Bab 17: Chapter 17
Shea changed clothes five times Friday morning before she was satisfied with her outfit. Casual meant a lot of different things to different people. They were going to a ranch, so she finally settled on jeans, a soft cotton blouse and sandals. Rather than pin her hair into its usual twist, she pulled it into a high ponytail and, in a touch of whimsy, tied it with a ribbon matching her blouse. Too frivolous, she wondered?
She'd been just as indecisive in choosing what to pack. Her bedroom looked as if the clothes fairy had thrown up all over it. At last she just threw in what she thought would be appropriate and hoped she'd made the right choices. She'd even dug into the back of the spare closet and found a pair of western boots she'd worn to a fundraiser. Hopefully they'd be as good for riding as they were for showing.
At least a dozen times she'd picked up the phone to call Cruz and tell him she'd changed her mind. She had this unshakeable feeling that she and Cruz Castillo would end up in bed together before the weekend was over. But that wasn't what worried her the most. Sex with Cruz dangled before her like fine chocolate, to be relished and enjoyed.
And then left behind while she got on with their business. She'd made up her mind she could keep them separate, maintain her professional distance. Because lordy, the more she thought about it the more she wanted it.
What really worried her was the fact this was a man she could fall in love with. And that would be a disaster, because Cruz Castillo didn't seem like the marrying kind. He'd said that often enough in public.
Okay, she was a big girl. She could handle this. She hoped.
Promptly at nine the doorbell rang. When she opened it she could hardly keep herself from drooling. Somehow she'd expected him in expensive slacks and shirt, his version of casual. But Cruz stood there in faded jeans that outlined every muscle in his legs and barely concealed the impressive bulge behind the whitened fabric of his fly. The black t-shirt stretched across the muscles of his broad chest and accented the warm olive of his skin.
I am in such big trouble.
"Ready?" he asked, giving her that slow grin.
"Oh!" She shook herself from her erotic imaginings. "Yes. All set."
She went to reach for her suitcase but he slipped smoothly into her hallway and took it from her hands.
"I never permit ladies to carry their luggage," he told her. "My mother would smack me with a ruler."
"Do your parents live around here?"
He nodded. "Right now they have a beautiful home here in San Antonio. But my father is only semi-active in running his business any more and my mother has never really liked the city. I want to build them one on the ranch, like where my mother grew up. That's part of the project."
Shea didn't know what she'd expected Cruz to drive, maybe a flaming red sports car, but certainly not the hybrid SUV parked in the driveway.
"What? I can't be environmentally conscious?" He clapped a hand over his heart. "You wound me."
She shrugged. "I just figured you for...something else."
"What else would that be?" he asked as he backed out of the driveway. "Do you believe everything you read in the newspapers? That I'm a playboy who drinks, carouses and is never without a woman?"
"I'm sorry, I just..."
"That wouldn't leave me much time to conduct business, would it?" he chided. "Perhaps I can show you the real Cruz Castillo this weekend and change your mind about how you see me."
Shea was having enough trouble handling herself in the confined of the SUV without worrying about what would happen when they reached their destination. Cruz's erotic aura of masculinity filled the space inside the vehicle, surrounding her and teasing her hormones into overdrive. The scent of his woodsy cologne drifted across her nose, tickling her senses.
Funny. She'd been worried from the moment he stepped into her office that he'd make a move on her. It shocked her to realize she was the one who needed to maintain control. To keep herself from giving in to the sensual urges that swept through her just by sitting so near to him. Not only was it totally out of character for her, it also would be completely unprofessional.
She clasped her hands in her lap, tightening them in an effort to maintain control of her body that seemed to have a mind of its own.
Cruz pulled smoothly onto the Interstate before sliding a glance in her direction.
"Something bothering you, cara?"
"No. Why do you ask?"
"Because you look as if you're afraid to breathe and if you tighten those hands any more you're liable to break your fingers."
Damn.
With a conscious effort she drew in a long breath and let it out slowly. But her state of mind wasn't helped when Cruz reached over and stroked her arm. Tiny shivers skittered over her skin and she was aware of the sudden rush of fluid in her crotch.
"Don't worry, Shea." His voice was soft, warming. "Nothing is going to happen unless you want it to. I promise you."
She jerked a glance at him. "What's that supposed to mean? I thought this was a business weekend."
"And would it hurt so much if we snuck in a little playtime?" His voice held a hint of amusement.
"Let's get something out on the table right now," she snapped, irritated at both him and herself. "I'm not one of your pieces of eye candy throwing myself at you and I don't mix business with pleasure. I have too much respect for myself."
"And besides, my reputation precedes me, right?" His words held just a hint of resentment.
Didn't he enjoy what was whispered about him? The persona he'd created? He seemed to enjoy maintaining it. Or was it as he'd indicated, the gossip mill grinding away while he was simply a businessman doing what was necessary to sustain a position of power?
"I'm sorry," she said at last. "I'm really forgetting my manners. And you're right. I'm prejudging you based on rumor." She turned her head and gave him a tiny smile. "Not so good for business. Can we just start over again?"
He laughed, a full-throated sound. "Absolutely. Señorita Prescott, I am Miguel Cruz Castillo, Please call me Cruz."
"And I'm Shea Prescott."
"Shea." He rolled the name around on his tongue. "Very nice. I like the sound of it. And I am looking forward to hosting you at my ranch this weekend so we can discuss an enormous project for which I need an excellent architect."
"Well, then. I think you've came to the right person."
With just that little exchange she relaxed and the rest of the ride passed without incident. But the sexual tension that Shea had felt the moment they were both buckled into their seats didn't diminish. Rather it continued to snap and sizzle around them. She wondered again how she would handle the next three days. And if she really wanted to keep him at arm's length.
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