He brought the car to a sliding halt, flipped on the hazard lights, yanked up the lever for the parking brake, then hit a button that brought the rag top up and over them like a clam shell closing.

  Eric locked down the top with a handle on his side, then reached across Kate to pull another handle into place. She flattened herself against her seat, but could not completely escape the brush of his wet shoulder as he worked with the lever. The simple movement brought the musk of his cologne to her nostrils and hinted at the power of his body. Kate swallowed hard against her physical response to his nearness, telling herself it was sheer biology. She closed her eyes briefly to suppress the anger and frustration that he could still affect her, and that she had even agreed to accompany him on this trip in the first place.

  The lever he turned in front of her sealed the car with a vacuum that pulled at her ears. Eric sat back in his seat and grinned like a boy who’d been caught in a rainstorm while riding his bike. Indeed, with water dripping from his hair and nose, he looked every inch the mischievous imp. Her anger spiked, and her expression must have said so.

  “What?” he asked.

  “Look at me,” she said, holding her arms down so the water could drip off. “Why didn’t you just put up the top as I asked?”

  He had the nerve to shrug. “Because I didn’t think it would rain.”

  She gestured violently. “All you had to do was look up!”

  “I’m sorry, all right?”

  She glared at him. “If I didn’t know better, Eric, I might think you were trying to make me look foolish.” She raked her dripping hair back from her face. Her mascara, she knew, was sliding down her face with the rest of her makeup. Her slacks were water-marked and probably ruined.

  “How do you think I feel?” he asked irritably. “It’ll take days for the interior of the car to dry out.”

  She shot him an evil look and shook her arms in a futile attempt to shed more water.

  He sighed, then said, “Kate, I am sorry about getting you wet.” He stopped and his words seemed to echo around them in innuendo, resurrecting old memories. Her chest tightened, and she averted her gaze, wanting to scream. The tiny car was suddenly confining and steamy and way too intimate with the two of them huddled inside while the rain outside beat down on the roof and windshield.

  “Look,” Eric said, “I think I’ll wait until this lets up some before I pull back out on the highway. So…maybe this would be a good time to clear the air.”

  Kate glanced back, struck anew by how handsome Eric was, his steel-blue eyes rimmed with thick lashes, his nose strong and shot with character, his chin square but ready to yield to a smile. “Clear the air about what?” she asked suspiciously.

  “About that night in Vegas.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” she said quickly, and shifted in her seat a fraction of an inch closer to the door, away from him.

  “I know you don’t want to, but don’t you think we should?”

  “There’s nothing to say,” she declared, “except that I’m sure we’re both able to put our mistakes behind us.”

  He pursed his mouth slightly, but she couldn’t read his expression.

  “In other words, Eric, I have no intention of allowing what happened between us years ago to affect our working relationship now, and I hope you feel the same.”

  He spread his hands. “I do. I thought I was doing you a favor by offering to teach you the ropes.”

  She lifted her chin. “Fine. As long as this isn’t some kind of ploy for us to be alone.” There…she’d said it. Voiced the thought—fantasy?—burrowed in the recesses of her mind. She held her breath in the warm, steamy cocoon.

  His jaw hardened a split second before humor returned to his eyes. “Don’t worry, Kate—I have no intention of trying to seduce you.”

  Her lungs squeezed, forcing her to exhale. “Good,” she said evenly. “Because I have no intention of being seduced.”

  He nodded good-naturedly, then grinned. “In sales, we call this a meeting of the minds.”

  Grateful for the lighter mood, Kate tried to relax and finally managed a conciliatory smile. “If I weren’t waterlogged, I’d write that down.”

  He snapped his fingers. “I almost forgot—I put a thermal blanket under the seat for, um, emergencies.”

  She caught his gaffe—right. Ten dollars said the thermal blanket was for emergency trysts, but at this point, she didn’t care.

