Handsome Boss: Handsome Devils Book 2 Read online

  She’d called her father hoping to refocus her energies. Now that she thought about it, his sayings were exactly what she needed. She should write them down and slap them on the wall next to her desk. She needed to pursue her dreams like a fox hot on a rabbit’s tail. She needed to keep her eye on the goal and her hand on the...no, wait, had it been her hand on the goal and her eye on the helm? She frowned. That didn’t sound right. Well, whatever he’d said, she agreed with it. She needed to keep her hormones under lock and key and her lips to herself.

  Maybe that’s what she needed to put on the wall next to her computer.

  “I’m making progress,” she told her father. “And I’m going to make even more over the next couple of weeks.”

  “That’s my girl,” her father said, and unexpected warmth flowed through Emma. Yes, she was his girl. Even though they didn’t know each other very well, they were both working hard to make up for the past. She wasn’t alone in this world. She had family.

  Okay, maybe not family in the way Nathan had family, but she wasn’t sure she could take having a family like his. The Barretts had good intentions, but they were a crazy bunch.

  She’d take her organized, practical father any day. Together, they formed a sane, rational family.

  “Ready for some good news?”

  Nathan glanced up as Emma entered his office carrying a stack of papers. During the past few weeks, she’d worked long hours helping Barrett Software flatten the problems with Simplify. She’d done whatever anyone asked—pitched in on the testing, run reports, and even wrote some of the online helps. She was a smart, dedicated lady.

  “I love good news.” Nathan stood and crossed the room to take the papers from her. He hadn’t meant to touch her, but his hands brushed hers when he took the report. They both felt the contact, and for a minute, simply stared at each other. Then Emma took a step back from him.

  “Those are the results from the latest batch of tests. Tim dropped the report off on his way home,” she said with a slightly breathless hitch to her voice.

  Nathan forced himself to ignore the attraction he felt to Emma and studied the papers instead. When he read the information, he let out a hoot. “Hot damn. The latest tests went great. Almost every function works flawlessly.”

  Emma grinned. “I know. Congratulations.”

  “Congratulations to all of us. You included. You’ve really been a big help.”

  He could tell she was pleased by his compliment. A light flush colored her pretty face. “Thanks for saying that.”

  “I mean it.” And he did. He really appreciated all the help she’d given the team. He also appreciated the help she’d given him. She’d helped keep him on schedule. But more than that, he liked having her around. Being with Emma made him happy.

  “I’m having fun,” she said softly, her gaze locking with his. “I’m glad I came to work here.”

  “I’m glad you’re here, too.” He found himself taking a step closer to her. Desire slammed into him like a fist.

  Don’t kiss her, you idiot.

  Emma tipped her head slightly. Her gaze moved from his eyes to his lips. He could easily tell she was thinking what he was thinking.

  Do not kiss her!

  Nathan struggled to remember all the reasons why he shouldn’t kiss Emma. He knew there were reasons. Lots of them. Too bad he couldn’t think of a single one at the moment, and since he couldn’t, he did the next best thing.

  He smiled at her and asked, “May I kiss you?”

  She smiled back and nodded, then moved forward at the same moment he did.

  He knew this was a mistake, but he didn’t care. He kissed her.

  As always, Nathan’s kiss made Emma wild with desire. But now, there was more. Much more. Kissing Nathan felt right. Felt perfect. She felt as if she’d finally found where she belonged.

  So she kept on kissing him, and kissing him, and kissing him until the sound of the elevator in the distance made them both realize where they were and what they were doing.

  “The cleaning crew,” Nathan said when they stopped kissing and reluctantly stepped apart.

  “Yes,” was all Emma could think to say.

  “Guess we should head home,” he said.

  “Yes.”

  Nathan smiled slowly. “Are you going to agree to whatever I suggest?”

  Emma knew he was teasing her, but she wasn’t when she answered, “Yes.”

