The engagement party was as elegant as he’d imagined, with about two hundred people there to wish him and Lexi well. Most of the women looked at him as if they understood why she would want him in her bed, while the men wondered if they’d made a mistake in letting her stay single so long.

This was everything he’d claimed to want, he reminded himself as he took a glass of champagne from a passing waiter. Or nearly everything. The engagement was a means to an end. He would go through this all again when he found the woman he wanted to marry.

But that was for later. Right now, he found himself watching Lexi as she spoke with various guests.

She wore white, a short cocktail dress that showed off her legs and made him think about backing her up against the wall in the guest bath. He was reasonably sure she would protest, claiming some medical or emotional reason for not being able to have sex with him at that moment.

She’d been playing the game for two weeks now, putting him off. After the first night, he’d realized she wasn’t trying to back out on their agreement-she was terrified. He didn’t know why, but he knew he had to give her time. Despite their initial encounter, he didn’t think she was the kind of woman who jumped in bed with a stranger. And they didn’t know all that much about each other.

So he’d backed off, trying not to look amused as she’d come up with one excuse after the other to avoid having him in her bed. When the prize was worthy, he could be a patient man. So he would wait…for now.

“You’re looking predatory about something.”

He watched as Izzy, Lexi’s youngest sister, strolled up to him.

“Am I?”

She followed his gaze to Lexi. “Most men don’t see her as a…passionate woman.”

“Most men are blind.”

“Not you?”

“Obviously not.”

Lexi joined them. “Is Izzy scaring you?” she asked, smiling at her sister.

“I’m not scary.” She grinned at Cruz. “I’m intense. Some guys can’t handle that. I think they’re afraid I want to tie them up and whip them into submission.”

“Do you?”

Her grin broadened. “Sometimes.” With that, she strolled away.

Lexi watched her go. “There’s something just not normal about her.”

“I find her charming.”

“Interesting.” She linked her arm with his. “It’s probably good that you’ve been distracted by Izzy. It kept you from noticing my father waiting impatiently for the formal introduction.”

Cruz shrugged. “Jed Titan is no different than any other man.”

“If you say so.”

She led him over to a corner, where her father stood surrounded by his friends.

They were all tall men, well-dressed and overfed. The air was thick with old money. There was a time when he would have been nervous, worried about what he was wearing and what he would say. Not anymore. He was worth more than some of them and by the time he was their age, he would dominate them all. Except maybe Jed. The Titan fortune stretched back generations. It would take a while to compete with that.

Lexi waited for a break in the conversation. “Daddy, this is Cruz Rodriguez. Cruz, my father, Jed.”

“Sir,” Cruz said, offering his hand.

The other men faded away as he and Jed shook hands.

Jed had dark blue eyes and a compelling gaze that measured a man. Cruz let him dominate the moment, not worried about being found wanting. He was very clear on what he had to offer Lexi and what Jed would think of him.

“So you’re the man who’s going to steal away my little girl,” Jed said, releasing him. “I’ve been checking up on you. You’re not after her money.”

“No, sir.”

Jed waved his drink. “You don’t need to call me sir. I’m not that old.”

“All right.”

“If you think you have what it takes to make Lexi happy, then have at it. You ever see my gun collection?”

“No.”

“It’s impressive. Just remember that.” He kissed Lexi on the cheek. “Now go show him off to your friends.”

“Yes, Daddy.”

They walked away. Lexi’s expression was troubled.

“What?” Cruz asked. “You were hoping for more of an explosion?”

“No. Of course not. He checked you out and threatened you. Now he can make the Texas father hall of fame.”

He pulled her into a corner and touched her chin until she looked at him. Sadness darkened her eyes.

“Tell me,” he insisted.

“He doesn’t mean it. The gun collection part. That would imply an interest he doesn’t have. On the bright side, I have a charming note from my mother congratulating me for my engagement to a man in the, and I quote, ‘car trade.’ She hopes we’ll be very happy.”

He hated to see her upset. The need to fix it surprised him. “Did you want her to come to the party?”

“I wanted one of them to give a damn. It doesn’t matter. I haven’t eaten today and the champagne has gone to my head. Forget I said anything. I’m fine. I have Skye and Izzy, right?”

He wanted to say she had him, if only for a few months, but he didn’t know if she would find that comforting. Not sure what else to do, he took her hand and led her to the dance floor. As if prearranged, the orchestra began a slow song.

He pulled her close, then placed his hand on her waist. She leaned against him. They didn’t speak as they moved together, their bodies swaying.

Around them other couples danced. Waiters circulated trays of appetizers and glasses of champagne. This was how the rich and connected partied. This was what he wanted. Acceptance, and the woman in his arms.

He bent down and kissed her, lightly brushing his mouth against hers. She responded by leaning closer. A faint shudder rippled through her body.

He should have been pleased by her reaction, secure in the knowledge that he was getting to her. The problem was, arousing her also left him hard and wanting. His erection pulsed painfully. Hunger burned. It had been like this every time he saw Lexi. She only had to be close to him to make him think about taking her over and over again.

Soon, he promised himself. He would take her soon.

“Better?” he asked when they left the dance floor.

She nodded, then smiled at him. “Thanks. I don’t usually crack over something this small. You’ve been-”

“I couldn’t believe it when I heard. Did you really catch him? I would have thought he would elude capture forever.”

Cruz didn’t have to turn to know who was speaking. Lexi looked at the woman standing next to him.

“Lexi, this is Sabrina,” he said. “An old friend of mine. Sabrina, Lexi, my fiancée.”

