Zach never had—and never would—enter a relationship at work.

Too many pitfalls, too many complications, too big of a chance that management would think he had his mind on something other than the job.

Unfortunately, Zach hadn’t forgotten the first time he met Allison. That first smile, that first touch …

She’s never let me forget, he thought. Just the sound of her laughter drifting down the hall made his gut clench and sent an electric rush of energy charging through his veins.

And every time she smiled at him, the flash of that dimple reminded him of his weakness where she was concerned, reminded him she was a woman who could do what no other woman had ever done—take his mind off his career.

Dear Reader,

Once upon a time, I took a job at a temp agency. I failed miserably, in that my first “temporary” assignment turned into a long-term, permanent position. I had no idea that would be the case, but I was lucky everything turned out as it did.

Allison Warner took a far bigger chance when she followed her boyfriend to New York for a new job, but it was a move she soon regretted. Now, she’s determined to keep things simple—working at a temp agency, where she won’t make the mistake of mixing her personal and professional life again.

But life and love are rarely simple, and Allison’s life gets a lot more complicated when she agrees to a one-night-only pretend date with her secret crush, Zach Wilder. Little does Allison realize where that one night will take them …

I hope you enjoy Allison and Zach’s story as they work together to find a lasting love!

Stacy Connelly

About the Author

STACY CONNELLY has dreamed of publishing books since she was a kid, writing stories about a girl and her horse. Eventually, boys made it onto the page as she discovered a love of romance and the promise of happily ever after.

When she is not lost in the land of make-believe, Stacy lives in Arizona with her two spoiled dogs. She loves to hear from readers and can be contacted at stacyconnelly@cox.net or www.stacyconnelly.com.

Temporary Boss … Forever Husband

Stacy Connelly

www.millsandboon.co.uk

I can’t remember the very first romance I ever picked

up or attempt a guess at how many I have read since,

but this is dedicated to all the authors whose books

I have enjoyed over the years.

Thank you.

Chapter One

Allison Warner counted the rings as she waited for her sister to pick up the phone. After the fourth, she heard the all too familiar click of her call going through to voice mail—again. Bethany’s voice came across the line, advising Allison to leave a message.

Allison sighed, giving in to the disappointment that had shadowed her since she’d moved back to Arizona five months ago. She’d talked to Bethany’s voice mail more than she’d talked to her sister, and she didn’t know which frustrated her more—the message Bethany would likely ignore or the caller ID that enabled Bethany to ignore her call in the first place. Still, she took a deep breath and forced a bright note into her voice.

“Hi, Bethany. It’s Allison—your sister,” she teased even though the words really weren’t funny. “It’s Thursday afternoon, and I’m getting ready to leave work. I was calling to see if you wanted to go out for dinner tonight or maybe shopping this weekend. We could look for baby furniture or decorations for the nursery. I’m free all weekend if you feel up to hitting the mall. Or we could look online if you’re not up to going out. So, you know, just call me.”

Allison cringed as she hung up the phone. Could she have sounded any more desperate? And hadn’t she learned by now, the harder she tried, the more Bethany resisted?

You have to be patient. The break in their relationship hadn’t happened overnight. Allison would be foolish to hope she could repair the damage in a snap. It’s going to take time.

Fortunately, that was one thing Allison had plenty of on her hands. After shutting down her computer, she took a moment to straighten the few personal items on her desk. The misshapen coffee mug she’d thrown in pottery class; the wilting African violet; the handcrafted picture frame that rained tiny glass beads any time she picked it up. She and her sister smiled out from the photograph, heads tilted together in perfect symmetry. A single, perfect moment caught in time …

If only life had that kind of pause button, to freeze a moment she wanted to last … or better yet, a rewind button, so she could go back in time, and undo her poor choices.

The picture had been taken at Bethany’s wedding when the two sisters were as close as could be. Bittersweet memories of the ceremony and the last time her family had been together flashed through Allison’s mind. Bethany had smiled with tears in her eyes as their father walked her down the aisle and handed her to Gage Armstrong. Allison had stood at her sister’s side, her maid of honor and best friend.

Only a few weeks later, Allison had followed her boyfriend, Kevin Hodges, to New York. That had been three years ago, and three years was a long time. Long enough for their father’s health to fail, for Bethany’s marriage to fall apart and for Allison to get so wrapped up in her career that she’d been oblivious to both. She had moved back home, but the three thousand mile gap had been much easier to close than the emotional distance between Allison and her sister. Especially when Bethany had made her opinion so clear.

Too little, too late.

Guilt pressed against Allison’s chest, the truth in her sister’s words weighing so heavily it hurt to breathe. She’d give anything, anything to turn back the clock and to be with her family when they’d needed her most. But that time was gone, and the only thing that kept Allison going was her determination to make the most of now.

“You have to get Bethany to open up and talk about what went wrong with her and Gage,” their mother had insisted before she left on her three-week Mexican cruise. The trip was one Allison’s parents had long planned to make for their thirty-fifth anniversary. When her father passed away six months before the anniversary date, Allison’s mother decided to take the trip anyway as a tribute to his memory.

She missed her father so much. His laughter, his love, his encouragement to always aim high and shoot for the stars. How he would hate that his death had driven a wedge between his daughters. His girls, as he’d fondly referred to Bethany, Allison, and their mother. It would have broken his heart. And though Bethany refused to believe it, the loss of their once-close relationship broke Allison’s heart, too.

Setting the picture frame back on her desk, she sighed. She couldn’t change the past, but she was determined to do whatever it took to rebuild her relationship with her sister. Right now, Bethany needed family around her more than ever, whether she’d admit it or not.

At five-thirty, the offices of Knox Security were mostly empty, and she took a moment to walk down the hall and turn off the lights. She could have left a half an hour ago, but she’d wanted to finish up some filing for what would be the last full week of her temporary assignment at the security-systems firm.

On Monday, Martha Scanlon would be back after a two-month absence for hip replacement surgery. Allison would return for a day or two to catch the woman up on everything that had been started during her sick leave. After that, she would move on to another temporary assignment.

The receptionist job at Knox Security had been her longest to date. Normally, she filled in for only a week or two, subbing for vacationing employees or emergency situations. She liked the variety of working as a temp, liked the short-term nature of the jobs. The Monday through Friday, eight-to-five schedule was a world away from the sixty-hour-a-week grind she’d gotten used to working for Marton/Mills, an advertising firm in New York City. There was no chance of getting caught up in climbing the corporate ladder, on focusing so much on professional goals that personal relationships were pushed aside.

The glow of a glorious sunset shone outside the office window, signaling the end of another gorgeous spring day. One more reason to enjoy working in her hometown. The April weather was beautiful, sunny and warm and perfect for shorts and T-shirts. Business casual wasn’t that casual even in Phoenix, and though Allison had left her razor-cut suits behind in New York, she did her best to dress appropriately while still being herself.

If you want to get ahead, you’re going to have to learn to dress the part.

The echo of her ex-boyfriend’s words still burned as did the memory of how she’d so eagerly buried every bit of her own personality to force herself into a corporate mold. She’d tried so hard to be the perfect girlfriend, the perfect rising star employee. Kevin had been the chosen one, the young graduate whose father was good friends with the CEO at Barton/Mills. She’d tagged along as little more than a “plus one” on Kevin’s job offer, determined to be so much more. Starting at the bottom, she’d expected to pay the professional price of hard work and long hours, but she never imagined the personal costs.

Never again would she lose herself in a job or in a man, and her choice of wardrobe was a daily reminder.

Today, she’d worn a pin-striped black skirt and black knit mock turtleneck—a perfectly respectable combination, but one kept from being too boring by the barely-there pink lace at the hem of the skirt. It was a recent purchase, and one she’d been eager to wear that day. Not that she had any particular reason to choose an outfit that did the most to compliment her short blond hair and green eyes. No reason at all …

Her steps gradually slowed and her pulse quickened as she neared Zach Wilder’s office. After two months, she should have been used to the sight of his dark hair, vibrant blue eyes and chiseled features. Even his broad shoulders, narrow waist and lean, muscular limbs should have been commonplace by now. Still, there was something about the company’s lead salesman that stole her breath every single time their paths crossed. That Zach was as wrong for her as a man could be did nothing to cool the attraction.

The old saying was true—you never have a second chance to make a first impression, and Allison’s first impression of Zach had been one of … possibility. They’d met briefly her first day at Knox with an incidental touch in the elevator that had rocked her to the soles of her stylish pumps. Weeks later, she felt like she was still reeling. As if that momentary encounter had done more than set her back on her heels, as if it had somehow thrown her off her emotional axis, threatening to send her life spinning in a different direction.

