“I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you,” she said, moving farther away, straightening her clothes beneath the blanket, retrieving her glasses. Jared experienced a repeat urge to unbutton the top of her blouse to enable more of her warmth and sweet scent to fill his senses. He looked at her moist lips and yearned to taste her.
Closing his eyes, he turned away. He’d been too long without a woman. Even in a business marriage, he’d believed in keeping his vows. Since MaryEllen had departed almost three years ago, he’d spent his nights alone. Sexual deprivation—that was all it was. And now that his wife was dead, he was free to consider other women. Nothing more than that. He was not attracted to Cassandra. Any woman would affect him the same way.
Opening his eyes, he didn’t bother to analyze why there was no pull of attraction between him and the buxom blond flight attendant. Instead, he tried to ignore the attraction to the woman beside him and concentrate on attempting to anticipate the information he’d receive from the attorney.
When they landed, Jared reached for Cassandra’s cases and carried them easily.
“I can manage my own cases,” she protested, following him up the jetway.
“I don’t mind. You’ll have your hands full later. No sense in not taking advantage of my generous nature now.”
“Generous, my foot,” she mumbled. “Dictatorial, more likely.”
“Why’s that?” Jared found himself amused at her grumbling. Was she always cranky in the morning? For the first time her perfect image shifted, blurred. He liked her better when she wasn’t the flawless employee.
“You ordered me here. I didn’t want to come.”
“Don’t you like children?”
“I don’t like watching them.”
“When was the last time you did?”
Kennedy Airport hummed with activity. A uniformed man stood in the crowd holding Jared’s name on a card. Jared handed the limousine driver the bags. Following him, Jared placed his hand on Cassandra’s back. She was not as tall as MaryEllen had been. Yet she held her head high and marched determinedly after the driver.
“Children?” Jared said again, a hint of steel in his voice.
“I’ve had to watch children almost all my life. I swore when I was on my own I wouldn’t do it again. I’m not real happy with this assignment. If you hadn’t made it an order, I wouldn’t be here,” she grumbled. Despite her annoyance with her high-handed boss, she was fascinated with the bustle of the international airport.
“Ah, but think of the brownie points you can rack up helping the boss out this way.”
“I’d rather get points for merit than for baby-sitting capability.”
“Maybe the merit is in the baby-sitting,” he replied calmly, noting her agitation. “Tell me about watching kids all your life.”
“I’d rather not. I’m sorry I opened my mouth yesterday.”
“About knowing about twins?”
She nodded. Dodging a man obviously in a hurry to make a plane, she pushed against Jared. He shifted her to the other side, continued walking smoothly.
“It slipped out,” she said.
More curious than ever, Jared wondered if he could get the full story from her before they met with MaryEllen’s attorneys.
CHAPTER TWO
“I HAVE to compliment you on your restraint and tact,” Jared said to Cassandra when they were seated in the back of the limousine heading for Manhattan.
“About what?” she asked warily.
After entering the limousine, Cassandra had moved as close to the far door as possible. Jared almost smiled at the distance she placed between them. Was she uncomfortable around him? Interesting. For a moment he considered testing the theory.
“Another woman would have bombarded me with questions about my marriage, my wife and why I apparently have two-year-old daughters I know nothing about,” he said instead.
“Of course I’m curious, but I do respect your right to privacy.” She tilted her head and smiled mischievously. “And I picked up quite a bit from around the office. The scuttlebutt is that you two married to pool resources so you could build Hunter Associates. She moved to New York a few years ago to open a second office and to try to crack the European market. She had two little girls you knew nothing about. If there’s more you want to volunteer, I wouldn’t interrupt.”
Startled, Jared almost laughed aloud at the unexpected glimpse of minx in his companion. He knew what she had told him was no secret—except for the babies. He was more intrigued that she had apparently picked up quite a bit. Any special reason?
“Ours was not an ordinary marriage. We married for expediency. Starting up a new company calls for a lot of hard work, long hours and money. It was easier to minimize expenses and to work long hours by sharing a home.” He wasn’t trying to justify the relationship, just explain it. Why that was important, he wasn’t sure.
“Sounds like a business arrangement.”
“Essentially.” He had almost forgotten how it started. For the last three years they had shared nothing beyond a meal in Washington. “MaryEllen wanted Hunter Associates to succeed even more than I did. She found the business environment challenging and exciting.”
“It can be exhilarating,” Cassandra murmured, watching ing him closely.
“I know. Now I understand her sudden determination to move to New York and open an East Coast office. She never came back to San Francisco because she feared she’d be stuck with the babies rather than in the trenches of high-tech business, I think.”
“Not every woman wants to stay home and raise children.”
“You don’t,” he stated with certainty. Her outburst yesterday in his office confirmed that.
“What I want right now is a chance to build a life of my own. Maybe down the road I’ll marry and have children. Then I’ll have to see what I want to do. Children are fine as long as they are wanted and loved.”
“I hear a but.”
“But I don’t want the choice taken from me.”
“As I did with this assignment?”
She nodded, looking out the window as the tall skyscrapers of Manhattan came into view. Puffy white clouds drifted in azure blue skies. Traffic was heavy, but moving steadily on the congested highway. Jared wondered if her attention was truly taken with the approaching city or if she was trying to distance herself to rebuild her anger. It had blown over quickly. He was glad she wasn’t the type to sulk.
“Be honest, Cassandra. I didn’t ask for much. A day to help get them home. Helen is working on finding a nanny. You have experience I lack. Wouldn’t you take advantage of any needed expertise?”
“Probably,” she admitted grudgingly.
“Where does that expertise come from? Lots of brothers and sisters?” He knew he was probing where she didn’t want him to, but his curiosity rose. Solemn and serious, Cassandra Bowles never gave the impression she was anything but a well-trained employee. Yet she had to have a private life—he didn’t demand his employees dedicate their entire waking hours to the job. Suddenly he wanted to know more.
“None,