Caught!: Taken! / Say Yes

“Virginia, I know this is complicated, but I don’t see any other way….”

“Maybe we should just forget the whole thing. I’m not exactly cut out for affairs and it’s getting entirely too awkward.”

“No!” Damn it, he couldn’t waste time backtracking now. Getting her this far had taken longer than he’d expected. But here she was, lifting that damn supercilious eyebrow at his tone. He cleared his throat and had to clench his hands to keep from shaking her.

“What I meant,” he said, painfully cajoling, “is that you can’t change your mind on me. I need you too much.” For good measure he kissed her again—then immediately forgot it was just for good measure and started enjoying himself. Her lips parted. Her tongue touched his.

Damn, but for a dragon lady she tasted fine—hot and sweet and sexy. Without making a conscious decision, he lifted his hand to that heavy breast again. Even through her sweater and coat, he could feel the softness of her as he kneaded her flesh. She moaned, and when he lifted his mouth from hers she whispered shakily, “Let me see what I can work out. I’ll get in touch with you later in the week.”

She had the door open before he could stop her, but it was just as well. The driveway was packed with cars and they could have been caught by anyone coming or going. He’d gotten so wrapped up in the job at hand he’d been careless.

No one knew who he really was and he had to keep it that way, because once he gained Virginia’s confidence and ruined her brother’s plans, Dillon would disappear. If anyone suspected him of having a relationship with Virginia, he’d fail. And his brother, Wade, would be the one to suffer.

chapter 2

WHEN VIRGINIA STEPPED back into the mansion, entering through the kitchen door, she ran smack into her brother, Cliff. He looked at her suspiciously.

“What were you doing outside?”

She pushed him out of her way and pulled off her coat. All that kissing and touching had her overheated. She’d rebuttoned the coat only as a sort of barrier, a way to shield herself from the overwhelming attraction and confusing emotions Dillon made her feel. Being so strongly drawn to a man wasn’t something she was used to. And especially not a man like Dillon. She shivered in memory. “I was indulging in a secret liaison, of course.”

“Ha, ha. Very funny.” With his tone as bland as an angry brother could manage, Cliff glared at her. “Like any man would be foolish enough to tangle with you.”

Virginia just shook her head. In one respect, Cliff was right. Men rarely pursued her—at least, not men who only wanted to have a heated affair. The term sex symbol had never been used to describe her, not with her excess weight and incisive personality. Men who wanted to try to marry her for her company connections showed up by the dozen each year, but their intentions were far from honorable or complimentary, which partially accounted for her ruthlessness. She’d decided to stay single because she couldn’t find a man who suited her—they were all either immoral money grubbers or complete wimps.

She’d had high hopes for Dillon when she first met him. Unlike the other fools Cliff invariably hired, Dillon stood apart. His body was long and hard and honed, not the type of physique achieved in a gym, but rather the kind that came from hard work day in and day out, over a lifetime. With broad shoulders and thick thighs, he looked more than capable of taking on any physical task. And he wore a certain confidence, as if he possessed an alertness unknown to most men.

He had the kind of intensity that made a woman feel surrounded and closed in. It didn’t threaten her—nothing did. She’d grown up a chubby, unattractive middle child who’d had to learn to fight for everything she wanted, including affection. She’d forced her way into the business and into her father’s trust. After living through her parents’ deaths and the battles for power that followed, she knew that very little in life had the ability to alarm her, including Dillon’s pursuit.

Unhappily, Dillon was proving to be something of a pushover, just like the others. One little word from her, and he tripped all over himself trying not to anger her. Why couldn’t she find a man who could deal with her head-on?

She was disappointed by his lack of backbone, but not enough to call a halt to the affair. With any luck, Dillon might surprise her once he learned her bark was worse than her bite.

“Yoo-hoo, Virigina. Anyone home?” Cliff peered at her critically. “What are you up to that has you so distracted?”

Virginia sighed. “I’m not exactly in the mood right now for your prying or your sarcasm, Cliff. Shouldn’t you be entertaining guests or something?”

“That’s my line to you. We have important associates here tonight.”

“Is that right? Such as your personal assistant? I saw Laura dutifully following you around earlier. In fact, she’s probably looking for you right now.”

Cliff stiffened. “Ms. Neil is no concern of yours.”

In all honesty, Virginia really didn’t care what Cliff did with his free time or his secretary, although she suspected he’d promoted Laura to personal assistant only as a way to get her in bed. In spite of her disapproval, it wasn’t her business, so she just shrugged. “True enough. Now, what do you want, Cliff?”

“I want to know what you were doing outside that was so important you neglected your duties.”

“We’ve been through this before, Brother.” She kept her tone level, hoping to avoid a prolonged fight. She wanted to be alone so she could contemplate how to proceed with Dillon. “What I do with my life is none of your business. Stop pushing me or you won’t like the consequences.”

Just as she expected, Cliff fumed in impotent silence and then stalked away. It was a shame he’d been born first. It was a bigger shame her father had believed the company needed to be represented by a man, regardless of the fact that Cliff was spineless and shallow and lacked the necessary business sense. Just because they dealt in sporting equipment, her father felt a man would be a more traditional head for the company.