  Nathan looked at her. Emma felt her heart beating like a hummingbird’s wings as she waited for his reaction.

  Please don’t say no.

  Finally, he asked, “Does that yes mean—”

  “It means yes.” She gave him a slow, seductive smile, and she watched understanding dawn on him. “The next move is up to you, hotshot. You know where to find me.”

  With that, she headed out of his office, stopping by her desk on the way to get her purse. At the elevator, she ended up having to wait for the cleaning crew to exit, then she got in and took it to the lobby. As she walked across the parking lot, she kept hoping against hope that she’d hear Nathan running to catch up with her.

  But the night remained silent except for the sound of distant traffic. Oh well. He’d no doubt leave in a few minutes and meet her back at the house. He probably wanted to think this over. She only hoped he came to the right conclusion.

  Leigh maintained Nathan was never wrong. Well, Emma hoped he didn’t make the wrong decision this time. The right decision was to become her lover. She was tired of playing this game of cat and mouse. He wanted her. She wanted him. They should be together.

  As she drove to Nathan’s house, she kept checking her rearview mirror, looking for signs that he might be following her. But he wasn’t. No headlights appeared behind her, and she couldn’t help being disappointed. Had she really misread Nathan? It didn’t seem possible. The man had just kissed her silly.

  But he hadn’t followed her home. So after parking her car, she headed up the steps to her apartment, cursing men in general and Nathan Barrett in particular. How could he not want her, too? She knew he wanted her. She was positive he wanted her.

  “Darn him,” she muttered, unlocking her door.

  “Darn who?”

  Emma squeaked and spun around. Nathan stood at the bottom of the steps.

  “I thought you weren’t interested,” she said breathlessly, thrilled to see him.

  He chuckled and bounded up the stairs. “You can’t be serious. Me? Not be interested? Not possible.”

  “But I didn’t hear you leave your office. And you didn’t follow me home,” she said, glancing around, looking for his car. “Hey, I didn’t hear you pull up, either.”

  Nathan reached the top of the stairs and slipped his arms around her waist, tugging her close. “That’s because I got here ahead of you.”

  “How? I left before you.”

  Nathan’s grin was pure devil. “No, you didn’t. The second you walked out, I sprinted down the stairs. No way was I going to give you a chance to change your mind.” He reached over her shoulder and pushed open the door to her apartment.

  Emma laughed as he backed her through the doorway, his arms never moving from around her waist.

  “You’re sure about this, right?” he asked after they were inside, and he’d shut the door.

  “Yes.” She leaned up and kissed him deeply. “I’m very, very sure. We both know this isn’t about being together for a lifetime. But why should we waste what time we do have?”

  “I like the way you think, Ms. Montgomery.”

  She laughed. “Why, thank you, Mr. Barrett. I’m pleased you agree with me.”

  9

  Emma was lost in thought when she entered Nathan’s office and went to place some papers on his desk. She’d hardly seen him since they’d become lovers. Simplify was keeping everyone running. But they were making progress at last, and Emma knew that if anyone could pull this off, it would be Nathan. The man was amazing.

  And she missed being with h
im. Their lovemaking had been wonderful, truly wonderful. As she’d expected, he was a tender, thoughtful, exciting lover.

  She started to set the papers down, then froze when she saw what was on his desk.

  “I don’t believe it,” she muttered. Caitlin Estes had sent a full sheet cake to Nathan with her picture on it. And not just any old picture. In the shot, she was in her cheerleading uniform. Again. Good grief. Apparently, Caitlin had had a lot of success in that uniform because she obviously thought it would do the trick with Nathan.

  A not-so-tiny part of Emma took satisfaction in the knowledge that Nathan was no longer available. At least, he wasn’t at the moment. At the moment, he was hers. All hers.

  Of course, he was just a loaner. She had no ownership rights where Nathan was concerned. All too soon, she’d be gone from Honey. Then maybe Caitlin would succeed in her plan to catch his attention.