  He leaned sideways and reached under Kate’s seat. Unfortunately, the movement placed his head down by her knee, conjuring up too many intimate situations for her comfort. She inched away, but he moved into the extra space, grunting in his effort, his arm brushing her leg while he groped around the floor. Through her clothing, her skin burned every time he touched her. Instead of clearing the air, their conversation about their past seemed to have keened her senses.

  “Eric,” she said, gritting her teeth, “I’ll get it.”

  “Found it,” he said, then straightened, dragging a blue cotton blanket with him. He handed it to Kate. “Maybe this will help absorb some of the water until we can make it to the rest area a few miles ahead.”

  She took the blanket and their fingers touched, sending bolts of awareness up her arm. He felt it, too, she could tell by the momentary slip of his trademark grin. She practically snatched the blanket out of his hands, then set about soaking up as much water from the surface of her clothing, hair and skin as possible. Eric turned on the air conditioner and while the blast of cold air sent her into a spasm of chills, it was better than the steamy heat that had developed in the interior of the car.

  She flipped down the visor and braved the mirror, groaning at the creases in her makeup and the dots and dashes of mascara on her cheeks. “I don’t think I’m going to make a very good impression on our first customer.”

  Eric scoffed. “You look great.”

  Unbidden pleasure shot through her, but she pivoted her head and gave him a warning look.

  He raised his big shoulders in a shrug and loosened his water-spotted tie. “I mean you look…fine. We’ll be calling on a mega toy store in the Atlanta suburbs—it’ll be pretty casual.”

  She looked back to the mirror, satisfied that Eric seemed prepared to behave himself. But she was horrified to see something foreign in her eyes…a spark that hadn’t been there this morning. Kate lifted the end of the blanket and blotted, choosing to attribute the new light to her secret admirer and not to…anyone else.

  From the corner of his eye, Eric watched his boss repair her makeup as best as possible under the circumstances. As if she needed it. He bit down on the inside of his cheek to keep from staring outright. Kate Randall had remained his favorite fantasy, but his mind had failed to retain the potency of her beauty. He’d forgotten how truly extraordinary her coloring was, and the way her bottle-green eyes leapt with fire when she was angry—or aroused.

  He shifted in his seat, wondering why he’d pushed her into discussing their one-night stand. It was history. Ancient history. Since that time, many women had come and gone in his life. And Kate? His eyes ached from straining not to look at her. Had men come and gone in her life, or were the rumors true—that she was a workaholic, more bent on climbing the corporate ladder than on climbing into anyone’s bed?

  “Earth to Eric.”

  He started and turned his head. “Huh?”

  Kate gave him an odd look and extended the blanket. “I said the rain has stopped.”

  He looked around—she was right. A chill had settled over his wet arms and face. He took the blanket, remembering when he’d put it under the seat he’d had other plans for sharing it with a beautiful woman. Now he’d never be able to look at the blanket without thinking about Kate. He remembered her words, Good. Because I have no intention of being seduced. If he were a less experienced man, her aversion to him might make him think that their night together had been less than satisfying. But he’d been there, and she had been satisfied. Three times, damn it. So what had made her decide that he was too inferior to become involved with?

  And perhaps more significantly, why did he care?

  Shaking off his uncharacteristically foul mood, Eric managed a laugh. “This isn’t the most promising start to our trip, but it gives you an idea of what life on the road is like.” He stuffed the damp blanket under his seat, then fastened his seat belt and waited for Kate to do the same.

  “How much are you on the road?” she asked.

  “About two weeks a month, rotating my territories. I typically drive this route, especially when the weather is nice. This will be a light week leading up to meeting with Lexan. Mostly, I’ll be visiting flagship stores for goodwill and to get some advance copies of our products into the market. And there’s the electronics show on Saturday.”

  She turned in her seat to face him. “Eric, I don’t believe I ever told you how much I appreciate that you didn’t jump ship to Mixxo, because I’m sure they made you an offer.”

  Her expression was so genuine that a guilty pang struck behind his breast bone. What would she think of him once she learned that he had jumped ship? But there was too much at stake for him to grow a conscience now, so he tried to make light of her comment. “No, you never told me.”

  “Do you think you’ll always be in sales?”

