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?"

She pet the dog's tan head, then meshed her fingers through the wrinkles on his back. "What was your first clue?" she asked wryly.

He'd never seen the breed anywhere except television and knew nothing about them except they cost a pretty penny. He'd never pictured Rina with this kind of breed, but he liked the dog immediately. "He's a gorgeous animal."

She smiled. "He was Robert's dog before I ever came along. Now he's mine."

At the mention of a male name, one said with a sadness tinged with regret, Colin's stomach twisted. He couldn't remember the last time any woman had evoked jealousy inside him, not even Julie. Rina was different, as his churning insides reminded him.

Had she left a man behind in New York? At the thought, the pain in his stomach became acute. "Who's Robert?" he asked, his jaw aching from the tension of gritting his teeth.

"My husband."

His gut clenched violently. "You're-"

"But he died," she added quickly. "I just hate the word widow."

That took some of the wind out of him. He started to reach for her then, unsure the gesture was appropriate, merely said, "I'm sorry."

"Thanks." She patted Norton and rose. "It's been awhile now."

As soon as she'd removed her hand from the dog's collar, Norton walked over to Colin and began sniffing at his feet.

"Uh…you should watch out. He peed on my brother's sneakers the first time they met. He's particular about who he likes."

Colin laughed, and the tension broke, but he stepped back just in case. Norton followed, rubbing his head against Colin's pant leg. Following the dog's lead, Colin gave him the attention he desired and scratched the dog's head. In response, Norton flopped into a prone position before rolling onto his back, legs spread open wide.

"Ugh. Norton, have some class," Rina groaned. "He likes to expose himself. It's embarrassing."

She met his gaze, amusement and something more bubbling in the brown depths that he just now noticed weren't covered by the black-framed glasses. He stepped back to admire the change. Her face had the same minimal makeup as he'd noticed the day before, but without the glasses he got an unobstructed view of those gorgeous eyes and he liked what he saw.

"I hope you don't mind, but I need to walk Norton before we go. I'll dress for the party as soon as we get back." She turned toward the coatrack and the ponytail swung behind her, hitting the center of her back. "My landlord's washing machine broke while I was doing laundry and I spent the afternoon at the Laundromat," she explained. "I never had time to change." Reaching for her jacket on a coat hook, she shrugged it on over her shoulders, then grabbed Norton's leash.