Blake stood in his office looking out the window, hoping the big sky and spreading landscape would center him. How did Jill unsettle him so thoroughly? Even now, as she sat behind him talking with Haverton, the tones of her voice kept every nerve in his body alert. When Trevor Walton had tried to make a move on her earlier in the day, all his protective instincts rose to the surface. When she had smiled at him though, he hadn’t been sure who he was most irritated at.
Somehow, she had upset the atmosphere of his office with her warm smiles and frank attention to everyone she met. Most of his male employees were already smitten with her, and he felt like a teenage boy with a crush on the head cheerleader. It irritated him, but surely after a day or two, he’d get used to her presence and get over it.
“I think that does it for me,” Haverton said, catching Blake’s attention.
Turning from the window, Blake walked back to his desk. “Are you leaving?”
“Yes. I’ll leave you to get Jill settled somewhere.”
Jill looked up from her laptop and rolled her eyes at Haverton. “I’m perfectly capable of finding a place to stay.”
Blake let his eyes rest on her lovely face a moment. “We have several executive apartments. One of them should be available for you. I’ll call Ivey in to arrange it.”
“Thank you,” Haverton said, offering his hand to Blake. They shook hands, then he turned to Jill. “And thank you, Jill. I’ll be in touch.”
Jill smiled but didn’t get up. “I told Charlotte to keep you in the doghouse for a few days, no matter how charming you act.”
“What’s this?” Haverton asked, chuckling, but clearly surprised.
“We talked about it at breakfast. We’re mad at you for cutting our visit shorter than we wanted. But no doubt she’ll give in too soon.”
Grinning, Haverton said. “I like a challenge.”
“I bet you do.”
“Want me to give Taylor a message?”
Blake was surprised when Jill’s eyes shot his way for a second before she answered. Did she dislike discussing her male friend in front of him?
“No. I’ll call him later this evening. I’d love to hear his voice again.”
Blake felt a flash of irritation but firmly tamped it down. She could talk to whomever she wanted. It was no business of his.
“Sounds good,” Nate said. “I’ll leave your bags at the reception desk.”
“Thank you. Goodbye, Nate.”
Once Haverton left, Blake called Ivey and asked her to come in. Her office was next door to his, so it only took her a moment. “Will you please see about getting Ms. Harris into one of our executive apartments?”
Ivey glanced down at Jill, and he was surprised at how unfriendly her expression was as she said, “I’m sorry, but with all the new managers coming in, they’re all taken.”
Blake sighed and tried to think of what to do. He meant to keep his promise to Haverton. Not to mention, he wanted to make sure she was close since they’d be working so much together. Did he dare invite her to stay at his house? There were four empty bedrooms going to waste there. But no, that wouldn’t be appropriate.
“I’ll call and get a hotel room,” Jill said, unperturbed.
But then Blake had a flash of inspiration. “My pool house.”
“What?” Jill asked.
“You want her to stay at your pool house?” Ivey asked, sounding both confused and displeased.
Blake nodded. “It’s ideal. You’ll have your own garage and entrance. It even has a small kitchen.”
Ivey shifted. “I’m sure I can find another apartment if you give me—”
Blake held his hand up to stop her. He wanted Jill to accept his offer. “You’ll be able to use the pool and hot tub whenever you want.”
Jill smiled. “That would be great. Thank you.”
“Ivey, call down to reception and have Ms. Harris’ bags sent over.”
“Actually, I’d prefer to keep them with me,” Jill said. “I’m ready to go now. I can finish up the rest of my work after I’ve settled in. Would that be okay?”
Blake thought about the rest of his schedule. There wasn’t anything that couldn’t wait till tomorrow. “Ivey, move the rest of my appointments and tell Rick to bring my car around.” He turned to Jill. “Give me a minute to shut down for the night.”
While Jill gathered her things and put them in her large shoulder bag, Blake gave Ivey the paperwork he needed to be filed, put his laptop in his leather case, and locked his desk drawer.