It was crazy to put so much importance on a mundane event, but Allison knew she hadn’t imagined the moment. Nor had she imagined the spark of attraction or the answering awareness burning in Zach Wilder’s blue eyes. Their first meeting still teased her thoughts with only the slightest provocation. Just the sound of his deep voice sent the memory shivering down her spine. But it was everything that happened after that meeting Allison forced herself to remember.

As in his reputation of business first—period. As in Zach keeping such a tight and narrow focus on work that she never again crossed into his line of sight.

Too bad Allison hadn’t had as easy a time ignoring Zach. Each time she walked by his office, she couldn’t resist sneaking a peek inside. She’d made a study of the way his blue eyes narrowed when he stared at the computer screen. The way his jaw clenched when something went wrong and the way the corner of his mouth kicked into a half smile when things went right.

But what she noticed most were the rare moments when sheer exhaustion hit. When Zach would rub eyes aching from the strain of staring at the computer and roll his head back on his shoulders, no doubt trying to dislodge the burden of constantly trying to succeed.

In those brief periods of time, Allison felt she was seeing the real Zach Wilder. He seemed … human. Vulnerable.

Fortunately, that didn’t happen often or last more than a split second before Zach immediately snapped back into business mode, seeming determined to wipe out any hint of weakness.

But like the bad habit it was, Allison glanced inside the narrow glass window alongside the door. His chair was pushed back from his desk as if awaiting his return, but the room was empty. She was a little surprised. From the moment she started at Knox, she’d heard all about the long hours he worked, the impossible accounts he won, the fast track he was taking at breakneck speed. Each word shot off a warning flare in Allison, illuminating the danger of a man who was driven, ambitious and willing to succeed at all costs. But along with every accomplishment, Allison heard the undeniable respect and admiration of his fellow employees for a man who’d worked his way up through the ranks to earn the position he held.

That alone was a world away from the friend-of-the-family connections Kevin had used for a significant leg up on the ladder of success.

But despite their differences, Zach still shared enough similarities with her ex-boyfriend to send Allison running … even if he was so gorgeous she couldn’t resist taking a look back.

Good thing she only had a few days left at Knox. She’d move on to the next job and leave all thoughts of Zach behind. She ran a finger across the brass placard, tracing his name, until she realized what she was doing and snatched her hand back. She hurried down the hall, embarrassed and relieved no one had had seen her mooning over Zach Wilder’s door.

Tuesday could not come soon enough, she thought as she stepped inside the waiting elevator and hit the button for the garage.

The doors had nearly closed when a masculine hand reached inside. One glance at the long, lean fingers, starched white cuff and designer watch, and a small shiver rippled from head to toe. She recognized that watch. She’d picked it out herself, on instructions from her boss, as a gift to the salesman of the year five years running.

Allison braced for what she already knew was coming, but try as she might, she couldn’t keep her breath from catching when the silvered doors opened like an unveiling of female fantasies come to life and Zach Wilder stepped inside the elevator.

Five o’clock shadow darkened his jaw, matching the hint of circles beneath his eyes. A lock of dark hair fell across his forehead, and his red and black geometric tie was off-kilter. “Zach, is everything all right?” She’d never seen him look so disheveled. He looked—he looked like she pictured he would after being kissed. Because what woman could resist running her hands through his dark hair? Or using his always perfectly knotted tie to pull him closer? And wouldn’t she love to put that hint of desperation in his blue eyes?

Allison’s face heated at the foolish direction of her own thoughts. Like Zach would ever make out with someone at work! She knew better than that. Just like she knew better than to even entertain such a fantasy when he was standing so close. She twisted her fingers together as if she might grab hold of the thoughts running loose inside her mind. The last thing she needed was for all-business Zach to guess she had such an unprofessional crush on him.

His blue eyes drilled into hers as the elevator doors slid closed behind him. Slightly out of breath from running to catch the elevator, he confessed, “I was afraid I was going to miss you.”

“Miss me?” She was afraid she would miss him too, but even as distracted as she was by being so close to him, Allison didn’t think he meant the words the same way she did.

She wanted to take a step back, to give herself some breathing room free of the enticing scent of his citrus and spice cologne. But the elevator was too small and his presence too overwhelming for Allison to escape. And maybe it was time to confront her ridiculous crush—and Zach—head on. “You didn’t miss me. I’m right here. Is there something you need?”

“I need you.”

Her heart slammed into her chest at the confession. Her stomach dropped to her high heels before bouncing back up again, and she didn’t think it had anything to do with the elevator’s gradual descent. “I—you what?”

“I need your help with a client.”

“Oh, right. A client.”

Embarrassment flooded through her. What exactly had she thought Zach was confessing? Some deep, emotional need? Please! The man lived and breathed work. She knew that. So why had she so quickly jumped to such a ridiculous conclusion? And why would she even consider testing the waters of her attraction for him when she knew how it would end? Business would win hands down and she’d be so far behind, she wouldn’t even show up in the picture.

“Can this wait until tomorrow? I’m kind of off the clock.”

He was shaking his head before she finished speaking. “No, it’s an emergency,” he declared as the elevator doors opened to the parking garage. He caught her hand and started pulling her down the aisle of cars, leaving her little choice but to trot alongside. “I need you to come with me.”

Late in the day and with the security lights not yet on, the parking garage was cloaked in shadows. Keeping pace beside Zach, Allison felt like she’d stepped into a spy thriller. Any moment, bad guys would jump out and spray the surrounding cars with a volley of bullets. Despite the slightly dangerous air and her own overactive imagination, they reached his car unscathed.

Almost unscathed, Allison amended, feeling the imprint of his palm branding hers. That slow burn inched up her arm, across her torso, tightening her breasts and centering in her heart.

“Emergency? People have medical emergencies, mechanical emergencies, plumbing emergencies. They don’t have receptionist emergencies! There’s no such thing—”

“I’ll pay you overtime. Double time … triple time. Whatever you want.”

“It’s after five-thirty. I want to go home.” Of course, going home meant hanging out alone because, despite the message she left, her sister wouldn’t call back. But she was not a workaholic Not anymore. She refused to sacrifice everything for money or success or whatever demons drove Zach.

He halted beside a black BMW and turned to face her. “Please.”

That single word, one she sensed Zach didn’t say often, swayed her. A razor-sharp determination always ran beneath his polished surface, but today that edge was slicing through the façade, revealing the real man inside. That was the man who caught her attention. The real man she sensed was buried so deep few people ever saw a hint of him. And this might be Allison’s last and only chance to see more …

Ignoring the warning in her head, she conceded, “Okay, I’ll help. What do you need?”

“I’ll explain on the way.”

“On the way where?”

“Where we’re going,” he said cryptically as he opened the passenger door.

She should be at least a little annoyed by his arrogance. After all, she was the one helping him, not the other way around. But a quick check of the emotions ping-ponging through her body as she slid into the leather seat, and nope, not an annoyed ball in the mix. Just curiosity and attraction bouncing back and forth, jumping through her stomach and along her nerve endings.

Zach didn’t speak as he drove, the traffic-filled streets slowly taking them toward Scottsdale. Now that she’d agreed to help, he seemed willing to keep her completely in the dark when it came to how she was supposed to do that. Fidgeting with the beads on her purse, she kept quiet as long as she could before bursting out. “If I’m going to help you, you’ll have to tell me what you need.”

Stopped at a red light, he glanced over at her. Their eyes met, and questions about what Zach needed to break through the stress and tension constantly pulling at him tempted Allison. She knew it had to be a trick of the setting sun that a spark of desire in his blue eyes seemed to answer those questions …

The honk of a horn behind them jerked Zach’s attention forward once more, freeing her from the intensity of his gaze. Allison exhaled a sigh of relief as she practically wilted against the seat. She didn’t know what the rest of the night had in store, but she’d never survive it if she kept letting her imagination run away with her.

“I have a dinner meeting in half an hour,” he said, his grim tone a sharp contrast to the simple statement.

“Okay,” she said slowly. “That watch of yours tells me you’re usually a little more excited about meeting with clients.”

Everything she knew about Zach Wilder told Allison he was a man who lived for the hunt, that victory—and conquest—could never live up to the chase. All the more reason to stay out of his sights, but she sensed his desperation, a chink in Zach’s normally impenetrable armor. And not that she was searching for a weakness, but somehow, she couldn’t let this opportunity go.

“You’ve had tough clients before. What about this dinner has you so stressed?”

Zach winced. “I’m not supposed to be so easy to read.”