  Emma sighed. Drat. She hated that thought. She hated the thought of Nathan with anyone but her. But the reality of her relationship with Nathan was that he had to stay here. And she had to leave. She had a job waiting for her in Massachusetts.

  As simple as that. She pulled her roll of antacids out of her pocket. Boy, life really stunk sometimes.

  “Are you nervous about Simplify?” Nathan asked, walking up to stand next to her and nodding at the antacids in her hand.

  Emma grabbed the excuse he offered. “Yes. Do you think it will be ready in time for the show?”

  “Yes.” He took the roll of antacids from her, then shut his office door. “You don’t seem to get as nervous as you used to. I rarely see you using these things anymore. Any reason why you need them today?”

  Emma took the antacids from him and slipped them back into her pocket. “I’ve been more relaxed this summer, but today, I’ve been thinking about my dissertation a lot.”

  He grinned. “So you’re relaxed this summer? I wonder why?”

  She had to laugh at that. “I’m going back to work. The boss is a real dragon, and I don’t want him yelling at me.”

  Nathan continued to grin at her. “Fine. Run away. See if I care.”

  “Oh, you care all right. I know you do.” She nodded toward his desk. “By the way, Caitlin struck again.”

  Nathan walked over to his desk and studied the cake. “Will this woman ever get the idea that I’m not interested in her?”

  “You have to give her points for perseverance,” Emma said. “She knows what she wants and isn’t going to give up.”

  “It’s not going to do her any good. Sometimes you have to accept reality. If something isn’t going to work, it isn’t going to work.”

  Emma nodded. Yep. He was right. Sometimes you had to accept reality, even if it stunk.

  “I’m going back to work,” she said, heading for the door before she did something foolish like kiss him. Or cry. She definitely didn’t want to cry.

  “Emma.”

  She turned and looked at him. “Yes?”

  “I’m sorry I’ve been stuck at work so much. I’d like to spend time with you.”

  She nodded again. She definitely wanted to spend time with him as well. Feeling a tightening in her throat, she quickly headed out the door. Blast it all. She wasn’t going to cry. She absolutely wasn’t. She rarely cried, and she certainly wasn’t going to today.

  And she wasn’t going to do anything really stupid like fall for Nathan. She was way too smart for that. The last thing she wanted to take with her when she left Honey was a broken heart.

  Nathan had just gotten home from work when he bumped into Leigh in the foyer. She was sitting on a suitcase, obviously waiting for him. “What’s up?”

  “I’m going to stay with Trent,” she said.

  That didn’t make any sense. Leigh and Trent were too much alike to get along. Their fights were the stuff of local legend. “Why?”

  She shrugged. “I want to spend some time with him.”

  “But he lives in Honey. You see him all the time. More than once a day at least.”

  Leigh looked Nathan dead in the eye. “I’m going, which means that your house will be empty. You will be the only person here, so it’s not like anyone will know anything that happens in this house while no one is here.”

  Nathan chuckled. “I have no idea what you just said.”

  “Jeez, you’re dense. Nathan, think. You will be alone in the house,” she said slowly.

  Nathan knew what she was telling him. He and Emma would be without their chaperone. He just hadn’t realized that Leigh knew the two of them wanted to be alone. He also hadn’t realized Leigh knew why they wanted to be alone.

  Then again, he wasn’t sure why he was surprised. Everyone in this town always knew everything. Probably people at the grocery store were talking about his relationship with Emma.

  “This is unnecessary,” he said. “You don’t have to leave. I’m spending almost all of my time at the office. In fact, I’m heading back tonight. You can stay here.”

  Leigh snorted. “You won’t always be at the office. And I don’t want you to have to sneak into your own house from that garage at four in the morning every day. You’re really bad at it and make way too much noise.”

  “How did you know I—” He skittered to a verbal stop when a new and scary thought occurred to him. “Why were you awake at four in the morning?”

  She frowned. “Hey, I’m actively not interfering in your life. The least you can do is actively not interfere in mine.”