By the time he was done, Jill had stepped out of his office. He locked the door behind him, then went to find her. She was sitting on the corner of Camden’s desk. The young guy looked at her with adoration, grinning wide enough to split his lips as she talked to him. Blake noted the way her long, slim legs were crossed in front of her, the way she leaned toward him. Her dark hair swept forward so that her glossy curls dangled in front of Camden’s bemused face.
He told himself she just didn’t know the signals she was throwing to the tech guy but he couldn’t believe it. She knew exactly what she was doing, and he was all too aware that he was angry because he wanted her attention focused on him. “Sorry to interrupt, but are you ready, Ms. Harris?”
She nodded and stood up. “Of course. I was waiting on you.” Then she turned back to Camden. “It was great meeting you. Let’s get together tomorrow and discuss things further. Perhaps over lunch?”
“That’d be great,” Camden said, standing up and straightening his tie.
“Tomorrow then,” Jill called over her shoulder as she walked with Blake to the elevator.
“See you,” Camden called after her.
Unable to stop it, a tiny growl sounded in Blake’s throat.
“What was that?” Jill asked.
“Nothing. Are you going to enslave every man in the building while you’re here, Ms. Harris?”
“Call me Jill. And don’t worry, I promise to leave all the married ones alone. Word of honor.”
Blake took a deep breath to calm down. “I would prefer that you limited your flirtations to after hours.” As he spoke, the elevators opened. He went in, but to his surprise, Jill did not. She just stood staring at him with anger burning in her eyes.
The doors started to close so he reached out a hand to stop them. “Are you coming?”
She stood a moment longer, then apparently came to a decision. “Yes.” He released the doors as she stepped in, and as soon as they closed, she turned on him like a gust of wind. “But only so that I have a second to speak privately with you. When I am beginning a new project, I work hard to become friends with the people I’ll be working with. Don’t misconstrue my attempts to build a rapport with my team with anything else.”
“Rapport. I didn’t know that was a synonym for flirtation.”
He heard a small gasp and turned from staring at the elevator doors to look at her. Her face had flushed red, and he was pretty certain that if she’d had something heavy on hand, he would have needed to duck.
She pressed her lips together a moment and closed her eyes. Slightly calmer, she said, “In the future, if you have any complaints about my actual job performance, let me know. Otherwise, keep your exaggerated and… and… stodgy opinions to yourself.”
Blake raised an eyebrow and burst out laughing.
“What?”
“I’ve never been called stodgy before.” The elevator doors opened. “After you, Jill.”
“Ms. Harris.” She said in a tight voice, stepping into the foyer.
He followed behind her, walking slowly as she retrieved her bags from behind the reception desk. Apparently, she was as efficient at packing as she was at summarizing reports. She had only one suitcase and a small overnight case.
Outside, Rick stood ready by Blake’s car, a black Bentley Mulsanne with an extended wheel base that gave him ample space in the back to work and sit comfortably. Jill’s eyes swept over it with appreciation as it reflected the sunset’s gleaming fire. He was pleased that she liked it. All too often, he used it as a second office, but today he would enjoy sharing its luxury with Jill.
Rick opened the door to the back seat, then turned to put Jill’s bags in the trunk. Blake closed the door when Jill was settled, then walked around to the other side. As he settled back into the cream-colored leather seats, he put his briefcase down on the roomy floorboard.
“Are you comfortable?” he asked Jill.
“How could I not be? This car is incredible. I could live in here.”
Blake nodded. “Sometimes I feel like I do. Traffic can be a nightmare.”
“Where to, Mr. McDaniel?” Rick asked as he got in.
“Home. Ms. Harris will be staying in the pool house for the next few weeks. Jill, this is Rick, my driver and part of my security team.”
“Nice to meet you, Rick. Former military?”
Rick looked back over his shoulder. “Yes, ma’am. Army—Delta Force.”
