CONNOR STARED AFTER Rebecca, wondering why in the world he continued to pursue such a stubborn woman when she managed to cut down every advance he made toward her.

The answer came easily, as it always did when he asked himself this question. Which was much too often.

An intense attraction and sexual tension swirled between them, though he couldn’t blame his lasting interest in her on those things. She was classically pretty, with nothing flashy or artificial about her, which he liked. What you saw with Rebecca was exactly what you got. Yet that wasn’t what reeled him in and kept him hooked either.

It was other traits and qualities he’d seen throughout the years-her honesty, inner strength, and loyalty-that made him a glutton for punishment, in hopes that one day she’d give him a chance.

Today was not going to be that day, he thought with a resigned sigh.

“You’re smitten with her, aren’t you?”

Connor returned his attention to the woman behind the counter and grinned wryly. “Am I that obvious?” Or was he just incredibly pathetic?

“To someone who knows what to look for, yes,” Ellie said, as if she had knowledge of such things. “She’s attracted to you, too, but she’s not willing to admit it, is she?”

“She’s definitely been a tough one to crack.” But that, too, made Rebecca very appealing to him, despite her reasons for keeping him at arm’s length. She wasn’t like the other women who took one look at his millionaire status, along with his title as San Francisco’s most eligible bachelor, and decided that they were going to become a permanent fixture in his life. Instead, she was the first female who wasn’t influenced by his money. Her lack of interest was a refreshing change and only added to his reasons for being so attracted to her.