“Well, the board is like most boards,” Simon said diplomatically.
“Stubborn and unreasonable?” August laughed.
“They definitely don’t see Blue Naught’s potential the way we do,” he said.
“Well, we’ve got Heather on our side. I’d say that’s a promising start.” August smiled at her, and she blushed in response.
Simon narrowed his eyes. He liked August, but he was going to like him a hell of a lot less if he kept looking at Heather that way. Jealousy wasn’t his style, but when it came to the woman he loved he could imagine himself punching August’s lights out.
She was going to be his, even if it killed him. Nobody but Heather could deny him his chance to have her. Not Dover’s board. Not Everett. Not the press. And certainly not August Spencer.
“It’s getting late,” Simon said, keeping his tone even. “We don’t want to keep you away from work any longer than we already have.”
August glanced at his watch. “You’re right, Simon. How about we meet at Blue Naught tomorrow morning? We can hammer out the last-minute details of the acquisition and Heather can share her ideas for the marketing campaign.”
“That sounds good,” Simon said. “I’ll call you before we leave, to confirm everything.”
“Excellent.” August got to his feet.
“Oh, August, let me show you out,” Heather said, reaching for her handbag. “I can make sure you get a taxi back to your office.”
August flashed her a smile. “That’s really nice of you, Heather, thanks.”
“I can show August out,” Simon offered. He didn’t want to reveal that he didn’t want August spending time alone with her. That would just make him look like he was out of his mind. Which he was. Realizing that he loved her had made him even more protective of her, if such a thing was possible.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll show August out and then I can go upstairs to get some rest. You can get a head start and go check out your room in the meantime.” She shoved her hand into her handbag and pulled out a room card and a slip of paper. “That’s your key and your room number. See you later.” With that, she walked away from the pool, laughing loudly at one of August’s jokes.
Simon’s hand balled up into a fist. This jealous reaction couldn’t be healthy. Deciding he needed to take a walk to shake off his annoyance, he got up and headed to the beach beyond the swimming pool.
The salty ocean air woke him up. Reminded him that he was going to fight for Heather even if the odds were against him. He was determined to show her that he was truly sorry for not trusting her. And if he was going to show her that he trusted her, he couldn’t go flying off the handle because some guy was flirting with her.
When he was sufficiently calm, he stepped off the beach and headed up to his room. The best thing to do now was take a shower and relax. Maybe as the evening wore on, he’d invite Heather to do something casual. If he played his cards right, he’d be able to thaw some of the ice around her heart.
With renewed optimism, he took the elevator upstairs and found his hotel room. He slid the key through the slot and swung the door open.
His eyes nearly popped out of his head when he spotted Heather dressed in nothing but a tiny towel.
She shrieked when she saw him and, suddenly, her towel slipped off.
Chapter 10
She had never been so embarrassed in her entire life. As her towel slipped down her body, she saw Simon’s eyes widen. He immediately turned around, his back to her. But the damage was already done.
Here she was, standing soaking wet, totally naked with no towel to cover her. He had no doubt caught a glimpse of her. And even though Simon had seen her naked more than a few times, her face went so hot it felt like it was on fire.
She snatched the towel off the floor and wrapped it around herself as quickly as she could. “What the hell are you doing here?” she demanded, her voice shrill with outrage.
“What am I doing here? What are you doing here?”
“This is my room,” she snapped.
“No, this is my room.” He paused. “This is obviously some kind of mix-up and I’m sorry about barging in on you like this, but this is clearly Room 37.”