Michael's father (7 page)

The Bryan men simply didn't have much luck when it came to marriage. Maybe he'd just been canying on the family tradition. His mouth twisted in a humorless smile. The third generation of marriages to end in divorce. At least this time there hadn't been any children involved, he thought, remembering his parents' stormy union and eventual parting.

One thing his brief marriage had taught him was not to mistake lust for love. He'd wanted Roxanne enough to convince himself that the ache in his groin was caused by an equally strong ache in his heart. It wasn't a mistake he planned to make again. Which was why the decision to hire or fire Megan Roarke was not as easy as it might have been.

He'd wanted Roxanne, and look where that had gotten him. His desire for Megan was, if anything, even stronger than what he'd felt for his ex-wife. But he wasn't twenty-five anymore—full of ideals and still thinking he could succeed where his father and his grandfather had both failed. He was thirty-six, and well beyond the stage of thinking with his zipper.

There was a tapping at the door, and Kel was immediately aware of a subtle pressure behind that same zipper. He ground his teeth together, forcing back his automatic response. It was getting pretty bad when she didn't even have to be in the room to elicit this response.

"Come in," he snapped.

He didn't sound particularly welcoming. Megan swallowed hard and pushed open the door. Bearding the lion in his den, she thought, wishing it didn't seem quite such an accurate description.

She'd known this talk was coming. But she didn't have any idea what he was going to say. She didn't believe that he could have any complaints about how well she'd done her job. Certainly, Colleen had none.

But there was that odd tension that lay between her and Kel, that awareness that made her skin tingle whenever he walked in the room. She knew he felt it, too. Knew, also, that he didn't like it. He might just decide that it would be easier to let her go.

Kel was standing in front of his desk when Megan entered and she hesitated a moment just inside the door, struck, as always, by the impact he had on her senses. She would have thought that, after a week, the

effect would have lessened somewhat, but it hadn't. She still felt a Uttle weak-kneed and breathless every time she saw him.

"Have a seat," he said, gesturing to a comfortable-looking leather chair.

Megan shook her head and came farther into the room. "I think Fd rather stand."

**You look hke you're facing a firing squad." He lifted one dark brow as his eyes raked over her tense expression.

''Should I ask for a blindfold?" she asked.

**I don't think so."

Kel leaned back against the desk, bracing his hands on either side of his hips and angling his long legs out in front of him.

"You've done a good job," he said, apparently deciding to cut through the preliminaries and right to the heart of the matter. "But then, you know that."

It wasn't exactly a question, but Megan chose to answer him anyway. "I told you I'd be good at this job," she said evenly.

"Well, you are." He paused and ran his fingers through his hair, looking uncharacteristically undecided. "Very good," he added, half to himself.

"Thank you." He isn't going to offer me the job, she thought. He's decided that the sexual awareness between us offers too much potential for trouble, and he's going to tell me thanks but no thanks.

"I'd like you to stay on," Kel said slowly, as if the words were pulled from him. "But there are a couple of things we need to discuss," he added, before she

could decide whether the surge of emotion she felt was relief or panic.

"What kind of things?"

"First of all, the job is only going to last two or three months."

"I know that."

**Once her daughter has her baby and gets back on her feet. Grade will be coming back."

"You said up front that it was only a temporary job," Megan said, nodding her understanding. "That suits me."

"So you said. I just wanted to be sure we were clear on that." He straightened away from the desk, and Megan had to suppress the urge to step back so that he wouldn't seem to loom over her.

"I understand that it's a temporary job," she said again, as much to prevent the silence from stretching as anything else.

"Good." He ran his hand through his hair again, rumpling it into thick, dark waves, and she had to curl her fingers into her palms against the desire to smooth it back into place.

"What else?"

"What else?" He looked at her, his eyes brooding and shadowed.

"You said there were a couple of things we needed to discuss," she reminded him.

"Right."

