“They can stay for a couple of weeks. I looked online and by then they’ll have their eyes open and be moving around. I’ll take them in after that.”

She wanted to take heart in the fact that he was accepting pets into his life, but she knew he meant what he said. That it was only temporary.

“Do you, ah, want help with them?” she asked. “I can come by and feed them and stuff.”

“I’m good.”

There was something about his tone more than his words that made her feel as if he were slipping away. As if the connection had ceased to exist between them.

“Do you mind if I come visit them before you take them to the rescue place?” she asked.

“That would be fine.”

She wanted to think he meant something significant by that, but somehow she couldn’t convince herself. “Okay, then I should be going.”

“I moved your car around back,” he said, returning his attention to the computer screen. “It’s just outside the front door.”

“Thanks.”

She took the coffee cup back into the kitchen and rinsed it out. After collecting her purse, she walked to the front door. “I guess I’ll see you around.”

“Goodbye, Willow.”

“Bye.” She opened the door, then hesitated. “Do you want my phone number?”

He looked at her then, his dark gaze locking with hers. She searched for some hint of the fire she’d seen before, but it was so gone, it was as if it had never been.

“No, you don’t,” she whispered, and left.

Four

Kane finished his presentation on security for the company’s latest acquisition. Todd and Ryan glanced at each other.

“Remind us not to get involved with anything this proprietary again,” Ryan said. “It’s a real pain.”

Kane thought about the executive detail he’d had to protect for two months in Afghanistan. Compared to that, this was something he could do with his eyes closed. “It’s not that difficult. I’ll handle it. As long as everyone follows procedure, we’re protected.”

“And if they don’t?” Todd asked with a grin.

“Then they answer to me,” Kane said.

Todd looked at Ryan. “This is why I like him.”

“Right back at you.”

Todd turned back to Kane. “I heard there was some trouble at the house yesterday. I go away for one day and all hell breaks loose?”

Kane had a sudden image of Willow in his bed, her body flushed, her eyes glazed and her long, blond hair spread out on the pillow. His groin tightened, but he ignored the flash of need, not to mention the pictures in his brain. It had happened, it was over, end of story.

Still, he couldn’t stop wondering why she’d wanted to be with him. He would bet a large portion of his considerable bank account that she was the type who led with her heart. So why take on a guy just for the night?

“It was Willow,” Ryan said. “Julie told me last evening. Apparently Willow’s still a little annoyed that you got between me and Julie.”

Todd grimaced. “I didn’t get between you. I was looking out for a friend. You’re happy now—that’s the end of it.” He returned his attention to Kane. “Should I be worried?”

Kane held in a smile. “I think you could take her.”

“That’s not what I meant. Is she crazy?”

“No. She wanted to tell you off because you’d messed with her sister.”

“It’s the money,” Todd grumbled. “If Aunt Ruth hadn’t offered her granddaughters a million dollars to marry me, none of this would have happened.”

Kane raised his eyebrows. “I didn’t know you were looking for a wife.”

“I’m not.” Todd sighed. “Aunt Ruth is our late uncle’s second wife, so we’re not actually related. Ruth had a daughter who ran off when she was seventeen and got married. Ruth and our uncle cut her off and apparently never had anything to do with her until a few months ago. Our uncle died. Ruth missed her daughter and got in touch with her only to discover there were three granddaughters she’d never met. Somewhere along the way, she got it in her head that life would be perfect if one of her granddaughters married me. She offered them each a million dollars if one of them would take me on.”

Todd glared at Ryan. “Do you know how insulting that is? The assumption she has to pay someone to marry me?”

Ryan grinned. “Actually it’s kind of funny.”

“So says the man who’s getting married.”

Ryan turned to Kane. “I went on the first date to throw the sisters off the path. I met Julie and after a few complications, we got engaged.”

Kane knew that Julie was also pregnant, but he wasn’t about to say anything. Being in charge of security meant keeping secrets—and he was good at that.

“So everything worked out,” Todd said. “Willow should just let it go.”

“I don’t think she’ll be back,” Kane told him. “Although there were a few interesting events.” He explained about Willow running through the grounds and spraining her ankle. He left out the cat, the kittens and the sex.

Both his bosses stared at him. “You didn’t just leave her there, did you?” Todd asked.

“I took her home and iced her ankle.”

“To your house,” Ryan confirmed.

“Uh-huh.”

“You don’t usually invite people to your house,” Todd said.

“I didn’t invite Willow. It just happened.” Which was true. If only he had an excuse for what he’d done last night…and again this morning.

She’d been a hell of a temptation, but he’d been tempted before. And resisted. There was just something about her…

“Be careful,” Ryan said with a grin. “The Nelson women are complicated. Just when you least expect it, they’ve invaded your world and changed everything.”

“I’m not worried,” Todd said confidently. “I’m not marrying either one of them. They’ll have to find their million dollars elsewhere.”

“I was thinking more of Kane,” Ryan said with a grin. “Willow’s a pretty lady.”

Todd looked at Kane. “Intrigued?”

Not in the way they meant. “I don’t do relationships. Don’t worry about me.”

She was gone and he would never see her again, which was exactly how he liked things. But as the day wore on, he found himself remembering her smile, her laugh and the way she’d felt in his arms. It was as if she were a song he couldn’t shake from his brain. One that played over and over and wouldn’t go away.

Willow showed up on Saturday morning without warning because she didn’t have Kane’s phone number and naturally Mr. Macho Security Man wasn’t listed. She’d even Googled him and had come up with nothing. It was as if he didn’t exist.