Virginia would have done a much better job of it. She’d learned the business from the sales floor up, working part-time at their three mall locations while taking business courses and acting as an apprentice at the main offices. She’d absorbed every nuance of the business, and she thrived there, but regardless of all she was capable of, she wasn’t male and that mattered most to her father. At least he’d had the foresight to leave her a controlling interest. No, she wasn’t the president, and she didn’t interfere overly in the daily running of the business, but no major decisions could be made without her. And that one small stipulation in her father’s will had garnered her near hate from Cliff.

Her brother had always been a petty child, and he’d grown into a petty man. Still, they used to be able to get along, to find a middle ground. Now she hardly knew him—or her younger sister, Kelsey.

Kelsey also held a share of the company, but she hated to get caught in the cross fire between Virginia and Cliff, and usually gave her proxy to one of the other voting board members. She threw herself, instead, into her college studies and her computers, taking great pains to separate herself from the family business.

There were times, like tonight, when Virginia wished she had the same options. It would have been nice to be just an ordinary woman for once. Any woman. Then she wouldn’t have to question Dillon’s motives in pursuing her.

He wanted her; she knew that. He couldn’t have faked his reactions in the car. She’d been more than a little aware of his erection, heavy and full, pressing into her hip. But there was more to it than that, she was certain. And if it wasn’t a part of the company he wanted, then what?

She’d read his file when Cliff had first hired him to oversee their security department, mostly because he didn’t seem to be the typical Johnson’s Sporting Goods employee. He didn’t look as if he’d ever played a recreational sport in his life and every time he donned a tie, it seemed to choke him. No, with eyes so dark they almost appeared black, he looked more like a mercenary. Or a renegade. And his file had revealed that he’d never held a steady job for long. The man skipped around the country, and sometimes out of the country. It was for certain he’d been somewhere warm recently, because his skin was darkly tanned, contrasting sharply with the sandy brown hair that hung beyond his collar.

His qualifications and references had been excellent, plus he’d had some military training, so Cliff had hired him regardless of the way he looked.

Dillon knew his business. In the first few days he’d instigated additional safeguards on several levels, approved by Virginia, that would save the company substantial funds in the long run. Ruthless in many ways, he’d already fired two night guards, claiming that the men had been leaving their posts, playing poker and not paying attention to their jobs. Dillon wouldn’t allow any dereliction of duty. He now did a personal background check on everyone hired under his jurisdiction, which encompassed all the company offices and the store locations, as well. He took his responsibilities seriously and expected the same of everyone else.

The intelligence in his dark eyes was easy to read, as visible as his strength and every bit as appealing. Even his disdain for her family’s business seemed sexy to Virginia. But still, he was an enigma.

She’d give him one night, she decided. Even if he did prove later to be a swindler with ulterior motives, it wouldn’t matter. She’d never get drawn in by a wimp, so there was no risk of a bruised heart. She wanted a man who could stand toe-to-toe with her, a man to be her partner in life, who was her equal in every way.

But Dillon, with his incredible body and incredible kisses, would work nicely for now to fill a terrible void. Her aching loneliness had lingered too long, and she needed a little attention, the kind only a man could give a woman.

No, she could never get serious about a man like him. But every woman had the right to a fantasy on occasion. And Dillon Oaks was six feet two inches of hard, throbbing fantasy material. He’d do just fine.

THE MINUTE DILLON opened his door, Wade pounced.

“What happened? How did it go?”

Damn, this was just what he needed. The entire night had been irritating enough; he didn’t need to be accosted by his brother right now.

He shrugged out of his battered leather coat and kicked off his low boots. “What the hell are you doing here? Are you trying to screw things up?” If anyone found out they were related…

“I was careful,” Wade protested, looking wounded. “I took a bus to the corner and then walked the rest of the way. Besides, it’s dark. No one could have seen me. Now, tell me what happened!”

His little brother, the personification of espionage excellence. What a joke. They’d been raised by different parents, and their upbringing and their outlooks on life couldn’t have been more different. “Calm down, Wade,” he said. “Nothing’s happening yet. Hopefully, this coming week sometime.”

“Damn it!” Wade began to pace, his turmoil the complete opposite of his usual, carefree lightheartedness. “What is the matter with that woman! No woman has ever treated you like this. Usually you’re the one forced to turn them away.”

Even though Wade’s words echoed his own earlier sentiments, Dillon shook his head. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m no Romeo.” Then he added with a frown, “And Virginia is no fool.” A virago, but not stupid.

“Ha! She’s a stuck-up bit—”

“Shut up, Wade.” His defense of Virginia took him by surprise. He was automatically protective of women, the trait inborn, but of all the women he’d ever known, Virginia was least in need of his chivalry. Still, he didn’t like the idea of using her this way, even if there wasn’t any choice. Virginia had the answers he needed, and there was only one way to get them.

Fuming, Wade finally dropped into an overstuffed chair. “It has to be soon, Dillon. We’re running out of time and I can’t take much more of this. I keep having visions of being locked away in prison.”

“I told you it won’t come to that. I won’t let it. If nothing else, I’ll get you out of the country before that happens. You could come home with me to Mexico until I get things straightened out.” Then he added, just to distract Wade, “How’s Kelsey holding up?”