Kiss Me Forever (Bachelors & Bridesmaids #1) (12 page)

Anger sparkled in her blue eyes, which only made them prettier. "I wasn't telling you how to do your job, but I think you're trying to make something out of nothing. You know my past. You know what I do now. What more do you want?"

"A lot more," she snapped. "You haven't told me anything about your parents."

"I don't talk about them."

"Exactly. And I know only basic facts about what happened in your teens. Your early twenties are still a mystery to me. There seem to be big gaps between working in a video arcade and running a billion-dollar company. I don't know who you talk to when you're down or whether you've ever really been in love with anyone. I don't know what you want to do tomorrow or next year or ten years from now."

"Neither do I. I don't have my life planned out. I stopped making plans a long time ago. I live in the moment."

"That's not true. You plan game releases a year out at least."

"Fine, I make business plans, but not personal ones."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't." He strode forward, stopping just inches away from her.

"You're afraid," she said.

"You're calling me a coward?" he asked in astonishment. "I've been called a lot of things, but not that."

"You're afraid to want something in case you don't get it. In business, it doesn't matter. But in your personal life, it does. You lost a lot as a kid, your parents, your aunt, your whole world was shattered. So now you don't have close friends. You don't count on people. You don't expect anything, because then you won't be disappointed."

"You think you have me figured out," he murmured. She actually wasn't that far off base. Not all of her assumptions were true, but some of them were. He shouldn't have been surprised. She was a smart woman with an analytical mind, but it wasn't her mind he was interested in right now.

"I think I've figured a few things out," she amended, wariness flashing in her eyes as he slid his arms around her. "Alex?"

"You're right about some things. I don't count on anyone but myself. And perhaps I don't make plans because when I used to do that, I was almost always slapped down. But I'm not as closed-off as you think. I have friends. I've had women in my life. And I'm not afraid of life. I'm ready for the next curve to get thrown. In fact, I'm not waiting for it to come to me; I'm going after it. I'm going after it right now."

She stiffened, desire in her eyes, as he made his intent extremely clear.

"Do you really think this is a good idea?

"Probably not. But I've been thinking about kissing you since the last time, and if you don't want this to happen, you better tell me now."

"It's hard to fight you and myself," she said with a soft sigh.

"Then don't."

The heat that had been simmering between them sparked and flamed with the touch of their lips. He took the kiss deeper, wanting to take her mouth, her body, every part of her that she wanted to give.

He hauled her up against his chest, needing to feel her soft curves, needing to be as close to her as he could get.

Andrea came willingly, putting her arms around his neck as her tongue tangled with his. God, she tasted good—a hint of paradise, a little bit of heaven, a soft place to fall. He'd never wanted to fall before. He'd always wanted to be in control. But right now he was on shaky ground, and he didn't give a damn.

Kissing her wasn't enough, but just like the last time they were nowhere near a bed or a couch or even a little more privacy.

He lifted his head. Andrea stared back at him, her lips swollen from passion, her eyes bright and dazed and a little needy.

"What is wrong with me?" she murmured, as she tucked her hair behind her ear. "You make me forget where I am, what I'm doing."

"You do the same to me."

"We have to find a way to finish this interview and be done with each other."

He stared back at her. He wanted to be done with the news article but not with her. "Can you have someone else at the magazine write the article?"

She immediately shook her head. "No, I can't. I need this story. I told you I wasted the magazine's time and money the last six weeks. I have to do a good job on this assignment. I know you can understand that."

He understood she was putting her job first. He shouldn't care or even judge, because he usually did the same thing when it came to business, but it didn't bother him. "Fine," he said shortly. "Let's go back to my office."

She put a hand on his arm, "Alex, wait."

"What?"

She stared back at him. "I like you."

His muscles tightened at her words.

"And as crazy as this may sound, I actually missed you," she added.

That didn't sound crazy at all. He'd missed her, too.

