CHAPTER THREE

SO RINA CLAIMED the makeup was part of her experiment for her column? Like hell, Colin thought. He'd prefer to think it had something to do with him.

It was no secret he'd been attracted to her from day one, but he hadn't known anything about her. In one brief talk he'd learned plenty. She'd shocked him by being so down-to-earth and understanding, so interested in his life and his past. He'd turned, intending to thank her. Instead, he'd been surprised by her new look. Rina didn't need makeup to turn him on. But he couldn't deny that her newly made-up face, glowing skin and full, pink, made-to-be-kissed lips had entranced him anyway. And he wanted to taste that glossy pout again now.

Ever since he'd let down his guard for that kiss, he'd been in a constant state of arousal. And from the minute he'd seen her today, long strands of hair hanging down her back, he'd wanted her even more. Unbelievable but true. He swallowed a groan, feeling as though he'd been sucker punched, because it didn't end there. When she'd let down her guard enough to listen to his problems, lust had turned to something a little more. She'd crept under his skin.

She was the first woman who'd affected him on a gut level. Even now, back at their desks, his horizontally next to hers, they sat in aware silence. Every so often, she'd glance his way, her eyes opened wider than usual. And even through the eyeglass lenses, their golden sparkle twinkled at him, extending an invitation, one he wondered whether she was even aware of issuing.

Though he should have invited her to Emma's party as a means to feel her out on the subject of Corinne, his initial reasoning had been far different. He'd be damned if he'd let her spend the holidays alone in a new town, no family, few friends. Not after she'd been there for him at the awful moment he'd been forced to acknowledge Corinne's expensively decorated tree.

When was the last time he'd trusted a woman with his feelings? Certainly his ex-wife, Julie, had taught him the pain inherent in sharing and the benefit of accounting to no one. After his parents died, travel had always beckoned to him. It didn't take a shrink to figure out that he was running from the pain, but there wasn't a damn thing he could do about his overwhelming desire to go.

As he matured, he'd realized that he could do some good by combining travel with his journalistic talent and bring world news back home. When Julie had cheated on him, leaving him emotionally, as well as physically, just as his parents had, it was time to move on. Colin had quit his day job and left the country.

He'd never gotten close to another woman since, yet here he was, sharing his pain with Rina, a woman he barely knew. Ironically, he felt as if she understood him better than Julie ever had. But he had a paper to save and he couldn't forget his mission again. Couldn't let his goal drop in favor of enjoying Rina's warm, giving personality or sexy new look. If the time seemed right to question her about Corinne, he'd damn well better do it, since he had a phone message on his answering machine from the CEO of Fortune's Inc., asking about progress. In reality, the clock was ticking down.

And psychologically, the situation settled on Colin's shoulders in a different way. Both Ron Gold, the lender, and Bert Hartmann, head of Fortune's, were old friends of Joe's and had helped him fund the paper back in its early days. Hartmann currently brought in a huge chunk of change for the paper every year, and the Times couldn't afford to lose the company's support. Nor did Colin want to disappoint Joe and have him come back to a sunken ship and lost respect in the eyes of his colleagues. Colin was determined. If nothing else, the Times would be on the road to recovery by the time Joe left the hospital.

"'Tis the season to be jolly, fa-la-la-la-la, la-la, la-la." A distinctive, high-pitched voice traveled into the room, and Colin cringed as Corinne, decked out in a sable coat that he knew hadn't come cheap, sauntered through the place.

She swirled through, dispensing tinsel in her wake, and he picked a gold strand off his black sweater. "I've come to invite you all to a Christmas party," she said.

Her voice grated on his nerves. So did her words. "Emma's family is having a party Saturday night." His objective was to bail out the paper. He didn't need her spending any more cash they didn't have. "We're all invited, so why don't you save money and celebrate there?"

"Oh, don't be a spoilsport, Colin," Rina said. "It's nice of Corinne to want to show her employees holiday spirit and a good time."

Which cemented for him whose side Rina was on. Of course, he doubted Corinne had informed her of the paper's precarious financial position. He couldn't fault Rina for having holiday spirit and let her comment slide. But after their talk today, Colin understood Rina a little better, too. She hadn't grown up wealthy. That put him in a better position to appeal to her regarding Corinne's excessive spending-once he felt more sure she'd trust where his interests lay.

"Rina's right." Corinne smiled and readjusted the collar of her coat. "I'm glad to see someone here appreciates me."

"Don't kid yourself, Corinne. I appreciate you and everything you stand for," Colin muttered.

Rina coughed and he glanced over. Her eyebrows were raised but she said nothing.

Intelligent and circumspect, she'd obviously picked up the undercurrents and decided to let things play out without interrupting.

"Everyone, listen." Corinne clapped her hands and all heads lifted from computer screens, keyboards and layouts in order to glance up. "We're having a party Friday night at the Seaside Restaurant. Guests welcome." With another toss of tinsel, she started for the door.

"Corinne, wait," Colin called.

She turned.

"Where are you going?" he asked mildly.

"To plan the menu." She hiked her bag back onto her shoulder. "I also want to buy token appreciation gifts for the staff. Joe would want that." She sniffed and lifted a hand, as if to blot a tear from her eye.

