Precious Surprises. Andrea Laurence

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СКАЧАТЬ the type of woman to tolerate that kind of crap from a man. She was an old-fashioned woman who expected the romantic overtures that were practically dead in this day and age. Not flowers and jewelry, but time and attention. The kind of woman who made him cringe. Needy and clingy were two adjectives that quickly axed a woman from his address book.

      And yet she was also the woman who had filled the last three months with erotic fantasies he couldn’t shake. The one who had occupied his thoughts and forced him to compare every other date to the high bar she’d set. So far, no one had measured up.

      Pushing the door open and entering his office, he threw his exercise towel over the back of his guest chair. She’d sat in that very chair when she’d had her panic attack.

      The attack that had immediately followed their shaking hands. That had to be the moment she realized who he was. Not exactly the romantic response he’d pictured in his mind when they’d sat in that tattoo parlor and held hands while getting inked.

      All this time, he’d been worried that her nerves and avoidance of him had been related to the audit. That she’d found out about Noah’s indiscretion already. Instead, there had been a bigger issue—she was trying to keep him from uncovering the truth about her. Apparently they both had secrets to hide.

      For whatever reason, Emma wasn’t interested in Jonah and didn’t want him to know who she was. She’d resisted his every advance like no other woman had before, even knowing she was carrying his child. Why would she be so determined to keep that from him? Wasn’t he good enough to be her baby’s father? Would she prefer some quiet, unassuming banker or insurance broker who would provide stability and no passion?

      He didn’t believe that for a second. The woman he’d spent Mardi Gras with had been complex, with layers that included passionate minx. Sure, he had a reputation for being wild, too, but he was an adult and knew there was a time and place for everything. Being a responsible father was a duty he wouldn’t shirk, no matter how low her opinion of him might be.

      Their recent time together proved that she was also a strong-willed, stubborn woman who thought she could outwit him. Emma really thought she could keep this secret from him.

      Jonah twisted his lips in thought as he reached for his butterfly photo. He’d imagined the moment he found her would be like taking his first breath, starting his life anew with the amazing woman he’d longed for all this time. Instead, his mystery lover thought he was nothing more than an irritating pebble in her shoe.

      But she hadn’t seen anything yet.

      It wasn’t that long ago that he’d coaxed her into a wild night of uninhibited passion and recklessness. Considering the uptight accountant he’d come to know, that was no small feat. Knowing he’d done it once, however, Jonah was confident he could do it again. Before he was done with Emma, she’d be putty in his hands, all too eager to confess her identity and fall into his arms for good.

      Until then, the torture would be sweet.

      * * *

      Emma couldn’t shake the sensation of being watched. It had been that way since the night before at the gym. Every time she felt the urge to pull her gaze away from her computer screen, she expected to see Jonah loitering in her doorway with his smug, cat-that-ate-the-canary grin. But he wasn’t there. In fact, she hadn’t seen or heard from him since the coffee shop encounter the day before.

      She knew better than to let her guard down, however. She’d made that mistake last night and couldn’t do it again.

      More importantly, Emma needed to focus on the books. Something wasn’t adding up right and unless she could shut down every part of her brain but the one that dealt with numbers, she’d never be able to determine if this was a real issue or one caused by her own distraction.

      The third time she tried running through it and got the same result, she sat back in her chair with a groan. She’d obviously made a mistake a few pages back. A huge chunk of money was missing. “Damn it,” she cursed, pushing the unruly strand of hair from her face for the twentieth time today. She needed to buy a barrette.

      “What’s the matter, Miss Dempsey?”

      Startled, Emma sat bolt upright in her seat and clutched her hand to her chest. As she looked over this time, Jonah was loitering in her doorway when she’d least expected him.

      “Nothing,” she insisted. Even if she had found something of concern in the financials, she wouldn’t mention it to anyone until she was absolutely certain. You didn’t pull the fire alarm until you saw the flames. Right now, this was just a little smoke. No one was stupid enough to do something that obvious. Smart people took money in small chunks. There had to be an explanation.

      She took a deep breath to steady herself and looked back up at Jonah. There was something different about the way he carried himself today. Emma couldn’t quite put her finger on it, exactly, but something had changed. Perhaps it was the sly twist of his full lips and the knowing twinkle in his eye. She had no idea what would have pleased him so greatly this afternoon, so she chose to ignore it and the deep-down pangs of desire it caused inside of her.

      “Well, I just got off the phone with your boss.”

      At the mention of her supervisor, the desire immediately melted away like an ice cube dropped into boiling water. “You spoke with Tim? Is there a problem?”

      Jonah shook his head. “No, not at all. He was just calling to see if you had settled in okay.”

      Emma held her breath as she listened to his response. Tim never just called to see if an employee was settled in. He didn’t care that much. Knowing him, Tim was calling to see if Emma had fallen for Jonah’s charms yet. “And what did you tell him?”

      Jonah pursed his lips for a second, drawing out her torture with obvious pleasure. “I told him that you were the most polite and professional worker in the building, myself included. Why? What did you think I would say?”

      Emma shrugged. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “Hopefully nothing related to the supply closet.”

      At that, he chuckled and gripped the door frame of her office, flashing his tattoo at her. “I didn’t build a successful company by being a fool, Emma. And despite what you seem to think, I’m not out to put your job in jeopardy.”

      She expelled a sigh of relief that was premature.

      “It did occur to me,” he continued, “that your boss seemed like a bit of a hard-ass. I get why you’re so concerned about appearances. And that’s why I’m offering you a compromise.”

      Emma tried not to frown. There was nothing to compromise over.

      “You don’t want to be seen with me because it’s inappropriate. I get that. But I am going to take you to dinner one way or another. So I can either find a way to blackmail you into having dinner with me here in town, or you can accept my offer of having dinner with me out of town, where no one will find out.”

      Blackmail? Emma leaped up from her chair. “I don’t know what the hell you’re playing at, Jonah, but there’s nothing to blackmail me with.”

      He didn’t seem fazed by her sudden bravado. “So you say. And maybe that’s true. But there’s nothing stopping me from telling Tim some fabricated misdeed. He’ll believe me over you, don’t you think?”

      Emma’s СКАЧАТЬ