"I've never been in this position before," she continued. "I've never had this kind of crazy attraction to someone I'm supposed to be writing about, so I'm probably not handling this very well. And maybe I should give the story to someone else, but I really don't want to, so can we find a way to work together?"

How could he say no to the plea in her eyes? And it wasn't just the plea, it was her honesty that undid him. He hadn't known too many people who told the truth with such charm and vulnerability. She was putting herself out there, and he wasn't going to be the one to hurt her. "Okay," he said. "We'll get back to business."

Relief flooded her expression. "Good."

They walked back to his office in silence. But when they reached Ellen's desk, she stopped them.

"There you are," Ellen said. "I was just about to come looking for you, Alex. Did you forget that you have to be at the dentist in twenty minutes?"

He frowned. "That's not today. It can't be six months yet."

"It's been over a year and a half," Ellen said pointedly. "You cancelled the last two appointments. And don't even try to tell me to cancel now. You're going. I know you hate the dental chair, but you have to take care of your teeth."

Maybe it was just as well he had an appointment. A little time and space from Andrea would probably help put them back on the right track. He sent Andrea an apologetic look. "Sorry, but I have to go."

"Can we meet later?"

"I have a dinner meeting with some potential investors."

"Tomorrow then?"

"I'll give you a call when I know my schedule." Alex took his car keys from his assistant and headed out.

"Any chance you could help me set up an appointment with him?" Andrea asked Ellen.

"I would love to, but Alex said he wanted to handle your interviews personally."

"How long have you worked for Alex?" she asked.

"Nine years."

"What kind of an employer is he?"

"Fair, honest and hardworking. He treats me with respect. I have no complaints." Her tone offered no shades of gray.

Andrea smiled, trying to ease the tension on the older woman's face. "It's clear from your tone that you're very loyal, and Alex must have done something right to inspire that loyalty. I just wish I could get a clearer picture of who he is away from work."

"You'll have to ask him."

"He hasn't been very forthcoming."

"Well, he has a reason to be protective. Everyone wants a piece of him now. It's difficult for him to know who to trust. Some people just want to use him to get ahead."

There was a warning note in Ellen's voice now. Andrea was not going to get anything from Alex's assistant.

"Just for the record," Andrea said. "Alex wasn't forced to do this interview, and I've been completely up front with him. I have a job to do, and I'm going to do it. "

"Then you shouldn't pretend to be his friend," Ellen said sharply.

She sucked in a quick breath at the harsh words. "I'm not pretending," she protested. "And I wouldn't even say we're friends." Actually, she didn't know what they were to each other.

"I saw your lipstick on his face, Ms. Blain."

There was no way she could explain that away.

"I told Alex not to do this interview," Ellen continued. "And I don't trust you for a second. I've never met a reporter who wasn't after a juicy secret. You want to dig into Alex's life, and you won't care at all what harm you do."

"Is there a juicy secret?"

"Your question just proves my point." Ellen shook her head. "If you'll excuse me, I have work to do." The woman turned her gaze back to her computer.

Andrea had no choice but to leave. As she walked back to her car, she couldn’t get Ellen's words about a secret out of her head. The woman had not meant to intrigue her with anything; she'd been trying to push her away. But there was something in Ellen's gaze that Andrea couldn't quite shake.

Alex had a secret. A secret Ellen didn't want her to find. What the hell was it?

Chapter Nine

Andrea was still ruminating about what Alex could possibly be hiding when she got up Wednesday morning. She took a long, hot shower to get the knots out of her neck and shoulders. It had been another restless night. She certainly hadn't gotten much sleep since she'd met Alex.

She'd just finished drying her hair when her phone rang.

"What are you doing right now?" Alex asked.

Her heart skipped a beat at the sound of his voice. "Uh, waking up."

"I know just the thing to help that."

She was almost afraid to ask. "What's that?"

"A run. I'm just about to go for my morning run. If you want to talk, come with me."

"You want me to interview you while we're running?" she asked in dismay.

