait for her to enter the building. Pivoting, he walked off like he was being chased. He was being chased by his own demons inside. It was his desire for a woman he wanted and couldn’t have. He didn’t want to go back to being the stream of smoke. The candle, he wanted the whole candle burning—forever.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

N eal drove home, thinking back to his evening with Christine. He laughed again at their silly game. He’d never had a fun date like that before. They hadn’t been trying to impress each other or hide who they were or make up stories. He was so tired of making up stupid stories to the women he chatted with online. He learned that most of them only wanted to talk dirty and ask the size of his penis. They even believed that talking dirty excited him. If they only knew! He’d become a good liar and a fake. There was only one woman who excited him, and he’d just left her standing on her doorstep. He touched his lip where she’d kissed him. Now, that excited him! His penis stiffened just thinking about her. That was why he’d left so abruptly. A strong feeling of grabbing her and slamming her up against the wall of the building had come over him. He wanted to hold her like he did in the cabin and taste her nipples again. It was after midnight by the time he got home. He looked at his dresser and saw his laptop. He’d totally forgotten that he’d told the science teacher he would look for her. Thinking of her and wondering if she was online, he could take a quick peep. He enjoyed talking to her. She never asked about his penis. They talked about serious stuff, and he’d mentioned nothing about Bernadette to anyone else. He didn’t know why he felt comfortable chatting with her. She said she lived in Dallas. If she was really from Dallas, maybe they could meet. He could lie and say he needed to come to Dallas. His computer finally came to life, and he typed in the address for the website. He scrolled down the list of names of people online, but he didn’t see girlinwhitelabcoat. It was a thought. He shut off his computer. Lying on top of his cover, he touched his lip again. He closed his eyes and exhaled. Shit! Jumping up, he ran into his bathroom, turning the shower to cold. Neal drove to work listening to the radio. He was thinking about the first meeting for the morning. After stopping at a red light, he looked to his left.

There was a lady opening a flower stand. He had a wild idea. When the light turned green, he drove the extra block until he could make a U-turn. He thought about having the flowers delivered, but Christine might think the jerk was sending her flowers to apologize. No, he wanted her to know it was he who brought her flowers. He picked out a beautiful spring bouquet. This would make her smile and hopefully get him another kiss. He pulled his truck into the parking lot in his reserved space and saw Christine’s car. He tapped on her partially open office door, and she yelled for him to come in. She was bent over, looking in a file cabinet. Christine was wearing a pencil skirt and a pair of stilettos. Wow! He liked this look as much as he liked her licking her lips. He cleared his throat. “Christine.” She stood up and turned slightly. “Oh, hi, Neal.” He was holding the flowers behind his back. “Christine, you know how I told you to stop licking your lips. Could you please not bend over filing cabinets either?” he asked, leaning against the doorframe. Christine gasped. Her green-eyed devil was back. He’d stopped making snide remarks about her licking her lips a long time ago, and she’d missed that about him. “Neal!” Were you looking at my ass?” He raised his eyebrows and nodded. “I brought you something.” He pulled the flowers from behind his back. “Oh, Neal, they’re beautiful!” She walked over to her cabinet and got an empty vase from her collection from the bottom shelf. Neal whistled. Christine laughed and stood up quickly. “They’re not as beautiful as you. I wanted to thank you for a fun evening. I couldn’t tell you the last time I had so much fun.” “What’s the matter? Your girlfriend getting boring?” she asked jokingly. “Something like that.” He exhaled slowly. He needed to change the subject. “Are you trying to entice our new clients with that outfit?”

“No, I don’t do that anymore,” she said, laughing and thinking back to when a client propositioned her. “Let’s make some money. I think Nina could use a new wheelchair.” “Really? You want to do something for Nina?” She’d already walked out ahead of him, swishing her hips. He grabbed his chest. That woman will be the death of me! Neal and Christine met with a group of businessmen. The clients wanted them to design a building similar to a strip mall with apartments over it. They wanted to renew the downtown area of a small town in Louisiana. After looking at pictures provided by the clients, Christine made a few suggestions. The men huddled together, whispering and arguing back and forth. Neal leaned back in his seat, smiling at his partner. She knew what she was talking about. Neal had an idea. The men were still bickering. “Excuse me, gentlemen. How about we draw up some designs for you per block? You can work on fixing up the area a block at a time. It can’t happen overnight. See if there are enough people willing to rent or purchase the apartments first. We’ve found some companies have sold most of the properties before they lay the first foundation.” The men looked at Neal like he’d grown two heads. “We didn’t think about selling the properties first. When can you have some drawings for us?” This was Christine’s area of expertise. “I can have some material in two weeks. We’ll be sure to give you options to choose from,” she said, smiling. The men stood and shook hands with Neal and Christine, telling them they looked forward to hearing from them soon. They left talking fast and bouncing ideas off each other. Neal looked at Christine. “How about I buy you a cup of coffee?” “Yeah, just what I need, more coffee.” They headed for Neal’s office. Neal fixed two cups of coffee and brought them to the table. Christine was sitting there with an open sketchpad. She grabbed a pencil and began sketching. Neal laughed and told her she could at least drink her coffee first. She told him

she an idea and that she needed to put it on paper before she lost her train of thought. Neal finished his coffee and sat at his desk to do some paperwork. He looked up now and then and watched Christine. Her hands hadn’t stopped moving since she sat in the seat. Deg was like a drug to her. When she started on something, her fingers couldn’t stop. It was amazing to watch her work, her hands and her brain in sync. She stopped and looked up to find Neal watching her. “What?” “I forgot how much fun it was to watch you draw. I don’t know what moves faster, your hand or your brain. It’s like I see smoke coming out of your ears.” “It’s weird! I see an image, and I have to get it from here to here.” She touched her head and then the paper. “It’s only an outline of an apartment building with stores on the street. I’ll use this as my basis and broaden it out. I’ll make some apartment designs separately.” “Sounds good to me. I’m sure it’ll be great. Everything you touch turns to gold.” Christine exhaled. “Speaking of gold, did I tell you I got a call about my portable machinery? There’s a company interested in it. It’s unbelievable. I never imagined your idea. Yes, I said it. If it hadn’t been for you, I don’t know what I would have done for a project. Oh my! I may owe you money.” She laughed. “I’m happy for you, Christine, thrilled actually. And yes, I want my cut.” He laughed. “If you ever need me for anything, I hope you know I’m there for you.” “I know. And the same goes for you. Would you believe that Quentin told me to take care of you in his letter?” Oh no! She hadn’t meant to tell him like that. “Did you read your letter, Neal?” she asked solemnly. Did Quentin tell Neal about them in his letter? She hoped not, and why would he? Did he tell Neal to take care of her too? Did he know she’d lusted for Neal at one time? Why did Quentin do this to them? Did he know what had happened between them? She had too many questions and was afraid to ask any of them. “No, I didn’t. Why would he tell you to do that? What else did he say in your letter?” He sounded a little rough and harsh. “Why did he push us together? Did he know something that we didn’t know?”

“I don’t know, Neal. I guess he didn’t like us fighting and not getting along. I don’t want to talk about the letter, okay? I need to go to my office. Bye, Neal.” She took the sketchpad and left quickly before he could ask any more questions. Christine went back to her office and shut the door. Would she ever get out of Quentin’s shadow? He was dead and still everywhere. He was still part of her life and still taking care of her in death. She sat at her desk and looked at the picture. Would she always be in the middle of the two men she cared about? One man she lusted after, and one man she loved with all her heart. It was as if she were destined to be with both of them. Neal sat at his desk, trying to read some financial reports. He read the same sentence four times. Finally, he slammed the folder closed. Why did Quentin do this to him? He wasn’t cut out to sit in this chair. Neal stood up; he felt better sitting at the little desk he had downstairs, and he felt even better sitting on top of a horse. He thought back to the meeting this morning. It took both of them working together to make the businessmen understand. They did the same with Janice and the staff. One could start a sentence, and the other one finished it. Had they always worked like that? Neal couldn’t . Since Quentin’s death, they’d done it that way every time. They were two halves who couldn’t accomplish anything without the other. Did Quentin see this, even though they didn’t? Boy, did he miss his friend! He needed to read his letter. It was time. Even though he was still mad at him for dying and—just mad because he wanted Christine. His worse feelings were that he was too chicken to tell her again. He didn’t think he could stand having his heart crushed by her another time. She’d broken him here at the job, the cabin, and his house. How much could one man take? Friends and partners, that’s all they needed to be. Neal left the building and went to the coffee shop with his laptop. Christine didn’t feel up to socializing today, so she ran down to the café and bought a salad to eat at her desk. She chewed on her salad and studied her drawing, thinking about how to design the outside of the building. She wished she had time to check it out or visit the town for herself. Christine had plans for the weekend. She had two sets of plans and still hadn’t

decided which one to choose yet. Neal was acting like his old self, the self she lusted after before. How long could she use the wounded boyfriend trick? One week, two weeks. When could she say they broke up, or he never called to apologize? She wanted to invite Neal to play her game of people watching again, something she had never asked Quentin to do. He didn’t seem like the type of person who would get a kick out of it. Not like Neal did. He was perfect. Would she ever stop comparing the two men? One thing she knew for sure: they both had gentlemanly qualities. She finished her salad and looked at her watch. Christine wondered if loneranger was pecking again. She’d been with Neal all evening, and she’d been too tired to see if he was online when she got home. For the first time in a long time, she hadn’t fallen asleep with the computer in the bed. It was time for a break, so she turned on her laptop, logging into the website. It didn’t take long before she saw his name. Christine moved her cursor over the name to click. She thought he may be chatting with someone else. Maybe he was dirty chatting with another woman, because he never asked her personal questions like the other men did. Maybe he was gay and thought she was a fun person to chat with. She knew he liked children and wondered if he had any. He’d said that he was single, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have any children. He could have a love child or an accidental child. If he had any children, was he a good father or an absent father? Why did she care if this unknown man had children? Oh, no! Was her biological clock starting to tick? She was on the downside of thirty. Was it time for her to start her own family? She rested her forehead on the desk. Her computer chimed, but she didn’t raise her head. “Hello, science teacher … Are you there?” She didn’t move her head for another minute. She looked up at the screen. It was loneranger. She chuckled. He’d pinged her, so he wanted to chat with her. She responded. “Hello, loneranger.” “Sorry I missed you last night. I had to work an extra shift. We were shorthanded.”

“It’s okay. I was grading papers all evening. Are you pecking and eating a sandwich again?” “No, I don’t have a sandwich today. I didn’t have time to get one. I wanted to see if you were online.” “Really? You came online looking for me?” She waited and typed again: “Why? I’m sure you probably have plenty of ladies to chat with.” “They don’t interest me.” “I’m just a boring science teacher with no life outside of the classroom.” “I’m no party animal either. And I like science … maybe you can teach me something. LOL.” “Yes, I can teach you how to use a potato to make electricity.” “See! I can always use that when the power goes out. Sorry to cut this short, but my break is over. I have to get back on the line. Can I chat with you tonight if you’re not grading papers?” “I’ll do my best to grade all my papers early.” “ ” And he disappeared again. Christine looked at the screen. Did he send her an emoji of a happy face? She reread her conversation again. So, he thought she was interesting. She was thinking about what other crazy science experiments she could use as her next lie. “Christine, are you ready for our next meeting?” She peeked over the top of her computer. “Yes, Neal. Let me get my folder, and I’ll be right there.” Christine made a funny face behind her computer screen. He was always sneaking up on her. She shut down her laptop and grabbed the folder on her desk. She and Neal spent the rest of the day in one meeting after another.

She was glad when it was time to go home. Packing up her belongings, she headed to her car. She ran into Elaine in the parking lot, and they talked for a minute. Elaine wanted to know if they could get together over the weekend and do some girl stuff. Christine almost told her she was going out to the ranch. She quickly changed it to doing some major cleanup around the house. They could plan something for next weekend. They used to enjoy having spa days, getting massages, manicures, and pedicures. Christine hadn’t gone in a while, and she was all for it, but she wanted to go to the ranch, and if Elaine tagged along, she wouldn’t get to have as much fun as she wanted. She never flirted openly with Neal at work where others could hear. What she wanted was another private riding lesson. She’d be glad when she felt comfortable enough to ride on her own, and they could ride out to the cabin. Oh, the cabin! She definitely wanted to make another trip to the cabin. Having spent so many years with Quentin, she’d picked up a few domestic qualities. She’d learned to cook a little. Quentin had been better in the kitchen than she was. They would cook meals together, so Christine was comfortable in the kitchen now, and she hated to dine out alone every day. She poured a glass of wine, fixed her plate, and took it to the couch. Turning on the TV, she ate her dinner while watching an old classic. Watching the movie made her think of the drawing project for Louisiana. Going to the man cave, she grabbed a sketchpad and began another style of building. The clients would need options, and she wanted them to bring the town into the new century. Christine tuned out the sounds of the TV and drew her designs. She looked up at the clock when the movie credits starting rolling. It was after nine o’clock! She’d almost forgotten to turn on her computer. Did loneranger really want to chat with her? She’d find out. “Hello, science teacher. I’ve been waiting for you.” “Hello, loneranger. Sorry to keep you waiting, I was grading some essays.” “Essays? Did your students do something bad?” “Yes, how did you know?” “I was a bad student once. LOL.”

“Yes, and I hate to punish the whole class, but hopefully they’ll all learn a good lesson and not make a mess in the lab.” “I know it taught me a lesson. I got beat up by some of my classmates. Because it was my fault, the whole class had to write an essay. I never did that again. LOL.” “I hate you got beat up. I hope my students don’t do that to poor Jimmy. He’s in a wheelchair.” “Oh no, why is he in a wheelchair?” “He has cerebral palsy. He is a very smart young man who acts out to fit in. He wants to be treated like everyone else, and I treat him like everyone else.” “Science teacher, do you have any children of your own?” “No, I don’t, but I feel like I have sixty children. Do you have any children, loneranger?” “No, I’m still looking for Mrs. Right.” Christine had to grab her heart. He sounded so sweet and kind. “I know what you mean. I thought I found my Mr. Right in college. He was a little older, on the football team and popular. I thought he really liked me. Until I found out, he only wanted the nerd girlfriend to do all his homework.” “I hate to hear that. I was a jock, and I knew a lot of guys who took advantage of kind girls. Why do you call yourself a nerd?” “My head was always in my books. I wanted to be a scientist when I grew up. I was a little naïve when it came to boys. He told me he wanted to marry me, and I believed him.” “What happened?” “I believed him, and he was my first. I was in love and thought he loved me too until I caught him banging a cheerleader.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, science teacher. Ah … can I call you something else? Will you tell me your name?” “I don’t know if I want to do that.” “Okay, my name is Clayton. In case you wanted to know. LOL.” “Okay, Clayton, nice to meet you.” She wanted to give him her name, but she was still nervous about the chatting stuff. She needed a fake name to go with the fake science teacher. Christine chatted with Clayton until late. She started yawning and told him she was going to bed. He asked if they could chat again tomorrow night. They made a date to chat online. He sent her another smiley face and left. He’d logged off. She stared at the screen. Why did she feel so comfortable sharing some of her personal history? She’d never told Quentin about her first. She laughed when she thought back to her first time with Quentin. He’d asked if she was a virgin. She wished she’d saved herself for someone special. Her face twisted into a scowl as she wondered what the jock was doing now. She bet he wasn’t as successful as she was. What would she find if she googled his name? She’d love to throw it in his face. The nerd had turned into a swan. A rich swan. Neal arrived home from work later that evening, dreading the fact that he needed to read his letter from Quentin. He had so many questions that needed answers. Mainly, why had Quentin chosen him to step into his shoes? And why did Quentin pressure him into keeping the company alive with Christine? He piddled around the ranch and visited with Xena. After chatting online, he’d killed enough time. There was nothing holding him back any longer. Neal held the envelope in his hand, afraid to open it. He stared at it for a while, wishing it would disappear and that Quentin wasn’t dead. It didn’t disappear. He sat on his bed and ripped it open.

Dear Neal,

If you are reading this letter, then something unfortunate has happened to me. First, I want to thank you for staying by my side. I saw something in you when you began working for me. I saw myself in you, and I knew you were destined for greatness. I always saw you as my son. You are the type of son to whom a man leaves his legacy. My children told me they have no interest in Hamilton Construction, and I’ve known this for some time. I’m leaving the company for you and Christine to run in my absence. I know you and I share a common ion. You and Christine are like two children playing in a sandbox. You build something great and then knock it over. Why, I don’t know. But I know without a doubt you two are a great team when you work together. I’ve been watching the two of you work for years, and I rely on both of you heavily. That is why I know I can trust you to do the right thing. I need you two to stop fighting and play nice. I know you will make me proud and take the company to a greater level. Please watch out and take care of Christine for me.

Sincerely, your friend, Quentin Thaddeus Hamilton II

CHAPTER TWENTY

T he weekend came, and Christine went to the ranch. Quentin’s things could wait another day. She pulled up at the ranch in her Jag with the top down and parked next to the rehab van. They’d just arrived, and the workers were helping to get the children unloaded. She spotted Nina waving at her, still in the van. Running around to the open door, she spoke to the nurses and orderlies. She didn’t see Neal, so she waited until they were pushing Nina out of the van and told the orderly that she would take care of her. She was pushing her toward the stable and the corral when she spotted Neal walking with a woman from around the back of the stable. The woman, whom she recognized as Regina, looked very chummy with Neal. They were both laughing, and she was holding onto his arm. Christine felt a stab of jealousy. She’d never seen another woman touching Neal like that. This was a new feeling for her. When he noticed her, his laughter stopped. Neal smiled, walking in her direction. “Hey, Christine, I’m glad you made it.” “Hello, Nina.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek, and she giggled. “You Regina, don’t you?” Neal said, sounding distressed. “Regina, you my business partner, Christine.” The ladies nodded at each other. Neal wanted to shrink away. Although he’d done nothing wrong, he still felt a little guilty. He’d taken Regina out a few times, so now she was a tad bit clingy when she came out to the ranch. She did it to make the nurses jealous. “Christine, are those new boots?” “Yes, I needed a new pair, so I went to the western store.” She turned a little so he could get a good look at her outfit. She’d bought some new skinny jeans and a western tank top. Christine knew how to make him suffer. She licked her lips

slowly to antagonize him. “You ready, Nina? Let’s have some fun!” She walked off, pushing Nina, giving him a good view of her backside. She didn’t acknowledge Regina anymore. Nina started laughing. “Ms. Christine! You are so funny. You know you made Ms. Regina jealous? She drools all over Mr. Neal. That’s all she talks about when we drive out here. I don’t like her drooling on Mr. Neal.” “I wasn’t trying to make her jealous. I see him every day and work with him, and I don’t drool. Neal told me you asked about me.” “Yes, I did. Why haven’t you been back?” “I’ve been busy working.” She didn’t want to tell a little girl that she’d been sitting home feeling sorry for herself. “I promise to visit you more often. But today, I have a surprise for you.” “Really, you have a surprise for me?” “Yes, but you have to do your tasks first. Surprise later.” Nina was bubbling with excitement. Christine helped to get her ready for the ride on the pony. She walked and talked with her the whole time. Neal helped with one of the other children. Nina was his favorite, but he always spread his loving kindness around to the other children. He watched Christine interact with Nina. She was good with children. She had plenty of patience, and she genuinely cared for them. Quentin had told him how she’d helped with the fundraiser. After he had messed up his opportunity with her, she still wanted to help. Neal walked over to where Christine was walking with Nina and asked about her. Christine gave him a good report. She’d done everything without being told. Neal told her she deserved a reward with a ride on Xena. Nina waved her arms in the air, yelping. Nina was older, but because of her disease, her growth had slowed. She still looked like a little girl instead of being close to a teenager. Nina kept asking about her surprise, and Christine would laugh and tell her she had to wait. She’d get her surprise after they ate.

Neal came trotting up on Xena, and all the children cheered. Nina wasn’t the only one who got to ride, although she’d been the first. Neal thought it helped with their therapy, mentally and physically. Nina understood that she had to complete all her regular exercises to get rewarded. It was the same with all of them. Getting to ride Xena was like winning a gold medal to them. It was just as thrilling to Xena. After she became enthralled with the children, she wasn’t mean to the ranch hands anymore. Christine unhooked Nina from her seat on the pony. Neal and Xena were too tall for her, so a ranch hand had to Nina up to Neal on the horse. He scooted back in the saddle, set her in front of him, and put both his arms around her to help hold her up. Christine thought it was a Kodak moment. She pulled her cell from her pocket and took some pictures. She captured a good picture of both of them smiling while Xena trotted in a circle inside the corral. Then she had a thought. Neal had some pictures in his office of horses. Each time they changed the child who was riding with Neal, Christine took pictures with her phone. After everyone had ridden Xena and cared for the ponies, it was time for them to eat. Christine pushed Nina in her chair to the table, pulling a chair up for herself. She smelled barbecue, hoping it was some of Peter’s cooking. Every time she talked to her dad, all he talked about was Peter’s barbecue. He told her he wanted to come and visit, just to eat with Peter. They shared a laugh about it, and then he wanted to know when she was coming home again. The last time they’d talked, right after Quentin died, he’d sounded worried. But he kept quiet. She suspected that it worried him that someone different would take over the company. Her parents were excited when she called later with the news that she was one of the new owners. Christine was in the chow line, getting plates for herself and Nina. “Hey, Christine, are you eating with Nina?” Neal asked, coming from behind the line. “Yes.” “Do you mind if I you?”

