Page 34 of Forbidden Hawaiian Nights
Max watched her retreat. Her blushing admission about her outfit had not surprised him. Despite the feisty exterior and the almost complete inability to refrain from saying what was on her mind, with or without encouragement from him, she was oddly vulnerable at times, and in her vulnerability so intensely feminine.
And so unbelievably sexy.
He’d followed her progress as she’d made her way towards him and, if he’d wanted her two days ago, he wanted her more now. Released from his own self-imposed restrictions on having any kind of relationship with an employee, was his mind now taking advantage to wander freely?
He had been aware of her in the back of the car as they’d been driven to the hotel, and he’d had to drag his thoughts out of the realm of fantasy.
In this hotel, with its contingent of preening women in designer clothes, she had stood out, her natural beauty marking her out from the crowd, and the fact that she couldn’t see that was both bewildering and touching at the same time.
It roused a protective urge in him that was halfway between amusing and unsettling.
Two hours after she had retired, and after a series of calls and emails to CEOs involved in various levels of delicate deal-making in various countries, he retreated to his bedroom.
Her room was next to his, separated by a door. A locked one, admittedly, but the mere fact that a single door separated them played into the fantasies revolving in his head.
The room was icy, thanks to the air-conditioning, but despite that he fancied he could still feel the heat outside, slowing down his reactions and turning his thoughts in directions not taken before.
He had failed to arrange a time to meet the next day and he wasn’t shocked when she texted bright and early the following morning to tell him that she would take breakfast in her room.
‘Why?’ He bypassed the dreary, long-winded business of texting her back and ended up calling her.
‘Just washed my hair…couldn’t possibly get it dried in time…removing the bandage from my foot…just wanted to hobble without the crutch in private to see how it felt…’
Blah, blah, blah.
‘Meet me in the foyer.’ He glanced at his watch, cutting through whatever further excuses might have been waiting in the wings. ‘In an hour.’
There were a couple of things he needed to do, and both afforded him a great deal of satisfaction.
He was waiting for her when she made it to the foyer bang on time. The travelling outfit had been replaced by one almost identical, bar a slightly different range of colours. Did anyone really need a pair of trousers with enough pockets to hold everything bar the kitchen sink? Surely not?
He rose smoothly from where he was sitting and headed towards her.
Mia paused fractionally. She’d made her excuses with breakfast, having decided to take time out to remind herself that they were here for business, not pleasure.
Sadly, the very second she clapped eyes on him her heart skipped a beat, her mouth went dry and her eyes became nailed to his face.
Surely she couldn’t be falling for this guy? Surely common sense would have prevented that? And yet there was an unescapable awareness that something inside her was being handed over to him… Surely it couldn’t be her heart?
She gave a rictus smile and indicated her foot.
Keep it casual. Polite conversation whenever you’re not talking about work-related matters…
‘So much better,’ she said when she was in front of him. ‘I still have the crutch, but you were right. It was just an uncomfortable sprain. Probably not even that. Anyway, definitely on the mend! I took a couple of tablets first thing and I can almost walk on it.’
‘Excellent news,’ he murmured.
‘Have you got an itemised plan for how the day is going to play out?’
‘I certainly have.’
Mia, waiting for clarification, was disconcerted when he cupped her elbow and began gently ushering her away from the revolving glass door that led outside.
‘Where are we going?’ She looked behind her with consternation as he continued to guide her back into the hotel.
‘You were uncomfortable with what you were wearing in the bar,’ he said. ‘You’re not going to feel any more comfortable in the restaurant tonight.’
‘Wh-why would I be in the restaurant?’ Mia stuttered on a tide of rising panic.
