Hush. Jo Leigh

      “And that’s bad for business how?”

      “It’s not the way Devons do business.”

      “Devons make money. I’m going to make tons of it. Just like always, it’s the bottom line that makes my father happy, and you know that as well as I do.”

      Trace shook his head. “How can you be this naive? I could almost understand if this was Kyle’s idea. Not that he’d be foolish enough to piss off Nicholas like this, but he’s been known to make some bonehead moves.”

      “What?” She leaned back against the door. “A disparaging comment about my brother? I thought the two of you were thick as thieves.”

      “Kyle’s a decent kid.”

      “Kyle’s a suck-up of the first order. If Dad says jump, all he knows how to do is ask ‘How high.’”

      “He understands what’s at stake. He listens to your father. He’s not in the tabloids every other day.”

      “Oh, right. Kyle, the apple of Daddy’s eye. You know what he told me? What he’s going to do with his trust-fund money?”

      “No. What is he going to do?”

      “He’s going to invest in Devon Industries. I mean, please.”

      “He’s not dumb.”

      “Oh, wait. I forgot that everything’s about money. Always and forever, amen.”

      “What are you doing this for, if not your inheritance?”

      She shook her head. “You wouldn’t understand.”

      “No?”

      “Not a chance.”

      He stepped toward her. “Try me.”

      She headed out of the bathroom, not willing to play this game another minute. Trace had proved beyond any doubt exactly what mattered to him in life. The buck. And the only way he was going to get those bucks was by being a slavish toady to Nicholas Devon. The hell with who got hurt.

      “I’ll skip the suites,” she said, feeling him behind her as she crossed the living room. She was cutting the tour short, but she had to get this over with. “Let’s go down to the workout room, and then I’ll take you to the spa.”

      “Fine.”

      “I made dinner reservations for nine,” she said, closing the penthouse door behind her.

      “Fine,” he said again, sounding as frustrated as she felt. He walked ahead of her and called for the elevator. “I’d like to see the books.”

      “What, the one in your nightstand isn’t enough?”

      He gave her one of his patented glares. But just for a second. Then he turned away with a shake of his head.

      The elevator door opened, and he held it for her. She passed him, careful not to get too close. She didn’t want a repeat of what had happened in the penthouse bedroom.

      What she needed here was a plan. Some way to get past all this defensive bullshit. She needed Trace as an ally, not a sparring partner. Unfortunately, she had a terrible tendency to speak before she thought when she was with Trace. Her reaction just came so naturally. Strike before she was struck. It had been like that since she was seventeen.

      “You coming?”

      He stood by the open elevator door. She’d been so lost in her own thoughts she hadn’t realized they were at the fourth floor already.

      She nodded, then headed for the workout room. It was very well equipped. Six treadmills, four elliptical trainers, a complete free weight set, Nautilus machines and more. She’d hired two professional trainers, and was in the process of finding two more. “We made sure the equipment was top-notch, and that the trainers are highly qualified.”

      Trace wandered through the space. She wondered what he’d find to be critical about. She’d been to all the top hotels in the city and she knew this was one of the best facilities available. In fact, there was nothing second best at Hush.

      “It looks good,” he said.

      “Gee, thanks.”

      He shook his head. “I don’t know what you think I’m here for, but as I told you last night, I’m here to help.”

      “Right,” she said. “Do you want to see the spa?”

      “Yeah, sure. Why not?”

      Again, they went to the elevator, riding back up to the spa level. It was huge, covering most of the floor, and Piper was incredibly proud of how it had turned out. Everything was designed to ease the most stressed of guests, from the colors on the walls to the very air they breathed. Of course there were the regular Swedish and Shiatsu massages, but there was also aromatherapy, sensual, sports and other massages that offered cleansing of the chakras, balms for the soul.

      Naturally, she didn’t broadcast her belief in such things and would have shot herself before she admitted it to Trace, who would have ridiculed her mercilessly. But the truth was, she felt strongly about the body/mind/universe connection. Only, when she was around Trace she become completely disconnected.

      “What’s that smell?”

      She looked at Trace who was sniffing the air, and she noticed the little furrow right between his eyes. A powerful urge hit to slowly run her tongue over that small patch of skin. She turned, cursing herself.

      “Piper?”

      “What?”

      “The smell?”

      “That’s a mix of eucalyptus and chamomile. For relaxation.” She breathed deep, putting the scent to the test as she turned back to face him.

      “Ah.” He faced the wall of cascading water that made up the right side of the reception area.

      “The water recycles,” she said. “It’s tested daily for any impurities. You could drink it with no ill effects.”

      “Thanks, but I’ll pass.”

      Caroline King walked into the room. She smiled at Piper, but when her gaze shifted to Trace, the smile changed. Piper had seen that reaction before. Trace was a very handsome man, but more than that, he had the kind of charisma that seemed to affect women in a very fundamental way. Fundamental, that was cute. The truth was, most women who saw Trace wanted to jump his bones.

      Maybe there was a vaccine for that. She’d be first in line with her sleeve rolled up. Fact: the chemistry between them was undeniable. Now, how could she use it to her advantage?

      “Piper has an appointment this evening,” Caroline said, after she’d introduced herself to Trace. “Why don’t you let me make one for you at the same time?”

      “I’m sure Mr. Winslow has better things to do,” Piper said.

      Trace turned away from the reception desk and gave her a smile that made her teeth clench. “I understand there are couples’ massages?”

      “Oh,” Caroline said, tearing her gaze from Trace to look at her boss. “Of course.”

      “That’s true,” Piper said, not at all ready to play this game. She needed time to think. To strategize. “They’re for couples.”

      His smug smile said too much. “What other massages do you have?”

      Caroline handed him the brochure they’d gotten from the printer only three days ago. While he looked at it, Caroline gave her a questioning look.

      Piper answered with a small shake of the head. She wasn’t about to go into her history with Trace with any of the staff, no matter how much she liked them. Only one person knew about Trace and that was Lisa. But even Lisa didn’t know the whole truth.

      “How about this