“Can I deny the owner of the ranch?” Christine said in a throaty voice, batting her eyelashes. “Actually, you can’t,” Neal said, laughing and smiling. Christine walked off with the two plates in her hands. She set one in front of Nina and the other beside her. After asking Nina what she wanted to drink, she went to retrieve two drinks for them. When she returned to the table, she found Neal sitting in front of Nina and Regina sitting next to Neal. She was too close to Neal for Christine’s standards. He could hardly move his elbows to eat his barbecue. He looked like a prisoner protecting his food. Now, this is an interesting situation, she thought. Christine opened the drink for Nina and made sure she tucked her napkin. She held her head down lower while Regina tried whispering in Neal’s ear. He was trying to ignore her and eat, by extending his arms a little more to keep her from getting so close. Regina was trying to ask him what he was doing later. Neal peeked at Christine, trying to make eye . He wanted her to say something. Eventually, he ended up telling Regina that he had plans already. Nina made her announcement. “I’m finished eating and ready for my surprise!” She was smiling and excited. Christine wiped her hands clean and left the table. Neal wiped his hands too and came around the table to help Nina clean her hands and face. He saw Christine pushing the new chair out of the corner of his eye. He talked to Nina to keep her from looking around. When Christine stopped, Neal turned Nina’s chair around so she could see her surprise. Nina screamed. “Is that for me?” “Yes, it is! It has some special features. You have these new light wheels that you can push yourself, and it will help strengthen your arm muscles. You have new cushions too,” Christine said, moving a back cushion to let Nina see her name embroidered in the leather. “Come on, Mr. Neal! I need to check it out.” Neal picked her up and set her in the new chair. Nina moved her hips as best she could and touched everywhere she could reach. She looked at Christine with tears in her eyes.

“Thank you, Ms. Christine! My mom said she was saving money to get me a new one next year.” She held up her arms for a hug, and Christine dropped to her knees to hug her. Neal ed that she’d been taking pictures with her phone earlier. He thought she might want one of these. Digging his phone out of his pocket, he snapped a picture. They were still hugging, and Nina asked Neal to take a picture of all of them. He took a selfie with Nina in the middle and himself and Christine. Nina was laughing. An orderly noticed them taking the picture and offered to take a better one. Christine leaned in and kissed Nina on the cheek, and Neal did the same. Nina grabbed both their faces with her hands and smiled for the camera. Christine was so happy, she had to wipe the tears from her eyes. She hoped no one noticed. The children were being loaded into the vans. Christine stood outside by the window so she could see Nina. They strapped her new chair down and folded the old one and put it in the back. Nina was red from blushing and downright happy. She made a heart with her hands and put them in the air to Christine. Christine did the same with her hands. Then she blew her a kiss. The vans cranked up and headed out. Christine and Neal were standing by her car, waving at the children, who waved back until they were out of sight. Christine looked at her watch. She didn’t want to be late for her online date tonight, and she needed to make several stops before she went home. “You want to come up to the house for some tea, coffee, something?” “I thought you had plans.” Christine smirked. “You didn’t believe that, did you? I made a big mistake and took her out a few times and have regret— wished I hadn’t. She’s all over me every time she comes out here. I was so glad to see you today!” “Well, you shouldn’t have given her a taste,” Christine said wickedly. “I didn’t give her anything. Not even a taste, thank God. Why, aren’t you the little naughty mouth?” He gave her a devilish grin. “Besides, I only gave one woman a real taste,” he said getting closer, his leg touching her leg in those skinny jeans.

“You want me to believe that you’ve only slept with one woman?” She folded her arms across her chest to hide her sweaty palms. He was too close and making her temperature rise. “I didn’t say that. We were talking about tasting.” “Sex and tasting are the same things,” she remarked. “No, they’re not. I’ve had sex and can’t one thing about it. I’ve tasted and never forgotten.” “Really, it was that memorable?” Christine began to tremble. She hadn’t forgotten a taste either. That is, if, they were talking about the same thing. She didn’t dare ask. “Yes. It’s burned here.” He unfolded her arms and placed her hand to his temple. “It’s burned here.” He lowered her hand to touch his lips. “It’s burned here.” He palmed her hand to touch his heart. “Oh!” She backed up against the car. He was facing her, and his body was touching hers. Christine mistakenly licked her lips. She felt him, and he wanted her. His bulge was poking her, and he’d trapped her between his arms and the car. Her arms were by her sides, her fingers trying to get a grip on her jeans. Her green-eyed devil was coming closer. Damn! Did she lick her lips again? She didn’t mean to. Her chest was moving up and down too fast. If he kissed her, she would melt. She didn’t know if she was ready. Christine couldn’t breathe. She was afraid to open her mouth and breathe. If she parted her lips, it was an invitation. Did she want him to kiss her? She’d asked him for one the last time. But she’d had an escape plan then. She didn’t have one now. Oh no! her inside voice screamed. She was about to be in so much trouble. Neal kissed her cheek and touched the corner of her mouth with his tongue. Did she moan? Or was it him? He pressed his body closer. He knew he was tight inside his jeans. Moving closer, he kissed her again on the other side of her mouth. She parted her lips. He felt her heart racing and her breathing becoming erratic, or was it his? Slowly he bent to kiss her full lips.

“Neal! Neal!” One of the ranch hands came running toward him, shouting and waving his arms. “The … the mare is birthing, and we think its breech. We need you, hurry!” he said, out of breath. “Oh, Christine, I gotta go. I can’t believe this keeps happening to me.” He kissed her hard, tasting her, pressing his body against hers. Pulling back, he stared into her eyes, kissed her once more, soft and quick, and then took off running. Christine bent over, holding her knees, laughing and taking a deep, deep breath. Did she have a guardian angel? Did she need to be mad at her guardian angel? What was wrong with her? Here was this sexy, gorgeous, hot guy who had everything a woman could want. She wanted him—at least she thought she did. She was jealous when that other woman was touching him. Why was that? When just a moment ago, she wanted him and didn’t want him. She almost had him again. Damn! Damn! Damn! Christine got into her car, took another deep breath, and cranked it up. She looked in the direction that Neal had run off and saw no one. He wasn’t coming back anytime soon. She headed back to town. Her first stop was at a photo shop, where she could have her pictures printed. Connecting her phone to the machine, she selected the photos she wanted to print. She selected several of them to print double, wanting her own copies. The photo clerk told her they wouldn’t be ready until the next day, there was a problem with the printing machine, so she left and headed home. Christine wanted to stop and grab something to eat, so she didn’t have to cook. While trying to decide what to eat, she saw a U-Haul store. She needed boxes to pack up Quentin’s things. He would want them donated to a good cause. She didn’t know what to do about some of the other stuff, like his watches and his jewelry. She could ask Benjamin, because she couldn’t very well call up Trey. “Hey, Trey, can you come by my house I shared with your dad and pick up some expensive stuff he left?” She laughed out loud. Sometimes she felt like she was losing her mind. She bought some boxes and tape. The salesman put all her items in the trunk of her car and then asked for her phone number. She waved him off. Since she’d eaten barbecue earlier, she wanted something light for dinner. She was almost

home when she noticed the seafood restaurant. Parking half a block away, she ran in and sat at the bar, getting her dinner to go. Christine ran into her apartment when she finally got home; she was almost late for her online date. Hanging up her purse by the door, she rushed into her room to get her laptop. She turned on the computer and grabbed something to drink while it was booting up. The couch would do just fine for dinner and chatting if the loneranger/Clayton was online. She opened the website but didn’t see his name on the list. After looking at her watch, she saw she was only ten minutes late. Oh well, she started eating her dinner while it was still hot. Grabbing the remote, she turned on the TV. Taking a bite of food, she looked at the TV and then back at the computer. She repeated this step until her food was all gone. She had an empty container and no luck on her loneranger. Maybe he had to work again. Christine exhaled and took her container to the kitchen. She refilled her wineglass and returned to the couch. Did she want to chat with someone else? Not really. Tucking her feet to get comfortable, she started changing channels. She leaned toward the coffee table to pick up her glass of wine and saw that she had messages on the screen. The loneranger had pinged her. “Hello, science teacher.” “Hello, are you home?” “Hello, please answer. I know I’m an hour late.” “Hello.” She read the four messages again. He’d been sending her messages for fifteen minutes. “Hello, loneranger. I mean Clayton.” “I thought you’d given up on me. LOL.” “I was watching TV and didn’t see your messages.” “Anything good on?”

“Reruns.” “I’m sorry I’m late. There was an accident, and I couldn’t leave work.” “I hope no one was hurt.” “No, no one was hurt. It was machinery problems.” They talked more about science class. She told him they had a science fair coming up in a few months. It was her favorite part of science. She enjoyed watching the children express themselves. He asked about little Jimmy, and she said that no one had attempted to beat him up. Christine and Clayton chatted online until she was sleepy. They made another online date for the next day. It was still the weekend, so they made an early date. He sent her another smiley face and disappeared from the screen. She laughed to herself and shut off her computer. Picking up her phone, she saw that she had a text message from Neal. He apologized for his abrupt departure and asked if he could see her on Sunday. He told her the mare had delivered a healthy foal. She’d barely escaped, and she didn’t think being with Neal again would help. She sent him a text and told him she had plans. Christine woke up on Sunday morning in a good mood. She’d enjoyed her conversation with Clayton the evening before. She was getting more comfortable chatting with him, but not enough to tell him her real name. What she needed was to give him a fake name to go with her fake identity. She was sure he was doing the same. Considering that she googled the guy from the TV show and saw that his real name was Clayton. Ha! Or his parents had a weird sense of humor. After looking in Quentin’s closet, she knew it was time to do some packing. First, however, she needed to pick up the pictures from the photo shop. She loved the pictures! They were precious. She knew without a doubt Neal would love them. Her favorite was him with Nina. She needed a frame for them, so she went to a store that specialized in picture frames. She had ten pictures, and she found a frame that held ten small pictures. Perfect! She could put the pictures in the frame and take it to work on Monday. Upon returning home, Christine took the boxes inside. Laying the flat boxes on

the bed, she applied tape to one box. She opened the door to Quentin’s closet, took a deep breath, and pulled the first suit out. Her hand was shaking so bad that she almost dropped it. “You can do this, Christine! You have to do this,” she said aloud. She took another breath and pulled the suit close to her chest. She sniffed the suit, but it didn’t smell like Quentin. It was fresh like it had been dry-cleaned. Carefully she folded it and put it in the box. She grabbed another one and another and another. When the box was full, she prepared another box. Christine worked in the closet for a couple of hours and had a pile of boxes to show for it. Sitting on the side of the bed, she stared at the boxes. She actually felt good knowing that someone would wear his nice suits. The only things she kept were his white T-shirts, which she used as sleep shirts. The bank would be open tomorrow, and she could put his jewelry and watches in the safe-deposit box with her jewelry. Her letter would be safer in there too. She didn’t trust leaving it in her purse or in the house. That letter was for her eyes only. She wondered if Neal had read his letter yet. She had a thought while staring at Quentin’s watches. Benjamin—she could give them to Benjamin. He deserved something special that had been Quentin’s. Since he’d been a trusted friend for many years, and now he was Christine’s friend. She removed the well-worn Timex from the box; this one was hers. She kept busy all day until it was time for her online date. She and the loneranger chatted again until the wee hours, and they made another online date. Christine found a big ribbon for the picture frame and took it to work on Monday. She was early as usual, and she set the frame in the chair at Neal’s desk. She went to her own office to begin her workday. But she knew when he arrived and found his present. “Christine, when did you do this? I love it! Is it for my office?” “Yes, it is.” “I have something for you too.” “What?”

He pulled a box from behind his back. “I hate it when we think so much alike.” Christine opened the box and found a picture frame with pictures. One of them was a picture of her hugging Nina and a tear rolling down her cheek. The other picture was the three of them, Nina getting kisses on both cheeks. “Oh, Neal! I can’t believe you saw that.” “I didn’t see the tear until I had it printed.” Neal closed in to stand in front of her. He didn’t touch her. He put his hands in his pockets. “Christine … about the other night. I …” Christine put her hand up in the air to stop him from talking. “Don’t … I can’t …” She stepped out of his reach and sat at her desk. She moved some things around and added her new pictures. “Okay. I understand.” Neal walked out of her office. Christine and the loneranger chatted every night for the next two weeks. She was happy and smiling again at work, and Neal thought the jerk must have called and apologized. He tried to get close to Christine, but she shut him down every time. He even asked her out to dinner, and she said no. Trying everything, he asked if they could people-watch, and again she turned him down. Christine still had her reservations about the loneranger. He was so different from the other men she’d chatted with. She needed to know. She asked him the next time they talked. “Hello, science teacher.” “Hello, Clayton.” “Did you punish any students today with essays?” “No. Everyone is being on their best behavior.” “That’s good.” “Clayton, can I ask you a personal question?”

“You can ask. I don’t know if I’ll answer it.” “Okay, that’s fair since I haven’t given you my name. It’s Becca, if you’re still interested.” “Ask away, Becca.” “Are you gay?” Clayton laughed before he answered, so there was a pause. “No, Becca, I’m not gay. Why are you asking?” “I’ve been chatting on here for a while now, and you’re the only man that hasn’t tried to dirty chat.” “I could ask you the same. You’re the only woman that hasn’t asked my penis size.” “Touché, Clayton.” “Did you want me to dirty chat with you, Becca?” “I don’t know, Clayton. I like our conversations, and I’m a little old-fashioned and inexperienced.” “Can I ask you a personal question, Becca?” “Yes.” “Have you been with a man since your first broke your heart?” There was a very long pause. Christine didn’t know if she wanted to cross that line with Clayton. She could lie and say no, and maybe he wouldn’t want to hurt her feelings about dirty chatting. But then again, she wanted to learn more about Clayton. She’d never asked what he looked like. Maybe she would take a visit to Houston in the far future. “Yes, I have.” “Becca, it took you a long time to answer. If you haven’t, you have nothing to be embarrassed about. I would never force you to dirty chat. I promise, if I need

that kind of conversation, there are plenty of women who love to talk dirty.” “Clayton, can you tell me more about yourself? What do you look like?” Clayton described his features with a few changes. He lied about his height, eye color, and his six-pack. When he finished, Becca did the same. She lied about her height, because she was actually as tall as he was, and that bothered some men. But she asked him if he liked women of color after he professed to be a white guy. “Becca, you sound sexy, and I think women of color are beautiful.” “You sound very handsome. And gray eyes, now that is sexy. I tried to wear some colored s once. They hurt my eyes.” “Sometimes I wish I didn’t have eyes this color. I get a lot of stares, and I get chased by women. LOL.” “Sounds like I would chase you too.” “And I’d let you catch me, Becca. LOL. What would you do when you caught me?” “I don’t know, Clayton. You’re making me blush.” “No, Becca, you are doing more than blushing. You know you’re dirty chatting with me?” “I said nothing sexual.” “You implied it, and that’s the same thing.” “I didn’t mean to.” “It’s okay. We don’t have to dirty chat.” “I kinda liked it a little. You made me feel warm and fuzzy.” “Really? I did that? Well, I think we need to proceed slowly if you want to dirty chat.”

Christine and loneranger chatted every night and sometimes during lunch. Christine wanted to dirty chat. She chatted with other men when she didn’t chat with loneranger, and they didn’t have any problems telling her what they wanted to do to her and what they wanted her to do to them. Christine wasn’t a stranger to sex. She just didn’t know people craved sex talk. The men would tell her that their penis was hard, and they were jacking off. She thought it was hilarious. Loneranger thought he was teaching an inexperienced woman about sex. If it made him feel good, then she’d let him teach the teacher. Christine had hit several milestones in her life. She graduated college, had an affair with an older married man, lusted after her work supervisor, almost made out with her supervisor in a cabin at his ranch, lost the married man in a plane crash, became a millionaire, and then lusted after her business partner who used to be her supervisor. Now she’d been reduced to dirty chatting with an unknown man online, whom she was lusting after!

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

C hristine ate lunch with the ladies in the café. She noticed that Neal still took his lunches at the coffee shop across the street. When her break was almost over, she packed up her things and headed back to her office. Her phone was ringing, and she rushed to grab it. “Hello?” Christine answered with a raspy voice, somewhat out of breath. “Christine, it’s Neal, Did I catch you at a bad time?” She sounded so good out of breath! She sounded sexy. He’d heard that sound before when they were at the ranch. “No!” She exhaled and took another breath. “I heard the phone from the hallway and made a mad dash for it.” “I was checking to see if you were busy. I just got a call about a new client. I wanted to come by your office and talk to you.” “Come on, I’m not busy.” “Okay, I’ll see you in a few minutes. Let me grab some faxes they sent over.” There was no way he could show up at this moment, not with her office a few doors down. He needed to wait. Christine hung up the phone and sat in her chair and took a long drink of water from a bottle sitting on the desk. Her thoughts drifted toward Neal. Why couldn’t she get him out of her system? She ed a kiss, his tongue in her mouth. It had felt so good to be in his arms. She’d wanted him, and she’d done everything humanly possible to avoid him. She felt the same burning, but her burn reached much lower. She’d had a taste. Now, she imagined him lying naked on his side, displaying his rock-hard abs with one knee bent, smiling, with his earring sparkling. He was looking like a

model for a cologne commercial. She was staring into space and didn’t hear the knock at her door. “Christine?” Neal called her name at the door. She felt a warm hand touching her, and a low moan escaped her lips. Then she felt someone shaking her and calling her name. She blinked, only to stare into his green eyes. He was asking if she was okay. Christine recovered and felt herself blushing. She apologized profusely, thanking God that he wasn’t a mind reader. She made up a story about a new idea and went back to the business of why he wanted to see her. Neal had knocked softly on the frame of the open door. He’d seen Christine sitting at her desk, looking like she was daydreaming again. He’d called her name, and she’d continued to stare into nothingness. After walking across the room, he touched her shoulder, noticing that she felt warm through her silk blouse. He’d been close enough to hear her moan ever so slightly when he touched her. What was she daydreaming about, he wondered. He wished she’d moan for his touch, but this moan was more than likely for someone else, probably the jerk she’d told him about. So he gripped her shoulder and shook her to bring her back to reality. He hated that she was thinking about another man. “Neal!” He quickly sat in the chair in front of her desk. Even after all these years, she still had the same effect on him. He shifted in his seat, somewhat uncomfortable. Taking a deep breath, he told her about the new client. The clients wanted them to build in San Francisco. The two of them hadn’t taken a business trip since taking over the company. “California? Are we the only people going?” she asked. “No, we need to take a team,” Neal said, wishing it was only them. He would love to be alone with her. “We’ll probably be there at least a week.” Neal told her more about the project. They needed to visit the site and do some surveying. Attempting to leave, he said he’d email her the final details. She hoped she’d have enough time to visit her parents. She also knew that Neal’s

father had suffered an injury recently in a horse accident. Christine walked around her desk to stand in front of him. She palmed her hand on his chest and looked up straight into the devil’s green eyes. “Neal, I’m sorry. I heard about your dad. Is he going to be okay?” “He’s okay. He fractured a few bones, but he’ll live to ride again.” He turned and walked out of the office. He’d tried his best not to even think about Christine. It felt like she’d burned a hole in his shirt where her hand had been. Why did she have to get so close to him and, of all things, touch him? He was trying to keep their business relationship professional. He knew that at one time she’d felt something for him. If only Trey hadn’t intervened at the picnic all those years ago, they could have had something. They could have had something great. Every time an opportunity came along, they hit a brick wall, and the tension started all over again. He still had that same ache for her he’d been carrying around for a long time. He’d been carrying it around too long; maybe it was time to give up. Neal was ready for a real person. He wanted the woman he’d been chatting with. She was so loving and kind. She needed a man who would appreciate her and show her every day that he loved her. He wanted to tell her the truth about who he was. Hopefully, she’d want to meet with him, and they could have a real date —a date that included dinner, some wine, and maybe, a big maybe, some loving. Neal wanted the woman who made him smile, the woman who made him laugh. He wanted her, and he hoped she wanted him just as much. And she’d finally given him a name. Becca said she lived in Dallas. They chatted every day. It was as if they had a relationship, but neither one was ready to reveal who they really were. He’d gotten so caught up in his fantasy that he almost believed it himself. As soon as he returned from this business trip, he would make plans with her. He told her he had to go out of town for a training class and that the company put them up in cheap motels. So, if she didn’t hear from him, it was because they didn’t have any internet. Neal and Christine prepared for their trip to California. Neal made sure all the paperwork was in order, and Christine prepared the designs. They were back to being business partners again. The sexual tension between them diminished for

the moment. Neal kept his remarks to himself. She’d made it clear again that there was nothing personal between them and that there never would be. Christine asked Janice to book flights for six people and to find them accommodations in San Francisco. She asked her to reserve a room in which the team could meet and work. Christine boarded the plane for their 8:00 a.m. flight and sat in her assigned seat next to the window. She noticed that the seat next to her was still empty, and she hadn’t seen Neal before they boarded. Now she wondered if he’d changed his mind about going or if something was wrong. They hadn’t been too friendly to each other lately. The only time they talked was during meetings and strictly on work-related topics. Christine was looking out the window when she felt a body drop down next to her. She didn’t need to turn and look. Instead, she inhaled and knew who it was without looking. It was a scent she’d smelled before, an outdoorsy fresh smell. “For a minute, I thought you changed your mind,” Christine said without turning around. “Sorry to disappoint you. I had an emergency at the ranch.” “I hope everything’s okay. Was there another birthing problem?” she asked with genuine concern. “No!” Neal grabbed the sleep mask from the pocket and put it on. He turned his head and folded his arms across his chest. Christine recognized when he dismissed her. Fine! He didn’t have to talk to her. She could feel something was wrong. He’d never been this rude to her, no matter how many disagreements they’d had. She wouldn’t bother him. He’d tell her in his own time if he told her anything at all. Maybe he’d be in a better mood once they landed in California. They didn’t have to meet the client until tomorrow. Today the team planned on visiting the building site. The surveyors wanted to get started as soon as possible. Christine looked at the folder Janice had given her the evening before. She booked their rooms at the Ritz Carlton and reserved them two cars.

