“Any reason you want to know, Mercury?”

  “Don’t play games with me, Gannon. Why were you at Sloan’s apartment?”

  Gannon smiled a little more. “Hey. No need to get all jealous. I bought her a housewarming gift that I wanted to take her before I left town.”

  “I wasn’t getting jealous.”

  Gannon laughed. “You could have fooled me. On the other hand, no, honestly, you can’t. You like her and you know it.”

  Refusing to get baited by his brother, Mercury asked, “How is she?”

  “Not telling. If you want to know, then go see her for yourself. But I will tell you this. Although she tried to hide it, I could see the disappointment in her face when she saw it was me and not you.”

  “You’re imagining things.”

  The smile was off Gannon’s face again. “No, I’m not. I suggest you make some decisions, Mercury.”

  “About what?”

  “Not what but who. Sloan. You like her and she likes you. Get to know her or you could lose the best thing to ever happen to you.”

  Mercury didn’t say anything for a long moment. “You know about Cherae.”

  Gannon rolled his eyes. “Hell, everybody knew about Cherae but you. Stop finding excuses since we all know that Sloan is nothing like her. Cherae was running toward money and Sloan seems determined to run away from it. All she wants is to live as normal a life as possible. On a budget,” he said, grinning.

  Gannon paused and then added, “And she thinks that car is in her name and that she got the apartment on her own. She’s proud of those accomplishments. I think you need to set the record straight before someone else does. The last thing you want is for her to think you played her and cared nothing about her need for independence.”

  “I wasn’t trying to play her, only help her.”

  “Let her know that. After you tell her, then all she’s going to do is add it to the budget to pay you back. I’ve never known a woman so excited about being on a budget.”

  Mercury chuckled. “Yes, I know.”

  “Well, something else you might not know is that she got that job with the Miss Universe pageant. They notified her today and she was extremely happy about it.”

  “And I’m happy for her.”

  “Then tell her, Mercury. I believe she would appreciate hearing that from you.” Gannon stood. “I’ll see you when I get back.”

  Gannon had made it to the door when he turned back to Mercury. “And just so you know, the thought of me being the lone Bad News Steele doesn’t bother me. With you out of the way here, that clears the field for me to have all the women.”

  “Does it?”

  “Sure does. And whenever I visit North Carolina with no more single Steeles there to worry about, and with those Bachelors in Demand finally all married off, I’ll be king of the road...if you know what I mean.”

  Unfortunately, Mercury knew. “Don’t rush things with me and Sloan. I might like her, but that doesn’t mean I want things to go any further.”

  Gannon chuckled. “If you honestly think that, then you’re only fooling yourself. You were the first of the pack to break away and fall in love with Cherae. That means you’re capable of loving a woman, Mercury. All you have to do is let some of that ice thaw from around your heart and you’ll be okay.”

  Mercury couldn’t believe his baby brother was actually trying to give him advice or that he was even listening. “For Pete’s sake, I’ve barely known her a week.”

  “And? If you recall, Galen was trying to convince Brittany to move in with him the same day they met.”

  Mercury remembered, and he also recalled how the five of them had nearly flipped their lids not only when they heard about it, but also when they’d found out Galen had talked Brittany into agreeing. In the end, Brittany and Galen had fallen in love. “I’m not Galen.”

  “No, but you are Drew Steele’s son. Don’t forget Dad almost lost Mom because he was convinced he was not ready to love her or any woman. But look at him now. If Drew hadn’t come to his senses, there would not have been any of us. Hell, can you imagine being born to any other parents? Parents like Sloan’s?”

  Mercury cringed at the thought. “No.”

  Then without saying anything else, Gannon opened the door and left.

  Seventeen

  Sloan stood back and admired her work area. She had a new laptop, a new printer, a beautiful green plant—compliments of Gannon—on her desk, and all the office supplies she needed to start her new job, although she wouldn’t officially begin working for a few weeks.

  Tomorrow she had a mobile conference call with the pageant committee. They wanted to get to know her and wanted her to get to know them. The thought that they’d hired her so quickly based on Margaret Fowler’s recommendations meant a lot to her.

  It was just a little past eight and dark outside already. She had taken a bubble bath and changed into a pajama shorts set. Next on her list of things to do was to enjoy a glass of wine, compliments of Tyson and Hunter. Jonas and Nikki had given her a beautiful set of wineglasses, which she couldn’t wait to use with the wine. Galen and Brittany had given her a starter kit of every spice that existed. Since she wouldn’t begin work for another month, she figured she could take Mercury’s advice and enroll in a cooking class.

  Mercury...

  Hadn’t she told herself she would not think about him today, tomorrow or any other day? The fact that he hadn’t called said a lot. She’d been tempted to ask Eden about him, but had talked herself out of doing so.

  She was about to go into the kitchen for a glass of wine when her phone rang. She checked caller ID and saw it was Eli. When she’d seen him at Galen’s on Sunday, he’d told her he had spoken to Charles Rivers’s personal assistant, who said Rivers was out of town and wouldn’t be back until Tuesday. Hopefully that meant Eli had talked to him today.

