Free A Sweet Deal (Crimson Romance) by Monica Tillery Page A

threat to his business and he didn’t want any part of her. Not even her shapely curves, her lush backside, or the exquisite depths of her mouth. Yvette Cruz was officially off his radar as far as he was concerned, so when the phone calls started coming from her office last week, his assistant was given strict orders to refuse all her efforts to connect.
    “What does she want?”
    “She won’t say, sir. She’ll only speak directly to you.” Chloe seemed stuck between following Richard’s directives and admitting Yvette to his office just to put an end to the uncomfortable tension.
    He briefly considered having Yvette removed by security, but that seemed a bit extreme. Besides, he doubted that even that would dissuade her. She was clearly a woman on a mission, and he could make her leave today, but she’d surely continue to return until she got her audience. He refused to admit that a part of him wanted to see her again, longed for one more night with her even.
    He sighed; what good was an assistant who couldn’t even keep unwanted visitors from darkening his doorstep? Having seen Yvette in action, though, he knew that Chloe was no match for her. She had won him over when he was determined to stay far away from her after all, and he wasn’t a man who was easily persuaded. Might as well see her and get it over with.
    “Fine, see her in.” Surely the surge of adrenaline was his body’s way of preparing for potential battle, not anything to do with attraction.
    Visibly relieved to be dismissed without further discussion, Chloe scurried out of the office so fast she nearly tripped over her own feet. Yvette walked in, and he could instantly tell that this wasn’t a professional visit. Something was different about her. The confident gleam in her eyes was gone; the sexy sashay was missing from her step. She was still achingly beautiful, reminding him of an exotic jewel in the crimson dress so fitted it could have been painted on her delicate frame, but there was more. Something in her had changed, and he saw a vulnerability that hadn’t been there before.
    “Come on in and have a seat.” He indicated the chairs in front of his desk and watched as she crossed the room to sit down. She seemed to be carrying herself differently. The change was probably indiscernible to most people. Most people weren’t as unwittingly attuned to her as he was, though. Most people didn’t spend days and nights distracted by thoughts of her.
    “I’m sorry for barging in like this, but you haven’t returned any of my calls.” She held her head high, and her voice was clear and confident.
    “We have nothing more to talk about. Our agreement was to have no further contact. I thought you understood my reasoning, even if you didn’t agree with it. As much as I enjoyed our time together, we simply can’t be together.” He was thankful for his desk, glad to have a solid barrier between them. He wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch her, and that would most certainly send a mixed message.
    “I realize that—”
    He held up a hand to cut her off. “I can’t stop my father from taking meetings with you, but I was dead serious when I said that I would do everything within my power to keep him from selling to Saffron. There’s nothing that will convince me to change my mind. Quite frankly, I’m surprised that you would go to such lengths to continue on this course.”
    “I haven’t met with Michael again. I need to speak with you, and only you.” Her increasing frustration was evident. Her eyes flashed in irritation, her gorgeous mouth was set in an impatient line. She was sexy even when she was flustered.
    “Like I said, there’s nothing more for us to discuss. I’m sorry that you came all the way over here, but my assistant will see you out.” He leaned over his desk to buzz Chloe. He needed to get her out of here before he gave in to the desire to keep her close to him.
    “I’m pregnant!”
    Richard stopped, his