Coming Back To You (17 page)

“Good morning, Karma.”

“Good morning.” She met his gaze then quickly
glanced away.

They had a meeting first thing this morning
to discuss expectations and his schedule.

“Give me five minutes and we can get
together.” Maintaining a measure of professionalism was challenging
when what he really wanted to do was sweep around her desk and
plant a kiss on her heart-shaped mouth.

He settled into his new leather chair behind
the L-shaped mahogany desk he’d inherited from Don and pulled up
his e-mail and calendar, which was already packed with meetings.
Personalizing his new space would have to take a back seat. Work
first.

Karma knocked a few minutes later. “You ready
for me?” She sounded like she was forcing herself to remain
professional, too.

“Yes.” He swiveled around and gestured for
her to take a seat.

In her cream-colored pencil skirt and peach,
short-sleeved sweater, she looked good enough to lick. The diamond
flashing like lightning on her ring finger killed the mood,
though.

She entered, leaving the door open, and
approached his desk to set a mug of coffee on the coaster beside
his left hand. “One sugar, right?” She averted her gaze and sat
across from him, her cheeks flushed.

He glanced at the coffee then back at her.
“Yes, thank you.” He hadn’t asked her to get his coffee. And she
remembered how he took it. One sugar, no cream.

She met his gaze in the silence, and her
cheeks burned a deeper shade of crimson when she caught him
staring. He knew exactly what that pink-cheeked expression meant,
as well as her flustered demeanor. Maybe Rob had been right about
her. Maybe her anger masked something more profound, something
deeper, emotions she didn’t want to acknowledge let alone allow him
to see. In a blink, she’d revealed everything, and his observant
eye missed nothing.

Karma was still attracted to him. And not
just a little, but a lot. The truth lay in the telltale flutter of
her eyelashes as she blinked away from his gaze, in the way she
smoothed her palm down her thigh, the way she tucked her auburn
hair behind her ear and licked her lips. It was in the fact she had
brought him his coffee without him asking.

How interesting. He wondered if she was even
aware of her own response to him. Perhaps he wasn’t out of the game
just yet.

“What?” she said a moment later, fidgeting
under his gaze.

He grinned and broke off his stare, turning
back to his calendar. “Nothing. I just…” Instinctively, he knew he
couldn’t let on that he’d caught her foible. That would send her
running and throwing up her defenses. “I’m just happy to be getting
back to work.”

She tapped her fingers on her notepad and
glanced around his office as if trying to look at anything but him.
“Are you all moved out of your apartment?”

He forced himself to keep a straight face
when what he really wanted to do was laugh. A few weeks ago, she
had vehemently denied she felt anything for him. She had sat across
from him in the conference room, seething, insisting in her own way
that she had moved on, and yet, it was becoming clearer by the
second that nothing could have been further from the truth.

“Everything’s in storage,” he said. “All I
need is a house to put it in.” For the time being, he had signed a
short-term lease for a modest, two-bedroom apartment.

“Well, I found a few more listings for you.
I’ll e-mail them when I get back to my desk.”

She had been feeding him home listings for
the last three weeks. Some hadn’t appealed to him, but he had asked
her to set up appointments with his realtor for several. He was set
to view them this weekend.

“I’d appreciate that.” He inhaled and snagged
his Montblanc pen from beside his laptop. “If it’s not too much to
ask, I’d really like your opinion. Would you mind joining me this
Saturday as I view the properties?” Asking her to join him in
viewing houses was a risky nudge to see if she would respond as
more than just his assistant, but he couldn’t help himself.

“I can’t.” She glanced down and ran the tip
of her delicate index finger across her eyebrow. “Brad and I are
spending the day at the zoo.”

Disappointment clouded Mark’s previous good
mood. “That sounds fun.”

“Yes, we’re finally going to tell his
daughter about the engagement. We were supposed to go a few weeks
ago, but…” She paused and took an unsteady breath as if she were
suppressing an uncomfortable thought. “Brad’s been busy.”

“His daughter?” He hadn’t meant to say that
out loud, but the fact that Karma was involved with a man who had a
daughter surprised him. “How old is she?”

