Strictly Confidential Page 10

  She could play it coy, keep it light and let it go. “No.” And there went that opportunity. But then, she wasn’t known for lying. She laid her cards on the table and went from there.

  His slow smile was just as devastating as she remembered. Her stomach took a ride on the Oh Shit rollercoaster as she tried to hide her reaction.

  “Did you arrange this?” he asked. The low timbre of his voice skated over her memories to draw up every command he’d given her. Every touch and order she’d so willingly followed.

  She cleared her throat, almost laughing at the absurdity of his question. “No. Did you?”

  “No.”

  It really had been a coincidence. What were the odds? “Do you know who I am?”

  “Not beyond your name… Kennedy.” His low rolling purr enunciated every syllable to add a hint of accusation to the seductive tone.

  “If I remember correctly, it was you who insisted on keeping our full identities secret.” She wasn’t taking the blame for what appeared to be a stunning act of fate.

  “I did.” He studied her for a long moment before he shook his head, looking away. “Who would’ve thought we’d meet again, let alone under these circumstances.”

  “Definitely not me.” A smile picked at the corner of her mouth when he looked back to her. She shrugged yet again. What else was there to do or say? “Was there a reason why you were so insistent on remaining anonymous?”

  He huffed out a short laugh before he rubbed a hand up his jaw. It was his first real display of emotion since she walked into this room and it touched her in an odd way. What was he struggling with?

  “No,” he finally said, his hand falling to his side. “Not really. It just seemed easier. No expectations. No worries about raising your hopes on something I couldn’t offer.”

  “And what’s that?” she asked. He needed to spell it out even though she was pretty sure she could guess what he was referring to.

  “Anything more.” His bomb landed with a dull thud.

  “Well, you’re in luck.” She gave his chest a quick pat. “Because I have no desire for anything more.”

  She strode from the room to add an exclamation point to her statement. Why did men assume women spent their lives looking for a man to sweep them off their feet in a whirlwind of Cinderella fairy dust? She was happy with her life. She didn’t want or need a man in it.

  But that didn’t explain why she’d been unable to forget him. Why he still invaded her thoughts almost a month later.

  Her snort was lost beneath the creak of the stairwell door. She didn’t look back to see if he was following her, but he caught the door before it slammed shut. She swung around the landing and attacked the stairs as if she was wearing running shoes instead of heels.

  She could run in heels, no problem. Just add that to the list of helpful skills her mother had taught her. Grace under any situation, and most of them required matching shoes.

  She halted at the front door, her ire flattening into a practiced line of disinterest as she ignored the nugget of disappointment that tried to pry its way into her emotions.

  Matt entered the lobby on that same controlled calm that defined him. But she’d seen the passionate side of him too. Along with the one that’d listened to her quiet demand this evening. He could’ve ignored her or tempted her with the very things she couldn’t fully admit to wanting, let alone expose. But he hadn’t.

  Not even a little.

  He’d given her nothing but pleasure, all without taking anything for himself.

  He extended his hand, a kindness to his expression she couldn’t quite pinpoint but felt. “I’m Matt Hamilton, owner and CEO of McPherson Trucking. It’s nice to meet you.”

  Nope. Her heart did not do that fluttery flip thing just now. She took his hand in hers, momentarily stunned by the warmth that crept up her arm to soften her a little more.

  “It’s nice to meet you. Matt Hamilton.” She emphasized his last name. “I’m Kennedy Keller. VP of Operations at Keller Pallet.”

  He kept her hand enclosed in his, but not by force. She could’ve pulled it away if she’d wanted to. Yeah, if she’d really wanted to. She couldn’t explain why she didn’t want to, or how that little hold made her feel safe when she hadn’t felt unsafe before.

  “Kennedy Keller,” he repeated in a thoughtful tone she couldn’t decipher. “For the record, you should consider that maybe it wasn’t you who I was concerned about wanting more.” He paused, his words sinking in with the resounding boom that’d been absent earlier. “Maybe it was me I was worried about. And maybe…” He cupped her cheek with his free hand, his thumb tracing an arc over her cheekbone. “I was right to listen to those concerns.”

  The rollercoaster crashed in a bloodcurdling descent that shook her old resolves. This was the last thing she’d expected when the evening began. Instead of reclaiming her power, she’d somehow managed to give more of it to him.

  Her insides trembled with the uncertainty chasing her longing. “Thank you,” she said, pulling away from his touch. She fisted her hands and held them firmly at her sides. “For tonight. For listening to me.”

  He frowned. “Why wouldn’t I?” He didn’t move, yet she couldn’t shake the perception that he’d inched closer. Or was it her moving closer to him? “I’d never disrespect you like that.”

  She’d known that, deep down. Despite having just one previous encounter with him, she’d trusted him to play by her rules when she’d taunted him with her fingers.

  “I…had hoped,” she finally said.

  “I thought those scenes were safe.”

  “They are. Or I wouldn’t do them.” Her brows drew down as she circled back to how this situation had happened. “Why did Trevor invite you tonight?”

