- -
- 100%
- +
‘If that is your idea of a proposal you can keep it.’
Alexi fixed her with a piercing look. ‘It’s my idea of a solution,’ he said calmly.
‘Well, I don’t like it.’
‘So what do you suggest, then?’ He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. ‘Do you think it would be better if I wait until the child is born and take you forcibly to court because I want custody?’
‘You wouldn’t do that?’ Her breath seemed to freeze in her throat.
‘Katie, I’ll do whatever it takes,’ he told her powerfully. ‘And, believe me, you don’t want to be on the wrong side of me. Because I have the money and resources to go all the way, and I will win…’
Kathryn Ross was born in Zambia, where her parents happened to live at that time. Educated in Ireland and England, she now lives in a village near Blackpool, Lancashire. Kathryn is a professional beauty therapist, but writing is her first love. As a child she wrote adventure stories, and at thirteen was editor of her school magazine. Happily, ten writing years later, DESIGNED WITH LOVE was accepted by Mills & Boon®. A romantic Sagittarian, she loves travelling to exotic locations.
BY
KATHRYN ROSS
MILLS & BOON
Before you start reading, why not sign up?
Thank you for downloading this Mills & Boon book. If you want to hear about exclusive discounts, special offers and competitions, sign up to our email newsletter today!
SIGN ME UP!
Or simply visit
signup.millsandboon.co.uk
Mills & Boon emails are completely free to receive and you can unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email we send you.
PROLOGUE
KATIE glanced out of the window and watched the sun setting in a pink, misty haze over the London rooftops. Maybe she wasn’t pregnant, she told herself fiercely. She was only a week late, and she was never regular anyway.
She should go take the test right now. Her eyes skidded towards her bag, and her heart thundered with apprehension. Now that the phones had stopped ringing and the offices were deserted, it was the perfect time.
The sooner she knew, the sooner she could make a decision as to what she should do.
And what would she do if this test were positive?
She leaned her forehead against the cool of the glass.
There was no doubt that her boss was the most handsome, exciting man she had ever met, or that she had been enjoying their affair. But that was all it was—an affair.
Alexi wasn’t the settling-down type; he’d made that absolutely clear from the beginning. And she’d been OK with that. In fact, more than OK; she’d agreed wholeheartedly.
She’d thought she had it all worked out—all under control, she mocked herself as she straightened and turned her back on the view.
Now suddenly she was looking at her affair with Alexi in a whole different way, and what she was seeing, and what she was feeling, was scaring her.
It was strange how life could change in an instant.
She was about to pick up her bag when a noise in the outer office alerted her to the fact that she wasn’t alone, and she looked up to find Alexi standing in the doorway.
As always her senses flew into wild disorder as their eyes met. ‘Crushingly handsome’ was how she had once described the Greek tycoon, and that description was extremely apt.
‘You do realise that everyone else has finished for the day, don’t you?’ he asked.
‘I had some figures to check,’ she retorted, trying to focus her mind on business, sitting back in her chair.
‘So, how’s it going?’
‘I’m nearly finished. Another few days and the deal will be signed and sealed.’ Another few days and her contract here would be finished.
Her eyes drifted over him as he walked closer. She liked the way he dressed; he had the stylish panache that continental men seemed to achieve so effortlessly. But that wasn’t what drew her—nor was it the tall, muscular, toned body beneath the clothes—it was something else. It was that aura of power that he wore so well, that cool, confident, almost ruthless way he had of holding her attention. She wished that he didn’t have an effect on her, and that he didn’t send her senses into free fall, but he did.
Hurriedly she tried to put those emotions away as he stopped in front of her desk.
‘You’ve done well. Of course, it means we’re going to have to set aside some time to talk about where things are going from here.’
Did he mean emotionally? She swallowed hard and couldn’t find her voice to reply.
‘I’d like you to stay on.’
His quietly spoken words opened up feelings inside her that she didn’t dare try to analyse. Instead she looked up at him cautiously, and her whole body seemed to be tensing, waiting. ‘In what capacity?’
