The Last Groom On Earth. Kristin James
about her family, which he was never sure were true or not. He had believed the first one, that Angela’s aunt was a famous pianist, and had mentioned something about her to Marina, who had looked at him blankly, then told him that she didn’t have a sister. He had felt a fool and after that he was sure never to repeat anything Angela told him unless someone else had confirmed her story.
A reluctant smile twitched at Bryce’s lips as he remembered her wilder concoctions. No one could ever accuse Angela of lacking imagination. Looking back on it now, he could see that her tricks were merely adolescent buffoonery. Someone with more confidence than he had at the time would have shrugged them off. But he had been a boy from the wrong side of the tracks, with nothing going for him but his brain, and he had wanted desperately to fit in.
Of course, he was nothing like that boy now. He was powerful and confident, used to moving in circles of great wealth. Coming down here, he had told himself that Angela had changed, too, that she would no longer get under his skin. After all, he simply would not allow it.
It had taken him less than five minutes to realize how wrong he had been. Angela Hewitt was as infuriating as ever. Oh, she had changed, all right-changed in a way that made his heart speed up and his loins begin to throb in a most annoying manner. The pudgy girl with a mouth of metal was gone; in her place was a curvaceous woman whose curling mass of red hair made a man want to sink his hands into it. Bryce had found that his eyes returned again and again to Angela’s soft, high breasts—all too visible in that ridiculous costume she had been wearing—and his palms had itched with a desire to follow the curve of her buttocks. Even now he couldn’t keep his mind off her full, soft mouth; his mind had drifted off his presentation figures several times to contemplate exactly how those lips would feel beneath his.
But that intense, vibrant desirability did not ease Bryce’s irritation with her; if anything, it made it even worse. He hated the fact that he had responded physically to a woman who grated so on his nerves. Bryce had never been one who let his hungers intrude on his professional life. It was his policy never to date anyone with whom he worked—employee, boss, or client—and it was a policy from which he had never strayed. Oh, he would notice when a woman in his office or in one of his client’s was exceptionally pretty or sexy. He was, after all, a man, and he was stirred by the sight of long, well-shaped legs or a deliciously curved figure. But it was never more than a passing thought. He noticed it, then dismissed it from his mind. Nor was he ever interested in a woman whom he disliked or who irritated him, at least not for longer than it took for her to get on his nerves.
But today, standing there with Angela Hewitt, irritated as he was by her obstructive, naive attitude, he couldn’t keep his eyes off her, couldn’t help thinking how delightful it would feel to have those legs twined around his back. It was disturbing to have been so attracted yet so annoyed by her. Bryce Richards did not like anything illogical, and his wayward thoughts about Angela certainly did not make sense.
It was just as well, he told himself, that she had not wanted his expertise. It would have been difficult working with the woman, given his conflicting emotions. He would be better off not being in her office—yet it was thoroughly exasperating to have her deny his offer of aid.
There was a knock on the door, and Bryce turned, relieved, thinking that it was room service. He had called them and ordered dinner a few minutes earlier. No doubt much of his turmoil and lack of ability to concentrate was due to the fact that he was hungry. Once he had eaten, he would feel like his old self again.
He opened the door, smiling in anticipation, only to find that the person outside his door was Angela Hewitt. His face fell in disappointment.
“Oh. It’s you.”
“Why, thank you,” Angela returned sarcastically. “Nice to see you, too.”
Bryce grimaced and stepped aside, motioning for her to enter. “I was expecting room service. Besides,” he went on as she walked into the room, “our last meeting did not leave me with a great deal of eagerness to see you again.”
“For Heaven’s sake…” Angela gave an airy wave of her hand and went to the window to look out at the view. “Can’t anyone disagree with you without your holding a grudge?”
Bryce found himself watching the action of her hips beneath her tight jeans as she walked, and that irritated him as much as her words. He closed the door with a snap. “I’m not holding a grudge, I simply hoped I wouldn’t have to see you again.”
Angela turned. “You’re so stuffy. You were stuffy even when you were nineteen.”
“Yes, and you were a pest. I’m sorry to say that you haven’t changed much, either.”
Angela lifted her chin in a defiant gesture. She hated apologizing—and to have to do it to this man, of all people! Gritting her teeth, she said, “I came to tell you that—that I was wrong. This afternoon when you were at our office, I was…”
“Rude?” Bryce suggested.
Angela flashed him a disgusted look and said, “Abrupt. I should not have dismissed your help so peremptorily.”
“Your partners ganged up on you to accept?”
“No. In fact, Tim told me to do whatever I think is best. He and Kelly trust me, you see. However, when I thought about it, I realized that I wasn’t acting in the company’s best interest. I was simply reacting to—” she made a vague gesture toward him “—the past. And my parents. I hate to accept help from them. It confirms their opinion of me.”
Bryce looked puzzled. “And what is their opinion of you?”
Angela gave him a look that indicated that she doubted his mental powers. “That I’m a flake. Ditzy and incompetent. All they see in any business is numbers, and they know how I am with those. So they figure that I’m bound to fail.”
“I don’t get that impression from them. I think they’re rather proud of you and your success, actually.”
Angela stared. “Are you sure you’re talking about my parents? Everett and Marina Hewitt?”
A faint smile touched Bryce’s lips. “Yes, I believe those are the ones.”
“I think you’re mistaken.”
“No. I imagine I know them a lot better than you. They may not understand you or what you do—”
Angela let out a dry chuckle. “That’s the understatement of all time.”
“—but they love you and are very proud of you. That’s why they’re concerned about this problem with the IRS.”
“Yes. My little problem.” Angela made a disgusted face and turned away to gaze out the window again.
When it appeared that she was going to say nothing else, Bryce prompted, “How did you find me?”
“I called Mother. She told me you always stayed here when you were in Raleigh, and she said you planned to spend the night because you had a presentation to CompCon in the morning. They’re a good company, by the way, but you have to handle Jason Willard with kid gloves.”
He gave her a stiff little bow of his head. “Thank you for the advice.”
“You’re welcome,” Angela replied, ignoring the note of sarcasm in his voice. She crossed her arms and looked at him.
Standing outside Bryce’s door, her stomach had been jittery with nerves. But now, seeing the mulish expression on his face, Angela felt, perversely, more relaxed. Bryce obviously did not like her being here. That fact made it easier for her to admit that she needed his help.
“Anyway,” she said, sitting down and crossing her legs, “I’m sorry. I thought about what you’d said, and Tim and Kelly and I talked it over. I decided I had been wrong to turn down your offer.” She gazed up at him a little defiantly, more as if she were being scolded than admitting that she had made a mistake. Bryce found it strangely appealing.
“I came to ask you if your