Читать книгу The Million-Dollar Catch: The Substitute Millionaire - Сьюзен Мэллери - Страница 14

Ryan lived in a high rise condo that was all glass and steel. Julie was sure there had to be more to the construction because this was L.A. and earthquakes were a certainty. Regardless of what high-tech innovation kept the building standing, she was unimpressed by the modern coldness of it all. Sure, the location was great and the concierge service would take care of all the details of life, but she preferred her slightly scruffy neighborhood where lawns were normal and kids played on the sidewalk.

Of course being critical of Ryan’s building was a fabulous distraction, she admitted as she stepped off the elevator and walked down the hall to his condo. She’d decided to take her mother’s advice from the previous weekend and get to know the man. She’d called him and suggested they get together, and he’d offered lunch at his place.

She rang the bell. He answered right away.

He seemed taller than she remembered, but maybe her brain was fuzzy from the shock of seeing him in casual clothes. The designer suit was gone. In its place were worn and faded jeans and a long-sleeved white shirt. Both emphasized his lean strength.

His shirt was open at the collar, exposing a tanned chest and a light dusting of hair. She remembered touching him there, running her hands across his warm skin and feeling him react to her caress. Of course she’d pretty much touched him everywhere, and that memory playground was a place she wanted to avoid.

“You made it,” he said. “Come on in.”

“It wasn’t that hard to find.”

“I thought you might change your mind,” he admitted. “After last time.”

Right. Last time. Their fight in her office, because he’d proposed. Just thinking about it made her angry enough to spit, although honestly, she’d never spit in her life. But if anyone was going to make her, it was Ryan.

Still, she wasn’t here to argue with him. “You said on the phone we could pretend that never happened.”

He smiled. “You’re right. So this is me pretending. Come on in.”

He stepped back and she entered the foyer. The shock was instant. They were the only living things in a room of glass and metal.

“I think it’s important we get to know each other,” she told him, deciding it was polite to ignore the stark surroundings. “The baby isn’t going away and neither are you. So here we are.”

He smiled. “But you’d like me to go away.”

“It would uncomplicate my life.”

“Boring isn’t better.”

“I’m not talking boring,” she said. “Just a few less surprises.”

“I’ll try to keep them at a minimum. So we’re having a truce with lunch?”

“I’m willing. We’ll think of it as a spicy side dish.”

His dark gaze settled on her face. “Meaning I shouldn’t mistake your pleasant conversation for forgiveness?”

She’d hoped they could avoid discussing what had happened, but maybe that was impossible. “I’m working on it.”

“I understand. You’re not easy. I respect that.”

Despite her nervousness, she laughed. “Apparently I am easy. That’s what got me into this position.”

He took a step toward her and lowered his voice. “You’re not easy—I’m irresistible.”

“Why doesn’t that make me feel any better?”

“I’m not sure,” he said, leading the way through the foyer. “At least it feeds my ego, which I always appreciate.”

“I can imagine,” she murmured.

“Come on. I’ll give you the tour.”

She followed him out of the foyer and into an open living space. His unit was on the corner, so he had two walls of glass, giving him a perfect view of Hollywood, the Hollywood Hills and to the east, in the distance, the skyline of downtown.

Here the predominate color was gray, accented with wood tones and bright splashes of red and orange from a large canvas of very abstract art. The end tables and dining-area table were glass and steel. The sofa and chairs, a medium gray. The walls were a lighter shade of the same. The hardwood floors and leather ottoman provided the only hint of warmth.

“What do you think?” he asked.

She set her purse on an Ultrasuede-covered chair. “It’s, um, very modern.”

“Not your thing?”

“Not really.” And based on the little she knew about Ryan, she would guess it wasn’t his thing, either.

“I was dating a decorator when I moved in. She offered and I took the easy way out.”

Ah, so it wasn’t his style. Funny how that made her like him a little.

He led the way into the kitchen. It opened onto the rest of the room and was all hard surfaces done in gray. Concrete countertops, various shades of gray in the polished glass tile backsplash, stainless appliances.

