Though it was ridiculous to even think that way —she had no claim on Ty and she didn't want one. She didn't.

Ty was all charm as he shook Rachel's hand and steered her over to Julie's leather couch.

"Nice to meet you," he said, and Julie thought the woman was going to climax right then and there.

"Julie's told me so much about you," he lied, and she shot him a huge look of thanks. Rachel was strangely mute. It was comforting to know that all women lost their minds around Ty.

"I'm afraid there's been a huge misunderstanding," he continued. "And I'd hate for anyone to blame Julie or her firm for assigning another consultant to your project." Julie held back a grin as she watched Rachel actively work to pull herself together. No wonder Ty got away with everything; he was irresistible. It was in his DNA.

"I'd be happy to speak with your boss if that will help you out," he offered. Flirtatiously, Rachel put her hand on his arm. "Would you really? I know what a big fan he is of yours. Maybe we could meet him for dinner and then slip away for a private drink."

Julie almost gagged. She couldn't listen to another second of this nonsense. If the two of them wanted to fuck like bunnies, fine, but not in her office.

She grabbed her leather bag off the floor and shoved several files into it. "Well, I'm so glad you two have met, but I'm afraid Ty and I have a lot of work to do, as you might imagine. And his evenings are completely full for the next two weeks."

Ty walked Rachel out of the office and back into the front reception area. Julie trailed behind. "I'll be looking forward to our drink," Rachel called as she floated out of the front door.

"She's off-limits," Julie warned. "If you leave her high and dry she'll blame me and pull her business." They headed into the parking lot. "Don't worry. She's not my type." There he went again. "When will you get it through your thick skull that I'm not interested in you, other than as a client?"

"When you stop acting like you are."

His low, soft voice hit her in all the places she'd been trying to hide from him.

"Don't think I've forgotten, Julie. You owe me a kiss. That was the bargain." Her heart sped up. "Fine. Let's get it over with," she said as if she couldn't have cared less. Just barely, she resisted the urge to purse her lips together and peck him on the cheek like a twoyear-old. Even she knew that wasn't the deal they'd made back in her office when Rachel came barreling in.

"Come here," he said, and she wanted him to kiss her more than she'd ever wanted something before.

"Not here. Not in the parking lot."

"Right here. In the parking lot." His eyes held hers. "Now." She couldn't argue with him. Not when this was his kiss to claim. The thing was, they hadn't really kissed in his underground lair. Yes, he'd made her come, but there had been a challenge behind it, a game of dominance.

This was going to be their first real kiss in ten years. And Julie knew there wasn't a damn thing she could do to prepare herself for the way it was bound to make her feel. She walked slowly over to her car where he was standing. When she was within arm's reach he held out his hand, and she didn't know what else to do but let him pull her close. One hand circled her rib cage, the other softly caressed her nape, gently cupping the back of her head.

"You have a great mouth," he said, and the unexpected compliment surprised her so much that she forgot to keep her guard up when he moved his lips down to hers.

She felt his breath and closed her eyes. And then, oh God, his lips touched hers and all she wanted was to taste him. To have him taste her. His lips were warm and soft and perfect, and before she knew what she was doing, her tongue was in his mouth and her hands were in his hair and she was pulling him closer. She wanted more than just one kiss, so much more.

He sucked at the sensitive flesh of her lower lip, making shivers run down her spine. His erection pressed into her belly and she pressed against it, wanting more, so much more. This one simple kiss had turned into a full-blown addiction.

Suddenly, ruthlessly, she dragged her mouth away from his, pushed against his chest, and unsteadily backed up.

What could she say to make him think his kiss hadn't meant as much to her as it obviously had? She had to say something he couldn't argue with. Otherwise, she had a feeling he'd argue her right into bed.

"I have a date tonight," she declared as she unlocked the car. Thankfully, it was true. How embarrassing it would have been if she'd had to make up a phantom date to seem like she wasn't a total loser.

"Great," he said, looking like he kissed women into delirium all day long without a second thought.

"Looking forward to it."

Her keys missed the ignition by a mile.

"Are you crazy? You're not coming on my date!" Then she remembered that she'd told Bobby she wouldn't let Ty out of her sight. "Oh God. Of course you are." He leaned back against the passenger seat. "I'm sure I could find some other way to entertain myself while you're gone."

Julie started the car. "Oh, I think going on my date tonight will be entertainment enough," she said darkly.

Ty was very pleased about moving into Julie's little house at the top of Noe Valley for the next couple weeks. But tagging along with her on a date was a bit much—especially since he already wanted to pound the unknown guy's head into the ground.

He lounged on her couch and flipped through the channels. She'd muttered something about needing to get some work done, threatened him with, "Don't you dare to even open my front door or I'll hunt you down and kill you with my bare hands and maybe a sharp knife," then disappeared into her home office. He'd made some calls to his friends to let them know he was going to be busy for a while with some business stuff, chatted with his agent about the pretty public picture he was going to create for Bobby and the Outlaws, then got bored.

And lonely.

Ty couldn't think of the last time he'd had more than fifteen minutes to himself. His house was a constant scene. The party from the night before continued by the pool the next day in an endless cycle. And until yesterday, he hadn't been down into his sanctum for months. Silence made him restless. When he was with other people he could just sit and listen to them talk. It was easy to live up to their expectations of him. It wasn't quite as easy to figure out what his own expectations were, so he'd quit trying. But for some reason, he cared about what Julie thought. He wanted to show her she was wrong about him.

He turned the TV off and wandered over to a book case. Why should he care if she thought he was a worthwhile human being? He made a lot of money for a lot of people—the Outlaws, his agent. He gave more money away than anyone would ever guess to charity, to friends in need, and through the team. But he was pretty sure Julie already knew all that, and wasn't impressed. She didn't think he was capable of being a gentleman.

He sneered at the word as he picked up a weathered copy of The Great Gatsby, one of his favorite books. Then he lay down across her couch, his legs hanging over the end. Girly couches and pro football players were rarely a good fit. This one was pretty damn comfortable, even though it could have used three more feet in length.

He was heading into the story's climax a couple hours later when he looked up and realized Julie was standing in the doorway. Actually, she was staring at the book in his hand. She probably didn't think he could read, that the books in his underground den were merely stage props. But he couldn't work up any indignation. Not when she looked so damn good.