  He shifted uncomfortably. His plan was to close the deal with Lexan before the end of the quarter to qualify for a bonus. Then in a few months, he’d be back at Lexan Electronics pushing the line of Mixxo products—that was the crazy, competitive, and lucrative world of sales. “I can’t imagine being anything but a salesman.”

  “I’m looking forward to seeing you in action,” she said, her tone slightly mocking. “John told me that you give quite a performance.”

  Eric turned on the left-turn signal and waited for an opening in the traffic before merging. “I have my own bag of tricks.”

  Kate looked at her watch.

  “What, are you bored already?” he asked.

  “Hmm? No, I was trying to figure out what time we’d arrive at the hotel this evening.”

  Despite his previous denial of plans to seduce her, his pulse spiked at the thought of being alone with Kate in a building full of beds. “Are you in a hurry to experience bland food and be overcharged for parking?”

  “Actually, I was wondering when I might be able to check my e-mail.”

  Satisfaction curled in his stomach, but he forced himself to sound offhand. “Expecting an urgent memo?”

  Kate studied her manicure, her expression detached. “Something like that.”

  Eric’s good humor returned full force, and he shifted the car into a higher gear. “Don’t worry—we’ll be at the hotel in plenty of time for you to check your e-mail.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  Tricks and treachery are the practice of fools,

  that don’t have brains enough to be honest.

  —Benjamin Franklin

  Kate,

  I promise to divulge my identity soon, although when you discover who I am, I don’t think you’ll be so surprised. I do want to make one thing perfectly clear—I have a lot of female friends, and I’m not looking for another one. I’m ready for a woman who wants to have a grown-up romantic relationship, with an eye toward a long-term commitment. Are you game?

  Fool for You

  KATE GAVE IN to a little thrill of flattery to be singled out. And the things he said spoke to her—she, too, was looking for a grown-up romantic relationship with an eye toward commitment. Over the years there had been a handful of guys she’d met through friends and dated for a few months, but the relationships had eventually petered out for no good reason—perhaps lack of interest on both sides. She often wondered if she had unrealistic expectations of physical chemistry leading to a deeper bond, but Lesley had assured her over and over that love would hit her out of the blue.

  Years ago, Eric had been that hit. Right between the eyes. Right between the thighs. And right through the heart. On some level, had she been comparing her feelings toward other men to the powerful attraction she’d felt for Eric? It was long past time for letting go of that fantasy. Even if Eric suddenly turned into a deep, caring individual willing to make a lifetime commitment, their positions alone made a relationship impossible. One side of her mouth slid back in a wry frown. Since the idea of Eric undergoing a personality transplant seemed highly unlikely, the rest was a moot point.

  Kate mentally went down the short list of possible names for the sender of the notes, but kept coming back to Neil Powers. The sender wanted them to get to know each other, so that seemed to rule out old boyfriends. He knew what she did for a living, and intimated that she knew who he was. The note had been sent at 3:30 in the afternoon, about the time she and Eric had been shaking hands with the manager of the largest toy store in Atlanta.

  She had marveled over the way Eric had greeted most of the employees by name, had helped to relocate a display of Handley toys, and had rounded out the customer call by challenging a group of twelve-year-olds to an impromptu tournament on a new Handley electronic hand-held game. Seeing him sitting cross-legged on the floor with his dress-shirt sleeves rolled up, working the small buttons of the game with his big thumbs, it was easy to imagine him as a boy—tousled hair, laughing eyes, winning grin. In those few minutes, Kate had realized why Eric McDaniels was the best salesperson in Handley’s history—selling toys and games gave him an excuse to be a kid. It was the perfect occupation for the man who didn’t want to grow up.

  Kate shook her head free of Eric and reread the e-mail message from FoolforYou. She wet her lips, then put her hands on the keyboard and began to type.

  Fool,

  For now I’ll go along with your anonymity, but you have to share a few things with me—what do you do for a living? Do you live in Birmingham? And most importantly, are you a NASCAR fan?

