Page 22 of Bride By Committee

“No. It’s not—”

His mouth twisted. “Practical?”

“Yes. No.” She closed her eyes in frustration. “I can’t do this, Harry. Ican’t afford to be distracted. Ihave a family to take care of. They depend on me.”

“Your family isn’t going anywhere. Nor are their problems. Do you really think they expect you to spend every waking day taking care of them? Even at the expense of having a life of your own?”

“That’s not the point.”

“You’re right. It’s not.” He closed the distance between them and took her mouth in a lingering kiss. “This is the point.”

“Harry.”

His name escaped in a helpless whisper. This time when he leaned toward her, she met him halfway. Their mouths collided, mated and parted, then mated once more. They were back in the elevator, lost in a moment out of time. She opened to him, welcoming him with everything that was uniquely feminine—asoft sigh of intense pleasure, the eager parting of her lips beneath his, the blossoming of her special scent, the sweep of desire warming the skin beneath his hand. Only her guarded expression warned that her surrender wasn’t a complete one. It was that ultimate reluctance that forced him to releaseher.

“Madison, why are you resisting the idea of having a relationship with me?”

She took a deep, steadying breath that suggested she was more affected by their kiss than she cared to admit. “There are a lot of reasons.”

“Name them.”

She didn’t bother to hide her annoyance. “You’re in your financial advisor mode again,” she accused. “I’m not some sort of problem you can negotiate away.”

“Good. Idon’t negotiate.” He waited until his statement struck home before continuing. “Come on, sweetheart. Tell me the reasons a relationship between us wouldn’t work.”

“All right, fine.” She ticked off on her fingers. “First, there’s your father and my grandmother.”

“How is that a problem?”

“They’re dating. What if it doesn’t work out? It complicates matters between us.”

He dismissed that with a shake of his head. “I handle complicated situations all the time. So do you. Besides, Dad and Sunny are adults. And in case it hasn’t occurred to you, what they choose to do is none of our business.”

Her mouth compressed. “Anything that affects a Sunflower is my business.”

“If I accept that Sunny is in agreement with that statement—and that’s a big if—then there are two possibilities. Either my father and your grandmother will fall in love and marry, in which case they’ll be delighted should we follow their example. Or they’ll eventually part as friends. In which case what happens between us has no bearing on them.”

“How do you know they’ll part friends?” she protested. “That’s not how all relationships end.”

“They do in my family. What else?”

She looked like she wanted to debate his last point some more. No doubt she would have if she felt she had the necessary ammunition. But since she couldn’t refute his claim, she wisely chose to move on. “There’s your father’s book.”

“What about it?”

“I don’t agree with it. Ithink it’s—”

He cut her off without compunction. “I believe we’ve already established what you think.”

“See? I’ve made you angry.”

“I’ll get over it. In answer to your latest concern, Ihave every confidence that you’ll eventually discover the error of your ways.” He offered a wry smile. “After all, we share a similar nature, as you’ve taken pains to point out. And since I’m convinced the book is right, you will, too, given time. What else?”

“I wasn’t finished with my last objection,” she argued. “I have quite a bit to say on the subject.”

“No doubt. But I’ve decided we are finished discussing the book. Move on.”

She snatched up the wine menu and buried her anger in its pages. She wasn’t used to people defying her, he realized. And she didn’t like it. Clearly, the Sunflowers had been too easy-going with her, allowing her autocratic nature free rein. She’d lost the ability to negotiate.

---