Shawna Delacorte - In Forbidden Territory

But in the meantime there wasn’t anything wrong with an innocent afternoon of fun.

Ty’s voice cut into her thoughts. “We have a little while before lunch. Has Mac shown you around our facility?”

“No, I haven’t seen anything beyond the lobby and offices.”

“Would you like a tour? I could show you around the design room, the lab and the shop where we do the actual boat construction.”

Her entire manner leaped to rapt attention. “I’d love to have a guided tour.” It was perfect. She would have an opportunity to see how things worked, get more of a technical tour than Mac would ever take the time to give her. She could ask Ty questions she couldn’t ask Mac and certainly get more useful answers than her brother would give her. It would be the perfect setting to start her campaign to win Ty over to her side. She was certain Mac would listen to Ty. After all, Ty was his business partner in addition to being his best friend.

Ty escorted her through the lobby and down a hallway, pausing a minute at the door to Mac’s office. “I’m going to take Angie on a tour of the facility.”

Mac looked up from his work, then glanced at his watch. “Yes, a tour would be nice.” He looked at Angie. “I’m sorry I haven’t had any time to spend with you.”

“I assume this means lunch is out?”

A sheepish expression crossed his face. “I’ll try to be home for dinner.”

“No need to worry about Angie being alone for dinner. I’ll take her out to grab something to eat.”

She glanced questioningly at Ty for a moment. He hadn’t mentioned anything about dinner. She returned her attention to her brother. “He’s right. There’s no reason for you to pull yourself away from your design project before you’re ready. You stay and work as late as you need to and don’t worry about me.” She glanced at Ty. “I’ll be in good hands.”

An involuntary glance toward Mac told Ty what he didn’t want to know. Mac’s expression was neither gracious nor distracted. Unlike many occasions when Mac’s thoughts had him so preoccupied he didn’t notice what was going on around him, this time there was no mistaking the fact that he was fully aware of his surroundings. It was obvious to Ty that Angie’s comment about being in good hands had caught Mac’s undivided attention.

Ty turned toward Angie. “Are you ready for the VIP tour?”

“Ready and willing.” A little shiver of something, she wasn’t sure what, told her she might be ready and willing for a lot more than a tour of the building and a business lunch.

They left Mac’s office and Ty spent an hour showing her what they did and how they did it. Each step started with Mac’s initial design, computer testing of the design, a miniature model, tank testing of the miniature, then the finished product custom-built for the client. She was very pleased with the way Ty assumed she’d understand what he was talking about and didn’t reduce everything to the level of a ten-year-old.

The phase of the process she found most interesting was the design of the interior areas such as cabins and galleys so that they made maximum functional use of the space available yet were still attractive. They had a computer program that allowed the customer to see what the interior would look like with different fabrics, colors, woods and fixtures rather than simply picking something from a catalogue without being able to see it as part of the whole.

After the tour Ty and Angie took the ferry across to Seattle. They enjoyed a leisurely lunch in the revolving restaurant at the top of the Space Needle. The bright sunny day provided views of the Olympic mountains to the west and the Cascades to the east with Mt. Rainier looming large on the horizon to the southeast. The mountain views served as a spectacular backdrop to the water and greenery of Puget Sound and the expanse of the Seattle metropolitan area.

Conversation was casual, but far more superficial than she wanted it to be. She made several attempts during lunch to turn it to business matters while pursuing her goal. And each time he managed to deftly switch to a different topic.

Angie toyed with the stem of her wineglass as she made another attempt to procure information about the company. “Did I hear you correctly yesterday when you said something to Mac about the outcome of his design project having an impact on expansion plans for the business?”

Ty took a sip from his wineglass before answering her, as if he was determining how much to say. Or perhaps it was her guilty conscience that made it seem that way.

“The company is at a crossroads at the moment. Either we undertake a costly expansion which will include physically moving the location of the business to much larger facilities in order to meet our potential, or we scale back so that we continue to maintain what we have. It’s the results of Mac’s design project that will pretty much make that decision for us. If the design he’s working on is successful, then we can move into the arena of the design and construction of larger sailboats in the luxury yacht category. We already have some of the ancillary support systems in place such as the computerized interior design enhancement I showed you this morning.”

This bit of information leaped out at Angie. Everything about the interior design system had fascinated her. Perhaps that was the area where she should concentrate her efforts, something that would fit nicely with her education and work experience in industrial design. Her excitement over this new facet filled her with questions.

“Would this interior design work be done primarily outside the company or is it something you plan to keep in-house as a department of the newly expanded operation?”

