Текст книги "Just To Be With You"

Автор книги: Bella Andre

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Текущая страница: 3 (всего у книги 18 страниц)

CHAPTER THREE

Ian already had his jacket off, his shirtsleeves rolled up and at least two dozen fire logs moved into the wood shed by the time his brothers tore themselves away from drooling all over Tatiana to come outside to help. They’d pulled in Ford, as well, and soon the four of them were making a serious dent in the wood his parents had had delivered.

He hadn’t had a chance to see Adam or Dylan since he’d been back. They’d both called a couple of times to ask if he was free to grab a beer with them, but he’d been in meetings each time. He’d been looking forward to finally getting to sit down with his brothers tonight in their parents’ house, but when he’d seen Dylan with his hands on Tatiana—and then Adam a couple of minutes later—he’d immediately seen red.

Ian had always been a possessive man, but where Tatiana was concerned he didn’t have one damned thing to be possessive about.

She wasn’t his.

She would never be his.

Hell, if one of his brothers wanted to date her, he should be happy for them both.

His jaw popped hard, and the pain of it had him belatedly realizing that he was clenching his teeth hard enough to break a molar. Damn it, he needed to get his infatuation with Tatiana under control, and fast.

Ian had always been able to calculate sums quickly in his head and could figure out the worth of a risky investment with nearly perfect clarity every single time. But so far, he hadn’t been able to figure out how to stop thinking about a pretty girl.

Out on the driveway when she’d stumbled into his arms, the attraction between them had flared up so fast and so hot that he’d been a heartbeat from dragging her into the woods at the side of his parents’ property so that he could turn that intense attraction into something even hotter. But though this only reinforced his decision not to let her shadow him, knowing he was doing the right thing by keeping his hands off her didn’t do one damned thing to diminish his desperate need for her.

“Heads up!”

Ian dropped the logs in his arms onto the top of the pile and spun around just in time to catch the football before it slammed into his head. He hadn’t played in years, but his muscles and his hands still held enough memory to throw a perfect spiral back to Dylan without so much as blinking. They sent the ball sailing back and forth several satisfying times before Adam suddenly decided to steal the ball from Dylan. He quickly lobbed it back to Ian before Dylan got his revenge by sending his Adam flying on the wet grass.

For a few minutes, as he played football with his brothers on the back lawn, Ian felt like a kid again. Back then there’d been no worries holding any of them back, no concern whatsoever about what the future held, no responsibilities beyond remembering to kick their shoes off outside so they didn’t track mud on the kitchen floor…and hoping there would be enough light left after dinner to pick up their game where they’d left it.

He’d started with those games in the backyard with his brothers and ended up the top high school quarterback in the Pacific Northwest. But though he’d done even better in college, instead of gunning for a contract with the NFL, he’d traded in his football jersey for a three-piece suit and a career in investing. Still, after all these years, he’d never forgotten the rush of throwing for a touchdown. Every time he closed another big deal, he felt that same rush. Running Sullivan Investments might be a hell of a lot different than the pro football career he’d once dreamed of, but the challenge of bringing his best game and the thrill of the win were the same.

Speaking of challenges, Ian was well aware that he hadn’t yet dished any retribution to Ford Vincent for the way he’d screwed around with Mia’s heart for five years. Sure, from everything Mia had told him, it sounded like Ford had gone out of his way to atone for his sins, but just because Ian’s sister had completely forgiven the guy didn’t mean Ian was all the way there himself. Mia hadn’t let Ian tear Ford apart at the wedding, or after, but if he acted quickly enough, she wouldn’t be able to stop him tonight.

With the center of Ford’s chest a perfect target for the football, Ian got ready to let it rip. But a few seconds later, on a curse, he dropped the ball back to his side.

“Mia would be very proud of you for not giving in to the urge. And don’t worry,” Tatiana said as she moved closer and took the football out of his hands, just in case he changed his mind and decided to nail Ford after all, “it will be our secret that you were even thinking of doing it.”

Just then, as his sister came out into the yard and put her arms around Ford’s waist, Ian couldn’t decide what was harder right then: not letting himself turn to drink in Tatiana’s beauty, or keeping his gaze on Ford and Mia while they kissed as if they were alone rather than surrounded by family.

