“I knew that would get him,” she said with a little laugh.

  “I’ll decide by next Wednesday. I want to weigh all my options.”

  “Of course. If you do accept, we’ll have to go out and celebrate—my treat.”

  He had to tell her now. “Siobhan, I—”

  “I have to go.” She slid out of the booth and gave him a quick kiss. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  He sighed inwardly. “Baby, I need to talk to you.”

  “We can talk later.”

  She opened her wallet, and he glared at her. “Weren’t you leaving?”

  “Fine.” She pointed a finger his way. “But I’m paying for your celebration dinner.” She spun on her heel and strode off.

  * * *

  As Justin had suspected, the offers from the other two companies didn’t come close to the Grays’. Seeing no reason to wait, he called to accept the Grays’ offer on Tuesday morning. He would go in on Friday morning to sign all the documents.

  “Oh, my goodness! I’m so happy for you, baby,” Siobhan said when he called to tell her the good news. “Do you want to go out tonight or tomorrow night?”

  “Siobhan, you don’t need to make a fuss. It’s not that big of a deal.”

  “Are you kidding me? I don’t know the details and I’m not asking, but the buzz going around has everyone here excited. So, yeah, it is a big deal. Let’s try this again. Tonight or tomorrow?”

  Justin really wanted to say neither, but he couldn’t put off the conversation any longer. “Whatever is more convenient for you.”

  “Tonight, then. I know the perfect place. I’ll make reservations and call you back.”

  It went against every grain of his manhood to allow a woman to pay, but he gritted his teeth and went along with her plans because it made her happy.

  * * *

  Siobhan hung up from Justin’s phone call and did a little squeal. She was beyond excited for him and already envisioned some ideas for the marketing campaign. Turning to her computer, she googled the LA Prime restaurant in the Bonaventure Hotel, made a reservation for seven forty-five, then sent a text to Justin with the details. To save time, they agreed he would pick her up from the office at seven.

  She was still smiling when Gordon marched into her office.

  “What is all this?” he asked, waving a stack of papers.

  “I have no idea. I haven’t perfected the art of reading documents I can’t see.”

  Gordon slammed the papers on her desk.

  She peeked over. “Oh, I see you received my email.”

  “There is no reason to issue statements on all these...these internet sites,” he said tersely. “We’ve always sent press releases to the news and radio stations and newspapers only, and there’s never been a problem with the public getting our information.”

  Siobhan smiled sweetly. “Well, times and technology change, and we will change with them. You can either have those statements posted by noon as I asked, or you can explain to Brandon and my father why you think you’re more qualified to make decisions about the company than they are.”

  Gordon visibly blanched. “Why wasn’t I informed about this?”

  “Last time I checked, you weren’t a department head,” she said mildly. “Is there anything else?”

  He snatched up the papers and left in a huff.

  She chuckled. Today, she wouldn’t let anyone get under her skin. She had a man she was falling in love with, and they were celebrating the start of something great. Siobhan breezed through the rest of her day without incident. She laughed when she checked the company’s Facebook and Twitter pages and saw her press releases. No doubt Gordon had to ask one of the younger technicians how to access them.

  Leaving her desk, she made a trip to the bathroom to freshen up and reapply her makeup. By the time she returned, Justin had sent a text indicating he was in the lobby. No one had access to the upper floors without a badge after the offices had closed.

  The moment she saw him, her pulse skipped. She threw her arms around him as soon as she was within reach and planted a kiss on him that left them both panting.

  “Whoa, what a greeting,” Justin said with a huge grin. “How was your day?”

  “Better now that I’m in your arms.”

  He kissed her again. “Now, that’s what a man likes to hear. Ready?”

  Siobhan nodded.

  “I’ll bring you back to your car after dinner, then follow you home.”

  “I’m counting on it,” she said with a sultry wink.

  “You’re about to get yourself in trouble. Keep talking like that, and I’m going to skip dinner and go straight for dessert. And you know how much I love dessert,” he whispered close to her ear.

  A shiver passed through her, and her nipples tightened beneath her blouse. “I think we’d better leave.”

  Justin laughed. “Hey, you started it. I’m just letting you know I’m willing and more than able to finish it.”

  She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the parking garage.

  He navigated the streets and made it to the hotel with ten minutes to spare. He left the car with the valet and escorted her up to the thirty-fifth floor, where they were seated near a window with a panoramic view of the city.

  “How’s your mom doing?” Siobhan asked.

  “She’s doing well. The ear infection is gone, and she’s back to her old self.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.”

  “Me, too. Siobhan,” Justin started.

  “I already know what you’re going to say. It’s too expensive, and you don’t want me to pay. We already had this conversation, and I’m not budging. You can pay for everything else from now on, but tonight, it’s not happening, so relax and enjoy yourself. Didn’t you tell me you had no problems sharing control?”

  He opened his mouth, closed it again and shook his head. “That’s not what I was talking about, and you know it.”

