Driven to Temptation (9 page)

She tried to control the tension. Really, she did. But she couldn’t take any more. The pressure was too intense, the crazy-delicious ache too powerful.

Finally, Delaney groaned and followed him over the edge.

Chapter Fifteen

Delaney straightened her skirt and adjusted her cotton blouse underneath her navy jacket. With all the bodies crammed in here, it was amazing it wasn’t a hundred degrees. She needed to be on her A game today.
She needed to prove to Aidan she wasn’t the kind of girl who slept her way to the top.

She picked up a stack of brochures from the booth’s display table and faced the passing crowd.

“Hello,” she said to a pleasant, middle-aged man who dared stop briefly and make eye contact. “Would you like a brochure?”

The guy nodded politely and accepted one.

“Let me tell you a bit about Ross and Associates.”

Middle-aged guy gave her a cool once-over. “Not now. I’ll be back.”

Uh-huh. Sure.

“Oh, okay.” Delaney broadened her smile. “We’ll be here.”

Her smile faded the moment he turned his back. The guy was polite. They all were. But so far, no one had given her a chance to provide a brief overview of the computer program she’d developed. The same one she’d shown Aidan last night. Before they’d made love.

She gave herself a mental shake. Sex. Before they had sex. Best to keep that in perspective.

She looked out at the crowd again, swirling around the Ross and Associates booth.

At this rate she wondered if anyone would show up to hear her presentation at the Vendor Spotlight event tomorrow afternoon.

It was bad enough she hadn’t signed any clients, despite the fact that she’d spent most of the last four hours in her kitten heels. Her poor toes felt squashed. At least she hadn’t let the saleslady talk her into pointed ones, no matter how much the woman swore it would visually lengthen her legs.

Really, the shoes were a small price to pay to be here. After all, anybody involved in the design, planning, or execution of construction projects was represented at this trade show. Municipalities. Utility owners. Architects and design firms. All here. Even internationally based ones.

Yeah, somewhere in this crowd were future clients for Ross and Associates. She knew it. She
felt
it.

She glanced at the simple leather watch strapped to her wrist. There were only a couple of hours left before the hall closed for the day. And if she was going to nail a new client, she needed to get back to work.

Pasting a smile on her face, she stepped away from her side of the booth. Unfortunately, the minutes crawled by not nearly as fast as the men at the conference did.

She studied the passing crowd. They were everywhere. In suits… In jeans… Middle-aged like the last guy, with some older, and a fair amount who were around her age. Her smile brightened at the gentleman who approached, a thousand-watt smile on his face.

She tapped the corner of a brochure against the palm of her free hand.
Another live one.

“Well, hello,” he said, offering her his hand.

Now this was more like it. She glanced at his name tag. Ray Pierce. Pierce Engineering.

Holy hell.
She fought to keep the smile from fading, fought to keep the fear of failing at bay. He was the principal of one of the largest architectural firms in the Pacific Northwest.

The same one Harold had been courting for the past couple of years. And the same account she’d sworn to Aidan she’d nail this week. The one that would get her a partnership at Ross and Associates.

Her heart thumped a wild beat, and she forced in a slow, steady breath.

“Thank you for stopping by.” Her voice was strong, sure. Thank God. She shook his hand, wishing she could surreptitiously wipe her clammy hands first.

“I expected Harold White to be here.”

“He had a last-minute change in plans.” She handed him a brochure. “But let me tell you what Ross and Associates can do for you.”

She launched into her short spiel, turning her attention to the brief presentation slides that continuously scrolled behind her. It was good.
Very
good. She’d designed it so potential clients could study the slides and ask for more information. Which was the whole point of them being there, wasn’t it?

While Ray politely glanced her way, and then at the slides, and then at the brochure in her hand, she pretty much saw his eyes wander. Not a good sign.

“Looks promising.” Ray scratched his head as he stared at the screen for several long moments.

Ohmigod.
Delaney’s heart thumped. She might just do it. She might just nail the Pierce account. “I’m giving a more formal presentation tomorrow, but I’d be happy to give you a preview right now.”