In the end, however, Ian knew it wasn’t really a choice. Not only was he slowly starting to accept that Ford really was treating his sister the way she deserved to be treated, but the woman beside him drew him like no one else ever had. And even if he should have been focusing on protecting his sister and reconnecting with his brothers, Ian hadn’t yet figured out a way to stop himself from losing the thread of anything but Tatiana whenever she was near.

“It was nice of you to help my mother out in the kitchen.”

Tatiana’s answering smile had Ian feeling as though the football had just nailed him in the chest, right in the spot where he’d been so certain nothing would ever be able to touch him again.

“I love your parents. They’re so easy to be with, and to talk to. I can’t imagine how any of you kept anything from your mother when you were kids.”

“It wasn’t easy,” he agreed. And yet, just as he’d kept the finer details of his marriage and divorce from his sister, he hadn’t talked to either his mother or his father about the situation, either. They all loved him, just as much as he loved them, and he knew how badly they all wanted him to fall in love again, to marry again, and hopefully to have kids this time around. There was no one he wanted to disappoint less than his family. So since he couldn’t give them what they most wanted, he believed it was better to keep his own counsel on the reasons his marriage had gone so wrong and why he wouldn’t make the mistake of going that route again.

“I think I may have just shared my biggest secret with your mom, actually.” Tatiana ran a hand over her skirt in what he was starting to realize was a slightly nervous gesture. “And what’s really amazing is that I was only in the kitchen with her for a few minutes.”

As Tatiana stood beside him in his parents’ backyard, so beautiful that she took his breath away, Ian wanted to know all of her secrets. What did she secretly dream of? What did she secretly desire? And were her secret cravings as sensual, as desperate, and as endlessly hungry as his were becoming?

But he couldn’t ask her any of that. He could only say, “If you’re worried that she’ll give away your secret—”

Tatiana shook her head before he could finish reassuring her. “No, I’m not worried about that. Although I’m sure she’ll tell your dad, which is totally fine. In any case, what I really came outside to say was that dinner’s ready. I’ll go tell everyone else.”

He didn’t want to relinquish Tatiana to the attentions of his brothers again. But since he didn’t have anything to give to her, and he was pretty sure his brothers both did, Ian let her walk away from him...and toward them.

* * *

Tatiana found herself seated between Adam and Dylan at the dining room table, with both of them living up to their reputations as master flirts. She couldn’t remember another dinner where she’d laughed so much. Were it not for Ian choosing the seat farthest from her, and remaining almost completely silent during the meal, it would have been the perfect evening.

She was glad she’d stepped into the backyard in time to see Ian playing football with his brothers. She wasn’t at all surprised by his athletic ability. No, she thought with a little shiver of desire, she was absolutely certain that he did everything with both innate grace and strength. It was the joy she’d seen on his face as he played with his brothers that had her needing to put a hand on the French doors to steady herself.

All at once, she’d been able to see it so clearly—the expensive tailored suit gone and in its place, a football jersey streaked with mud and grass stains. She’d wanted to kick off her heels and dash out onto the grass to get in on their game, if only to be a part of Ian’s joy for a few precious moments. She still didn’t have the first clue how she was going to get him to change his mind about letting her shadow him, but she was hopeful that a brilliant idea would come to her soon. It certainly helped, in any case, to know that she had his mother’s seal of approval.

She also loved watching how sweet Mia and Ford were with each other. Every touch, every look they gave each other was laced with love. At the same time, it was clear to Tatiana that while they were a perfect team now, they had both remained unique individuals. Mia was full of her usual spark and sassiness, and Ford was still a brilliant and bold rock star, through and through. Tatiana was encouraged, yet again, that when people were meant to be together, even if they sometimes had a rough road to travel, things worked out in the end the way they were supposed to.

After they’d cleared the dinner plates and moved into the living room to dig into the delicious chocolate truffles that Rafe’s fiancée Brooke had made, Ian’s father walked in carrying a large bottle of champagne.

Standing by the fire where the family dog was snoring contentedly, Max said, “It’s been a heck of a great year for us Sullivans. First, with Rafe and Brooke getting engaged, and then, Mia and Ford finding each other again.” Max gave a warm smile to the man who would become his son-in-law and Mia blew her father a kiss. He popped the champagne cork and poured the fizzing liquid into the glasses Claudia had brought out, waiting until each of them was holding a full glass before raising his. “Tonight, I’d like to make a toast to Ian. We all missed you while you were living in London, and we’re very glad you’re back home.”

