The Million-Dollar Catch. Susan Mallery

a minute and get herself together. Having him tag along would make the whole “get together” bit complicated.

      But there was no polite way to say no, so she led him into the break room and grabbed a clean mug from the tray by the full coffeepot.

      “You don’t have staff?” he asked.

      “I do, but I prefer not to waste her time on errands. The other two associates I share her with don’t agree with my position.” She glanced at him over her shoulder. “Leah likes me much better.”

      “I’m sure she does.”

      He smiled again and Julie found herself caught up in the moment. Unfortunately, she was pouring coffee at the time and when the mug was full, the hot liquid poured over the sides and onto her hand.

      “Ouch!”

      She set the mug on the counter and shook off her hand, her skin burning. Suddenly Ryan was at her side. He took the pot from her, then nudged her over to the sink. While standing behind her, he took her injured hand in his and held it under the cold water.

      “I didn’t know you were a klutz,” he said conversationally.

      “I’m not usually.”

      She wasn’t. She’d been distracted. She still was.

      He stood right behind her—his front pressing against her back. She could feel the strength and power of his body, along with the heat.

      Warmth seeped into her, making her want to sigh and rub and stroke. She could feel his fingers on her hand, his arm pressing against her. He was leaning forward, his face right next to hers.

      If she turned just a little bit to the right, their mouths would be inches apart.

      She wanted to kiss him. It didn’t matter that she practically hated him, she still felt longing building up inside of her.

      Just one kiss. It didn’t have to last very long. Just mouths pressing, tongues stroking, bodies—

      She jerked her hand free and stepped to the side. “I’m good. Thanks.”

      She pulled a paper towel from the holder and dried her hand, then mopped up the spill on the counter. After collecting a bottle of water for herself, she led the way back to the conference room.

      Her insides felt soft and mushy. Her panties were damp and that place between her thighs was swollen and achy.

      Pathetic, she thought grimly as she sat down and tried to gather her thoughts together. She was deeply pathetic. How could he have reduced her to a puddle after just one night? Sure, it had been a great night, but she’d had great nights before.

      Well, not that great. But still.

      She reached for her pen. “Why don’t you outline what you have in mind,” she said.

      Ryan began to talk about the business. Julie took notes, but she wasn’t really listening. How could he be so unaffected by what had just happened? Wouldn’t that be horrible—if the attraction was all one-sided? Life couldn’t possibly be that unfair.

      “We provide venture capital and retain a major interest in each of our companies. The goal is to take them all public, but when that doesn’t happen, we sometimes sell them. Right now there are three specific firms I need help with. Two are looking to do business with China, while the third is perfect for overseas manufacturing. I assume you have contacts in China.”

      She looked at him. Now it was her turn to smile. “Of course. Personal as well as professional.”

      “Want to explain that?”

      “We had a neighbor when I was growing up. Mrs. Wu had been a teacher. She retired only to discover she was bored with too much time on her hands. She taught my sisters and I Mandarin. I’m the only one who was really interested. When I was in high school, she took me to China with her to visit her family. I went back the following two summers and did a semester in China during college.”

      “Impressive.”

      “Thank you.”

      “What happens now?” he asked. “You’ll want specific information on the companies.”

      “Absolutely. Also what, if anything, you’ve already done to establish relationships in China. We’ll work on a retainer agreement, with my time billed in quarter-hour segments.”

      “Seems reasonable.”

      “I’ll want a substantial sum up front.”

      She would ask for more than the firm usually suggested, mostly to cover her butt.

      He sipped his coffee. “You still don’t trust me.”

      “I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, but I’m not willing to be stupid.” No matter how her body reacted to him.

      “Fair enough.” His dark gaze settled on her face. “Todd and I are both only children. We grew up spending a lot of time together. We became as close as brothers.”

      “A bit of a non sequitur, but okay. And I already know this part. It’s why you agreed to do his dirty work.”

      He ignored her. “We grew up rich. From the time we were teenagers there were girls, then later women, willing to do anything to get close. They weren’t interested in us—they wanted the money.”

      “I refuse to believe every female you’ve ever met has ignored who you are in favor of your bank account.”

      “Not everyone, but enough. Under the circumstances, knowing what our aunt had promised you and your sisters, it wasn’t unreasonable I think that about you.”

      Julie opened her mouth, then closed it. Okay, maybe she could see his point. “I know what it looks like, but that isn’t the way it is.”

      “I believe you. Can you do the same? Can you possibly understand why Todd and I might suspect you weren’t any different?”

      “I don’t know. Maybe. So don’t go on the date. Refuse. Setting up a stranger to teach her a lesson to punish her for every other bitchy female you’ve met isn’t right.”

      “Agreed. So you can see my side?”

      He was starting to get on her nerves. What did he want? “Yes, your childhood was very tragic. Poor rich boys liked by millions for all the wrong reasons.”

      “You’re not easy.”

      “I don’t try to be. I’ve said I’ll try to understand why you thought the worst of me and I’ll accept your apology for what you did, but that doesn’t mean I approve of it or even understand your actions. I still don’t trust you.”

      “You’re going to have to try. We’ll be a family.”

      On what planet? “Not under any definition I can think of. We’ll be co-parenting a child. That doesn’t make us a family.”

      “You can call it what you want,” he told her, “but having a baby together makes us a family. Everything has changed, Julie. There’s more here than what each of us feels. There’s a third life. Our child deserves the best from us. That’s why I think we should get married.”

      Seven

      “Married?” Julie sprang to her feet and stared down at Ryan. “Are you insane? Married? What the hell is wrong with you?”

      She suddenly remembered the glass walls and sat down again. She lowered her voice, but she wasn’t any less pissed off.

      “If this is your idea of a joke, it’s not funny. It’s horrible.” Married? What was he thinking? And just when she’d decided he might not be so awful after all.

      “Horrible?” he asked, sounding disgustingly calm. “How so?”

      “We don’t even like