Fire and Desire

“Then wait on.”

A mirthless smile curved Trevor's lips. “All right, so you want to play hardball. I think I'll just call the head honcho at Remington Oil and find out what is going on. Maybe he'll be able to explain why some half-dressed woman entered my hotel room wearing a robe full of condoms, claiming to be an employee of Remington Oil.”

Trevor's eyes darkened. “You can tell me who you are, or you can explain your actions to Mr. Remington himself. Got it?” he growled.

Corinthians glared up at him. “Yes, I've got it.” She then swallowed deeply. “May I have my robe back first, please?”

Trevor's brows narrowed. He gazed at her thoughtfully before saying, “No. I happen to like what you're wearing.” He continued to stare at her. “And don't pull some sort of stalling act. I'd like to have a name before midnight.”

Corinthians knew that from this moment on, she would despise this man forever. “I'm Corinthians Avery.”

Corinthians's thoughts returned to the present. Nothing had changed. She still despised him. And although she appreciated what he'd done for her earlier that day in McDonald's, she still despised him.

Who do you think you're fooling? her mind screamed. You didn't act like you despised him this afternoon in São Paulo. In fact, you'd been thinking maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

Corinthians let out a heavy sigh as her mind continued berating her. And you certainly didn't have any problems checking out his body in that shirt and those jeans. Surely you remember that shirt, the one that had fit so snugly across his broad chest and that had been tucked so neatly in his jeans. It was that same shirt you almost tore off him while he was kissing you in the hallway.

Corinthians inhaled deeply and stood. She was fighting a losing battle tonight with herself. What she needed was a long, relaxing bath. Then afterward, she would go over the reports for tomorrow's meeting.

She was determined to put Trevor Grant out of her mind for the rest of the night.

After taking a shower and toweling off, Trevor slipped a towel around his waist before leaving the bathroom.

Padding into the other room, he noticed the message light on his phone was blinking. He picked up the phone and called the front desk and found out the caller had been Dex. He smiled. He and the three Madaris brothers, Justin, Dex and Clayton, had been close friends since birth, growing up in the same neighborhood in Houston.

Trevor sat on the edge of the bed. After his decision to get out of the Marines, he had returned home at just about the same time Dex had returned from Australia where he'd been for two years working for Remington Oil. Dex wanted to go into business for himself and Trevor had agreed to be his foreman if he ever did. Within two years of that agreement, Madaris Explorations was formed. Now, nearly three years later, they were one of the most sought-after exploration companies in the country, especially after they had helped Remington Oil locate an oil basin near Eagle Pass.

And because Dex was a very generous employer, that venture had given every employee of Madaris Explorations a heftier bank account.

Trevor smiled. Because he'd had the good sense to invest in Dex's company, he'd made a lot of money. And thanks to the vast investment knowledge of Jake Madaris, Dex's wealthy uncle, over the past couple of years, he had watched his funds nearly triple. Some people would probably be surprised to discover just how much he was worth.

Money never fazed him. He lived comfortably, not flashy. And like Dex, he enjoyed the outdoors, and the physical labor of a job. Head foreman of Madaris Explorations was definitely his calling. And since the arrival of a new baby, Dex had passed more and more of the company's duties to him so that he could spend more time with Caitlin and their two daughters, Jordan and Ashley.

Trevor shook his head. Dex didn't have a clue how Corinthians felt about him. He considered her a good friend, nothing more. And Dex knew nothing about the hotel room incident. It was Trevor's and Corinthians's secret. Her fainting from shock that night had proven she honestly hadn't known Dex had gotten married. But now that she knew, Trevor couldn't help wondering if she would one day make an attempt to sabotage Dex's marriage. She hadn't made a move in that direction so far, but that didn't necessarily mean she wouldn't.

Before picking up the phone, he glanced at the connecting door. His side was unlocked just like he'd told Corinthians. It would be up to her to make the first move. But a part of him knew that she wouldn't.

He shook his head, grinning. The spitting sparks of fire that he'd seen in her eyes before she had slammed the door in his face had actually turned him on. He knew that whenever he did get her into his bed, the heat from her fire would torch him to flames. And like he had told her, he would not be a substitute for Dex. She would know with whom she shared the bed. Pleased with that thought, he picked up the phone to return Dex's call.

“Madaris here.”

“Hey, man, it's Trevor. What's up?”

“Not much. I just wanted to touch base with you before tomorrow's meeting. How are things going?”

Trevor glanced again at the unlocked connecting door. “As well as expected. I've gotten in some sightseeing time. I've taken in a soccer game. This is a pretty nice place.”

Dex laughed. “Don't get attached to it. You're needed here.”

“Don't worry about any attachments. I'm getting homesick already.”

“Have you seen Corinthians Avery yet? I understand she's Remington Oil's representative.”

“Yes, she's here, and yes, I've seen her.”

“And?”

“And nothing. The woman and I don't get along.”

“Yeah, so I've noticed, and I don't understand it.”

Trevor shook his head. Dex actually believed Corinthians was a prim, proper, well-bred woman and a real lady saint.

“There's nothing to understand,” he finally answered. “She and I don't see eye-to-eye on a lot of things. In fact, we're like oil and water.”

“That bad?”

“Worse. How're Caitlin and the girls?” he asked, deciding to change the subject.

“They're fine and send their love.”

He smiled. “Tell them ditto from me. And how are the newlyweds?”

“Clayton and Syneda are fine. They moved into their new law office a few days ago. Can you imagine the two of them sharing office space?”

Trevor shook his head. Clayton and Syneda disagreed on just about everything. “No, I can't imagine it. I'm still in shock at the thought of them being married.”

“You're not the only one. Take care, man.”

“You do the same, Dex.”

Chapter 6

Corinthians wondered how she managed to get through the entire day of the research summit without making a complete fool of herself, which she was sure she'd do after walking into the meeting room and seeing Trevor.

He'd been standing across the room talking to another man. Dressed in a dark blue suit, he looked suave, virile and sexy. He'd actually looked like he had walked directly off the cover of a magazine. And when he'd turned and looked at her, meeting her gaze with those deep, dark eyes and forcing her to remember the kiss they had shared the night before, she had almost come unglued right then and there.

She had tightened her fingers on the handle of her briefcase to hide her shaking hands, but it hadn't worked. In defiance, she lifted her chin and met his gaze for a long moment before finally conceding that for once, she could not maintain the disturbing contact and outstare him. Lowering her gaze, she had taken a seat at the table. Luckily for her, there had been an empty chair sandwiched between others that were already occupied, as well as those directly across from her. She'd sighed knowing that at least he wouldn't be sitting close by.

But that hadn't stopped him from getting to her. During the meeting, their glances would periodically meet, weakening her defenses, making her forget how much she didn't like him, and making it hard for her to concentrate on the proceedings.

After the meeting, the only thing she wanted was to leave as quickly as possible. She stood and began gathering up her things. Without looking up she knew the exact moment Trevor came to stand behind her. She could feel the heat of his body transfer to hers. Her pulse raced and her hands began shaking again. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself as she haphazardly tossed her notepad and pen into her briefcase and closed it with a click.

Her heart was pounding intensely as she turned around and quickly noticed everyone else had left and she and Trevor were the only people remaining in the room.

“Mr. Grant. How are you today?” she asked professionally, yet coolly, detesting the attraction she felt for him. Her body was getting warm all over, and even warmer in certain places.

Trevor drew his brows together at the formality in her tone; he didn't like it one bit. He raised his gaze to the ceiling, then lowered it to the floor before it came back to hers. He leaned forward, bracing both hands on the table and neatly pinning her in.