Ian hadn’t said much all evening, but even so, it was easy to see just how much he enjoyed being with his family. Now, as he smiled at his mother and father and said, “It’s good to be back,” Tatiana’s heart just about stopped in her chest.

Ian Sullivan had the most beautiful smile she’d ever seen.

Why, she thought as she stared at him in helpless wonder, didn’t he smile more?

The realization that his happiness already mattered so much to her had her hands shaking slightly as she reached out to clink her glass against the others’.

Though Tatiana had become accustomed to often being the center of attention over the years as her roles got bigger and her fame grew, she was glad for a big group to temporarily disappear into while she worked to regain her equilibrium.

Of course, that was right when Max said, “I’d also like to raise a toast to Tatiana for joining our family tonight.”

All eyes turned to her, and she wondered if she was as much an open book as she felt. Claudia, and likely Max, already knew how she felt about Ian. But could Mia, Dylan, and Adam see how breathless being around their brother made her?

“You’re always welcome here, Tatiana, and Claudia and I both hope you’ll consider ours to be your second home whenever you’re in Seattle.”

“Thank you, Max. Thank you, Claudia.” Her words thickened with gratitude for their welcome. “I’ve had such a wonderful time tonight. It really does feel like being home.”

“Don’t forget, I’ve also got plenty of space at my place if you need it,” Dylan offered in his charmingly wicked way.

“Thanks for the offer,” she said, grinning right back. “Hopefully the owner of the condo I’m renting won’t suddenly up and decide to kick me out, but if she does, I’ll keep you in mind.”

“At least let me take you out for a sail tomorrow.”

She wasn’t all that great on moving things like boats and planes and trains, but during her years of traveling around the world for work, she’d learned how to tamp down her natural inclination toward motion sickness. “I’d love to go sailing with you, Dylan, but I’ve got to head to Los Angeles tomorrow morning for the weekend.”

“What about Monday then?”

“She’s busy Monday.”

Everyone turned to Ian in surprise—partly because he’d interrupted their conversation from out of the blue, but mostly because of his tone. One that could quite easily be described as possessive.

Extremely possessive.

Dylan asked, “You are?” at the exact moment she thought, I am?

Though they were surrounded by his family in the cozy living room, when Ian looked at her it felt to Tatiana as if they were the only two people in the world. “My first meeting on Monday is at seven a.m. The details will all be on the schedule my assistant will email you.”

Dylan looked back and forth between the two of them with raised eyebrows before settling his questioning gaze on Tatiana. “Why are you going to be hanging out with Ian on Monday?”

“The character I’m playing in my next film inherits a really big company, and even though everyone is certain she’ll fail, she’s determined not to. Ian is so nice that he’s agreed to let me shadow him for a couple of weeks so that I can learn what it’s like to actually be a CEO.” She knew her smile was likely too big, too happy, too giddy. Borderline goofy, even. But maybe if she didn’t worry about holding back her own smiles, it would help Ian realize he didn’t have to hold in his, either.

Dylan raised an eyebrow in his brother’s direction. “That is mighty nice of you, Ian, to let Tatiana spend two weeks with you.”

Mia smacked her brother on the arm. “I think shadowing Ian in the office is an absolutely fabulous idea, Tatiana. Although, I swear that place feels like walking into the CIA sometimes. After you’re done with your stint at Sullivan Investments, you’ll have to fill us in on all his little secrets.”

“Oh no, I would never do that,” Tatiana said with utter seriousness. “Whatever happens in his office will stay in his office.” She hadn’t yet signed an NDA, but even without one, she would never break his confidence, business or otherwise, with anyone. Not even with his family.

Fortunately, Ian clearly had no intention of letting the conversation grow any more awkward, because he drained his glass, then rose and said, “Speaking of the office, I’m sorry to have to eat and run, but I’ve got a great deal of work to take care of tonight.”

