Alex rolled over and was jarred awake when his bed dropped out from under him. He flung his arms out and his elbow connected with a hard surface, causing him to wince. Before he knew it, he landed face-first on the floor. He opened his eyes and found himself staring at a sea of blue. He ran his fingers across the carpet. Since when did he have blue carpet in his bedroom?

He propped himself up on his elbows and gave the back of his neck a rub. From his line of view all he could see was the sofa, coffee-table, recliner and a thin ray of sunshine which shone over the sofa.

Birds chirped, greeting the morning sun. Softly and tenderly another sound reached out, wrapping itself around his heart. Craning his ear, he listened carefully. The familiar tune of a country favorite carried through the house. He knew it was her, and all the recent events tumbled into his mind. The need to get her into his territory hit him stronger than ever.

He took a deep breath. The strong rich scent of coffee filled his nostrils. Being lured by the smell, Alex pulled at the pink flannel blanket that was wrapped around his feet and stood up. After doing a few simple stretches to work the kink out of his back, he followed the sound of her voice.

He found Laryssa in the kitchen, stretching to reach something on the top shelf. She wore nothing more than a light pink silk nightgown, with spaghetti for straps. The further she stretched, the more skin she revealed, leaving little to the imagination.

Without turning around, she gestured to the coffee pot. "Fresh coffee, if you want some." She grabbed a chair from the table and placed it below the cupboard. How had she known he was there?

When she went to climb on the chair, he grabbed the chair and took it back to the table. The last thing he needed was for her to get up on the chair with that poor, incredibly sexy excuse for a nightgown. She'd already given him a good view and he didn't need another one. Not when his body decided to painfully remind him of his lack of sexual intimacy over the years. He reached up, grabbed the bowl she wanted, and placed it on the counter.

"Thanks." She leaned down to pull a pan out of the cupboard.

He swallowed hard as he watched her nightgown slide dangerously high, giving him a glimpse of a mound of white flesh. She wasn't wearing any underwear, he thought with a start.

"Are you a tease, Ms. Mitchell?" he asked, leaning back against the counter to enjoy the view. She jerked upright and stared at him questioningly. "You're not wearing any underwear."

Her face went a deep red and she couldn't meet his eyes. "I didn't think you'd be up yet. I came down to get some underwear out of the wash, but it was still wet..." He grinned at her choice of words and watched as a bright crimson color filled her cheeks. "...from the washing machine. So I came here to make something to eat while I waited. Can't you men ever think of anything, but sex." She tried to push by him, but he blocked her with his arm.

She turned to walk the other way, but he enclosed her against the counter, arm on either side, his hands resting on the counter. "Well, with this little flimsy gown being the only thing between me and your body." He captured the silk of her nightgown between his fingers. "What man could resist?" She shivered and her eyes darkened with lust. A heady sense of power coursed through him.

"A man who wishes to have children in the future," Laryssa said with conviction.

Children? Memories assailed him, took him back to a time he didn't want to remember. He let his hands drop and she shoved by him. Without turning to watch her leave, he tugged at the collar of his shirt as panic bubbled inside him, robbing him of his breath. Children, there would be no children. None of his own, never again. Pain spiraled through him, piercing his heart like a knife. A pain so raw, not even a decade diminished it.

He wasn't going to break-down. He took three deep breaths and forced the thoughts from his mind. Of course, they were never really gone. They hovered like demons in the dark recesses of his mind, threatening to attack at any moment. That was why he never stopped working; never went to bed until overwhelming fatigue gave him no other choice. The reason he never allowed himself to have a close relationship with a woman. He looked around the small, intimate kitchen. Here, he was in danger of what he tried so hard to avoid. The need to get her back to his home re-surfaced with a vengeance. He'd get her there one way or another. How, he just didn't know yet.

Laryssa leaned down and pulled the clothes from the dryer, placing them in the laundry basket to take upstairs. When she turned around there he stood, filling the expanse of the doorway, her only way out. His feet were a shoulder width apart. His mouth pressed together and his arms folded so tightly across his chest that they pulled at the seams of his shirt. His eyes were dark and remote. She recognized those eyes and that stance. Aidan did the same thing when he was determined to have his own way.

"Whatever you have to say, forget it!" She steeled herself against the look; the one which, in the past, frightened her into immediate submission. No man was ever going to have that satisfaction again, especially not one who looked identical to the man who nearly destroyed her. She moved closer to him to leave the laundry room, but he was an immovable mountain. "Move, please."