“Oh, don’t worry. You’re a total mystery,” she said wryly. On one hand, Zach was an open book. Or, more like an open business journal—focused on one thing and one thing only. As for the reasons why … Allison was completely in the dark. “But why aren’t you more excited?”

“I am excited,” Zach protested, his shoulders straightening against the padded leather seat in a defensive stance. “This was supposed to be my second meeting with James and Riana Collins of Collins Jewelers. James recently moved to Scottsdale, planning to hand over the reins of his company, but his retirement only lasted a few months. Now, instead of taking a step back, he’s decided to expand his stores to the Southwest, starting in Scottsdale and Las Vegas, and I’ve got a good shot at winning the security contract for Knox.”

“Sounds great. What’s the catch?”

His hands tightened on the wheel as if he thought the car might be the next thing to spin out of his control. “Riana left a message that James can’t make it.”

“But you can still meet with her.”

With a dark and emphatic scowl, he muttered, “Exactly.”

A burst of understanding hit her. “So it’s like that, is it?” Allison couldn’t blame any woman for finding Zach attractive, but she had little respect for anyone who would cheat on a spouse. Her parents’ marriage had shown her what a union built on love and trust could be like, and she clung to that ideal even if her own relationship with Kevin had fallen woefully short. He might not have cheated on her, but he was still a cheat.

Shoving thoughts of her ex aside, Allison said to Zach, “I’m sure Mrs. Collins—”

“Ms. Collins,” Zach interrupted. “Riana is James’s daughter.”

“Oh,” Allison said, as her mental image of James Collins as an outraged husband altered to overprotective father, and Riana from cougar to kitten. “Still, Ms. Collins can’t be the first admirer you’ve had. You must know how to let a girl down easy.”

Even as she said the words, she wondered if they were true. Was Zach the type to send flowers along with an “it’s not you, it’s me” note? Or was he more the kind of guy who simply stopped calling?

Not that it mattered; she wasn’t considering a relationship with Zach. At least, not seriously considering one.

“That’s different. Riana Collins isn’t someone I met in a bar. This is business.” He underscored the word with such emphasis, words like HUGE, IMPORTANT or EVERYTHING could have been used in its place. “Turning her down could offend her. If I so much as hurt her feelings, it could end this deal. And I will not let that happen.”

“Well …” Allison pretended to think for a minute. “I suppose you could always sleep with her.”

“That’s something else I won’t let happen,” he said.

Because sleeping with the client’s daughter could do more professional harm in the long run? Or because using a woman went against his morals? She wanted to believe his resistance to Riana Collins showed his true character, that as important as business was to him, he had boundaries. That he was determined to succeed, but not at all costs. That was what Allison wanted to believe, but truthfully, she didn’t know.

The wanting should have worried her as well as the reason behind it. She would never make the mistake of falling for a man like Kevin Hodges again, but if she was wrong about Zach, if he proved himself different from her avaricious, scheming ex, would that be a green light to the attraction she felt? An okay to ignore the warning signs telling her to stay far, far away and to listen to the pulse of desire that urged her closer anytime Zach came near?

If he was different … maybe tonight would be her chance to safely find out. After all, Zach had already set the ground rules.

“Okay, so no mixing business with pleasure,” Allison stated.

It would be a reminder to herself as well as the on-the-prowl Ms. Collins. Because sitting in Zach’s car, the scent of the leather seats and his aftershave riding on the warm breeze blowing through his open window, Allison could too easily imagine this was a date. That Zach was taking her to some romantic, elegant restaurant. A seductive shiver ran through her as she imagined him focusing that driven, intense gaze on wooing and winning her instead of yet another business deal …

“No.”

Zach’s abrupt denial slapped the daydream right out of her head. “What?” she asked defensively.

He slanted her a questioning look. “I was agreeing with you. No mixing business with pleasure.”

“Right. Of course not. Strictly professional.” As professional as she could be with her mental pants on fire. “So I’m here to … what? Chaperone?”

“Something like that,” he muttered, giving Allison the idea that he might have another plan in mind.

Still, she had agreed, and it was only one night … “You know the old saying, two’s company, three’s a crowd?”

“Yeah,” he said, slowly dragging out the word.

Allison smiled. “I’m your crowd.”

Chapter Two

Zach had known Allison Warner was trouble the first time he saw her. Problem was, the first time he saw her, he had no idea she was the temp hired to fill in for the company’s hospitalized receptionist.

How could he have known? She certainly hadn’t looked anything like a replacement for matronly Martha Scanlon. He supposed Allison had dressed professionally enough—she’d been wearing a cotton candy-soft, pale blue sweater and matching geometric print skirt—but she’d immediately caught his eye as she cut in front of his car in the parking garage with a wink and a wave. Even in the dim light of the underground garage, her short hair boasted every shade of blond under the sun. From dark to caramel to platinum, the strands blended together in tousled perfection, a gorgeous compliment to her golden skin and elegant features.

It would have been easy to label her cute or sweet, but something in that wink told Zach this was one angel with a devil on her shoulder.

He’d spun into the closest parking space, mentally insisting he was hurrying back to the office, yet knowing it was a lie. He caught up with her at the elevator. Glancing over her shoulder, her smile seemed to say she’d been waiting for him. “Going up?” she teased, hitting the only button available.

His thoughts took a turn in the opposite direction as he caught sight of the dimple in her right cheek when she smiled. That single dimple, rather than the typical matched pair, seemed to hint at the woman’s unique take on life, and Zach sensed she was someone who could always find the humor in a situation even if it meant laughing at herself.

He opened his mouth, ready to respond with a clever, sophisticated remark, only to catch another glimpse of her smile and find himself completely tongue-tied. “I, um, yeah.”

Of course you’re going up. You’re in an underground parking garage, idiot!

The woman’s eyes sparkled, telling Zach she certainly had no problem laughing at him.

Accompanied by the ping of the bell, the elevator doors swung open, and Zach gestured for her to precede him, determined to use the short ride as an opportunity to recover his masculine pride. His mother Caroline was always telling him he needed to get a life. To her, that meant a wife and kids, which wasn’t going to happen—no way, no how—but clearly he had been focused on work too long if he’d forgotten how to talk to a beautiful woman.

He stepped into the elevator, tempted by her strawberry scent. He leaned forward at the same time she did, their fingers connecting as they hit the keypad, and Zach swore the spark of attraction lit up the plastic number and shot the elevator car off the ground.

An answering spark flared in her green eyes, revealing she felt it, too. And that might have been enough. Enough for him to consider pursuing the fascinating woman in front of him despite the half a dozen presentations he was working on, not to mention the promotion he was up for.

But then he noticed the floor she’d selected, that the meeting of their hands hadn’t been due to fate but because they’d both reached for the same button. A bad feeling seemed to slow the elevator, pulling Zach back down to earth. “You’re going to the fourth floor?” he asked. “To Knox Security?”

“Yeah, today’s my first day on the job.” Her green eyes brightened even more. “Hey, does this mean we’ll be working together?”

That was, in fact, what it meant and should have been the end of his attraction. Zach never had and never would enter into a relationship at work. Too many pitfalls, too many complications, too big of a chance that management would think he had his mind on something other than the job.

Unfortunately, Zach hadn’t forgotten that first smile, that first touch …

She’s never let me forget, he thought with an accusing glance at the woman sitting in his passenger seat.

Not that Allison had gone out of her way to remind him of their first meeting or that instant spark of attraction. She didn’t have to. Just the sound of her laughter drifting down the hall made his gut clench and sent another electric rush of the energy he’d felt at that first touch charging through his veins.

And every time she smiled at him, the flash of that dimple reminded him of his weakness where she was concerned, reminded him she was a woman who could do what no other woman had ever done—take his mind off his career.

He couldn’t let that happen. His own childhood was a harsh reminder of what happened to a man who let a woman—who let love—break his focus. Zach would not repeat his father’s mistakes.

So why on earth had he asked for Allison’s help?

Because she’s the only one who can do the job. And as long as he kept thinking of the dinner as part of the job, he just might make it through the night.

“When is Martha coming back anyway?” The sooner Allison left, the better as far as Zach was concerned. He’d forget all about her the moment she moved on to some other temp job.

“Monday. I’m coming in for another day or two just to catch her up.”

“Good. That she’s feeling better and ready to come back to work, I mean.”

“Yeah.” Something in Allison’s agreement had Zach wondering if she wasn’t as glad to be moving on. If there was some reason she wanted to stay …

“Have you ever thought of staying on some place? Not at Knox—” please, not at Knox “—but at some other company? A permanent position might give you the opportunity to work your way up—”

“No,” Allison cut him off abruptly. As if realizing she might have given too much away, she flashed a smile and said, “Corporate ladders aren’t for me. Afraid of heights. And I like the temp jobs. Moving from place to place, meeting new people … It’s a good way to make sure I don’t get bored.”

