Page 45 of Second Time Around

“You had to put your dreams on hold again,” Will said.

“I gave up on my dreams.” Or maybe that had come later, when she’d discovered all the credit card bills her mother had accumulated in her efforts to ward off the terror of her impending death.

“We all need dreams,” he said. “Or life becomes drudgery.”

Her dream was to write “paid in full” on all her mother’s debts. Then she could begin to build her own life again. She shook her head. “I’m happy. I have two good jobs and a cozy place to live. What more does anyone need?”

He raised his eyebrows. “Some people might find that satisfying.”

“And I’m one of them.” She said it firmly so that he knew the topic was closed on her end. “What’syourdream? You’ve already become a titan of industry.”

He picked up a clean fork and twirled it between his fingers, his gaze on the spinning tines. “That was never my dream. It was just a giant middle finger to my father and the law.”

“Interesting motivation, but it carried you to the top.”

“But now that I’m there”—he lifted his eyes to hers, letting her see the dissatisfaction in them—“the top feels empty. Because it was not my real destination.”

“The good news is that you can do anything you want to now. You have all the resources.”

“I’m responsible for thousands of people’s jobs in multiple countries. I can’t just walk away.”

“You have a management team, don’t you? Can’t they run the company?”

His lips curled in a dark smile. “No one’s irreplaceable? Of course they can and do run the company day to day. They just can’t grow it. I have access to the financial resources. And companies are like great white sharks ... if they aren’t moving, they die.” He flipped the fork again. “I’m trying to get Cronus Holdings into a position where the cash flow will fund future expansion. It’s just not there yet.”

“But you have a plan.” In some ways, his predicament wasn’t all that different from hers. It was just on a much larger scale.

“Several,” he said. “But they take time, and I find myself suddenly impatient.”

“Why suddenly?”

She was annoyed by the interruption as another course was served.

“Chicken poached with black truffle and asparagus,” the maître d’ intoned.

The rich, earthy aroma of truffles caught her attention, and she closed her eyes to inhale the expensive fragrance.

“You know truffles are considered an aphrodisiac.” Will’s voice held a note of provocation.

She opened her eyes to find his gaze focused on her. “Did you request that they be included on the menu?” she asked.

“I don’t need an aphrodisiac when I’m with you.”

“Aphrodisiacs aren’t just for men.” Arousal rippled through her but it had nothing to do with food. She took a bite of the chicken and groaned out loud as the tender poultry melted in her mouth and released a cloud of earthy, sexy truffle. “This is so good I never want to eat anything else for the rest of my life.”

“The chef will be very disappointed since there are eight more courses with the appropriate wines to come.” He took his own first taste and nodded. “I see what you mean.”

Kyra ate another bite, enjoying it just as much as the first. “It’s hard to concentrate on conversation when the food is so distractingly delicious. However, I haven’t forgotten my question.”

“I haven’t either. I’m just not sure I want to answer it.” His tone was dry.

“Aha! A secret to pry out of you. Let me think of what leverage I might have.” She dipped her fingertip in the small smear of sauce that remained on her plate and licked the exquisite flavor from her skin. It was so good, she forgot that she was teasing him and did it again.

“Stop!” he commanded. “Unless you don’t want to taste any more courses.”

She looked at him to find his jaw tight and his gaze fastened on her mouth. She ran her tongue over her lips and was rewarded by a guttural noise deep in his throat. “Will you answer my question?”

“That depends on what I’ll get for it,” he said.