Tempting the Billionaire (Love in the Balance 1)

Crickitt tossed the empty Chinese container into the trash can and congratulated herself for avoiding dishes another night. Eating leftover takeout at 9:05 p.m. was just one of single life’s perks.

Right! Single! Have at him! her errant hormones chanted.

Like that was going to happen. First of all, it was ridiculous. Shane August was a billionaire. Crickitt bought knickknacks from thrift stores. The idea someone like him could be interested in someone like her was…she fanned her collar, suddenly warm. Well, it was…distracting.

“Absurd” is the word you’re looking for.

She reached for a dishcloth to wipe down the counters in her already tidied kitchen and distract herself from more inappropriate thoughts about Shane. She covered the minuscule space in a few seconds and, not for the first time, grieved the loss of the spacious kitchen in the house she and Ronald had built. They’d been far from wealthy. In fact, they were mortgaged up to their ears in an attempt to keep up with their affluent neighbors. Ronald’s idea.

He’d kept the house, explaining that as an investment banker, he’d had appearances to maintain. Meanwhile she was Holly Hobby Homemaker who, according to him, “didn’t have a real career.” Funny, she’d outearned him for the last five years.

She refilled her water glass, carrying it to the living room with her. Her canvas shoulder bag sat on the corner of her sofa, a manila folder poking out of the top. Shane had dropped the folder onto her desk before he left, assuring her with one of those sideways smiles of his that she didn’t have to read over it tonight. And she’d intended to leave it for tomorrow, she had. But at the last minute she brought it home. For all her declaring she wanted to watch mindless television, she couldn’t make herself care who was stranded on an island or in the running for a recording contract.

And, okay, she’d admit, she was looking forward to tomorrow’s meeting in Columbus with Mr. Henry Townsend. Settling onto her comfy sofa, a find from an estate sale shortly after procuring her apartment, she opened the folder and began to read about the company August Industries had been hired to represent.

Crickitt’s cell phone rang, demanding her attention. She frowned at the unknown number on the screen. Maybe it was a former customer or a wrong number… It rang for the third time before she gave in and answered it. Better to handle it than end up with a voice mail she’d have to deal with later.

“Crickitt,” a silken male voice said after she said hello. “It’s Shane.”

“Hi.” The word sailed out on an exhaled breath, and she’d unintentionally added a second syllable. Maybe he’d assume the husk in her voice was because she’d been sleeping. Which made her imagine being in bed. Which made her wonder if he was. She stood and began pacing across the room. “I, uh, didn’t recognize this number.”

“It’s my home office line,” he said. “I thought I’d given it to you. Listen, I apologize for calling so late, but I forgot to tell you we need to leave early tomorrow morning.”

“I thought the Townsend meeting was in the afternoon,” she said, sifting through the file in search of a time.

“It is, but I have another client in Columbus scheduled in the morning and I want you to sit in on that meeting as well.”

“Oh, okay. No problem.” Nope. Just an entire day of one-on-one time with Shane. No problem at all. It might take extra concentration to keep her eyes from bugging out of her head, and she’d have to keep her voice from having the breathy do me quality it had right now, but she was totally up for it. “I’ll just, um, what time do you need me to be at the office?” she asked, starting off toward her bedroom to find something to wear.

“If it’s all right with you, I’ll swing by and pick you up at your place. How does six a.m. sound?”

Early, she thought, grimacing. “Sounds great.”

“Liar.” His voice lilted, tipping her equilibrium. Was he…teasing her? She could feel the force of his smile in her stomach. “I’ll need to brief you before the first meeting,” he continued. “I thought we’d get to town, have some breakfast, and go over the details then.”

“I’ll be ready,” she promised, hoping she could sit across the table from this man for a second time and not lose her cool. Not that she was all that cool to begin with.

“Great, see you then.” Then he added, “Sweet dreams.”

He hung up and Crickitt stared at her phone until the light went out.

Sweet dreams? If she managed to sleep at all.