Everything Allison said sounded legitimate, but Zach wasn’t buying it. Who wouldn’t want the chance to move up? To succeed? For Zach that need was a relentless drive that fueled him, pounding through his veins. Like the footfalls of another sprinter pulling away, Zach lived with the fear of not keeping pace, of falling behind, of failing …

But he was going to close the distance this time. He’d seal the Collins deal, if not tonight, then in another few days. Winning the bid would give him the edge over Bob Henderson when it came to the VP of Sales position both men were up for. Zach was sure of it, and he wouldn’t let a complication like the flirtatious Riana Collins get in his way.

But as Allison shifted in the passenger seat, crossing her legs beneath the hint of lace at the hem of her skirt and drawing his attention to her slender calf and smooth skin, Zach feared his solution might prove far more dangerous than the problem.

“You’re having your meeting here?”

Zach couldn’t blame Allison for sounding more than a little incredulous as he pulled into the jazz club parking lot. “The location changed when James couldn’t make it,” he said wryly.

Later that evening, the place would be packed with people sipping martinis and listening to the blues. But six o’clock was too early for that crowd and perfect for an intimate dinner for two.

Maybe that was why his brain short-circuited as he climbed out of the car and circled around to open Allison’s door. Surprise lit her eyes, and he swore silently. What did he think he was doing? He’d brought Allison along to remind Riana their relationship was strictly business, but who was going to remind Zach of that fact when it came to Allison?

I don’t need any reminders. It was a momentary slip, he insisted even as her strawberry scent enticed him to fall even farther.

Taking his eye off the ball.

That was how his father would have phrased it, and Nathan Wilder knew how costly even a momentary slip could be. Nathan had been a high school star, starting quarterback with a promising college career ahead of him when he took his eye off the ball. When he made the mistake of getting his girlfriend pregnant. The echo of Nathan Wilder’s voice, jagged and sharp thanks to those broken dreams, sliced through Zach’s thoughts.

Could’ve had it all …

Nathan might not have been much of a father, but he had taught Zach lessons he refused to forget. He didn’t make mistakes. He wouldn’t let anyone get in the way of the goals he’d set for himself—not Riana Collins’s unwanted attention and certainly not his own equally unwanted interest in Allison Warner.

Hoping to cover the too-personal act, Zach immediately launched into a history of Collins Jewelers—the high-end stores in Chicago and New York. The A-list celebrities who wore the designs to red carpet events. The attention handling the account would garner Knox Security.

He didn’t mention his own goal for winning the account—gaining the edge he would need to convince the board he was the right man for the VP of Sales position.

In his hurry to get his thoughts back on track, he hadn’t realized he was half a step ahead of Allison until she mumbled something he didn’t quite catch. Slowing until she fell in step beside him, he asked, “What was that?”

“Everyone at Knox has been talking about this deal so …” Her voice trailed off, and she shrugged as if making an embarrassed confession. “I went online and did some research.”

Zach stopped short. “You did?”

The extra work showed an initiative Zach hadn’t expected. Allison was a short-term temp, filling in as a receptionist. She smiled and laughed, made their clients feel welcome and drove him to distraction. She answered phones, transferred calls, and offered coffee until the meetings started and the real work began. She said herself she had no ambition to move up, only a desire to move on, so why would she take the time to research one of Knox’s potential clients when she’d be out the door before he signed the contract?

“I ran James Collins through a search engine or two,” she said almost defensively. “But it’s not like that’s going to help tonight.”

“Right. Going into a business meeting prepared isn’t the least bit useful.”

Allison’s eyebrows rose in challenge. “Well, it certainly isn’t why you asked me to come.”

After the shock he’d failed to hide, there was little point arguing otherwise. And she was right. He hadn’t asked her to tag along because of her brilliant mind. He’d hoped Allison’s presence might dissuade Riana, but deep down, he also had a backup plan. One he really hadn’t thought he would need, so he’d ignored just how risky it might be. Kind of like being on a cruise and knowing those flotation vests lined the ship’s railing in case of an emergency, but really … how many people gave a second thought to having to use one?

No one did. Not until the ship started to go under.

And with the look in Allison’s eyes and the awareness eddying around them, drawing them closer with each pass, Zach could definitely feel himself starting to sink. All before he’d even put his suddenly dubious plan into motion.

“So what exactly are you expecting from me?”

If a third wheel wasn’t enough to dissuade Riana, he’d thought he might hint his relationship with Allison wasn’t strictly business. But what had seemed like a solid plan less than an hour ago now seemed much more like navigating through stormy, turbulent seas than smooth sailing.

“Like you said, I need someone to run interference.”

“Okay, but who am I supposed to be?”

“You’re not supposed to be anyone, Allie.” He didn’t know what it was about the use of the nickname that curved her lips into a small smile, but he could have kicked himself for using it. Allison. Her name’s Allison. He didn’t need to add to a sense of familiarity by giving her a nickname. He’d be better off calling her Ms. Warner. “You’re a business associate.”

Her dark blond brows rose higher, more eloquent and expressive than any long-winded argument could be. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear she read his mind and … “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” He stepped closer to move out of the way of another couple headed for the door.

Dressed in business attire with their arms linked together, the woman’s head on the man’s shoulder, the pair appeared to be doing exactly what he and Allison were not doing—slipping away after work for a romantic rendezvous.

Allison glanced at the couple with one of those looks that women get at the end of romantic movies, all misty-eyed and sappy, like happily-ever-after actually occurred in real life. But then she looked back at him, and Zach wondered if he’d only imagined the moment. Her gaze sharpened to a needle-fine point, perfect for pinning him to a board and …

“What? Enjoying watching you squirm? Just a little,” she said with a smile that said more than a little. “But do you really think my being here will have any effect on Riana Collins as long as she believes it’s strictly business between us?”

Zach was right. She was enjoying this too much, but Allison couldn’t seem to help herself. She knew, of course, anything this fun couldn’t possibly be good for her and might end up biting her in the end, but she couldn’t see how. After all, she had two, maybe three days left working with Zach. She’d move on to her next temp job, and Zach would still be at Knox Security, reaching higher than ever.

So what harm could a not-to-be-missed fantasy of dating Zach Wilder do?

Allison had her answer a second later when Zach’s glower changed into something less dark yet even more dangerous. “You’re right. Riana isn’t the type to accept a subtle brush-off, and she knows I’m not the kind of man who mixes business with pleasure,” he admitted. His voice lowered to a murmur that did more than heat up Allison’s thoughts as he leaned closer and added, “But working with you, day after day, I found myself holding my breath to catch the sound of your voice, making excuses to walk by your desk just to see you smile, and I knew it was only a matter of time before I could no longer resist….”

His words trailed into a silence filled with endless possibilities before he asked, “Is that something Riana might believe?”

Allison swallowed hard. “Um, yeah, that—” She cleared her throat. “That might be convincing.”

She didn’t know about Riana Collins, but for thirty seconds, Zach had her completely convinced! Even now, standing so close, the faint, tantalizing smell of his aftershave tempted her to move closer. To not just breathe in the scent from the air, but to seek it out on the warmth of his skin. Allison’s pulse pounded in her ears like a bass line blaring through the speakers of a tricked out car. Her whole body should have been trembling from the reverberations. “So … I guess the only question now is how obvious do we need to be?”

His gaze dropped to her lips, and Allison unconsciously ran her tongue over her lower lip as if she could already taste Zach there. Kissing her wouldn’t be subtle at all. Kissing her would be obvious, bold, unquestionable … It would also be unnecessary since Riana Collins was nowhere around. But with the thought already in her mind, her own focus drifted from the desire darkening Zach’s eyes to his mouth.

What kind of kisser would he be? If his technique matched his personality, the kiss would be quick, to the point, no messing around. And yet somehow Allison doubted it. Although she’d never seen a more personal side to Zach, the skip in her pulse and quickening heartbeat told her he knew how to kiss.

“Allie …”

The rough murmur of her name brushed against her nerve endings. It didn’t even matter that she’d hated the nickname ever since her sister had started calling her “Allie-cat” back in the second grade. Heart pounding, Allison waited for Zach to lower his head. She swayed slightly, drawn closer by an almost undeniable attraction.

“Zach?” The sultry female voice should have come from Allison, but words were frozen in her dry throat, and not since a bout with laryngitis a few years ago had her voice sounded that husky.