But he didn't say anything, only continued to watch her, those green eyes seeming to see right through to her soul. Her pulse, never completely steady when he was around, b^an to beat too quickly, making her feel

breathless. Or maybe it was just being so close to him that made her breathless. And wasn't he closer than he had been a moment ago?

"What was it you wanted to discuss?" She could barely get the words out past the tightness in her throat.

"Just this."

His big hand cupped the back of her neck, tilting her head. Suddenly there was not even a heartbeat of space between them. And then his mouth came down on hers and Megan forgot all about breathing.

There was nothing tentative about the kiss, none of the gentle exploration that normally went with a first kiss. For an instant, Megan stood paralyzed in his embrace, feeling the impact of his mouth on hers all the way to her toes.

And then her arms went around his neck and she was rising on tiptoe to get closer to him, to deepen the kiss. She felt the brush of his mustache against her upper lip, soft in comparison to the firmness of his mouth. He always showered before dinner, and he smelled of soap and masculinity, a tantalizing combination that made her want to get closer still, until not even a shadow could find its way between them.

This was what she'd wanted since they'd met, what they'd both wanted. Giving in to the urge that had haunted her all week, Megan let her hand slide upward, her fingers slipping into the thick darkness of his hair. She felt as if she'd waited her entire Ufe for this kiss, this moment. This man.

She tasted every bit as sweet as he'd imagined, Kel thought, half in despair. He'd ahnost managed to

convince himself that one taste would be all he'd need. Once he'd kissed her, satisfied the sexual curiosity that had plagued him since she'd walked into the restaurant in Casper, he'd be satisfied. The tension would be broken and he would no longer be contemplating cold showers in the middle of the night. He'd almost believed it.

And then she'd melted into his arms, her slender body fitting itself to his as if made to be there. He could feel the fullness of her breasts against the muscled wall of his chest, and the softness of her belly cushioned the hardness of his arousal. And he knew one kiss would never be enough. A kiss would only serve to whet his appetite, a teasing taste of what could be.

He groaned against her mouth and widened his stance, drawing her forward so that she was cradled against his aching arousal. He groaned again when he felt the shiver that went through her. God, she was every bit as responsive as he'd dreamed.

His tongue traced the seam of her lips and she opened to him immediately. Kel wondered if he'd died and gone to heaven, because it didn't seem possible that anything this side of the pearly gates could taste as sweet as the damp softness of her tongue against his. On the other hand, what he was feeling now was way too carnal to have anything to do with heaven.

There was a big leather sofa only a few short steps away, a sly voice whispered in his ear. The thought of easing her down on it, feeling her slim body sink into the smooth black leather as he followed her down had his pulse drumming in his temples. The desk was even

closer, he thought as he flattened his palm against her back. A swe^ of his arm would clear its surface in an instant.

Megan's fingers curled into the thick darkness of Kel's hair as the world spun around her. The thrust of his tongue in her mouth, the feel of his big body against hers—those were the only things that were real to her at the moment.

She'd been kissed before but it had never been like this. She'd never had this feeling of losing herself in a man's touch, of giving up control of herself to him. If he chose to lay her on the floor and take her right then and there, she wasn't sure she would have lifted a finger in protest.

When she felt Kel begin to break off the kiss, she couldn't prevent a small whimper of protest, her lips clinging to his for a moment. She was reluctant to let him go, to let reality return.

Her fingers slipped from his hair as he eased her down until she felt the floor under her heels again. Kel's hands lingered on her for a moment longer, steadying her, before being withdrawn, leaving her standing on her own.

Her eyelids felt weighted and it took a conscious effort to lift them. His face was all hard planes and angles in the lamplight. The blatant hunger in his emerald eyes did nothing to put strength into her knees. Her gaze dropped to his mouth, but that was no better. She could still feel the gentle abrasion of his mustache against her skin, the warm heat of his mouth on hers.

