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“To take you to dinner,” he repeated.
Was black smoke billowing from her head? She was pretty sure he just broke her brain.
When he finished cleaning her hand, he didn’t release it. “May I take your stunned silence as a yes?”
No.
Unequivocally not.
She couldn’t date a client.
If she gave in to the weakness buzzing through her every time he was near, there would be consequences. She didn’t have time for consequences. She needed to keep her eyes on the prize—the prize being that nanochip. The potential it had could be life-changing, and not just for her.
And yet, as she stared into his chocolate eyes, with the tiny flecks of gold shimmering like fireflies in the dark, she nodded.
He grinned. “Excellent. I’ll pick you up at your place around, say, six-thirty.”
Again, she could only nod.
“And, Emma, when we’re on our date tonight, call me Noah.”
This day couldn’t end fast enough.
Noah pushed from his office chair and gazed out at the Houston skyline. Running an empire as vast and far-reaching as Whitlow Group took focus, tenacity, vision, and patience, but today, those traits eluded him. His mind was still at Reynolds, Clark & Morgan with the most confounding woman he’d ever met. When he’d flirted with Emma on Monday, he’d noted attraction in her eyes. He’d been with enough women to know when one wanted him, and she had wanted him.
So why hadn’t she called?
He’d given her his personal cell number, which only a handful of people had, but she hadn’t called. They’d exchanged emails, but her messages had been competent, concise, and completely professional. So, yeah, confounding covered it. Women came to him. He’d never had to pursue one before, and of course, the one he was pursuing just wasn’t cooperating.
He hoped that wasn’t a sign of the End Times.
A knock at his office door had him returning to his desk. “Come,” he called.
His administrative assistant stepped inside, iPad in hand and at the ready. Caroline Waverly, with her shoulder-length brown hair and pretty, worn-in face, was an extremely fit fifty-five-year-old, but she didn’t look a day over twenty-nine—or so the office’s running joke went anyway. Caroline Waverly, “forever twenty-nine.”
“Yes, Caroline?” he said.
“Your three o’clock appointment called. Her flight arrived earlier than expected, and she wanted to know if you’d be amenable to shifting the appointment earlier in the day. Since you have plans this evening, I told her it was fine. I also took the liberty of contacting your four o’clock appointment. They’re also amenable to meeting earlier.”
“Excellent.” He wasn’t one to dash out early from work, but today, he would make an exception. After all, a man’s grandmother didn’t turn ninety every day.
“Also…” Caroline pushed slightly straighter. “Would you like me to send flowers to Amanda’s grave, or do you want to make the arrangements yourself?”
The old scab over his heart began itching, but he didn’t dare scratch at it. Nothing good ever came from opening old wounds.
“I’ll take care of it,” he said dismissively. “Thank you for the reminder.”
“Of course, sir.” She turned to leave, and Ethan nearly ran her over on her way out.
The sight of his cousin had Noah drawing in a calming breath. Dealing with Ethan so close to a reminder of Amanda’s death was a catastrophe in the making.
“Noah, good, you’re still here.” Ethan sat in one of the two chairs opposite Noah and made himself comfortable.
“And why wouldn’t I be here?” Noah asked, leaning back in his chair.
“Well, with it being Friday and all, and considering your latest breakup, I figured you’d knock off early and hit the town to start collecting lovely lady trophies.”
Noah counted to ten. Then, he did it again, crossing his arms as if he most certainlydidn’twant to deck his cousin in his smug mouth. Punching Ethan would too easily play into Uncle Phillip’s vendetta