“You need to get a couple of plants,” Julie said as she took the bar stool he offered on the far side of the island. “Something green and bushy and alive. Aren’t you afraid all this modern stuff is going to suck the life out of you?”

“It’s okay,” he said with a shrug. “It’s easy to keep clean.”

She grinned. “You would know this how?”

“The cleaning service has mentioned it a few times. That and the fact that I don’t have pets.”

“I’ll bet you mostly eat out, you’re rarely home, you don’t have big, loud parties. You’re the perfect client for them.”

He stood on the other side of the island and began removing things from the built-in refrigerator.

“How do you know I don’t have big parties?”

“Your sofa and chairs are in perfect condition. Nothing crunchy or wet has been dropped on them. Parties are messy.”

“Good point. You’re right. No parties.”

Just a parade of women, she would guess. Even ignoring his sob story about women coming on to him because of his money, Julie knew Ryan was impressive enough to entice the ladies all on his own.

He carried a package of raw chicken breasts, fixings for salad, basil, some jars and bottles she didn’t recognize and—she blinked to make sure she wasn’t seeing things—a cookie sheet with prepared bread dough on it.

Was he serious?

“You’re cooking?” she asked, trying to sound less surprised than she felt.

“I said I’d make us lunch.”

“I thought you meant reservations.”

“Would you rather go out?”

“No. This is great. Shocking, but great.”

“You don’t cook?”

“I can prepare a few basics. I don’t totally live on takeout and frozen dinners. But I don’t make anything that requires baking or takes this many ingredients.” She rested her forearms on the counter. “So what are we having?”

“A goat-cheese-and-arugula salad, followed by a grilled-chicken sandwich with a pesto sauce on warm focaccia bread, with fresh berries and crème anglaise for dessert.”

Color her hungry, she thought as her stomach gave a rumble.

“Impressive. Let me guess. You dated a chef.”

“Hey, that’s a little judgmental. The summer Todd and I were twenty, our parents took us on a Mediterranean cruise for a month. We would rather have hit Europe on our own, but they insisted, so we went. It was a small ship with not much to do and nearly everyone on it was retired. I think the captain was afraid Todd and I would start trouble because he arranged for daily cooking classes. I hated the first couple, but then I got into the whole thing. Now I cook.”

Impressive, she thought. “And Todd?”

Ryan grinned. “He flirted with the cocktail waitress.”

He turned on the oven, set a grill pan on the six-burner stove, then seasoned two chicken breasts. After collecting a small but powerful-looking food processor, he rinsed off the basil, then dried it with a towel.

“You’re really cooking,” she said. “I’m sorry, but this is very unusual for me.”

“You should see what I can do with a potato.”

It wasn’t a side of him she would have expected. With his money and easy good looks, he could have spent his life ordering room service.

As he sprinkled various spices on the bread dough he’d flattened on a cookie sheet, she found herself getting caught up in the way he moved his hands—the confidence and finesse. Without wanting to, she remembered those hands on her body. For a guy who wore a suit and tie, he was very good at manual labor.

And she was an idiot. This was not a good time for R-rated flashbacks. She was here to get to know the father of her child. Oh, but if things were different she would be all over him like mascara on silk.

The bread went in the oven, the chicken went on the grill pan and then he walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a pitcher with a pinkish tea mixture, sliced lemons and ice cubes.

“Herbal,” he said as he poured them each a glass. “No caffeine.”

“Thanks.” She sipped. The flavor was more citrus than tea, but it was nice. “It’s good.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

“Okay, you win. I’m officially confused. Is this really you?” she asked.

“Want to see some ID?”

“You know what I mean. You’re …”

“Normal?” he offered.

“Yes. Normal. Nothing like the high-powered entrepreneur who hates women.”

He winced. “I don’t hate women. I like them.”

“As long as you can teach them lessons.” She held up her hand. “Sorry. I’m breaking the rules. Let’s just say this is an interesting side of you. And now we can move on to safer topics. Tell me about what your life was like growing up.”

He eyed her as he tore up the arugula and dropped it into a bowl. “That could get me into trouble.”

“How?”