He was so close. She only had to lean forward for them to be touching. The thought made her feel dizzy. What was happening to her? What had almost happened here? If he hadn't drawn back, would she have gathered her senses in time to stop what was happening? Would she even have wanted to? And how on earth was she supposed to think with him so close?

As if reading her thoughts, Kel stepped back a pace. Megan felt relief but she also felt bereft. She wanted to turn and run and she wanted to feel his arms around her again, his mouth driving out all rational thought.

**I just thought we should get that out in the open," Kel said, his voice husky and disturbed. "If you take this job, we might as well admit what's going to happen."

'*What's going to happen?" Her voice was unsteady, but considering she felt on the verge of melting in a puddle at his feet, she wasn't going to complain about that.

"We're going to become lovers."

**Oh." It came out on a sharp exhale.

Lovers. The word started a warm throbbing feeling in the pit of her stomach. Kel Bryan would be her lover.

"Is sleeping with you part of the job description?" she asked, proud of the steadiness of her voice.

"Would you stay if it was?" He stroked the tips of his fingers down her cheek and she felt her pulse flutter in response.

"No," she managed to get out. But she admitted privately that the idea wasn't as offensive as it should have been.

"It's not a requirement." He withdrew his hand and she dragged a steadying breath into her lungs. **But it's going to happen, Megan. We both know it is."

Yes, She wouldn't lie to herself and pretend that it wasn't going to happen. For a moment, she resented him for bringing it out into the open, for making it impossible to pretend.

"Do you still want the job?" he asked.

Are we going to be lovers? he meant.

She stared at him, feeling her heart thumping against her rib cage, her skin still tingling from his touch. She should run, she thought. Before she ended up with a broken heart. Before Kel Bryan wound himself any more deeply into her life.

"I'll stay," she said.

"Good." Just one word but it held a wealth of satisfaction. He held out his hand and Megan responded automatically, putting her fingers in his. The familiar tingle was there, along with a new, much deeper awareness. Her eyes widened and she gave him a startled look as his fingers tightened around hers, drawing her toward him.

"All the best agreements are sealed with a kiss," he murmured, just before his mouth closed over hers.

Megan could only agree.

Chapter5

JVlegan stumbled from Kel's study and sought the sanctuary of her room. Colleen was probably waiting to hear the results of her interview but Megan wasn't up to talking to her. She wasn't sure there was even enough strength left in her knees to get up the stairs as it was. She shut the bedroom door and leaned against it with her eyes closed.

She'd just agreed to have an affair with Kel Bryan.

The thought made her skin heat, and her pulse, none too steady to start with, fluttered in her throat. She might not have said the words but there was no doubt about what she'd agreed to do.

We*re going to become lovers, he'd said and she hadn't argued. How could she when she knew it was nothing more than the truth? She was going to become Kel Bryan's lover. The thought was enough to

make her dizzy. Or maybe it was the memory of his kisses that did that.

With an effort, Megan pushed herself away from the door and walked across the room to the connecting bathroom. Her knees were finally starting to feel a bit less like overcooked spaghetti. Flipping on the light, she set her pahns on the edge of the sink and leaned forward to stare in the mirror.

She hardly recognized her own reflection. There was a sparkle in her eyes she'd never seen before, and her cheeks were flushed. Her softly swollen mouth left no doubt that she'd just been thoroughly kissed, and the smile that curved her lips made it obvious that she'd enjoyed it very much.

Kel Bryan's lover.

Her smile widened. She liked the sound of that more than she had any business doing.

Megan slept later than usual the morning after her interview with Kel, and when she got downstairs, the kitchen was empty, a fresh pot of coffee the only sign that Kel had been there at all. She was both disappointed and relieved.

Since she didn't know what to expect from him when she saw him again she was not averse to delaying the moment a while longer. Maybe by then, she'd have gotten her unruly reaction under control.

As it happened, she didn't see Kel until he came in for dinner. She was sUding a pan of biscuits into the oven when she heard the kitchen door open. She didn't have to turn around to know who it was. Even if she hadn't heard the door open, she would have known he