  “I’ve been questioning that since I realized it was you spread over that table, owning your sexuality and the room.” Lust laced his voice and matched the fire in his eyes. “I’d been trying to shake the image of you plastered against the window, taking my dick with such hungry sweetness. And there you were, taking your own pleasure with the same confidence that drew me in from the start.”

  Her mouth went dry. How was she supposed to respond to that? He’d been thinking about her? Remembering their night like she had?

  “How do you know Trevor?” she persisted. He wouldn’t derail her with sexy words and a husky tone.

  His half-smile showed a spark of admiration. “I hired Trevor to manage my company’s investments a while back. We’ve formed a bit of a friendship since then.” He dismissed the details with a shrug. “The Boardroom came up a few months ago. I passed, but my dick couldn’t seem to shake your memory, so I took him up on the invite.”

  She processed that. “You were led here by your dick?”

  “I doubt if I’d be the first.”

  “Touché.” She shared a smile with him and tried to not be drawn in by the devastating effects of his. It softened every hard edge without detracting from the authority that was an inherent part of him.

  “And you?” he asked. “What brought you to the Boardroom?”

  Her laugh was quick. “I’m no different than any man on that aspect—minus the dick.” She paused to see if he’d react. He didn’t. “I like sex. Open, unencumbered sex. Men don’t own that.”

  “No. They don’t.”

  She hunted for a hint of derogatory or negative subtext and found none. She rested a hand on the door, but her rush to see him go had faded.

  “You also like control,” he stated. “Both having it and giving it up.”

  His blatant declaration was totally true, only most didn’t know about the last bit. Actually, no one did—except him. “I’d appreciate it if you kept that knowledge to yourself.”

  “It’s not mine to share.” His simple response defined him. Clear cut. Precise. Accurate.

  “And you,” she said, “like wielding control. What I don’t understand is why you gave it up to me so easily tonight.”

  “Did I?
” He frowned. “I guess it depends on how you look at it.”

  “I guess it does.” She’d let him stew on that even though she understood what he meant. He might’ve given into her wish of not openly dominating her, but he’d controlled her in every gentle touch and demanding caress. And she’d asked him to do it.

  He took a step toward the door, which also brought him closer to her. He appeared a little distracted when he stared down at her. Her breath did that irritating hitch before she held it. How? Why? He was just a guy. She’d been around powerful men her entire life. He was no different—yet he was.

  Which made him very dangerous.

  He raised his hand in a deliberate motion that clearly telegraphed his intent. She could’ve stopped him. Moved away. Deflected. Instead, she stood there and let him run the back of his fingers down her cheek. Her breath gusted out on a telling sigh.

  She turned her face into his touch, eyes closing as the longing rushed in. It’d only taken that one little stroke to bring back every ache she worked so hard to deny. Possibilities danced invitingly before her, dangled within her reach by a man she barely knew.

  The barest of kisses grazed her temple, soft as a breath. She leaned into it, drawn in before she could think.

  “You are a temptation I didn’t plan on,” he murmured.

  She swallowed down her response. Was there really any point in agreeing with him?

  “Logic tells me I should walk away. But logic also said I shouldn’t have come here tonight.”

  “Maybe you shouldn’t have,” she countered. If he hadn’t, then neither of them would be wading through the internal debate they were obviously both having.

  “But I did.”

  “Yes,” she whispered. “You did.” She inhaled a long, slow breath that fed his scent into her. The tangy hint of his cologne blended with the pungent undercurrent of her sex. She didn’t need the reminder of how he’d pleasured her with the same focused dedication she’d bet he used for every task. The reminder was there, though. Trapped in the short hairs of his beard. Could he still smell it? Would he wash it out or let it remain?

  Her fingers drifted down his lapel, seeming to move on their own. When had she gotten so close to him?

  “I have two kids.”

  The sharp splash of reality doused her errant emotions. He had kids. What? Why did he tell her that? Now?

  She jerked back, trying to read him. “Okay…”

  “They’re both teens. One’s in college. The other in high school. I owe them my focus.”

  Her thoughts flew in the same scattered maze of her emotions. Confused. Shocked. Alarmed. Kids was a topic she generally avoided on all levels. Usually because it led back to when was she going to have them. Just the thought of being pigeonholed into the standard female expectation of motherhood made her nauseous.

  “Agreed,” she finally offered. She had no problem with kids being a parental priority, especially when she’d never been. “And…”

  He studied her, indecision flashing before he shut it down. “You make me want things I haven’t let myself want in years.”

  “And that bothers you.” She wasn’t about to ask what he wanted. Not knowing was better than digging for a response she didn’t want to hear.

  He moved closer without answering her. His intent was clear, though. From the smoldering hunger in his eyes to the longing that hummed through the air and incited her own. He swept his hand along the side of her neck, cupping the back of her head and drawing her in for a kiss that left no question to what he desired.

  His tongue swept over hers, teased and demanded at the same time. He took what he wanted and she gave it to him so easily. He was a threat to everything she held dear. Her independence and respect. Her position and autonomy. The place she’d carved out for herself in a field owned by men.

  And this was just a kiss. A kiss.

  That had her head swimming and her pulse racing.

  From a simple kiss.