"It's the only time I have today. Afraid you can't keep up with me, Andrea?"

Never one to let a challenge pass by, she said, "Of course I can keep up with you. Where do you want to meet?"

"The Marina Green. I'll show you one of my favorite runs."

"Awesome," she replied as she ended the call.

She really wished she'd kept up her gym workouts the past few months. If there was ever a time she needed to keep up on a run, it was probably today.

* * *

"What do you think? Do you want to go another mile?" Alex slowed his run down to a jog as they neared the base of the majestic Golden Gate Bridge. He looked over at Andrea with amusement in his eyes. "Or are you tired?"

She had a pain in her side, but she couldn't tell him that because she was still trying to catch her breath from the two miles they'd just run.

"We'll take a break," he said decisively, slowing down to a walk.

She nodded, relieved by that decision. She walked with him another fifty yards then came to a stop by a low cement wall that ran along the bay.

"Okay?" Alex asked, coming up next to her.

"I'm fine," she finally got out. "How often do you run?"

"Four or five times a week. You?"

"Almost never. But I do the elliptical at the gym when I have time."

"Which is how often?"

"Almost never."

He grinned. "You should have told me."

"I wanted the time to interview you."

"And you hate to admit weakness. It's just like when you didn't tell me you get seasick."

She made a face at him. "You don't have to worry. I'm not going to throw up today."

"Thank God for that. So what do you want to ask me?"

"Many things."

"Let's start with one."

She thought for a moment and then asked the question that had been rolling around in her head all night. "Is there something in your past that you don't want me to know?"

He didn't flinch at her words, but the light left his eyes as he stared back at her. "Why would you ask me that?"

"Just wondering why you're trying to keep me at a distance. I figure there must be a reason why you're so cagey."

"I like my privacy. I don't think anyone in the world would enjoy someone poking their nose into every corner of their life. I doubt you would."

"If I agreed to an interview, I'd expect that."

He waved his hand in the air. "Next question."

"Fine. We'll move on. You push yourself hard in business. I was looking through your company brochure, the list of new releases planned for the coming year. You're moving at a very rapid pace."

"That's the gaming world."

"But you have done so much already. When will it be enough? When will you slow down?"

"I don't know that it will ever be enough, or that I'll ever slow down. I like what I do. My games are not just entertaining; they're educational. And kids need to be able to learn and have fun at the same time."

"So it's truly the games that drive you and not the money?"

"Yes. I can't deny that I enjoy having money now. Not having had it for a lot of years has made me appreciate my good fortune. I don't take it for granted, and I do try to share."

"Which brings us to philanthropy. I've been researching your long list of charity donations. You do spread the wealth around."

"I try."

"I noticed that you've been part of Big Brothers and have been supporting women and family shelters here in the city. Did your experience with foster care lead you in that direction?"

"Absolutely."

"I also read that you're starting a foundation to oversee your philanthropic efforts. Will that foundation be exploring other areas in which you might want to invest?"

"That's their mission. What else?"

She sighed, knowing that she just wasn't asking the right questions, but she couldn't think of how to get him to crack, other than to kiss him. That was the only thing that seemed to loosen him up. But she'd already told herself that wasn't going to happen again.

"Are we done?" Alex asked.

"Not quite. I asked you before about a girlfriend and you said you hadn't been seriously involved with anyone in a few years, but I wonder if you have ever been in love?"

He hesitated. "I don't know about love, but when I was in my early twenties, things got serious with one woman."

"Really?" she asked, surprised that he finally hadn't dodged a question or given her a one-word answer. "Who was it?"

He hesitated as a trio of women came down the trail. After they passed by, he said, "Her name was Valerie. We were together almost a year, but we were young. I was twenty-one and had little to no money at that point. I was scraping by, working a bunch of jobs. She was also twenty-one and eager to live the good life, so eventually she left me for a better prospect. Looking back, it was a good thing. She hated to fly, and she thought video games were stupid."