He arrived at her office as she was locking the door at the end of the workday. She had both her laptop and a burgundy leather briefcase in her hands.
“You busy for dinner?” he asked without preamble.
She turned in surprise, her gaze darting up and down the hall, obviously worried about who might see them talking.
“Why?” Suspicion was clear in her tone.
“I’m attending a business event,” he offered levelly.
“On your yacht?”
He tried to interpret her expression. Were her words a rebuke or a joke? Was she nervous at the thought of being alone with him again? If so, could it be because she was still attracted to him?
They’d pledged to keep their hands off each other, but she could be wavering. He was definitely wavering. He’d been wavering as soon as the words were out of his mouth.
“At Boondocks,” he answered, shelving his physical desire for the moment. “I thought you might like to meet Ray Lambert.”
Her green eyes widened. Ah, now he had her attention.
Ray Lambert was president of the New York Architectural Association. Zach had done his homework on this. He’d planned an introduction so valuable, it would be impossible for Kaitlin to say no to dinner.
“You’re meeting Ray Lambert?” she asked cautiously.
“For dinner. Him and his wife.”
Now her tone was definitely wary as she tried to gauge his motives. “And you’re willing to take me along?”
Zach gave a careless shrug. “If you don’t want to—”
“No, I want to.” Her brow furrowed. “I’m just trying to figure out your angle.”
He couldn’t help but admire the way her brain was working through this. She was smart. But he was smarter. At least in this instance. With anybody but Ray Lambert, the plan would likely have failed.
“My angle is meeting your conditions for returning my company to me,” Zach told her. It was true. It wasn’t the whole truth, but it was part of the truth. “You want a career in this town, Ray’s a good guy to meet.”
She tilted her head to an unconsciously sexy angle. “No strings attached?”
His gaze automatically dropped to her luscious lips and his primal brain engaged. He didn’t intend to lower his voice to a sexy timbre, nor did he plan to ease his body forward, but it all happened anyway. “What kind of strings did you have in mind?”
“You promised,” she reminded him, looking trapped and worried.
“So did you.”
“I’m not doing anything.”
“I’m not doing anything, either,” he lied. He was thinking plenty, and his body was telegraphing his desire. “Your imagination’s filling in the blanks.”
“You’re looking at me,” she accused.
“You’re looking back,” he countered.
“Zach.”
“Katie.” It was a stupid move, and not at all in keeping with his grand plan for tonight, but he reached forward and brushed his knuckles up against hers. It was a subtle touch, but it had the impact of a lightning bolt.
It obviously hit her, too. And he couldn’t stop the surge of male satisfaction that overtook his body.
Her cheeks flushed, her irises deepened to emeralds. Her voice went sultry. “This isn’t a date.”
“Don’t trust yourself?” he dared.
“I don’t trust you.”
“Smart move,” he conceded, admiring her intelligence all over again as he pulled back from his brinkmanship.
He knew Harper Transportation had to be his primary concern. And he needed to get his hands on her drawings by fair means or foul. His company, his employees, his family legacy, all depended on it.
“Are you trying to make me say no?” she asked him.
“I honestly don’t know what I’m trying to do.” The confession was out of him before he could censor it.
Complicated didn’t begin to describe his feelings for Kaitlin. He desperately wanted to kiss her. He craved the feel of her body against his. Given half a chance, he knew he’d tear off her clothes and make love to her until neither of them could move.
And then the power balance would be completely in her favor, and Harper Transportation wouldn’t stand a chance.
He forced himself to back off farther, putting a buffer of space between them.
“Ray Lambert?” she confirmed, apparently willing to put up with Zach for the introduction.
He gave her a nod. Despite the detour into their inconvenient attraction to one another, his plan had worked. As he’d known it would. The intellectual evaluation of another person’s emotions was an astonishingly effective tool for manipulation. And, apparently, it was a gift he had.