  “Yes, Eli?”

  “Hello, Sloan. I made a connection with Charles Rivers and I need to discuss with you what he shared. Are you free tomorrow morning? I can drop by your place on my way to the office.”

  She knew from Stacey that she and Eli lived in a community not far from there. “That would be great. I’m in apartment C240.”

  “Okay. Will nine o’clock work?”

  “Yes, that will be fine.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Thanks, Eli.”

  Sloan had just disconnected the call when she heard the sound of the doorbell. Immediately, there was a pounding in her chest, hoping it was Mercury. Hadn’t she just convinced herself that it hadn’t mattered if she saw him or not? So why was she having such an intense reaction at the possibility it was him?

  Moving to the door, she inwardly told herself that even if it was him, he’d probably only dropped by to deliver the documents for her car and the payment sheet for the loan since she was yet to get them from him.

  “Yes? Who is it?”

  “Mercury. May I come in?”

  He was asking to come in and she hadn’t opened the door yet? Erring on the side of caution, she looked out the peephole to verify it was him, although she’d recognized his sexy voice. Releasing a deep breath, she opened the door.

  “Hello, Sloan.”

  She wished he didn’t say her name in that strong, husky voice. And more than anything, she wished he wasn’t standing in front of her door looking the epitome of masculine beauty in his business suit. Why did he have such chiseled good looks that looked even more so when half lit by the moonlight?

  “Mercury,” she said, stepping aside. No matter what, she would not ask where he’d been the last four days and what he’d been doing...or with whom. He was the one who’d put distance between them, which meant he had a problem with her.

  It was his problem and he was the one who needed to find a solution.

  When he walked over the threshold, the scent of his cologne was enough to make her insides shiver. He stopped in front of her and that was when she saw the package he was holding. “This is a housewarming gift for you.”

  She looked down at the prettily wrapped white box with a sky blue bow. “Thank you, Mercury.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  He stepped back and she closed the door. “I was about to have a glass of wine. Would you like to share one with me?” she invited.

  “Yes, I’d like to.”

  Her gaze roamed the length of him, and she thought, yes, she would like to as well, but the thought had nothing to do with a glass of wine. Had those gorgeous green eyes darkened just a bit?

  She moved away from the door to stroll toward the kitchen and he walked beside her. Out of the corner of her eye she watched him taking note of the changes she’d made. Flowers, new pictures on the walls and pretty curtains to replace the boring blinds. Going shopping with his mom and sisters-in-law on Saturday had been great. They had taken her to stores that kept her within her budget.

  Sloan could just imagine what he was thinking. She’d been busy and she hoped he assumed she’d been much too occupied to even remember he existed. Maybe she wouldn’t go that far, but she hoped he hadn’t thought she’d missed him, even if she had.

  When they reached the kitchen, he stopped in the doorway, probably noticing the changes in here, as well. She placed the gift he’d given her on the table before going straight to the wine bottle on the counter. Opening a cabinet, she pulled out two glasses.

  “Need help with anything?” he asked.

  “No, I’ve got this,” she said, and a part of her wished she had him, too. She blamed her thoughts on his sisters-in-law. It was obvious they loved being married to their Steele husbands. It didn’t take long to discover they also enjoyed bedtime with their spouses. Could sex be that exciting and enjoyable? Evidently for them it was, which made her wonder if she had made a mistake allowing Carlos to be her first and last. Was there something she’d been missing? Listening to them had given her the impression that maybe she had.

  “The place looks nice,” he said. “I like all the changes you’ve made.”

  “Thanks,” she said, looking at him quickly before returning her attention to pouring the wine.

  “You look nice, too, Sloan.”

  She glanced down at herself. He had to be kidding. She was in pj’s and fairly decent. She wasn’t wearing a bra, but she doubted he would notice.

  It was only when she carried the glasses of wine over to the table that he moved away from the doorway to join her. “Thanks.”

  Deciding to get her mind onto something else and off him, she asked, “Have you gotten the payment information for the car yet?”

  “No.”

  She nodded. “What about the printout for the payment plan information for the loan? Or the papers on the apartment here?”

  “No and no. There’s no rush.”

  There was for her. “I need to be able to figure all that into my budget. I bought one of those online programs to help me keep things straight.” When she sat down, he eased into the chair across from her. Before taking a sip of her wine, she decided to open his gift. “Oh, Mercury. It’s beautiful.” He’d given her a crystal paperweight in the shape of a globe.

  “I heard the good news about your job with Miss Universe. Congratulations. I understand you’ll be traveling a lot internationally. I thought that globe would be a reminder that all the world is out there for you to see.”

  Yes, it was, and she wished she could say she was ready for the adventure, but she wasn’t. She still had to uncover things regarding her parents. Namely why it was so important to them that she marry Harold. “I have a place on my desk for it.”

  “Good.”

