Bella Andre - Just To Be With You

“So this was always what you wanted, the same way I wanted to act?”

“No,” he said in a low voice, “not always.”

When he didn’t say anything more for a few long moments, she nearly reminded him that she’d signed an NDA and wouldn’t ever repeat what he told her now to anyone. Only, she suddenly realized, this wasn’t business anymore. It was no longer research.

It was personal.

“What did you want, Ian?” She gestured out the still-open window at the tall, shiny skyscrapers. “Before all of this?”

He was looking directly at her, but his eyes were slightly unfocused, as though he was looking through her into the past. “I wanted to play football.”

She’d seen him throw the ball, knew just how well it fit into his hands. “I’ve only shadowed you for a few hours, but one thing I already know for certain is that when you want something, you get it. So it wasn’t that you weren’t good enough, was it?”

His eyes cleared as he refocused his gaze on her. “I was good. But things changed and football didn’t make sense anymore.”

“Why?”

“How many times are you going to say that word to me?”

She didn’t hesitate before answering him with the truth. “Lots and lots of times.”

Irritation warred with amusement on his face, and she thought she saw the corner of his mouth twitch as he said, “If I answer this why, will you do us both a favor and not say it again during the rest of this ride, at the very least?” As soon as she nodded, he said, “I went into the investment business in college so that I could pitch in during a rough time my dad was having with his job. Once I started working, I quickly found out that I was good at it.”

“Good is a bit of an understatement considering one of your colleagues said…” She opened her notebook and pointed to her notes. “It’s as if he has investing ESP.”

His grin came and went so fast, she might have thought she’d imagined it if she hadn’t been able to feel the power of it still radiating straight into the center of her chest.

Right where it was starting to feel as though her heart was beating only for him.

“I like what I do, Tatiana. I like the money, the security, and the peace of mind that comes with being good at it, too.”

“But it isn’t just about your own financial security, is it?” She thought back to the meeting they’d just left with the head of the Seattle Family Foundation. Ian was to be the master of ceremonies at a big fundraising event on Friday night, and he’d given just as much focus, just as much passion, during the meeting with the charitable organization as he had in any of the others that were all about corporate revenue and profits.

“You never forget what it’s like to wonder if you’ll lose everything.” Again, his eyes clouded as if he was back in the past. “Even once you’ve got more than you need. If we can teach mothers and fathers, and their kids, the kinds of skills that will mean they’ll land on their feet, it might not solve all their problems, but hopefully it will at least give them something to aim for when times are tough.”

“So you don’t just want to give them hope, or temporary solutions, but the possibility of a good future.” She liked it—liked it a lot. “I didn’t want to interrupt during your meeting, especially since the event is less than a week away, but the biggest issues seemed to revolve around visibility for the organization. I know this might sound kind of dumb, but something simple like me being photographed at the event on Friday night in some designer dress might help a little bit to raise awareness about what you’re working toward.” She felt a little embarrassed as she told him, “It seems like whenever I attend anything in a pretty dress, the pictures are all over the Internet and magazines for the next few days. And if it would help a good cause...”

“It doesn’t sound even the least bit dumb, Tatiana, and it would definitely help raise visibility for the foundation.”

“So it’s a date?”

His eyes darkened for a moment before he nodded. “It’s a date. I’ll let them know you’ll be attending and, if it’s okay with you, they can alert the press in advance.”

“Sounds great,” she said, her heart cartwheeling in her chest.

Okay, so it wasn’t a real date, but at least she’d be spending Friday night with Ian. And it hadn’t been nearly as difficult as she’d thought to get him to open up to her a little bit, had it?

“Thank you for answering my questions, Ian.” Belatedly remembering she was supposed to be asking because of her research on CEOs, and not just because she wanted to know every little thing about him, she said, “I think it’s going to help a lot with my role.”

“You know, if you hadn’t been such a good little tiger all those years ago, you would have made a good journalist.”