“Let me count the ways. But I’ll play along. Todd and I were born within a couple of months of each other so we’ve always been close. Our fathers are brothers, so we traveled together a lot, went to the same schools, hung out on vacations.”

“Public school?” she asked sweetly, then sipped her drink. She had already guessed the answer, but she confessed she didn’t mind seeing him defensive.

“Private. Prep.”

“Ah.”

He glared at her, then continued. “We both went to Stanford. There was some talk of Princeton or Yale, but we weren’t interested. Our lives were in California. Snow was for ski vacations, not everyday life.”

“Skiing in Gstaad?” she asked.

“All over. And before you start mocking me—”

“I would never do that!”

He ignored her. “I want to point out that Ruth came from money. This could have been your life, too.”

“I can understand the words, but I’ll admit I can’t make the concept real. Mom always said her parents were dead and we believed her.”

“But if things had been different …” he began.

She looked at him. “Then you and I would have grown up together. We would have been like brother and sister.”

Ryan grimaced. Not exactly the direction he wanted them to go. He thought of Julie as many things, but a sister wasn’t one of them.

As he worked, he kept getting distracted by her presence. She was so alive, so vibrant. It was as if she were the only color in the room.

He liked the way she challenged him, and how she tried to be fair. He also liked the way she looked in her soft pink sweater that just hinted at the curves beneath. Curves he remembered and ached to touch and taste again.

“Or maybe we would have been each other’s first love,” she said.

“I like that better,” he told her.

“I can see it all now. The wonder and thrill of that first kiss. Going to each other’s prom.”

“You’d be attending a private girls school,” he said with a grin. “In a uniform.”

“I’m ignoring you. We would have parted tearfully before college, tried to keep in touch, but you were incapable of being faithful. I made a surprise trip to your dorm and found you with that redhead.”

“Hey—why do I have to be the bad guy? I’ve never been unfaithful.”

Her blue eyes widened slightly. “Why don’t I believe that?”

“I don’t know, but it’s true. I have references.”

She seemed to consider that for a second. “Okay, so we just drift apart. Then on our next holiday together, Todd comes on to me. You’re crushed and while the two of you are fighting I run off with the brilliant computer-science major I met in the library.”

“Do I live a life of bitterness and regret?”

“Maybe. But eventually you find someone. A spinster librarian who reads Emily Dickinson to you every night.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“Actually, you like it a lot.”

“So you still hate me, huh?” he asked.

She tilted her head and her long, blond hair tumbled across her shoulder. “Not as much as I should.”

He turned the chicken and shook his head. “I wish we’d met another way. I wish I’d run into you at the beach or the grocery store or at a party.”

“Ryan, don’t.”

“Why not? We get along. We got along that first night, we’re getting along now.”

“I don’t know how much of that first night was real and how much of it was your agenda. Who are you really?”

“I’m trying to show you.” And to be patient. Her points were valid. As much as he didn’t like it, he respected her right to be cautious.

“Okay, I’m good with that,” she said. “I’m trying, Ryan. I’m not being difficult on purpose.”

“It’s just a happy by-product?”

“Kind of.”

“So tell me about your life,” he said. “You know all about the tragedy of my childhood.”

She smiled and his gut tightened. Imagine what she could do to him if she worked at it.

“My sisters and I were pretty happy. There wasn’t a lot of money and no private schools with or without uniforms, but that was fine with us.”

“Your dad died?”

She paused and for the first time since arriving, looked uncomfortable.

“No, he’s alive.”

What was the problem? Divorce happened all the time.

“My parents are still married,” she said. “They have a unique relationship. My dad is one of those guys who can’t settle down. He’s charming and funny and everyone wants to be around him.”

Everyone but her, Ryan thought, watching the emotions play across her face. Her father had obviously hurt her.

“He disappears,” she continued. “He’ll show up for a few weeks, much to the delight of my mother who adores him. He’ll shower us with presents and tell us stories and get involved in our lives and then he disappears. There’s never any warning and more often than not, he cleans out my mom’s bank account. A few months later, he sends a check for three or four times that amount. A few months after that, he shows up again and we’re off.”

“That had to be hard on you,” Ryan said.