After the plane had leveled off, the flight attendant came around and offered some services. Neal never moved or spoke. Christine whispered and told the attendant he was asleep. She was a little worried about Neal, though, and she peeked to make sure he had buckled his seat belt. They arrived in California and found the car waiting for them at the airport. Neal was still quiet all the way to the hotel. Christine went to the counter to check in for the group. “Yes, Ms. Billingsley, I have five rooms reserved for your group.” “Five rooms? No, there should be six.” Christine said, panicking. The clerk called out the names in the group and told her that Neal Langston and Christine Billingsley had reservations in the two-bedroom Presidential Suite. She explained that there were two separate bedrooms, a common area with a large meeting table, as requested. The bedrooms were also accessible from the hall. Christine nodded. “Okay, that sounds satisfactory.” Another clerk ed out the room keys to the others in the group, and they all headed to their rooms. They planned on ing them in the suite in an hour for a quick meeting. Neal sat on a bench with his head down. Christine went to him and touched him on the shoulder. “Neal, we’re checked in. Let’s go to the room.” Christine took his arm and led him to the elevator, where the porter was waiting. Christine was more worried than before. She’d never seen him act like this before. He was like a walking zombie. She didn’t know if he even knew where he was or what was going on. The porter opened the door to the room and pushed the cart of luggage into the common room. Christine led Neal to the sofa and paid attention to the porter as he explained everything in the room. The porter walked across the large common room and opened a door that led to a bedroom. Then he turned and pointed out the door to the other bedroom. He explained all the amenities, which included butler service. Christine looked at Neal sitting on the sofa in a trance. Then she ed some money to the porter and pushed him out of the room. She sat on the sofa beside Neal.

She touched his face to make him look at her. “Neal … Neal, you’re scaring me. I know something’s wrong.” She grabbed both his shoulders and shook him hard, screaming his name. “Neal … Neal, did you hear me? Talk to me.” “I had to kill her,” he said, almost sobbing. “You killed somebody? Neal, talk to me. What’s going on?” “I had to put her down. Do you know what it feels like to take the life of something precious?” “Neal, who did you have to put down? Are you talking about one of your horses?” Christine jumped off the sofa. She fell to her knees in front of Neal, palming his face making him look at her. “Oh, no! Please tell me it wasn’t Xena. Neal, talk to me!” He looked at her with sad, watery eyes and shook his head. “It wasn’t Xena. It was the mare that recently birthed the foal. She was protecting her baby and chased away an aggressive stallion. She ran too close to a fence, then tried to jump it and broke both her front legs.” “I’m so sorry, Neal.” “It feels like I lost my own child. That was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I was born and raised around horses all my life, and I wish I’d never had to experience it. I saw my dad do it once, but this wasn’t the same. I helped to birth the filly and then watched her with her own baby. Now she’s gone.” Christine sat on the sofa next to Neal and draped her arm around him. This was the best comfort she could give. She asked him if he wanted a drink, and he shook his head. He only wanted her to sit with him. He leaned back on the sofa, letting his head tilt back. She tucked her feet under her on the sofa and laid her head on his shoulder. They didn’t talk. They just sat in silence for a while. “Christine, I read my letter.” She stiffened next to him and held her breath. “Quentin said we were like children playing in a sandbox. I think he meant more like children fighting in a sandbox. I don’t want to fight with you anymore. I give. You don’t want me, and I can accept that.” He held his hand out to shake. “Friends and partners, as long as you want. I’ll always be here for you, no matter what. Besides, Quentin told me I had to take care of you for him.”

“I guess he wanted us to take care of each other,” she commented. “Christine, did you know that Quentin loved you?” Neal whispered aloud. He ed how Quentin had talked about them sharing a ion. Was he talking about Christine or the job? Why would he need to take care of Christine for him? Why did he make her a millionaire? “What … what are you talking about? Did he say that in your letter?” she asked frantically. “No, he didn’t say those exact words. Look, if something happened between you two … I’d understand if that was why you didn’t want to be with me.” “Neal, he was always the perfect gentleman with me.” She smiled because she hadn’t lied about what she said. Gentleman described him perfectly, and it would upset her if anyone ever thought differently. Christine shook hands with Neal and breathed a sigh of relief. “Friends and partners.” She wished he’d told her more of what was in his letter. She couldn’t ask because he would want to know what was in hers, and she couldn’t tell him. A sandbox, is that how Quentin saw them? Had he seen the tension between them over the years? It sounded more like he wanted them to be together. Neal exhaled. “You do know that you have to stop licking your lips, for real.” He smiled. “Thanks for listening and I’m sorry I acted like an ass on the plane.” “It’s okay. You’re allowed one. And I don’t lick my lips all the time.” “Yes, you do! Now tell me … where in the hell are we?” Neal asked, looking around. Christine laughed, getting off the sofa and telling him about the big-ass suite Janice had booked for them. She pointed in two directions and told him they had two bedrooms. She told him to pick one. He looked at her with his devilish grin. “Don’t even think about it, partner.”

She finished explaining, the shared area had a nice large table they could use to meet with the team. The suite even came with a butler. Neal started acting silly, walking stiffly and carrying an imaginary tray. When he stopped acting silly, Christine made him choose a bedroom. She’d rushed the porter out so quickly that all of their bags were still in the main room. Neal was a gentleman and took her bags to her room. There was a knock at the door, and Christine reminded Neal they were having a meeting with the team to go over some details before going to the building site. Neal answered the door and pointed the first person to the table. Christine pulled her material from her briefcase and ed them. They didn’t have to wait long for the rest of the team. Everybody reviewed the material and discussed the local engineering reports. Then they headed downstairs to the waiting driver. When they arrived at the building site, the survey team started their task. Christine was a little puzzled. She was trying to what used to be in this spot. She wanted to go over the engineer’s reports again. Why couldn’t she ? It had been a long time ago. There was something itching at the back of her mind about this area. Christine was happy to be back in her neck of the woods. She was very familiar with San Francisco because it was close to Stanford. She’d spent a lot of time in the city, and a few of the team asked her questions about what fun things they needed to do. Christine was happy to be their tour guide, telling them they would have dinner tonight at Fisherman’s Wharf, company treat. That night, the team sat in one of the famous restaurants at Fisherman’s Wharf and enjoyed the view and the surrounding sites. They were glad for being chauffeured around. Neal ordered way too many drinks. They toasted the success of the project. Christine toasted, but she still had a funny feeling. She mentioned her feelings about the area to Neal and told him when they got back to the hotel what she wanted to do. He agreed because he trusted in her intuitions. They really made a great team when they weren’t fighting in the sandbox.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

W hen they got back to the hotel, Christine found the folder with the engineer’s reports. She wanted to look at the soil sample reports. They designed the building as high-rise apartments on a hill overlooking the city. She looked at the recently dated reports. There was something about the history of the location. She told Neal she wanted to go City Hall the next morning to do a little digging. They had an afternoon meeting with the company. Sitting at the table, Christine sneaked a look at Neal’s profile. He had a small shadow of beard showing. She wondered what he looked like with a full beard. He had a perfect nose and a strong jawline. She’d never studied him like this before. He sported a nice tan from spending time outdoors. She was so used to peering into his devilish green eyes and not noticing his other features. Although he was a cowboy, he had the looks of a masculine and refined gentleman. His aristocratic looks captivated her, and she fell into one of her dazes. She didn’t even notice Neal was staring at her. God, why did she do this to him? She was a goddess in his eyes. The impact she had on him was indescribable. He craved her. She had an enchanting smile on her face. What was she thinking about? He wished that the smile she had was for him. He’d told her he was giving up, but that wasn’t what he truly wanted. He didn’t want to give up on her, not while watching her look sexy and full of desire. It still made his blood boil, especially when she licked her lips. She did it in slow motion, or was that all in his mind? Her lips were wet and kissable like he could make love to her mouth. Like right now. He had to move, or he would drag her to his room … her room … it didn’t matter! Neal’s chair scraping the floor brought Christine out of her stupor. “Did I fall asleep on you again?” She stretched her arms, trying to look sleepy. “It’s been a long day. I guess I’ll turn in.” She jumped up from the table. “Yeah, I’m going in a minute myself.” Neal couldn’t get up out of his chair.

Christine would see the bulge in his pants. Neal waited until Christine was in her room before he rose from the table. He turned off the lights and went to his own room. He needed a cold shower. She was entirely too close for his comfort. After his shower, he lay on top of his covers, naked with his arms folded behind his head, thinking of the woman he craved being only a few feet away. He wondered if she slept in something frilly or in an oversized nightshirt or just nude. Since he wasn’t sleepy, he turned on the TV. He thought about his conversation with Becca, but he’d told her he had to go out of town. Now he wondered if she was chatting with another man. She’d started to dirty chat with him, and he liked it. It made him want her. He was ready to tell her the truth about who he really was. Would she feel the same and agree to meet him in person? Thinking about meeting Becca in person gave him a new feeling. It made him hard, and he stroked his penis. He couldn’t have the woman merely feet away, but he might have a chance at someone else. Neal did the only thing that would give him a release. Then he imagined Christine walking into his room while he stroked himself, and that made him explode. After cleaning up, he climbed back into his bed under the covers and fell asleep. He dreamed of two women, one the beautiful Christine, the other a faceless woman who made him happy. Neal was barely awake, hearing knocking and a soft voice. It was a voice that tormented him in his dreams. “Neal.” “Christine, what are you doing in my house, in my bedroom? Why do you keep torturing me? You know I want you and can’t have you. You love somebody else.” Neal talked in his sleep. “Neal, wake up! Neal.” Christine was shaking him. He sounded like he was having a nightmare. What did he mean about being tortured? Oh no. He said he gave up. Had he lied to her to keep them from fighting? Did he really want to be just friends working together again? Neal opened his eyes, blinking. He wasn’t at home, and Christine was standing in the room fully dressed. He sat up, and the sheet fell to his waist. Christine

gasped, getting a view of his muscled torso. Oh, my effing G, she mouthed, swallowing hard. She’d never seen him without a shirt. She’d only touched him slightly through his shirt. He was massive and wide and sexy as hell. She inadvertently licked her lips and parted them. “Get out of my room if you have to do that.” He’d said something in his sleep, but he couldn’t what. The only thing he ed was he’d been dreaming of Christine. He was naked and didn’t care if she saw. Neal heard her intake of breath when his sheet fell. And now he wanted her to feel what he was feeling. She was about to make an even louder noise when he stood up. He threw back the cover. Christine’s eyes grew big as saucers, and she turned, shouting that breakfast was ready as she flew from his room, slamming the door behind her. She didn’t stop until she reached the table. The butler was there and asked if she wanted a cup of coffee, and she nodded. She still couldn’t speak. She was in shock and awe of what she’d seen. It was better than she could have ever envisioned. The man was massive in multiple places. Oh no! An image now burned into her soul, an image she’d never forget. She was drinking her coffee when Neal strolled into the room wearing a pair of pajama bottoms, his chiseled chest exposed and heaving up and down. She could see the muscles expanding and contracting. Oh, God! She almost dropped her cup. “Neal, did you forget something?” Christine asked, barely able to speak. Damn! Damn! Damn! Was he going to sit like that and make her have to watch? Forget coffee and food. She wanted to run her hands all over his muscles. She throbbed between her legs. This was way more lust than she could handle. How in the world did he hide all that body under his clothes? Her visions of him naked didn’t come close to what she was looking at. She needed to get it together! Christine took a deep breath, exhaled, and returned her cup to her lips. She had to think hard, really hard, not to lick her lips, or she might be in trouble again. An impulse raced through her system to move her

chair just in case he had a thought to touch her. But that would be too obvious, and she didn’t want him to know the effect he had on her. “No, I didn’t.” He smirked and held his cup for the butler, who was a professional. He never faltered in his movements. He graciously poured the coffee and asked Neal if he was ready to eat. “I’m starving!” Neal said seductively, looking at Christine with a devilish grin. “Give me some of everything.” He turned toward Christine. “Christine, aren’t you going to eat?” Then he put the cup up to his face and looked at her over the rim of the cup. Her green-eyed devil was back. Did he what he’d said in his sleep? She knew he still wanted her. And right now, she wanted him too, so bad it hurt. But they’d agreed to be friends and partners, not lovers and partners. Could they be lovers and partners? What would happen if they started fighting again? They might not recover their friendship, and they’d lose the company. That was a chance she didn’t want to take. The company was more important than an itch in her pants. “Yes, Neal, I am.” She selected several items from the breakfast menu. Then she smiled at Neal and drank her coffee. They ate their breakfast and drank their coffee, both having their own devious thoughts. Neal finished eating first. He stood from the table and walked toward his room. “Oh, Christine!” he called to her, wanting her full attention. He touched his hand to his abdomen. “I’m gonna take a shower. I won’t be too long.” Christine’s mouth flew open. It was just the response he wanted. He turned and went into his room. Christine dropped her head. Another vision of that body with water cascading down and around him, soapy hands touching places she wanted to touch. Damn! Damn! Damn! Jumping up from the table, she’d lost her appetite for food. She walked out on the wraparound balcony and sat in a chair, looking out at the bay. They had a partial view of Alcatraz from their room. It felt nice to breathe in some familiar scents. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed California until now. The last few times she visited her parents, she’d stayed with them and hadn’t

ventured out. She hadn’t been to San Francisco in years. It was just as she ed. She and her girlfriends would come to the city and hang out on weekends. That was a thought! She needed to call her girlfriends and see if they could meet one evening. Christine still didn’t know if she would have time to visit her parents. They knew she was here, and it would be a shame if she didn’t get to visit with them for a few hours. She needed to check her schedule. Standing next to the railing, she stared out over the bay, recognizing several landmarks. “This is a beautiful view,” Neal said, standing behind her. “Yes, it is. I love this city.” “I wasn’t talking about the city.” “Neal, are you flirting with me?” she asked, turning around and seeing him dressed in jeans, a stretched T-shirt, and a black dress jacket with his signature black cowboy boots. He had his own GQ style, and he’d look good on any cover. “A little. Are you ready to go?” He held out his hand for her. She felt it was safe, a bit safer since he’d dressed. He was wearing his regular smile instead of the dangerous one. “Yes.” They went downstairs to the waiting car and driver. Christine asked him to take them to City Hall. When they arrived, she asked for the direction of property records. Once they reached the desk, Christine told the clerk what address she was interested in checking on. The clerk said she would collect the books. She brought two big books and told them these books dated back twenty years. Neal asked Christine what she was looking for. She told him she thought there had been a company at the site and that they’d gotten into some kind of trouble. She couldn’t exactly. “If that’s the case, then we better find out quick.” “Exactly! Someone has to be trying to cover up something illegal. I didn’t see any reports where they checked the soil deeper than ten feet,” Christine said,

looking through the books. “If we can’t find another report, then I want our engineers to check up to at least thirty feet deep. And we need it before we sign a contract.” Neal and Christine started going over the books, looking for old businesses that had sat on the site. They didn’t find what they were looking for. Then Christine ed something that they’d discussed in science class when she was young. The building had been closed by the EPA over twenty years ago. It was the reason she’d done a science project with soil and erosion, using various elements. One was a mild chemical, and it caused a lot of damage. She told Neal they needed books older than the ones the clerk had given them. Christine told the clerk she needed older books. The clerk frowned and told her that the older books were in archives and she didn’t have time to go downstairs and find them. Neal stepped to the counter, giving the clerk one of his devilish smiles and flexed his chest. He touched her hand and flirted with her. He even volunteered to go with her and tote the heavy books. The clerk blinked and stuttered. She smiled at him with adoring eyes and agreed. Christine rolled her eyes. Neal had used his charm and good looks and pimped himself to get the books they needed. The clerk said the books were in the basement. Neal rushed to the half-door and held it open for her. She walked through, smiling shyly and pointing in the direction they needed to go. Neal looked back at Christine and winked. She mouthed no touching and crossed her arms across her chest. Why did she say that to him like she was jealous? After seeing his hulking body, she didn’t want another woman touching it. She rubbed her own arms from the chill that ran through her body as she hissed. While she waited for Neal and the clerk, she sent texts to her friends who still lived in the area. It took them fifteen minutes to return with the three books. Neal placed them on the table with the other books. He sat on the side of the table where he could watch the clerk and tease her with his smiles. Christine looked at him and frowned. She began flipping pages, looking for the information she needed. Neal was flipping slowly, looking and teasing. He had no notions of hooking up with the clerk, but he enjoyed making Christine jealous.

She finally slapped his hand. “I need you to focus on these books.” Neal gave her his devious smile. They looked for another thirty minutes before Neal found something about a plastics manufacturing plant that was shut down there about thirty years ago. Christine wrote the information down in a notebook. She could research the facility when they got back to the hotel. They didn’t have to meet the client until 3:00 p.m. She asked Neal if he had finished ogling the clerk. When they were leaving the area, the clerk slid a card toward Neal and mouthed for him to call her. He winked, and they walked out. Christine saw the exchange and saw Neal slide the card into his back pocket. When they got back to their room, Christine called the team minus the surveyors to come up so she could discuss with them what they had found. The other two engineers were older gentlemen with lots of experience. They discussed options of backing out of the deal or doing their own soil samples but going deeper. They threw around opinions about why the company chose a contractor so far away to do this project. Did they think, just because they were from Texas, they wouldn’t know about the old plant? The corporation didn’t know about their own secret weapon, Christine. They never figured on someone d with a Texas construction company being from the San Francisco Bay Area. The Hamilton Construction team determined that they needed to do their own soil samples while Neal and Christine stalled the completion of the contract. Christine would love to throw this in their clients’ faces. How dare they hire a company so far away and think they could get away with something like this? If Hamilton Construction didn’t do it, they’d find another sucker company and probably ruin them. Christine wanted to sort out the problem. Neal sent the engineers to rent all the equipment they needed to get the deeper soil samples. He told them he and Christine would get a taxi to their meeting. Neal and Christine arrived promptly at 3:00 p.m. for their meeting. There were several gentlemen and a couple of women sitting at a large conference table. All the men stood up, and one man stood out. Christine couldn’t believe it. It was him! It was the man who’d broken her heart many, many years ago. He was the first to speak. “Christine! Christine Billingsley?”

“Hello, Kasey.” Neal whispered, “You know him?” She nodded. The man at the head of the table spoke. “Good afternoon.” He introduced himself as Donovan Holmes, CEO of Holmes Industries. Neal spoke up. “Neal Langston, CEO of Hamilton Construction, and my partner and president, Christine Billingsley.” Neal looked at the man across the table who knew Christine and sized him up. He’d used the word partner to sound more personal. Was he jealous? He didn’t even know who this man was! Not to mention that he didn’t like the way Christine had said his name with disgust. Mr. Holmes introduced the other people present at the table. They started the meeting, and Neal spoke, covering details of what the company could provide to build something of this magnitude. He didn’t mention what they knew about the previous company that had occupied the property. Neal turned the presentation over to Christine, and she provided their clients with a visual from a PowerPoint presentation she’d prepared. She started with a foundation of the design and proceeded to the structure. Her last picture was a final drawing of the building. They discussed the time frame for building and some unforeseen problems along the way. She said they’d use a local union of building contractors to complete the project. Christine felt Kasey staring at her during the entire presentation, and she noticed the dagger stares from Neal as he watched Kasey watching her. She knew he was dying to know who that man was and how she knew him. Neal could be so nosy —or was he being cautious? Right now, her best explanation was an old friend from college. There was no need to get into any details. Kasey ed that she’d transferred out of state, but no one knew where. He hadn’t had the balls to ask her parents, just in case she’d told them she’d been helping with his homework. If it hadn’t been for her, he never would have ed. When she left, it forced him to find another patsy. He never found one as smart or as naïve as Christine. He rubbed his groin under the table as he ed how tight she’d been. She’d been a virgin, and he’d been more than glad to be the one to bust her cherry. Now he wondered what it would be like to

have her long legs wrapped around his neck now. Neal watched him and recognized his lustful looks. He was glad when Christine finished her speech. She was his. Neal stood and held her chair when she came back and touched her as she sat down, giving a smirking smile to Kasey. He finished his spiel with the group, and then they started with a question-andanswer session. Together they nailed every question with precise answers, several times finishing each other’s sentences. There weren’t any doubts they knew their business. At the end of the two-hour meeting, everyone stood and shook hands. Kasey looked at Christine with a renewed interest. She sure as hell hadn’t looked like that when he knew her! She’d grown into a fine and sexy woman with everything in the right places. He just wanted to know what the deal was with the partner. There had been news somewhere about the CEO of the company dying in an accident and this guy being named CEO. But he didn’t know Christine worked there too. Kasey made a beeline to Christine. He attempted to hug her, and she gave him a face that said don’t touch me. “Christine, you look so good! How many years has it been?” “Sorry, I haven’t counted them.” “You can’t still be mad at me. I told you I had too much to drink, and she took advantage of me. You know you were my girl.” He tried to touch her again, and Christine brushed him off. “Kasey, I haven’t thought about you since I left California, so why would I be mad at you?” He hooked a finger toward Neal, who was talking to the CEO from his company. “Is that your boyfriend or husband?” “He’s my business partner.” “Can I take you out to dinner while you’re in town?” “I don’t think so. We have a very busy schedule.”

“Where are you staying?” “At the Ritz.” Damn! She hadn’t meant to tell him where she was staying. “So, Kasey, are you married?” “Yes, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t spend a little time with you.” Christine was so glad that Neal walked up and she didn’t have to respond to Kasey’s snide remark. Same old Kasey! Neal didn’t wait for an introduction. He held out his hand. “Neal Langston,” he said, giving Kasey his strongest Texas accent. Neal looked down his nose, knowing he was taller and bigger. Kasey looked like he’d played some ball, but he was letting himself go. Neal still had bigger muscles and could squash him like a bug. He squeezed Kasey’s hand a little harder than he needed to. But more, he wanted to break his fingers for the looks he’d been giving Christine. “Kasey Parker. I was just catching up on some old times with Christine,” he said, flexing his fingers by his side. “You two old friends from …?” Neal wanted to hear it from him. He didn’t trust Christine to give him any information. She liked her secrets. “College, we knew each other at Stanford,” Kasey said, sizing him up. He sounded jealous, asking him questions. Was there something more to the two of them than being business partners? “Christine, you finished catching up? Are you ready to go back to the hotel, or do you want dinner first?” “Yes, I’m finished. Goodbye, Kasey.” Christine turned away, and Neal placed a possessive touch at the small of her back. She knew what he was doing, and she let him. She didn’t want to reveal how she loathed Kasey. What she really wanted to do was slap his face, since she’d never gotten the chance before. The only thing she did was yell some vulgar expletives to him through a door. She’d told him she never wanted to see him again, and she hadn’t seen him until today.