"After you agree to come back with me." He placed his hands against the door frame.

"Alex, if you don't move, I'm going to be late for work." She pushed against his chest with her free hand, he refused to budge.

"You aren't working anymore."

Her heart skipped a beat and a tingling sensation crawled up her spine. Her legs turned to jelly. She squeezed her eyes shut and reached out to the dryer to steady herself. Breathe, Laryssa. Breathe! Behind her closed eyelids she could see Aidan's silhouette. He had stood in the exact same spot as Alex, uttering those exact words. She had cowered in fear, did his bidding, but that was then.

She pushed herself away from the dryer with shaky hands and turned to face her new enemy. "And how do you suppose I pay my bills, oh bright one?"

"Just pack your clothes. I'll pick you up after work later."

"Mr. Richards, I'm not staying with you. How many times do I have to say that?" She rubbed her temples. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to finish getting ready for work."

"You're not working,"

She poked him in the chest. "Who are you to tell me what I can, and cannot do?"

"Your boss."

Laryssa immediately dropped her hand and stared down at the floor. The scene in the office replayed in her head. Alex was at the head of the conference table when she walked in. His last name was Richards and the company was Richards Enterprises. That alone should have clued her in.

Lifting her head, she asked, "Are you telling me that if I don't move in with you, you'll fire me?"

"Don't call it firing. Call it a lay-off till after the babies are born. You need to relax, the doctor even said so."

"If there is one thing I know as a P.A, it is the rules that govern the workplace. I've re-written them enough for that precious employee handbook. You can't fire me just because I won't move in with you. That's sexual harassment."

His eyes narrowed. "I know perfectly well what harassment is, Ms Mitchell. I also know you are unfit to carry on your duty without personal risk, not only to your health, but theirs as well." He pointed toward her stomach, "I wouldn't be a good employer if I allowed you to keep working."

"So, instead, you fire me? How does that make you a good employer?"

"You know I'd love to sit here and argue with you, but I must head to work. If you show up, I'll haul your butt back here so fast you won't know what hit you."

He leaned in closer and spoke with a low voice, "You might want to be dressed by time I get back. If I see that strap fall off your shoulder one more time, I won't be held responsible for my actions." He slipped his thumb under the spaghetti strap that slid off her shoulder and stroked her skin. Goose bumps covered her arms. He slid the strap back up where it belonged, and then disappeared down the hallway.

When Laryssa heard the door close, she rushed to the phone in the living room and picked it up to call Worksafe . After a moment, she placed the phone back on the receiver and flopped on the couch. What good would it do? Like it or not, this man was in her life. He appeared to be as curious about her as she was about him. The least he could be, though, was sociable and not down right infuriating.

***

Alex looked around his office, and then back at the stack of papers in front of him. It was late afternoon and he was no closer to reaching the bottom of the stack than when he started. If he managed to fill any out, more were brought in to replace them. He had to get his mind off her cute little rear-end and big brown eyes. He wasn't sure which he stared at more. The more he thought of her and the feel of her soft ivory skin against his thumb, the less work he got done. He banged his fist down on the desk.

"You're usually cranking out the paper work, what's up?" He looked up and saw his friend, Ron, in the doorway.

"Come, sit." He motioned to the black leather chair in front of his desk. "Have you ever been mistaken for someone else?"

"Once. I think almost everyone has been. Why?"

"Laryssa called me Aidan."

"Who is Aidan?" His friend leaned forward.

"Unless I'm going out on a whim here, I'm going to say it's her dead husband."

"She thinks you're her dead husband?" Ron asked with a perplexed look on his face.

Alex nodded his head. "Well, initially. But, after a day of staying with her, I don't think she believes that anymore."

That earned him another puzzled look. "You've been staying with her? Usually you can't stand the sight of a woman for more than a couple of hours."

"There feels like there is something more to it. I can't put my finger on it. I'm not letting her out of my sight till I know what it is." He weaved the pen in and out of his fingers.

"Maybe, she's conning you. Thinking she can get a hold of your money?"

"That thought crossed my mind, but I don't even think the best actress can faint like that, or control her own blood pressure." He rested his elbow on the desk and cradled his chin with the palm of his hand.

"What are you going to do?"

"I've asked her to move in with me."

