“Eric,” Kate said in a tone that indicated he had missed something.

  He blinked. “I’m sorry—yes?”

  “Mr. Jyles asked to see our samples.”

  Eric leapt into action, unlocking his sample case and lapsing into the presentation he and Kate had perfected. He demonstrated the twelve handheld games while she took on the role of liaison, seemingly as skeptical as Jyles at first, asking lots of questions to help guide the buyer toward “yes.” An hour later, Jyles was exhibiting signs of wanting to be asked for a deal. Eric went for the close and waited.

  Jyles clasped his hands on his desk and twiddled his thumbs. He glanced back and forth between Kate and Eric. “I have to be honest with you—I’m really happy with Travister, the line of games we carry.”

  Eric’s stomach twisted in disappointment.

  “But,” Jyles continued, “I’m willing to supplement our current product line with, say, four Handley games.”

  Supplement, not replace. A strategy, Eric recalled, that Kate had suggested in her sales meeting. And his response, he recalled, had been I don’t do things small.

  His mind raced. Even if Jyles placed an excellent order for the four games, it wouldn’t be enough for him to hit his numbers for a sales bonus. He’d been complacent this quarter, counting on his ability to land this account in a big way—the McDaniels way. It would be the same end result for him if Jyles bought four games or none. And if he bought four, that would make it harder to sell Mixxo games to him a few months down the road.

  But four games would give Handley a toehold with a big player.

  Eric swallowed. He felt Kate’s gaze on him, unaware of his inner turmoil.

  “Four games would be a great beginning,” he heard himself say, then he stood and extended his hand to Jyles.

  “I’M SORRY you won’t get your bonus this quarter,” Kate said, sipping the dessert wine they’d ordered. She had felt for him during the presentation to Jyles. She’d understood it was hard for him to swallow his pride and take the lesser deal—the deal she had suggested…especially since he wouldn’t see the benefit of the business.

  “That’s okay,” he said lightly. “There’s always next quarter.”

  She sipped again, fighting the urge to tell him that she knew he wouldn’t be around next quarter. He’d made a sacrifice today for Handley, so she owed him the courtesy of letting him announce his departure.

  “We were good together,” he said, his eyes twinkling. He lifted his glass. “To us.”

  She hesitated, then clinked her glass against his. As they sipped, the atmosphere changed. The smile left his eyes and was replaced by desire. Longing pooled in her stomach, sending warning signals to her brain. The last few days had been too enjoyable, too relaxed. She’d let down her guard, and he’d managed to slip past her defenses.

  “I guess this is it,” he said. “Our last night.”

  She nodded, unable to speak. Certainly unable to respond to his subtle invitation. Our last night on the road. No one has to know.

  Her heart pounded against her rib cage, her pulse throbbed in her ears. She wanted him more than she’d ever wanted any man, more than she’d wanted him six years ago. There was no good end to the sexual fascination she had for Eric McDaniels. The wisest alternative seemed to be evasion.

  “I think I’m going to call it a night,” she said abruptly, setting down her glass and rummaging for her credit card.

  “Go ahead,” he said, his voice gruff. “Let me get the check tonight.”

  She looked up and saw the message in his eyes: Go. Now. “Okay,” she murmured. “Good night.” Kate didn’t wait for him to respond and practically race-walked out of the restaurant and to the elevator. She stabbed at the up button, feeling the pull of his body calling to hers.

  When the doors opened, she rushed inside the elevator and leaned into the wall until she was delivered to her floor. She fumbled with her electronic door key, but eventually got in. The air-conditioning was a blast of relief to her fevered face. One more night—she only had to get through one more night.

  But she kept looking back to the door, wavering. Would she forever regret not taking Eric up on his subtle offer? Maybe making love with him again would be the one thing that would release her from the hold he seemed to have on her. In her present state of mind, the ramifications seemed hazy and obscure, but she reasoned that nothing could be as bad as this unbearable longing.