“It wasn’t my favorite way of life. I wanted him to stay and if he couldn’t stay I wanted him gone. For so long I hated how much I loved him when he was around and how awful I felt when he left. I hated seeing my sisters so sad and listening to my mother cry.”

She stiffened, as if she hadn’t meant to say that much. “It’s better now,” she said casually. “I don’t get involved.”

Was that true? Was Julie really able to cut herself off from her father or did she simply avoid any emotion where he was concerned?

“How does your mom handle it?” he asked.

“She loves him.” Julie’s expression was both indulgent and confused. “I don’t get it, but she does. She’s loved him from the moment she first saw him. She walked away from her family just to be with him. From that life of wealth and privilege, from her parents. Your uncle was her stepfather, but he’d been a part of her life since she’d been a baby. As far as she was concerned, he was her father. According to her, it was for the best. She’s never looked back, never had regrets.”

He checked on the bread, then removed the chicken from the grill. The salad was ready. Once the bread was done, he would make the pesto and they’d be ready to eat.

“I admire her ability to stand by her decision,” he said. “That takes courage.”

“I think being totally cut off from her family helped. It wasn’t as if they would have welcomed her back.”

“Her father wouldn’t have,” he told her. “But Ruth would have. She’s a soft-hearted old bird. She’d bristly and tough on the outside, but inside, she’s mush.”

“I haven’t seen that side of her. She was pretty intimidating when she came to visit.”

He smiled. “You? Intimidated? I don’t believe it.”

She laughed. “Okay, I was nervous. You obviously care about her. I can hear it in your voice. I mean this in the nicest possible way—why? She tried to get one of us to marry your cousin by bribing us. That’s not exactly sweet.”

“But it’s vintage Ruth. She loves to meddle, but she’s also always been a big part of my life. Our parents traveled constantly and when they were gone, Todd and I lived with Ruth. She had an incredible old house in Bel Air. The grounds were massive, two or three acres at least. We’d spend summers getting lost in the gardens. When we were at school, she’d show up for no reason, pull us out of classes and take us to the beach or Disneyland.”

“That sounds nice.” Doubt filled her voice.

“It was. You’ll have to get to know her.”

“I can’t wait. At least the house will be cool if she asks me to visit.”

“She doesn’t live there anymore. She gave it to her daughter, who’s the oldest of the two sisters and she passed it along to Todd.”

Julie stared at him. “Todd lives in an old Bel Air mansion?”

“Does that change anything? Are you sorry he wasn’t the one on the date?”

She laughed. “No. It makes him even more mock-able. What’s a single guy doing with a house like that? It must be a museum.”

“It is. Why do you find that so funny?”

“I don’t know, but I can’t wait to tell my sisters. Okay, my good manners are kicking in. How can I help?”

“You could set the table.”

“Great. Show me where to wash my hands?”

“Sure.”

He led her to the guest bathroom off the dining area. She glanced around at the white tile, marble floor and white fixtures, then returned her attention to him.

“You really need to work on saying no to your interior decorator.”

“I know. It’s a disaster.”

“You could get snow blindness in here.”

“If you think this is bad,” he teased, “you should see the bedroom. It’s all done in black and purple.”

In less than a heartbeat, the entire mood shifted. Tension crackled between them. Ryan couldn’t look away from her mouth, and the need to kiss her and hold her attacked him like a semiautomatic.

Julie opened her mouth, then closed it. “This is awkward,” she said at last.

“It doesn’t have to be.” Although it nearly killed him, he took a step back. He’d given in to temptation at the law office and it hadn’t furthered his cause. He tried never to make the same mistake twice. “See. All better.”

It wasn’t. At least not for him. The more he was with her, the more he wanted her, but for right now, he was going to ignore the heat and desire. He had to think long-term. He and Julie needed to establish a comfortable relationship so they could get to know each other. Then, when he’d softened her up, he would propose again. Because one way or the other, they were going to be married.

No child of his was going to be born without legally joined parents at his or her side. So he was willing to do whatever it took to convince Julie that she could take a chance on him—even not give in to the only thing they could agree on.

Sex.