"I shouldn't have asked."

She picked up her gla.s.s of wine and told him she'd meet him in the living room.

He dressed, and he grabbed the necklace as he left the closet. He found her near the window, looking out. "It's one of my favorite views," he said.

"It's a lot different from my slice of heaven," she said, turning to face him.

He nodded. "Will you wear this?" He held up the necklace.

"Only because I think you're right. It will look good with the dress."

Lara turned her back to him then lifted her hair for him to fasten the clasp.

"Let's see." He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. "Couldn't be any better. There's a mirror near the coat stand."

He went with her and stood behind her. While she fingered it, he experienced an unusual feeling of possessiveness. He wasn't sure he liked the sensation. Over the years, he'd told himself that he didn't get involved because relationships were owed an investment of his time and energy that he didn't have to give.

Now he wondered if he'd been honest with himself.

He'd never been in love. Maybe because he'd never given himself that opportunity. Experience had taught him that emotion could be a messy thing. It could cause damage. And initially, perhaps that had been part of the appeal of Lara's proposal. After all, a business arrangement, he understood.

But with the sight of her, his hands on her shoulders, the dress and jewelry he'd purchased adorning her body, he recognized that this-Lara-had become much more than that.

"I think I'd like it better if it had the pendant on it."

"I'm sure you would." Before she could begin an argument, he said, "Are you ready to go?"

She collected her purse and headed for the parking garage. "Are you driving us?"

"I gave April the weekend off."

Traffic through downtown wasn't as big of a challenge as he'd a.s.sumed it would be, and they arrived at the luxury hotel a few minutes ahead of schedule. After turning over the car to a valet, Connor rounded the hood to meet Lara.

He placed his fingertips against the small of her back and guided her inside. He saw two marks on the backs of her legs. Neither was really obvious, but to him, they were significant. "Thank you for wearing this dress." With the patent red peek-a-boo heels, straight spine, hair flirting with her shoulders, she was breathtaking. To her credit, she didn't tug on the hem. She'd apparently grown accustomed to it, and she wore the outfit like no one else could.

Once they stepped off the elevator on the nineteenth floor, he gave the hostess his name, and they were immediately led to a table next to the window.

He pulled back her chair, and she sat then adjusted her weight.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

She gave him a wry smile. "Ouch," she mouthed.

He took his seat across from her.

The city lay beneath them. From their vantage point, they looked east-an endless panorama dotted by occasional buildings. Pure potential was there, untapped and waiting.

"I've heard of this restaurant," she said, "but I've never been here."

"They're famous for their seafood and steaks."

"And the views, obviously," she added. "I love my hometown. I'm glad I went away at times. It made me appreciate it more."

"Part of the reason you care deeply about BHI."

"Roots," she agreed. "Connection. It matters."

"I couldn't have said it better."

She ordered the Gulf shrimp platter, and he had a medium-rare steak. Once she'd consumed half a gla.s.s of wine, her posture became a little more relaxed and she became more animated than usual.

"I understand why you like living downtown. Everything's close, and it's got a certain energy, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. It's become part of me."

She swirled her finger around the rim of her gla.s.s. "What do you do to relax?"

"I exercise," he said. "Swim. Use the rowing machine you saw in my workout room. On rare occasions, I walk to work."

"That's it? The pictures in your home office... There was one with you and Erin in Cozumel. But that was a few years ago."

She was treading in territory he'd rather keep private, but if she was going to spend the next few years with him, she had that right. "I haven't taken a vacation recently."

"Not even a getaway, like to New Orleans? Galveston? South Padre Island?"

"No. You?"

Lara sat back and crossed her legs. "We were talking about you."

"Which I'm not accustomed to doing." Business, yes. But with the exceptions of Nathan and a few close friends, Connor kept conversation general, sports, business, weather.

"Even when we're intimate, you seem to be somewhat distant. Like you're holding yourself back."

Perceptive.

She tipped her head to one side. "It makes me wonder if you've always been like that. Or if it's because we don't have a..." She paused.

Since he had never supplied information that he didn't need to, he waited while she searched for the right words.

Finally, she settled for, "This relationship hasn't progressed like normal ones."

He noticed, appreciated, that she hadn't called it a sham again.

"Most times you get to know someone, and all along the way you're trying to decide whether things will work, whether or not there's chemistry, whether values align, whether you want the same things out of the future. If that all works out, you may decide to live together or get married."

"You forgot the part about whether the sub is gorgeous and well-behaved."

She took a long drink of her water then scowled at him. "My point is that most relationships don't start with a marriage proposal."

"Especially from the bride." When she pursed her lips, he relented. "In modern times in this part of the world, you're right. Through history, plenty of marriages have been arranged, either for political or financial gain. There's not much different about us."

"I'm not wrong, am I?" she asked. "About you holding yourself back?"

"It's nothing personal," he a.s.sured her. In fact, he'd already let her in closer than any other person.