It took Zach a moment to focus on a point over Allison’s shoulder. Only because she stood so close did she hear his disgruntled sigh. “Obvious,” he muttered as he placed a hand on her shoulder and turned her around. “Very obvious.”

Allison’s eyes widened as she caught sight of the woman walking toward them. When Zach said Riana Collins wasn’t used to hearing the word no, Allison had assumed that was because the heiress to the Collins jewelry empire was rich and spoiled. She hadn’t expected the reason to be because the woman was completely irresistible.

Dressed in a vibrant red skirt and jacket that hugged her curves, Riana Collins looked like an exotic supermodel. Black hair fell to her shoulders in a razor-straight style that emphasized her high cheekbones, smoky eyes and full red lips. Diamonds glittered at her ears and wrist, silently if not subtly promoting the family business. As the woman drew closer, Allison realized that wasn’t the only advertising the woman did. She’d seen Riana, draped in gemstones and little else, in ads for Collins Jewelers.

This was the woman Zach was turning down—all for the sake of a business deal.

If Allison didn’t know better, she might have thought Zach was hardwired with all the emotion and passion of a computer’s CPU. But there’d been those few, brief moments when she’d seen the flare of attraction in his eyes, the desire of a flesh-and-blood man.

There was no sign of that man now as he greeted the stunning brunette. “Riana.” His voice couldn’t have sounded more professional if it had been a prerecorded phone message. His expression was equally polite, yet remote despite the obvious come-on in the woman’s gaze. “So good to see you.”

“You, too, Zach.” Smoke turned to ash when Riana looked at Allison. “I didn’t realize you’d be bringing anyone tonight.”

“I’ve mentioned how eager Knox is to do business with you and your father.” Sliding his hand to the small of her back, Zach brought Allison forward. “Naturally, we’ve brought out our best.”

Hoping Riana Collins didn’t ask best what, since she doubted the title of Best Temporary Receptionist would impress the woman, Allison held out her hand. “Allison Warner. Pleased to meet you, Ms. Collins.”

Riana Collins looked less than pleased, an expression that didn’t change as they entered the restaurant and followed the hostess to a secluded table obviously meant for two. A third place was hastily set. Zach kept Allison at his side, pulling out the chair to his right.

She might have expected the other woman to have a better chance of holding his attention, seated directly across from him. But he never failed to meet Allison’s gaze before glancing at Riana, just like he never missed an opportunity to rest his hand on the back of her chair or brush his fingers against hers on the table.

At first, Allison thought Zach had decided to be subtle after all, only to quickly realize how wrong she was. The hand on her shoulder could have been a casual, business-related touch—until his thumb stroked the skin along her collarbone. And while even that small gesture might have seemed subtle, the shiver that raced down her spine like a quake down a fault line was anything but.

Judging by Riana’s narrowed gaze, the woman had picked up on the aftershock.

After the first few minutes of small talk, discussing the menu and giving their orders to the waiter, Zach turned his attention to business. Riana nodded in all the appropriate places as Zach explained the different security options Knox offered; she even asked an informed question or two.

But the other woman still had more than business on her mind, and Allison wasn’t surprised when Riana pegged her with a sharp look and said, “You’ve been quiet, Allison. I’d be curious to hear your thoughts.”

For a split second her mind went blank, and she felt Zach stiffen beside her, his tension practically telegraphing an unspoken command straight through her. Do not screw this up. Do not screw this up. The added pressure had panic rising up inside her, but then the information she’d copied, collated, stapled and punched started filtering back. She’d always had a good memory for details—a useful talent when she’d juggled clients for Barton/Mills and one that helped with jumping from temp job to temp job now.

“Knox handles security for some of the top businesses in the Valley.” Names from the client list flashed through her memory—a high-end clothing boutique, a chain of furniture stores, an office complex not far from where the new Collins jewelry store would soon break ground.

“I’ve heard your latest ad campaign,” Allison added. It was an occupational hazard she had yet to break, paying more attention to ads than shows on TV or songs on the radio. “You’ve been promoting Collins Jewelers as the fourth ‘C,’ as important as cut, color and clarity. You have a reputation for accepting only the best, and when it comes to security systems, Knox is the best there is.”

For the first time all evening, Allison felt Zach relax at her side, and the glow of satisfaction burned brighter as she caught his almost imperceptible nod of approval.

Night had fallen by the time they left the restaurant, but Allison’s smile could have lit the sky. Zach waited for Riana to drive off in her Jag before he said, “I owe you, big time.”

Her smile grew wider, bringing out the dimple in her right cheek, but despite the Cheshire grin, she passed on the chance to gloat. “No you don’t. It was fun.”

Judging by the bounce in her step and her smile as they walk toward his car, Allison was telling the truth. She’d had fun. When was the last time—if ever—that he’d thought of work as ‘fun?’ It was a challenge to be met, a range of pinnacles to climb, each higher and harder than the last. But fun? And yet when Allison reached the passenger door and turned to face him, he felt a hint of an answering smile tug at his lips. He couldn’t deny that certain aspects of the evening had been … enjoyable.

It had been way too easy to let his gaze lock on hers, to brush his fingers over the back of her hand in a too casual to be casual gesture, to acknowledge the attraction he’d worked the past two months to ignore. Problem was, he didn’t know how he was supposed to go back to ignoring it, to putting those jolts of lightning back in the bottle. But maybe he didn’t have to.

Allison only had two days left at Knox Security. After that, they’d no longer be coworkers. She’d move on to another temp job, and he—he had way too much on his mind to even think of a serious relationship.

Who says it has to be serious? his libido argued slyly as they climbed into his car. The energy and excitement in her smile worked its way under his skin, buzzing with an awareness of how long it had been since he’d pursued any kind of relationship with a woman. And after all, Allison was all about fun, the kind of woman who might be open to something less than serious.

“I still say I owe you,” Zach said once he’d pulled the car out of the parking lot. “How did you know those details about Knox’s client list?”

“A few days ago, I ran copies of the company’s references for some sales packets. I was pretty sure I remembered most of the names … and well, the numbers were a bit of a guesstimate.”

“A guesstimate?”

“Okay, more of a guess, but hey, it worked, right?”

Zach felt any hint of a smile wiped clean away. No wonder he worked alone. He couldn’t risk his future success on someone else who might have “fun” guessing at facts and figures. What if Riana Collins had figured out that Allison was making up her information? Allison could have blown the whole deal.

And she could have refused to help at all, his conscience goaded. She’d bailed him out when he asked her to, so it was a little late to worry about her methods.

“Do you still think you owe me or have I negated that with my creative sales pitch?”

Zach glanced over, catching glimpses of Allison’s face in the passing streetlights like watching a flickering black-and-white television set. Only there was nothing old-fashioned or quaint about Allison. She was bold, confident, a high-definition type of woman. “The evening was still a success, thanks to you.”

“What kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn’t help you out?”

What kind of girlfriend would she be? The kind to understand when he worked late at night, when he cancelled plans on the weekend, when he overlooked personal milestones for another professional stepping-stone? Or would she expect more—more of his time, more of his attention, more than he could give? Automatically, his hand tightened on the wheel. “Allie …”

“Relax, Zach. I was just kidding. I know you don’t do relationships.”

“Right.”

“You’re all about work.”

“I am …”

“You don’t have time to for play.”

“Well …”

“And you’d make a terrible boyfriend.”

Allison made that statement as he pulled into the underground parking garage at Knox. He found a spot next to her car, a lime-green VW bug, and cut the engine. She sat angled toward him, clearly expecting him to agree with everything she’d just said.

Which, he thought as he climbed from the car, was exactly what a smart man would do. Because everything she said was true. And yet when he met Allison on the other side of the car, he heard himself ask, “Is that another guesstimate?”

A puzzled frown touched her features. “What?”

“You’ve had a lot to say without knowing the facts.”

Allison’s eyes widened as he drew closer. She looked far more worried now than she had when he confronted her about bending the truth at dinner. “Well …”

“After all, we’ve never been on a real date.”

“Of course not.”

“And we’ve never kissed.”

“No, but—”

“Never slept together.”

A soft blush lit her cheeks. “Obviously not.”

She took a step back only to bump up against the car.

“And while I might be a bad boyfriend, there are some things I’m very good at.”

He stepped closer, trapping her against the hood of the car, but Allison didn’t try to escape. He moved slowly, giving her time to protest but not so slowly as to give himself time to wonder what the hell he thought he was doing. He lowered his head, his gaze on her softly parted lips, but there was something else …

That dimple, the one that teased him whenever she smiled. She wasn’t smiling now, but Zach couldn’t resist brushing his lips against the spot as if the heated touch might somehow bring out the tiny indentation. He followed the subtle curve of her cheekbone toward her ear and the tender skin below her jaw.