“You’ve got other potential clients to meet right now.” The man flashed a broad smile. “I’ll wait.”

She deliberately straightened her back. “Okay, then.”

And before she could think of some way to convince him to listen to more of her presentation, he was already walking toward Aidan.

Sigh.

Aidan, for his part, looked about as comfortable as a snowman in July.

He glanced at her and she widened her smile, then pointed at it. Really, how many times had she told him this morning that potential clients didn’t want to deal with someone who looked grouchy and unapproachable?

She inched closer.

“I was in the army, too. Airborne,” Ray said a few minutes later.

Okay. The army connection. This was good. Didn’t military guys stick together? At least, she was pretty sure she’d heard that somewhere.

And after some pleasant chitchat she had to strain to overhear, he shook Aidan’s hand. “Thanks for serving your country.”

Ask for a follow-up. Ask for a follow-up. Ask. For. A. Follow-up.

Delaney tried her best to transmit the message in Aidan’s direction, but it appeared the guy was a lousy mind reader, too. Damn.

Ray turned around and walked away.

That did it.

Aidan straightened a pile of brochures and arranged pens in a coffee cup so that the company’s name and logo were visible to anyone who stopped by.

She tossed her stack of brochures on top of the pile.

“Hey.” He immediately grabbed them up. “What are you doing?”

She should lecture him about the smile thing. And about the follow-up thing. But, God, hadn’t she hounded him enough about that already?

“I need a break.”

He stared at her, an amused smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Gotta go again?”

She glared. “I’ll be right back.”

It was kinda strange how they’d settled back into their old routine. Like last night had never happened. Like it was some anomaly best forgotten or something. And, really, it was just sex, wasn’t it? Great sex. Phenomenal sex. Nothing to get all mushy over or anything.

Because the sex was just a distraction—a pleasant one, but still a distraction.

She needed to shine, needed to prove to Aidan she was worthy of some sort of a promotion. So far, all she’d managed to do was agitate him and sleep with him. In that order.

Delaney sighed again, tucking her hair behind her ears.

Trade shows sucked. Big time.

…

Aidan set the controls on the treadmill to run the advanced course, sure he might need another round before he finished his workout. Thank God the hotel had a gym. He sure as fuck needed it tonight. Frustration surged through him faster tha
n the treadmill could start.

If Harold hadn’t eaten the damned sushi and gotten himself sick, the two of them would be comparing notes over a damned beer right now. They’d come up with a damned strategy, some way to make the most of the next couple of days.

Instead, there was a pretty good chance Aidan would need to lift weights on top of the run, too. Or pound a punching bag. Hard.

Sweat poured down his face, blinding him briefly. He blinked, grabbed the towel off his shoulder, and swiped it over his eyes.

The worst part of the day wasn’t the lack of clients so far, but the dejected look on Delaney’s face when she’d left the trade show floor that afternoon. Like she’d taken their lack of sales personally.

A strange warmth flowed through him, and it had nothing to do with how hard he was pounding the treadmill. Fact was, until Delaney, he’d never had anyone who seemed to care about Ross and Associates the way he did.

Oh, sure, Harold was his second-in-command, and Aidan depended on him to keep the day-to-day operations rocking. But the guy kept normal work hours, leaving at five each day he could.

Delaney, on the other hand… Aidan knew there was no way she could’ve handled the workload Harold had heaped on her as well as developed the brilliant software program she’d shown him last night. Not without putting in some serious overtime hours.

Was it just last night? The same night he’d succumbed to his base instincts and taken what she’d offered? He wasn’t the kind of guy who’d force himself on a woman. God knew he didn’t need to. When she’d lifted her face to his, he couldn’t stop himself.

He adjusted the speed of the treadmill, ramping it up to outrun the memories he’d managed to keep back throughout the day. Then again, he had a knack for compartmentalizing. A knack for segregating the parts and pieces of his life so they didn’t bleed together, didn’t get ugly-messy the way he knew they could.