Colin couldn't tell if the sentiment was real or phony. With Corinne, he didn't know her well enough to be sure. "You'd do Joe more good by staying at the hospital instead. Be with your husband." Corinne was supposed to take the morning shift while Colin covered afternoons. "And while you're at it, ask Joe if he'd want you spending what's left of the paper's budget on a party," he said so only she could hear.

She waved a hand, dismissing his concerns. "I refuse to bother Joe when he needs his strength to recover. Besides, you worry too much."

"And you don't worry enough. Bert Hartmann called reminding us of Fortune's Inc.'s deadline. You need to get Joe to transfer power of attorney back to me or sign a good-faith promise to change the paper's direction." He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Hell, Corinne, just start running front-page news. That'll get us through the new year without losing our biggest advertiser." He heard the pleading in his voice and didn't care.

She shook her head. "It'd be based on false pretenses, Colin, because I believe in my vision." Corinne turned away, effectively ending the conversation.

Which was just as well. If she continued, he might throttle her. He didn't need to wonder why he rarely came home, when the frustrating reason stood in front of him.

"Emma," Corinne called as she started for the door. "Colin seems a little stressed. Maybe you could work on fixing him up next."

He rolled his eyes.

Emma laughed, rubbing her hands together in a sure sign of trouble.

And Rina pursed those luscious lips in blatant disapproval at Corinne's suggestion. Just the sight of her eased the tension in his neck and shoulders, making him think of more pleasurable things. Like her warm body in his bed, writhing against his cool sheets.

"I'm sure Colin can choose his own women," Rina said, more possessively than he'd expected.

He grinned. "What's the matter? Worried Emma will find someone who'll distract me from you?"

She tossed her head. "Not a chance. I'm secure enough in what I have to offer."

He met her gaze, holding on and not letting go. "That's good to know. But even if you weren't, you have nothing to worry about. Once I set my sights on a goal, I'm totally focused."

And his goal was now twofold. On the one hand, he had to live up to the standards Joe had set for his paper, to make sure Joe even had a paper left when he recovered. And in doing so, he'd prove to himself that he hadn't let the old man down.

But where Rina was concerned, he couldn't discount the attraction. He wanted more from her than to be colleagues who'd kissed once.

How much more remained to be seen.


* * *

ONCE I SET MY SIGHTS on a goal, I'm totally focused. Days later, Rina couldn't shake Colin's words from her mind, because his steely gaze told her he was focused and she was his goal. She shivered, unsure if it was chemistry and excitement fluttering inside her or pure nerves because tonight was Emma's infamous party and Colin was her date.

She'd had the whole week to anticipate this one night. Friday evening she'd gone to Corinne's party expecting to see Colin. Instead, he'd been a no-show. Considering his negative attitude toward Joe's wife, she didn't have to wonder why he'd skipped the event. Apparently, if something made Colin uncomfortable, he opted out. Out of the event, and sometimes out of the country. She couldn't afford to miss him too much.

At the office holiday party, most of the men at work were married or otherwise taken, so Rina had socialized with the women. She'd used the night wisely, taking notes on their views of what men wanted and what would attract and keep the opposite sex interested. Most women agreed that while men were attracted to packaging, only something deeper and far beyond chemistry would keep one around.

But packaging most always jump-started a relationship and her first column in her Simply Sexy series, entitled "Sex Appeal," had run on Thursday. If the e-mails and phone calls were any indication, she'd made a huge impact on the reading audience already.

As she'd faxed the column to Jake and Brianne, pride had swelled inside her. So had new and revealing feelings. This job filled an emptiness within her, and she owed Corinne a huge debt for giving her this chance.

Next week's article was called "Strut Your Stuff." The title was courtesy of Emma, the idea something Rina had learned how to do during her years in New York. She'd been a single woman in Manhattan, and her married life had consisted of parties, social get-togethers and business dinners. Her past provided her with a solid knowledge base. She knew how to act in order to attract a man, as she'd proven with the coffee shop owner the other day. Her conversations with women both in the past and the present provided added insight.

Once she'd been able to put Colin out of her mind, she'd gotten a good strong start on her series. But Colin never left her thoughts for long. They'd connected on a deeper level, proving that the dance they'd begun could be more than just hot. An affair with Colin could be dangerous if she didn't keep her emotions under lock and key.


* * *

A SMART MAN KNEW when to give a woman space. Colin prided himself on possessing enough intelligence to stay the hell away from Rina until Saturday, letting the anticipation build. Besides, he didn't want to give her the opportunity to break their date and ruin any chance he'd have to learn more about her.

She rented a small upstairs apartment in a Cape-style house. He knew this because Emma had handed him Rina's address along with directions. "In case you get lost. Wouldn't want you driving in circles all night when you could be with Rina," the older woman had said, winking.

At eight sharp, he rang Rina's doorbell. The last thing he expected was to be greeted by a barking dog. From behind the door, he heard Rina's command. "Norton, sit."

Norton? What kind of name was Norton?

She opened the door, but before he could catch a glimpse of Rina, he was attacked by the dog, who jumped up on his hind legs and placed his front paws on Colin's lower thighs.

"Norton, down!" Rina grabbed the dog's collar and jerked him off.

Norton complied with a sad whine.

"I'm sorry," she said. "His manners are usually better than that."

Colin laughed. "At least he has some manners." He glanced down at Norton, seeing him for the first time. "A sharpei?"