Allison’s breath caught as her head tilted back. She whispered his name and Zach couldn’t deny the plea in her voice or his own need to really kiss her. Giving in, he slanted his mouth over hers, her lips soft and yielding beneath his own. She tasted like the Cajun barbecue sauce she’d dipped her chicken skewers into at dinner, a mix of spices made hotter by their kiss, and he couldn’t get enough. Allison raised her arms, but instead of pushing him away, she ran one hand through his hair while the other wrapped around his tie, pulling him closer …

Desire pulsed through his veins, and the hands he’d placed on Allison’s hips drifted into more dangerous territory. He didn’t know how far over the line they would have landed if not for the beep of a car alarm several rows away.

The sound rang like a wake-up call to Zach’s common sense. He was in a parking lot with Allison pressed up against his car like a would-be hood ornament. And not just any parking lot, but the parking lot at work where any fellow employee or—worse—his boss could walk by.

Lifting his head, he sucked in a much needed breath. “Allison—”

“We have to stop,” she said, ducking away before he had a chance to protest. Her skin was flushed, her lips swollen from his kiss, her chest rising and falling rapidly, and it took every bit of self-control Zach had not to pull her back into his arms. “I mean, this is crazy. We’re at work! I only have a few days left here and …”

“A few days,” Zach echoed when Allison’s words trailed away.

“Yes. Tuesday is my last day.” The awareness shining in her eyes revealed all they weren’t saying.

In a few days, Allison would no longer be a Knox employee. All the red lights that had him pounding on the brakes a second ago suddenly turned green … “Allison, don’t take this the wrong way, but I can’t wait until you’re gone.”

Chapter Three

“You’re here early.”

Zach looked away from his computer screen as his boss, Daryl Evans, walked into his office. “It’s almost seven.”

Not early by Zach’s way of thinking. Maybe it was being born and raised in Phoenix, but he’d always believed morning was the best part of the day. Except during the worst heat of the summer months, dawn offered crisp, refreshing air and the kiss of cool dew on the grass. Brief moments of respite before the scorching afternoons.

That was how he felt about arriving at the office during those early hours, too. He liked the peace and quiet before the chaos of the workday began. Once eight o’clock rolled around, the silence was broken by ringing phones, beeping computers, and the chatter of his fellow employees going about their jobs. He liked that part, too. The energy and the noise and the occasionally hectic atmosphere. But he needed the soothing quiet first. Kind of like enjoying a cup of herbal tea before taking a straight shot of espresso.

Lately, though, Daryl had a habit of dropping in. Not just in the mornings, but at various times throughout the week. And that kind of interruption Zach didn’t like.

Daryl was a good man, but Zach worked best alone. He didn’t need anyone checking up on him any more than he needed weekly status meetings or the slaps on the back so many of his fellow employees craved. He didn’t need anyone to tell him how important a client was or to do his best on an imperative sales proposal. He knew; he had his own ambition and drive to answer to, and they were harder taskmasters than any boss could ever be.

“Obviously, I’m not the only one ready to get a jump-start on the day,” Zach pointed out.

“At least I went home last night.”

“So did I.”

“And stayed there how long before coming back to work? Don’t bother to lie,” Daryl warned. “I’ll check the cameras if I have to—one of the benefits of working for a company that sells security systems.”

Zach was tempted to find out if his boss really would check the security footage, but then he thought about what Daryl might see—Zach leaving the parking garage with Allison or worse, Zach returning to the parking garage and kissing Allison. And while Knox didn’t have a policy against relationships in the work place, Zach had never been tempted to engage in an office romance. It hadn’t been worth running the risk that his boss might think Zach had something other than work on his mind.

The truth definitely seemed like a better option. Or at least a limited version of the truth. “I left around five-thirty for a dinner meeting. Came back at around eight—” kissed Allison for a few minutes that could have easily gone on forever “—to go over the revised blueprints for that new office complex in Peoria. By the time I checked to see what time it was, it was almost midnight. I did go home, but I was too wired to get much sleep, so I came back around six.”

“How did the meeting with James Collins go?”

“He had to cancel,” Zach admitted. “But I met with Riana.”

“I see.”

The words were noncommittal, but Zach heard everything his boss wasn’t saying. Riana might call for a meeting, but James made all the executive decisions. Until Zach could swing another meeting with the man himself, the coveted contract would remain out of reach. He knew it wouldn’t be long before he hurdled his way past Riana’s seductive roadblocks, but he was quickly running out of time and patience.

What were the odds that the biggest contact of his career would be up for bid only two weeks before the board made their decision about the biggest promotion of his career?

If he didn’t get the Collins account …

Zach shook the thought away. When he got the Collins account, he’d be a shoo-in for the promotion.

“The cancer research benefit is tonight. Riana is on the planning committee for the event, and she assured me her father will be there.” He hated black-tie events, and a crowded ballroom wouldn’t be the place to press James Collins for a time and date to present his proposal for the new jewelry stores, but at least Zach would have another chance to meet the man face to face.

Daryl nodded as he glanced around the office.

“So, what’s on your mind?” Zach asked, straight to the point and with the hope the other man would respond in kind.

The slow perusal of his office couldn’t be anything but a stall tactic. The place hadn’t changed since Zach moved in five years ago. The large wooden desk took up most of the space in the middle of the room with a file cabinet in one corner and a trailing philodendron on a plant stand in the other. The plant stayed alive as long as it had only because the cleaning people watered once a week.

No pictures, no mementos, no trophies adorned the beige walls. He kept his personal life—such as it was—separate from work and liked it that way.

Except for last night when the two had combined in an explosive kiss. He had to be crazy to even contemplate dating Allison, and yet he’d done more than think about it, hadn’t he? His final comment the night before intimated he was ready and willing to start … something.

He’d never been one for relationships, at least nothing serious. His career came first, and he preferred women who felt the same drive to succeed as he did. And while Allison was as beautiful, as smart, as clever as any of the women he’d dated in the past, she didn’t fit the “work first” mold. She didn’t fit any mold, he’d come to realize the night before. She was adventurous rather than ambitious, more interested in grabbing hold of the moment than reaching toward the future. A woman who would always keep a man on his toes, always keep him interested—

“It’s about the Collins proposal.”

Daryl’s comment snapped Zach’s attention back where it should have been in the first place. What was wrong with him? He’d never had trouble keeping his mind off a woman when it mattered. Never. And he refused to let it happen now.

Meeting his boss’s gaze, he said, “Riana said Knox is in the running for the contract based on our initial numbers. That’s what got us through the door, but our proposal will be what slams it shut on the rest of the competition.” And the board would have no choice but to offer him the promotion.

Silence followed his statement. Hardly a ringing endorsement from his boss. Not that Zach needed that kind of encouragement, but did Daryl really think he would blow this chance?

“You know how important this presentation is to me.”

“It’s important to the whole company, Zach,” his boss shot back, reminding Zach of criticisms he’d heard before.

Not a team player…. Doesn’t work well with others …

Damn right he didn’t! He worked hard, and he wasn’t about to let anyone else drag him down.

Still, he took a deep breath and said, “I know. But you don’t have to worry. I’ve got this one.”

Zach knew it wouldn’t look good to get too cocky, but if he showed any kind of weakness, Daryl—for all his mild-mannered attitude and scholarly looks—would move in for the kill. He’d pull the Collins account out from beneath Zach before he could say—

“I think you need help this time.”

“What?” Zach stood so quickly his chair rolled back and bounced off the wall behind him. Daryl hadn’t taken the account away, but this was almost as bad. “You can’t—” Zach checked the response when he saw the steely determination behind his boss’s wire-rimmed glasses.

Starting over and trying for a reasonable tone despite the frustration pounding through his veins, he said, “Look, Daryl, this has been my baby from the beginning. I’ve spent months working on this. For another salesman to come in now—”

“I never said it had to be another salesperson. One of the sales assistants can work with you.”

Zach swallowed a derisive snort. The wanna-be salesmen were just as bad, if not worse. Scheming and striving to get ahead, to get where he was!

“Or an administrative assistant, someone to help with the details of putting the presentation together,” Daryl suggested when Zach didn’t jump at the sales assistant idea.

An admin. He still didn’t like it. He worked alone—always had, always would. But his boss wasn’t backing down on this, and if he had to have someone looking over his shoulder, at least he wouldn’t have to worry about them trying to take credit for all the hard work he’d already done.