  “Mmm-hmm, but you said it and you weren’t specific, so...” She let the sentence hang.

  A slow smile started on his lips. “I see why you’re the PR director.”

  Siobhan laughed and started humming the old Chaka Khan song “I’m Every Woman.”

  Justin joined in her laughter.

  “So, have your feet touched the ground yet?”

  “They never left. I’ll admit that I think this will be a great product and do well in the market, but my main concern is the lives that will be saved because of it, and not so much the money.”

  Reason number twenty-five why I love this man. “What inspired you to do it?”

  “When my grand—” He stopped midsentence and pulled out his cell. He frowned. “Can you excuse me just a minute? It’s my dad.”

  “Of course. I hope everything is all right.”

  “Be back in a minute.” He stood and walked to the front of the restaurant.

  She opened the menu and studied the selections.

  “Siobhan?”

  Her head came up at the sound of an unfamiliar masculine voice. “Oh, hi, Bobby.” Siobhan smiled. “It’s been a long time. How’s the wine business?”

  Bobby leaned down and kissed her cheek. “It’s good. I just flew in last night because I have a business dinner here. I see you and Justin connected.”

  “You know Justin?”

  “We’ve been best friends since college. What do you think of his alert system?”

  “It’s fantastic, and I’m glad we’ll be working together,” she said warily. How did he know about the partnership? It hadn’t been made public.

  “I told him you were the best PR director in the business.”

  “You did? When?”

  “At that safety banquet a few weeks back.”

  Dread uncoiled in Siobhan’s belly. “You were there?”

  “Yes, but I had to leave early.” Bobby chuckled. “I guess Justin didn’t need my help getting an introduction after all.”

  “Help?”

  He nodded. “He had studied up on the best companies, and yours topped his list, so I got him an invitation to the fund-raiser. I’m glad he had a chance to talk to you guys.”

  The breath whooshed out of Siobhan as if she’d been sucker punched in the gut. It was all a lie. A fleeting memory crossed her mind of Justin saying she looked familiar. Had he known who she was the entire time? She glanced up to see Justin headed back to the table with a look of panic on his face. Tears filled her eyes. She shoved the chair back and came to her feet. “Can you excuse me, Bobby?”

  “Ah, sure,” he answered with confusion. “Is something wrong?”

  “Ask your friend.” She met Justin halfway, and he placed a hand on her arm to stop her. “Don’t touch me,” she gritted out and brushed past him.

  Justin released her, held up his hands and followed. “Siobhan, please wait and let me explain.”

  She kept going until they had exited the restaurant. She turned back to him. “There’s nothing left to explain. Bobby filled me in on everything.”

  “No, he didn’t. Baby, it’s not what you’re thinking.”

  Ignoring him, she pulled out her phone and dialed her sister. “Morgan, I need you to pick me up at the Bonaventure. I’ll tell you everything when you get here.” She hung up without giving Morgan a chance to ask any questions. She jabbed the elevator button.

  “Siobhan, please.”

  “No! You lied to me. All that talk at the gala about you just wanting to dance... It was all part of your game. I have to hand it to you,” she said with a bitter chuckle. “You played the game better than anybody I’ve ever met.”

  “There was never any game,” he said through clenched teeth.

  “Really? So Bobby lied about you being there to meet someone from my family’s company?”

  “No, but—”

  “That’s what I thought,” she said, stepping into the elevator. She should have known he was going to follow. Siobhan moved to the opposite side of the car and did her best to ignore him. Once again, she had been foolish. When would she ever learn?

  “I did come to talk to your father, but I had no idea who you were. All I saw was a beautiful woman who captured my attention and held it tight.”

  “Nice try.” The doors opened on the bottom floor, and she stalked across the lobby to the entrance with Justin on her heels. “Stop following me. You got what you want, so you don’t need to pretend anymore.” A few people paused to view the heated interchange. She never aired her dirty laundry in public, but tonight Siobhan didn’t care.

  “I’m not pretending, but what about you? You want to talk pretending? Fine. I’m not the one who lied about my identity,” he snapped. “You are. So I’d be careful about pointing fingers.”

  “If you don’t get away from me, I’m calling security.”

  Justin blew out a long breath, scrubbed a hand down his face and said quietly, “Look, Siobhan, I’m sorry. Sweetheart, no matter what you think, I did not betray your trust, and I’m not like those other guys.”

  She clenched her teeth to keep from crying. She would not let this man see her break down. “You’re right. You’re worse than they were.” Siobhan was sorry, too—sorry that she’d danced with him, sorry that she’d agreed to go out with him and sorry that she’d given him her heart.

  Chapter 18

  Justin stood stunned at the angry words Siobhan hurled at him. It nearly killed him to know she didn’t believe in him. He had to make her understand.

  “Siobhan, I love you and would never do anything to hurt you. I asked you to remember that I told you how I felt about you before you revealed your identity. And I’m hoping that you feel the same way, even though you’re angry right now.”