  Placing the gift aside, she then took a couple of sips of her wine. She tried not looking at him, but couldn’t help it. When she did, she discovered he’d been looking at her. She swallowed. “Eli called right before you arrived.”

  “Did he hear from your grandfather’s attorney?”

  “Yes, and Eli’s coming here in the morning to discuss it.”

  “I see.”

  Did he expect her to ask him to join her when his brother dropped by tomorrow? He had avoided her for the past few days. She assumed that was his way of letting her know that not only did she need to find a permanent solution to her problem, but that she needed to do it without him.

  “Sloan?”

  She glanced over at him. “Yes.”

  “I owe you an explanation.”

  She couldn’t imagine what kind of explanation he thought he owed her. Hadn’t he told her she needed to find a solution to her problem? Then what did she do? She used him as a temporary fix. “No, you don’t.”

  “I honestly believe that I do.”

  He looked troubled by something. She hadn’t picked up on it when he first arrived, but now she did. Maybe the wine had loosened him up a bit; she wasn’t sure. Then it dawned on her that whatever was bothering him involved her. Why?

  “Okay, if you feel that way, then what’s your explanation?”

  He’d been looking at her, holding her gaze in a way that made her more aware of him than ever before. When he didn’t say anything but continued to stare at her, her heart raced. His look was affecting her.

  Clearing her throat, she said, “So, what’s this about, Mercury?”

  He broke eye contact with her for a quick second. Then he met her gaze again and said, “The reason I put distance between us is because I was tempted to do something that I didn’t think you were ready for.”

  She lifted a brow. “What?”

  “To be seduced by a Steele. More specifically, to be seduced by this Steele.”

  * * *

  There, he’d said it. He’d told her the root of his problem. However, from the look on her face he had a feeling she didn’t fully understand. Did she need him to break it down further? Did he need to tell her how he went to bed dreaming of making love to her? How just sitting across from her at this table was nearly driving him insane?

  From the time she’d opened her front door, his attention had been drawn to the nipples poking against the fabric of her top. His mouth had watered immediately at the thought of sliding one or both into his mouth with good, hard sucks. Then he would...

  “Obviously you think seducing me is something I’d have no say about, Mercury.”

  A beguiling smile tugged at his lips. “The only thing you’d be saying is Please move to the next level, Sloan. When it comes to seduction, I’m an expert,” he added.

  There was no need to go into detail about how he typically didn’t have to seduce women because they were often trying to seduce him. When he walked into a room, he recognized the predatory gazes, which always made things easy for him.

  “So, that’s where you’ve been? Putting your seduction skills to work,” she said in a lighthearted tone.

  He’d seen a flash of something in her eyes that gave him pause. Hurt. Something twisted his gut. Was that what she thought? That over the past four days he’d been holding a sex-a-thon? And why did it matter if she did think it? It wouldn’t have been the first time, if he’d had one. He was single and didn’t owe anyone an explanation or an apology for what he did. It was nobody’s business. Definitely not hers.

  Then why was unexpected guilt still twisting his gut? And why did he feel it was imperative that she know he hadn’t been with a woman? That whether he liked it or not, for some reason, she was the only woman he wanted.

  In his arms. In his bed. In his life...

  That last thought nearly knocked him out of his chair because he didn’t do the life thing. He did the sex thing with women. Why would she be any different?

  Because Sloan was different.

  He knew they were attracted to each other; that had been obvious. However, they’d managed to control things and there was no doubt they would have continued to do so... At least she would have. Temptation would have overtaken him if they’d spent more time together.

  “Sorry to disappoint you, but I’ve been busy the last four days doing things that didn’t involve women,” he said. “I’ve been handling clients. A few hiccups came up with several players that I had to take care of.”

  He took a sip of his wine and watched her. Did she know his words had placed a quick smile on her lips that he probably wasn’t supposed to have seen? That pretty much let him know she wasn’t disappointed that his last four days had been boring.

  She wasn’t saying anything and then it dawned on him that she was looking at him, not with a predatory gaze but a curious one. And she’d zeroed in on his mouth. He glanced at her chest. The budded tips of her nipples were pressing even more against the fabric of her top. He couldn’t help his lusty smile that shifted back to her eyes.

  “I think I have a problem where you are concerned, Sloan.”

  She licked her lips and it was as if he could feel her doing so. “Do you?”

  “Yes.”

  He refused to tell her anything different, not when he could clearly read desire in her eyes. Did she not know what seeing it was doing to him? That was why he’d felt it was best to stay away. Not just because she was getting to him, but because he was letting her. She was tempting him into breaking one very important rule: never let a woman get to him again.

  “You know what you told me, Mercury. When you have a problem it’s up to you to find a solution.”

  “I thought I had, which was why I stayed away,” he said, not trying to mask the frustration in his voice. He then grazed his fingers across her hand and watched as her nipples got even harder. Something hot, passionate and wild moved between them. Something he wasn’t sure either of them could stop.

  “You might not like the solution I come up with, Sloan.”

  “Try me.”

  He lifted a brow. Had she just told him to try her? In that case...