Warmth shot through her at his compliment. “Actually, I played a journalist a couple of years ago.”

“The twist at the end of that film was pretty surprising.”

“You saw it?”

“Your movies are very popular, you know.”

“Yes, but I also now know firsthand just how busy your work schedule is.”

“Even I take a couple of hours off here and there, Tatiana.”

Something about the way Ian said it, with the innate Sullivan lady-killing charm that his other brothers let fly much more freely than he normally did, immediately made her think of him taking time off for sex.

Her next breath caught in her throat as desire hit her with far stronger force than it ever had before. Ian was, clearly, a very physical man despite the hours he put in at the office. She assumed he worked out based on how fit he was, but something told her that hitting the gym wasn’t the only way he liked to get his blood pumping.

It was moments like this when she felt every inch the virgin no one would ever believe she was given the handful of sexy roles she’d played so far. A more experienced woman would know how to amp up the sensuality in the car with nothing more than a few alluring words.

But, for the first time in a very long time, Tatiana was suddenly completely tongue-tied.

Every eye in the restaurant turned to them as they walked inside and Ian silently cursed himself for not having thought to change the reservation to a more private location. Because, while Tatiana barely seemed to be aware of all the stares and excited whispers, Ian knew it had to grate on her. Hell, it grated on him like crazy, and he wasn’t even the famous one. She’d told him she could take care of herself, but even if she knew some martial arts, she was small enough—and trusting enough—that Ian knew he could have her beneath him and helpless within seconds if he wanted to.

The thought shouldn’t have been so arousing, damn it, but fifteen minutes alone in his town car with Tatiana after five hours of breathing in her seductive scent in conference rooms had made it difficult for him to string a straight thought together, let alone put the brakes on his attraction to her.

“Ian, my boy, what a pleasure it is to see you.”

Ian shook George’s hand, glad that the man’s grip was just as hearty as ever. “Professor, it’s been too long.”

Ian had been looking forward to this meeting since they’d arranged it a couple of weeks ago. George Collingsworth had not only been his favorite professor at the University of Washington, he was also an expert on fuel chemistry and synthesis. When the opportunity had arisen for Sullivan Investments to become a major partner in a company that specialized in new fuel-replacement technologies, he’d asked George if he could meet to give him some advice.

His old professor looked just as he always had, his shock of white hair in complete disarray, the pieces of his suit put together in a seemingly random and color-blind way. There was one big difference today, however: His normally preoccupied expression had been replaced by a huge smile.

Tatiana had that effect on everyone, from young tech geniuses to professors who were usually lost in the wilds of their brilliant minds. Even, Ian had to admit, normally laser-focused businessmen like himself.

He was just about to introduce them when George declared, “You’ve brought your beautiful wife with you!” Clearly, Ian thought, they’d just come across the one person on the planet who had no idea who she was, which was further brought home when George said, “Tell me your name, my dear.”

“Tatiana.”

“I’m George, and I must say it is positively wonderful to meet you. What a beauty you are, and with such intelligence in your eyes. Truly, you remind me of my own late wife. It’s been fifteen years since she passed away, and I still miss her every single day.”

Her face had lit up the moment she set eyes on George. But now empathy moved across her features. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

“That’s very sweet of you.” George’s eyes twinkled as he looked back at Ian. “You’re a very lucky man, Ian.”

From the moment he’d found Tatiana in his office on Friday, Ian’s world had shifted farther and farther off its axis due to his inability to stop wanting her. Now, George’s honest mistake threatened to shove it all the way off.

Of course, the way Tatiana turned to him with her own grin and twinkling eyes didn’t help one damn bit. Especially considering that he had to not only struggle to drag his gaze from hers...but also to keep from pulling her against him for a kiss that wouldn’t do a damn thing to disprove George’s incorrect assumption.

“We aren’t—” A breeze from the open door of the restaurant blew the vanilla scent of Tatiana’s hair to him, temporarily making him lose his train of thought.