More than the way her yellow t-shirt had clung to her small but tempting endowments, or how her jeans had been tight in all the right places-what had driven his blood pressure higher had been the bold challenge in her eyes. He’d never been the type of man who reached out, grabbed with passion, and took. But that night, he’d wanted to be.

Instead, he’d adjusted his tie and cleared his throat. “Then I suggest you beat my score or risk the same fate.”

She’d continued to assess him, shaking her head slightly. “I don’t get you. I mean, aren’t you Dominic’s second in command?”

The memory of that comment elicited the same tight smile it had the first time he’d heard it. “Something like that.”

“Don’t you mind babysitting me?”

Her question had highlighted the heart of the problem.

He should.

His business partner was having a very public breakdown in the middle of one of the most important business deals in the history of their company. He should have accompanied Dominic to China and ensured that his current altered state of mind didn’t leave him open to manipulation.

Instead he’d allowed Dominic to sidetrack him with a trip to Boston.

A trip that should have ended after he’d ascertained Lil’s safety from the security detail that Dominic had sent to watch her. However, something had happened when she’d opened the door of her house, baby on one hip, long rebellious tendrils framing her naturally beautiful face. He’d felt the floor sway beneath his usually steady feet.

Her growing irritation with him as he’d explained who he was had taken him by surprise; as had her blatant desire for him to leave. He wasn’t accustomed to women dismissing him quite so easily. Feeling a bit like he was peddling something door to door, he’d almost failed to gain entry to her house.

And he’d enjoyed every moment of it.

Her irritation had returned with force at the bowling alley, but had softened to include a semi-apology. “Sorry, I shouldn’t take my bad mood out on you, but I am perfectly capable of surviving a few days without my sister. Wasn’t the nanny enough? How much supervision does she think I need?” When he’d opened his mouth to say something, she’d said, “Don’t answer that. It was a rhetorical question.”