at her mouth that her lips began to tingle from nothing more than the intensity of his gaze, she could have sworn that Ian wanted her just as much as she wanted him.
Unfortunately, it was just as clear that he was not going to be the one to make the first move.
In the day and a half that Tatiana had spent shadowing Ian, she’d seen just how well he treated his employees and the companies he worked with. She’d witnessed time and again his focus, his determination, his intense drive to win. She’d seen him soften around his family at the wedding in Napa, especially the little ones. No question about it, Ian Sullivan was a good, strong man with a great family behind him.
Which was why she still didn’t understand why he was so careful not to let anyone in too close. Especially her.
He was so careful around her, in fact, that apart from the attraction he didn’t always manage to hide, she didn’t have any idea what he really thought of her. And now she’d gone and fallen asleep in the middle of one of his meetings.
Way to impress, Tatiana.
“Tatiana, it’s okay.”
“No,” she said with a morose shake of her head, “it’s not. I came here to shadow you and stay in the background, not to embarrass you in front of your employees.”
He pushed away from his desk, moving toward her instead of away for what felt like the very first time. “I fell asleep in a meeting once.”
She couldn’t stop her mouth from falling open. “No way.”
“Way,” he said with a full-fledged grin that was so sudden, and so beautiful, that it snuck up on her and pretty much stole away the last part of her heart that he hadn’t already claimed. “And I’m afraid I snore a heck of a lot louder than you do.”
She couldn’t help but laugh then, not just at the image of the perfect and unflappable Ian Sullivan falling asleep in a meeting, but because he’d obviously told her the story to make her feel better about her own gaffe. Why would he do something like that if he didn’t care about her, at least a little bit?
And when his laughter joined with hers, it was the sweetest sound Tatiana had ever heard.
She’d seen him smile several times during each workday, usually when one of his family members called. Clearly, they were all thrilled that he was back home. And though she knew firsthand just how crowded his schedule was, she’d also heard for herself how patient he’d been on the phone with his cousin Gabe’s eight-year-old daughter when she’d asked him some questions for a project she was doing about the Sullivan family tree.
Maybe it was the lack of sleep that had her suddenly throwing her inhibitions to the wind, or maybe it was just how good it felt to laugh with him, but she suddenly needed him to know, “You have the most wonderful smile, the most infectious laugh. I could listen to it all day.”
For a moment, she could have sworn he was going to close the rest of the distance between them and give in to what had been growing more inevitable with every second they were together. But instead, he abruptly looked away from her and frowned. Taking one step back, and then another and another, until he was nearly at his desk, she thought it looked like he was smelling something that bothered him.
By the time the unmistakable scent of Chanel No. 5 hit Tatiana, she realized Ian’s ex-wife was standing in the doorway.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Chelsea Adrienne was even more stunning in person that she’d been in her pictures online...and clearly didn’t notice that Tatiana was in the room as she swept toward Ian in a very expensive couture dress.
Bethany was only a couple of steps behind her.
“Ian, I’m sorry, I tried to tell Ms. Adrienne that you were busy—”
“It’s all right, Bethany.”
His assistant shot Tatiana a worried look before leaving the office and closing the door behind her with a soft click.
“To what do I owe this pleasure, Chelsea?”
Just moments ago he’d been full of so much warmth and humor. Now, both were gone as he regarded his ex-wife the way one did an animal that might strike at any second.
“You closed the deal with Amando’s two weeks ago.”
“And now you’ve come to offer your congratulations?” His voice was so carefully modulated that although Tatiana thought it might be sarcasm, she wasn’t quite sure.