Cassie raised a surprised brow as she took the hand being offered. Her surprise had nothing to do with being told that she looked like her father since she knew that was true. Her surprise was that the woman knew who she was.

At Cassie’s bemused expression Rachel explained. “I was Stan Washington’s secretary when you were born.”

Cassie nodded. In other words the woman had known about her parents’ affair and, like Brandon’s father, had been sworn to secrecy.

“I’m going to give Cassie a tour of my office, Rachel. And like I said, I’m still on vacation so I won’t be accepting any calls if they come in.”

Rachel grinned. “Yes, sir.”

Brandon ushered Cassie down the carpeted hall to his office. When they entered he locked the door behind him. She only had time for a quick glance around before he pulled her into his arms. “Now to finish what we started on the plane,” he said, before lowering his head for a kiss.

Their mouths had barely touched when Brandon’s cell phone rang. Muttering a curse, he straightened and pulled it out of his pocket. He rolled his eyes upon seeing whose telephone number had appeared. “Yes, Adam?” he said, a split second from letting his best friend know he had caught him at a bad time.

“Yes, Cassie is here and yes, she’s with me now.” A few moments later he said. “No, she’s not staying at the Garrison Grand. She’ll be a guest in my home.” He winked his eye at Cassie before she moved to sit on the sofa across the room, crossing her legs in a very sexy way.

“And, no,” he continued, trying to concentrate on what Adam was saying and not on Cassie’s legs, “you won’t be able to meet her until dinner on Sunday. You might be my best friend but I can’t let you use that fact to your advantage since Parker has requested that the family all meet her at the same time. Besides, I’m taking her to dinner tonight and tomorrow I plan to give her a tour of the town.”

Brandon laughed at something Adam said and replied, “Okay, Adam. I’ll let Cassie know.” He then clicked off the phone and placed it back in his pocket.

“Let me know what?” she asked, returning to where he stood.

Brandon smiled. “If you want to go ahead and make him your favorite brother, he’s fine with it.”

A smile touched Cassie’s lips. She had a feeing she was really going to like him. “He seems nice.”

“He is. Like I told you, all of them are, including Parker. The two of you just rubbed each other the wrong way in the beginning.”

“And what if he doesn’t agree with the counteroffer I intend to make him? I want you to know that I won’t back down. He can either take it or leave it.”

Brandon grinned. Sunday dinner at the Garrisons would be interesting, as usual. “I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you. Like I said, Parker is a sharp businessman and I believe he wants to end the animosity between the two of you and come up with a workable solution as much as you do.”

He reached out and caressed the cleft in her chin. “Every time I touch this I get turned on.”

Cassie smiled, shaking her head. “I think you get turned on even when you’re not touching it.”

He laughed. “That’s true.” And to prove his point he lowered his mouth and joined it with hers. Their lips locked. Their tongues mated. Desire was seeping into both of their bones. Brandon thought he would never get enough of this woman no matter how much he tried.

Moments later he lifted his head and drew back from the kiss, his gaze on her moist lips. “I better get you out of here. It’s not safe to be in here alone with you. I’ve never made love to a woman in my office, but I might be driven to do that very thing with you.”

On tiptoe she stretched up and brushed a kiss across his lips. In a way she wanted him to take her here. That way when they did go their separate ways, her presence would always be in here, a place where he spent the majority of his time working.

“Maybe not today, but promise you’ll do it before I leave to return home.”

He lifted a brow. “Do what?”

“Make love to me in here,” she said, stepping closer and sliding her fingers to his nape to caress him there.

He released a shuddering sigh at her touch before asking, “Why would you want me to make love to you in here?”

“So you could always remember me, especially in here.”

He was taken aback by her words, and then murmured softly, in a husky tone, “Do you honestly think I could forget you, Cassie? Do you think I’d be able to forget everything we’ve shared together?”

Before she could answer he bent his head and claimed her lips, kissing her with so much passion it made her stomach somersault. It made the lower part of her body feel highly sensitive to his very presence.

