Youve avoided looking at me all morning, he said quietly. Is it because I tried to kiss youor because I stopped too soon?
Her face burned in reaction. And still she couldnt look up. Her lips parted on a rush of breath. Itsnew.
Yes.
Matt
What?
JustMatt. She lifted her face then, and her misty green eyes sought his. He seemed to stop breathing and just stared at her. He didnt smile. His eyes searched, probed.
Dont be afraid of me, Kit, he said, his voice deep and slow and soft.
Youre a stranger.
He shook his head. No. Youre just looking at me in a different way.
Why? she asked, needing to know.
His hands tightened on her shoulders. One day at a time, honey, he said then. Dont ask questions until you want the answers. Lets get to work.
He turned her and prodded her toward the big one-story building that housed an impressive computer setup. He had four young women working for him and two salesmen. Hal, when he was in town, had his own office, as well. It was a smoothly run operation. Thousands of dollars worth of cattle were bought and sold without a single head being moved physically. Matt even had cattle on videocassettes so he could show them to prospective buyers out of town. It was a wildly progressive kind of business, and Matt ran it with ease.
He showed her into his private, carpeted office. The room looked like it belonged to Matt, all tough leather and earth colors and hardwood. There were two desks: his and a smaller one, where a computer and printer sat.
You know how to use this, dont you? he asked, smiling amusedly.
She glared up at him. Yes. I had one just like it at school.
His eyes dropped to her mouth, and she was glad there were other girls working here. It kept him from doing what she really wanted him to do.
If you have any problems with the computer, Angel can help you. Shes the brunette at the desk outside my office. She has the preliminary information on the sale, as well. Until I volunteered you, it was her job to get it together for the public relations people. Okay?
Okay. She sat down and stared at the keyboard, a hundred conflicting emotions making her restless, disturbing her. She was hot despite the air-conditioning. It was already late September, but the weather was getting hotter instead of colder, if today was any indication.
Dont wear your hair like that tonight, he said suddenly.
She glanced up, remembering that she had her chestnut waves in a bun on top of her head. What?
Leave it loose. I hate hairpins.
Do you ever stop giving orders? she asked.
Sure. In bed.
Her face flushed, and he smileda sensual, confident smile that frightened her a little. He was a predator, and she was the quarry. That was what shed always thought she wanted, but now that it was happening, she was afraid.
Anyway, she continued nervously, Im not sure I want to go to a drive-in with you.
Yes, you do, he returned. He leaned over her, surrounding her, one hand on her chair, the other on the edge of the desk. His dark face was close to hers, and she could see the hard lines in it, the twist of his firm lips, the silver sprinkled in the darkness of his straight, thick hair. His cheek was very close, and she wanted to touch its hardness.
Her eyes lifted to his and got lost there. She saw the muscles in his jaw go taut as they stared at each other, and his breathing began to get ragged.
I want your mouth, Catherine, he said unexpectedly. So I think Id better get out of here before I shock a few people.
He stood up, and she fumbled with the papers on the desk, feeling all thumbs and inexperienced while she tried to decide if shed just been hearing things or if hed really said what she thought shed heard.
Ill, uh, get started, she said in a husky voice.
You
do that. He stuck his hands in his pockets, reading the flash of uncertainty on her face. Catherine, I wont hurt you, he said under his breath.
She really crimsoned then, and he sauntered out of the office, catching other pairs of eyes as he walked. He really was the most devastating man!
What was she going to do? She wanted him so much. There had never really been anyone in her heart except Matt though the only interest hed ever shown in her before was to check out the competition. He seemed to accept it as a necessity, but he made it as uncomfortable as he could for her few dates.
She wondered at the extent of his possessiveness. Hed worked his way into her life so slowly that, before shed realized it, hed become her life. And he knew it. That was what hurt most, that he had her in the palm of his hand while he was still going out with a string of women. He didnt even make a secret of it. Because, she told herself, he never got serious. He wouldnt get serious about her, either. Shed have to keep that in mind in case she got stupid and started begging him to kiss her at the drive-in.
For the time being, she decided to concentrate all her energy on preparing the publicity she would get out for Matts foundation sale. And that meant she needed a list of the lots of cattle he was going to sell. She pulled them out of the computer, complete with herd numbers, lineage, weights and gaining ratios. It was a complicated business, cattle raising, but Catherine knew enough about it to get by.