“All right,” he conceded. “If you think it will help.”

“Great,” Daryl announced with a broad smile as if he hadn’t railroaded Zach into the idea. “I have the perfect person in mind. Allison Warner.”

“Allie—Allison?” Zach choked out her name, grateful he hadn’t sat back down yet, or he would have popped back up like something had bitten him in the ass. “But she’s—”

“She’s what?”

A half a dozen descriptions came to mind, none of them the least bit appropriate. “She’s a temp. She’s only working here another two days. After that, she’s supposed to be …”

Available.

“Leaving,” he finished weakly.

“I know. It’s perfect timing. Martha will be back, so we won’t need Allison as a receptionist anymore. From what she’s said, she doesn’t have another temp assignment yet, so I’m sure she’ll be eager to stay on. It’s a chance for advancement that could lead to a permanent position here.”

Permanent. Sweat broke out on the back of Zach’s neck at the thought of seeing Allison day after day. The past two months had been bad enough, and that was before he’d kissed her.

How was he supposed to work with her now that he knew the softness of her skin? The taste of her kiss?

He’d deal with it, Zach thought grimly. He’d never had trouble focusing on work before and that wouldn’t change, even if it meant working with Allison Warner.

I can’t wait until you’re gone.

The line might not have been the most romantic Allison had ever heard, yet every time Zach’s voice echoed in her thoughts, tiny quivers seemed to shoot out along every nerve ending. She couldn’t hear the words without picturing the intensity in his gaze or remembering the hunger in his touch. She’d been right about one thing—Zach Wilder certainly knew how to kiss.

He’d surprised her by starting with an almost innocent touch. But it wasn’t just any kiss on the cheek. It was like those ridiculously small, bite-sized candy bars. One was supposed to satisfy a sweet craving, yet only left her wanting more, more, more.

But the question was, had she been wrong about everything else? She’d been so sure that Zach was an all work, all the time kind of guy. Yet he’d been the one to suggest … what, exactly? A relationship? Or merely the chance to finish what they’d started in the parking garage?

Allison didn’t know. Like a refrain from a long-forgotten song—she couldn’t remember the rest of the verses, so that one line kept playing over and over and over again. Even though it was killing her that she’d have to wait to find the answer, she respected Zach’s decision. After the complete personal and professional disaster that was her ex-boyfriend, the last thing Allison wanted was an office romance.

So, it was with the hope that the next few days would fly by that Allison walked into the office Friday morning. As she slid her purse into the desk drawer, a masculine voice called out, “Hey, Allison. Daryl wants to see you in his office.”

She glanced over her shoulder with a puzzled frown. “Why would he want to see me?”

Brett Mitchell, one of Knox’s sales assistants, grinned. “Who wouldn’t want to see you? Always makes my day.”

“Hmm, you try kissing up to Martha like that?”

“Are you kidding?” Brett gave a mock shiver. “That woman is scary.”

“You only say that because she can see right through your act. You can’t charm everyone all the time.”

“Ouch. That hurts, especially since I plan on making a career based on my charm,” he said with a wink as he backed down the hall.

Allison shook her head at the younger man’s antics, but her smile fell away as she considered the message he’d relayed. Why would Daryl Evans ask to see her? Before taking leave for her surgery, Martha had introduced Allison to Knox’s division president. With his wire-rimmed glasses and his brown hair graying slightly at the temples, he’d reminded Allison of a college professor. He smiled at her in the mornings and asked for things like coffee and files and copies rather than demanding them, which was nice and not always the case.

But beyond transferring calls, setting up video conferences and handling some light administrative tasks, she’d had little contact with Daryl. Certainly nothing that merited a closed-door meeting. Maybe he just wanted to say goodbye and wish her luck on her next job. Despite the positive thought, Allison’s steps slowed on the patterned carpet as she walked down the corridor to his office. While she didn’t technically work for Knox Security, a performance review would be turned in to the temp agency. Those reviews had always been favorable in the past, and Allison had expected this one to be as well until now.

She’d done a good job, hadn’t made any major mistakes … until she kissed Zach Wilder last night. Was that the reason? Had someone seen them in the parking garage? Heat crept to her face at the thought of someone having witnessed that kiss.

But it had been after eight by the time Zach dropped her at her car. No one would have been around that late. The meeting had to be about something else. Convinced of that, Allison gave Daryl Evans’s door a quick knock and walked inside.

“Good morning, Daryl. Brett said—”

Her words lodged in her throat. Zach stood across from Daryl’s desk, a frown on his too handsome face. Certainty crashed into a world of doubt. “Zach …”

His well-controlled nod didn’t do much to ease her nerves. “Allison.”

Searching his gaze, Allison didn’t know what she was looking for, but she knew she didn’t find it in the remote, businesslike mask he wore. Any sign of the man who’d kissed her last night was completely gone. She should have expected it, but the loss hit harder than anticipated, like something incredible had just slipped though her hands. Which was crazy. She barely knew Zach. Her feelings were nothing more than a silly crush, and she’d have no trouble letting go.

None at all.

“Brett said you wanted to see me.”

“Have a seat.”

As Allison sank into the soft chair, she realized Zach must have sat there only moments earlier. The leather cushion still held the heat from his body, a warmth that enveloped her along with the hint of Zach’s aftershave. The combination had her body playing tricks on her—her lips started to tingle, her stomach muscles trembled, and her bones threatened to melt into a weak puddle.

A movement from the corner of her eye caught her attention. Zach, crossing his arms over his chest. Zach, strong, solid, irretractable …

The memory of another meeting she’d walked into—ignorant and blind—crowded her thoughts until she felt claustrophobic, trapped in her own skin. Allison sucked in a deep gulp of air and forced the memory of Kevin aside until she once again had room to breathe, to think.

Let it go. Just … forget all about it. All of it.

If her time in New York taught her anything, it was to hold her head high even in the worst of situations. She hammered some steel back into her spine and sat up straight, ready to face whatever this meeting held in store. But even with her gaze fixed intently on her boss, her peripheral vision was suddenly twenty-twenty. She could see the cool blue of Zach’s shirt, the tanned, leanly muscled forearms revealed by the rolled up cuffs, the narrow black leather belt around his flat abs, the crisp cut to the long line of his slate gray trousers.

She could even see the tension working his jaw and feel it coming off him in waves. Not so different from the masculine energy he’d barely held in check when she broke away from their kiss …

“Tuesday is your last day under contract with Knox Security.”

Allison started at Daryl’s words. “Yes, that’s right.”

He leaned back in his chair and studied her from across the polished expanse of his cherry desk. “You’ll be pleased to know that Knox has extended that contract. Not as our receptionist, though. This will be a step up.”

A step up. How could Daryl know she’d taken the short-term temp jobs as a way to avoid stepping up? She didn’t want to climb the corporate ladder again. She’d learned the hard way that the higher you rise, the farther you fall. “Daryl, thank you. But—”

“You’ll do fine,” he reassured her with a fatherly smile that sent an ache to her heart.

But the pain only reminded her why she couldn’t say yes. She’d already sacrificed too much of her personal life to the quest for business success. “I can’t. Really.”

“Of course you can.” He slid a folder across the desk toward her. “I’ve already cleared it through your agency. You can handle this, Allison.”

The confidence in his voice sent guilt worming its way beneath her skin. She did the job she was paid to do and liked to think she did it well. So why did she still feel like a trouble-making kid if she hadn’t done anything wrong? But maybe that was the problem. Maybe her guilt wasn’t in something she’d done. Perhaps it laid in all she hadn’t done. To borrow a motto from the armed forces, she wasn’t exactly being all she could be.

“This assistant position is perfect for you,” Daryl added with a glance over her shoulder at Zach.

Assistant.

Realization formed a knot in her stomach as Daryl’s words and Zach’s presence sank in. Work … with Zach. How was she supposed to work with him day after day when her skin tingled with anticipation whenever he was near?

“Don’t you agree, Zach?”

The firmly worded question told Allison that Zach had already made his disagreement perfectly clear. But his response was as cool and slick as the crystal on the face of the watch he wore as he said, “Of course. Allison will make the perfect partner. I’m looking forward to the start of our professional relationship.”

Professional relationship.

As they walked out of Daryl’s office together, Allison didn’t need any special app from Zach’s cutting-edge phone to translate what those words meant. The worst part was she should have seen it coming. She couldn’t have anticipated Daryl extending her contract, but she had worked at Knox long enough to know Zach’s reputation. Work first. Period.

