Page 25 of The Charmer's Gambit
North Carolina
My conversation with Becky placated Ryan enough that he’d given me a temporary reprieve of sorts to focus on work, but I suspected that was about to end.
First, because I’d denied his dinner requests four times now, claiming meetings as a repetitive excuse.
And second, because I’d just left the state without telling him.
I pressed my palm against my skirt as I dragged my suitcase along behind me and stifled a yawn. These last few weeks were working hell. Not just managing Ryan’s persistent calls and random visits, but also working long days, followed by longer nights, and spending weekends at the office. Baker Brown had assigned a dozen lawyers to Will’s case, marking it with high urgency given the timeline, and threw ample funding behind it.
I hadn’t seen Will since the day he finalized the agreement with my firm three and a half weeks ago. We’d talked a few times over the phone since, but always professionally and only about the project. It left me feeling a bit empty and confused and a tad bit disappointed. Which wasn’t fair. I wanted him to hire me for my work, not for my body, yet I missed his easy candorand flirting—a conundrum that left me walking at a clipped pace toward the exit.
I didn’t want to be excited at the prospect of seeing him outside those doors, but the jumping jacks going on in my belly told me the truth. I’d missed him. Ridiculous. Idiotic. Annoying.
When I spotted a man in a suit holding a placard with my name, the gymnastics in my stomach halted, leaving behind a queasy feeling.
This is what I wanted. To be treated like a professional.Pull it together, hormones.
“Miss Dawson?” the man asked, his drawl reminding me a little of Will.
“That’d be me.”
“A pleasure, ma’am.” He tipped his hat, revealing a touch of his salt-and-pepper hair at the sides, and opened the back door of his black town car. “I’ll take your bag.”
“Thank you, Mister . . . ?”
Another tip of that hat. “You can call me Rudy, ma’am.”
I grinned. “Thank you, Rudy.”
“Careful, he’s a bit of a flirt,” came a voice from inside the car. My heart kicked up a notch as I bent to find Will sitting in the back seat, dressed in khakis and a blue polo shirt. “Mornin’, darlin’.”
“Hi,” I managed. He looked tanner, probably from the North Carolina sun, and his hair seemed a bit brighter. But his grin was the same—all male confidence—as I slid into the car beside him. “You didn’t need to pick me up.”
He shrugged. “I figured we could get a head start on our meeting.”
“Oh, that makes sense.” All business as usual. Except the disappointment radiating through me wasn’t professional at all. Of course he wanted to discuss the acquisition. That’s why we were working together. I’d let my ego grow to unhealthy levels,because I could swear he wanted to sleep with me in the beginning, which sounded ridiculous now.
He’d been nothing but the perfect client for weeks, and even before that, he’d really only been politely flirtatious. The whole thing was wishful thinking on my part because of my innate attraction to him. I assumed our feelings were mutual, but given the foot of distance between us now, no way did he find me nearly as appealing as I found him. And wasn’t that a kick in the gut?
Ignoring the ache in my chest, I focused on him and tried to figure out what he was talking about.
“Which is why I think we should leave Friday night instead, just to acclimate and be prepared. Thoughts?”
I squinted at him. “Uh, sure.”Leave Friday night for what?
“Excellent. I’ll ask Miranda to book it, and she’ll send the itinerary to you.”
“Great.”I can’t wait to see it and find out where I’m going.
Wow, I needed to pull it together, and fast. Both Janet and Jeff had mentioned how impressed they were with my work on this project, and it seemed five minutes in Will’s presence was long enough to derail several weeks of hard work.
Awesome. Nothing like allowing a silly crush to ruin a career.
And I shouldn’t even be attracted to him in the first place. So what if he had a perfect square jaw covered in attractive stubble, alluring dark irises dusted in long blond lashes, and a head of thick hair. Looks didn’t mean everything. Neither did all that muscle he was packing beneath that fitted shirt, nor did the strong thighs and impressive package in those khaki pants. My gaze flew upward when I realized where it’d gone, and found Will grinning.
“You all right, Miss Dawson?”
I had to clear my throat twice to speak. It did nothing to hide the heat overwhelming my face. “I, uh, it was a long flight.” Lamest. Excuse. Ever. And he knew it too.
