Reluctant Deception - Cambria Smyth Page 0,59

finishing the report.

"These are for you," Chris said, extending the flowers and wine.

Libby arched her brows in surprise. Gifts from him, after their many failed attempts at romance, seemed totally out of character.

"Actually," Chris continued, "Edwina sent the roses over. She remembered how much you enjoyed them in the garden there and insisted I bring some. She cut them right before I left."

Libby brought the multi-colored blooms to her face and inhaled deeply, savoring the rich fragrance so often missing from the modern varieties.

"Please thank her for me, will you?" Libby replied, eyeing Chris cautiously over the perfumed blossoms, stifling an unwanted stab of regret that the idea to bring flowers wasn't his. What was he up to with the bottle of wine, she wondered, unless Edwina, in a matchmaking mood, had sent that over, too?

"The wine is from me," he said. "A peace offering."

"A peace offering?"

"An apology for my, uh, ungentlemanly behavior at the orphanage last week." Chris looked at her contritely.

Libby took the wine from his extended hand.

"Oh. You mean in the garden?" Her heartbeat doubled in remembrance of their passionate kiss. Despite the flutter in her stomach, she laughed casually, trying desperately to make light of the situation.

"Forget it," she said. "I have."

"Well, I had no right to take such liberties with..."

"Your employee?" Libby interrupted.

"It runs deeper than that, Libby." Chris stared at her intently, his brows knitted in concern.

"Let's just chalk it up to the roses and moonlight and leave it at that, shall we?"

"Alright," Chris agreed, shrugging his shoulders. "Have you eaten yet?"

"Not yet."

"Neither have I. That's why I thought I'd suggest going out. Or we could bring in something, like Chinese food or a pizza."

Libby was prepared for his suggestion. In fact, she'd braced herself both mentally and physically for any of a dozen scenarios with Chris tonight.

She'd carefully steeled herself to resist any temptation, like an innocent kiss or a back rub, he might offer, knowing that once accepted, she was powerless to resist him. All day she reinforced herself mentally that this would be strictly a business meeting. She would not let herself get carried away by his good looks or any subtle attempts at seduction on his part.

To hide every curve of her trim figure from his appraisal, she'd chosen a roomy linen shirt with a ruffled neckline buttoned as high up her neck as it would go. A diaphanous, multi-colored skirt flounced from her waist down to a spot just inches short of her ankles.

Apart from the creamy expanse of her neck, the only thing left showing was her dainty feet, clad in strap sandals. As she did every summer, Libby had painted her toenails in a vibrant pink enamel. She'd toyed with the idea of removing the polish, but decided she'd already made enough concessions tonight on his behalf.

As for dinner, she'd anticipated that, as well. Thanks to some late nights and overtime on Connie's part, the report was ready by two that afternoon. Thinking that Chris might be available to come over earlier, thereby avoiding the dinner dilemma altogether, she'd called to see if he was free. Edwina politely informed her that Chris wasn't due back until 5:30, and that Libby was on his appointment book for 6 p.m. Slightly dismayed but not daunted, Libby considered the options. Dinner out was definitely a bad idea. Depending on where they went, it could be too intimate, too cozy, and decidedly too dangerous. Take-out didn't appeal to her either. That's all she and Connie had eaten the past week during their late night crunches to be ready for today. A home-cooked meal actually sounded pretty good. She'd make something simple and fast. There'd be no time for lingering over coffee and dessert if she scheduled things right. Besides, they had work to do.

She looked at him confidently. "If you don't mind, I thought I'd cook something quick here tonight. We've got a lot to go over and really don’t have time to eat out."

"That's fine. I just don't want to impose on you."

"You're not," she replied lightly, as if entertaining handsome men in her home was an everyday occurrence. "Come on out to the kitchen. I'll put these roses in water and you can start reviewing the report while I finish getting dinner ready."

She led Chris though the living room and dining room, thankful to see the week's accumulation of dust had been wiped away by the cleaning ladies that morning. She'd been so busy in her office that housework