Only You by Francis Ray Page B

that.”
    Congratulations continued from others in the room, but not from Blade. He remained apart. He and the two men with him stood like sentries or guards, unsmiling, alert. Shane, Blade’s shadow, looked bored. You couldn’t tell what the other man thought.
    “Let’s toast the winner,” John suggested, and lifted his glass.
    Sierra dutifully lifted her glass. If Blade wanted to forget what had happened, hoped that she might forget, so be it. If he could ignore her, she could return the favor.
    “Sierra Grayson. Congratulations and continued success as the newest Navarone employee,” John said.
    Sierra touched her glass with those around her. John Perry might have welcomed her, but Blade apparently didn’t.
    Telling everyone she wanted to call her family, Sierra was the first to leave the private dinner. She was tired of trying to keep from looking at Blade. In her room, she called her mother, did three-ways until she’d talked to all her family. Next she’d called Daniel and then Dominique. Sierra had just hung up from speaking with her cousin when there was a knock on her door.
    Her skin prickled. Blade. She didn’t have a doubt in the world. Tossing her hair back behind her shoulder in an unconscious challenge, she went to answer the door.
    “Hello, Blade. Was there something else?” she asked, pleased that her voice was steady, although shivers raced through her. Was there ever any man more magnificent or alluring or dangerous to a woman’s peace of mind, not to mention other parts of her body?
    “You’re a hard woman to forget.” Stepping across the threshold, he closed the door behind him.
    “Having me around is not going to make it any easier,” she replied evenly, although she was doing handsprings in her mind. She didn’t think much worried Blade, though he looked worried now.
    Blade wasn’t surprised she had figured out that he was the one behind her being here. “I gave John your name, but you could have lost.”
    Sierra shot him a look of disbelief and tsked. “I’ve lost few things in my life that I have gone after.”
    His fingers trailed down the flawless skin on her cheek. He felt her tremble. “Does that include me?”
    She angled her head in a familiar thoughtful gesture. “I’m still weighing the cost.”
    Smart and outspoken. So was he. “Me, too. Whatever happens between us won’t be easy,” he said.
    Her eyes watching him didn’t falter. He’d been right: she was a strong, fearless woman, and that could present a problem. He’d just have to make sure she remained safe. He wouldn’t be caught off guard again. “I don’t imagine it will be,” she finally told him.
    As he took her slim hand in his, Blade’s thumb glided over the erratic pulse in her wrist, while he thought of putting his lips there, and on the tempting swell of her breasts over the V of the jeweled gown. “Tomorrow you will be moved to Navarone Place. I will be there as well.”
    Her pulse leaped under his thumb. Her black eyes widened. Fear or anticipation, he couldn’t tell.
    “You’ll move into one of the furnished units on the fourth floor. You don’t have to worry about packing or unpacking. A maid will do it for you and be at your disposal during your entire stay,” he continued smoothly, making it sound simple when both knew it wasn’t. “Would you have breakfast with me in the morning? If you accept, Martin will be beside himself.”
    “Good bribe, but I think you’ve forgotten something,” she said, watching his brow knit. “The bet. Pay up.”
    “Sierra—”
    “You can give it willingly or else I’ll be forced to resort to underhanded techniques,” she said, interrupting him.
    He looked at her with suspicion. “What?”
    She walked around him, enjoying the way he had tensed. He wasn’t quite sure what to expect from her. Good. She felt the same way about him. “Pay up or suffer the consequences.”
    “Sierra, I can’t smile on demand,” he said, a bit annoyed.
    She