Paxton groaned. His manufacturing plant in Virginia had been a buyout that they were in the process of refurbishing and upgrading. He’d had a tough time convincing his grandmother, who was still chairwoman of the board, that it was a worthwhile endeavor. This could be a major setback.
Mike went on. “Yep. It blew during the night. I’m gonna need some help out here.”
Which meant catching the first flight out to Virginia ASAP. Paxton would need to be on site to formulate his plan for the repairs or replacement, while still keeping the plant functioning. He signed off, then sighed. Not a good morning for this. The only thing he wanted was coffee, and the chance to figure out what he needed to say to the woman whom he’d had the most inappropriate skin-to-skin contact with ever in his life.
Well, maybe not the most...but he didn’t want to think about the past mistake that made him believe the present situation could end in doom, too.
Knowing he needed to get a move on, Paxton headed upstairs to the master suite to shower and then pack his bag. He felt a moment of relief when he remembered how he’d rushed Ivy into one of the downstairs bedrooms last night because he couldn’t wait to get her undressed, and because that was simply his MO with women.
At least he wouldn’t be haunted by memories of the passion they’d shared every night when he would lie down in his own bed.
He quickly finished dressing, then threw some clothes into a duffel bag. A few days at the plant in Virginia, then he and Ivy could have a nice long talk about what had happened between them last night. And what should happen between them now. Paxton had his future mapped out to a T. And his family was fully behind him. Marrying his assistant was not in his life plan.
Paxton hoped Ivy was on the same wavelength.
On his way out, he paused in the shadowy doorway of the downstairs bedroom. Ivy still slept, oblivious to his dilemma. He felt the urge to crawl back into that sun-kissed space beside her. He even took a single step forward.
But duty called.
His phone started vibrating in his pocket, warning him time was of the essence. In a quick scrawl, he wrote a note, letting Ivy know that he’d had to run, but she could call the car to take her home. He’d be back soon...and they would talk then.
Still he carried the memories of her sun-warmed skin and everything they’d done to each other in the dark of night as he rode to the airport, paced the VIP Lounge and then boarded the first standby flight he could get for Virginia. He thought a few times about texting her...but it just seemed like such an impersonal, lousy thing to do.
Maybe after a few days away, they could both gain some perspective on what they wanted, how they could return to their steady, professional relationship. Right? He rubbed his palm over his face. Hell, what if this blew up in his face big time?
He remembered the sun glinting off her loose mane of golden hair this morning. Why had she been hiding it in a severe ponytail all this time? Oh, he knew. His buttoned-up executive admin was the utmost professional. Hair always pulled back. Business suits, but only with skirts. He’d always been grateful that she didn’t cover up the smooth curve of her calves with dress pants. Instead she accentuated it by wearing smart, sexy heels.
He gulped the last of his hot, black coffee as the plane began to descend.
Of course, he’d been careful to only look when she was walking away from him. Still she’d caught him looking a time or two. Just like he’d found her doing the same. And even though there’d been definite sparks in the air every time they’d locked gazes in the office, neither of them had been willing to break the status quo. Until last night.
They’d been playing with fire, not realizing just when it would blow up.
Paxton forced himself to pick up his bag from the luggage carousel, and then headed outside to flag down a taxi. Mike had his hands full right now, so Paxton had told him not to worry about sending a car. As he settled into the back seat, he read the half dozen text messages waiting for him from Mike. Each one was worse than the next. Paxton may have gotten his start in industry through his family name and his grandmother’s owning the umbrella conglomerate, but his diverse interests, determination and leadership skills had earned him the success he enjoyed today as the CEO of an international shipping parts manufacturer...with his eye on running the entire conglomerate one day.
So why was his mind on the woman who was still asleep in his house, instead of the major issues awaiting him at the factory?
Two months later...
“Paxton. You there, big brother?”
Paxton snapped to attention to find Sierra frowning at him. She had every right. He’d stepped in to take her to the obstetrician today, toddler in tow, while her husband was out of town. He should be present in mind and body, but thoughts of Ivy and all that had happened since his return home yesterday kept distracting him.
Marshalling his powers of concentration, he stepped out of the car and circled around to free his niece from her car seat in the back.
Just when he’d thought he and Ivy would be okay, that their professional life would move forward just as he’d wanted it to, she’d sent him her resignation via email. It had arrived while he’d been on the plane home, so it had been the first thing to catch his eye when he’d landed.
“So, what kept you away so long?” his sister asked.
“I was only supposed to be gone a few days. A week, tops.” The reality had been a nightmare. “One mechanical problem led to another, then another. At one point we actually had to shut down production for over twenty-four hours.”
“I bet Grandmother was thrilled,” Sierra said with a conspiratorial smile.
Oh, she’d been none too happy to hear it, reminding him she wasn’t cutting him any slack just because he was her grandson. He still had to justify every expense and setback.
At least it had distracted him from thoughts of Ivy. And as the days rolled into weeks, neither of them had mentioned their night together, even though they spoke on the phone almost every day and emailed even more than that. Their conversations had been strictly business, and Paxton had been perfectly happy with that.
He’d thought Ivy had been, too.
By the time he’d made it back to his house and dropped his luggage in the master suite, Paxton had convinced himself her resignation was for the best. Obviously she hadn’t wanted to face him in person. He could understand that. Their night together had been a bigger mistake on his part. As her boss, he bore the weight of responsibility and should be grateful she hadn’t accused him of sexual harassment, despite their intimacy being mutual. He should probably reach out with a severance package to keep her from bearing any burdens while she looked for another job. Would she accept? Or was she angry that he’d stuck strictly to business all this time?
Still he couldn’t stop thinking about her. A woman he should be grateful was gone.
He needed his head examined.
“You must be living on another planet today. Did you leave your brain in Virginia?” his sister demanded, her normally calm demeanor showing strain as she pulled her daughter from his arms.
Paxton took a deep breath, trying to regain his equilibrium. “I just have a lot on my mind.”
Sierra led the way across the parking lot, toward the office building. “Just so long as it’s work and not a woman. Grandmother would have a fit if you didn’t keep your priorities straight.”
The bitterness in her voice immediately caught Paxton’s attention. He stared at her in surprise.
His