“You’ve got more backbone than that.”

She stared at him. Had he read her mind? “I’ll come back tomorrow on two conditions.”

“More conditions.” The corner of his mouth twitched. “You’d make a master negotiator. What are they?”

“We don’t talk about this, and we don’t do it again.”

He shook his head. “Those terms are not acceptable.”

“Neither one?” she asked, not sure what to do now.

He pretended to think for a moment. “In the spirit of compromise, I’ll agree to the first, but the second is nonnegotiable.”

She tried very hard to cling to some shred of professionalism, but excitement bubbled through her at the idea that he wanted to touch her again. And she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt she would be back in the morning.

No other temp was going to set foot in Nathan Trainor’s bedroom.

After the door closed behind Chloe, Nathan threw off the covers and padded over to the door to his terrace. His knees felt like rubber, but he needed to get outdoors and let the wind and the noise clear the haze of arousal from his brain and body. It took more effort than he expected to shove the door open, even though it slid on a well-lubricated glide. The smooth terra-cotta tiles under his feet were still warm from the day’s sun, and he stood for a moment, enjoying the contrast of radiant heat and chilly air. The faint sounds of squealing brakes and taxi horns wafted up from the street far below while a breeze ruffled through his hair. He sucked in a breath of air that combined the pungent smells of the crowded concrete jungle with the brackish marine scent of the river.

His knees gave way and he grabbed for the back of a lounge chair, managing to haul himself onto its seat before he crumpled onto the hard floor.

“Damned germs,” he muttered.

And he’d nearly transferred them to Chloe in a moment of lustful madness.

He remembered the feel of her breast against his hand and the way she’d purred deep in her throat as his thumb circled her hard nipple. The one part of his body that seemed to be unaffected by the flu stirred. He huffed out an irritated laugh.

Better to think of something else. He settled against the chair’s cushions and stared across the river, wondering where in New Jersey Chloe lived.

That was better than remembering the feel of her pulse beating against his lips.

“Get a grip, Trainor,” he growled at himself.

Instead he’d wrestle with how this new development played into the wager with Gavin Miller and Luke Archer. Nathan frowned. If he was searching for true love, did that mean he wasn’t allowed to take an occasional detour? In fact, how was he supposed to know he’d met the right woman until he’d gotten to know her?

During his two admittedly unusual days with Chloe, he had come to respect her abilities, and he sure as hell wanted her in his bed, but could he fall in love with her?

He let his head tilt back so he could pick out the few stars not obliterated by the megawattage of the city lights.

That’s why Miller’s challenge was impossible. There was no such thing as love at first sight. Just because Chloe wasn’t the sort of woman he generally dated didn’t mean she was a candidate for true love.

“You’re being an arrogant asshole,” he muttered at the stars. “Chloe might have an opinion too.”

And he suspected Chloe’s opinion of him wasn’t very high. Just because she had responded to him physically didn’t mean she was looking for a lifetime commitment. Another problem with the wager. What if one of the three of them fell in love with a woman who didn’t love him back?

Clearly they’d all been too drunk to think through the implications of the bet they’d made. Nathan reached into the pocket of his pajama pants and pulled out his cell phone.

He needed to get hold of Miller and call the whole thing off.

“Are you serious, Trainor?” The amusement in Gavin Miller’s voice came through the phone line clearly. “You’re a billionaire and you think you can’t make a woman fall in love with you?”

“Your logic is flawed,” Nathan countered, crossing his ankles on the lounge chair. “If I use my money to make the woman fall in love with me, she’s the wrong woman.”

“The wager doesn’t mean you can’t use every weapon at your disposal to win your true love.” Gavin’s voice took on an edge when he said the last two words. “By the way, you work fast. I’m impressed.”

Nathan shifted in the chair. “It was a hypothetical question.”

“Sure it was. Who is she?”

“Look up hypothetical in your OED.” Nathan redirected the conversation. He was starting to feel the cold. “Is Archer still on board with this?”

“I haven’t been informed otherwise.”

“Has the writer’s block broken yet?”

“No.” All amusement was absent from Miller’s voice for that one word. “By the way, when you’re ready to go ring shopping, let me know. I’m a friend of the manager at Cartier.”

Nathan snorted and ended the call. He glanced up at the stars and had the whimsical thought that he could pluck one out of the sky to set in an engagement ring.

It seemed like an idea Chloe would appreciate.

CHAPTER 10

Chloe walked into her boss’s bedroom to find Cavill and Trainor—who wore an unbelted navy bathrobe hanging open over his pajamas—facing each other with equally furious expressions.