‘Same as now. I’m buying a new company, and I’d like you to oversee a similar project for me.’
She tried to ignore the curl of disappointment. Of course he hadn’t been talking in emotional terms. Alexi never discussed emotions; they were a definite taboo. He was a businessman first and foremost.
‘And what about…us?’ She forced herself to ask the question.
‘Well, we can carry on as before, can’t we?’ His dark eyes held with hers, and then he smiled. ‘Enjoying ourselves.’
She nodded and tried to look casually indifferent. ‘Well, we can discuss it later.’
He frowned for a moment as if he hadn’t been expecting that. ‘So the next question is…’ he leaned forward and put his hands on her desk ‘…your place or mine?’
The smooth transition from businessman to lover made Katie’s stomach-muscles tighten. She wanted him so much…wanted to push everything to one side and just go into his arms and be held.
But Alexi didn’t intend to just hold her; he intended to make love to her until she was senseless and sated beyond belief. Then he’d smile that satisfied smile and tell her she was great, before moving away and turning the conversation and the mood back towards business.
For the first time in their relationship Katie felt like she couldn’t handle that situation. The knowledge swirled inside her with disquieting intensity.
‘I thought you had a meeting with the director of Transworth tonight?’ She played for time.
‘Yes, but it shouldn’t last long. I’ll be finished by about ten.’ He came round to her side of the desk and perched beside her.
His closeness unsettled her even more. ‘Alexi, it’s been a crazy day today. I haven’t stopped, and—’
‘Are you bailing out on me?’ He didn’t sound annoyed, just amused.
‘Afraid so.’ She couldn’t meet his gaze. ‘A girl has to catch up on her beauty sleep some time.’
He reached out and tipped her chin upwards, so that she was forced to look at him, and she was glad that the light in the office was fading now. His gaze was too perceptive—almost as if he could read the secrets of her soul.
‘You look pretty hot for a woman in need of her beauty sleep.’ He murmured the words huskily, and the touch of his hand against her skin made her feel weak with longing. ‘But I’ll let you off tonight as long as you think about my business proposition.’
‘You are such a smooth talker, Alexi.’ She tried to sound flippant.
He didn’t immediately release her. Instead his fingers stroked softly upwards, tracing along the delicate heart-shape of her face and into the darkness of her long hair.
She took a deep, shuddering breath as he lowered his head and took possession of her lips.
Hell, but he could kiss… He had a way of lighting her up inside, making her want him with an urgency she had never experienced before. Over the last couple of months she had allowed herself to surrender to him completely, had loved the wild, exhilarating feelings he created inside her—but today his mastery over her senses just scared her.
She didn’t want to feel like this any more, she thought hazily, yet she couldn’t stop herself leaning forward and giving herself up to the pleasure of the moment.
His mobile phone rang, shattering the silence. For a moment he ignored it, before abruptly pulling away. ‘Sorry, Katie, I better take this call.’
She shrugged and tried not to care.
‘Hi, Mark, what’s the situation at the New York office?’
How was he able to kiss with such passion and then sound perfectly controlled the next moment?
Because he didn’t connect with her on an emotional level—she answered her own question and tried to pull herself together.
This was no good—she needed to regain control. She smoothed her hair back from her face, and reached to pick up her handbag.
‘Won’t be long,’ she murmured as she caughtAlexi’s eye.
He nodded. ‘Just deal with it, Mark,’ he snapped. ‘I don’t give second chances—the guy has messed up.’
Katie headed down the corridor. Alexi was a ruthless businessman; she knew that. But she’d also read enough about him in the gossip columns to know he could be ruthless in his private life, too.
He’d been married once, and since his divorce he’d changed his women with the weather.
If this pregnancy test was positive, she was going to be on her own. She was already aware of the rumour that his marriage had ended because he hadn’t wanted children and his ex-wife had.
And their affair meant nothing to him!
How could she have been so stupid?