Normally, Rick was as silent as a statue, but Blake wasn’t surprised when he responded to her so openly. It was like watching rock melt. Blake sat listening as Jill kept up a conversation with Rick through the entire drive as she asked him about his service. He studied her, the way she gave just enough of herself in the conversation to establish a connection, but kept the discussion pointed back toward Rick. By the time they pulled up in front of his home, he knew more about his employee than he had learned in the three years the man had worked for him.
Why hadn’t she given the same attention to getting to know him? Perhaps because they’d been clashing heads since meeting yesterday. There was an undercurrent of chemistry to the friction between them which he couldn’t deny, but mostly, he wanted to be on good terms with her so they could work together. Maybe if he stopped baiting her, she would respond with the same warmth she showed everyone else.
When Rick opened Jill’s door, Blake made sure he was there to give her a hand out. She took it, and a spark of awareness spread through him as her fingers curled over his. Yes, there definitely chemistry.
“Thank you,” she said. Her voice brightened when she turned to Rick and said, “It was nice to meet you. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around.”
“Most likely, since I’m head of security. As Mr. McDaniel’s guest, you don’t need to worry about your safety while staying here.”
“Oh, I have no doubt of that. You look like you eat bolts for breakfast.”
Rick laughed and Blake glanced over at him, surprised. He didn’t think he’d ever heard him laugh before. Did Jill prefer broad, heavily muscled physiques? Blast the woman. Why did he care about her preferences? So he was attracted to her—only an idiot wouldn’t be. But their relationship would be professional only.
When he spoke, his voice sounded rougher than usual. “The easiest way to the pool house from here is through the main entrance, but there is a separate driveway in the back you can use. Rick will get your fingerprint set up so you can get in. Oh, and I’ll make a car available for you or you can ride with me to work, whichever you prefer.” He turned to Rick. “I’ll take her suitcase. Thank you.”
Blake strode to the front door, put his thumb on the scanner that opened the lock, then held it open for her to pass by him. She came inside, looking around slowly. He wondered what she thought of it and realized that he wanted her to like it.
She smiled. “I still think you’re a judgmental horse’s patootie, but you have good taste.”
Just then, his sister came down the stairs, catching Jill’s attention.
Hayden was seventeen, pretty, and a storm of hormones. At least, that’s what Blake liked to attribute all her craziness to. She wore a too-thin white t-shirt with a lacy bra showing through, tight jeans and western style boots. She froze mid-step when she saw them.
As much as he wanted to turn her right around to change, he clenched his jaw shut. He’d learned to pick his battles with her, and he certainly didn’t want to have a fight with her in front of Jill. After a few seconds, he was able to say, “Oh good, you’re here. I want you to meet Jill. She’s a consultant who’s going to be working with me for a while and will be staying in the pool house. Jill, this is my sister, Hayden.”
Jill smiled. “Nice to meet you.”
Her voice, as usual, was rich with friendliness. Hayden, however, looked her over derisively. “Sure.” Then she walked past them toward the front door, not even giving them another glance.
“Where are you going tonight?” Blake asked, making her pause.
“To the rodeo with Chad.”
Blake nodded. Chad was more responsible than some of the other guys she went out with. “You have enough money?”
“I’m good,” she said. Then she opened the door and left without another word.
Before Blake turned back to face Jill, he took a deep, calming breath. “You probably won’t see much of her. She’s…testing her independence and this whole guardian thing is still new to me.”
Jill nodded. “I suppose it would be. It’s definitely unusual.”
Seeing the curiosity in her eyes, Blake relented. It wasn’t exactly a secret why he was in that position since the news had been full of the scandal. “Our mother is in prison for fraud.”
“Oh.” Awkwardness hung heavy between them for a moment, but when she spoke again, the sincerity in her voice brushed it away. “I’m sorry, Blake. I can’t even imagine. I remember hearing that now, though I hadn’t connected the pieces. I’m sorry if I made you feel like you had to tell me about it.”
“Don’t be. Like you said, it was all over the news at the time.”
You’ve had a lot to take on, haven’t you?”
He nodded but didn’t want to talk anymore about it. “The pool is right through here. Let’s get you settled in.”