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Only, now that he was here, as he watched her move through the crowd to speak with people who clearly admired the hell out of her, he realized he couldn’t go through with his plan to surprise her, then kiss her into not being mad at him for ignoring her request to stay away.
It was one thing to rearrange her seat at the ball game so that she’d have to sit next to him. It was another to screw up an important event she’d worked long and hard on just because he was a selfish prick who couldn’t make it another hour without seeing her.
Tonight he wanted Heather to be happy.
Moving to a shadowed part of the room, he drank in her grace, her confidence, as she took the stage. He’d always gravitated toward younger women who didn’t demand anything from him apart from a good time. Heather was the polar opposite of them all. She didn’t need him, didn’t need any man to take care of her or to tell her she was worthy.
A few seconds later, the music playing over the speakers turned off and the spotlight went to where Heather was standing on the stage.
“Thank you, everyone, for coming here tonight to support the San Francisco Animal Shelter. I know each and every one of us in this room is shocked to know that animals are still being abused and neglected, household pets most often of all.”
Behind her, a screen showed pictures of dogs walking with their owners, cats playing with children, puppies cuddling with babies. Some of the dogs and cats were missing a leg or an eye, but anyone could see how happy they were now that they’d finally found families who loved them.
“That’s why we’re all here tonight, to raise money to support those animals who are brought in to the shelter hurt and afraid. With the right love and care, it’s our hope that they will all find loving homes and owners who will care for them the way they should have been cared for from the day they were born. Every penny of the proceeds from tonight’s auction will go straight to the shelter, and the animals who so desperately need our help. Thank you for reaching deep for them.”
As she stepped away from the podium to let the auctioneer run through the list of items up for bidding, Zach pulled his valet parking tag from his pocket and headed for the front of the hotel.
“I need you to bring my car around and leave it out front.”
“Aren’t you going to be driving it, sir?”
“No,” he said without even needing to give it a second thought, “I won’t.”
* * *
Heather was pleased with how well the bidding was going on the auction items. Still, as the auctioneer called out the final items on the list, she calculated that it was going to be a close finish to reach their fundraising goal.
And then, suddenly, the other man from the auction firm motioned to the auctioneer with a piece of paper.
Heather frowned. What was going on?
The auctioneer unfolded the paper and whatever he read on it made his eyes widen. Without taking the time to confer first with Heather, he quickly moved back behind the podium.
“I’m pleased to let everyone know that we have a last-minute addition to our biddable items. A truly excellent addition.” It was as if he needed to catch his breath first before saying, “The classic 1967 Lamborghini 400 GT is in mint condition.” The approximate value he listed had Heather’s jaw dropping to the floor. The room rumbled with sounds of amazement as the auctioneer grinned and said, “It is currently parked in front of the hotel for your viewing pleasure. The owner is available to answer questions. Bidding will begin in precisely ten minutes.”
It was a stampede as every man and half the women made a dash for the ballroom doors.
The auctioneer turned to Heather and said, “This is truly extraordinary. If I had the funds, I’d bid on it myself.”
Needing to know who would give the animal shelter something so precious, just moments before bidding ended, Heather quickly headed away from the stage and had to push through the crowded lobby. There were too many people jammed into the small space for her to see any part of the car, but one man was almost a head taller than the rest.
Zach.
Shock had her stopping dead in the center of the lobby. The Lamborghini had to be his.
Her heart thudded to a halt in her chest as she realized she couldn’t let him give it away, even if it meant the shelter would have almost an entire extra year of operating expenses taken care of with the money that car would bring in. Not if he was giving it away for all the wrong reasons...and not if the donation meant he’d now expect things from her that she simply couldn’t give him.
He already had her body, for as long as he wanted it.
But her ultimate trust—and the secret, walled-off parts of her heart—would always be off limits.
She had to push through the people to reach him. “Zach!” she called, needing to get his attention to tell him it was too much, but before she could, the auctioneer’s voice could be heard over the crowd.
“The ten minutes are nearly up. Bidding will begin right away.”
The excited group rushed back into the ballroom, leaving only Heather and Zach standing alone outside. His eyes roved over her face, her hair, her dress, her legs.
“You’re just as beautiful as I knew you’d be.”
She felt herself flush with pleasure at his compliment, even as she said, “You shouldn’t have done this, Zach.” Flustered, she blurted, “Why did you do it?”
“I had to.”
“Did you—” She couldn’t believe she was actually going to say this. “Did you do it for me?”