"You what?" Ron's mouth dropped open. "You definitely need a drink. Come on, let's lock up and I'll take you out for a beer."

"Thanks for the offer, but I better get back to her house before she decides to skip town."

"Alright, you're loss. See you tomorrow." Ron shook his head and left the room.

Alex stopped at a Chinese Restaurant before he went back over to Laryssa's place. He pulled into her driveway and sat paralyzed in his seat when he saw her figure swaying back and forth, her back facing the window. When he opened the car door, he could hear music flowing through the open living room window. He continued to stare at the window, catching glimpses of her. Watching her like this, uninhibited, left an odd feeling in his chest he couldn't identify. She had changed out of her nightgown into what looked like a sundress, with equally enticing straps. God help him.

He walked up to her house, and knocked on the front door. No answer. Obviously, Laryssa couldn't hear him over the music. He turned the handle and walked in.

She jumped and spun around, hand over her heart. "Have you ever heard of knocking?"

"I did. You didn't hear me," he grumbled and shoved the food at her.

"What's this?"

"What does it look like?" He didn't like how good she looked in her blue sundress, it fit her perfectly. He could see every curve her luscious body had.

"If all you're going to do is snap at me, then you can walk right back out the way you came." She turned and carried the food into the kitchen.

He watched her walk away. He heard how pregnant women waddled, but she walked as well as any woman, aware of whom and what she was. Helpless, he followed after her.

"Mr. Richards, if you're so desperate to help me, you can grab those cups." She pointed high into the cupboard.

"Please call me Alex. You make me feel like my father." He grabbed the cups and placed them on the table.

"If it's all the same to you, I prefer Mr. Richards. You can have your pick of drinks from the fridge. I'm afraid I don't keep beer stocked though."

He grabbed a soda and sat at the table. A piece of paper caught his attention. He picked it up and examined it. "What the hell is this?"

"That? Oh. It's my resignation." She continued to dig around in the Chinese food bag as she spoke.

"I can see that." He seethed at the sight of the note. "What's the meaning of it?" He crumpled the paper and held it tightly in his fist.

Turning towards the cupboard, she pulled down two plates. ""Under the circumstances, I think it would be best if I moved on."

Tired of being ignored, at least attention wise, he grabbed her arm, sat down and pulled her onto his lap. Now, there was no way she could do anything, but talk with him. She had fought him so hard that morning regarding the job, why on earth would she decide to resign now?

"What the!" she cried and squirmed to get loose. He held her firm.

"We're going to talk, you and I."

"But our food is getting cold."

"Screw the food! I want to know why you are resigning."

"What's it to you? You're the one who couldn't wait for me to leave this morning." She pulled at the arms which held her.

"If it makes you feel any better, Dan isn't too happy that I won't let you come to work. He says you're invaluable to the team." He wound a strand of her hair around his finger. All he had to do was tug and her lips would be on his. The thought had crossed his mind many times since he'd left her standing in the doorway of the laundry room in her pink flimsy nightgown.

Now she sat in his lap with a sundress on. Curiosity plagued him; he ran a finger along her hip and across her lower back and felt the faint outline of an undergarment. He heard her draw in a breath. Did she wear a thong or panties? The thought nearly did him in. He knew he had to change his line of thought before she wondered what the hard object was that pressed against her.

He took a deep breath and asked, "Does this mean you've chosen to move in with me?"

"Please stop pushing. I already told you, I won't move in with you." She gave him another push. "Let me go."

"After we've talked," he said. "This morning you fought me like a tiger when I asked you to take time off."

"Ordered is more like it," she huffed.

"Whatever, so why resign now?"

Laryssa stared at the floor, chewing on her nails. How do you explain to someone that they look exactly like a person you lost? That ordering her not to work left a sour taste in her mouth. It was too much like her past and she needed to pull away from it, to let it go. She was a new woman now and wouldn't allow herself to be controlled by anyone, let alone a man who looked like Aidan.

She'd spent the whole day thinking and decided hell would have to freeze over first before she let another man make a decision for her. That was what prompted the resignation letter. This, at least, gave her some control over the situation. Where she'd go from here she didn't know. At least, Dan would give her a good reference and would probably give Alex heck for losing her.

As she sat there contemplating how to answer, his finger stroked her cheek. The touch was so gentle, a sigh escaped before she could stop it.

"I only meant till the babies were born, you know. You could come back to work after," he said.