  She walked to the door and took a deep breath. Just as she reached for the knob, she heard a rustle of footsteps on the other side. She looked through the peephole and at the sight of Eric, his jacket slung over his shoulder and his head down in thought, her heart soared. When she opened the door, his arm was up in the knocking position.

  He blinked in surprise. “Kate. I…um…”

  She exhaled and bit into her lip. “Me, too.” Then she stepped aside to let him in.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  You ask whether I have ever been in love: fool as I am, I am not such a fool as that.

  —C. S. Lewis

  THEY WERE LOCKED in a frantic kiss before the door closed. Kate opened her mouth to receive his tongue, heady with the knowledge of what was to come. His jacket fell on the floor. She splayed her hands on his back, frustrated at the fabric barrier between her hands and his skin. They began to undress each other, still kissing, touching, murmuring. She reveled in the warm, smooth skin of his biceps, explored his back and waist. He slipped her bra strap down her shoulder, kissing a trail of fire across her collar bone.

  Kate gave in to his touch, arching into his body, hurrying his mouth to her breasts. He unhooked her bra and covered her nipple with his lips, licking and drawing her into his warm mouth, kneading her flesh with his hand. She cried out, pushing her hands into his thick hair, skimming her nails across the nape of his neck. He pulled away long enough to tug at the waistband of her skirt. She took over to speed things along, and by the time she had stripped down to her lacy cream-colored panties, he was completely nude, his erection hard, the velvety knob already wet with wanting her.

  He held her at arm’s length and emitted a groan of appreciation that weakened her knees. She went into his arms for a full-body-contact kiss. His arousal pressed into her stomach, sending moisture to the V of her thighs. He brushed his hand against her stomach, then lower to tease her wet curls with his fingers, fondling the tiny nub that resided there. She gasped and leaned into him, pulling on his shoulders and arms, raking his back.

  He scooped her up and carried her the few steps to the bed, lowering himself on top of her, moving her hair aside to kiss her neck and her ear. She undulated against him and he moaned, then clasped a budded nipple in his mouth. Age-old desire flooded her midsection, and she captured his erection in her hand. He inhaled sharply against her breast, then kissed her again, hard, using his tongue and teeth to kindle a like response.

  Their feverish fingers and tongues were tinged with desperation, as if they both knew they might never get the chance to touch each other again. Suddenly he reached down to clasp her stroking hand. “Enough,” he said hoarsely, his eyes hooded. “I can’t take much more, Kate.”

  “Then make love to me,” she murmured.

  His breath rasped out and he kissed her again, briefly. “Don’t move.” He pulled away and left the bed, grabbing his pants off the ground, getting protection, she realized. Seeing his hands shake filled her with warm satisfaction—she affected him as much as he affected her. She took the condom from him and rolled it on. He lay down next to her and turned her over to face him, then pulled her knee over his hip, aligning them sex to sex.

  “You are so beautiful,” he whispered, kissing her neck and inhaling. “You smell so good. Kate, do you know how long I’ve wanted you?”

  Any response she might have had was obliterated when he cupped his hand behind her hip and thrust into her ready body. She gasped and clawed at his shoulder. He rocked into her fully, breathing hard, then was still, allowing her to become accustomed to his length. She reveled in the exquisite fullness and contracted around him, pulsing slowly at first, then moving against him with more intensity. He slid into the rhythm she chose, using his thumb to stroke her sensitive folds.

  Kate was powerless against the passion that consumed her. Eric instinctively knew her body and her needs. She buried her face against his shoulder, inhaling the scent of him, resurrecting a buried memory that she had been there before, had kissed this very patch of skin, had loved it then and loved it now.

  Loved him now.

  The realization of her feelings for Eric fueled her desire, sent her to a higher physical plane. She moved her hips in a deliciously slow dance, clasping the length of him, delaying the stroke of his hand against her. She felt her climax building from that unidentifiable, mysterious place that is nowhere, then suddenly everywhere at once. She nipped at his ear. “I’m going to come,” she breathed.