She’d grown up in a single-parent family, and it had been tough. Even now the memories haunted her.
If the test was negative she would learn her lesson, she promised herself fiercely. And she would finish with Alexi once and for all.
CHAPTER ONE
KATIE walked into the impressive foyer of the Madison Brown building with a feeling of excitement. It was the first day of her new job, and she couldn’t wait to start.
It had taken her a month to find this position—a month of sifting through the many job offers and holding her nerve until the perfect post had come her way. Just in time, as well, because being within the solitude of her apartment had started to become like some kind of torture. Being alone every day had given her too much time to think about Alexi—to miss Alexi—and she didn’t want to do that.
Even the thought of his name now made a feeling of pain rise inside her, and angrily she tried to stifle it. She was being ridiculous. She’d known the score, and she’d done exactly the right thing in leaving Demetri Shipping, and exactly the right thing in finishing with Alexi.
‘Hi.’ She smiled at the receptionist, who looked up at her. ‘Katie Connor, new project manager.’
‘Ah, yes, Ms Connor. Go on up to the top floor. The new managing director wants to talk to you before you start.’
Katie headed for the lifts and tried to ignore the sudden quiver of first-day nerves. Everything would be fine, she told herself firmly. They’d practically headhunted her for this job. The employment agency had told her that she was the only one on their books to have been selected for an interview. And the guy who’d rung to offer the job had told her the interview panel had been impressed with her level of experience. Obviously the fact that she had managed such a successful project at Demetri Shipping had paid off. He’d then told her that, by the time she started work, Madison Brown would be a satellite company of a big conglomerate called Tellesta.
She’d done her homework; she knew that Tellesta was a massive corporation, almost as big as Demetri Shipping.
There was going to be plenty of scope for her to develop her organisation skills—plus there was going to be the opportunity to travel to the sister offices in Paris and New York. She was looking forward to the excitement and the challenges that lay ahead.
The lift doors opened on the top floor, and she walked to the desk at the far end of the room where a young woman was switching on her computer and sorting through the morning post.
‘Hi, my name is Katie Connor, I’m—’
‘The new project-manager.’ The woman finished her sentence for her and smiled. ‘I’m Claire; I’ve been told to show you to your office.’
Katie looked around her with interest as she followed the woman down a long corridor. The modern offices showed spectacular views across London. The boardroom they passed was vast, with state-of-the-art conference equipment. ‘This place is fantastic,’ Katie murmured, lingering at the door.
‘All newly instated,’ Claire informed her proudly. ‘The new parent company completely gutted the place, and money was no object. There’s even a heliport upstairs, for the bigwigs to fly in and out from the airport to save time.’
‘Very impressive.’
‘Yes, it is, isn’t it?’ Claire opened a door at the end of the corridor. ‘This is yours.’
Katie could hardly believe her luck! It was a large corner-office with views along Canary Wharf. With difficulty she dragged her eyes away from the view and concentrated on the desk and the stack of files sitting on top of it.
‘I was told to gather research material for you,’ Claire murmured as she watched Katie flicking through the top layers of papers. ‘And you are to attend a meeting in the boardroom at ten.’
‘OK.’ Katie nodded. ‘I thought the managing director wanted a word first?’
‘He did, but he’s had to go down to one of his other companies. He said he’d see you in the boardroom. Oh, and he’s asked if you will look at the pre-Christmas budget figures and prepare a preliminary report on how you think they can be improved. He wants you to run your ideas past the board.’
‘He wants me to prepare the report before ten?’ Katie felt her nerves start to stretch a little.
‘Afraid so.’ Claire pulled a face. ‘He’s a man in a hurry.’
‘I’ll say!’
As Claire left, Katie took off her suit jacket and hung it up on the hook beside the filing cabinets.
This was what she’d wanted, she told herself as she started to sort through the piles of paper, a job that would challenge her and take her mind off the past.
The excitement of her previous job had been almost addictive—or had that been the excitement of being with Alexi?