"What do you suppose I do in the mean time?" When he opened his mouth to speak, she continued, "and don't say move in with you because that isn't going to happen."

"Why not? My place is big; it has a pool and my housekeeper is more than happy to help you out."

"Gosh, why are you so persistent? What's in it for you?"

"Are you always this suspicious of men, Ms. Mitchell?" He studied her face. "Is it so difficult to believe that someone wants to help you out?"

"If you want to help me out, you can start by letting me go and stop touching me." His hand paused where it had been caressing her upper arm.

"But you are so tempting." He pulled at the strap of her dress and let it snap back in place.

Suddenly, she wished that she would have put on the pant suit she owned, instead of the dress. She had decided against the suit, thinking she would have been too hot. But, right now, with her skin exposed and his fingers dancing lightly on her shoulder, her body was ten times hotter than the suit would have made her.

"Mr. Richards, let me go," she pleaded.

"Say yes then." He moved her hair aside and brushed his lips against her neck, sending a tidal wave of pleasure through her body.

Rational, think rational thoughts, Laryssa. Her body was betraying her. She did not want to have feelings for another man. Let alone a man who looked as deathly handsome as Alex, and whose face could sweep her into the past in a split second.

Would his house have the answers she was looking for? Good rational thought there. She rolled her eyes. It would be like stepping into the lion's den with one great big lion, except this lion had deep, ocean colored eyes and a smile that could knock you off your feet. He was a puzzle, extremely charming one minute and downright rude the next. Laryssa didn't need another charmer or a lion. All she wanted was to live her life on her own terms and not have to answer to anyone else. It was charm that got her in the first mess.

"Let me go," she said in a cool voice. "I mean it."

"I'm not letting you go until we finish talking." He tightened his arms around her waist.

"Well I'm done talking." She grabbed one hand and tried to pry it off. He grabbed her arms and trapped them beneath his own. "I'm not joking. Let me go, now."

He had the nerve to grin at her. "If I don't let you go, what will you do?" he teased.

"This." With all the strength she could muster, she kicked his shin with the back of her heel. He let out a curse and released her. She stood up and put the table between them.

"God, you could have at least warned me." He rubbed his shin.

"I'm sure you aren't so dense that you don't understand what let me go means. But, incase, that wasn't clear enough, maybe this will be. I will not be manhandled into making a decision." With that, she turned and high tailed it out of the room. Alex was right behind her and caught up with her at the stairs. He grabbed her arm and pulled her close to him.

"After nearly ripping open my shin, I think I deserve this. I was a good boy in there." He placed one hand behind her head, and he leaned down till his lips were a fraction away from hers.

She should pull away, but his citrus and musk scent swirled around her and made it impossible for her to do anything, except wait with anticipation. His lips gently skimmed over hers and she felt oddly disappointed. But before she could complete that thought she was being devoured, her mouth wonderfully assaulted. His tongue slid skillfully over her lips, encouraging her to open to him and when she did, he swept inside. She melted against him and her heart rate sped up. She could do little else, but cling to him.

The life in her womb protested against the pressure as he attempted to pull her closer to him. It was enough to break the moment and they pulled apart. He couldn't take his eyes off her lips, likely swollen from the kiss.

She swallowed hard, and cleared her throat, before glaring up at him. "Kiss me like that again and your other shin will be black and blue."

"If our next kiss is anything like that one, it'll be worth it." He gave her a wink, and then walked away.

"Of all the men in the world, I had to meet this one. Insufferable, infuriating," she mumbled as she walked up the stairs. What were the odds, after years of not feeling anything for Aidan, she'd be so quickly turned on by his double? Something was wrong with that picture. Fate was delivering her a low blow. For Pete sake, her husband just died a few months ago, and here she was, exchanging kisses with the first man inside her house since he died. How much more pathetic could she get?

If he insisted on staying with her, then she would just have to avoid him as much as possible. Playing the perfect hostess was not on the top of her to do list. Let him live in his deluded world that she would come back with him. Hopefully, he would eventually tire of the idea and leave her be. She could only hope. Still, she couldn't help but wonder what his secret agenda was. No man tried this hard without an ulterior motive.

----

A/N

Thank you for reading the opening few chapters of my book. Unfortunately, my publishing contract with Black Velvet Seductions doesn't allow me to share the entire book online.

If you are interested in reading more, check out my "Enjoyed the Sample?" chapter for purchasing details. :)