A Change of Strategy

“What the hell are you talking about, Haven?” I’m so angry right now that I manage to push him off with force. “Do you think this is some kind of competition? That I’m a prize to be fought over? That you two can play with me to see who takes the trophy?”

“No.” He takes a step toward me, but I take one back. “I didn’t mean that, Debra. I’m sorry.”

“Well, that’s what it sounded like.”

“Joe is… Well, you said it yourself: he’s a great guy,” he tries to explain.

I can see how frustrated he is, running his hands through his hair nonstop, but that doesn’t diminish my anger.

“He’s more worldly than me and better with people.

Nobody can resist his natural charm. If he likes you, there’s nothing I can do.

He’ll win your trust first and then your interest. And well…

it seems like every time I open my mouth I make things worse with you, so when I saw you with him tonight… ”

For a moment I don’t know what to say. I don’t want him to know that Joe doesn’t hold a candle to him as far as I’m concerned, because I shouldn’t encourage him to keep pushing, even though his friend would lose if I had to choose between them.

I need us to stay as professional as possible while we work together so he’ll help me with his father, so telling him the truth wouldn’t help.

However, I don’t like seeing the way he puts himself down.

And just when I’ve figured out how to show him Joe doesn’t interest me that way—without giving him false hope—my mind betrays me and I end up saying exactly what I don’t want Haven to know: how much it bothered me to see him with the redhead.

“Inviting another woman to dinner at the same restaurant where you knew I’d be wasn’t exactly a stellar strategy if what you were trying to do was convince me that going out with you was better than going out with anyone else.”

“I’ll admit that using her makes me look like a jerk—to her and to you.” His answer surprises me. “But I needed an excuse to show up at the restaurant without my intentions being too obvious. We got off work late and at the time it seemed like a good idea.”

“What intentions?” I raise an eyebrow.

“I wanted to know who you were having dinner with.”

“Leading Matilda on isn’t going to help you,” I say, hesitant.

“It’s not the first time we’ve had dinner together when we run out of time. I do it to make up for the overtime because right now we’re not in great shape budget-wise, as you know. But it doesn’t mean anything.”

“She doesn’t see it that way.”

“I told her a long time ago that there could never be anything between us. It’s not my fault if she keeps getting her hopes up.” He takes a step toward me. “I don’t know what else to do, short of cutting her off completely, to make her understand that my hopes lie elsewhere.”

“Well, they shouldn’t be there either.” And yet, despite what I’m saying, this time I don’t pull away when he moves in my direction again.

“I can be professional while we’re at the factory,” he promises. “Even when we’re negotiating. Professional and objective. My father is reluctant to sell, but I’m more of a realist. If he doesn’t do it, the company will go under.”

“Talk to him—a sale isn’t necessary. Make—”

“No.” He places a finger over my mouth. “We’ll discuss that tomorrow.”

“In that case, good night, Haven.” I step back.

“Don’t wish me one yet.” He advances a couple of steps until his arm encircles my waist. “I plan to wake up next to you.”

I don’t have time to refuse. His free hand grips the back of my neck and pulls my mouth against his in a possessive kiss that scorches my lips.

Once he touches me, I’m incapable of resisting him and he knows it.

He exploits it to his advantage and, before I can predict what he’ll do, he’s dragged me inside the inn without caring if anyone sees us.

At this point, I don’t care either. All I want is to tear his clothes off and taste his body one more time.

So much for my resolve not to sleep together again.

“You’re my downfall,” he whispers in my ear.

And you’re mine, I think.

Once in my room, he places me against the wall and makes me spread my legs, sliding one of his between them.

My hands cling to it as he runs his hands over my body as if frisking me.

It’s scorching the way he frees me from my clothes piece by piece, leaving kisses on that sensitive spot he knows so well, and it’s slow—so damnably slow—that I tremble with desire.

“Don’t torture me anymore, Haven,” I beg when I try to turn around and touch him and he won’t let me.

“Say it again.” He presses against me and I discover he’s naked. I don’t know when or how he managed it because my mind can’t think clearly right now. “Say my name again, morena.”

“Haven.” It comes out as a moan because he’s already kissing my back while one hand plays with my breast and the other slides down my belly to slip between my legs. “Oh, God. Haven.”

I scream—I can’t help it. And I don’t care if anyone can hear. Haven is wreaking havoc on my body and I need to express it somehow. His fingers play with my apex and I feel the pressure building inside me, but I don’t want to come without him. I don’t want to do it alone.

“Please,” I beg him.

“Later,” he promises, understanding me. “Now come for me, Debra. Please.”

I moan hard when strong tremors ripple through my body. He presses closer against me and I feel the pressure of his cock against my ass. He’s so aroused that if I touch him I know he won’t last. My hand searches for him blindly and he gasps when I find him.

“My turn,” I tell him, trying to face him, but he won’t allow it.

He catches my hand and places it back on the wall.

His other hand grips my waist to tilt me forward and he enters me hard and all the way in.

A deep growl, almost primal, tears from his throat and he moves fast over me without giving me time to recover from the orgasm.

I feel his body slam into mine with each thrust. It’s savage, almost animal, but I discover I like it.

“Come on,” he whispers gutturally. “Do it again, morena. Come with me.”

I don’t need much more than his friction inside me and a finger stroking my swollen clit to reach the peak again.

