“You don’t need to walk me to the door,” she said. “I can find my own way.”
“Tonight you’re my date. That doesn’t end until you’re safely inside your home.” His hand rode at her waist as he walked her up the concrete path to the front porch. She couldn’t suppress the flutter in her stomach. When Kenzie turned to look at him, his eyes, a fierce cobalt blue, held a trace of something she had never seen before. Heat, she realized, the unmistakable glitter of desire.
He blinked and it was gone.
Or maybe she had only imagined it.
“I know attending a benefit with your assistant wasn’t your favorite thing to do,” she said. “But it was still a very nice evening.”
He took a step back, his face in shadow. In her dream, he had leaned down and kissed her.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” He moved even farther away. “Good night, Kenzie.”
“Good night, Reese.”
She watched him walk away, shoulders wide, long strides eating up the ground beneath his black patent shoes. An unexpected yearning moved through her.
Get a grip, Kenzie. You’re just an employee. And even if tonight had been a real date, even if she had broken all the rules and kissed him, even seduced him, she would just be another of his women. Reese was never interested in more than a brief affair.
She sighed as she climbed the stairs to her empty bedroom. Tomorrow was another day. Everything would be back to normal.
But as she lay in bed, she thought of Reese and the hot look in his eyes and couldn’t fall asleep.
EIGHT
The twice-monthly staff meeting Reese presided over had just come to an end. VPs from every department—Finance, Human Resources, Marketing, Sales, and Promotion—had all presented an update report.
As CEO, it was his job to set the strategy and direction of the company. To do that, he had to know what was going on with their top competitors, which markets to enter, how much capital was needed to expand company profits, and a well of other information. It was challenging, but a job he was good at.
Better than good, when he kept his mind focused on work.
Unfortunately, his thoughts had been scattered since the night of the benefit. It was past time he stopped thinking of Kenzie as a woman, remembering how beautiful she had looked that night. Kenzie was a valued employee, one he admired and respected. That was the way things had to remain.
Since he was a master at controlling his emotions, he knew he could do it. He’d already started distancing himself, getting himself back on track.
Still, as he left the conference room on the way to his office and saw a man in a cheap brown suit handing her a manila envelope, he changed course and headed in that direction.
“What’s going on?” he asked, not liking the pale color of her face as she stared at the documents she had taken from inside.
“Good luck, Mrs. Haines,” the man in the suit called out. Turning, he walked away. Kenzie looked up at Reese, her expression bleak.
“That was a process server. Lee filed for full custody of Griffin.”
Reese clamped down on a surge of anger, disliking Lee Haines more than ever. “On what grounds?”
“Not complying with the terms of the original custody agreement. When we divorced, I was only working part-time. Then the money from the settlement began to run out and I started a full-time job. In March I took the job here, working for Garrett Resources. It’s a full work week plus occasional overtime.”
“We can figure that out. If you need more time with your family—”
Kenzie shook her head. “That’s not it. Not really. You already make concessions most employers wouldn’t. The truth is Lee doesn’t care how many hours I work. Nor is he interested in actually raising his son. Something’s up. I know it. You saw him at the hospital. Lee’s barely a father to Griff.”
“What is it, then?”
“I’m not sure, but...” She glanced at the sheaf of court documents in her hand. “Lee’s brother, Daniel, is a Louisiana state senator. I think Arthur wants Lee to run for the senate here in Texas.”
Reese liked Arthur Haines even less than Lee. “What’s that got to do with Griff?”
“I remember Arthur talking about it during the divorce. He begged me not to leave his son. Even then Arthur had political ambitions for Lee. Being a divorced man isn’t good for a candidate. But a single father raising a young boy would have great voter appeal. Arthur probably believes it’ll give Lee the edge he needs to win.”
“How’s Arthur’s relationship with his grandson?”
She sighed. “Griff barely knows him. He isn’t a kid kind of guy.”
Reese tipped his head toward his office. “Let’s go inside where we can talk.”
Kenzie walked ahead of him and he closed the door behind them. “I know a good attorney. One of the best in Dallas. He can handle this, make sure you don’t lose custody. He’s expensive but you don’t have to worry, I’ll take care of it.”
She started shaking her head. “You can’t possibly mean to pay for my lawyer.”
“You need help. That’s what people do. They help each other.”
“I can’t. People might talk. It might cause problems for you. I’m not willing to take the chance.”
“Listen to me, dammit. It’s okay to let people in once in a while. It isn’t charity. It’s just being a friend.”
Her pretty golden eyes filled, and his chest tightened. “Griff needs you, Kenzie. Let me help you.”
She turned away, walked slowly over to the window and just stood there looking down at the people on the street, the same line of protesters who had been there last week.
With a shuddering breath, she walked back. “Call him. I don’t want to lose my son. I don’t have any choice.”
Reese worked to keep his voice even. “His name’s Drew Wilcox. He’s with Wilcox, Sullivan, and Boyle. I’ll phone him, tell him you’ll be in touch. You can set up a meeting in your home. That way he can meet Griff and your grandmother, see where you live.”
Resigned, she nodded. “Okay.”
“Don’t worry. Whatever Lee does, we’re not going to let him win.”
Kenzie looked up at him and something moved across her features. “Thank you.”
“You can thank me when this is over.” Heading to his desk, he forced his mind away from Kenzie and her problems, which shouldn’t in any way be his yet somehow felt as if they were.