When they got in the back of the cab, Neal wanted to know. “Anything you want to tell me?” “No.” “Christine, I’m not blind. You weren’t exactly happy to see him. What happened between you two?” “Look, I don’t go around asking you about all your ex-girlfriends. He’s an ex from college, okay? Leave it alone.” “Okay, he just kept looking at you like he wanted to have sex with you on the table in front of everyone.” “Really?” she asked, sounding surprised. “Yep, I’m a man, and I know that look.” “Have you ever looked at me like that, Neal?” she asked, looking at him from under her lashes. “No, I wouldn’t want to share that joy with anyone.” He paused, and his eyes roamed her face. “Sorry. What do you want to do about dinner?” And that was the truth. He wanted to enjoy her all alone. He sure as hell didn’t want an audience! “Actually, I made plans with some friends.” He gave her a funny look. “Some old girlfriends, and don’t look at me like that. Hey, you want to come?” “No, I don’t want to be the only man among a bunch of women. Then again, I would have a harem at my disposal,” he said, laughing. “I’m leaving you to your own accord. You and the guys can eat without me.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

C hristine had texted back and forth with her friends. She’d asked about the new hot spots in town, and her friends had the best place in mind. There was a new bar downtown they could check out together after dinner. They gave her the name of a restaurant where to meet them. Neal and Christine returned to the hotel. Neal texted the men and told them they were on their own. They could come to his room and decide if they wanted to order room service or go out on the town. Christine went to her room. After seeing Kasey, she felt that she needed a shower. Just looking at him made her feel dirty. Afterward, she flipped through her clothes hanging in the closet. Standing in the closet, she was trying to decide what to wear, something sexy or a pantsuit that all looked very businesslike. No, she wanted to look sexy. Tonight, she was hanging out with the girls like in the old days. Laughing to herself, she thought of the semi-trouble they’d gotten into. Reaching into the closet, she grabbed her little black dress and a pair of red stilettos. She applied a small amount of makeup and some perfume, turning her lips as red as her shoes. Now she was ready for a fun evening with the girls. When she walked out of her bedroom, all the men were sitting in the common room. Their mouths dropped open, and Neal jumped out of his seat. None of them, including Neal, had ever seen her dressed like this. She always dressed conservatively at work. The sexiest things she wore there were pencil skirts that stopped right above her knee, but never anything that showed this much leg. “Hi, guys.” They were still speechless. “Is something wrong?” One surveyor spoke first. “No, nothing is wrong. You look beautiful, Christine.” “Too beautiful to be without a proper escort, or escorts,” Neal commented, not

wanting the other men to get the wrong idea. “Sorry, guys … this is a girls’ night only!” She sashayed out the door, but not before licking her luscious red lips for Neal. They all exhaled at the same time. “Well, guys, room service? Or do we want to go out and have a little fun?” “Out!” It was the only word said in unison. Neal called the other driver to let him know they wanted to go out. Thirty minutes later, the guys were driving through downtown San Francisco. The driver told them there was a string of restaurants, bars, and some gentlemen’s clubs on the strip. He pointed out some popular places. Neal wondered where Christine had gone with her friends. They lived here, so they knew all the local places. These places were where the tourists hung out. It was highly unlikely he would run into them down here. Neal asked the driver to drop them off, so they could walk around and explore. The small entourage walked until they found a place to eat. They sat near a window, and Neal had a fond memory of people-watching with Christine. Maybe after they got back home, she’d be willing to do it again with him. After they ate, the group walked for a while and check out the sights on foot. They ed a gentlemen’s club with women dressed in sexy attire, beckoning them to enter. The two married men were the first to suggest a visit. They all agreed and went in headfirst. A sexy hostess showed them to a table inside the packed room. They were close to a stage with several poles. There were additional poles and mini-platforms positioned all around the room. Neal saw a lot of men sitting at tables and booths; several were getting lap dances. He spied booths occupied with couples, and the women were getting lap dances while the men watched. A waitress came to their table, and the guys ordered drinks. Several ladies stopped at their table offering lap dances, but they turned them down. They only wanted to watch; they didn’t want that much interaction. The waitress returned with their drinks, lingering when she set the glass in front of Neal. She practically smothered him with her breasts. He smiled, ing her his credit card, and told her they were running a tab.

Then they heard a bell, and smoke filled the stages. Women came from everywhere, and each one took a position at a pole. As they danced to the music, their movements were both provocative and synchronized. It looked like something out of a Broadway show. It had been a long time since Neal had been in a gentlemen’s club, and he’d never seen anything like this. Usually, there were one or two tired-looking women swinging and dancing on poles. The men were happy and ordered more drinks. After several drinks and lots of scantily clad women rubbing every viable body part reachable, they left walking. They ed another gentlemen’s club and shook their heads. They’d had enough temptation for one night. Neal suggested one more drink before heading back to the hotel. They walked until they saw a club with a line to get in and a guy outside guarding a rope. Neal had never been to one of these hot spots, and he wanted in. Waving, he told the guys to follow him. He pulled out his American Express and a hundred-dollar bill. Neal walked up to the guy by the rope, holding the card with the folded bill, making sure that the 100 was showing. The guy looked him up and down, his eyes lingering on the boots. He unhooked the rope, and Neal ed him the money. “Nice boots.” Neal gave a manly head nod and kept walking with his party. The guys patted him on the shoulder when they got inside. They headed to the bar. Even though there was a long line outside, it was just as crowded inside. There was a large dance floor, with tables and booths all around it. On the other side of the room was a wall lined with beds and red curtains. They were all occupied with people. A few people were lying down or propped up. It was more of a surprise that no one was making out in the beds. He thought this was one wild bar; boy, did he like California. They stood at the bar and ordered drinks. Neal scanned the room, looking at all the people. He looked out at the dance floor and thought it had been a while since he had danced. He started scanning for a dance partner. A fast song was playing for the crowded dance floor. The people were dancing to their own style of movement. Then he did a double-take. He saw some red shoes and a black dress, a short black dress. Oh, no! It was Christine dancing with a man, a man who was too close and was touching her. Neal wanted to run out onto the floor and drag her out of the bar. But he couldn’t; she wasn’t his to drag away. So he

watched her, liking her groove, the way she moved her hips and pelvis. He’d better stop thinking like that! The song ended, and a slow song came on. Christine attempted to leave the floor, but the guy grabbed her arm. She told him no twice, jerked her arm free, and stormed off the floor. Neal watched her walk to a booth where some other ladies were sitting. Those must be her friends. Should he let her know he was here? He didn’t want to interfere with her having fun with her friends. But he didn’t like the jerk manhandling her either. Instead of interfering, he opted to send them a round of drinks. Neal got the bartender’s attention and ordered a round for their table. The bartender sent the drinks to the six women. Their server told them that the drinks were from an irer at the bar. All the women strained their necks, looking toward the bar. One friend asked which man it was, and the server turned. She said he didn’t see the guy anymore. Then they wanted to know what the guy looked like. The server told them it was a tall white guy with funny-colored eyes. Christine gasped. Could he have been talking about Neal? Nah! She knew he didn’t follow her, and they’d been here for hours. Did he go looking for her? She asked her friends to let her out and headed in the bar’s direction. Looking around, she recognized a man’s familiar stance. He was standing with his back to the crowd, and she saw the other guys from work grinning at her. Walking up behind him, she tapped him on the shoulder. She had to talk loud over the music. “Hey, thanks for the drinks.” She looked at all the guys. “Would you guys like to meet my friends?” They nodded. “Neal, you coming?” She hooked her arm through his and dragged him, protesting. “Girls, I want you to meet some people.” She introduced the other men first while holding on to Neal’s arm. “This is the man I told you about, my partner, Neal Langston.” “Oooh, Christine! You didn’t tell us he was so handsome, fine, and sexy!” One of her friends commented. They all spoke to Neal, smiling like they wanted to attack him He was wearing one of those tight, stretchy shirts that showed off his pecs, something he never wore at work. One of Christine’s friends asked if she could touch. Christine told

her she had to ask him. They were all looking at Neal when a slow song came on. Her friend jumped at the chance to touch, asking him if he wanted to dance. Neal wanted to get away from all the stares, so he said yes. She jumped over her friends, trying to get to him. He led her to the middle of the dance floor, away from all their eyes. Christine was blinking and shocked. She didn’t know Neal could dance! There was a lot about him she didn’t know. It made her want to dance with him too. Christine’s friend held Neal tight and rubbed his back while they danced. “I’ve heard a lot about you.” “All good, I hope?” “Let Christine tell it, you’re a saint, with your horses and helping children. I want to know the bad things. So tell me the real deal why you two really haven’t hooked up? You know she’s got the hots for you!” “Should you be telling all your girlfriend’s secrets?” So, she had the hots for him? “So you really didn’t know?” she said, grinning and looking up at Neal. She was much shorter than Christine. If he had a woman this short, he’d break his back just trying to kiss her! “Christine and I are friends and business partners.” “So, if I came to your hotel …” Rubbing one finger down the middle of his chest, she wanted him to finish inviting her. She didn’t want to look like she was desperate. “Sorry, but I have a girlfriend.” He’d say just about anything to this woman because he’d never want to fool around with one of Christine’s friends. Neal was glad when the song finished and he could escort her back to the table. The DJ was making some announcements about events and hadn’t started another song. Neal told Christine that he and the guys were leaving. “Can I get a dance first?” She smiled and licked her lips.

Neal didn’t know if he needed to say no or just turn and run. Another slow song started playing, and he extended his hand to her. If this was the only way he could hold her in his arms, why not? Leading her out onto the dance floor, he pulled her into his arms willingly. He held her and moved with the tempo of the song. “You never told me you could dance,” she said, smiling. “The subject never came up. And anyway, dancing is like making … nothing. There’s a lot about me you don’t know. You can find out whenever you’re ready. Do you know how to swing?” “Yeah,” she said. Neal lifted his arm and swung her out for two spins and pulled her back, holding her even tighter. “You can dance too.” “Like you said, the subject never came up. I haven’t danced since I lived out here. I … ah haven’t learned any two-steps.” “I can teach you if you like.” “Really, you know how to two-step?” she asked. He swung her and turned, catching her and swinging both of them, never breaking his rhythm and stride. He was good. Was he this good in bed? Damn! Where did that come from? Even though he hadn’t finished his sentence, she knew what he meant. Would he make love to her slow like this dance? He held her around her waist and rocked her while they danced. It was erotic, very sensual, and it was making her warm. She didn’t even know if she was on her own two feet. Was she dancing on a cloud? “Yes, I know how to do lots of things. I dance, sing, and play the guitar.” “You sing! Would you sing for me?” she asked seductively. “No, I only sing when I play the guitar out on the range.” “So I would have to be out in a field surrounded by horses and cows to hear you sing.”

“Yep.” “That’s not fair.” He told her the song was over and swung her one last time. Then he pulled her close and whispered in her ear, “Thanks for letting me hold you.” Neal escorted her back to the table. He bid the ladies good night, and he and the other men left. Christine’s friends were all over her after they left. They wanted to know what was wrong with that man. She told them nothing. There was nothing wrong with him, absolutely nothing. So why did she have a problem coming to and letting him know how she felt? How did she feel? She didn’t know if she loved him. She lusted for him, and she was jealous when other women touched him. But that wasn’t enough to prove love. Christine looked at her Rolex and realized how late it was, telling her friends she needed to go. She had a lot of work to do in the morning. Calling the driver, she asked him to pick her up out front. She waited the twenty minutes the driver had told her it would take to get there. Then she waved goodbye to the friends who weren’t ready to stop partying. Walking out of the club, Christine saw there was still a long line of people waiting to get in. California hadn’t changed. People still partied all night long, even in the middle of the week. Christine walked down the hall to the door to her room. She didn’t want to disturb Neal or bump into any furniture, crossing through the common room. For a moment, she thought she heard soft elevator music in the halls. She’d never heard it before. Maybe she heard it now because it was late and everything was quiet. ing the main door of the suite, she stopped. The sound was a little louder. Someone was playing a piano and singing. Sliding her key card into the slot, she opened the door slowly. Then she spotted him in the corner, sitting in his pajama pants at the baby grand. She’d forgotten that was in the suite! He was singing the song “Wonderful Tonight” by Eric Clapton. She tiptoed into the room, hoping he wouldn’t hear her. Neal stopped playing. “Christine, you are so noisy! You sound like a bull in a china shop.”

“I didn’t make any noise coming into the room.” She figured it was the light from the hall that gave her away. “I heard you when you put the card in the door.” “Why did you stop? That was beautiful! I thought you played the guitar.” she said with a surprised look on her face. “I play guitar too. My mother taught me to play when I was little. I think she had visions of a concert pianist in the family.” He laughed, thinking of his mother. This time he wasn’t sad. Christine sat on the bench next to him. “You are full of surprises.” Then she ed seeing a huge piano at his house. She leaned her head sideways toward Neal, wanting to lie on his shoulder and listen to him play again. Instead, she straightened up. “Will you play the song again for me and sing?” Why did she keep doing this? She kept putting herself in danger. He turned and touched her chin, tilting it up slightly. She didn’t flinch, welcoming his touch. Her thoughts drifted, ing his strong hands on her body while they had danced. He’d kept his hands still, and he didn’t roam. She’d wanted him to caress her while they danced. Now she wanted him to kiss her; she would accept whatever happened. She was tired of fighting, just like he was. She was tired of fighting the urges. Neal held her face in his hand and kissed the corner of her mouth and her cheek. He moved his hand back to the piano and played softly. He was a natural, singing the song and telling her she looked beautiful. Neal changed the words to match her short brown hair. He sang the words, singing about how much he loved her, but he looked away. While he sang the song, Christine wondered if that was how he really felt about her. Or were they just the words in the song that meant nothing? He hit the last chord on the piano. “Go to bed, Christine.” Neal didn’t look at her; he kept his eyes on the keys. He didn’t move his fingers, his body, or anything. His body was rigid as a statue. Christine didn’t like the

tone in his voice. It was harsh and raspy. It wasn’t her Neal who she’d danced with or the Neal who had just sung a beautiful song to her. She got up from the bench. The voice, his voice, was like a warning. When she reached her door, she stopped, hearing him speak to her. “Christine, lock your door.” Christine went into her room and stood with her back to the door. She stood there stunned. He’d been so charming and sweet tonight, revealing so much about himself. Hearing a noise in the other room, she ed his warning. Quickly she turned the lock on her door and put the chain on the door leading to the hallway. She fell back onto her bed and touched her lip where he’d kissed her. She was ready to give in tonight. If he’d kissed her for real and touched her, she would have been ripping at his pants. They were two damn children playing in a sandbox. When she’s ready, he isn’t. When he’s ready, she isn’t. Or something crazy would happen, like a nonboyfriend interfering or a horse having a baby. There had been so many opportunities, she’d lost count! Before Quentin, during Quentin, and after Quentin. Christine undressed, put on her pajamas, and climbed into bed. She didn’t want to shower; his cologne still lingered on her body. That night she dreamed of a fairytale of dancing the night away with her Prince Charming. At midnight, when the bell tolled, she was naked and lying beneath him, writhing from his kisses and his touch. Something woke her just as she screamed her orgasm. Damn! Did she scream for real? She looked around her dark room and felt the other side of the bed. It was cold and empty. She was alone, with no Prince Charming. She fell back onto her pillow, exhaling. Was she paranoid, or had she heard a noise again? It was coming from the common room. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was 5:00 a.m. Jumping out of her bed, she unlocked the door. Christine went into the other room and found Neal in the kitchen area. “Do you know what time it is? What are you doing?” “I couldn’t sleep, and I wanted some coffee.” Christine picked up the phone. “It’s called room service, Neal. The butler will

come and make it for you.” “I didn’t want to bother anybody.” He looked at Christine and what she was wearing. It didn’t help his mood at all. “Did you forget something, Christine?” He looked her up and down. She was wearing some very short shorts and a nightshirt. Not to mention no bra and perky nipples. Neal moaned loud enough for her to hear. “Are you kidding me? It’s five a.m.! Go take a cold shower.” “I bet you locked that door last night.” “No, I didn’t. I’m not afraid of you.” “Yes, you did. I came to your door and found it locked. And the chain was on the other one.” He’d visited her bedroom door and found it locked. He was bluffing about the other door, forgetting about it until he saw the look on her face. Good! She’d believed him and listened. “Neal, did you try to come into my room last night?” She stood with her arms across her chest, hiding her boobs. He turned and stalked toward her, and she ran to her room, slamming the door and locking it behind her. Neal knocked softly. “Christine, Christine! Let me in, or I’ll blow this door down.” He was laughing. The look on her face when he’d come toward her was priceless! Oh yeah, she was afraid of him, and he was horny. Shit! If he’d known that’s what she slept in, he might have tried to come into her room before last night. “Go away, Neal. Call room service for your damn coffee.” She had her back to the door, hearing him laugh. Deep down she knew he’d never force himself on her—although she was enjoying the game of cat and mouse with him.

Christine took a leisurely shower and dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. After hearing voices in the common room, she knew the butler was there taking care of Neal. She deemed it safe to go out. Speaking to the butler, she rolled her eyes at Neal. Was he determined to kill her? He was still wearing those damn pajama pants, but now they hung at his V. She wanted to tell him to tighten the string, but she didn’t want him to know she was looking. Christine brought her laptop out of the bedroom and put it on the table next to her. The butler served her a steaming cup of coffee. She inhaled the aroma before she sipped. Turning on her computer, she took her coffee and went to the balcony. Standing at the railing, she watched the sun peeking over the horizon. She felt Neal’s presence and sipped her coffee. He stood next to her, holding his own cup and looking into the sun. His face looked as if it needed a shave. They didn’t talk or touch, just watched the sun come up together. Neal wanted to hold her hand, but he’d done enough damage last night and this morning. They both turned when the butler told them breakfast was ready. They sat at the table and drank more coffee, ate, and talked about doing some research on the old plastics company. The engineers had found all the equipment they needed and did their own deep soil sampling. Christine found a lab that would test everything quickly for a nice fat price. It was worth the extra money for the speedy results. It would most definitely be worth the price if they found contamination in the soil.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

C hristine checked her emails and opened a message from Mr. Holmes. He’d sent her some notes on changes he wanted to make. He also wanted to know if she’d be available for another meeting the next day at the same time. Christine asked Neal if he’d checked his email. She told him about the message. Neal opened his email , scanning the list, looking for an email from Holmes. He didn’t have one, and he didn’t like Holmes going around him to Christine. Neal asked her to forward the email to him. He would not have another incident where a man or anybody disrespected Christine. Quentin had gotten the last one fired. Neal had wanted to do more than get him fired. He’d wanted to kill him! Christine wouldn’t tell him the guy’s name, and neither did Quentin. Quentin must have known from the look on Neal’s face what he wanted to do. Neal had stormed out of his office that day, mad as hell. Neal was reading over the email that Christine forwarded when he heard a knock at the door. He thought it was one of their engineers. Opening the door, he found Kasey Parker standing there in a suit. It was barely 7:00 a.m.! Kasey looked at Neal, who was standing there shirtless with low-hanging pajama pants. Neal’s massive chest was so wide, Kasey couldn’t see into the room. Kasey stared at his chiseled chest like he didn’t think it was real. “Ahhh … they told me at the front desk that this was Christine’s room.” For the first time, Neal wanted to act like a jerk. “They didn’t tell you this was our room.” Christine heard voices at the door, but she couldn’t see who was there. “Neal, who is it?” Neal stepped aside. “It’s for you. You have company.” After closing the door behind Kasey, Neal sauntered back into the room and sat at the table.

