Her lips were perfectly bow shaped and looked just right for kissing. Not little pecks on the cheek but deep, slow kisses that would inevitably lead to more. Nolan felt his body tighten at the thought of what he wanted to do with this woman. In fact, he hadn’t been able to shake that image of her naked in his arms all night, which had made for a long, hot, sleepless night for him.

  But his fantasies were never going to become a reality.

  His daughter wanted her as a friend. Which put her in the no sex zone. Even if working together could be fudged, Daisey’s feelings couldn’t. He wasn’t going to kiss Delaney. End of story.

  “Sir?”

  “Yes, Perri?”

  “I just asked if you wanted me to set up the conference room for your meeting with Delaney Alexander or just meet in here?” she asked.

  “Conference room. I think we should have Hal Stevens from Marketing and maybe Quinn Allen or someone from his team in there, as well,” he said. Marketing and Finance would be keys to whether they could hire this outside team. The feedback on the previous contract they’d lost—not the one they learned about today—was that the government wanted to go with someone who had the name recognition behind them. Convincing people to move to another planet somehow was going to be easier if the public saw them as a brand they knew and trusted.

  Nolan thought their safety record and the fact that he had triple-checked everything before they built it would be enough, but apparently not.

  “Okay. Should I order up a tray of snacks and drinks?” she asked.

  “Yes,” he said, knowing he wanted Delaney to be impressed by him and the company he had made from scratch. A part of him wanted to be more blasé about her opinion of him, but she was on his mind all the time and no matter how wrong it was, he wanted to be on hers, too. He wanted her to see his success be as conflicted as he was.

  His phone rang and he glanced at Perri for a moment, but she just waved and walked out of his office.

  Nolan spent the rest of the morning on the phone focusing on business. Every time his mind drifted to Delaney, or he started to check the time, he directed his thoughts elsewhere. He wasn’t counting down the minutes until she was in his building or anything.

  Yeah, right.

  When his assistant messaged him that Delaney was here, he left his office and went out to meet her.

  “Ms. Alexander, it’s good to see you again,” he said, holding out his hand.

  She raised both eyebrows at him. She wore a flowy navy blue dress with buttons down the front and cap sleeves. The scoop neckline drew his eye to her cleavage, which he forced himself to ignore. “Mr. Cooper. Are we not on a first name basis anymore?”

  “I figured we should keep things more formal since this is business,” he told her. He always liked to keep things professional whenever possible.

  “Okay then. Let me give you this before anyone else sees it,” she said, handing him a canvas bag.

  “What’s this?”

  She grinned. “Some fairy wings for us. I thought we could use them to blend in and not scare them away. I think they should fit,” Delaney said. “Is there a rest room I could use before we get started?”

  “Down the hall, first door on the left.”

  She turned, and his assistant just cleared her throat and he handed her the bag. “Put that in my office. When Ms. Alexander comes back, please direct her to the conference room.”

  “Sure thing, boss.”

  He ignored her knowing smirk as he walked toward the conference room. Dammit! Everything he did with Delaney backfired. She kept him guessing just as much in this environment as she had at the wedding reception. He wanted to be ticked off about that but instead he was enchanted.

  The first thing he noticed when she walked into the conference room was her mouth and the fact that she’d put on some kind of shimmery lip gloss. He couldn’t tear his eyes from her lips. His own mouth felt dry, and he realized that not kissing her was going to be harder than he’d expected.

  * * *

  Delaney could tell that Nolan was trying to establish some boundaries, and she knew she should respect them. Of course, she was going to, but at the same time, whenever she made eye contact with him her mind kind of drifted into fantasy land... Exactly where it wasn’t supposed to go. She asked for some water just to give herself a strong talking too before she got back on track with the presentation.

  No matter what, she couldn’t allow herself to become distracted.

  She needed Nolan more than he could ever know, and she had to do her best to make sure this business deal for the company went off without a hitch. But that was part of the problem. She could use a company of this caliber to get revenge on Malcolm, but she couldn’t use Daisey’s dad in the process.

  In her mind that made perfect sense. The relationship had to be forged in this conference room. And that was what she intended to do. She decided after she took a long swallow of water, she’d just look at the other two people in the room instead of Nolan.

  “IDG Brand Management is really the only team you’ll need for anything that comes up during your rollout. We specialize in handling all prongs of media and social media impact.”

  The Marketing guy looked bored, which made her smile. “I’m sure you’re wondering why you’d need me when you have a marketing department that manages that already.”

  “I am,” Nolan said, his deep voice resonating in the room.

  “Well, what we do is more tuned to your perception. We’re not helping you sell a product per se but more focused on convincing the public to embrace you to see you as someone they want to go into space with and colonize a planet with,” she explained. “I know that is a big reach, but I think we can start small and build upon it, working with Marketing every step of the way.”

  “What do you think, Hal?”

  “What do you have in mind?” Hal, the Marketing guy, queried her.