And yet the thought of Delaney’s sweet body and desperate demands slammed forward now. Her pleas for more, for giving pleasure as well as getting what he’d been more than willing to give her. She was smart and sexy, with energy she could barely contain, and she’d exploded when she was in his arms.

He couldn’t get enough of her. Even in the oversize outfit she’d worn today, it’d been hard to keep himself from reaching for her, pulling her toward him, stealing a kiss.

He swiped sweat out of his eyes. What was it with her and the baggy clothes?

Not that Aidan minded. Not now that he knew what was hidden underneath them. Hell, he’d just as soon not have to fight off other guys.

Wait. What the fuck?

He slowed, the treadmill reminding him a split second later of his mistake. He picked up speed again.

What the hell was he thinking? He didn’t care about Delaney like that. Sure, they had a great time last night. While he didn’t think it was a mistake, he also knew it wouldn’t be smart to repeat it.

He needed to get his head back in the game, needed to stay focused. Tomorrow they were scheduled to give their fifteen-minute presentation after lunch. Tomorrow, she’d show the attendees just how much working with Ross and Associates could benefit their businesses. Tomorrow, she’d be in her prime. It’d all work out.

It had to.

Chapter Sixteen

Thirty minutes later, he stepped off the treadmill and swiped a towel over his face. As he slugged down a gulp of water, he scanned the hotel gym and the handful of people taking advantage of the available equipment.

“Hey.”

Aidan turned, recognized a couple of the guys from Raleigh, a large city in southern Oregon. Trying to get Ross and Associates on their short list as a preferred vendor was almost as hard as nailing the Pierce Engineering account. Just this afternoon, Ray Pierce had been kind, but firm. As he’d been the last time they’d met.

He pasted on what he hoped to hell was something better than a scowl. “How you guys doing?”

“How many’d you sign up today?” one of them asked.

David Campbell. A hard-ass city planner Aidan was sure Harold could eventually win over. Too bad he wasn’t here to take a shot at David.

Aidan shrugged, tried not to let his irritation show. “Got a few good bites.”

“Yeah? That’s good. That’s good,” said the stocky man standing beside David. “Guess she didn’t scare everyone away.”

Jack Green might be a city manager, but he never came off as very smart. Slowly, Aidan turned until he faced the jerk. “Excuse me?”

“The girl you’ve got with you.” Jack smirked. “Ya know, you shoulda brought some eye candy to the conference if you want any action at your booth.”

“Oh?” He fisted his hands but kept them pinned to his sides.

This time, David gazed off into the distance as if in deep thought. “Actually, she’s pretty enough, I suppose, for the redhead type. If you dressed her so that more of her
assets
were displayed, she’d probably draw in a crowd.”

A surge of anger bubbled up from deep inside Aidan, made him want to punch both men. He tightened his fists. He could lay a clean one right in each guy’s gut to teach a lesson.

But the army had taught him the importance of restraint. Acting on impulse would likely land him in jail with assault charges. Neither of these jerks was worth it.

He unclenched his jaw, but kept his fists curled while he fought for control. “Delaney’s one of the smartest engineers I’ve ever known, let alone have on the payroll. Anyone would be lucky to have her on board.” He glared. “You both might consider that when you select a team for the city’s next construction project.”

David laughed. Jack snickered.

Assholes.

“Competent female engineers.” David nodded. “I get that. Doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be easy on the eyes, too. Or maybe you missed that memo?”

Aidan gritted his teeth, his need to defend warring with his need to protect his company.

“One more set of bench presses.” David smacked his companion on the arm. “Then let’s go grab a beer.”

“That works.” Jack nodded. “See you tomorrow, Ross. And good luck.”

Aidan turned away.

Assholes.
Those guys were assholes who didn’t know what the hell they were talking about.

He grabbed his gear off the treadmill and stomped toward the door. The last thing he wanted to do was hang around now. He headed for the elevator and slugged a drink from his water bottle.

Delaney was all sorts of sexy rolled into one passionate package. Didn’t matter if she was talking about her computer modeling program or helping a lost dog. She had a lot to share with the world.