  Siobhan turned her back to him and wouldn’t acknowledge him. Deciding to let it go for now—there were too many people milling around—he said, “I’ll wait with you until your sister comes. I don’t want you to be out here by yourself.” Justin lengthened the gap between them and continued to observe Siobhan’s stiff posture. He wanted nothing more than to gather her in his arms and assure her that his love for her was real, but instead he kept his distance.

  Several minutes later, a Dodge Challenger like something out of the Fast and Furious movies roared to a stop in front of Siobhan. He took a step when she opened the door and caught a glimpse of a younger woman with long hair behind the wheel.

  Siobhan stiffened when he moved close to her. She glanced over her shoulder at him. “Justin, don’t,” she pleaded.

  He nodded, placed a kiss of regret on her lips, shut the door behind her and stepped back. Justin stuck his hands in his pockets and stared after the car as it sped away. Pain unlike anything he had ever endured ripped through his chest. He’d lost her.

  “Justin, what the hell is going on? I was talking to Siobhan, and one minute she’s smiling and the next she’s in tears and running out of the restaurant.”

  He turned to his confused friend. “How much time do you have?”

  Concern creased Bobby’s eyebrows. “As much time as you need.”

  They went back inside to one of the bars, and as soon as the bartender placed their beers in front of them, Justin took a long drink. “When did you get back?”

  “Last night. Okay, let’s have it, Justin.”

  “I’m in love with Siobhan.”

  Bobby’s mouth dropped open. “When? How?”

  “We met the night of the gala, but I didn’t recognize her because the website photo was an old one—she looked much younger, and her hair was straight and long. And she told me her name was Siobhan Hunter.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Justin brought Bobby up to speed on the relationship, from dancing at the banquet and laughing over coffee, to walking on the beach and taking a trip to Vegas. “Man, the way her face lit up when she found out about the show...” He shook his head. “She had me from that moment on. It wasn’t until a week ago that she told me her real name. By that time, I already had an appointment.”

  “Why didn’t you just tell her then?”

  “I had planned to, until she told me about her ex stealing her money.”

  “Let me guess—the jerk only wanted her for the name.”

  “Bingo. I was in the middle of telling her tonight when my dad called.”

  “And I made it worse by telling her why you went to the banquet.”

  “That about sums it up,” Justin said, taking another swig of his beer.

  “Damn. I’m sorry. I had no idea.”

  “It’s not your fault.” Siobhan had to learn to trust him.

  “It’s not yours, either. You’re not out to get her money or her name. You have your own money.”

  “She doesn’t know that. She asked a few questions when I took her to my house, but I didn’t say much. I didn’t want money to be a factor...for either of us.”

  “I hear you. Are you going after her?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “What about the contract with Gray’s?”

  “I’m considering pulling out. I haven’t signed anything yet.” He shrugged. “I had offers from two other companies.”

  Bobby set his bottle down with a thud. “You can’t be serious. Hold up, Justin. You need to really think about pulling out of this deal. I know those other companies didn’t come close to matching the offer from Gray’s, and as far as international exposure, you’re not going to find a better opportunity to make your products a household name.”

  “I thought it all mattered,” he said absently. “Being with the best company, gaining international exposure...but I don’t care anymore.” He only wanted Siobhan.

  Bobby sighed in exasperation. “Man, you’ve worked your entire life for this moment, and you’re ready to throw it away for a woman?”

  Justin looked directly at Bobby. “In a heartbeat.”

  He nodded. “All right. If that’s what you want to do, I’ll help you in any way. And if Siobhan means that much to you, you should go after her. You didn’t get this far by giving up.”

  “You’re exactly right.” She had accused him of being like the other men in her past, or worse, but he intended to prove her wrong no matter how long it took. Starting tonight. He pushed the bottle away from him and stood. “I have to go.”

  They shared a rough hug, and Bobby laughed. “If you need me, you know where to find me. I’ll keep that bottle of wine on ice.”

  “You do that.”

  Justin had the valet bring his car, and he drove off in the direction of Siobhan’s house. He questioned his sanity the entire way, but knew he wouldn’t rest until he found out if she was okay. Forty-five minutes later, he rang her bell. The same woman he’d seen in the car answered the door.

  “May I help you?”

  “I’m Justin Cart—”

  “I know who you are, Justin, and Siobhan doesn’t want to see you.”

  “I want to make sure she’s all right.”

  “What do you care? Haven’t you done enough?”

  “Actually, I haven’t done anything, and if your sister would give me five minutes to explain, she’d know it, too. Even a guilty man gets a trial before he’s sentenced to death.”

  She stared at him curiously, and the corner of her mouth tilted in a slight smile. “Do you love my sister?” she asked boldly.

  “With all my heart,” he answered without hesitation.

  She angled her head and surveyed him. “Give her some time, okay? Good night.” She closed the door softly before he could say anything.

  Not knowing what else to do, Justin climbed into his car and made the journey home. Lying in bed later, he realized he didn’t have any other choice. He’d make the call first thing in the morning.