Kidnapped For The Tycoon's Baby

There was no choice but to front it out. Acknowledging his presence with a small, tight smile, she closed her notebook carefully and, as casually as she could manage, said, ‘Okay, that all sounds fine. Send the data over as soon as possible and I’ll take a look at it.’

Ignoring Anna’s confused reply, she hung up.

Her heart was ricocheting against her ribs.

‘Mr Walker. How can I help you?’

He stared at her calmly, his grey eyes holding her captive.

‘Let’s not worry about that now,’ he said easily. ‘Why don’t we talk about how I can help you?’

She stared at him in silence. Where was this conversation going?

‘I don’t understand—you want to help me?’

‘Of course. You’re only with us one more day, and I want to make that time as productive as possible. Which is why I want you to have dinner with me this evening.’

‘You mean tonight?’

Her voice sounded too high, and she felt her cheeks grow hot as he raised an eyebrow.

‘Well, it can’t be any other night,’ he said slowly. ‘You’re flying home tomorrow, aren’t you?’

Nola licked her lips nervously, a dizzying heat sliding over her skin. Dinner with her billionaire boss might sound like a dream date, but frankly it was a risk she wasn’t prepared to take.

‘That would be lovely. Obviously,’ she lied. ‘But I’ve got a couple of meetings, and the one with the tactical team at five will probably overrun.’

He locked eyes with her.

‘Oh, don’t worry. I cancelled it.’

She gazed at him in disbelief, and then a ripple of anger flickered over her skin.

‘You cancelled it?’

He nodded. ‘It seemed easier. So is seven-thirty okay?’

‘Okay?’ she spluttered. ‘No, it’s not okay. You can’t just march in and cancel my meetings for a dinner date.’

He raised an eyebrow and took a step backwards. ‘Date? Is that why you’re so flustered? I’m sorry to disappoint you, Ms Mason, but I’m afraid we won’t be alone.’

His words made her heart hammer against her chest, and a hot flush of embarrassment swept across her face. She was suddenly so angry she wanted to scream.

‘I don’t want to be alone with you,’ she snapped, her hands curling into fists. ‘Why would I want that?’

He smiled at her mockingly. ‘I suppose for the same reason as any other woman in your position. Sadly, though, I’ve invited some people I think you should meet. They’ll be good for your business.’

She stared at him mutely, unable to think of anything to say that wouldn’t result in her being fired on the spot.

His gaze shifted from her face to her fists, grey eyes gleaming like polished pewter.

‘Nothing else to say? You disappoint me, Ms Mason! I was hoping for at least one devastating comeback. Okay, I’ll pick you up from your hotel later. Be ready. And don’t worry about thanking me now. You can do that later too.’

‘But I’ve got to pack!’ she called after him, the bottleneck of words in her throat finally bursting.

But it was too late. He’d gone.

Staring after him, Nola felt a trickle of fury run down her spine. Any other woman in your position. How dared he lump her in with all his other wannabe conquests? He was impossible, overbearing and conceited.

But as a hot, swift shiver ran through her body she swore under her breath, for if that was true then why did he still affect her in this way?

Well, it was going to stop now.

Standing up, she stormed across her office and slammed the door.

Breathing out hard, she stared at her shaking hands. It felt good to give way to frustration and anger. But closing a door was easy. She had a horrible feeling that keeping Ram Walker out of her head, even when she was back in Scotland, was going to be a whole lot harder.

CHAPTER TWO (#u7edd9d59-61c9-5e85-920a-e3aaa2faf791)

FROM HIS OFFICE on the twenty-second floor, Ram stared steadily out of the window at the Pacific Ocean. The calm expression on his face in no way reflected the turmoil inside his head.

Something was wrong. He looked down at the file he was supposed to be reading and frowned. For starters, he was sleeping badly, and he had a near permanent headache. But worst of all he was suffering from a frustrating and completely uncharacteristic inability to focus on what was important to him. His business.

Or it had been important to him right up until the moment he’d walked into that backstreet café and met Nola Mason.

A prickling tension slid down his spine and his chest squeezed tighter.

Down in the bay, a yacht cut smoothly through the waves. But for once his eyes didn’t follow its progress. Instead it was the clear, sparkling blue of the water that drew his gaze.

His jaw tightened, pulling the skin across the high curves of his cheekbones.

Two months ago his life had been perfect. But one particular woman, whose eyes were the exact shade as the ocean, had turned that life upside down.

Nola.

He ran the syllables slowly over his tongue. Before he’d met her the name had simply been an acronym for New Orleans—or the Big Easy, as it was also known. His eyes narrowed. But any connection between Nola Mason and the city straddling the Mississippi ended there. Nola might be many things—sexy, smart and seriously good at her job. But she wasn’t easy. In fact she was unique among women in that she seemed utterly impervious to his charms.

Thinking back to their conversation in the boardroom, remembering the way she had stood up to him in front of the directors, he felt the same mix of frustration, admiration and desire that seemed to define every single contact he had with her.

It was a mix of feelings that was entirely new to him.

Normally women tripped over themselves to please him. They certainly never kept him at arm’s length, or spouted ‘workplace considerations’ as a reason for turning him down.

Turning him down! Even just thinking the words inside his head made him see every shade of red. Nobody had ever turned him down—in the boardroom or the bedroom.

He glanced down at the unread report, but there was no place to hide from the truth: despite the fact that his instincts were screaming at him to keep his distance, he couldn’t stop thinking about Nola and her refusal to sleep with him. Her stupid, logical, perfectly justified refusal to break the rules. Her rules.

He closed the file with a snap. His rules too.