Swiftly she cut the thought and told herself that she had missed the cut and thrust of working for a dynamic company for the last few weeks, that was all. Alexi had been a mistake. She flicked through the papers angrily and tried to concentrate. But for a few moments no matter how hard she tried all she could think about was Alexi. Alexi kissing her…Alexi caressing her, possessing her…
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she reminded herself how scared she had felt when she’d thought she was pregnant. Thank heaven that test had come back negative, because Alexi was definitely not into commitment. His business was his one and only priority.
He’d looked at her almost coldly when she’d told him she wasn’t going to stay on with the company.
‘Is this an emotional decision or a business one?’ he’d asked.
‘Does it matter?’
‘Yes. Because if your reasons are emotional it means you are not thinking straight.’
His logic had been so typical of him that she’d laughed. ‘So the only good reason is a business reason?’
‘Basically, yes.’ He’d watched her impassively. ‘We had an understanding, didn’t we? We’ve been enjoying a bit of fun together, but we both agreed it wouldn’t cloud work issues.’
‘And it hasn’t.’ She’d tipped her chin up and met his gaze defiantly. ‘I don’t want the job you are offering because it’s time for me to move on. Our agreement has reached the end of the road. I want a fresh challenge.’ She’d managed to sound as collected and calm as he was. But inside she’d been hurting.
Inside she was still hurting—because there’d been a part of her that wanted him to show her some ounce of feeling, some spark of tenderness.
But he hadn’t. He’d just told her that he’d leave the job offer open for a while and to get in contact if she changed her mind. Then he’d wished her well for the future and walked away.
He hadn’t been around when she’d cleared her desk for the last time; he’d been in the States on business.
If he’d cared he wouldn’t have been able to stay away. He wouldn’t have been able to put business first.
She glared down at the papers on her desk. Why was she wasting time thinking about Alexi, when she was under pressure to produce a vital report for her new boss? Her relationship with Alexi was over and she needed to be realistic about it. Of course he hadn’t cared about her; she had always known that. They’d shared ‘a bit of fun’, as he’d so coolly liked to refer to it. Not love—just sex.
Katie pulled the papers closer and forced herself to study them. She was a twenty-four-year-old woman with a degree in economics, not a love-struck fool. She’d made a mistake, she’d thought she could handle a relationship without letting her emotions intervene, but it hadn’t worked for her. Now she needed to get over it. She took a deep breath and pushed all the past thoughts out of her mind, and felt a surge of a relief as she looked at the files in front of her. Yesterday had gone.
She circled some figures that suddenly struck her as unusual and traced their pattern. Then she started to make notes.
At nine forty-five she had put together a rough preliminary report. It wasn’t perfect, but it was the best she would be able to achieve given the time restraints. And she had a few interesting points she would be able to raise at the meeting.
With a few minutes to spare, she left her desk and went down the hallway to get a drink from a water machine she’d noticed earlier.
There was a mirror next to the dispenser, and she glanced briefly in it to check her appearance. She had applied more make-up than usual to disguise the fact that she hadn’t been sleeping well. Her blue eyes looked good with the extra smudge of taupe highlighter, and the brighter lipstick complemented her skin tones and contrasted well with the darkness of her hair, but it wasn’t really her. She tended to favour a more natural look.
They are not employing you for your style, she told herself sharply as she turned back towards her office; they are interested in your brain.
Hopefully now she had started her new job she would get a better night’s sleep. She swung through her office door and came to an abrupt halt. For a moment she thought she was in the wrong place because there was someone sitting behind her desk. She couldn’t see who it was, because he’d swivelled the chair around towards the window. All she could see was his long legs stretching out to one side and his hand holding her phone. He had a bit of a nerve to make himself at home like that, she thought with a frown. And he’d been reading her notes, she realised suddenly, as she saw he was holding them in the other hand.
‘Excuse me?’ She cleared her throat. ‘Can I help you?’
‘I’ll have to get back to you, Ryan. I have a new employee to deal with before our meeting convenes.’ The brisk, businesslike voice was velvety warm with just a hint of a Mediterranean accent, and Katie recognised it at once.
