Hot Boss, Wicked Nights

She unbuttoned her top, but couldn’t bring herself to take it off. ‘I’ve got more to hide than you.’

He stripped off his jocks and with typical masculine confidence, said, ‘That so?’

Her gaze took in every naked and impressive inch of him. Okay, maybe not. Her breath rasped out as her fingers paused at the waistband of her trousers. She swallowed. ‘Is this today’s adventure?’

He raised a brow. ‘Not daring enough for you?’

She choked out a laugh. ‘Oh, yeah, plenty enough.’ Taking a breath, she shoved her jeans down her legs, kicked them aside. Shrugged out of her blouse. What was she doing, standing on a public beach like a frightened virgin in her chaste white lace underwear and staring at the buck-naked man in front of her?

A wickedly naked man with the most gorgeous body she’d ever seen. Who knew how to use that body on hers to full and glorious effect.

Her pulse was doing somersaults in her veins, not only because she was about to strip off on a public beach, but because the memory of last night’s intimate encounter with that body was stunningly clear and real.

He set his hands on his hips. ‘Last one in, then?’

She could smell the sun on his sweat-sheened skin. She’d be powerless to stop him seducing her into removing her underwear if he stepped any closer and this time she wanted to do it herself to show him she wasn’t afraid of being naked with him in public.

Good Lord, in public. What happened to tourists arrested for indecent exposure under Indonesia’s strict laws? Her fingers fumbled with her bra hook. ‘Wait…’ She tossed the garment onto the sand, pushed her panties down and stepped out of them. ‘Last one in…does what?’

Before she could blink he was off and running into the water. Its deep blue colour rippled out around him as he grinned at her with a purely masculine glint of wickedness in his eyes. ‘Come on in and I’ll explain it to you.’

CHAPTER TEN

THEY spent the following days visiting local markets, immersing themselves in Balinese culture at the numerous temples and enjoying its hospitality at a couple of relaxing massage and wellbeing centres. In the evenings they took in a couple of cultural shows, dropped in at a few night spots. And in between, they found time to enjoy the hotel’s amenities—pool, spa. The luxurious double bed.

Kate lay awake in that bed now. Alone. Wondering why she sent him on his way every night when here, away from family, was the perfect opportunity to let him stay. He’d lain beside her after making love only an hour ago. The scent of their passion still lingered. It was so tempting to turn a blind eye to the fact that they had to return to their working lives the day after tomorrow.

But they’d both made it clear that this was all there was. All it could be—she didn’t date her boss. He’d be gone in probably a matter of months, and hopefully she’d have had the chance to demonstrate she possessed the skills to run the centre by then.

His idea to expose her to new experiences seemed to have fallen by the wayside in favour of their enthusiasm for exploring each other. Perhaps he wasn’t the reckless live-for-the-moment guy she’d initially thought when she’d seen him in his jungle gear. Bad boy to her good girl. She stared up at the slow-moving fan. First impressions could be wrong, couldn’t they?

And he had his own share of secrets. Secrets that put shadows in his eyes and added a roughness to his voice when he’d turn away. He could talk all he liked about how he preferred his life uncomplicated and unencumbered or give her the impression he was free as a bird, but he didn’t fool her.

For one, he cared about her, at least a little. He’d told her it wasn’t just sex, and what was more he’d tried to prove it. Another, he cared about his uncle. She could see it now, whenever Bryce came up in conversation. They might not have been close, but the bond of family was still strong. Why stay to sort out Bryce’s business when clearly he wanted to be some place else?

Some place he wasn’t going to talk about with her.

Even though physically they were as intimate as two lovers could be, emotionally it was a different story. So he cared about her. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t walk away without a backward glance when the time came. His emotions, when it came to her, had a turn-off switch, whereas she was hopelessly out of her depth. Oh, she could play the siren for him—in fact, to her everlasting surprise, she’d discovered she could do it very well. But it was becoming harder and harder to keep her head above water.

Tomorrow was their last day on Bali. The past week had been the most memorable of her life, but she needed to start pulling away. Now.