Christine jumped up from the table. “What are you doing here, Kasey?” “I wanted to invite you to breakfast.” He shifted on his feet, looking at the large man who wasn’t paying him any attention. “I thought you said you and he were friends and partners!” he whispered, “So you must be more than just partners! What is this, friends with benefits? I want to be your friend too!” He tried to grab her hand. She jerked her hand out of his reach. “What we are is none of your business.” She exhaled heavily. “How dare you show up at my hotel unannounced? I think you left your wife and came here looking for more than breakfast.” She took a deep breath with a sneer on her face. “I think you need to leave,” she said loudly. Neal was beside her in a flash. Kasey never saw him move. “Or I can help you out!” Neal bowed his shoulders and moved one foot. Kasey reached the door in a split second, but he forgot to move his foot. When he opened the door, it hit him in the face. He shuffled his feet so he could open the door, practically running from the room, barely closing the door behind him. Neal and Christine fell onto the sofa, laughing. They thought the guy was about to mess his pants, the way he ran from the room. Christine loved it. She’d gotten some retribution seeing the look on Kasey’s face. First, it shocked him when Neal answered the door. Too bad Neal didn’t get one punch in. She held her middle because she was laughing so hard. Neal liked the sound of her laughter. He wished he heard it more often. The last time he’d heard it was when they were people-watching in the square. When they finally stopped laughing, they went back to work, forgetting about Kasey. Christine and Neal researched everything about the plastics manufacturing plant all morning. They were trying to get information on the EPA report about the shutdown of the plant. Christine ed the EPA to find out as much as possible before the meeting. They both crossed their fingers about the soil results. The engineers and the surveyors showed up around lunchtime. Christine wanted to get out of the hotel for a while. They called the driver to take them to a restaurant. While they were eating, Christine received a call from her mom. Her parents didn’t have classes for the rest of the day and were on the way to San Francisco. She didn’t want them coming to the hotel. She was sharing a room with Neal. Well, she was kind of sharing. Even though they had separate

bedrooms, she was a little embarrassed. She didn’t care about the guys from the company. They knew she and Neal were sharing the common room. So why was she embarrassed about her parents knowing? Damn! She looked at Neal. “Mom and Dad are on their way here.” “Oh, good! I can’t wait to see them again.” Christine whispered, “We’re sharing a room.” “No, we’re not. You have your own room.” Christine frowned. “It’s almost like we are.” “Christine, it’ll be okay.” Neal had his devilish grin on his face. “I promise not to wear my pajamas for them.” Christine didn’t laugh. She told him she was nervous. He told her there was nothing to be nervous about. So why was she acting guilty? They finished lunch and headed back to the hotel. The group went back to the room so they could finish discussing the information they’d discovered in their research. The team discussed their options, pending the results of the soil samples. If the samples came back contaminated, they wouldn’t sign the contract. If the test results came back clean, they’d build. The engineers and the surveyors wanted to know if they’d completed all their tasks. If so, they wanted to catch early flights back to Texas. Christine looked at the CEO. “Are they finished, boss?” Neal nodded. “I’d say they earned their pay this week.” Christine told them she’d call the airline and make the arrangements. They’d just finished their meeting when Christine heard a knock at the door. She rushed to answer it, glad the whole team was in the room. It made sense they’d need the suite for work. She hugged her mom first and then her dad. Neal showed up next, giving Marilyn a hug and shaking hands with Grant. Christine closed the door, telling her parents they were just finishing a meeting. Neal offered them beverages, and they declined. Marilyn told Christine she needed to use a bathroom. Christine took her mom to her bedroom. As soon as she washed her

hands, Marilyn was in the bedroom. “So, you and Neal finally got together, and you didn’t want to tell us?” “Mom! Neal and I are business partners. This is my room. His room is over there.” She pointed. “What are you waiting for? That man is crazy about you! And I want some grandchildren.” “Mom, I’m not ready for children. How do you know that Neal is crazy about me?” “You didn’t know? He talks to your dad all the time! Your dad’s worried about you.” “No, he never told me. What do they talk about?” “I don’t ask. But I’m sure it’s not all engineering crap.” Before Christine could ask her mother another question, her dad knocked at the door. “What are you two gossiping about?” He walked in, hugging his daughter around the waist. “Well, Neal didn’t tell Christine that you two talk,” Marilyn blurted out. “It’s not a secret. I call him from time to time about engineering stuff for school. Neal is a great asset, and I consider him a fine young man.” “See? Your dad likes him too, if it was worrying you!” “What is wrong with you people? Why is everybody playing matchmaker?” Christine wiggled out of her dad’s grasp and sat on the bed. “Is that why you came to visit, to give us your blessing?” “Christine, we worry about you. You know we love you very much, and we only want to see you happy.” Grant sat on the bed beside her. “Come back into the other room. We didn’t come here to upset you, and we’re

being rude to the room full of people.” Christine told them she’d be out in a minute. She walked into the bathroom and stared in the mirror. What parents would push their daughter off on a man because they wanted grandchildren? She had to laugh. It was too funny. Walking into the common room, she saw that everybody was chatting like they were old friends. Her dad was talking to the engineers. Neal was telling both her parents about the problems they faced with potential contamination. Grant was happy to offer his opinion. Christine smiled. It was nice to have a set of parents who shared a ion for engineering. Neal was smiling and absorbing the experience of other engineers and men who’d seen lots in the field. Christine watched her dad interact with Neal. She never thought he’d approve of Neal so warmly. She was his little girl, and most dads were protective until the end. Maybe he knew Neal was a man who would protect his little girl, and that was another thing dads wanted. Neal looked at her across the room and mouthed, You okay? She nodded. Everything was perfect except that she and Neal couldn’t seem to get it together. They all sat together and brainstormed for an hour. Christine finally threw her hands in the air. “Whoa!” she said to her parents. “You didn’t come to work. You came to visit! Tonight is the last night for the team. I think we should all go out and have some fun.” Christine called the front desk and asked if they had an available limo. Christine told her they needed limo service for several hours. She announced that this was the time for anyone who wanted to change to do it. The team jumped from their seats and said they’d be back. Neal escaped to his room to change. It was cool at night in California, so Christine grabbed a jacket to wear with her dress slacks. She returned looking refreshed and smelling good. She took one look at her GQ guy and grinned. Grant told him he really liked those boots, and Neal asked his size and said he’d send him a pair. The group left the hotel in search of some adventures. The limo driver took them on a tour of the city, showing them some popular tourist sites. While they were driving, Christine spotted a theater where a Cirque du Soleil show was

performing. The driver stopped so they could see the show times. Christine and Marilyn both giggled. They wanted to see the late show! The men rolled their eyes. At the end of their delicious dinner, the four men announced that they were going back to the hotel. They had early flights the next morning. Christine told her mom and dad they could spend the night at the hotel instead of driving back home so late. So after dinner, the limo driver dropped off the group of four at the theater and took the other men back to the hotel. Neal had never seen a show of acrobats flying around a room, doing phenomenal stunts. This performance was amazing! It was midnight by the time they returned to the hotel. Christine stopped at the desk to get a room for her parents. Unfortunately, the hotel was booked solid. She went up to the suite to tell them. She offered them her room and said that she could sleep on the sofa. Neal jumped in and gave up his room, saying he’d sleep on the sofa, and he wasn’t taking no for an answer. He said he spent many nights out on the range in a sleeping bag, so he could handle a sofa for one night. Neal retrieved his pajama pants and a shirt. Christine pulled an extra blanket and pillow from her closet. Her parents retired to Neal’s room, and he curled his big body up on the sofa. “Good night, Neal.” “Good night, Christine.” Christine went to her room and dressed for bed. She pulled one of Quentin’s Tshirts from her bag to go over her shorts. Lying in her bed, she listened for any sounds coming from the common room. After hearing grunts, she tiptoed into the room. She peeked at Neal, who was not faring well. He was too wide and long for the sofa. She whispered, “Come on! You can sleep in my room. But bring your blanket.” Neal jumped off the sofa upon hearing Christine’s words. He followed her into her room and closed the door. She told him to sleep under his blanket on top of the covers. He looked at her and the oversized shirt. “Is that a man’s T-shirt?” he whispered.

“Yes, it is. I like the way the cotton feels on my skin. Go to sleep. I’ll set the alarm and wake you up early, so you can go back to the sofa before they get up,” she whispered, sounding like a sneaky teenager. Christine crawled back under her covers and patted the other side of the bed. Neal lay on top of the covers, under his blanket. He turned onto his side to face Christine. Her eyes popped open, feeling Neal so close to her in the bed. She was glad it was a king-sized bed—but he still took up most of it. He was looking at her and smiling. She was looking at him and frowning. “Go to sleep, Neal.” “I can’t.” “Why? Haven’t you ever slept in a bed with a woman before?” “No, I don’t sleep in bed with women.” “Are we discussing your sex life, Neal? I don’t want to hear about it.” Neal scooted closer. He was inches from her face. “Why? Aren’t you one of those women who want to know how many sexual encounters her boyfriend has had?” “You aren’t my boyfriend, Neal! And no, I’m not one of those women. I have a past, and I prefer not to discuss it. So why would I want to know a man’s past? You can’t build a relationship with someone on your past.” “So, if I were your boyfriend, you wouldn’t tell me?” “No, and I wouldn’t ask you either. Now go to sleep.” “I can’t sleep knowing you’re this close to me. Can we spoon?” “No.” “Why not? We aren’t touching. I’m wrapped in this blanket with clothes on, and you’re … under your blanket. I may never ever get this chance to be in bed with you again.”

Christine laughed at him and told him he was pitiful. He gave her his dangerously devilish grin. “And that is why we aren’t spooning!” She laughed. “You probably have magical powers and will make all the covers disappear.” Secretly, she wanted to spoon with nothing between them. But her parents were in the next room, and if he touched her, she would lose all her resolve. She wanted to turn over but was afraid they’d end up spooning. So she had to lie there facing him, closing her eyes. “Do you snore?” “No, I don’t snore, Neal.” She didn’t open her eyes. “How do you know? Has a man ever told you that you don’t snore?” “It sounds like you want to talk about my sex life.” “I asked about snoring. But if you want to tell me, I’ll listen.” “I thought we’d had the discussion to not talk about sex already,” Christine said. “Neal, I can’t sleep in the bed with you and talk about sex.” “Why? It doesn’t bother me. We don’t have to talk about sex.” He propped up on his elbow, giving her that devilish grin again. Christine punched her pillow and turned over, pulling the covers over her head. “Go to sleep, or its back to the sofa for you.” Neal was silent, turning over and giving her his back. He smiled and closed his eyes. Whatever happened between them, he’d always cherish this moment. Meanwhile, Marilyn woke up thirsty and tiptoed out of their room to get some water. She looked at the sofa and saw it empty, smiling to herself, deciding not to tell Grant. Christine set the alarm clock for 5:30 a.m. because she knew her parents were early risers. Unfortunately, Grant woke at five and tiptoed to the fridge. He saw the sofa was empty and rolled his eyes. Had Christine and Neal been hiding their

relationship? He liked Neal and wouldn’t mind having him for a son-in-law. He wouldn’t tell Marilyn, though. She gabbed too much. Christine would tell them when she was ready. At 5:30 a.m., the alarm went off on Christine’s phone, and she couldn’t move to reach it. Something heavy was lying on her. There was an arm draped over her. She almost screamed until she ed that Neal had slept in the bed with her. She tried to lift the arm so she could reach her phone. Didn’t he hear the alarm? “Neal! Wake up, Neal.” They were spooning. He was too heavy to move. She didn’t want to yell and wake everybody up. She lay cocooned in his arms. It felt nice, and she didn’t even know when he’d moved during the night. Her only option was to scoot out from under him and go around. Sliding her legs out first, she lifted his arm to escape. He’d lost the blanket and his shirt. She walked around the bed and crawled to him. “Neal!” she whispered, shaking him hard. “Neal, you have to get up and go back to the sofa. My parents will be up any minute.” He mumbled something unintelligible. “Neal.” She was on her knees. “Neal.” She kept calling softly. “What?” He blinked. “Christine!” He moved so fast that he flipped Christine. The next thing she knew, she was lying on her back with Neal hovering over her. She was looking up at his massive chest. She reached out and touched him. Her voice was soft and her breathing uneven. “Neal.” She said his name with ion on her lips. He attacked her lips with soft, wet kisses. “Christine.” Neal called her name with desire in his voice. He kissed her once more in his favorite spot. Then he rolled over onto his back, leaving Christine breathing hard and wanting more. Taking a deep breath, he jumped off the bed. He went to her

bathroom and came out minutes later. Grabbing his blanket, he left without looking at Christine. Christine rolled into the pillow, screaming softly, kicking and punching the bed. She looked like a kid having a temper tantrum. For a while, she lay in her bed, feeling confused, frustrated, and horny. She waited for some signs of a life to come from the other room. It only took about thirty minutes before she heard voices. Christine grabbed the robe from her bathroom and ventured out. “Good morning.” Christine found her mother rooting through the cabinets in the kitchen area. “Honey, where’s the coffee?” Marilyn asked. “We have a butler. I’ll ring for him and let him know we have guests. Where’s Neal?” “Still asleep on the couch,” they said in unison, looking in different directions like they both had a secret. “Okay.” Christine walked softly into the other room and saw that Neal was lying in an awkward position, asleep on the sofa. Returning to her room, she called for the butler and got dressed. Christine came out of her room just in time to let the butler in with his cart. The butler set the table and looked around. “Where’s Mr. Langston?” “Did I hear my name? Do I smell coffee?” Neal showed up at the table yawning and shirtless. Christine thought her mother was going to faint. Neal spoke and rubbed his eyes. Christine was glad that the strings were tight on his pajamas and he didn’t have morning stiffness. But she’d already experienced that feeling earlier when she’d awakened to being spooned and then slightly ravished. “Neal, where’s your shirt?” Christine asked. “I lost it during the night. I was hot.” It was as if he’d forgotten they had company. Christine had gotten accustomed to seeing him without a shirt.

“Don’t you want to put one on now?” Christine asked again. Then she almost gasped. His shirt was in her room! Neal looked down and looked at Marilyn, whose eyes were as large as saucers. “Yeah, sorry about that. Let me find it.” He smiled sheepishly and then walked back to the sofa, looking for his shirt. He shook out the blanket and got down on his knees, looking on the floor under and around the sofa; no shirt. Shit! His shirt was in Christine’s room. Rushing into his bedroom, he hoped he didn’t have an audience and retrieved another shirt. He washed his face and shook his head. What had he been thinking? Opening his eyes, he found Christine hovering above him, and he thought he was dreaming. He smiled now, ing how good it felt to sleep next to her, even though he didn’t touch her skin. But he’d felt her warmth through the covers. Leaving his room, he reed the group for breakfast. “Neal, I hope you slept okay last night,” Marilyn said from behind her coffee cup. “I’ve slept better in sleeping bags on the ground,” he said, his Texan accent heavy. “Well, thank you for the use of your bed. Aren’t you supposed to leave tomorrow?” Grant asked. “Yes, we have a meeting this evening. We hope to have the results of the new soil tests sometime this morning. Otherwise, we might have to stall for another day,” Neal said. Christine’s parents finished their breakfast and said they needed to get on the road. Christine hugged and kissed her parents and told them she’d be back to visit soon. Neal hugged Marilyn as usual and shook hands with Grant. Marilyn asked Neal to come and visit, telling him he was always welcome. Grant smiled and patted him on the back. He didn’t know what else to say. Neal closed the door and went back into the common room. The butler was gathering dishes and asked if they wanted more coffee. Neal told him yes and sat back at the table. Christine had gone to her room. This was probably their last night, and she wanted a head start on packing.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

I t was midmorning when they received a call from the lab. Neal and Christine rushed to the lab and picked up the report, reading it in the car on the way back to the hotel. It was worse than they’d thought. When they reached the hotel, Neal called their attorneys in Texas, making them aware of the situation. In the car, they’d already decided not to sign the last of the contracts. They needed to know what legal action they could take against Holmes Industries. Neither Neal nor Christine wanted Mr. Holmes trying to find another company to build on that site. Neal didn’t like these kinds of meetings. He’d gone to two meetings like this with Quentin. Large companies didn’t enjoy getting caught or called on the carpet for their disregard for safety and humanity. He should have known something was up when Mr. Holmes emailed Christine and didn’t include him. Holmes should have been addressing the CEO. Holmes was corrupt, and Neal’s plan was to bring him down. Neal’s cell rang. It was his attorney, telling him that a local attorney would meet them at Holmes Industries. Neal knocked on Christine’s door and asked her if she wanted some lunch. She said she wasn’t hungry, that she was too nervous about the meeting. Neal sat on the end of her bed. He said he was nervous too. That was why he wanted an attorney present with them for the meeting. This was their first business confrontation. Christine stood in front of him and told him they could do this together. They could do anything together. She hugged him, and he embraced her. She kissed the top of his head, and he rested his head on her chest. Prying his arms off, she laughed, tilting his chin, and kissed the corner of his mouth and cheek. “Let’s go. We have some work to do.” She smiled and licked her lips. Neal fell back onto the bed, fainting.

Christine went downstairs to the business center and prepared folders with extra copies of the new soil report. She ed the EPA and asked if a representative could attend the meeting. Neal had discussed with his attorney to the local authorities about filing charges against Holmes Industries for trying to build on contaminated land. They were ready for the meeting. Christine and Neal adjourned to their rooms to get dressed. They were so synched with each other, they walked out of their rooms at the same time. Neal dressed in his designer black Armani suit with a white dress shirt and a blackand-gray tie with specks of green. It made his eyes look meaner. Neal looked at Christine, who dressed in a gray pencil skirt; a silk blouse with a black, gray, and green abstract design; and a matching gray jacket. They looked stunning together and hadn’t even planned the almost-matching attire. When they arrived at the office, a man walked up to Neal and introduced himself as the local attorney sent by the office in Texas. Neal introduced his partner as he ed him the folders and a separate one with copies of all the documents from their previous meetings. They walked into the building together, and another gentleman approached them, identifying himself as a representative of the EPA. The four of them took the elevator up to Holmes Industries. The receptionist showed them to the conference room where everyone was waiting. Neal held the door, allowing Christine to enter first. Then he entered, followed by the attorney and the EPA representative. There were only two chairs available at the table and some extra chairs behind them on the wall. Neal held the chair for Christine. She sat in the chair, holding her hands and smirking at Kasey, who was sitting on the other side, looking nervously at Neal. Neal nodded at him and smiled. Since they were waiting on confirmation from a judge about the charges, they had to wait. Mr. Holmes started the meeting, telling the group that after the g of the contract today, they would meet at the building site for a groundbreaking ceremony. Mr. Holmes talked for thirty minutes. He spoke, looking all around the room, except at Neal. He wouldn’t meet Neal’s eyes. After reading the email, Neal had placed a call to Mr. Holmes. Neal let him know that he didn’t appreciate the fact that he hadn’t notified the CEO about a meeting. When Neal had finished chewing him out, Mr. Holmes had been apologetic for not following protocol.

Christine and Neal looked on, listening and smiling. An aide entered the room and handed an envelope to the attorney. Mr. Holmes finished, saying it was time to sign the contracts. He opened some folders on the table in front of him. The attorney nodded confirmation by waving the envelope at Neal. Neal stood up and said he’d like to address the group. “Mr. Holmes, I’m sorry to inform you that Hamilton Construction will not be g any contracts with you. It came to our attention that some valuable information was missing from the geological surveys and soil samples you provided.” Mr. Holmes’s mouth dropped open. “What … what are you talking about? We copied you on all the information.” “Mr. Holmes, are you going to tell us you weren’t aware of a plastics manufacturing plant that occupied that property? It’s the same plant that the EPA shut down for dumping toxins and chemicals underground.” “I … ah … I have no idea what you’re talking about. I would never…” Christine stood up. “Mr. Holmes, we’re sure you hired our company from Texas, hoping we wouldn’t know about the plant and would accept your reports at face value. We don’t operate that way. We send our own teams to check everything, everywhere, and every time.” Christine didn’t need to tell him everything. The gentleman from the EPA stood up and identified himself. He read a letter addressed to Mr. Holmes from them. It stated that they had notified Holmes Industries about the issues with the closing of the plastics company. The attorney representing Hamilton Construction stood and approached the table. He set a pair of glasses on his nose and identified himself. He read a letter with pending criminal charges that were being sent to the attorney general’s office. Mr. Holmes sat down hard in his chair. One of Holmes’s attorneys jumped up, telling everyone the meeting was over. Christine and Neal stood to leave the room. Kasey rushed over but stopped short when he saw Neal giving him a dirty look. His hands were in the air, pleading to Christine that he didn’t have any idea this was going on. He told them he hadn’t been privy to all aspects of the project. Christine walked out of the room while

he was still talking. Neal and Christine conversed with their attorney briefly in the hallway. He told them he’d be in touch after they had filed the charges against Holmes Industries. When Neal and Christine got into their rental car, they gave each other high fives. “You were great in there!” Christine told Neal. He took hold of her hand. “No, you were great. Holmes was shaking by the time you finished.” “We were great. We do make a good team,” Christine said. “Yes, we do.” Neal palmed her face with both hands and kissed her softly. “Now let’s go out tonight and celebrate. We can go to dinner, and I want to take you dancing. But I want you to dance with me all night. I don’t want you fighting off any men.” “How do you know about that? Just how long were you at the bar?” “Long enough.” He gave her his devious smile. “Will you wear that little sexy dress for me?” “Will you keep on the sexy suit for me?” “You can have anything you want. Do you want to invite your girlfriends tonight?” “I didn’t think you wanted to be the only man with a bunch of women.” “What man doesn’t want a harem?” Christine punched him in the arm, and he had the audacity to grab his arm and yell ouch. He told her it didn’t matter, that he only wanted her to be happy. She started sending text messages to the girls. It would be an excuse to show him off anyway. Neal called the concierge and asked for information on an exclusive restaurant in the area. He asked the concierge to call and make reservations there for seven

people. During dinner, Neal learned a few details about Christine and her younger, wild days. After dinner, a limo picked them up, taking them to the bar. When they got out of the car, there was a line outside. The girls began walking to get in line. Neal called them back and told them he had friends. He pulled out a C-note. Walking up to the same guy holding the rope, he held up the money. The guy looked down, checked out his boots again, and opened the rope. Neal pressed the money into his hand and walked in with Christine on his arm and his harem following. It was early enough that several booths were still available. The ladies picked one, and Neal got the attention of a waitress. He held his card up and told her he wanted to run a tab. Then he ordered a bottle of champagne. She took everybody’s orders and left. Neal wanted Christine to have a good time before heading back to Texas, and he realized that he wasn’t about to give up on her. The waitress came back quickly with all the orders and the champagne. She poured glasses for everyone and ed them around. Neal made the first toast. “To Christine! Without you, I wouldn’t be whole. You’re my other half.” “To us. May we have many more good days in the sandbox!” she said. “Cheers!” everybody said in unison. The girls looked at both of them like they were crazy, but laughed anyway. They didn’t get the inside jokes. Neal leaned over and kissed Christine’s temple. “You look especially beautiful tonight,” he whispered into her ear. She mouthed, Thank you. Christine drained her glass of champagne. She’d ordered a martini like the rest of the girls and began sipping on it. Neal picked up his beer and scanned the room. The DJ started playing some fast music, and the girls started shaking in their seats. Soon, men came out of the woodwork and plucked all the girls from the table. Neal put a possessive arm around Christine so none of the men would ask her to dance.

Neal asked Christine if she wanted to dance, and she told him no. Someone had to stay and watch the drinks. That had been their rule for years. He was glad that they were alone for the moment, which gave him a better opportunity for a quick kiss. He turned her chin toward him, and she licked her lips. He kissed the side of her mouth, tasting her martini. “Mmmmmm, nice martini.” “You want to taste more of it?” Neal thought she was ing him the glass. Instead, she kissed him, sliding her tongue into his mouth. “Mmmmm! I like that flavor of martini.” “I thought you would,” she said, giving him a seductive smile and drinking more from her glass. Two of the girls came back to the table, and Neal asked Christine to dance. They strolled onto the dance floor. It was a fast song, and Christine saw that Neal could really dance. The white boy had rhythm! The next song was slow, and Neal was glad to just hold her. He swung her around a few times and watched her smiling and laughing. Pulling her to him, he held her close and caressed her back while they slow danced. After the dance, they went back to the table. Neal knew they had to share dance time and watch the table. The waitress returned and brought new drinks for everybody. Around 1:00 a.m., Christine told Neal she was ready to go. He asked if he could have one last dance. The DJ started another slow song. He couldn’t have requested a better song. It was a song by Sam Smith, “Stay with Me.” They walked out onto the floor, and Neal twirled her and pulled her into his arms. He held her close to him and sang. Christine thought she would melt in his arms. She rested her palms on his chest and swayed while he moved them around on the dance floor as if they were floating. At one point, he had his hands on her butt, pressing her into him. Christine felt his stiffness and moaned. She rubbed his chest and slid her arms around to his back, caressing him and squeezing him closer. She felt like Cinderella at the ball. Neal leaned down and kissed the corner of her mouth, and Christine turned to kiss his whole mouth. He pressed her closer and tighter, absorbing the kiss and her taste.