"Where does love fit into for you?"

"It doesn't."

"You've never been in love?"

"No."

"Because you haven't let yourself?" she asked.

"Love is a messy thing."

"What makes you say that?"

He thought about changing the subject. It wasn't a particularly easy one for him. Yet it was best if she understood him. "What do you know about my dad and Cade's mother?"

"Not much. I mean, obviously I know you have a stepbrother and his mom's name is Stormy. I know Erin adores him, but she doesn't get to see him a lot."

"My father was supposed to marry my mother. Not exactly an arranged marriage, but certainly one that made sense. Their parents were friends. As such, they'd spent a lot of time together as they grew up. They dated, seemed very suited. Everyone expected him to propose right after college. But he actually never finished school."

Their food arrived, delaying conversation for a few minutes.

Lara took a bite out of a crab-stuffed shrimp and closed her eyes in rapture. He wasn't sure he'd ever been with a woman who enjoyed experiences so fully.

"How's your steak?"

"I don't know," he responded. "I'm too busy watching you eat."

She paused, a forkful halfway to her mouth.

"Please. For the love of G.o.d, don't stop."

She blushed, but she finished the bite. "If I move in with you, can we eat every meal here?"

"I might starve," he said. "But that's a small price to pay."

After one more shrimp, she put down her fork.

"I notice you didn't touch the asparagus."

"No way am I filling up on green stuff."

A while later, the waiter returned to collect the plates. She skipped dessert, but asked for coffee. "Back to you," she said. Showing that she'd been listening to every word, she prompted him by saying, "Your dad never finished college..."

"I'm going to back up a little. My grandfather believes all of us should have real, working knowledge of the business."

"Makes sense."

"We have some ranching interests."

"I think that's another one of your understatements," she said.

He shrugged. "My great-great-grandfather acquired a number of acres. We're fortunate to enjoy some success." But they all knew it took hard work to keep it successful and profitable. No one took the responsibility lightly. "As part of my grandfather's desire for us to know about that part of the business, he sent Dad to the ranch one summer. That's where he fell in love with Stormy."

"She worked on the ranch?"

The waiter put the coffee on the table, but Lara never took her gaze from Connor. Talking to her was a pleasure. She didn't interrupt, didn't make any soothing sounds. She just gave him her complete attention.

He thanked the waiter, told him to wait a few minutes before bringing the bill then tried to pick up where he'd left of. "She was a wrangler. By the end of the summer, she was pregnant. My dad proposed to her, but she refused. She said she didn't want to be part of the Donovan family. Too many obligations and responsibilities went with it. I'd be willing to bet my grandfather had something to do with that, though no one discusses it."

When he paused, she took a drink of coffee then moved the cup aside.

"Cade was born. Dad eventually married my mother, though no one is sure why. Probably out of a sense of obligation or some sort of coercion."

She winced sympathetically but said nothing.

"The truth is, Dad never stopped loving Stormy. I'm sure he attempted to be a good husband, and I know he was the best d.a.m.n father he could be, to all four of us."

"I'm not sure how anyone can juggle something like that. Split loyalties. Being in love with a woman who isn't your wife?"

It hadn't been until after his dad's funeral and dealing with his own grief that he'd thought to ask those questions. His grandfather hadn't filled in much information. Since his stroke, Connor had stopped asking.

His mother was always friendly toward Cade, but there were times she spent more time in her room with a headache than with the family. "Though she never said, it had to be difficult for Mom to have Cade around, especially when Stormy brought him. Couldn't have been any easier when Dad drove to Corpus Christi to get Cade. Sometimes they met halfway." He took a breath. "Occasionally, I went with him and so did Nathan, even Erin. And he attended all of Cade's important events. You probably know that Cade was driving the car when Dad was killed."

"Yes. Erin mentioned that." She drew her cup and saucer toward her. "I'm sure it never gets easier."

He appreciated her quiet understanding. "The days pa.s.s. Grief doesn't consume every waking hour, but the reality is always there. You cope. You go on."

She was quiet for a while before saying, "After hearing all that, I'm surprised that you'd want to get married to anyone."

"As you said, this is a smart business arrangement. If I hadn't already seen the possibilities for BHI's communications division, it might have been a tougher sell. And had it been anyone other than you..." With that necklace, the plunging dress, her natural beauty, the way he knew her b.u.t.tocks and thighs bore his marks...

"It explains your reticence as well as your rules...your morals."

"And their inflexibility."

She took a drink of her coffee. "I understand."

"Finish up," he said. "I'm ready to go home." He signaled for the check then settled the bill.

Since the valet service was quick, he had her back at his loft within twenty minutes. "I've been waiting all day for this," he said when they were in his living room. "I want you to present yourself, in the bedroom." He dug his fingers into her hair on either side of her face. "Will you do that for me?"

"Yes. I will."