Temporary Boss...Forever Husband

“You, too, Zach.” Smoke turned to ash when Riana looked at Allison. “I didn’t realize you’d be bringing anyone tonight.”

“I’ve mentioned how eager Knox is to do business with you and your father.” Sliding his hand to the small of her back, Zach brought Allison forward. “Naturally, we’ve brought out our best.”

Hoping Riana Collins didn’t ask best what, since she doubted the title of Best Temporary Receptionist would impress the woman, Allison held out her hand. “Allison Warner. Pleased to meet you, Ms. Collins.”

Riana Collins looked less than pleased, an expression that didn’t change as they entered the restaurant and followed the hostess to a secluded table obviously meant for two. A third place was hastily set. Zach kept Allison at his side, pulling out the chair to his right.

She might have expected the other woman to have a better chance of holding his attention, seated directly across from him. But he never failed to meet Allison’s gaze before glancing at Riana, just like he never missed an opportunity to rest his hand on the back of her chair or brush his fingers against hers on the table.

At first, Allison thought Zach had decided to be subtle after all, only to quickly realize how wrong she was. The hand on her shoulder could have been a casual, business-related touch—until his thumb stroked the skin along her collarbone. And while even that small gesture might have seemed subtle, the shiver that raced down her spine like a quake down a fault line was anything but.

Judging by Riana’s narrowed gaze, the woman had picked up on the aftershock.

After the first few minutes of small talk, discussing the menu and giving their orders to the waiter, Zach turned his attention to business. Riana nodded in all the appropriate places as Zach explained the different security options Knox offered; she even asked an informed question or two.

But the other woman still had more than business on her mind, and Allison wasn’t surprised when Riana pegged her with a sharp look and said, “You’ve been quiet, Allison. I’d be curious to hear your thoughts.”

For a split second her mind went blank, and she felt Zach stiffen beside her, his tension practically telegraphing an unspoken command straight through her. Do not screw this up. Do not screw this up. The added pressure had panic rising up inside her, but then the information she’d copied, collated, stapled and punched started filtering back. She’d always had a good memory for details—a useful talent when she’d juggled clients for Barton/Mills and one that helped with jumping from temp job to temp job now.

“Knox handles security for some of the top businesses in the Valley.” Names from the client list flashed through her memory—a high-end clothing boutique, a chain of furniture stores, an office complex not far from where the new Collins jewelry store would soon break ground.

“I’ve heard your latest ad campaign,” Allison added. It was an occupational hazard she had yet to break, paying more attention to ads than shows on TV or songs on the radio. “You’ve been promoting Collins Jewelers as the fourth ‘C,’ as important as cut, color and clarity. You have a reputation for accepting only the best, and when it comes to security systems, Knox is the best there is.”

For the first time all evening, Allison felt Zach relax at her side, and the glow of satisfaction burned brighter as she caught his almost imperceptible nod of approval.

Night had fallen by the time they left the restaurant, but Allison’s smile could have lit the sky. Zach waited for Riana to drive off in her Jag before he said, “I owe you, big time.”

Her smile grew wider, bringing out the dimple in her right cheek, but despite the Cheshire grin, she passed on the chance to gloat. “No you don’t. It was fun.”

Judging by the bounce in her step and her smile as they walk toward his car, Allison was telling the truth. She’d had fun. When was the last time—if ever—that he’d thought of work as ‘fun?’ It was a challenge to be met, a range of pinnacles to climb, each higher and harder than the last. But fun? And yet when Allison reached the passenger door and turned to face him, he felt a hint of an answering smile tug at his lips. He couldn’t deny that certain aspects of the evening had been … enjoyable.

It had been way too easy to let his gaze lock on hers, to brush his fingers over the back of her hand in a too casual to be casual gesture, to acknowledge the attraction he’d worked the past two months to ignore. Problem was, he didn’t know how he was supposed to go back to ignoring it, to putting those jolts of lightning back in the bottle. But maybe he didn’t have to.

Allison only had two days left at Knox Security. After that, they’d no longer be coworkers. She’d move on to another temp job, and he—he had way too much on his mind to even think of a serious relationship.

Who says it has to be serious? his libido argued slyly as they climbed into his car. The energy and excitement in her smile worked its way under his skin, buzzing with an awareness of how long it had been since he’d pursued any kind of relationship with a woman. And after all, Allison was all about fun, the kind of woman who might be open to something less than serious.

“I still say I owe you,” Zach said once he’d pulled the car out of the parking lot. “How did you know those details about Knox’s client list?”

“A few days ago, I ran copies of the company’s references for some sales packets. I was pretty sure I remembered most of the names … and well, the numbers were a bit of a guesstimate.”

“A guesstimate?”

“Okay, more of a guess, but hey, it worked, right?”

Zach felt any hint of a smile wiped clean away. No wonder he worked alone. He couldn’t risk his future success on someone else who might have “fun” guessing at facts and figures. What if Riana Collins had figured out that Allison was making up her information? Allison could have blown the whole deal.

And she could have refused to help at all, his conscience goaded. She’d bailed him out when he asked her to, so it was a little late to worry about her methods.

“Do you still think you owe me or have I negated that with my creative sales pitch?”

Zach glanced over, catching glimpses of Allison’s face in the passing streetlights like watching a flickering black-and-white television set. Only there was nothing old-fashioned or quaint about Allison. She was bold, confident, a high-definition type of woman. “The evening was still a success, thanks to you.”

“What kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn’t help you out?”

What kind of girlfriend would she be? The kind to understand when he worked late at night, when he cancelled plans on the weekend, when he overlooked personal milestones for another professional stepping-stone? Or would she expect more—more of his time, more of his attention, more than he could give? Automatically, his hand tightened on the wheel. “Allie …”

“Relax, Zach. I was just kidding. I know you don’t do relationships.”

“Right.”

“You’re all about work.”

“I am …”

“You don’t have time to for play.”

“Well …”

“And you’d make a terrible boyfriend.”

Allison made that statement as he pulled into the underground parking garage at Knox. He found a spot next to her car, a lime-green VW bug, and cut the engine. She sat angled toward him, clearly expecting him to agree with everything she’d just said.

Which, he thought as he climbed from the car, was exactly what a smart man would do. Because everything she said was true. And yet when he met Allison on the other side of the car, he heard himself ask, “Is that another guesstimate?”

A puzzled frown touched her features. “What?”

“You’ve had a lot to say without knowing the facts.”

Allison’s eyes widened as he drew closer. She looked far more worried now than she had when he confronted her about bending the truth at dinner. “Well …”

“After all, we’ve never been on a real date.”

“Of course not.”

“And we’ve never kissed.”

“No, but—”

“Never slept together.”

A soft blush lit her cheeks. “Obviously not.”

She took a step back only to bump up against the car.

“And while I might be a bad boyfriend, there are some things I’m very good at.”

He stepped closer, trapping her against the hood of the car, but Allison didn’t try to escape. He moved slowly, giving her time to protest but not so slowly as to give himself time to wonder what the hell he thought he was doing. He lowered his head, his gaze on her softly parted lips, but there was something else …