Like a finely oiled machine, all of the Sullivan children insisted their parents continue relaxing by the fire while they took their dishes into the kitchen. And even though she worked with rich, famous people all the time, Tatiana got a kick out of watching one of the world’s biggest rock stars wash dirty dishes, then hand them to a near-billionaire CEO so that he could dry them. Less than thirty minutes later, the six of them were done cleaning up the kitchen and dining room and had said their good-byes.

As they drove away, Tatiana spoke to Ian in a soft voice that only he could hear in the backseat with her. “Thank you for changing your mind about me shadowing you. I’m really excited about Monday.”

She couldn’t see his expression in the darkness of Ford’s car, but she could feel the heat of his gaze as he turned to look at her. Instead of saying anything in response, he spoke to Ford. “I’d appreciate it if you’d pull over here to drop me off.”

Mia turned all the way around in her seat as her fiancé pulled over to the side of the downtown Seattle street. “We’re a good dozen blocks from your building, Ian.”

Regardless, a moment later, he was out on the curb. “Thanks for the ride. Good night.”

“Gotta love my brother,” Mia said with a shrug as Ford pulled back into traffic. “He’s one of the best men I’ve ever known, but he’s not always easy to understand. Good luck shadowing him next week, Tatiana. I know you won’t be able to tell us what you learn, but I hope it turns out to be everything you need it to be.”

Feeling like Ian had left holding her heart in his hands, Tatiana said, “I hope so, too.”

CHAPTER FOUR

On Monday morning at six forty-five, Ian found Tatiana standing outside the locked front doors of his office building. He’d been certain that as a famous actress, she would not only be late to his early meeting, but she’d also use her tardiness as a way to make a grand entrance.

Yet again, he’d been wrong about her.

“You didn’t need to be here for another fifteen minutes.”

She slipped the sunglasses she was wearing onto the top of her head as she turned toward him with a smile that wasn’t the least bit dimmed from yet another of his rather unwelcoming greetings. And though he’d assured himself he was prepared to see her today, just one look at her incredible beauty nearly took him to his knees on the pavement.

“Time is money on film sets. I assumed it would be the same for you. Plus,” she added with another grin that was a thousand times too adorable for his peace of mind, “I’ve found that being punctual means people will usually forgive me for everything else.”

“Everything else?”

“I’m messy. Really messy.” She said it without the slightest bit of regret or guilt. “Every time I think about cleaning up or organizing, there’s always something else I’d rather do.”

Order was an integral part of Ian’s life. Messes drove him crazy.

No wonder Tatiana made him feel like he was losing it, one beautiful smile at a time.

If he’d been able to think straight, he would have gotten her inside the building before anyone noticed who she was, but because he couldn’t get his synapses to fire properly around her, several people stopped to do double takes. He quickly punched in the security code, but by the time the door opened, strangers were already lining up on the sidewalk to ask her for autographs and pictures.

Tatiana was gracious and friendly and didn’t seem the least bit disturbed by any of the attention, even from the guy who stood a little too close and didn’t ask for permission before putting his arm around her for the photo. Though he was related to several famous people, and his sister was now engaged to a rock star, Ian had never been able to understand how any of them could accept the constant lack of privacy. At his first opportunity, he got her inside.

She was wearing a black coat that covered her from shoulder to ankle, and her hair was pulled up off her neck. Clearly, she’d intended to make herself as unexceptional as possible to passers-by, but she obviously didn’t realize that she’d have as much chance of that as she would trying to get the sun to stop rising every morning. Even weeks of rainy days couldn’t make you forget what it was like to feel the heat of it on your skin, or keep you from remembering the bright reflection of it on the open waters all around Seattle.

“Does it ever work?”

She stepped into the elevator beside him. “Does what ever work?”

“Your disguise.”

She slipped out of her big coat and put her sunglasses in one of its pockets. “Very rarely,” she admitted. “Which is why, usually, I don’t even bother to try. But I didn’t want there to be any problems on my first day shadowing you, so I figured I’d at least give it a shot. Sorry about all that outside. I hope I didn’t make us late for your meeting.”

Without her coat on, he could see that she’d also tried to dress for the office in such a way that she wouldn’t draw attention to herself in any of his meetings. Only, despite the blue blazer and slacks that were similar to what the other women in his office often wore, Ian was certain that no one would ever make the mistake of overlooking her. Not when she was an endlessly intriguing puzzle of innocence and pure sensuality, from the slight wave in the red-blond hair that was threatening to spill out of its pins, down to the tips of the heels she wore as if she’d been born walking on four-inch spikes.

