The Tycoon And I: Safe in the Tycoon's Arms / The Tycoon and the Wedding Planner / Swept Away by the Tycoon

“Let’s get you in a hot shower.” He showed her to his bathroom. “Will you be all right in there alone? Or should I call my aunt?”

In a faint whisper, she said, “I’m fine.”

Sure she was. And he had some oceanfront property in New Mexico to sell.

“Just yell, if you need me. I won’t be far away.”

While she warmed up in the shower, he rushed to the front door and returned with her suitcase. His thumbs hovered over the locks. He stopped. Opening her suitcase would be prying—something he hated when people did it to him, no matter what their intentions. Instead, he retrieved his robe and laid it on the bed, just in case she was still chilled.

Trying not to think of how good she’d looked in his robe, he returned to the kitchen. He grabbed the coffeepot and filled it with water. His idea to step out for a bit was permanently on the back burner. Once he got Kate situated in a hotel, the afternoon would be shot. And so would his patience.

He flung himself down on a kitchen chair, determined to concentrate on something besides his unwanted guest. He opened up his laptop and skimmed over his unfinished email. He had absolutely no desire to work. This realization for a renowned workaholic was unsettling, to say the least. What was wrong with him? Was it the way things had ended in San Francisco with his little girl looking at him with fear in her eyes when he went to pick her up?

He inhaled an unsteady breath. He’d made his choice, not to make his daughter a pawn between him and his ex. It was the right decision...for Carrie. Now he had to get a grip. After all, Carrington Gems was all he had left.

With one ear toward the bathroom and his eyes on the monitor, he started to type. He’d gotten through a handful of emails by the time Kate emerged from the bedroom wearing his robe. Her dark brown hair was wet and brushed back from her face and her cheeks were tinged pink from the shower.

The robe gaped open, revealing a glimpse of her cleavage. His overzealous imagination filled in the obscured details. He should have looked away but he couldn’t. He was drawn to her like a starving bear to a picnic basket.

He shifted uncomfortably, fighting back this wave of desire. Sex was not the answer. It only complicated things, even in the simplest of relationships.

The fact he’d never met anyone who was so fiercely independent but at the same time looked worn to the bone only made him more curious about Kate. What was her story? Where had she come from? And what was she doing at the hospital?

He swallowed hard. “Do you feel better?”

She nodded. “I’m sorry to be such a bother.”

Was this where he was supposed to step up and comfort her? He hesitated. He never was one of those soft, mushy people. He was a Carrington—strong, proud and unfeeling. Or at least those were the words his ex had thrown at him numerous times and he’d never had a reason to disbelieve her assessment. Until now....

There was something about Kate that bore through his defenses and made him want to fix whatever was broken. But he didn’t know anything about comforting people. With each passing moment he grew more uncomfortable, not knowing how he should act around her.

Taking the safe approach, he got up and pulled a chair out for her. “Have a seat while I get you some coffee. Do you take milk or sugar?”

“A little of both, please.”

That he could do. It was this talking stuff that had him knotted up inside. He wasn’t sure what to say or do. Silence was best. Silence was golden.

Once she finished her coffee, he would see about getting her moved to a hotel. His life would then return to normal. Or whatever qualified as normal these days. And he wasn’t going to ask any questions. Her life was none of his affair.

CHAPTER FIVE (#ulink_c5fc2da0-143e-5d56-b50e-2a01b20710d2)

KATE SANK DOWN on the black-cushioned chair, mortified that she’d shown up on this man’s—this stranger’s—doorstep and fallen to pieces. The staggering hospital bill already had her worried beyond belief, but combined with the unexpected appearance of her ex-husband it was just too much. It wasn’t often that she let down her guard. And she really wished it hadn’t been in front of Lucas.

The steaming shower had helped clear her mind. She’d given in to a moment of fear that she would fail her daughter, but the time for uncertainty had passed. She must be strong now. Besides, she refused to fall to pieces again in front of Lucas. He must already think that she was...what? Pathetic? Weak? Looking for a handout? Or all of the above? She wasn’t about to confirm any of his suspicions—not if she could help it.

He pushed a cup of steaming coffee in front of her. “Drink this. It’ll warm you up while I run to the deli and get us some lunch.”

“Thank you. I’m sorry for imposing again. I...I just started walking and thinking. Eventually I ended up here.”

Her hands were clammy and her muscles tense as she clutched the warm ceramic cup. Her gaze strayed to Lucas as he strode over to the center island where his jacket was draped over a stool as though he might have been headed somewhere before she showed up. His strides were long and his dark jeans accentuated his toned legs and cute backside. His collared shirt was unbuttoned just enough for her to catch a glimpse of his firm chest. He’d certainly make some woman a fine catch—except for his lack of housekeeping skills.

He slipped on his jacket. “You can play solitaire on my computer.”

“I hate making you go out in the rain—”

“I was going out anyway. I guess one of these days I need to do more than just drive past the grocery store.” He flashed her a lighthearted smile. “Do you want anything in particular to eat?”

She shook her head. “I’m not picky.”

“I won’t be long.” He rushed out the door.

Kate was exhausted, but there was no time for sleep. She needed to plan out how to raise the funds for the surgery. Her lengthy walk had given her time to think and she knew there was no way a bank would lend her that kind of money. And she didn’t have any rich aunts or uncles lurking in the family tree. That only left a fund-raiser. A big one!

Lucas had said she could use his computer. She pulled up a search engine and began typing. Eventually she stumbled across the fact that the Carringtons used to organize fund-raisers, some even taking place in this very mansion.

Somehow Lucas must have missed the social gene. This house wasn’t fit for him to live in much less provide a venue for entertaining. If only the mansion had been better maintained, it’d be ideal for a premium ticket event.

Before she could search for alternate locations that might attract wealthy donors, Lucas returned with a large bag. “Hope you’re hungry.”

“Looks like enough to feed a football team.”

“I wasn’t sure what to order. So I got a little of this and a little of that.”

They quietly set the table and spread out the food. Kate’s belly rumbled its anticipation. She eagerly munched down her sandwich before Lucas was even halfway done with his. He pushed another foil-wrapped sandwich in front of her.

“That must have been some walk,” Lucas said as she unwrapped the food.

“I had a lot of thinking to do.”

After she’d left the hospital, she’d tramped around the bustling streets of Manhattan. She’d been surrounded by people from all walks of life and yet she had never felt more alone—more scared that she’d fail as a mother. But thanks to Lucas’s kindness the panic had passed and her determination had kicked in. She would see that her little girl got what she needed—one way or the other.

“And did you get everything straight in your head?”

She glanced away, unsure how to answer. She didn’t want him to think any less of her for losing complete control of her life, but she hated to lie, too. She took the middle road. “I still have a lot to figure out.”

“You know, I find when I have problems at the office that talking them through usually helps. We conduct brainstorming sessions where my key people sit around tossing out ideas, no matter how crazy they might sound. One thing leads to another until we have some potential solutions. Would you like to give it a try?”

She didn’t know why he was being so nice to her. A warm shower. His übercomfy robe. A cup of hot coffee. More food than she could ever eat. And now a sympathetic ear. His kindness choked her up and had her blinking repeatedly.

“Hey, it can’t be that bad.” Lucas squeezed her forearm.

The heat of his touch seeped through the robe, igniting a pulse of awareness. The sensation zinged up her arm and short-circuited her already frazzled mind. Then just as quickly as he’d reached out to her, he pulled back. It was as though he realized he’d crossed some sort of invisible line.

She sniffled. “Actually my life is a nightmare right now.”

“The visit to the hospital—was it because you’re sick?”

“I wish that was the case.”