Was it only this morning they had met? It hardly seemed possible to reconcile the man who’d kissed her so tenderly with the man she’d encountered in his office—the man who’d turned arrogance into an art form and bundled her out without a decent hearing. Although he’d almost kissed her then too, practically reducing her to a puddle on the floor before she’d managed to find the will to push him away.
But had she pushed him away when he’d come back a second time? Oh no. Her body had been strung tight as a wire, not from dread or revulsion, but from the anticipation thrumming in her veins as she’d watched his mouth descend.
And the only thought in her mind was that there was no way she was going to stop him.
Far below them the azure sea lapped half-heartedly at a tiny cove of diamond-tipped water and a beach of brilliant white sand protected at either end by a rocky point jutting into the sea. Totally private and utterly inviting. It would be a long climb down the wooden steps she could see, but already she could feel the cool water sliding over her heated body.
Except would it really cool her down? Her teeth gnawed on her bottom lip as her mind churned over the implications. Was it really wise to strip down to a borrowed swimsuit and share the water with a man who was distracting enough with his clothes on, let alone wearing nothing more than bathers? She squeezed her eyes shut, desperate to extinguish the pictures that thought conjured up, of a body naked but for a band of black lycra. Oh no! A swim was a really bad idea.
‘I think I might actually pass on the swimming after all,’ she decided, searching for an excuse that didn’t scream ‘coward’, and trying to pretend she wasn’t more hot and bothered than ever. ‘My heels would never last the climb down those steps. But you go right ahead.’ When she looked up it was to find him not looking down at the cove, like she’d hoped, but still watching her. Heat flared in her cheeks, his unrelenting gaze unnerving, even while shrouded by sunglasses.
‘I’d hate to risk your heels,’ he said, half-smiling, as if he found her discomfiture amusing. ‘So why not use the pool, like I intend to? I gather your heels are good for a few more metres.’
As if realising he’d won the point, he turned and led the way through the tangle of bougainvillea that spilled a riot of colour over the entrance to the courtyard, while Sophie followed meekly behind, feeling more of a fool than ever. Of course a house like this would have a pool tucked away somewhere, so what excuse was she going to dream up next without looking like she was afraid of getting into the water with him—that she was afraid of crocodiles?
Not that that would work, she decided, abandoning the idea as useless. Daniel was exactly the kind of man who would probably be flattered by such a comparison.
The timber entry door swung open before they reached it, and a middle-aged woman beamed at them under her apron. Sophie took to her warm and welcoming eyes on sight. ‘Mr Caruana! You should have told me you were bringing back a guest,’ she chided as they entered the spacious room, clearly with no qualms about castigating her boss over his lack of forward notice. ‘I would have prepared something more special for dinner.’
‘I’m sure whatever you have planned, Millie, will be superb as usual. And I have no doubt Miss Turner here will soon likewise be a fan of your cooking.’ He turned to Sophie. ‘Millie used to run a café in Cairns, until I happened in for lunch one day and made her an offer she couldn’t refuse.’
His phone beeped then and Millie took his jacket as he excused himself and checked the caller ID. ‘He did too,’ Millie agreed conspiratorially, her smile growing dimples and her clear green eyes sparkling. ‘And the next thing I knew, I’d upped sticks and was living on a tropical island paradise. Mind you, this one could talk the leg off a chair. So you watch out, Miss Turner, if you know what’s good for you.’
‘Now, Millie,’ Daniel cautioned, sliding his phone away. ‘Don’t go giving away all my trade secrets.’
‘Thanks for the advice,’ Sophie told Millie, seeing a different side to Daniel and enjoying the unexpected banter between employer and employee. ‘I’m not actually sure I’ll be staying for dinner, but I’ll definitely take all the tips I can get.’
Millie looked genuinely disappointed until Daniel intervened. ‘Of course Miss Turner is staying for dinner,’ he announced. ‘And, in the meantime, I wonder if you might show her to the guest room and rustle up a swimsuit? I’ll catch up in a while. I have a couple of calls to make.’ And then he smiled. ‘Just don’t be too hard on her heels.’