Yesterday going to dinner as Zach’s girlfriend had seemed like an adventure, one night of pretend before the clock struck midnight. But as with a different fairy tale, it was the kiss that broke the spell—a kiss that changed the moment from a fun adventure to something … more.

A kiss that had knocked down the protective barriers she’d built since the breakup with Kevin. One that overwhelmed her common sense and made her long to surrender her entire body and soul. And one that Zach regretted just as deeply.

Remember Plan A …

In a few weeks, she’d walk away from Knox Security—and Zach—without a look back. Whatever ridiculous hope she’d had that he was different from Kevin had withered at his frigid reaction in front of their boss. She wouldn’t give Zach another thought. Not one …

“Allison, wait.”

She turned at the sound of his voice, but he was closer than she thought. She took a stumbling step back to avoid running straight into his chest. He reached out to steady her, his hands bracketing her waist exactly like they had before he kissed her. Heat soaked into her skin from his touch, and Zach must have felt it, too. He snatched his hands back before they could burn.

“Allie—” He gave his head a quick shake. “Allison.”

“Might as well call me Ms. Warner,” she muttered.

He blinked as if the idea had actually crossed his mind. “What?”

“Nothing.”

Silence fell between them, tension-filled and rife with could have been and never was. Zach sighed, regret flashing for an instant in his blue eyes. But then he straightened his shoulders, and his business-only mask fell into place. “I’ve been a salesman here for five years and not once has Daryl said I need help with a client. For him to insist on it …” The line etched between Zach’s brows clearly spoke his displeasure with his boss’s change in tactics. He shook his head. “I feel like I’m under a microscope right now, and I can’t do anything that might be seen as losing my head.”

And why did that make everything so much worse? To know she wasn’t the only one who’d lost her head? It was one thing to feel control slip away during a heated kiss, but to hear him admit it as part of an argument for why that one kiss would never be anything more …

“Last night was a mistake. The best thing for both of us is to pretend it never happened.”

Allison felt her face start to heat as anger burned inside her. Zach expected her to keep her mouth shut and go on with business as usual. Just like Kevin had. And while she could no way compare her long-time relationship with Kevin to a single kiss from Zach or his brush-off to Kevin’s betrayal, Allison refused to make things that easy on him.

“It’s too bad,” she said finally.

“What is?”

“That we didn’t know sooner that we’d be working together.”

“I know. I’m glad we’re seeing this the same way,” he said, his voice grim, but Allison shook her head.

“I don’t think we do. See, if you’d known we’d be working together, you never would have kissed me. Because now you’re going to forget that kiss ever happened.”

“And what would you have done?” Zach asked, the words sounding pried from his throat with a rusty crowbar. “Had you known we’d be working together?”

“Me?” She shrugged. “I still would have kissed you. But I would have tried a lot harder to make sure you couldn’t forget.”

It was the perfect parting shot, and had life been a movie with Allison in the lead role, she would have gotten away with tossing the line over her shoulder on route to the elevator. But life wasn’t a movie, and she was starting to realize her sense of timing stunk. Instead of the director calling “cut,” the crack of Daryl’s door opening broke the moment, and both Allison and Zach froze. For a split second, her gaze stayed locked with Zach’s before she looked over to their boss framed by the doorway.

“Good, you’re both still here.” Nothing in their boss’s expression gave any indication he’d picked up on the tension between her and Zach, but Allison’s sigh of relief was short-lived. “Zach, about that cancer benefit—take Allison with you. Your partnership starts tonight.”

Chapter Four

It’s only one night.

Zach repeated the mantra as he handed the valet the keys to his car. The refrain had been playing through his mind from the moment Daryl insisted Zach take Allison along to the gala at the upscale Scottsdale hotel. Lights glowed from inside and out, illuminating the lobby and the well-dressed men and women making their way through the frosted glass doors.

Just one night. He took a deep breath as he circled to the passenger side of the car and steadfastly ignored his conscience’s biting reminder that he’d used that same justification the night before—a decision that could potentially make tonight and the next few weeks feel like tap dancing through a minefield.

Juggling a fake girlfriend and temporary assistant all wrapped up in one smart, sassy package would be difficult at any time. But to manage it when his total attention should be focused on winning the Collins account and making his case for the upcoming promotion …

He could do it. He had to. Zach refused to let this opportunity slip by. He wasn’t going to spend his life looking back at his failures. He’d learned all he needed to know about could-have-beens from his father.

Nathan Wilder had been a dreamer. But instead of dreaming about a glorious future, his dreams had remained locked in the past. He was the high school golden boy who’d never eclipsed his popularity as the starting quarterback, a grown man whose crowning achievement in life was being named homecoming king his senior year.

Could have ridden that university football scholarship straight to the pros …

Could have made a fortune in endorsements.

And even as a young boy, Zach had understood why those could-have-beens never turned into more than that.

Could have had it all … but then your mother got pregnant with you …

Zach was the reason behind his father’s life of failure. He had known that ugly truth since he was a kid, but he still got a sick feeling in his stomach whenever he thought about it. He’d seen old videotapes of the championship game where his father quarterbacked his team to victory. Nathan Wilder often watched the old games after he’d been drinking. Zach had come to despise football, but he’d seen those taped games as a kid. His father had been a great quarterback.

There was no telling what his father might have accomplished if he hadn’t been burdened with a child he didn’t want and a wife he’d felt obligated to marry.

It was a mistake Zach wouldn’t repeat.

He was going to have his success, and no one, no one would be to blame because he would not fail.

All he had to do was keep his focus on his goal, to keep reaching for what he really wanted—

The passenger door opened, and Zach caught another glimpse of the long legs and smooth skin that had tempted him from the moment Allison opened her front door. Desire hit like a blow beneath the belt, sucking the air from his lungs and sending his blood rushing from his head. He should have been prepared, but he already had the uneasy feeling Allison was one woman who would always catch him off guard.

Her green eyes glowed, the dimple in her cheek on full display, as she held out her hand. “Have I mentioned how much I’m looking forward to this?”

“Several times,” he said dryly even as he steeled himself for the warm, silken feel of her skin against his own as he led the way inside the hotel.

Anyone who thought revenge was best served cold never met a dish like Allison, Zach decided. There was nothing cold about the woman at his side. Her halter-style dress hugged the curves of her breasts and narrow waist before flaring over her hips and cascading in tiers to below her knees. Zach didn’t know enough about women’s fashions to name what the dress was made of, but the material had an iridescent sheen and captured all the warmth of a desert sunset. In one moment, the dress was gold, then orange and pink and red…. And even though it had to be nothing more than a trick of the lobby’s crystal chandeliers, he couldn’t help thinking the shifting, undulating glow came not from the overhead light, but from a fire burning inside the woman herself.

The charity event had brought out the best and the brightest of Scottsdale society, but as they walked into the ballroom, Allison put them all to shame. A flickering flame amid a room full of moths. And even though he knew he was only going to end up burned, the beat of the blood in his veins urged him closer.

“Are we fighting?”

As Allison leaned close, he caught the strawberry scent of her shampoo along with a hint of a sexier perfume, the sweet and spicy combination a perfect blend for the woman herself. With her scent filling his head, it took a moment for the words to gel. “Fighting?”

“I figure we need some kind of cover story for the scowl on your face.”

She smiled at a group of men near the bar as they passed by, and Zach figured his “scowl” just got even darker when he saw the subtle nudges and nods in her direction, the immediate straightening of spines and lift to their shoulders, putting masculine interest on display. Allison didn’t seem to notice how their gazes roamed over her golden skin and slender curves, but Zach turned her toward him, making sure his body blocked their line of sight.

The protective instinct was more familiar than the sting of jealousy, but in the past, Zach had always justified those feelings as an occupational hazard. He sold high-tech security systems, that was his job, but he liked the idea of keeping people safe. With Allison, though, he was going to be the one who needed extra security to keep her from slipping past his defenses with her spirit and sass and an ability to roll with the punches that had already saved him from Riana Collins once.

“We’re not fighting.”

She gave him a patronizing pat on her arm. “It’s all right. We can always kiss and make up later.”

“We’re not fighting,” he stressed as he leaned closer to make his point. And there would be no kissing. Until the Collins deal was sealed, they had to maintain the pretense of dating for Riana’s benefit. But that charade didn’t extend beyond the ballroom, so Zach had no reason to think of the ride home to Allison’s condo, of the walk to her door, of a good-night kiss, or—heaven help him—an invitation inside.

And yet he could see those moments reflected in the darkening of her green eyes, hear the whispered invitation in the sudden catch in her breath, feel the sexual attraction pulsing between them …

But then someone bumped into Zach from behind with a muttered apology, and the moment was broken.

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