This time Haven joins me, as I wanted from the start.

It’s liberating and exhausting, but deeply satisfying.

Before our legs can give out, he carries me to the bed and we collapse onto it, still entwined.

“And here I was planning to go slow tonight.” He laughs against my neck, his breathing still ragged. “You make me lose all control, Debra.”

“At least I’m not alone in this,” I confess.

There’s no point anymore in trying to convince him I don’t want what’s happening between us, because I’ve just proven I’m incapable of resisting him.

He turns me to face him before speaking:

“I swear it won’t interfere with work.”

“It doesn’t matter,” I sigh, covering my eyes with my arm, “because if your father keeps refusing to listen to me, there’ll be nothing to negotiate.”

“You won’t get through to him with figures and statistics.” He traces circles on my stomach as he talks. “My father is a sentimental man. You’ll have to reach him as a person first if you want him to take your proposals seriously.”

“What do you suggest?” I look at him, curious. “Because I don’t think he’s going to invite me over for a day at his house to get to know each other better. He can barely stand me at work…”

“He won’t.” He grins mischievously. “But I can, and on Saturday we’re having a barbecue at his place.”

“I can’t picture your father doing that.”

“He’s great at the grill,” he assures me.

“Every Saturday we used to get together with the Tiptons. Sometimes they’d come to ours and other times we’d go to theirs, but he always did the cooking.

After my mother’s death, he decided the barbecues had to stop.

But when Joe comes to town, we gather to reminisce and catch up.

Joe has always been like a son to my father. ”

His expression darkens for a moment as he says this and I can imagine where his thoughts are going. After how insecure he showed himself to be about his friend, I sense there’s another story behind all of this.

“What happened between you and Joe?”

“What do you mean?”

“That you feel insecure around him. Is it only about women or is it something bigger?”

“Don’t go there, Debra.” His jaw tightens.

“Why not? Is it that hard to answer? It’s a simple question.”

“Drop it,” he warns me.

“Oh, lovely. So we can have hot sex to convince me to give you a chance,” I say, annoyed, “but we can’t talk about private matters. That really earns you points with me, Haven.”

When I try to get up, he pulls me back down beside him. His mouth seeks mine and doesn’t release me until we’re both struggling to breathe. I don’t like him trying to control me with sex, but I don’t get the chance to tell him because he starts talking:

“My father always compared us, ever since we were little.” He won’t even look me in the eye, as if ashamed of what he’s about to tell me.

“He used to say Joe was better than me at everything and that I should learn from him. He said Joe would go far because he was ambitious and that I’d be a nobody if I didn’t try as hard as he did. ”

“I see. Now he works in the city, where he’s doing brilliantly, and you’re stuck in a town, in a company that’s going under.”

He doesn’t say anything, but he doesn’t look at me either, which confirms my suspicions.

I remember Joe telling me he’d tried to take Haven with him on more than one occasion because he was wasting his talent here, but that Haven refused to leave his father.

His grandmother told me the same thing and I believed it.

But now, after what Haven has told me, I’m no longer so sure that’s the main reason he won’t leave.

“Listen.” I make him look at me. “You’re not worse than Joe and you’re not a nobody. You are whoever you choose to be, Haven. Don’t give your father’s words power—don’t let him be right.”

“I’m not going to abandon him, Debra,” he insists, shaking his head. “My father needs me.”

“Isn’t that an excuse not to leave town and face new challenges?” I suggest.

“I won’t deny I resent my father for what he’s done my whole life.

And it’s possible I believe Joe is better than me in many ways.

But I’m not afraid of challenges. I’m not scared of facing new situations or failing, if that’s what you think.

I know I could find a good job in the city and succeed doing what I love.

I know that. But my father is all I have left and I’m all he has left.

I’m not going to abandon him. Especially not when his life is falling apart for the second time. ”

It’s clear Haven feels responsible for his father and the family business, so—even though I promised myself never to mix business and pleasure—after his words, I’m more than willing to change my strategy and get his father to sign the contract so that he no longer needs his son by his side.

If I have to lower Whittemore Corporation’s demands so Barnaby Odell gets a better deal, I’ll do it.

To hell with professionalism. Haven deserves to be free to choose what to do and how to live his life.

I won’t let him wither away fulfilling obligations he should never have taken on.

Children aren’t meant to chase their parents’ dreams—they’re meant to have their own.

I’ll offer Haven the chance to decide. I don’t care if he’d rather stay in town or move to the city, as long as it’s what he wants and not what his sense of duty demands.

Our company will have to settle for whatever I can get them this time because I’m not going to sacrifice Haven’s future for a better business deal.

By the time we sign—and we will—he’ll have control of his life back. And I know exactly where to start.

“When did you say that barbecue was?”

“You’ll come?” He props himself up on one arm and looks at me with a smile.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“I’ll pick you up Saturday mid-morning.”

“Should I bring anything to impress your father?”

“Not necessary.”

“Good.” I push him onto his back on the bed and straddle him. “Now that that’s settled, someone promised to wake up next to me. And I don’t plan on doing it by sleeping.”

“Don’t worry.” He smiles again. “I’ll keep you awake.”

“No, Haven.” I place a hand on his chest to keep him from sitting up. “I’m going to keep you awake.”

I lean down and kiss him. I intend to give him a night he won’t forget for a long time.