  “Glad you asked. I was thinking of partnering with one of the bigger toy manufacturers to either make a model, or even better, some kind of play tent or structure of your Mars living quarters. This would be twofold in that kids can learn about the Mars environment and their parents can see some of the spaces you are creating. Also, by having it in their homes they will trust you as the provider for the Mars living pods.”

  Nolan crossed his arms over his big chest, making the muscles in his arms bulge, which she wasn’t supposed to be noticing so she turned to Hal and the other guy whose name she couldn’t remember. “What do you think?”

  “I like it, but we’re years away from sending families to Mars. And we need market exposure now.”

  “Which is why kids are the first part of the project,” she said. “You want the kids who grew up playing in your Mars Pods—just testing that out as a name,” she said with a wink, “to feel safe buying your Pods on Mars when they get there.”

  She fielded more questions about her toy idea, which she’d brainstormed with Paisley and Olive earlier in the day.

  “That’s more of my long-term idea. I think in the short term, we need to get to know Nolan Cooper so that Cooper Aeronautical has a face the public knows. Part of why Elon Musk is thought of so favorably is that people know him.”

  “I’m not Elon Musk,” Nolan stated.

  “Not yet,” Delaney said. “However, we would start raising your profile in your industry but also with the public. Get you to be the expert the news programs and media outlets call when they are talking about space. Whatever it is, we want you to be their first call.”

  “How would you do that?”

  “Well, I’d have to spend some time getting to know you better and figure out the right way to plan your profile, but once I figure you out it’ll be easy.”

  “Are you saying you think I’ll be easy?”

  She shook her head. “Mr. Cooper, nothing about you is easy.”

  That made the others in the room laugh, and she realized she had been concentrating only on Nolan again.

  “Sounds like you already have him figured out,” Hal said.

  She smiled at them. “I’m happy to answer any other questions you have...”

  The Finance guy asked about her fee, and she had the pricing sheet that Paisley had done for her to hand over to them. She answered a few more questions about possible toy manufacturers, and Nolan spoke up then.

  “I’d like to have it locally made if we can. I know a lot of small companies in this area could use this kind of partnership,” he said.

  “Of course. I’ll start making calls and draw up a list for you,” she said. “Should I leave you to discuss this?”

  “If you don’t mind,” Nolan said. “I’ll see Ms. Alexander out and be back shortly.”

  Delaney gathered her presentation materials and shook hands with both of the other men before leaving the room with Nolan right behind her. She thought she’d done really well today, and she’d laid some ideas about the Mars living spaces, which was what Malcolm was trying to cut Nolan out of. But had that been enough to get the ball rolling?

  She sure hoped so.

  When they got to the end of the hall and the bank of elevators, she turned with a big smile on her face, but Nolan looked intense as he pushed the button to call the elevator.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked.

  “No.”

  That surprised her. She’d thought her presentation had gone really well. “Why not?”

  He took her hand and drew her away from the elevator and away from the offices. “I wasn’t planning on hiring you.”

  “What? Why not?”

  He cursed under his breath and then shook his head. “I want you, Delaney. And I never mix business and pleasure.”

  “I do,” she said, going up on her tiptoes and doing what she’d wanted to do since she’d seen him in his office.

  Four

  Nolan saw her leaning up and coming in for the kiss, and he was tempted, but he needed answers first. Some of the stuff she’d mentioned in their meeting was top secret, so how did she know about it?

  She’d publicly broken up with Malcolm Quell, one of his biggest competitors... Was he missing something he shouldn’t? Of course, his assistant had already had Delaney on the list long before he’d met her for a brand consultant. But her presentation had touched on pieces of the long-term Mars mission that she shouldn’t have been privy to.

  He tried to ignore that he was pissed off because he also wanted her. He hadn’t been able to stop watching that mouth of hers. So, there was anger, suspicion and lust at play here, which was not a cocktail of emotions that he could easily handle.

  He pulled her closer and turned so that she was between him and the wall. They were out of earshot of the offices on this floor, and he didn’t take his eyes off Delaney, who just looked up at him with a wicked sparkle in her eyes.

  She put her hand on his shoulder. “Mmm. I like it when a man takes charge.”

  “Then you’re going to really like me,” he growled. “Because I’m not a lapdog and I’ve never been a pushover.”

  “Stop trying to turn me on,” she warned softly.

  He couldn’t accommodate that request.

  Instead, he brought his mouth down hard on hers. Because right or wrong, it was what he wanted. What he’d craved since she’d looked up at him in the church. He tried to temper himself, but she tasted...like he imagined ambrosia tasted. She was sweet, spicy and addicting. He thrust his tongue deeper into her mouth and felt hers brushing over his.

  Her hands on his shoulders tightened, and she lifted her body so that he felt the sweep of her breasts against his chest. Putting his arm around her waist, he drew her even closer to him, rubbing his erection against her and then realized what he was doing.

  Where he was.