“It’s too soon to say. We’re taking it one step at a time, and right now the step we’re handling is the completion of the design Mac is working on. I’ve already done my preliminary work. I’ve talked to clients and business associates and have determined that the potential business is available. Our bankers have assured me they’re interested in providing the needed capital for the expansion. But until Mac finishes the design and we successfully test it, everything else is only speculation.”

“What clients do you have who would be interested in purchasing a custom-designed luxury sailboat? You said you’d need to move the facility to another location. Would you still remain in the Seattle area? Do you think—” She saw the look of caution dart across his features. Had she gone too far? Was she pushing too much? The look of caution slowly turned to a stern gaze, tempered slightly by the wry twinkle in his eyes.

“If I didn’t know better I would swear you were an industrial spy trying to pump me for information about our development projects and the names of our clients.”

She felt the heat of embarrassment sear across her cheeks. His accusation shocked her. Well, it wasn’t really an accusation as such, but more of a half serious, half teasing observation. But it was serious enough that it made her realize she had pushed him too hard in her zeal to gather information.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound like that. It’s just that I’m interested and Mac always talks in such general terms. He probably thinks I wouldn’t understand what he was talking about even though I keep reminding him that I have a degree in business and industrial design plus three years of practical work experience at an industrial design firm.” She offered a confident smile, hoping it would help sidetrack Ty’s sudden concerns. “Maybe I should wear a sign around my neck stating that I’m an adult and don’t need to be patronized.”

Ty’s response was a measured but easy laugh. “I don’t think a sign will be necessary.” His smile slowly faded as their gazes locked in a heated moment of desire. “You certainly look all grown up to me.”

She silently berated herself for being too aggressive in her questions. She would need to be more subtle in enlisting Ty’s help. If only Mac hadn’t laughed at her six months ago when she had first worked up the courage to express her desire to work for his company. It would have made things so much easier for her now.

Ty would be a good conduit for swaying Mac’s initial reaction to her working for the company, but that wouldn’t make Mac realize she was no longer a child to be patronized and protected. It was a dilemma she knew she would be wrestling with again and again just as she was now wrestling with her intense attraction to Tyler Farrell.

After lunch they walked along the waterfront area. Each time he touched her—placing his hand at the small of her back to help guide her through a crowd, innocently draping his arm around her shoulder as they walked along the sidewalk, tugging on her hand to stop her when he wanted to point out a specific sight—a tremor of excitement rippled through her body followed by a warm sensuality that settled inside her.

But oddly enough, the excitement was tempered with a feeling of closeness. It was a special combination she had never experienced with anyone else, but one she found appealing and very comfortable. A hint of concern tried to work its way into the warmth surrounding her, a warmth that suddenly felt far too comfortable. She couldn’t afford to lose sight of her goal.

“How about a harbor cruise?” Ty’s question broke into her thoughts, jerking her back to the moment at hand.

“Sounds like fun.” Her words said one thing, but reality was something else. She knew spending more time with Ty could only lead to complications in her life, complications she didn’t want or need at this time.

A few minutes later they boarded the boat for the tour of Elliott Bay. The ocean breeze ruffled through her hair. The crisp air tickled her senses. She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath, held it for several seconds, then slowly exhaled. “I love being on the water. It always makes me feel so relaxed.” A cloak of calm and serenity settled over her.

Ty watched as a slight smile turned the corners of her mouth—the same delicious mouth he had sampled the previous evening. The same mouth that tasted of more and held the promise of tantalizing pleasures yet to be. He tried to clear his head of the ill-advised thoughts, of desires that could only lead to trouble. She was his best friend’s sister…his business partner’s sister…someone who should logically be off-limits. Yet he felt drawn to her on every level as he had never been with anyone before.

She definitely pushed every lustful button he possessed. His blood rushed hot and fast each time he came into physical contact with her. It was a sensation he wanted to pursue even though he knew it was forbidden territory. But there was more than merely wanting to get her into his bed for a night of unbridled passion—for many nights of unbridled passion. There was something else about her. Something that would not crystallize into a clear thought. Something he couldn’t seem to put into words—something intangible that scared him more than anything else ever had.

The next night Angie and Ty strolled hand in hand up the walkway to Mac’s front door. Her enthusiasm showed in her voice. “Thank you for the play. I love theater and really enjoyed this production.”

“It was my pleasure. I’m glad you were able to go with me.”

The house was dark, but they could see Mac’s car through the garage window. Ty gave her hand a little squeeze. “Mac’s probably asleep. He’s been putting in long hours for the past several days.” He indicated the two chairs on the porch. “Let’s sit here rather than going inside. Our conversation out here won’t wake him.”