  He flicked his tongue against her ear. “I want to hear you, Kate.”

  The hum in her body suddenly converged into one point, shooting to the surface, bringing spasms of pleasure that sent her body bucking against his. She cried his name over and over. Just as she was descending, floating, he rolled her beneath him and plunged into her with a guttural noise. He whispered her name against her breasts, and gathered her close. Their bodies were perfectly attuned. She met him stroke for stroke, faster and deeper until he shuddered and collapsed into her. “Kate…Kate.”

  She sighed and held his head against her neck as he recovered, wanting to fold herself into him. How could she have fallen for him…again? What about this man made her want to risk everything? He kissed her neck, her chin, then pulled her over to face him and smiled. “Wow.”

  “Yeah, wow,” was all she could say.

  “So,” he said with a little laugh, “are we going to get together and do this every six years?”

  She wasn’t sure what she expected—a profession of undying love? A request to take her out sometime? His class ring?—but her heart shook with disappointment anyway. It was great, it was quick, it was over. She conjured up a smile. “Who knows where we’ll be in six years?”

  “True,” he murmured, and she waited for him to tell her he was leaving Handley. He didn’t. Instead he left the bed and went into the bathroom—to dispose of the condom, she assumed.

  She lay there, her sweat-covered body now chilled, a dull ache in her chest, dreading what was to come. She got up and quickly redressed, then placed his clothes on the foot of the bed.

  Eric emerged from the bathroom, took in her state of dress and gave a little laugh. “I guess you don’t want me to spend the night.”

  Kate hugged herself. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Let’s not make this more awkward than it has to be.”

  He looked at her, his expression unreadable, then lifted his hands. “Okay.” She turned away while he dressed.

  “You can dispense with the false modesty, Kate. We’ve just seen everything there is to see.”

  She refused to turn around, though, mostly because she was afraid her face wore a telltale expression. “What time are we leaving tomorrow?” she asked over her shoulder.

  He grunted. “How about nine o’clock? That way I can drop you off at the office before three in the afternoon. I assume you want to get back to work ASAP?”

  “Of course,” she said, sounding prim even to her own ears. “After all, we’re finished here.”

  “Yes, we are,” he said. “Good night, Kate.”

  She turned, suddenly panicky. “Eric?”

  He was at the door, but turned back. “Yeah?”

  “I’m sure you understand how…that is, I wouldn’t want everyone—”

  “Relax, Kate,” he said with a laugh. The McDaniels charisma was back—carefree, nonchalant, casual. “This stays between us. Trust me.”

  Kate,

  What better day for you to meet your Fool than on April Fool’s Day? I’ll be at Comet Coffee Thursday morning at 7:00. This will be so great!

  Fool for You

  KATE STUDIED the screen and exhaled slowly to ease the guilt pangs in her chest. So she’d be using Neil Powers to get over Eric—men did it all the time. Besides, if given the chance, Neil might turn out to be the man of her dreams. If last night’s episode had taught her anything, it was that she was wasting time—and love—on Eric McDaniels.

  She signed off her computer, packed it up, and wheeled her luggage toward the elevator, wincing when her overused hip and calf muscles contracted. It wasn’t bad enough that Eric was the first man she’d slept with in a long time—if he knew that she’d fallen in love with him, he’d never let her live it down.

  In Eric’s eyes, it would be the ultimate joke. On her.

  ERIC STABBED a button on his cell phone, listening to the ring while keeping an eye out for Kate. His bad mood was getting worse every minute. When Winston’s voice mail kicked on, he swore under his breath. After the beep, he said, “Winston, it’s Eric. Where the hell are you? Look, man, I changed my mind about the April Fool’s gag on my boss, okay? So cancel the e-mail that was supposed to go out tomorrow to the distribution list I gave you. Got that? Cancel the e-mail. And give me a call to let me know you got this message.” He hit the end key, and returned the phone to his inside jacket pocket, irritation guiding his every movement.