When the song was over, he held her, looking into her eyes, his eyes telling her how much he wanted her. The words in the song said everything for him. They walked off the dance floor, and Neal kept his arms around her shoulders. They stopped at the table and wished the girls a good night. The driver dropped them off at the hotel. Walking down the hallway, Christine asked Neal to sing to her before they went to bed. Neal sat at the piano, and Christine sat on the bench with him. He started playing a tune by Lonestar called “Amazed.” His own sweet voice sang straight from his heart. About halfway through the song, he stopped playing and pulled her into his arms, kissing her softly. He forced her mouth open with his, and she pushed her tongue into his mouth, making him moan. Neal pressed her closer, deepening the kiss, darting his tongue in and out of her mouth. He felt an ache; his manhood was stirring, stretching, wanting. Standing up from the piano, he extended his hand to help her up. He walked her to her room and sang the last verse, singing the words he felt, kissing the corner of her mouth. “Go to bed, Christine,” he said sadly. Neal walked away, heading to his own room. He didn’t look back, and he didn’t tell her to lock her door. Christine stood in her door waiting, leaning her head on the doorframe. She never saw a light come on in his room or heard any sounds. Taking off her shoes, she walked across the room to his door. She turned the knob. It opened, and she saw his silhouette lying across the bed, still dressed. Christine crawled, climbing up to see his face. It was wet. She kissed his eyes and rubbed her thumbs across his cheeks. Why was she so torn about this man? She kissed his lips softly and opened her mouth to kiss him deeper. He kissed her back, wrapping his arms around her and holding her, kissing her deeply and ionately. He whispered, “I’ve wanted you for so long.” Neal lifted her up to meet his eyes, asking if she wanted the same. He needed to know if she felt the same way. He sat up, and she straddled his legs. She cupped his face and showed him what she wanted. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she deepened the kiss. She was drowning in his essence. He cupped her butt and pulled her tight against him. She felt him throbbing, and she ground her hips into him, wanting him, needing him. Her insides were burning; she was on fire, and

she wanted him to ignite her further. “Christine, I’ve wanted this moment for so long. But I can’t, not tonight.” She opened her eyes to look at him. She was pleading, begging, wanting. “Why?” She was breathing hard. “I didn’t want to be tempted. We just can’t.” “I don’t care. There’s nothing stopping us. No people, no horses. I want you, Neal. I can’t keep going like we’ve been, like neither one of us …” She pulled her dress over her head and unhooked her bra. Cupping his face again, she kissed him. He touched her body, and she moaned into his mouth. “Tell me. Tell me what you want,” he said. “Make love to me … I want you to make love to me, Neal.” Neal squeezed her breasts and moaned into her mouth. He kissed one of her nipples, sucking it into his mouth. His tongue darted back and forth, licking, and Christine arched her back, pushing it more into his face. She started undoing the buttons on his shirt. She didn’t move fast enough, and Neal ripped the shirt apart, buttons and material flying. He stood and set her on the edge of the bed, pulling off his jacket and his torn shirt. Christine unhooked his pants and unzipped them, watching them slide down his thick, muscular thighs. He sat on the bed and pulled off his boots and stepped out of his pants, his bulge protruding in his shorts. She slipped her hands inside his waistband and slid the shorts off. He was ready and standing at attention. She touched him, stroking him, and he jerked and moaned. Neal picked her up and tossed her onto the middle of the king-size bed. She lay on her back, beckoning to him. Neal crawled between her legs, kissing her stomach, caressing her breasts. He kissed a path up to her lips and ran his hands over her body. His touch made her cry out and writhe beneath him. She felt his penis scraping against her as he moved, kissing, touching, caressing. Grabbing her hands, he kissed them, pushing her arms above her head. Neal kissed her stomach again, kissing lower and lower, making Christine arch her

hips. Spreading her legs, he licked her clit through her panties, inhaling her scent. Rumbling sounds escaped his throat, sending vibrations up her body. He rubbed her inner thighs sensually and kissed them, wanting to be everywhere and touching everything. This was his fantasy, his nightmare, and his dream. He wanted to taste and savor every inch of her. Neal slid her panties down over her hips, kissing her thighs and her legs. She spread her legs, and he crawled up between them. He stopped when he reached her crevice, rubbing his penis against her. Holding it by the base, he slid it across her clit, rubbing it against her wet spot. She was wet for him and moved against him, her eyes pleading for it. Neal shook his head. Crawling, he inched higher. He licked each nipple and sucked them while sliding his finger inside her wet canal. Oh yeah, she was ready for him. He kissed the corner of her mouth, sliding his tongue into her mouth slowly. Grabbing his throbbing penis, she gripped it in her hand and stroked him. She pushed it between her legs and rubbed against it. It made Neal harder. Neal leaned back and picked up her leg and put it on his shoulder. Holding his penis in his hand, he rubbed it against her throbbing wet spot. He pushed it in slowly … deeper. Christine thrashed on the bed, begging for more. He pulled it out and pushed again, going deeper each time. Neal had flashbacks of every encounter with her—the first time he’d almost kissed her at work and his mistaken words. Gripping her hips, he drove deep and hard. Christine cried out. Finding his rhythm, he penetrated her faster and deeper, seeing every time she’d licked her lips. He drove in and out, driving her mad, driving him mad. She gripped the covers and thrust her hips to meet his plunges. His image of the two of them at the picnic and the cabin caused him to plunge deeper and harder, making her call his name. He saw them at the ranch, and he’d pinned her up against the car. Lifting her hips, he raised her off the bed, thrusting into her hard and deep. Christine planted her foot on the bed to give him the leverage he desired to continue his assault. She moaned and thrashed and arched, meeting each thrust. He’d missed so many chances with her. He’d missed four years and had wanted her all four of them. And he wanted to make up for it now, tonight. Neal flipped them and fell back on the bed, holding Christine. She was sitting on

top of him, with her knees on the bed, as he held her butt and slid her up and down, up and down. Bending his head forward, he watched as his sex slid in and out of her. He slowed his thrust as he watched and savored the feel of her around him. His breathing was shallow, and he called her name, telling her how good she felt. Neal told her how much he’d wanted her and how long he’d wanted her. His pent-up ion, his longing for her, his aching, his nightmares and dreams were all coming together. Christine was throbbing and squeezing her loins, feeling her own release close. She was so close! She moved up and down, wanting him to move faster. Planting her hands on his chest, she began to rise and fall faster, making him lose control. He growled and screamed, calling her name as he exploded. Christine was still moving up and down. She wanted to scream; she was so close—she was almost there. Neal watched Christine as her eyes rolled back in her head. She had a glow he’d never seen, an aura that surrounded her body. He held her hips tight, gliding her toward her own release. He wanted this woman so much. He growled the words as he lifted her and slammed into her. “Mine … this is mine … you’re mine!” He lifted his hips off the bed one last time and brought her down hard, and she screamed his name. He rolled over, putting Christine onto her back. He stroked her deep and slow while she shuddered beneath him. He kissed her softly as her whole body shook with pleasure. They were breathing hard, and neither could speak. Neal propped up on his elbows to keep his weight off Christine. He bent his head, touching her stomach and feeling her body still shuddering. He kissed her stomach, and she shivered. “Christine …” He called her name, his voice barely audible. She lifted her hand in the air, turning her palm, telling him to wait. Her body shuddered again, and she smiled. Neal moved to her side and crawled up beside her. He looked at her face, worried that he’d hurt her. Then he saw that she was wearing a smile and noticed that her ragged breathing was slowing. He’d never had a sexual experience so intense, wondering if it would be like that for them always. Neal pinched himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming or having a nightmare.

He couldn’t believe it happened. He’d finally gotten his wish. Also, he couldn’t believe that his wallet was empty, considering that he’d carried a condom in his wallet since high school! He knew that he was clean and Christine was healthy, and he was sure she was on some kind of birth control. Christine leaned up on her elbows to look at Neal. “Are you alive over there?” “No, I think I died and went to heaven.” “Why heaven?” He sat up to look at her. “Because I don’t think if I was in hell, I could feel this good.” He leaned toward her for a soft, wet kiss. “Neal, I’m sorry.” He scooted closer to her and put his arm around her. “Sorry about what?” “You didn’t want to have sex, and I … I begged you to do something you didn’t want to do. I was so caught up in the moment from the drinking and the dancing and you singing that song.” He palmed her face. “You know I’ve wanted you for a long time. You didn’t make me do anything.” “But I …” “But nothing. I was hoping this wasn’t a one-night stand. Also, I need to be honest with you. I don’t have a girlfriend, but I was talking to someone. It wasn’t serious, and I didn’t sleep with her. But I need to tell her I can’t be with her. Do you want me, Christine? Can we be together?” “I need to tell you something.” “I need you to answer my questions. Are you going to tell me you got back with your boyfriend, Mr. Flower Man?” “No, I didn’t. He … ah, is no longer in my life. I haven’t been with anyone since

… in a long time.” She held her head down. “I’m scared, Neal. What if we fight again? I don’t want to mess up what we had and lose the company.” “Neither one of us will let that happen. Come on, let’s get some sleep. We can talk about it in the morning.” Neal pulled the covers back and crawled to the head of the bed and patted the spot for Christine. “Can we spoon for real this time?” he asked. Christine smiled and crawled over to lie next to him. She kissed him before she lay on her side and stared at the wall.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

N eal woke without a warm body touching him. He reached for Christine and opened his eyes. The other side of the bed was cold and empty. He called her name. “Christine?” There was nothing but silence. Jumping from the bed, he looked in his bathroom. It was empty. He walked around the bed and saw all their clothes were on the floor. He opened his door to the common room; everything was quiet. He called her name again louder, rushing to her room. The door was closed, so he knocked. After he didn’t get an answer, he opened the door and saw that her bed was untouched. He looked in her bathroom and found it empty. What happened to her stuff that was covering the vanity? He rushed back into the bedroom and yanked open the closet. It was empty. There were no clothes and no suitcase. Had she left him? Why? Frantically, Neal rushed back to the common room. Maybe she left a note. He looked everywhere, but there was no note. Returning to his room, he found his cell and called her phone. It rang and rang and went to voicemail. He sat on the side of the bed, holding his head in his hands. What had happened between last night and this morning? He thought back to their conversation. She’d never told him she wanted him. She never said she wanted to be with him. Had she used him to vent her sexual frustrations? He didn’t believe that. What they’d shared had been real. Where could she be? Home! Maybe she went home. Neal called the driver and asked if he’d taken Christine to the airport. The driver told him he dropped her at a car-rental place. Well, she sure as hell wasn’t driving back to Texas! Neal needed to get to Stanford. He asked the driver to pick him up. They were going on a road trip. Neal told the driver they were going to Stanford. The driver asked for an

address, and Neal didn’t have one. He could call Grant, but Christine might leave if she knew he was coming. He’d figure out something once they got there. Christine once told him that her parents lived in the community outside of campus. It took over an hour before they reached Stanford. Neal asked the driver to go to the college campus. He saw some students walking and asked the driver to stop. Neal rolled down the window and asked where the engineering building was. The guy told him how to find it, and the driver nodded and drove in that direction. When they reached the building, Neal got out of the car and ran into the building. There was a board on the wall that listed the professors and their classrooms. Neal caught the elevator and went up to the third floor, looking for Grant’s room. He found the room, but it was dark and empty. Flipping on the light, he looked around the room. Neal shook his head. Directly behind the podium was a wall-to-wall drawing board with a sign on one corner, donated by Hamilton Construction. He stepped into the hallway and asked the first student he saw if they knew where Professor Billingsley’s residence was. The student shook her head and told him to ask the receptionist on the first floor. Neal went back to the first floor and found the young receptionist. It was time to use his charm again. “Good morning, ma’am.” He gave her his heart-winning smile and a heavy Texan accent. “Good morning to you, sir,” she said, returning a bright smile. “My name is Neal Langston, from Texas, and I’m here to see Professor Billingsley. Our company donated some material to his classroom, and I wanted to talk to him about donating some other items. I went to his classroom, and it was empty. Would you know how I can find him?” Neal smiled devilishly and leaned his massive chest over the desk. “Let me check his schedule and see when his next class starts.” The young girl stammered and blinked, fumbling through a notebook on her desk. “He doesn’t have a class until this afternoon.” “I have a flight out of San Francisco this afternoon. Would it be possible to get

his home address? I’ll make it worth your while.” He pulled his wallet out of his pocket and lifted a hundred-dollar bill. “Sir, I’m not supposed to give out that kind of information.” She had to lean back because Neal was close, too close. He lifted another bill. “Please, this is very important. I promise I won’t tell a soul you gave it to me. I have the information back at my office, but it’s too early to talk to anyone there because of the time difference.” He pulled out three hundred dollars and slid it toward her. “Please.” She could see some sadness in his eyes. “Okay, but please don’t get me fired. I need this job to get through school.” “I won’t. Are you an engineering student?” “Yes, sir.” “I tell you what. How would you like a scholarship from my company?” “What? Really?” “Yes.” He pulled out a card from his wallet and laid it on top of the money. “Call me next week. Can you write the information down and write your name at the top so I’ll know who I’m talking to next week?” It felt good to help a student who apparently needed to work to attend college, considering she’d broken a rule to help him. “Yes sir, right away, sir.” She scribbled the information and ed it to Neal. Neal thanked her and rushed from the building, giving the address to the driver. Neal was antsy in his seat while they drove through the residential neighborhoods. The driver finally stopped at a two-story house. Neal jumped out of the car and rang the doorbell. “Neal?” “Hey Marilyn, is she here?” he asked frantically. “Yes, she got here a few hours ago. Is something wrong?”

“Yes! Your daughter is … I woke up, and she’d left. I need to talk to her.” “She’s upstairs, the second door on the left. Neal, what’s going on?” Grant walked from around the corner, asking the same question. “I don’t know. I need her to tell me why she left.” He touched her arm affectionately. Neal took the stairs three at a time with his long legs. Marilyn turned to her husband, smiling, telling him that Neal had followed Christine there. Neal didn’t knock. He twisted the knob and opened the door, closing it quietly behind him. Christine was curled up in a ball on the bed, holding a pillow. “Christine.” She sat up and gasped, hearing his voice. “Neal, how did you find me?” He stood at the edge of the bed. “That doesn’t matter. Tell me why you left. I thought … I hoped that we could start a relationship together. I told you how I felt, and you didn’t have the decency to tell me if you wanted me.” “I did … I do want you. I made a mistake.” “Are you calling what we did a mistake? I don’t regret any of it. I love you, Christine, and I want … I want you, Christine.” “Neal, we had unprotected sex, and I forgot my pills in Texas. I tried to tell you last night. I’m sorry.” Neal sat on the bed and pulled her into his arms. “We can get married.” “See … this is what I have a problem with. I don’t want you marrying me because …” She pushed his arms off her, talking loudly. “I want to marry you, and I want to have babies with you. I want us to be a family,” Neal shouted back at her. She shouted back at him. “What about what I want? What if I don’t want to get married?” She jumped off the bed. “Or have children?”

“You think I wouldn’t want to take care of my child and be a part of his or her life?” Neal was standing, towering over her and shouting. Marilyn and Grant burst into the room. “What’s going on in here? Why are you two shouting?” Neal stood in front of Grant. “Grant, I love your daughter, and I’d like to ask you for her hand in marriage.” “What?” Marilyn and Grant asked at the same time. “We had unprotected sex, and Christine might be … pregnant.” “Whatttt?” They asked again, mouths dropping open. “I can’t believe you told my parents that!” Christine shouted at him. “You had no right!” Christine was beyond pissed and felt like a cornered animal. She knew they would side with Neal. Her mother wanted grandchildren. “And anyway, you … aren’t the … only man I’ve had unprotected sex with.” She folded her arms across her chest. A tear rolled down her cheek. “Get out, Neal. Go back to Texas. I’m not going.” Christine ran into her bathroom. “Come on, son. Let Marilyn talk to her.” Grant walked downstairs with Neal. Neal stopped at the front door, putting his hand on the doorknob. “Give her some time, son. She’ll do the right thing,” Grant said, patting him on the shoulder. Neal shook his head. “I don’t know about that. She’s had over four years to do the right thing.” Neal looked at the top of the stairs and walked out. Then he got in the waiting car, asking the driver to take him back to the hotel. On the way, he checked to see what time his flight was leaving. It was later in the day, so he called the airlines and changed his flight.

When they arrived at the hotel, Neal asked the driver to wait and take him to the airport. He went to the room deflated. How had everything gone south in a matter of hours? Pulling his bag from the closet, he packed his clothes, moving around the room in a daze. Christine’s clothes were still in the pile with his. He picked up the bundle and dropped them in his bag. He stopped at the desk to settle the bill. The clerk was pleasant and smiling, and he nodded to her. At the moment, there was nothing for him to smile about. Now, he’d lost everything. Neal walked into his house after his long day of traveling. Throwing his bag across the bedroom, he was still in a foul mood. He changed into some jeans and drove to the stables. As soon as he walked in, he heard Xena calling to him. “Hey, girl, did you miss me? I bet you want me.” Neal picked up her saddle from the rack, and she got antsy. She knew she was going for a ride. It was like she smelled his tension. Xena knew his moods, and this would be a hard ride. She stomped her feet while he buckled and tightened the girth. He didn’t walk her out of the stables. He put his foot in the stirrup and jumped on. They trotted out the stables and out past the corral. Xena was itching for a run, and she trotted faster. Neal pulled her reins, trying to slow her down. What was wrong? He was in his wild, run hard mood. She whined and bucked. Neal slapped her backside. “No, Xena. How is it you can read me? I don’t want to run.” Xena whined, thrashing her head, and bucked again. She took off running, ignoring the pull on her reins. Neal tried to slow her down. He didn’t want to hurt her, so he gave in. Giving her a kick, he leaned down, letting her take the lead, running at full speed. Neal watched as the world ed him fast, and his powerful horse took him where she wanted to go. When Xena slowed down, they were at the cabin. “Why did you bring me here? I have nightmares of this place. Are you telling me I have to face my nightmares?” Neal jumped down off the horse and tied her to the front railing. He went into the cabin, to the kitchen, and grabbed a beer from the fridge. He drifted around the cabin, going in and out of all the rooms. Finally, he stopped at

the door of the room where he’d gotten his first taste of Christine. Memories flooded his mind of her touch, how she’d felt in his arms, pressing against his hard shaft. There was a stirring in his pants, and he had a flashback to her moaning under him last night. He sat on the bed and drank his beer, replaying the conversation at her parents’ house, her implication that, if she were pregnant, he might not be the father. Neal jumped up off the bed. Christine lied to him! She’d just told him last night that she hadn’t been with anybody. Why did she lie in front of her parents? He needed to call her, so he felt his pockets for his phone. Shit! He’d left it at the house. How was it that this woman could make him lose his mind? He needed to get back. He ran out of the cabin and jumped on Xena. “Come on, girl. I need to get home and make a call.” Xena and Neal raced through the woods to the house. He’d been a fool to believe her and leave. She probably hated him. He should have stayed and fought. Maybe he needed to go back to California. But right now he wanted to hear her voice and tell her he was sorry for being insensitive. He shouldn’t have told her parents about their private conversation. Neal didn’t take the regular trail but cut across a field and then through a wooded area. Xena hadn’t come to a full stop when he jumped off and ran up the steps into the house. When was the last time he had it? It was at the airport going through security. Oh, no! He hoped he hadn’t left it in California. He’d been wearing a jacket, now he was turning in circles. Where was his jacket? He ran upstairs to his room, looking for his phone, checking his pants and his briefcase. Oh, shit! The truck! He’d left the jacket in the truck. He ran back downstairs to his truck. His truck was at the stables. He jumped back on Xena and raced to the stables. Yanking open the door to the truck, he found his jacket on the seat. He grabbed it and searched for his phone. Impatiently he waited for it to turn on. There was only one missed call. It was from Grant and he’d left a voicemail. Deciding to check the voicemail later, he hit the button to call Christine. Her phone rang and rang, going to voicemail. He called Grant’s phone. “Hello, Neal, is this you?” “Yes sir, it’s me.”

