himself, and he would guard her better than any mythical dragon had ever guarded its pile of gold.
His last thought later that night as he fell asleep with Rebecca beside him was that he would wait a little longer than he had planned to tell her everything. Tomorrow was too soon. She was too nervous now about how the news of their affair would be received at the office. She needed time to adjust to the relationship and to her new life with him.
And he thought he had a little more time to spare. After all, he was way ahead of the lawyers who were looking for Rebecca Wade. He’d gotten lucky, naturally. He’d turned her up almost immediately once he’d started hunting for her.
The law firm was in no hurry. It would probably spend a few more weeks searching for her.
Yes, he had time. And he had the Stockbridge luck. He could afford to coast for a while and enjoy being loved by Rebecca Wade. By the time he got around to telling her the truth, she would be too deeply committed to him to care why he had come looking for her in the first place.
THREE
For the next ten days Kyle indulged himself completely in the myriad pleasures of living with Rebecca. He discovered he thrived on a real home life. It was the first time he had ever really experienced such a phenomenon and the quiet thrill of it all amazed him. He started leaving the office at five o’clock along with the rest of his staff for the first time since he had founded Flaming Luck Enterprises.
Kyle also discovered the rare pleasure of talking to a woman who understood him. Rebecca shared the day’s events with him, bringing her insight and perspective to the after-work discussions that were held in his living room over a glass of wine.
Sometimes she chided him, and sometimes she applauded his business prowess. She frequently offered suggestions and was not backward about arguing a point.
Kyle liked the stimulation of talking business with Rebecca. He was not accustomed to confiding in a woman or anyone else for that matter, but he began to learn that doing so after a long day’s work was a relief. Everything in his life seemed a little lighter around Rebecca.
Most amazing of all was that he was gaining a new perspective on the role of business itself in his world. He was learning that there were other priorities in life. Making love to Rebecca was at the top of the list.
On Thursday he was forced to leave town on a business trip that had been scheduled weeks in advance. The thought of being away from Rebecca for even one night disturbed him. He stopped by her office that afternoon on his way to catch the plane.
„Are you sure you don’t want to come with me?“ he demanded.
She smiled. „Kyle, we’ve already been through this. You need me here to coordinate the final stages of the Jennings-Hutton deal, remember? You said so yourself.“
He swore softly and scowled. „I know. Damn it, I wish I could cancel this trip.“
„You’ll only be away one night,“ she pointed out gently.
He looked at her, unable to explain how crucial every single night was when a man was living on borrowed time. He had no way of knowing when the lawyers were going to catch up with her and he didn’t want to waste a minute.
„What are you going to do while I’m gone?“ he asked.
„Go out partying with the boys from marketing, I think,“ she said musingly.
„You’re going to do what?“ He saw red for an instant. And then he saw the teasing laughter in her amber eyes.
„Baby, don’t ever make jokes like that, okay? It’s dangerous.“
„For who?“
„Guess,“ he retorted succinctly. „Now tell me the truth. What are you going to do tonight?“
„Go home, have a drink, have dinner and read that new thriller I bought the other day.“
He nodded in satisfaction. „That’s better. I’m going to miss you, Becky.“
„I’ll miss you, too.“ She got up from behind her desk and came around to slip into his arms. „Call me as soon as you get to the