Ruthlessly forcing away his attraction to her the same way he had all weekend long when she’d crept into his thoughts again and again, he said, “We’re not going to be late, but if we had been, it would have been my fault, not yours. I should have known to get you off the sidewalk as soon as possible.”

“It was fine,” she said, as unconcerned with the potential ramifications of her fame now as she’d been outside. “I walked here from my condo, actually. It was really nice to see what downtown Seattle looks like before it wakes up for the day.”

She’d walked here? Alone? “Shouldn’t you have a bodyguard with you?”

She made a dismissive sound. “No.”

“Does Valentina know you’re walking around by yourself downtown? And that you’re letting strange guys put their hands on you for pictures?”

Her beautiful green eyes flashed beneath raised eyebrows. “I’m sure you taught Mia to watch out for herself. My sister taught me the same things. I’m rather attached to my freedom, but I’m not stupid about it, Ian. I’m careful, I promise. Plus,” she added with a grin, “I’ve taken some karate lessons, so if that guy had done anything weird, I would have knocked him flat with a punch to the solar plexus.”

How many times was she going to surprise him? he asked himself as they got off the elevator, then headed for his office.

Of course, his lust-filled brain instantly twisted the question up as he wondered, would he be surprised by the softness of her skin beneath his fingertips? Would the taste of her lips against his tongue be as sweet as he imagined? And what would she sound like as she came apart beneath him? Whimpers? Gasps? Or would she be too breathless for either?

Business, damn it. He needed to keep his mind on business. “Do you have any questions about the schedule my assistant sent you?”

As she pulled a folder out of her bag, her scent played effortless havoc with his quickly diminishing self-control. “Just one.” Holding up the three pages that detailed the next twelve hours of his life, she asked, “When do you get a moment to take a breath?”

“Breathing is usually scheduled for just after lunch,” he replied, before he could think better of teasing her.

Her eyes widened for a moment before she began laughing. “I’ll make sure to pencil it in.”

Her scent and her nearness were destroying his restraint moment by moment. Boundaries. He needed to make sure the boundaries between them were clear—not just to Tatiana, but in his own head, as well.

But before he could lay down any ground rules, she said, “Like I said on Friday, not only do I not want to get in your way this week, but the best way for me to learn is to see you do whatever it is you would naturally do throughout the week. I truly intend to fade into the background, so please don’t give me another thought.”

She went to sit down on the couch, but he stopped her with one incredulous word: “How?” He made a sound of obvious disbelief. “You can’t even get away with a disguise outside. So how do you think you could ever fade into the background in my office?”

“Blending into the wallpaper is one of the first things you learn in acting class. And I’ll have you know,” she said with a confident smile, “that I can play a mean wallpaper.”

“I don’t care how good you are at acting like wallpaper, you’re a star.” A stunningly beautiful one, no less. “Hell, we both just saw the way people reacted to you outside.”

“You’re right that your colleagues will probably react at first because they’ve seen me in a movie or two, but it won’t take them long to realize that I’m just a person. And that I’m no different from anyone else.”

But couldn’t she see? She was different. So different that he’d been off his game from the first moment he’d met her.

His assistant knocked on the open door. “Good morning, Ian. Ms. Landon, it’s lovely to see you again.”

“Please, call me Tatiana, Bethany. And, actually, if it’s all right with you and Ian, I was hoping at some point this week that you and I could sit down together so that I can ask you some questions for my research?”

“Absolutely, Tatiana.”

Ian’s assistant had met plenty of famous and wealthy people over the years she’d been working with him, many of them from his own family. But he could see from the huge smile on Bethany’s face that she was especially excited about getting to spend some time this week with his beautiful, sparkling shadow.

“Mr. Thomas has just arrived and is waiting in reception, Ian. Would you like me to bring him in?”

“No, I’ll go greet him myself.” Before he did, he turned to Tatiana and explained, “Flynn Thomas is the founder of one of the most innovative cloud-based digital storage companies in the world. They’re not the biggest, but they’re the best, and poised for huge potential growth. I’ve been working to do a deal with him for nearly two years, and we’re nearly there.”

