Under Her Skin. Susan Mallery

she was too practical and knew landing on the floor of the stone balcony wouldn’t be pleasant or pretty. Though those strong arms might lean in to catch her and…

      Wait a minute. They hadn’t seen each other in ten years. He’d never once bothered to get in touch with her and she happened to know she wasn’t all that hard to find. The urge to swoon left quickly.

      “You’re very smooth,” she said, taking another sip of her drink.

      “Thank you.”

      “I like the suit. Custom?”

      He nodded.

      “You wouldn’t have been invited unless you had plenty of money to give to my sister’s foundation. Her charity only extends to hungry children. Last time I saw you, you were racing cars for pink slips.”

      “A hobby,” he told her. “I already had my business.”

      “But it’s grown considerably,” she said, remembering Skye’s introduction. “You have it all. So why are you here, Cruz? Why now? We had one night, a very long time ago. Nothing more.”

      It had been more to her, but he didn’t have to know that.

      “Enough with the Spanish words and neck kissing,” she said. “What do you want?”

      He leaned against the railing. “What makes you think I want anything except you?”

      She wanted to believe. More specifically, her libido, and maybe pride, wanted her to believe. But the logical side of her brain pointed out that Cruz could have any woman on the planet. Why her? Why now?

      She set her drink on the small table by the railing. “It was great to see you again. Enjoy the auction.” She turned to leave.

      He grabbed her arm.

      It wasn’t enough that she was going to lose her business. No. Fate had to get a good giggle over her very visceral, uncontrolled reaction to this man. She should get one of those Medica Alert bracelets. “In case of cardiac arrest, administer one kiss from Cruz Rodriguez.”

      He stared at her. “Tell me about the money you need.”

      She went cold inside. “How do you know about that? Who told you?” Was he the one? Was it possible Cruz was trying to screw with her business? But why?

      “I overheard you speaking with your banker. I assume he’s your banker?”

      “Yes,” she said absently. “John. He’s here because he knows everyone. Who else heard us talking?” She couldn’t let word get out. If her father learned about this…

      “No one. You were alone.”

      “Except for you.”

      “Yes. Except for me.” His dark gaze seemed to see through her. “What’s wrong with your business?”

      “Nothing,” she snapped, embarrassed he’d found out. “Look, I don’t want to talk about this. I appreciate the interest, but unless you have an extra two million dollars lying around, I need to get going.”

      One eyebrow raised. “And if I do?”

      “I’m not interested.”

      “Are you sure?”

      She folded her arms across her chest. “I don’t get it,” she said. “What are you doing? What’s the game?”

      “Why won’t you go to your father for the money? He has plenty.”

      “Not an option.”

      “I can’t help you if you won’t talk to me.”

      “I didn’t ask for your help.”

      Noise from the party filtered out to them, but it was as if they were in another world. Just the two of them. She was aware of his breathing, aware of every part of him. He was a constant distraction, which made her crazy.

      He stared at her, then nodded slowly, as if coming to a decision. “You know the senator who is here?”

      “What? Sure. Be grateful you’re not female. He’d want to pat your ass.”

      “I spoke to him earlier. Introduced myself. He was polite, then dismissed me.”

      “He can be pompous,” Lexi said, feeling oddly protective of Cruz, which just went to show how very stupid her hormones could be.

      “I could buy and sell him five times over, but that doesn’t matter. No matter how custom the suit, I’m still that kid from the barrio. But you know this world. You live in it.”

      “Hey, I’m not like that.”

      “But you’re one of them. Tell me why you won’t go to your father for the money you need.”

      She wouldn’t have told him before, but now he’d exposed himself to her and she felt obligated to do the same.

      “While there is family money,” she began slowly, “my father controls it and he’s not exactly giving us a million-dollar allowance. He is Titan World Enterprises, not me. I had a small trust fund from my maternal grandmother, which I used to start my day spa. Other than that, the only money I have is what I make myself.”

      She sighed and looked into his eyes, then wished she hadn’t. Staring into the dark depths made her want to lean forward and kiss him. Maybe more.

      Maybe? Who was she kidding?

      “Jed Titan is a controlling bastard,” she said, wishing it weren’t true. “A few years ago he sat my sisters and me down and explained he would be leaving Titan World Enterprises to one of us and only one of us. We have a finite amount of time to prove our worth in the winner-take-all game.”

      She still remembered being horrified by her father’s words. He was making them choose—the family business and fortune that went with it, or each other. The unspoken part of the bargain was that the winner didn’t just get the money—she got Jed, as well. The father who had always made it clear his affection was conditional.

      “My two sisters and I had been close, but once that happened, everything changed. I realized that working for my father wouldn’t get me far in the competition. So I quit and started my day spa. Skye runs her foundation and Izzy…” She frowned. “Izzy defies death on a daily basis. My point is, if I go to my father, I’ve lost my chance to run the company.”

      And her father, because Jed only ever cared about winners.

      “I made a mistake,” she continued. “I got greedy and stupid, which means I now have a two-million dollar problem. I was offered a loan by a private investor. He didn’t want a piece of the business, which was great for me. I took the money and expanded my spa. The note was callable. I have three weeks to cough up two million dollars or lose everything.”

      She turned away. “Now you know my deepest, darkest secret.” She was already regretting the confession. “How are you going to use it?”

      “I’ll give you the money,” he told her.

      She spun back to face him. Was it possible he meant it? “You mean you’ll loan it to me.”

      “No. I don’t want it back. I want something else.”

      Wariness replaced excitement. “What, exactly, do I have that’s worth two million dollars to you?”

      He dropped his gaze to her bare toes and worked his way up. The meaning was clear. Even though nearly every cell in her body began to cheer, she ignored the liquid wanting pouring through her, raised her chin and said, “I don’t think so.”

      He smiled. “Not sex, Lexi. I don’t have to pay for that any more today than I did ten years ago.”

      She flushed. “Then what?”

      His dark gaze sharpened. “Access. You’re a Titan. Your mother can trace her bloodline back