  Then make love to me, she’d said.

  Damn, what a fine damn mess he’d gotten himself into. Damn it. Setting up his boss for a humiliating stunt. Sleeping with her. And now…damn it, damn it, damn it, he was having all these weird feelings for her. Protective. Concerned. Loving. He pulled his hand down his face. This was bad.

  When the elevator doors opened and Kate alighted looking every inch the smart, successful, sexy woman she was, Eric’s gut clenched.

  This was very, very bad.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year.

  —Mark Twain

  KATE STOPPED outside Comet Coffee and took a deep breath before pushing the door open and walking inside. The smoky, nutty aromas of freshly ground coffee tickled her nose…and her dancing nerves. She surveyed the seating area, looking for a familiar face, but she didn’t see anyone she knew. For a few panicky seconds, she wondered if Fool was indeed a stranger. Or a stalker. Or if the entire thing was a big, fat joke—it was, after all, April Fool’s Day.

  She checked her watch again, then gave a little laugh—sometimes setting her watch ten minutes fast got her into trouble.

  Her pulse was still tapping overtime as she joined the line to get a cup of coffee. She kept an eye on the door, but reached the counter without seeing anyone familiar. She ordered a cup of decaf with cream, remembering only last week she’d been standing behind the coffeemaker at work when she’d first heard Eric’s voice again after so many years. So much had happened in so few days’ time.

  The drive home yesterday had been painful—for her. Eric had been his normal jovial self, reinforcing her notion that their night together had meant little to him. He’d spent a lot of time pushing speed dial buttons on his cell phone, but since he never talked to anyone, she assumed he was checking messages. They’d driven in and out of rain, and the drive had seemed interminably long. When they began to see signs for Birmingham, even Eric showed signs of restlessness. Her concerns about how they would part were allayed when they pulled into the parking lot at the same time John Handley was coming out of the building. He had stopped to get an update on Lexan, and Kate had left the men to chat. She suspected that Eric had taken the opportunity to tell John he was leaving Handley, and she expected to get a visit from John this morning.

  All evening she had hoped that Eric would call her to tell her himself. Instead she had walked around her apartment carrying Lenka and doing something she never did—drinking wine alone. Between her second and third glass, she had opened her Bernadette cabinet and informed the dolls they didn’t know how good they had it to be manless.

  When she’d realized she was talking to dolls, she’d put down the wineglass and gone to bed.

  “Ma’am?”

  Kate blinked.

  “Here’s your coffee,” the young girl behind the counter said.

  Kate took the coffee and moved aside, blowing on the top of the liquid. Just as she looked up, the door opened and she froze.

  Neil Powers gave her a shy smile and a wave. He was wearing gray corduroy pants and a navy shirt, his hair fashionably shaggy. When he walked up, she realized that she’d never noticed his eyes were brown. They were nice eyes.

  “Hi, Kate,” he said, his voice tentative.

  “Hi,” she said with a little smile. “So it was you.”

  He looked at her, his eyebrows raised, and a few seconds passed. Then he exhaled and laughed at the same time. “Yeah, it was me. I’m Fool for You.” His cheeks reddened slightly. “You must think I’m weird.”

  She laughed and shook her head. “No, I don’t think you’re weird. I think that you’re incredibly…” She looked into his nice brown eyes and felt her smile fall—they weren’t the eyes of the man she loved. “Sweet.”

  She closed her eyes briefly and when she opened them, Neil was staring at her. He angled his head, then he squinted. “Something just happened, and I have a feeling it doesn’t bode well for me.”

  She pressed her lips together. “Do you remember asking if my heart had been broken?”

  “Yeah. You said anyone over fifteen has had their heart broken and your heart was no exception.”

  “Well…I just realized that it’s more broken than I’d thought.”

  He shrugged. “I’m a patient man.”

  “Let me work on this,” she said softly. “I’ll keep you posted.”

  He nodded, then sighed and gestured toward the counter. “I think I’ll drown my sorrows in a latte.”