  He tilted her head and dove in deeper before retreating to tease her with lighter strokes that managed to curl her toes and leave her clinging to him. Her scent blended with the lingering taste of her on his tongue, or was that her imagination. A reminder of how he’d drawn out her orgasm until it’d burst from her on a blinding rush of stunned ecstasy.

  She lifted, determined to give back. To chase his demand with her own.

  He drew his other hand down her back and over the swell of her ass. The slightest of pressure had her hips connecting with his. His erection carved a defined line down her lower abdomen. Her moan vibrated in her chest and lit up the lust that should’ve been sated. Her pussy clenched with the sudden urge to feel him in her.

  How? How did he set her off so easily? Sex. It was just sex. A base attraction triggered by hormones. But this was so much bigger. More intense.

  He ripped his mouth away, breaths crashing with hers before he rested his lips on her temple. “This,” he mumbled. “This right here is why I wanted distance.”

  She hummed her response, too lost in the dizzying effects of his kiss. But she totally agreed. This—whatever it was—was dangerous.

  “But I know who you are now,” he continued. “I know how to find you.” He eased back to look in her eyes. His intentions were telegraphed along with his turmoil. “And I don’t know if I can stay away.”

  Warning bells sounded every alarm she’d rigged to prevent herself from falling into this exact situation. Yet he could give her the one thing she didn’t trust with anyone else.

  Was the risk worth it?

  “Then you probably should,” she told him, backing away. Regret twisted a sharp knife in her chest before she’d finished her words. She held strong through the whispers of possibilities and what-ifs until she let her hands fall from his shoulders. “Sex shouldn’t be complicated,” she added, more as a reminder to herself. “And this screams complication.”

  He blew out a long breath. Nodded. “It does.” He shoved the door open. A wave of cooler air swooped in to bathe her heated skin. “Because sex wouldn’t be enough with you.”

  Her stomach dropped. Her lips parted, but no response came out. She refused to acknowledge the yearning created by his hidden threat…or was it a promise? What would more entail?

  He pierced her with a long look that spoke to how much he wanted to act. “Goodbye, Kennedy.” He left without a backward glance. His strides were crisp, his spine straight as he strode across the lot to the black car parked on the far end.

  She stood there, numb, watching him until he pulled from the lot, his taillights providing one last confirmation of his existence before he turned the corner.

  Something cracked within her, but she ignored it. She could’ve stopped him at any point. She could’ve accepted what he was dangling. And that would’ve put her in the one position she’d promised herself she’d never be in.

  Being beholden to a man would only hold her back. But for the first time ever, she was having a hard time remembering exactly where she needed so desperately to be.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Matt looked up from his conversation to find Trevor James studying him from across the bay. His curse died in his throat. He’d been expecting a call, but an unscheduled personal visit was even worse.

  “It looks good,” he said to his supervisor, handing the clipboard over to him. “Keep me updated.”

  “Got it.”

  Matt tucked his pencil behind his ear and headed to his guest. He mentally shuffled his tasks for the day, while hunkering down on his loyalties. He’d tried to limit them after his ex, but he’d taken on a ton more when he’d bought the company.

  Howard McPherson had started the business with three trucks and the hopes of providing for his family. Forty years and a fleet of vehicles later, he’d more than succeeded in reaching his goal. The brand had a strong local following and association, but Howard’s drive to succeed had lessoned with his age. His daughters all had families of their own with no interest in ta
king over the company, and his wife’s dreams of a tropical retirement had spurred his decision to sell.

  Matt’s military background as a transportation officer had landed him a job here when he’d been desperate to support his own family. And now, he had a few dozen employees all doing the same thing. They were still small-time in the grand scheme of things, but he had visions on how that could change.

  As long as someone like Trevor James didn’t sabotage him.

  All for a fuck. Damn it.

  But it wasn’t just a fuck. He couldn’t demean his interactions with Kennedy like that.

  “Trevor.” He held out his hand to the man whose expression hadn’t changed even a flicker in the long walk Matt had taken to reach him. “This is a surprise.” Yet not.

  “Matt.” Trevor took his extended hand, his shake one of perfunctory courtesy. He glanced around, his tailored suit and tie standing out among the grime of the bay and the standard jeans and Tshirts worn by his employees. He gave away nothing when his gaze landed back on Matt. “Can we talk?”

  Matt bit his tongue against the irritating question statement that seemed to be Trevor’s default way of demanding what he wanted. Saying no wasn’t really an option given he was already there. His San Francisco office was far enough away to make this trip an effort.

  Matt led the way into the office portion of the building. Cami glanced up from her desk, brows lifted in a question he didn’t respond to. She was the ideal assistant with her love of spreadsheets and organizational skills that kept shipments straight and drivers scheduled.

  He wiped his palm on his jeans, already too aware of his attire, but hell if he was letting his lack of a suit alter his approach. His office door was open, and he stepped aside to let Trevor enter, closing the door behind him. He’d never questioned Trevor’s dedication to his job, but he doubted this was going to be a friendly chat about investments.

  He dragged the pencil from behind his ear and tossed it on his desk before turning to Trevor. “I expected your call three days ago.” Each day that’d dragged by since that night in the Boardroom had only drawn out the showdown he’d known was coming.