  She had a point, so Nathan nodded. “Okay. Consider the question withdrawn.”

  Leigh made a big production out of grabbing her suitcase. “Good. Now I’ve got to run. Trent doesn’t know I’m coming. I want to scare him.”

  “Leigh, you can’t simply barge in on Trent. Maybe he has a reason he’d like to be alone in his house, too.”

  She laughed. “Trent and Azure broke up right after the dinner at Chase’s house. You need to keep up with what’s going on around you, Nathan. Jeez, you’d think you were focusing on your own life or something.”

  “You don’t have to do this,” he said one last time.

  She winked. “Yes, I do. And seriously, have fun. But don’t break Emma’s heart.”

  “I would never do that,” he said.

  “Yeah, yeah, that’s what all guys say. Right up until the moment when they break our hearts.”

  With that, she headed out the front door. A couple of minutes later, there was a knock on the back door. Nathan wasn’t a bit surprised to find Emma standing there.

  She looked confused. “Leigh just stopped by and said you wanted to see me.”

  Nathan came over and slipped his arms around her waist. “Leigh has decided to go stay with Trent for a while. Apparently, she thinks there’s some reason why I need my privacy.”

  Emma fluttered her eyelashes. “Gee, Mr. Barrett, I can’t imagine what reason that would be.”

  He feathered kisses on her face. “I don’t know, Ms. Montgomery. Do you think if the two of us think really hard, we can come up with a reason?”

  “Um, I’m pretty sure we can think of one or two.”

  Nathan laughed. “Then why don’t we go upstairs and—”

  “Wait.”

  Nathan blinked. “And wait?”

  “No,” she said with a laugh. “Well, yes. I mean you need to wait here.”

  With that, she pulled free of his arms and dashed out the back door.

  “Guess I must have lost my touch,” Nathan muttered. He knew he shouldn’t be fooling around with Emma. What he should be doing was changing his clothes and heading back into the office. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it tonight. Not when he had the chance to be with Emma.

  Before he had time to get lonely, Emma was back. In her hand, she had a box, which she tossed to him.

  “Here you go, hotshot. I bought these today.” Nathan looked at the box, then back at Emma. “You bought neon-colored condoms?”

  “I figured we could have a lot of fun if we h
ad a whole box of colors to choose from.”

  Nathan laughed and hugged her again. “You’re crazy.”

  “Maybe,” she said with a sexy smile. “But I’m positive my theory is correct. So let’s go test it out, okay?”

  “Sounds like a great idea.”

  Emma rubbed the tension from her neck and tried to refocus on the computer in front of her. Boy, she was tired. Really, really tired. For the past week, she and Nathan had practically lived at the office. She’d even started missing her morning jogs so she could come to work early with him.

  And when they were home, well, they weren’t getting a lot of sleep. She was way too aware of how few hours she had left with Nathan to waste many of them sleeping.

  All of which meant she was tired but very, very happy.

  “I think we may pull this off after all,” Nathan said, walking into her small office.

  She smiled at him. “Really?”

  “Yes. The testing group said they’ve pounded on the remaining code and haven’t found any more problems. And trust me, those people are relentless. If the code was going to break, they’d make it happen.”

  “Nathan, that’s wonderful.” As much as she wanted to walk over and kiss him, she wouldn’t at work. She had made a point of keeping their personal relationship out of the office when other people were around. Still, she was tempted.

  “What’s wonderful?” Leigh asked, wandering in. She flopped into the chair across the desk from Emma and glanced from her brother to Emma. “Are you two keeping secrets from me?” She laughed. “Oh, right, I forgot. This is Honey. No one has any secrets.”

  “Unfortunately, you’re right. So if you must know, I was telling Emma that it looks like Simplify is ready to go.”

  “Wow, not a moment too soon,” Leigh pointed out.

  “Yes, so now you can understand why I think it’s wonderful that the program works,” Emma said to her friend.