Fortune's Legacy. Maureen Child

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СКАЧАТЬ “Why are you so driven?”

      She blinked, surprised not only by the question, but by the genuine curiosity she heard in his deep voice. There were, of course, lots of answers to the query, none of which she was interested in sharing with her boss.

      Especially a boss who made no secret of the fact that he didn’t much like her. But she had to say something.

      “Why is it when a woman works hard, she’s driven. When a man does the same thing, he’s just conscientious?”

      The smile that curved his lips suddenly was gone almost before it was born, but in that instant something warm and liquid rushed through Kyra, despite her efforts to stop it.

      “Good point,” he acknowledged. “But that doesn’t answer the question.”

      “Why do you care about the answer?”

      “Call it professional curiosity,” he said with a slight shrug. “I see a young woman who should be out having a good time, and instead, she stays locked up in her office nearly every night.”

      “And you know this how?”

      His lips twitched. “I’m the boss. I’m supposed to know these things.”

      He was keeping track of her? She didn’t know what to think about that. Was that a good thing or a bad thing?

      “I’d like to point out,” she said cautiously, “that you’re here in the middle of the night, too.”

      “Yeah,” he said, turning his gaze back to the windows, When he continued, his voice was lower, more thoughtful. “But spending my nights in this building wasn’t something I planned.”

      “So go home.”

      He turned his head to look at her again, and Kyra saw a half smile flash across his face before it disappeared again. “Good idea. How about we both go?”

      He was being nice.

      Why?

      That swirl of emotion started in the bottom of her stomach again. Surprise flickered through her as she realized she was actually enjoying the sensation. There was something very…intimate about being here in the office alone with him. With the stormy night crouched outside and only a puddle of light from the lamp on her desk illuminating the room, it was as if they were the only two people in the world.

      His presence seemed to make the room shrink in size. The walls seemed to close in around them. The tap of rain against the windowpanes was a steady, almost musical accompaniment to the silence stretching between them. She looked into his blue eyes and— Kyra caught herself and shook her head.

      If Garrett was being nice, it was only to lull her into complacency before putting her head on the chopping block.

      “I’m just going to finish up this last report,” she said, “and then—”

      “Mr. Wolff?”

      They both looked toward the doorway. Carol Summerhill stood there, watching them in obvious disapproval. Her eyes were narrowed and her lips were nothing more than a flat, grim line.

      Kyra suddenly felt like a cheating wife caught sneaking out of a cheap motel. Stupid, she knew. But the look on Carol’s face was that of a jealous woman. Weird.

      Garrett, though, seemed more annoyed at the interruption than anything else. “Yes, Carol?”

      The woman shifted her gaze from Kyra to their boss. “I only wanted to remind you that you have a teleconference at six in the morning.”

      “Thank you.”

      His tone, if not the words themselves, were dismissive, but Carol ignored both. “I’ll walk out with you if you like.”

      Geez, Kyra thought. Had the woman brought rose petals to toss down in front of him, too?

      Garrett stiffened. “No, thanks. You go ahead.”

      “Oh.”

      Carol looked stupefied, as if she couldn’t quite believe he’d chosen to remain and talk to Kyra rather than leave with her. Well, heck. Kyra was pretty surprised at that herself.

      “I have a few things I need to discuss with Ms. Fortune,” Garrett said.

      “I see.” Clearly, Carol didn’t see and wasn’t at all happy about it, either. But left with no other choice, she backed out and said, “I’ll see you in the morning, then.”

      “Fine.”

      When they were alone again, Kyra chanced a look at Garrett. And she had to ask. “Do you really enjoy all the hero worship?”

      He frowned at her. “What?”

      She waved one hand at the empty doorway, then stood up to face him, feeling more in charge on her feet. “Carol. Your guard dog.”

      He laughed shortly and the sound surprised Kyra. But the real surprise was suddenly realizing that he was even better-looking when he smiled.

      Oh dear God.

      Stop noticing these things, she told herself.

      Shaking his head, he strolled slowly around her desk, idly lifting first her brass nameplate, then a framed picture of her and her brothers and sister. He held the photo and studied it as he spoke. “Carol’s been with me for ten years and she’s…territorial.”

      “Yeah,” Kyra said. “Like a Doberman.”

      “What do you mean?” Still holding the photo, he shot her a glance.

      “Only that it’s probably easier to get an audience with the Pope than it is to get in and see you.”

      Frowning slightly, he said, “I didn’t realize.”

      Maybe he really didn’t know how well Carol protected him from the people who worked for him. Maybe he was totally unaware that his assistant practically threw herself in front of his door to keep the unwashed at bay. But if he didn’t know, he darn well should.

      “You ought to get out more, General,” Kyra told him. “Visit with the troops.”

      Thoughtfully, he nodded. “Maybe you’re right.” Then he shifted his gaze back to the picture he still held. “Your family?”

      “Yes.” She didn’t have to look at the photo to know what he was seeing. A few months ago she and her siblings had gotten together for lunch, and Kyra had asked a waiter to take their picture. It wasn’t often anymore that she, Susan, Vincent and Daniel were in the same place at the same time. Though they hadn’t exactly been close when they were kids, in the last few years they’d all done some reaching out.

      And to be honest, it was Kyra who’d had to do the most reaching. As the youngest of the four, she’d been the most removed from everyone’s lives. And thanks to Vincent running interference between her and her father, she had never really suffered the man’s rages as her brothers and sister had.

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