“You make it home okay? We were just worried about you.” “Yes sir, I’m home. Is Christine there? She’s not answering her phone.” “She’s here.” “I need to talk to her. She … I just need to talk to her, please. Would you tell her I’m on the phone and ask her to talk to me?” “I’ll try, Neal. I can’t make any promises.” Grant climbed the stairs and knocked on his daughter’s door. “Christine, it’s your daddy. Neal’s on the phone, sweetie, and he says he really needs to talk to you. He says it’s important.” “Tell Neal to go away. I don’t want to talk to him!” Christine yelled through the door. “Sorry, son … she doesn’t want to talk to you.” “Tell her if she doesn’t give me two minutes on the phone, I’m on my way back to California. And I’ll camp out in front of her door … if you let me, sir.” “Christine, Neal says he’s on the next plane if you don’t talk to him for two minutes. Would you please talk to him? Otherwise, he’ll sleep in front of your door until you do.” Grant beat on her door. “And I’ll let him do it. I’m tired of you two fighting. I swear, girl, I’ll put you out of this house!” Christine opened her bedroom door. “Daddy, you’d put your only daughter out on the streets? You’re taking his side?” “Christine, that man stood toe to toe with me and told me things that no father should have to hear. He even asked me like a gentleman for your hand. Do you know how many men do that these days? He loves you, Christine. Talk to him.” He ed her his phone. Christine took the phone and walked back into her room, closing the door. “Hello.” “Christine, I love you. And if you’re pregnant, I’ll love the baby as if it’s my

own.” He exhaled. “I want to marry you, regardless if you’re pregnant or not. If you are, I want you to know I’ve dreamed of some beautiful babies with green or brown eyes.” “You have? I’ve never dreamed of children. But I have had some nightmares about green eyes,” she huffed. “Christine, come home to me. I don’t want to live without you.” “Neal, I need some time to think. I’ve been a responsible person all my life. And one night with you … drinking, dancing, and you singing in my ear … could change my entire life. Things I don’t know if I’m ready for.” “Christine, what are you saying? Drinking made you beg me? Dancing made you beg me? Singing made you beg me to make love to you? I told you to go to bed. I told you. I didn’t ask you to come to my room. I didn’t ask you to make love to me.” Neal had to take a deep, deep breath and exhale. “I asked you if you wanted to be with me. I asked you to marry me. I told you I love you.” He took the phone off his ear, wanting to throw it and stomp on it. “You know what, Christine? Take all the time you need to think! If you are pregnant, I know it’s mine. You can give me my baby, and we’ll be happy without you in our lives!” He hung up the phone. Neal wanted to scream. He walked Xena back to her stall and undressed her. Picking up her brush, he brushed and brushed until his arms hurt. He talked to Xena, hoping for the first time in his life she’d talk back and tell him why life was so hard and unfair. He hugged her good night and left the stables. Neal went straight to his room and took a shower. He came out wrapped in a towel and stared at the mirror. Then he spotted his laptop out of the corner of his eye. Needing a distraction, he grabbed it and turned it on. Banging on the keyboard, he typed in the website. He wanted to talk to Becca. She always made him feel better. Scanning the list to see who was online, he didn’t see girlinwhitelabcoat. He saw a few other names he’d chatted with before so he tried his luck, selecting hotsexymama. “What’s up, sexymama?” He waited for a response while he read the gibberish on the main screen with people having one big conversation. He’d wait a few more minutes and then

he’d leave. “How’s it hanging, loneranger?” Neal was dirty chatting with sexymama when he got a chime from another freak. Responding, he chatted with both women. He chatted back and forth. After a while, it was getting boring. He went to the bathroom, knowing they wouldn’t miss him. When he returned to the computer, he was just about to log off. Neal saw that he had a new chatter. It was girlinwhitelabcoat. “Hello, loneranger.” Happily, he responded. “Hey stranger.” “How was your training class?” “It was long and boring. I almost fell asleep every day. Sorry I didn’t get to talk to you. We didn’t have any internet.” “It’s okay. I found something to keep me busy.” Actually, she was glad that he’d been busy. She didn’t have any time to chat with him anyway. It was one less lie to make up. “So you found some other sexy guy to chat with? LOL.” “Why don’t you tell me you thought about me during your boring class?” “I wish I could tell you that. But they fried my brain with new procedures, policies, and learning some equipment and machinery. LOL. Any new science lessons for me?” “No, there isn’t anything new to teach you. I thought you were teaching me?” “I really want to ask you a personal question.” He typed before he lost his nerve. “I’m listening.” “If there was an opportunity to meet me in person, would you do it?”

“I don’t know about that. And I don’t think it would be safe for me to drive to Houston to meet a man I don’t know.” “I’m glad you think of safety first. But I promise I’m harmless, and I can drive to Dallas. You can pick a public place. I think you’re a very nice person, and you’ve been good therapy for me. LOL.” “I need to think about it.” “Okay, I understand.” Neal chatted with her until she said she was sleepy, which was fine with him. He’d had a tiring day too, especially after having the worst day of his life. Boy was he glad it was the weekend. Christine sat down with her parents and apologized for Neal’s intrusion. It had been her fault for not staying and discussing the problem with him face to face. itting to being scared, she said that fleeing home was her first defense. She told them that, for the last several years, she’d been focused on building her career and that she’d put children out of her mind. Christine told them she and Neal had been playing games of tag since she started at the company. Her mom was more concerned about her mental state and made comments about the difficulty of being a single parent when she didn’t have to be. Christine told her mom she had no intention of marrying Neal because of a baby. Her dad wanted to know if she loved him. She shook her head. “Honestly, I don’t know if it’s love that I feel for Neal.” She dropped her head. “I guess I better go home and find out.” Christine knew there was plenty of lust, but love she wasn’t sure. It was ironic that they fit together in every aspect, and the sex was— She couldn’t describe how he’d made her feel; it was just that good. Maybe she needed to check the dictionary for words beyond mind-blowing. Christine drove back to San Francisco and booked a room at a hotel near the airport. She’d called the airlines and changed her flight to first thing in the morning. Turning on the TV, she found nothing of interest, so she turned on her computer. She wanted to check and see if loneranger was back from out of town. Her chats with him always seemed to brighten her day. Right now she needed

something to make her smile. At least she’d thought so until he wanted to get personal. Christine couldn’t believe he wanted to meet her in person. She already had issues she was dealing with. At least he wasn’t sending her declarations of love! He didn’t even think about her. Well, she was one of many of his online women. What could come of meeting this man? She wasn’t about to have a long-distance relationship. How could she be certain he wasn’t some maniac who might stalk her after he met her? She didn’t like any of these notions he had about meeting in person. She ended the conversation after looking at her watch, ing the time difference. She’d wait and tell him in a day or two that she didn’t want to meet. Neal woke up earlier than usual. Why couldn’t he turn his brain off? Pulling the pillow over his head, he begged for the sandman. He heard his own breathing and knew he wasn’t going back to sleep. Throwing his covers back, he climbed out of bed. He went downstairs to fix some coffee. Shit! Where was the butler when you really needed one? He’d gotten used to being served coffee and breakfast. Maybe he needed to think about hiring one of those. He enjoyed having coffee with Christine every morning even better. Why did he have to think about her? Had he not realized the women of today thought more about careers than families? What was he going to do about Christine if she were pregnant? He knew he wanted his baby and that he would fight for the child. Finishing his coffee and putting the cup into the sink, he went back upstairs to change. There was plenty of work to do on a ranch, and he would work until he ed out. Christine arrived back early in the afternoon. Glad to be home, she unlocked the door to her apartment and inhaled the scents. It felt like forever since she’d left. Strolling into the man cave, she sat at the desk, continuing to fight with herself over what to do with it. It still reminded her of Quentin. The man cave was the only thing she had left. Quentin was dead, and she was alive and alone. The one thing he’d always wanted was for her to have her own family. He’d made it part of his stupid stipulations with the company. He was forcing her to have children, even in death. When she’d thought she was pregnant a few years ago, she’d gone through some of these same issues.

Quentin would have been happy to have been a father, just like Neal was now. She’d had the opportunity of having two great men in her life, and now she was getting a second chance at love.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

M onday morning came, and it was back to work as usual. Christine arrived to work first. Whatever problems she and Neal had were personal and could not interfere with work. She wouldn’t let them. This was why she wanted to remain friends and partners, not lovers and partners. On her way in, she stopped and spoke with Janice for a few minutes, telling her about San Francisco. She asked if she had any messages, and Janice told her they were on her desk. Christine put her purse away and turned on the computer on her desk. Looking at her calendar, she saw that she didn’t have any appointments. She wanted to go to the model lab and check on some models that the lab techs should have finished. Checking her phone messages, she couldn’t believe it. Kasey had called her after the altercation at the Holmes office. He must be a glutton for punishment! She threw that message in the trash. The other ones were from clients. She called Janice and told her where to find her if needed. Then she headed down to the model lab. Christine spent most of the day in the model lab. She didn’t have an appetite, so she skipped lunch. She’d always enjoyed making molds as an intern. There were some models that needed parts, and she didn’t mind getting her hands dirty. Putting a white lab coat on over her clothes, she sat on a stool at the workstation, making miniature furniture molds. “You know you don’t have to do that tedious job anymore?” Neal said, trying to find something to say and looking at her strangely in the white jacket. He’d been looking for her all day, ever since he saw her car this morning. He’d finally asked Janice. Damn! She knew who that was. She didn’t turn around. “Hello, Neal.” “When did you get back?” he asked, concerned and hurt that she hadn’t let him know.

“Over the weekend. Is there something I can do for you?” “No. I was just being courteous to my partner.” Neal turned and left; she wasn’t ready to talk to him sensibly. Christine waited for him to say something else after her silence. She turned around slowly and found she was alone. He’d left without a fight. Oh well, he’d gotten the message that she’d prefer if he didn’t bother her. Christine spent the next few days working in the model lab. She didn’t see Neal or talk to him. Every day she got more messages that Kasey had called. Why didn’t he get the message she wasn’t interested in him? The next morning when Christine got to work, Neal’s truck was already in his parking spot, which was surprising. She stopped in to speak with Janice and checked her calendar. There was a meeting at 10:00 a.m. Staying in her office, she worked on some drawings for some new houses. At nine forty-five, she grabbed her material for the meeting and went to the conference room. When she got to the room, she saw that Neal’s chair was across the table. They always sat next to each other to converse and compare notes. She sat in her chair, reading over the paperwork about the new potential client. Christine heard voices in the hall, and several employees walked into the room. She smiled and spoke, and then she heard loud laughter in the hall. Neal showed up with a woman on his arm. He walked her around the table and pulled out the chair next to his. They were the last to arrive. Neal started the meeting, telling everyone about the new client and what she was looking for from the company. He never introduced Christine to the client or acknowledged her at the table. They talked about an estimated time of preparation and discussed how long it would take to complete the project from start to finish. Neal asked if anybody had questions. There were none, so he adjourned the meeting. He walked out talking to the client, telling her where he was taking her to lunch. Neal had totally ignored Christine, but that was what she’d been doing to him too. Now she felt hurt, and she’d hurt him in the process, and he didn’t deserve that. She was acting like a spoiled child. Hiding from Neal would not make her problems go away. She still needed to wait another week or two to know if she

was pregnant. Was that what she was doing, waiting? Then life would go on? In the meantime, she was ruining her friendship with Neal, whatever the outcome. They would be partners and not even friends. She couldn’t live and work like that. How was she going to fix this? Would he even talk to her now, and what would she say? She needed to try. Christine went back to her office and worked on her drawings. She didn’t feel much like eating any lunch again. She was more worried about talking to Neal. She called Janice and asked her to inform her when Neal returned from lunch. It was three o’clock when Janice called her and told her Neal was back in his office. Taking several deep breaths, she left her office. He was looking down when she walked in and closed the door behind her. “Can we talk?” He never looked up. “What do you want to talk about?” “Well, I was hoping we could have this conversation away from work. Do you want to go to dinner?” “I have plans for dinner,” he lied. “Neal, I’m sorry.” “Okay, you’re sorry.” “Why are you making this difficult for me?” “What am I making difficult, Christine? I’m the one who made a total fool of myself in front of your parents. Your father should have punched my face and thrown me out. If some man stood in my face and told me what he’d done to my daughter, I would have.” He stood up, pressing his hands on the desk, staring her down. “But I’m sorry … it’s all about you. It’s all about you and your career. Nobody said you couldn’t have a career and a family. What about me? I go home to a big-ass empty house, and I’m tired of being lonely and waiting. I’m tired of waiting for you.” “You’ve been waiting for me?” she asked, astounded.

“I told you, I was burned. And now I had another taste of what life could be like with you. What about what I want? I don’t think I can make you happy. And that’s all I ever wanted to do.” He sat back in his chair. “Just tell me what will make you happy, and if it doesn’t include me, tell me that too. But I was dead serious about my baby.” Christine walked out. What else was there to say? She didn’t have answers. She went home to her empty house after work. Her stomach growled, and she walked to a nearby restaurant to eat. Sitting at a table eating alone, she looked around at other couples laughing and talking. There were families with children occupying other seats. She was the only single person looking like she’d lost her best friend. After she ate, she walked to the square. She sat on the same bench that she’d shared with Neal. They’d had so much fun together, always when they weren’t fighting! He’d been so attentive in California. She’d thoroughly enjoyed the butler service and having coffee every morning with Neal, only after she stopped staring at his chest. God, the man was fine! But she couldn’t base a relationship on somebody because he was good-looking. He was her champion, coming to her rescue with Kasey, and her Prince Charming at the ball. The man could sing and dance, and he could make her scream and call her own name. The man was perfect. She could see life with Neal, an unending adventure. Falling into one of her trances, she saw him riding a horse, with a baby on his arm. She laughed at the thought. He’d told her so much about himself and his dreams and his feelings. Not once had she told him anything. She couldn’t even tell him about Kasey, but she’d told loneranger. Maybe she needed to meet him. Maybe it would help her see that Neal was the best thing in her life. She rushed home to chat with her mystery man. Christine sat on the couch and turned on her computer. She waited patiently while it booted up and keyed in the web address. Scanning the list, she looked for loneranger and didn’t see his name. She looked at her watch. It was early. Maybe he was still at work, so she waited. She went into the kitchen and grabbed the bottle of wine. It took her a moment to her possible condition. Setting the bottle down, she grabbed a bottle of water instead. Her computer chimed after twenty minutes.

“Hey, science teacher.” “Hello, loneranger.” “I haven’t seen you online in a few days.” “Yes, I’ve been thinking.” “I hope it was about me.” “Yes. You’ve been weighing on my mind heavily.” “You have something to tell me?” “Yes, I’d like to meet you.” “I’m looking forward to talking to you in person. Can we do it this weekend?” “Yes. How does Saturday afternoon at a coffee shop sound?” “Give me the address. How will I know you?” “I’ll be the one wearing a white lab coat.” “And I’ll be the one with a black mask.” Christine gave him the address of a coffee shop near downtown Dallas. They chatted for several hours. She asked him some things about Houston. She’d never been down there, but she’d heard it was nice and close to the water. Maybe she should make a trip down that way. Who knew? After meeting loneranger, she might have a reason to visit if she wasn’t knocked up. On Saturday, Christine arrived at the coffee shop and looked around for anyone matching the description of loneranger. There wasn’t anyone close to his description. She went to the counter and bought a coffee, sitting where she could watch the door. She had her white lab coat folded in a shopping bag. If she saw a stranger come in with a mask on, then she could decide if she wanted to put it on or not. Would he walk in with the mask on? That might be dangerous! The place would think they were being robbed. She pondered how he would pull it off.

Neal left home, headed to Dallas. The coffee shop was over an hour’s drive from his house. He gripped the steering wheel as he drove. Why did he feel like he was cheating on Christine by meeting this woman? It didn’t feel as if he was cheating when he chatted with her and other women online. He cursed out loud. This was a bad idea! Maybe he shouldn’t go. But he didn’t have a way of ing her to cancel. It would be rude to let her sit there alone and worse to stand her up. Considering that this was his idea, he’d hate himself. He hit the gas. Might as well get this over with! He’d told Christine he needed to tell someone that he couldn’t see them anymore anyway. God, he wished she’d get her emotions under control soon. Christine looked up at the door every time she heard a noise. She was almost finished with her coffee. Where was he? Maybe he’d gotten caught in traffic somewhere. Dallas was known for its terrible traffic, and that was why she enjoyed living and working in Fort Worth. Christine turned up her coffee cup to drain it. Looking over the rim of her cup, she almost choked. The last person she wanted to see had just walked into the coffee shop. Why in the hell was Neal here? Of all the places in the world, he had to come to this coffee shop in downtown Dallas today. Damn! Damn! Damn! Neal walked in the door, scanning the place for a woman wearing a white lab coat. He didn’t see anyone, but … shit! He wanted to turn into goo and slink away. There was Christine, staring at him! There was no time to run and hide. What was she doing here? Maybe she was meeting someone here, far away from Fort Worth, so she didn’t accidentally run into anyone she knew. Oh well, get it over with! Might as well speak; he was busted now anyway. He walked toward her. Christine saw Neal coming. Why did he have to look so handsome and mysterious? He was wearing a cowboy shirt with silver snaps and jeans that wrapped around him like gloves. She had a flashback of his massive chest and ripped abdomen, muscled thighs, and arms so thick they could choke a horse. She ed being wrapped in those arms. She was sure she licked her lips, because he looked good enough to ravish. Immediately she felt a throb between her legs, and she heard herself moan. “Christine,” he said without a smile. But the sound was still music to her ears.

“Neal,” she said, staring into his eyes and feeling like he noticed her uneven breathing. “I guess it’s none of my business to ask what you’re doing here.” Neal smirked. “Well, actually, it isn’t any of your business, and I could ask you the same.” “I have nothing to hide. If you , I’m the open one here. If you must know, I’m meeting someone,” he said. And this time he smiled. Christine couldn’t look into his face anymore. She felt ashamed, and her eyes dropped. Following his trail of silver snaps, her eyes stopped. Christine stood up, grabbing a black mask from Neal’s shirt pocket. “Oh my God, no! This can’t be!” She threw the mask on the table. Kicking over the bag at her feet, she ran from the coffee shop. Neal looked confused, wondering why she’d acted as she did. He bent to pick up the bag she’d knocked over. The contents had fallen out. Picking up a white lab coat, he thought he would faint. He sat down. “WTF!” Neal was momentarily numb. How was this possible? Of all the hundreds, maybe thousands of people who chat online, he found the very woman who was giving him nightmares in real life. He rushed out of the coffee shop, looking around the parking lot. He didn’t see her anywhere. Running to his truck, he jumped in, heading back to Fort Worth. Christine ran out of the coffee shop to the building next door. Neal was the loneranger! Neal had been her chatroom lover. Everything he told Becca had been a lie, just like everything she’d said had been a lie. Or was it? They’d talked about a lot of things. She’d told him about Kasey, and he told her about a woman who died in an accident. Was his story real? Would she ask him if she ever talked to him again? Damn! Damn! Damn! She had to see him at work. Now she wanted to die. Her cell phone rang, and she looked at the screen. She threw it back into the console. Christine drove as fast as the speed limit would allow. What was she going to do now? Why did her life have to be so

complicated? She drove into her parking garage forty-five minutes later. Stumbling into her apartment, she fell face down on her couch. The tears started to flow, and she felt like she’d lost everything. Neal probably hated her. What would he think of her now? She’d said intimate things and dirty chatted with him. The very man she’d been intimate with, the very man who explored her body with his mouth and tongue, who told her what he wanted to do with her, the very man who made her scream his name multiple times. The man whose body she’d touched kissed and craved. Christine heard her phone ringing and ignored it. The phone rang again and again and again. Her door buzzer was ringing. Why was her buzzer going off? She never had visitors. No one knew where she lived. She’d never turned in a new address, even at work, mostly because of Quentin. Maybe someone was trying to get inside. Damn! There was only one person it could be. Neal knew her building. He didn’t know which unit was hers, though. There were no names on the outer door. Could he be looking for her? “Yes?” She tried to disguise her voice, answering the call box. “Christine? Christine, is that you? Please let me in! I need to talk to you.” She shouted into the box, “We have nothing to talk about. I don’t want to talk to you.” “Please, Christine. I’m not leaving until you talk to me.” “Go away, Neal.” “Christine, as soon as this door opens, I’m coming up there. So you might as well let me in. I know where you are now. I only want to talk.” Christine pushed the button for the outer door. She didn’t want her neighbors calling the police. Neal looked on the wall for the floor that matched the apartment number. Minutes later, he rang her doorbell, and Christine answered with the chain on the door. “What do you want, Neal?”

“Let me in, please.” “Why? You said you only wanted to talk. So talk.” “You want me to talk to you from the hallway?” “I can hear you, and you can hear me.” “Please open the door. You want your neighbors knowing your personal business?” Christine opened the door. Neal stepped inside and saw immediately that she’d been crying. He tried to pull her into his arms, but she pushed him away. She sat on the couch. He sat on the other end and put his head in his hands. He had so much to say and didn’t know how to start. “I thought you wanted to talk,” she said. “I don’t know what to say.” “Why did you come here?” “I wanted you to know how worried I was about you.” “Okay, you see I’m just fine, so you can leave.” “I can’t. We need to talk about …” Neal took a deep breath. “We need to talk about loneranger and Becca.” “Those two people don’t exist.” “Yes, they do. Those two people are us. Doesn’t this seem strange to you? Out of all the hundreds of people chatting online, we found each other. We can’t get away from each other! We’re meant to be together.” Neal shifted in his seat. “We’ll be laughing about this one day. It would be a great story to tell our grandchildren.” “Grandchildren? What grandchildren? Where did that come from?” “It was only a joke,” Neal said, trying to lighten the mood.

“I don’t think it’s funny.” “Christine, what are you so afraid of? Why are you so scared of children and a family?” “I’m not afraid of children. I love children. I love Nina.” “Are you afraid of having children born like Nina?” “I don’t know. No.” She paused, thinking. “I’m not afraid of that.” “You love your children unconditionally. I will love my children however they’re born if I ever have any. They are God’s creation and I’d cherish and spoil them every day of my life.” “Neal, was everything you said online a lie?” “How did we jump from children to that?” “I need to know. What made you attracted to Becca? Why are you attracted to me?” “It’s hard to explain. I’m attracted to your sexy lips.” Neal laughed. He explained to Christine that he was initially attracted to her energy and her drive to be the best engineer and how she accepted any challenge and succeed. She wasn’t afraid to tackle any obstacles in her path. With the steps she’d taken to stand on that stage and give her valedictorian speech, he knew she took learning seriously. Exhaling, he mentioned his screw-up about her helping him with the fundraiser and picnic. Neal told her how Quentin had praised her for stuffing envelopes. He mentioned the jerk who had propositioned her and how she hadn’t let it stop her or slow her down. But more importantly, she’d learned how to fight in a man’s world of business. Then he explained about Becca and how she was the champion for the students who needed discipline, and she taught them how to learn. Even though she didn’t have any children, she adored the ones around her. He liked the way she wanted to teach the children how to survive in a world that can be cruel.