“Twelve.” There went the jaw clench
again.

What was Karma holding back? Clearly, she and
Brad’s daughter didn’t get along, and from her reaction, the rift
between them was more like a chasm. Mark’s gut told him that Karma
was entering into a situation that would make her miserable if it
wasn’t already.

He sat forward and folded his arms against
his blotter. “You two don’t get along?”

Karma released a sharp sigh. “I don’t want to
talk about this with you. Can we get back to the meeting?”

Straightening, Mark shifted back in his
chair. Whatever frustrations Karma had with Brad’s daughter would
remain hers. At least for now. But if he had any chance of winning
her back, eventually he would need to get her talking about her
relationship. That was the only way he would be able to convince
her she was making a terrible mistake.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Karma returned to her desk
with a lengthy to-do list to help Mark get set up and hit the
ground running as Don’s replacement.

But one thing had become clear during their
meeting. She needed to start putting out feelers for another job.
No way could she continue to work at Solar if Mark was going to be
her boss. There was too much history between them. Just being alone
with him in Don’s—
his
—office had caused old feelings to stir
in her heart. Feelings of longing, desire…love.

God, she didn’t need to fall in love with him
again. That was a one-way ticket to heartache. Hell, screw that.
She already
was
in love with him. Being around him simply
reminded her of that. Her one-way ticket was already punched.
Heartache, here I come.

But wasn’t she happy now? With Brad? They
were engaged. She should have been happy. She had a future with
Brad. What would she have with Mark? Nothing.

Oh sure, with Mark she would feel alive
again. Desirable. Mark wouldn’t make her take a rain check for sex.
If nothing else, she had learned from her time with Mark that he
was an exceptional lover. A connoisseur of sensuality and foreplay.
He would always factor in sexual playtime. Even if he had to work,
he would set the stage to pique her arousal so that when he
finished whatever task required his attention, he could come to her
with the breathtaking intensity of a spring thunderstorm…to wash
her away on a deluge of heavenly stimulation so mind-blowing, it
could bring her to tears. And it had once. Her first time with Mark
had moved her beyond any emotional capacity she had ever
experienced, leaving her crying cleansing tears of joy.

And Mark didn’t come with snarky adolescent
children, either. After enduring Jade’s rude behavior for months,
being with a man who she could share the experience of becoming a
first-time parent sounded appealing. Refreshing even.

However, Mark had plenty of other baggage
that set off warning sirens in her head, and right now, those bells
and whistles were the only things keeping her from marching into
his office that very second, shutting the door, and climbing onto
his lap.

Which was why she simply couldn’t see a
future at Solar. How could she do her job and work for a man who
tempted her heart? Every day would be a test of wills. An exercise
in self-control. How long could she last against such temptation?
She’d begun to think she and Brad were making a mistake, but she
wasn’t giving up what they had without a fight, and she refused to
jeopardize her relationship with Brad for a man who could give her
nothing but a euphoric roll in the hay. If she and Brad didn’t make
it, it wasn’t going to be because of Mark.

Resolved to update her résumé and begin
sending it out, she turned to her computer and e-mailed Mark the
property listings she had promised him.

Around three o’clock, as she was compiling
data from the project managers for Mark, Jasper swung by her desk
on the way back from a meeting with his team. As the others
continued on to the war room, Jasper made a beeline for her desk.
She had gone out on a couple of casual dates with Jasper last fall,
but nothing had come of them. She hadn’t been ready to date. A few
weeks later, Jasper had met his current girlfriend, a physical
therapist, after the last softball game of the season.

“Hey, do you think Mark would want to join us
for softball tonight?” Jasper set his iPad on her counter. “We need
a second baseman. Tom can’t make it.”

The fall softball season had started last
week. Finding players in the spring and summer was easier than in
the fall, when parents had to tend to their kids’ after-school
events. Tom had three kids, and Karma had no idea how he kept all
their activities straight. From the moment the school year started
until the second it ended, those children were more active in
sports and extracurricular activities than she thought was humanly
possible. When Tom’s kids did homework, ate, and slept, Karma had
no idea.