  K

  She hit the send button, then exhaled and checked her watch. Almost time to meet Eric for dinner. She changed from her water-marked pantsuit to a pair of black slacks and a lightweight yellow sweater, then made her way to the hotel restaurant. She frowned wryly when she saw that Eric was already there flirting with the busty bartender. He was leaning on the bar, and the young woman was studiously polishing the knob of the beer tap with a towel. Talk about Freudian.

  Kate sauntered over, watching Eric trying to make what might be his biggest sale of the day. He was gesturing with a bottle of beer in one hand, and the coed seemed to be buying whatever he was saying, which must have been hilarious since they both burst out laughing. When Eric turned his head and saw her, he straightened, his trademark grin faltering.

  Kate felt slightly vindicated since her heart did the same thing at the sight of him. He still wore the rumpled slacks, shirt and tie that had been doused in the downpour, except now the knot of his tie hung low and the top two buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing the peek of a white T-shirt, and a few dark chest hairs. Unbidden, an image of his bare chest flashed through her mind—well-defined pecs covered with a mat of black hair.

  “Kate,” he greeted boisterously, then nodded toward the bartender. “This is Hillary. Hill, this is my boss, Kate.”

  Hill gave her the once-over. “You’re his boss?”

  “She’s much older than she looks,” Eric assured his young admirer.

  Kate rolled her eyes, and then a thought crossed her mind and she frowned—how old was her own admirer? What if it wasn’t Neil, but some teenager who had somehow hacked into her employee profile? Suddenly undone, she crossed her arms. “Eric, is our table ready?”

  “Why don’t we check?” He tossed a generous tip for Hillary onto the bar.

  “Will I see you later?” the woman asked hopefully.

  “Not this trip,” he said ruefully, then cut his eyes indiscreetly toward Kate, as if she were the whip-cracking boss who brooked no fun on company time. Hillary nodded knowingly and went back to her polishing. Eric finished his beer in one drink, then swept his arm in front of Kate. “Shall we?”

  She gave him a wry smile. “Don’t leave on my account.”

  “I’m not—I happen to be starving.” He sniffed. “Speaking of which, do you realize that you always smell like food?”

  She bristled with mixed reactions. “If you mean my cologne, it’s vanilla…and spice.”

  He wagged his eyebrows. “And everything nice?”

  Kate frowned. “Are you drunk?”

  “Not yet,” he said happily. “But that’s a very good idea.”

  Warning bells were going off in Kate’s head as they were shown to a table—as she recalled, alcohol had played a role in their one-night stand all those years ago. Not that she could blame it all on the wine—Eric had primed the pump with a liberal dose of come-on. In hindsight, she had probably looked as starry-eyed as Hillary the knob-polisher.

  The maître d’ smiled as he stopped at a cozy table tucked away in a corner. “The best seat in the house, Mr. McDaniels.”

  “Thanks, Gordon,” Eric said, discreetly passing a ten-dollar bill as he shook the man’s hand. Eric pulled out Kate’s seat and she hesitated. “I can’t be a gentleman?” he asked, then grinned. “My mother would kill me if I didn’t mind my manners.”

  Kate smiled. She was being foolish, reading too much into his actions—Eric would pull out a chair for any woman. She slid into the chair and allowed him to shift her chair closer to the table, keenly aware of his body pressed against the back of it. “You must stay in this hotel often. Everyone seems to know you.”

  “Another sales trick,” he said, taking his own seat. “Find a nice hotel with a good restaurant, and become a regular. When I bring clients here, the staff treats me like family.”

  And so they did. A waiter appeared, calling him by name and lighting a luminary on their table for ambiance. Eric ordered another beer. Kate hesitated, then, determined not to look as if she were trying to avoid temptation, ordered a glass of merlot. For dinner, he ordered steak and she ordered fish. When they were alone with their drinks, Kate sipped from her glass and experienced a few seconds of pure panic when she wondered what they could talk about. Thankfully, sanity dawned and she settled on the obvious subject: work. “So, Eric, what attracted you to sales?”