Those jerks had no idea what they were talking about.

Or did they?

Would it be so bad for her to dress in clothes that fit better? Not as far as he could tell. Especially if it meant she’d be taken seriously. Naturally, if she were taken seriously, then Ross and Associates would benefit. Hell, when it came right down to it, his company was at stake here. That was reason enough to get her to do it.

Could she afford new clothes? He didn’t know. But even if she could, he also realized he might have to talk her into going shopping.

Wait. Women loved to shop. At least, Elizabeth had. It was one of the reasons he was familiar with Seattle. She’d insisted throughout their short marriage that Portland shopping paled in comparison. He figured shopping was something built into a woman’s DNA. Although, so far, Delaney wasn’t much like most women.

He stepped out of the elevator and stalked down the hallway toward their room. By the time he unlocked the door, he’d made a decision. “Delaney?”

She sat cross-legged on one of the beds, a pile of empty potato chip bags and candy wrappers tossed in front of her. Oh, shit. She’d raided the minibar. This was bad.
Very bad.

Her eyes were puffed like she’d been crying, but there wasn’t a tissue anywhere around her. She cleared her throat. “Yeah?”

That protective surge came over him, made him rush to her. He wanted to hold her, to comfort her somehow, but something held him back.

“Whatcha eating?”

Silently, she held the bag out to him.

Aunt Molly’s barbecue chips.

She reached into the bag for a chip before offering it to him again.

He hesitated, then finally said, “It’s been years.” He dropped his gear on the floor. The bed shifted under his weight as he sat on its edge. “I suppose a couple wouldn’t hurt.”

He took the bag and snagged a chip, the need to share a memory with her so overwhelming there was no way he’d stop it.

He held the chip in front of him. “The last time I had an Aunt Molly’s chip, Grant and I were busted.”

She looked at him, swiped at her nose.

“Grant? Your foster brother?”

“Same one.” He nodded. “We were a couple of teenagers, and our foster mother had certain expectations for us. Like being a gentleman…and following rules.”

Both expectations had served him well through the army, and even now.

“I take it the two of you didn’t follow the rules?”

At least she’d stopped sniffling.

Aidan held on to his chip. “We were kids. Pushed the envelope every now and then.” He shrugged. “One night we were hungry and wanted a snack. One thing led to another, and before we knew it, we’d dared each other to sneak into the kitchen for a bag of Aunt Molly’s. Miriam must’ve had her radar tuned in extra well that night.”

He shook his head at the mental images. “She came into the kitchen and flicked the light on just as we closed the cabinet door, with each of us holding on to the bag.”

“Caught potato chip–handed.” She offered a small smile, then reached into the bag again.

“I suppose you could say that.” He held his up. “Cheers.”

She reached across the space and tapped hers against his. “Cheers.”

Aidan crunched down on the thin chip, relished the burst of flavors in his mouth. He reached his free hand across the small space and gently stroked Delaney’s smooth cheek.

If a makeover was needed for Delaney—and by extension, Ross and Associates—to be taken seriously, then so be it. Hell, he’d pay for the outfit himself.

“C’mon.” He stood, then reached both hands out to take hers.

“Where?”

He smiled. “I’ve got a surprise for you.”

…

At the top of the escalators to the hotel’s adjoining mall, Aidan turned, his face a serious mask in contrast to the workout shorts and shirt he wore.

One minute she was drowning the day’s disaster in chips and candy from the minibar, and the next she was standing in the ladies’ department at Nordstrom. How convenie
nt for the hotel to be attached to a huge Seattle area shopping center. Too bad it didn’t matter much to her.

As Aidan would soon find out.

Delaney stared dagger eyes into him. “I thought you said we were doing something fun.”

“I said I had a surprise,” he corrected.

“That implies fun.”

“It’s time you dressed the part.”

The words sank in, the meaning not far behind.

Oh, hell, no.

Slowly, carefully, deliberately, she folded her arms under her breasts. “And if I don’t want to?” Some principles were worth fighting for. Like using her brains to get ahead, not her body. Now
there
was a real reason to fight.

