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Kelsey froze, sorting her options. "I don't know. But you can start working on a contract to the effect that he can't. I've gone this far I don't want any screw-ups now. I've already spoken to him about it. He'll just have to agree. And don't look at me like that Jackson. I don't want any hang-ups either!"
"I'll get right on it."
"Thanks for taking care of this for me," she waved the glasses in the air.
"No problem." Jackson accepted a cola from the housekeeper.
Tightening the belt of her robe, Kelsey darted back to her bedroom, knotted her hair back behind her ears, dotted just a little makeup on, and then threw a cotton pantsuit on. Not as conservative as she had been, but she didn't want to scare him away completely.
Jackson was about to leave as she came out of her bedroom again. "Oh, why don't you go ahead with the investigation, Jackson? It sounds like he's taking the bait."
"As you wish. And the other investigations?"
Kelsey thought of all the other candidates. None of them could compare to Nick. "That might be a good idea."
He was out the door when he turned to look at her. "Don't be so uptight about all this. He's only one man."
A man capable of raising her blood pressure, Kelsey thought. "I know, but he's the right man, Jackson."
"Then maybe you should let him see the real Kelsey O'Sullivan."
A shiver ran down her spine at the exciting possibilities that conjured, but she squashed them. "I don't think so. He laid down the rules, and I'll abide by them. He wants to do this really quickly and get it over with. I can't risk changing things now."
"You know best," Jackson agreed, doubt etching his face.
Kelsey refused to give into that knowing expression. "I hope so."
Once Jackson was gone, she felt herself coming down with a severe case of the jitters. She couldn't deny that men made her nervous. She remembered all the embarrassing, dumb things she had done as a young woman trying to impress a man. Apprehension tingled through her.
Men were a mystery to Kelsey. Her first and only marriage had been a complete disaster. She had been so frightened, and such a klutz. After a year, and an earth-shattering miscarriage the marriage was over. Now she was older, wiser, and desperately longing for a child. She prayed God she would succeed this time.
She glanced in the mirror for a long moment. She was no longer the young awkward girl who accidentally bumped waiters into swimming pools at dinner parties, and sat on guest's hats. But her confidence in her social graces still lagged.
The doorbell rang, and her stomach knotted. Taking a deep breath, she answered it. At the sight of Nick Leonetti, her heart took flight.
He had been handsome upon their first meeting, but the virile man standing in front of her now seemed even more impressive. Today, he wore a bright yellow oxford shirt and black jeans that hugged his narrowed hips. He looked so—Italian! The sight of him took what little breath she had away.
He looked as if he had just stepped out of the shower himself, his oh-so-thick hair still damp. Her fingers itched to run rampant through its blackness. His dark eyes penetrated through her, and his smile melted her reserve. Terrified of her giddy reactions, Kelsey realized she was already smitten. But she'd never let him know it. Perhaps years down the line, she could tell her beautiful daughter just how gorgeous her father was.
Other thoughts, sensual and provocative, slid into her mind. Kelsey could have gone all her life without thinking about going to bed with Nick Leonetti. At least she tried to convince herself of that, but the thought of their having a child together brought images of making love front and center. What would it be like to lay beside his golden torso, to kiss those well-formed lips, to be the center of his intense attention even for a brief interlude? Probably nothing short of heaven . . . she told herself.
"Nick, you're very prompt." Her voice trembled, as she stepped back to let him in. Not too close, she cautioned herself.
He strolled past her, and she inhaled his tantalizing cologne. Not over-powering, just manly—and sexy.
Her eyes slid to the back of his jeans. Feeling guilty, she knew she shouldn't be looking, but just once, while he had his back to her. Nice buns! She sighed, her heartbeat quickening.
"Would you like lemonade? It's rather hot today."
"Sounds good." He nodded and glanced about, a strange expression on his face. Perhaps he didn't like her place. Maybe he wasn't impressed by her mother's taste in exquisite paintings, and modern art forms? Kelsey eyed the room, a replica of a Better Homes and Gardens living room. It certainly impressed most of her guests. But Nick barely gave the hallway and living room a glance.
"I'll be just a moment, with the lemonade."
She headed for the kitchen perplexed. She could feel his eyes on her now, and she wondered if he was assessing her like she had him?
When she joined him by the patio, with a tall glass of lemonade in her hand he was scanning the magnificent view of the Hudson.
"Nice place," he commented.