He held the door open for her, and when she headed down the hall in front of him, he was cursed with a view of Tatiana’s perfect hips covered in navy wool.

Wallpaper. Was she completely nuts?

“Flynn, thank you for taking the time to meet with me this morning. I’d like to introduce you to Tatiana Landon. Tatiana is doing some research for a role in an upcoming movie and has asked to sit in on my meetings today, if you don’t have an objection to her doing so. She’s signed a nondisclosure agreement, of course.”

In his late twenties, Flynn was a hell of a lot more self-possessed than most young tech entrepreneurs. In fact, it was precisely because he was nobody’s fool that he hadn’t yet taken an offer from anyone and still held the reins on a company that was increasing in worth by leaps and bounds.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Tatiana,” Flynn said, and as they shook hands, Ian could have sworn he held on to Tatiana’s just a little too long. “You were brilliant in Gravity.”

Tatiana flushed at his compliment. “Thank you. I hear you’re brilliant, too.”

What the hell? Were the two of them flirting?

Rationally, Ian knew it shouldn’t matter one bit who Tatiana flirted with, and yet he couldn’t quite bank his irritation as they made their way into the conference room where Bethany had set out an array of breakfast food and drinks.

Flynn didn’t normally care for small talk, so Ian didn’t offer any. But today, the other man was full of questions for Tatiana, particularly regarding some of the more technical aspects of moviemaking. She graciously answered his questions, and Ian’s irritation notched up another level at the certainty that this hugely important meeting was about to be completely derailed. But when Flynn pulled out a chair for her at the conference table, she simply smiled and said, “I’m going to grab a seat over there, thanks.” Taking a chair in the far corner of the room, she opened her notepad and began to write down some notes.

Flynn’s eyes remained on her for a few moments. He was clearly entranced, but when she didn’t so much as look up from her notebook and seemed as if she was totally in her own world, he finally turned his focus to the sheet of paper Ian had put on the table in front of him.

“This is my new offer.”

Flynn whistled low and long. “You got the board to agree to these terms?”

Ian nodded. He’d spent the entire weekend doing just that, as a matter of fact. “They’re as enthusiastic as I am about working with you and your company.”

Flynn looked down again at the enormous figures on the page, running one hand through his hair as if he couldn’t quite take it in. But even though nearly anyone else on the planet would have jumped at what Ian was offering, Flynn was not only one of the most independent-minded individuals Ian had ever met, but he’d also been jerked around by a couple of other investment firms the previous year. It had made him increasingly cautious about the idea of partnering with anyone.

Ian sat back in his chair to make sure Flynn knew the pressure was off, even though the full truth was that Ian would do pretty much anything to make sure this deal didn’t fall through. He knew it was crazy to feel this way after all these years of success and the huge sum of money in his bank account, but Ian had never been able to completely bury his fear over not having enough money during those years in college when his family had been in dire straits. An enormous deal like this one would go a long way to buffering that sense of security that he’d been chasing ever since.

Finally, Flynn said, “I like you, Ian. Your track record is great, and the numbers you’re talking now aren’t bad, either. But how do I know you’re not just in it now for the hard sell, and then when we do the deal, you’ll pass me off to someone lower down the chain?”

“I’m committed to you and your company, Flynn. And you’re right, I am a straight-up guy, so I’m going to give you my word that if you agree to partner with Sullivan Investments, I will personally continue to work with you.” It would be a hell of a lot of extra work on top of a schedule that was already packed, but Ian frankly relished the challenge and the opportunity to work with someone as innovative as Flynn Thomas.

The other man took his measure in silence. Ian didn’t have any problem with that. On the contrary, he appreciated working with someone who thought first and acted only after weighing all of the pros and cons of the situation.

“I’ll be out of town until next Tuesday,” Flynn said. “Let’s meet again then, at which point I’ll give you my final decision.”

“Sounds good.” Especially since between now and next Tuesday, Ian planned to find a good half-dozen more ways to sweeten the deal so that Flynn wouldn’t be able to say no. “If you’ve got a few more minutes, any chance you can take me through that new technology you mentioned yesterday?”

Flynn’s face lit at the chance to switch from business to technology, and though he had finally seemed to completely forget Tatiana’s presence as he pulled out his tablet and started talking Ian through his newest innovation, Ian hadn’t.