“Oh, I know who she is, Cruz. I’m impressed. A Titan.”

Lexi took a step back. “How nice of Cruz to invite you.” The words were right but the tone could have cut glass.

Sabrina gave a low laugh. “Don’t worry. He didn’t. I’m here with someone else. You know. Old. Rich. Not very smart. The best qualities in a man. Except for you, Cruz. I always made an exception for you.”

The two women couldn’t have been more different, he thought. Sabrina was overdressed in a beaded gown that was a size too small. Large diamonds glittered from her ears, her neck and her wrist. At one time, when he’d been young and foolish, he’d thought her worldly and sophisticated. They’d had an arrangement-one that pleased them both. One without commitment. Then Sabrina had tried to change the rules.

Lexi gave her a tight smile. “If you’ll excuse me, I want to check in the kitchen. It was lovely to meet you.”

She walked away.

“That one’s a prize, Cruz,” Sabrina said. “Well done.”

“Thank you.”

He watched Lexi until she disappeared into the rear of the house. Had she been upset? He told himself it didn’t matter if she was. They had a deal, nothing more. His past was irrelevant and something he couldn’t change, even if he wanted to. Which he didn’t. She would just have to get over it.

He turned back to Sabrina and asked her to dance.

“BITCH,” LEXI muttered from her place next to a tall plant, hating herself for hiding but not sure what else to do.

“Talking to yourself is never good.” Dana came up and stood beside her. “What has you spitting and hissing?”

Lexi nodded toward the dance floor where the bleached blonde in a clinging, beaded dress had plastered herself against Cruz.

“I hate her,” Lexi grumbled. “Look at her body. Is it fair that one person gets all those curves and I get nothing?”

“She’s been surgically enhanced,” Dana told her. “Look. The boobs aren’t moving. And she’s going to be fat in another five years.”

“Really?” Lexi heard the hope in her voice. “She’s an ex-girlfriend. One of millions.”

“Why do you care? This is a business transaction, right?”

“I know. But it’s my engagement party. Having him hang on her is embarrassing.”

Her friend cleared her throat. “First, she’s doing the hanging, not him. Second, you’re not falling for him, are you?”

“No. Of course not. But I have a position in society to think about.”

Dana snorted. “Since when?”

“You know what I mean.”

“I’m not sure I do. For what it’s worth, he has had a lot of women but none of them have meant anything. He doesn’t keep them around for longer than a few weeks. No one gets close.”

Lexi stared at her friend. “Excuse me. You know this how?”

“I’ve been doing a little checking.” Dana didn’t bother looking chagrined or apologetic. “You’re my friend and now you’re fake engaged to some guy I know nothing about. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

Lexi’s tension faded. “Thank you,” she said. “I love that you have my back.”

“Someone has to. You’re way too trusting. Back to Cruz. He got in trouble a lot as a kid. The records are sealed but I asked around and found a couple of cops who remember him. It was basic juvenile stuff.”

“Let me guess,” Lexi said, remembering her conversation with Cruz. “He stole cars.”

“He only got caught once, but yeah. He stole cars. A few other minor things. Since turning eighteen, he’s been a model citizen. A successful model citizen. Everything he touches turns to gold.”

Just like her father, she thought. Cruz and Jed had more in common than made her comfortable.

“Like I said,” Dana continued. “No serious relationships, although he does have a type.”

Lexi didn’t understand. “A type of what?”

“Woman.” Dana looked pointedly at the dance floor.

Lexi followed her gaze to where Sabrina was talking intently. From her perspective Cruz looked bored, but maybe that was just wishful thinking on her part.

“I don’t get it,” she admitted.

Dana sighed. “Tall, blond, blue eyes. You, Lexi. You’re his type.”

“Oh.” Which meant what? Was that his interest in her? She fit the list?

“He’s dangerous,” Dana told her. “However civilized he looks on the outside, he’s not like anyone you’ve dated before. He’s certainly no Andrew.”

“A good thing,” Lexi murmured.

“I agree. Andrew hid the fact that he was a total bastard. Cruz likes the world to know up front. But that doesn’t make him any less dangerous. Just be careful.”

“It’s business,” Lexi told her. “I’m not getting involved.”

Her friend didn’t look convinced. “I’ll remind you of that in a couple of months and we’ll see if you still mean it.”

“CRUZ FOR YOU, line one.”

“Thanks,” Lexi said into the intercom on her desk in the spa, then forced herself to draw in a slow breath before picking up the phone.

“Good morning,” she said.

“Good morning.”

His voice was low and sexy and made her wish they saw each other first thing in the morning. But he was always gone before she made her way downstairs.

“I’ve been investigating the mysterious Garth Duncan,” he continued. “The man is private and he covers his tracks, so this is going to take some time. But I did find out one interesting thing.”

“Which is?”

“He owns a pet store. In Titanville.”

A pet store? A guy worth maybe billions? A ruthless entrepreneur with killer instincts who deliberately tried to ruin her business owned a pet store?

“Are you sure? Maybe it’s someone else with the same name.”

“That’s what I thought. But I followed the paper trail. It’s him. I thought you might want to check it out.”

“Absolutely. I’ll go by later today. Thanks, Cruz. I appreciate you following up on this.”

“No problem. See you tonight.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

The words popped out before she could stop them. They instantly made her blush. A least she was on the phone and he wouldn’t know. Still, talk about exposing herself.

There was a slight pause, then he said, “Me, too, querida,” in a voice that made her picture satin sheets and a naked man.

Wanting pooled low in her belly. She shifted in her seat, instant arousal making her uncomfortable.