Neal wanted her to know that it wasn’t about her outer looks. It was about her inner soul. “And it was the same with Becca,” he said. “I never met her, but I knew she was a good person, who was lonely and wanted and needed a friend to listen, someone to tell about her day, someone who wouldn’t judge her. She called herself a nerd and said that she was naïve.” “Wow!” Christine was astonished that he had picked up so much about a person he had merely talked to. And it was all true. She was all those things. “Neal, did you really lose a fiancée?” Neal stood up from the couch and paced. “Yes.” “Why didn’t you ever tell me?” “It’s not something that I talk about. Ah … can I use a restroom?” Christine showed him to the other bedroom. She didn’t trust herself enough to take him into her room. Her brain was in turmoil; confusion was taking over, so she went into the kitchen to get a drink of water. She stood at the bar with her chin propped on her hands. “Penny for your thoughts.” “I don’t know what to do!” “I don’t either, and I can’t tell you what to do. I’ve told you how I feel, and that hasn’t changed. I can’t tell you how upset I’ll be if you’re pregnant and … and you did something drastic.” Neal looked at the door. He didn’t want to talk about Bernadette. “I guess I better go now.” He headed for the door. Christine wanted to stop him. She wanted him to stay. She wanted him to go. Damn! The last time Becca brought up the subject, he’d run. He was running again. It was her turn to share. “Neal, don’t go … please. I need to tell you something.”

She sat back on the couch. “ Kasey? Ah … he was the football player from college. He was the one that broke my heart. And he’s been calling me since we came back from California.” “I should have known. I wish you’d told me when we were there. I would have loved to knock the shit out of him.” Neal punched his own hand. “At least I wasn’t naïve enough not to know about condoms then!” She laughed. “I doubt he would have married me.” Neal didn’t smile. He had a funny look on his face. “Christine, I’m so sorry. I should have thrown you out of my room. I wish I could take it back.” “Do you regret having sex with me?” “I sure as hell don’t regret the sex! I regret not being prepared. I never wanted to take advantage of you. Can we please stop talking about sex?” Neal covered his crotch with his hands. “Really?” “You started talking about sex, and now you keep licking your lips. I told you years ago to stop that.” “So you’re telling me that, for years, you’ve been getting a boner when I lick my lips?” “Christine, stop it.” There was a different tone to her voice. “Do you know what you did to me today when you walked into the coffee shop? I felt myself touching you. My hands itched to rub under your shirt. My lips burned to kiss you. I was there to meet another man, and all I thought about was how I convulsed with pleasure after I screamed your name. I was throbbing for you!” “Oh, Christine, please stop. I didn’t come here to do that. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were dirty chatting with me.” “You wanted to meet Becca. Didn’t you want to have sex with her?”

“No, I wanted to meet Becca and tell her she was a wonderful and kind person. I wanted to tell Becca that I couldn’t chat with her anymore because I’d found my Miss Right.” Neal gripped her shoulders. “I needed Becca to know that I’d found the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, be the mother of my children. But I have a problem. My Miss Right doesn’t want me or love me.” Neal took a breath, got off the couch, and walked to the door. “Bye, Christine.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

N eal walked out and didn’t look back. Why was she tormenting him by reminding him about their one night of heaven? Reminding him of something he could never have again. She didn’t love him. It sounded like she wanted to use him for her sexual pleasure. He laughed. That had never happened to him before! A woman wanted to use him! He’d done his share of that. Karma is a mother; it comes back to haunt you. If it wasn’t for what had happened to them recently, he might have let her. Neal drove down the long road. As if it had a mind of its own, his truck took him to the stables. Pulling some old jeans and a shirt from behind the seat, he changed into them and his trusty old boots. This time he ed to close the door. Xena started whinnying and blowing the moment he walked into the stable. He patted her head. “How’s my girl today?” She shook her head side to side and answered in her own way. “Well, wait until you hear about my day.” Xena bobbed her head up and down. They had their own means of communication. Neal saddled up Xena, grabbed his stocked saddlebags, and strapped on his Colt .45. He mounted Xena, and they trotted away. There was still plenty of daylight, and he didn’t have any particular place he wanted to go. Maybe he needed to find a new place to hide from the world. He didn’t want his dad showing up and bothering him. For now, he preferred some alone time to think. He rode Xena, telling her about his online dating fiasco with Becca, who turned out to be Christine. They ed the cabin and his usual spot by the river. He was glad for the solitude, riding for another three hours. Neal was using the time to check out parts of the ranch he hadn’t seen in a while. And decided he’d camp near the river so he could have food and water. After spotting a flat area where he could build a fire and make camp, he jumped

off Xena and let her walk to the water to drink while he gathered some wood. Neal set up his campfire and surrounded it with rocks. Then he took care of Xena. Now it was time to prepare for dinner. Soon there was some movement in the water. Grabbing his supplies from the saddlebags, he got some water for his coffeepot and set it on the fire. He pulled out his knife and cleaned the fish. Neal finished his meal and propped up against the saddle. He added a few more small pieces of wood to the fire. It was dark, but Neal had some light from the distant moon and his fire. He stared up at the stars until he fell asleep. Neal awoke, hearing a noise in the water. Something big was thrashing around and growling. He couldn’t see anything; it was too dark, and his fire had gone out. Whatever it was sounded mad. Neal felt the ground trembling and knew something was about to attack. He pulled out his gun and fired, emptying it, but it was too late. The animal hit him with full force, and he felt claws ripping at his skin. The animal was above him, ripping him apart. He heard Xena whinnying loudly and trying to fight off whatever had attacked him. The last thing he heard was Xena bellowing. Then everything went dark. Christine pulled into her parking spot on Monday morning. She’d beaten Neal to work, as usual. Several times on Sunday, she’d tried to call and apologize. She didn’t know what had come over her. He must have been really pissed. Her calls had gone to voicemail. She’d left several messages, but he hadn’t called her back. Well, maybe she deserved it after the way she’d treated him in California and since she’d been back. She sat at her desk and turned on her computer, checking her calendar. They had an early meeting with a new client and a department heads meeting after that. She went to get the material from Janice for the meeting. It was another client Neal had set up. She asked Janice to let her know when Neal got in, and she took the folder back to her office. After a while, she looked at her watch because Janice hadn’t called her. Maybe Neal was being a jerk and decided not to call. She headed to his office because she wasn’t about to hide like before. “Janice, is Neal in his office?” “No, and I haven’t left my desk.” Christine looked at her watch again. It was almost time for the meeting. She

asked Janice to call him. Maybe he had a flat tire or was stuck in traffic. She’d deal with Neal after the meeting. This was strange. He hadn’t done this when she’d acted like an ass in California. She went to the meeting and met with the potential client. After the meeting, Christine rushed back to the office. He was still a no-show and hadn’t called. This wasn’t like Neal. Christine went to get her cell and call Peter. Maybe he was home sulking. “Hello?” “Hello, Peter, this is Christine. Do you know where Neal is?” “Christine, something’s happened to Neal. We can’t find him.” “What … what do you mean something’s happened?” “Xena came running home alone. Immediately the ranch hands knew something was wrong. Something had attacked her. There are long gashes in her sides and hindquarters, and the blood is dry around her wounds. James told me Neal’s truck has been at the stables since Saturday.” Peter sounded choked up. “Xena would never leave him unless …” “Oh, Peter! Don’t talk like that! He’s strong and stubborn. Is there anything I can do? Is Xena going to be okay?” “We got trackers out looking for Neal. They already checked the cabin and the river where he usually camps, but there was no sign of him. I don’t know where he could be!” Peter was silent for a moment, composing himself. “Xena will make it. The vet is taking care of her now.” “Well, how long does it take to check a few acres?” “Honey, it could take days to check his ranch. Don’t you know how big it is?” “What about a helicopter? Can’t you find him with that? Or his phone, can’t you track his phone?” “There are too many trees. They wouldn’t be able to see the terrain. He could be anywhere. And he left his phone in his truck.”

“I’m on my way, Peter.” Christine ran and told Janice what was going on and that she was going to the ranch. She told her to cancel the meeting, asking her not to alert the staff. There was no need for everybody to worry about Neal. “Christine, I’m sure he’s all right. He has to be.” Janice hugged Christine, begging her to call as soon as she knew something. After Christine left, Janice dropped into her chair hard. Christine sped toward the ranch, praying they’d find him safe. She had to get a hold of herself. It wouldn’t help if she broke down in front of Peter. He needed her now, not some crying baboon of a woman. Turning off the main road leading to the ranch, she saw a helicopter in the field where they’d parked the cars for the picnic. She guessed it was on standby. She kept going until she reached the stables. There were a lot of cars, trucks, and sheriff’s cars with flashing lights next to the stables. She saw Neal’s truck there too. Jumping out of her car, she ran toward a group of men. “Peter? Peter? I’m looking for Peter,” she yelled. All the men had on sheriff’s uniforms. “Who are you, ma’am?” “I’m Christine Billingsley, Neal’s business partner. Can somebody tell me something? Have they found him yet?” She wanted to yell, possibly the mother of his child! They didn’t look like they wanted to help her. “No, ma’am, they haven’t found him yet.” Christine looked around for Peter. Maybe he’d gone looking for Neal. Seeing several of the ranch hands she recognized, she rushed toward them. “Does anyone know where Peter is?” “Yes, Ms. Billingsley. He’s in the stable with Xena and the vet. I’ll show you.” “Thank you.” Christine hugged Peter as soon as she saw him. He introduced her to the vet,

who told her he had to sedate Xena to clean her wounds and stitch up others. Christine asked if he knew what attacked her. The vet looked at Peter, and he shook his head. He said it was more than likely a bear, a big one. Xena had scratches like she’d fought with him, maybe trying to protect Neal. Christine grabbed her stomach and bent over, almost falling to her knees. Peter caught her. “Oh, no! Peter, they gotta find him. I can’t lose him too. I can’t lose him now.” Peter led her to some piled-up bales of hay. He sat down with her. “Christine, is something wrong?” “Yes, lots. Neal told me he loves me. He asked my father for my hand in marriage while we were in California. I treated him like shit. I might be pregnant, and I never told him I love him too. There’s so much more. This is my fault. He’s missing because of me. We had another argument on Saturday.” She was talking fast and running all her sentences together. “I figured as much. He goes on long rides every time you … argue. Do you want to go up to the house and lie down? Did you say pregnant?” He hugged her and kissed her temple. “You mean I might finally be a grandpa?” “You sound like my parents! They were mad at me and taking his side. You should have seen him standing in my dad’s face. Oh, Peter! I do love him! I just feel like I’m being rushed into something, and I don’t know if I’m ready.” “Did Neal ever tell you I knocked up his mother? We ran off and got married. I wish we’d had more time together. Neal looks just like his mother. That’s where he got those green eyes. Honey, life is short, and nothing is promised. You have to live, love hard, and cherish every minute. I don’t regret what I did. I have a wonderful son to show for it. And anyway, you’ll need a basketball team at least to take care of all this and mine when I’m gone.” Peter patted her on the leg. “I know he’ll be okay. He has something to live for.” A man came running into the stables. “Peter, Peter! He’s alive! They found him unconscious but breathing. He’s cut up pretty bad. They’re sending the helicopter to meet them out in a field. But they have to trek about a mile through trees and heavy brush.” “See, Christine? I told you!” Peter said, hugging her.

Christine said another prayer, thanking God. She called Janice, saying that they’d found him. It took almost an hour for the rescue team to meet the helicopter. The helicopter crew radioed the sheriff and said that the patient had lost a lot of blood and was dehydrated. They were going straight to the hospital. Christine ran to her car, asking Peter if he wanted to ride with her. Peter yelled to a deputy that they needed an escort to the hospital. “Are you sure you can handle this thing?” “Peter, I’m from California. We drive like this to go to the mall.” The patrol cars pulled out onto the highway with lights blazing. Christine had never seen such before. Several cars went ahead, stopping traffic. There was a car in front of her and one behind her. They must love Neal or Peter, or both. She was pushing her car over a hundred, and Peter was looking at her in awe. They made record time getting to the hospital with the help of the sheriff’s department. Christine pulled into the circle behind the patrol cars, and a young deputy told her he would park her car. She and Peter ran through the emergency room doors. The nurse and doctor met them. A nurse told them they had rushed Neal to surgery. Christine asked the doctor what his chances were. The doctor told her that, if they’d found Neal within twenty-four hours, he could have given a better prognosis. Now it was fifty-fifty. The doctor told them to wait in the surgery waiting room. Christine and Peter found the waiting room. Now, it was time to spread the news. Christine called her parents. As soon as she heard her mother’s voice, she started crying. Peter hung up his phone, running to her. She was holding the phone, and he heard a voice screaming Christine’s name. He took the phone, with no idea of who she’d been calling. “Hello … who is this?” “This is Marilyn Billingsley. What is wrong with my daughter?” “Marilyn, this is Peter … Peter Langston.”

“Peter, what’s wrong?” she asked frantically. “It’s Neal. He’s been missing for two days. A bear attacked him, and we’re at the hospital. He’s in surgery.” “Oh no, Peter! Is he going to be okay?” “The doctors aren’t making any promises. It’s too early to tell.” “Peter, we’re on the next plane out of here. Can you take care of Christine until we get there?” “You know I will.” Peter heard her screaming for Grant before she hung up the phone. Peter led Christine to a chair and did his best to console her. After relaying the message from her mother, he told her all they could do now was to wait. Christine hated hospitals. They smelled funny, and this one wasn’t any different. She stopped crying and started pacing. Aware of every person coming and going, she was a statue every time a doctor came into the room. Christine kept asking Peter what was taking so long. She noticed several sheriff’s deputies coming in and out, always talking to Peter. Christine’s curiosity finally got the best of her, and she asked why they were still hanging around. Peter told her he and Neal supplied and helped train the horses for the sheriff’s department. He told her that his father had once been part of a mounted patrol. Christine and Peter waited for hours before a doctor appeared in front of them and said Neal was out of surgery. He was in recovery and was stable for the moment, but he wasn’t totally out of danger yet. Christine asked when they could see him, and the doctor said that someone would let them know. They both breathed a small sigh of relief. Christine called Janice and gave her an update. She told Janice that she could alert the staff now about what was going on. Peter called James at the ranch and told him the same news. An hour later, the nurse came and told them they could see Neal. Christine and Peter walked into the big room full of beds containing other

patient’s, fresh out of surgery. Christine gripped Peter’s arm like a vise when she saw Neal. He looked lifeless, hooked up to all kinds of machines making awful noises. Christine caressed his arm, where there wasn’t a tube or a wire connected. There were long, red scratches running down the side of his face, which was partially covered by an oxygen mask. She wanted to touch his face, kiss his lips, but more than anything, she wanted him to be okay. As soon as he woke, she wanted to tell him how much of a fool she’d been. She leaned over on the bed and whispered in his ear. “Please come back to me. I love you, and I can’t live without you. We couldn’t live without you.” She kissed his temple, giving him enough hope to pull through. Peter was standing on the other side of the bed, trying to be brave. His hand touched Neal’s shoulder. His mouth was moving with no sound coming out. Christine noticed water pooling in his eyes. The nurse asked them to go back to the waiting room. Peter begged Christine to go home and get some rest. Christine shook her head and told him she wasn’t leaving. They moved Neal to ICU a couple of hours later, and they got to see him again for a few minutes. The visiting hours in ICU were four hours apart, and they had another two hours before they could spend fifteen minutes with him. Christine wanted to spend every minute possible. It was late when her parents arrived to find the waiting room full of people concerned about Neal. Christine ran to them and hugged them both. Her mother thought she looked terrible. Peter pulled Grant to the side and begged him to take Christine home, at least until the morning visiting hour. Grant tried to talk to her, but she refused. He told her if she didn’t cooperate, he’d have a nurse give her a sedative. Christine gave in. Her father drove them to her apartment. Marilyn made her take a shower and lie down. Christine fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. She dreamed of Neal and their happiest times. Then she dreamed of lying to him at her parents’ house and seeing the unsettling look on his face, the one she saw every time she hurt him. Christine woke from her nightmare and ed. Jumping out of bed, she

looked at the clock and then ran through her house. “Why didn’t someone wake me? I need to get back to the hospital.” Grant got up from the table. “Baby, we talked to Peter already, and there’s no change. Now drink some coffee and eat something, and then we’ll go back to the hospital.” Christine knew defeat when she saw it. Her father was as stubborn as they come; he wasn’t about to give in. Sitting at the table, her mother poured her a cup of coffee and fixed her a plate. Christine ate all her food. She’d been too worried about Neal to eat the day before. They dressed and returned to the hospital. Neal was kept in a medical induced coma for three days. The doctors said his body needed to rest and heal. By the fourth day, Christine was still a wreck. When they got there, Christine waited the thirty minutes before she could see Neal. Peter had seen him earlier, so he let Marilyn go in with her. Christine stood by his bed, touching him and thinking he looked better than he had the day before. Her mother stood beside her with her arm draped over Christine’s shoulder. Christine talked to Neal about work and told him he was in trouble for missing several meetings. Solemnly she told him that everybody at work was praying for his recovery. Her time was almost up, and she did her usual whispering in his ear, telling him how much she loved him. This time she felt his body jerk. “Mother! Did you see that? Did you see him move? He heard me! Neal … Neal!” The machines started beeping and making loud noises. Several nurses ran into the room, asking Christine and her mother to leave. Marilyn had to drag her from the room. Christine shouted, “No, I can’t leave him.” Marilyn managed to get her out of the room and down the hall. She shouted for Grant and Peter, who came running when they heard her. Marilyn said something was happening, but she didn’t know what. She told them the nurses and doctors were working on Neal.

Twenty minutes later, a doctor came into the waiting room and told them that Neal was breathing on his own. The doctor told them that his vitals were good and that they could expect a full recovery. If he continued to show progress, they’d move him to a regular room soon. Later that night, Neal opened his eyes, unaware of where he was. He only ed hearing Christine talking to him. He’d dreamed that she told him she loved him. Turning his head slightly, he saw the machines and a bunch of people. Neal was trying to talk, but his throat hurt. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sounds came out. Stirring in the bed, he winced with pain. The nurse noticed the movement and saw his eyes open. The doctor stood over him talking, telling Neal that a bear had attacked him in the woods several days ago. Neal tried to lift his arm, but he was too weak. He was mouthing Christine’s name. The doctor told him his family was in the waiting room. The doctor walked into the waiting room, smiling for the first time. He told them that Neal was awake and asking for Christine. She grabbed Peter’s hand to go with her. “Hey!” Christine said, happy to see him without the mask. She palmed the side of his face, and Neal pressed into it. He tried to speak, but nothing came out. “It’s okay. Don’t talk. You had us all worried. Mom and Dad are here, and the waiting room is full.” “We’re so glad you’re better, son.” Neal smiled at his father, gripping his hand as best he could. “I need you to get well. We have things to talk about.” He looked at Christine and then back to Neal. Neal rolled his eyes. Did his dad know? Nah! Christine wouldn’t tell him. He tried to raise his arm again. Peter held it down and told him to save his strength. The nurse came to the door. Christine leaned down. “I love you, and I want us to be together no matter

what.” She kissed the corner of his mouth. Neal tried to move his arm again. He wanted to touch his lips where she’d kissed him, but he was too weak, so he nodded slightly. Christine grabbed Peter’s arm, and they walked out together. Neal spent another two days improving in ICU, and they moved him to a regular room. Christine was very glad. Now she could kiss him and touch him. She lay in the bed with him. Neal ed the bear attack and told them what had happened. He ed firing at the bear and Xena helping to fight. He was so relieved to hear that she was recuperating. Peter told him the rescue team found the bear dead next to the river. Between the shots and Xena kicking her in the head a few times, she’d died. Peter figured she’d been protecting a cub. Neal had been in the regular hospital room for about two days when the doctor stopped by, telling him he could go home the next day. Marilyn and Grant stopped at the hospital to visit with Neal before their flight back to California. Christine was sitting on the bed with Neal when an aide brought his breakfast tray and put it on the table. She uncovered the dish, and Christine gagged twice and ran to the bathroom. Marilyn jumped up. “I think I’m going to be a grandmother!” she cried and rushed in behind Christine. Neal sat straight up in the bed. “What?” Grant and Peter rushed to the bed to pat him on the back. “At least I know this will not be a shotgun wedding!” Peter said laughing. He and Grant started shaking hands and hugging. “I’m finally getting a son and happy that we’ll all be a family.” Christine emerged from the bathroom looking flushed. All eyes were on her, and all the men were smiling. Neal had his arms extended, and he had his devilish smile on his face. Christine walked into his arms. “I love you, Christine. Now, will you marry me?”

“I love you too much to say no, Neal.”

EPILOGUE

The day after they released Neal from the hospital, he and Christine spent the next week at the cabin, and Neal told her about Bernadette. Her father, James, worked at the ranch, and her mother died when she was a baby. He told her they’d grown up together and were inseparable. She was a few years younger than he was. From an early age, they planned to get married. Bernadette had been riding horses her whole life, and she’d been a junior rodeo champion. He’d properly proposed the week before her twenty-first birthday. Three months later, during a barrel-racing competition, she died when she and her horse fell, crushing her. Christine never told Neal about her affair with Quentin. She thought it was best that he never know. Her perfect gentleman needed to stay perfect. Christine was most definitely pregnant. Two months later, she and Neal had a huge wedding at the ranch. Her girlfriends made the trip to Texas to be bridesmaids, and Nina was her flower girl. Seven months after the wedding, Christine gave birth to twins, Quentin Hamilton Langston and Elizabeth Amberley Langston, named after Neal’s mother. They both had green eyes, just like their daddy. A year after the twins were born, Xena gave birth to a rare set of twin foals. Guess who each got their own horse? They named the foals Artemis and Apollo. Christine’s parents retired from teaching and moved to Texas. Christine designed them a house as promised, minus a few floors. They built it on the ranch. Her parents also worked at Hamilton Construction part time. They were truly an engineering family. The student from Stanford received a full scholarship. She moved to Texas after graduation to work for Hamilton Construction. Hamilton Construction continued to host an annual charity fundraiser and picnic held at the ranch. The company flourished, and with Grant’s help, they started a new division for building bridges. Christine knew that had been Quentin’s ultimate dream, and

she was glad to make it happen. Her biggest wish was that the name Quentin Hamilton would continue throughout many more generations. After all, it was originally his legacy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

She is a native Louisianan and an avid reader and writer of romance. She lives with her husband and two cats. Her stories take you on an adventure while the characters find love and romance. She hopes you’re amazed by intrigue, chaos, and perplexity. Finding love is not always easy, but when you do, hold on tight. Read my words, feel my words.