  F—

  He tore his mouth from hers and stepped back, putting his hands in his pockets and breathing deeply. She stayed where she was, her head and shoulders leaning against the wall, eyes half-closed as she gazed at him. He still wanted her. He was seconds from taking her hand and leading her into his office, stripping her naked and taking her.

  No.

  “Why’d you stop?” she asked breathlessly.

  “We’re in my offices and despite that, I’m usually more professional. And...I need some answers from you.”

  “I’m on the pill and don’t object to your kisses,” she purred. “Anything else on your mind?”

  Great. Now he was just thinking of how it was only fifteen steps down the hall to his office, where he could lock the door and they’d be alone...

  “Yes, there is. First and foremost, how did you know so much about the Mars missions? That information was just sent out in a request for bids from the government this morning.”

  She straightened from the wall, chewing her lower lip as she studied him. He realized she was trying to decide what to say. How much truth to give him.

  “I don’t like liars,” he warned her.

  “Me either,” she admitted. “I might have seen some stuff when I was dating Malcolm.”

  “You were arrested breaking into his house almost six weeks ago. It’s been a while since you were with him, or has it?” he asked. Then his eyes narrowed at her. Was she a plant? Was this how Quell had been beating him on proposals lately? Did Quell have other inside people in his office?

  “I haven’t seen him since our court appearance when he magnanimously dropped the charges against me.”

  He folded his arms across his chest. “So...how’d you get that information?”

  “I can’t say here. Is it possible to go to your office where we can talk privately?” she asked.

  His office. The very place he’d been imagining hooking up with her. But this was business, and as much as he wanted to give in to the lust that was raging through him at this moment, he wasn’t about to. He needed answers and it seemed that the Dish Soap Heiress held them.

  “Sure. Let’s go,” he said, turning on his heel and walking to the office. He opened the door and then gestured for her to proceed him. His assistant was still on her afternoon break, so after he closed the office door, he took his phone and messaged her not to disturb him.

  Nolan walked over to the large walnut desk that had been his father’s when he had been growing up. He sat down behind it and gestured for her to take a seat in one of the large leather guest chairs.

  Delaney sat down, looking small and delicate in the chair. It was hard to look at the woman in front of him and see a corporate spy, but he knew that looks could be deceiving.

  “So...”

  “Um, well, here’s the thing. I might have seen some stuff when I was in Malcolm’s house. I’m not sure of the legality of telling you what I saw, and I don’t want you to get in trouble,” she said.

  He just stared at her. What the heck was she talking about? “How would I get in trouble?”

  “I think Malcolm might have been privy to some of the information that you only received today. If I tell you, would that mean you have it, as well?” she asked. “I didn’t realize that until a few minutes ago.”

  There was a lot to unload there. First, she had seen bid specs in Malcolm’s house more than six weeks ago. Next, she thought if she shared the information with him, he might be in legal trouble.

  “What exactly do you have?”

  She gave him a very sweet smile; in fact, it was very similar to the one she’d given Daisey when they’d said goodbye at the wedding reception on Saturday night. “Just some overheard conversations. I mean I honestly thought the housing pod information was out there. That’s the reason I included it in my presentation.”

  * * *

  Delaney was walking a tightrope with the facts here. She had been honest—mostly. But the truth was more complicated than Nolan suspected, or even herself for that matter. She didn’t want to do anything that could compromise his company, but she did want to level the playing field and maybe raise some questions in Nolan’s mind about how Malcolm had gotten the information. Delaney sighed. She’d guessed that Malcolm was doing something underhanded, but guessing wasn’t the same as knowing.

  It was only Nolan’s reaction that was giving her an idea of the value of the information she held. She knew she couldn’t tell him or show him the documents she’d photographed in Malcolm’s safe. They contained more details of the housing project for Mars than she’d revealed in her presentation. While she did believe that Cooper Aeronautical should follow the plan she’d laid out, she’d thought she was helping them in the marketplace to get a leg up, not giving them inside information.

  She had to be very careful what she revealed next if she revealed anything. She wasn’t here to ruin Nolan. She was going to have to either talk to her father or maybe Jones when she left here.

  Nolan was looking at her as if he wasn’t sure if he could believe what she’d said. And she couldn’t really blame him. She told herself she’d be much more on her A game if her entire body still wasn’t humming from that kiss he’d given her in the hallway.

  It had been a long time since a man had kissed her like that. If ever. She appreciated that most of the men she dated asked permission and made sure she wanted it, but at the same time, there was something titillating about a man who took what he wanted.

  “Well?” she asked.

  He was letting the silence build between them, and she wasn’t sure if that meant he’d believed her or if he was fixing to call her on her BS once again. She did know that if he didn’t start talking, she probably would, and that could be dangerous.

  She felt too out of control.

  Not something that was unusual for her. But around Nolan Cooper it seemed dangerous to her. He was too wily, and there was more to him than she’d let herself see. Her father had warned her that the single dad could be trouble.

 

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