With the recognition came a plummeting feeling of shock as the office chair swivelled around and she found herself face to face with the man who had turned her world upside down and inside out—Alexander Demetri. Her mouth went dry; her stomach seemed to tie itself into knots.
For a moment she wondered if she was imagining things. She held her breath and wondered if she had thought about him so much over the last few weeks that she had actually conjured him up in some kind of wild illusion.
Then he put the phone down, leaned back in the leather chair and looked at her.
‘Hello, Katie.’
There was no mistaking that cool, sardonic tone, or the glint in the darkness of his eyes. This wasn’t some kind of dream—it was a complete nightmare!
CHAPTER TWO
‘WHAT on earth are you doing here?’ Her voice was numb with disbelief and it made his lips curve in a wryly amused smile.
‘Well, at the moment it looks like I’m employing you to do a job that you originally told me you didn’t want. Strange old world, isn’t it?’
He sounded so cool and calm, and by contrast Katie was anything but calm. There were a million emotions buzzing around inside her and she couldn’t get a handle on any of them.
‘I don’t understand,’ she murmured. ‘The job you offered me was with Demetri Shipping, wasn’t it?’
‘Demetri Shipping now owns Tellesta and Madison Brown,’ he informed her. ‘I bought them both out and took control about six weeks ago.’ As he spoke Alexi allowed his eyes to rake over her. She looked good, he thought distractedly. Everything about her appearance was businesslike, from the white, crisp blouse to the black pencil-skirt. Yet there was an overt sexiness about her—the wide belt that emphasised her small waist, the hint of red gloss on her lips. She always had been too damn sexy for his peace of mind.
Aware of his scrutiny, Katie could feel herself tensing up even more. She wondered what he was thinking…was there even a small part of him that was glad to see her? Even as she asked the question she was berating herself for being a damn fool. Alexi didn’t reason like that. She was just a notch on his bedpost, for heaven’s sake!
‘So, you had just finalised the deal to buy this place when…?’ She almost said ‘when we were together’, but stopped before making that mistake. ‘When I was working for you?’ she finished instead. They had never been together, she reminded herself, not in the true sense of the word. Not as a couple.
He nodded.
‘I didn’t realize. I mean, when I applied for the job here, I didn’t know it was with you.’
‘I’ve gathered that.’
He was so damn cavalier! she thought angrily. Just once she’d like to see that arrogant, businesslike persona slip.
But the thing that made her really angry was that there was a part of her that was glad to see him. She hated that! It was the weak side of her nature, she told herself sternly, because she was over Alexander Demetri, well and truly over him.
OK—she still found him attractive—but then she would have to be dead not to find those dynamic, forceful good looks a turn on. Every woman with a pulse was attracted to him.
She tried not to look at him too closely, tried not to notice little things like the fact that his thick, dark hair had grown slightly and now just brushed the top of the midnight-blue jacket collar, the fact that there was a slight shadow on the strong jawline, or the sensual, almost cruel curve of his lips. Because when she noticed things like that she remembered how it had felt when he’d kissed her, when he’d crushed her against him, his skin abrasive against the softness of hers, his lips hungry and powerfully compelling.
‘Did you know it was going to be me today?’ she asked him suddenly. ‘Did you know I had this job?’
‘Of course!’ He seemed to find the question amusing. ‘Your name was put on my desk nearly a week ago.’
‘So what are we going to do about this, Alexi?’ For a second there was a raw, unguarded note in her voice. ‘I can’t work for you again.’
His eyes narrowed on her and a strange emotion sizzled through him, an emotion he couldn’t place.
He supposed it was anger. Even though he knew he had no right to the emotion, he’d been furious when she’d turned down his offer to stay within the company and then casually walked away. That fury hadn’t diminished any over the last few weeks. In fact if anything it had increased. Alexi was used to getting what he wanted—used to people dancing to his tune. And Katie had left before he was ready to let her go.