Reluctantly, he pulled his mouth away and gazed at her in a way that sent sensations rushing all through her. He took her hand in his. “Come on and let’s get out of here before I do just what you ask and not care that I have an office full of people working today.”

A smile touched his lips when he added, “They’re a smart group of people who will get more than suspicious about all the noise we’ll make.”

“Umm, you think we’ll make a lot of noise?” she asked when he unlocked the door.

“He glanced over at her before opening it and chuckled. “Sweetheart, we always do.”

Later that night Cassie could feel the soft pounding of Brandon’s heart against her back. His arms were wrapped around her as he slept. The warm afterglow of their lovemaking had lulled her to sleep, as well, but now she was awake.

And thinking.

He had a beautiful home, and after showing her around, she had felt the love he had for it while he’d given his tour. She had watched him carefully when he had shown her with pride the things that were his. They were possessions he had worked hard to get and he was still working hard to retain. He’d told her that a number of his father’s clients had dropped his firm after his father’s death, citing Brandon’s youth and lack of experience. John Garrison had been one of the few who’d kept him on, and had gone even further by recommending him to others. With hard work Brandon had rebuilt the legacy his father had started.

When Brandon stirred in his sleep, she glanced over her shoulder and her gaze touched his sleeping face. She wanted him. She wanted to marry him. She wanted to have his babies. But most of all, she loved him. However, this would be one of those situations where she couldn’t have any of the things she wanted.

Because he didn’t love her in return.

And she could never spend her life with a man who didn’t love her. She had grown up in an environment that was filled with too much love to want something less for herself.

She closed her eyes to blot out the advice her mind was giving her. Get out while you can do so without getting your heart shattered. Take your memories and go.

Cassie opened her eyes, knowing she would take the advice her mind was giving her. This was Brandon’s world and hers was in the Bahamas. Instead of staying the two weeks she’d originally planned, she would let him know after dinner on Sunday that she would be leaving in a week. It was important that she and Parker resolved the issues between them, and she was looking forward to meeting her other siblings. After that it was time to move on. The more time she spent with Brandon, the more she yearned for things she could not have. Already her love for him was weakening her resolve and undermining her defenses.

It was time for her to make serious plans about returning home. There was no other way.

Brandon walked off the patio and back into his home to answer the ringing telephone. He stood in a spot where he could still see Cassie as she swam around in his pool.

The two-piece bathing suit she was wearing was sexual temptation at its finest, and he was quite content to just stand there and stare at her. But when his phone rang again, he knew that wasn’t possible. He reached on the table to pick it up. “Yes?”

“Brandon, this is Parker.”

He wondered when Parker would get around to calling him back. They had been playing phone tag for the better part of the day. He understood Parker had been in meetings most of yesterday, and Brandon and Cassie had left the house early this morning when he had taken her to breakfast and later on a tour of South Beach.

When she had mentioned that she had a taste for Chinese food, they had dined for lunch at one of his favorite restaurants, an upscale and trendy establishment called the China Grille. After lunch, instead of taking in more sights, he had done as she requested and had taken her to the cemetery where her father was buried. He had stood by her side when she’d finally got a chance to say goodbye and then he had held her in his arms while she cried when her grief had gotten too much for her.

Afterward, they had returned to his place to take a swim in the pool and relax a while before getting dressed for dinner and the South Beach night life.

“Yes, Parker, I’m glad we finally connected.”

“I am, too. How’s Cassie?”

Brandon turned and glanced out the bank of French doors to stare right at her. She was no longer in the water but was standing by the edge of the pool, getting ready to dive back in. It was his opinion-with the way she looked with the sunlight made the wet strands of her hair gleam, and her body made his breath catch every time he saw it, naked or in clothes-Cassie was every man’s fantasy. That was definitely not something her oldest brother would appreciate hearing from him.

“Cassie’s fine and is out by the pool. She wanted to take a swim before we go out to dinner.”

“Everyone is looking forward to meeting her tomorrow,” Parker said.

“Glad to hear it. I had a hard time convincing her of that, but I did, which is the main reason she’s here in Miami.”