He gave her a cajoling smile. “C’mon, Delaney. Think of it as a project.”

Think of it as a project? Was he nuts?

How dare he insist on buying her clothes? How dare he think she needed any help? She’d show him.

She’d play along, try on an outfit, then give Aidan Ross hell for insisting. Then she’d quit. Right here, right now.

Even if it meant getting another job and starting over, she’d do it. And she’d make it happen before her parents figured out she’d switched jobs. Because turning tail and going home was so not an option.

Of course, there were some logistical things to work out. Like how she’d actually get back to Milestone. Although it didn’t matter to her how it happened. She’d figure all that out later. Maybe she’d rent a car and drive.

He pulled out his phone. “I need to make a call,” he said before turning away.

Now? She frowned. Irritation raced through her again. He could make all the damned calls he wanted. She was determined to get through this wasted time as quickly and efficiently as possible.

She surveyed the clothing racks, made a beeline for the closest one. With the speed of a shopper on a time limit she pushed hangers aside and found her size. She pulled a blouse out. Yellow with white, pink, and lime polka dots. Wasn’t yellow supposed to be this season’s new black? Worked for her.

She stomped toward the next rack and yanked out a tan suit in her size. Tan was a neutral. It went with anything. There. It was all she’d need.

She marched past Aidan.

“Where are you going?” he asked from behind her. “I’ve got a personal shopper headed over to help you.”

She stopped and faced him. “You have a personal shopper?”

“My ex-wife did,” he said blandly. “Rosalind will be down in a minute.”

“I won’t need her help.” She turned and continued toward the dressing room as she held the outfit up. “This will do.”

She passed an attractive older woman who smiled pleasantly, but quickly shifted her gaze behind Delaney. “Mr. Ross, so good to see you again.”

Well, shit. She couldn’t just keep walking, could she? Her mother’s lessons in politeness surged forward. Some things couldn’t be shaken.

Delaney stopped, turned, watched as the two of them exchanged pleasantries. She eyed Aidan intently until his gaze landed on hers.

“Rosalind,” he said. “This is Ms. Harper.”

“Hello, my dear.” She glanced at the outfit in Delaney’s hands. “What do you have there?”

She squared her shoulders and offered what she hoped to hell was a pleasant smile. “Sorry he had to go and bother you, Rosalind, but like I was just telling him, I won’t need your help.” She held the outfit up. “I already know what I want.”

The older woman peered over the top of her stylish red-rimmed glasses and nodded with a soft smile on her face. “Very good, then. Why don’t you try it on?”

See? Even Rosalind approved of her choice. She glared at Aidan. “I think I will.”

She handed the garments over, then followed the older woman toward the bank of private dressing rooms.

She should put a stop to all this, tell Aidan to take his shopping trip and shove it where the sun could never shine.

But when she looked back, she realized a couple of things. First, he was following them. Second, the light in his eyes burned bright, deep, almost like the anticipation was eating at him but he forced himself to hold back, to wait.

This didn’t make sense. He was usually restrained, collected, not one to give in to emotion. Yet this guy looked about ready to burst. All over a shopping trip.

No way.

Who
was
Aidan, anyway? The smart, sexy, incredible lover she’d had last night? The less-than-charismatic principal of a successful engineering firm? Or the guy who now seemed to be pulling rank because he could?

“Here you go, my dear.” Rosalind stepped into the room and hung the suit and blouse on a chrome peg. “I’ll be right outside when you’re ready.”

As soon as the door shut, Delaney kicked off her sneakers, then stripped out of her yoga pants and top. She’d show Aidan she didn’t need any help picking out clothes. But if he wanted to fork over his hard-earned money so she could make a point, so be it.

Maybe she should’ve pulled clothes off the most expensive rack.

One blouse.

One pair of pants.

One jacket.

A moment later she reached for the door and yanked it open. “I’m done,” she announced. “Now can we bag this up and get some dinner? I’m starving.”