But she knew he was real. Elusive and possibly dangerous to her emotional well-being but real. He was an interesting combination of contrasts. A tough man who knew how to be tender. A rich man who chose to live simply.

She’d told herself to forget him, but that wasn’t happening anytime soon. All she had to do was close her eyes to remember how she’d felt when he touched her. Last night she’d even dreamed about him.

So she braced herself for possible rejection, grabbed the tote bag on the passenger seat and climbed out of her car. She was halfway up the walk when the front door to the gatehouse opened.

He wore jeans and a long-sleeved shirt and looked sexy enough to melt chocolate.

“You came back,” he said, his voice, not to mention his expression, giving nothing away.

“I’m here to see the cats, not you,” she said with a smile, hoping he wouldn’t guess that was a big, fat lie. “You don’t have to panic.”

“I don’t panic.”

Her smile widened. “I can think of a few girly conversations that would make you sweat. Want to test my theory?”

One corner of his mouth twitched. “Not especially.”

“I didn’t think so.” She held her tote in both hands. “I would have called first, but you didn’t give me your number. And don’t bother telling me you didn’t give it to me on purpose. I already know that. You were afraid I’d turn into stalker girl.”

“I’m not afraid of you.”

She walked toward him and braced herself for the impact of seeing those dark eyes and that mouth up close.

“You could be, and you know it,” she said cheerfully. “Now let me inside.”

She was operating mostly on bravado, but either he didn’t know that or he was just going with it. He stepped aside to let her in.

She walked into the living room and was assaulted by memories. There was the chair where he’d carried her when she’d first hurt her ankle and that was the doorway to the hall that led to the bedroom.

Her skin heated as she remembered him touching her. She swung to face him, prepared to mention how it had been, but the words died unspoken.

His expression was one of polite interest—nothing more. There was no humor, no flash of fire, no need. It was as if it had never been.

He hadn’t been kidding about the one night, she thought sadly. If she were someone else, she might have tried tempting him, but hey, this was her. What was the point? Instead she would have to be happy for what they’d had and remind herself that at least he’d wanted her once.

She dropped her tote on the ottoman and crossed to the box by the fireplace. The mother cat was curled up with her three kittens. She purred as Willow approached.

“Hi, sweetie,” Willow murmured. “How have you been? Your babies are bigger. Look at how big they’re getting. Are you doing all right?”

The cat rubbed her head against Willow’s hand. “Is she still eating well?” she asked.

“About twice what I think she should,” he told her. “Stuff comes out the other end really regularly, too.”

She smiled. “At least we know she’s healthy. That’s something. Have you thought of a name?”

“I’m not naming the damn cat.”

“But you have to. She needs an identity.”

“She’s a stray.”

Willow sat on the carpet and looked up at him. She had to tilt her head back until she could meet his gaze. “Everyone deserves to have a name.”

His mouth tightened. “Fine. You name her.”

“Okay.” She looked back at the gray and white cat. “How about Muffin.”

“Not Muffin.”

“Why not?”

“It’s a food. You don’t name a cat after something you eat.”

So he had opinions, she thought as she held in a smile. “Then Pookey.”

Kane made a strangled sound. “No.”

“You’ve made it very clear this isn’t your cat. Why do you get veto power?”

“It’s living in my house. I’ll have to call it by the name. Not Pookey.”

He could barely say the word. Willow ducked her head so he wouldn’t see her grinning.

“Jasmine? Snowflake? Princess Leia?”

“Princess Leia?”

“I’m a Star Wars fan. More the first three than the last three, but I like them all.”

“Good to know. I can live with Jasmine.”

“Not Snowflake?”

“She’s not white.”

“Snow can be gray.”

He made a sound that was more strangled groan than growl, but she couldn’t be totally sure about that.

“Then Jasmine,” she said as she stood. “Hi, Jasmine. Welcome to the family.” And before Kane could point out they weren’t a family, she grabbed her tote and headed for the kitchen. “I’m going to make cookies.”

He followed her. “Here? In my kitchen?”

“In your oven, actually,” she said as she set the temperature. “My powers of cooking through psychic energy aren’t what they used to be.”

“What if I don’t want cookies?”

She looked at him. “Everyone wants cookies. They’re chocolate chip. What’s not to like?”

She pulled a baking pan out of her tote along with a package of premade cookie dough. All she had to do was break off the little squares, put them on the pan and stick them in the oven. Nearly instant fresh-baked cookies.

When the pan was ready, she leaned against the counter and looked at him. He looked good…too good. He made her wish things could be different, that he was secretly desperate to have her again. If only there was a scrap of evidence, she would cling to that fantasy, but so far…not so much.

She also knew that he could throw her out in a heartbeat, if that was what he really wanted. The cookies wouldn’t matter to him. But as he made no move to bodily remove her, she settled in for a little visit.

“So,” she said, “how are things?”

“It’s not going to work,” he told her.

“What isn’t?”

“You’re not going to convince me to get involved with you.”

“I kind of know that. The cookies are just my way of being nice.” And maybe hanging around for a little longer, which made her pathetic, but she could live with that.

His dark gaze settled on her face. She felt the weight of his attention down to her toes, which chose that moment to curl ever so slightly.

He was as big as she remembered. Big and powerful and totally masculine. Kane was not the kind of guy to get in touch with his feminine side. He was more likely to get a knife and cut it away.