“Um…” The last thing she wanted was for Mark
to join the team. Brad already played as their shortstop, and she
really didn’t want Brad and Mark to meet, least of all in the
field. Talk about awkward.

Mark took that moment to come out of his
office, coffee mug in hand, heading toward the coffee station.

Jasper flagged him down. “Hey, Mark. How’s it
going?”

“Hey, Jasper. Everything’s good? How are you
doing?”

They shook hands.

“Great. Just had a meeting with my team.
Looks like my top customer is going to be giving us another project
soon. A big one.”

“That’s good news. Sounds like you’re doing
good things on that account.”

They chattered about business and projects
for a couple of minutes as Karma looked on.
Please don’t ask him
to play. Please don’t.

But God wasn’t answering her prayers
today.

“So, do you play softball?” Jasper said.

Karma cringed inwardly.
Please don’t let
him say yes.

“I’ve played a little softball. Not much, but
enough. Why?”

“Solar has a team in a local league and we
need a second baseman. Tom usually plays, but now that school’s
started, I think he’s going to drop out.”

Wait a minute. Karma thought this was just
for one game. Now Jasper was making it sound like he wanted Mark to
play in Tom’s place for the rest of the season. Not cool.

“Sounds like it could be fun.” Mark set his
mug on her counter. “Are we talking fast-pitch? Slow-pitch? How
serious are we talking here?”

“Oh, we’re not that serious.” Jasper gestured
toward Karma. “We’re a co-ed team. Slow-pitch. Just for fun.”

Mark turned toward her. “You’re on the team?
How did I not know that?”

She didn’t like the mischievous gleam in his
eyes.

Before she could answer, Jasper did for her.
“Yep. Karma’s on the team. So is her fiancé. So, if you have a
girlfriend or anything, she’s free to come, too.”

Mark’s mouth curled into a benign smile. “I’m
not currently dating anyone, so it’ll just be me.”

So, Miss New Year’s Eve had been dismissed,
too.
Welcome to the long list of Mark Strong heartbreaks,
sister.

“So, you’ll come?” Jasper sounded
hopeful.

Mark lifted his shoulders. “Sure. Why not.
Sounds like fun.”

“Great.” Jasper turned back toward her. “Can
you give him all the details? I’ve gotta jump on a call with a
customer.”

“Uh…”

“Thanks, Karma.” Jasper darted off.

She turned and looked up into Mark’s sexy,
dark gaze. “I’ll e-mail you the details.”

He only stared back at her, saying nothing,
but Karma could see his wheels turning. After a long pause, he
said, “I’m looking forward to meeting your fiancé.” With that, he
grabbed his cup and disappeared around the corner.

Damn Jasper.

* * *

At five forty-five, Brad pulled into the softball
complex. Mark’s BMW was already there, causing an odd, conflicted
yearning to overtake her. Part of her—the part who wanted to take
Mark into the nearest storage closet and strip him bare—perked up
in excitement. But her practical side—the one devoted to Brad and
all things reasonable—scowled. That side of her detested the
intrusion on a physical outlet that had helped distract her mind
from her depression last year. And now, here he was, infiltrating
and inserting himself into yet another facet of her life.

“It’s a little chilly tonight.” Brad grabbed
his duffel from the backseat.

Karma hefted hers over her shoulder, thankful
she’d brought a sweatshirt. It was the end of September and the
weather was growing cooler. Soon, it would be sweater weather. She
loved sweater weather. Or, rather, she loved the
idea
of it.
The thought of snuggling into a soft, fluffy, oversized sweater on
a trip to the local orchard to buy homemade apple butter, cider,
and search the pumpkin patch for the perfect pumpkin to make a
jack-o’-lantern filled her soul with warmth and left a nostalgic
grin on her face. Unfortunately, the reality was that the trip to
the orchard would be on a dreary, rainy day too bone-chilling cold
for just a sweater. If late September’s weather was a temperamental
mix of hot and cold, October’s was notorious for overcast, drizzly
autumn days.