Читать книгу Totally Tempting - Mary Lynn Baxter - Страница 18

Dean greeted her briskly when she arrived at the airport the next morning. She had a moment of déjà vu when she saw him, except that today he wore a business suit.

She had also dressed for a business trip, in a light-colored suit and matching heels.

“Good morning,” she said, walking up to him.

He turned around. “It’s nice to see you again,” he replied politely. “Have you checked your bag?”

She nodded.

“Have you had breakfast? If you haven’t, there’s a restaurant along the concourse where we could get something.”

“Fine.”

He strode along the corridor, a man on the move, and Jodie had to skip a time or two in order to keep up with him.

Once they found the restaurant, sat down and ordered, Jodie caught her breath. Her shortness of breath was in no way connected to seeing Dean again. He looked like a modern-day pirate in his dark suit. All he needed was a knife between his teeth.

“How is Candace working out?” she asked during their meal.

“She’s all right.”

She couldn’t think of anything more to say to him. She wanted to ask him why he’d decided to do the installation himself rather than send someone else.

But she didn’t.

She wanted to ask him why he’d decided to have her accompany him, given their situation.

But she didn’t.

Was it because he wanted to prove to her that he’d moved on after she’d turned him down? Perhaps. No doubt he was already involved with someone else by now.

Which was just as well. She wished that she’d been seeing someone these past few weeks, someone who would have helped her forget about her attraction to him. This trip would be much easier for her if that were the case.

“How do you like working for Frank?” he asked after several minutes of silence.

“He’s great. I’m fascinated by all that we’re doing.”

“You’ll be able to see how we implement the work your department does in Furukawa’s offices.” He paused for a moment. “I thought you might enjoy seeing the islands again.”

“Are we going to stay in the condo?”

“No. Candace made reservations for us to stay in one of the hotels in Honolulu.”

“Oh.”

“Are you ready to go to our gate?”

She nodded.

Once on the concourse, he continued his fast pace until Jodie finally said, “Dean, I can’t keep up with you in these heels. Would you please slow down?”

He immediately stopped and waited for her to catch up with him. “Sorry. My mind was on other things.”

They continued walking for what seemed forever to Jodie before they reached their gate.

They found seats although the departure lounge was rapidly filling up with passengers waiting to board.

Dean spotted their plane, which they could see through the glass wall. “Looks like they’re finishing loading luggage and food.” He glanced at his watch. “We should be boarding shortly.” When she didn’t comment, he asked, “Do you have something to read on the plane?”

“In my purse.”

Dean was not usually so talkative. Making idle chitchat wasn’t part of his personality.

“Dean?”

“Yes?”

“Look, I know this is awkward for both of us. I appreciate your taking me on this assignment. I know you didn’t have to be the one to go.”

“Actually I felt that Furukawa needed to know that his security was important to me. We’ve stayed in touch these past few weeks ironing out the contract and determining exactly what should be installed. The fact that I’ll be installing the systems is personally important.”

“Will we start this afternoon?”

“Not with the actual work, no. However, we’ll go to his office, pay our respects and invite him to dinner if he doesn’t have other plans. We’ll get started on the installation first thing tomorrow morning. It won’t take more than a couple of days if everything goes according to plan.”

The flight attendant announced that it was time to board and they stood. Jodie had noticed that once again they were flying first-class.

As soon as she’d found out she’d be making this trip, she’d visited her doctor and asked for something to help her deal with her anxiety about flying. He’d given her a prescription for a mild anti-anxiety drug and told her to take it a half hour before flying. She’d taken it with breakfast and was already feeling calmer.

Dean escorted her to their seats. “Would you prefer to sit on the aisle?” he asked.

“Yes, please.”

She reached for the airline magazine in the pocket in front of her and began to read.

“Are you okay about flying?” he asked.

“I think so. Yes.”

She could tell that he didn’t believe her. It didn’t matter. She needed to get used to flying now that she was a representative of the company.

By the time they took off, she was getting sleepy. She’d had a restless night, dreading spending time with Dean again. Lack of sleep, together with the prescription drug, had her yawning by the time they leveled off.

Jodie leaned her seat back and went to sleep.

Dean took the opportunity to study her—the way her mouth was shaped, her thick lashes, the slight tilt of her nose. He’d missed seeing her each day. When he found himself going to her department in hopes of seeing her, he knew he had it bad.

His dreams were filled with her…talking with her, making love to her, riding in the car with her. He was never alone in his dreams now, which was tough when he woke up each morning to discover he was alone and none of it was real.

Dean couldn’t figure out what was going on with him. Was it because he hadn’t been with a woman since the first trip to Hawaii? He hadn’t been interested enough in Rachel to respond to her sexual overtures, which was the major reason she knew their relationship had come to an end.

They’d spent a weekend together, a last-ditch effort on her part to prove something to him—or herself. Despite all her attempts at seducing him—provocative night wear, a full-body massage—nothing had worked.

He figured he’d been too tired that weekend. His dreams of Jodie were more satisfying than the reality of being with Rachel.

This trip was to prove something to himself—to prove that his fantasies of Jodie were absurd. Candace had booked a suite so that each of them had a bedroom. They wouldn’t be spending much time there.

This was strictly a business trip.

He was not lusting after her.

What he needed to do was find someone nice to date—someone with blond hair and blue eyes, someone who looked trim and fit, someone who was fun to talk to, to be with, someone who could make him laugh.

Someone like Jodie.

* * *

Dean had awakened her as they’d approached Los Angeles. There had been little time for them to find their gate for the next leg of the journey and neither one of them had said very much.

Once they’d been back on the plane, Jodie had read a little but fallen asleep within the first hour. Consequently she felt rested and ready to go to work when they landed in Honolulu.

They checked in to their hotel and she discovered that they had a gorgeous view from the balcony off the main room. Their bedrooms were located on opposite sides of this room.

They met Steve Furukawa at his office and showed him the schematics for the job. Dean answered his questions at length, and when Steve was fully satisfied, they set up a time to begin the next morning.

Steve agreed to have dinner with them, but Jodie begged off. Once Dean left their hotel room, she changed into more casual clothes and took a long, contemplative walk along the beach.

She had to face a difficult fact: she was in love with Dean Logan. She wasn’t certain when it had happened, but there was no doubt about it. Being with him again had taught her that she’d been kidding herself when she’d decided she was over her infatuation with him. Of course, she had no intention of acting on her desire for him. She wasn’t that stupid or self-destructive.

She wondered if there was a group somewhere she could attend to learn how to get over him. If so, she would definitely join.

By the time she returned to the hotel, the exercise had worked its charm. She was pleasantly tired, tired enough—she hoped—to be able to sleep, since tomorrow would be a long day.

When Jodie opened the door to the suite, she was surprised to see that Dean was there. He was on the balcony, sitting on one chair, his feet propped on another, sipping a drink.

“How was dinner?” she asked, walking over to him.

He moved his feet and motioned for her to sit down. “The food was good and I enjoyed getting to know Steve a little better. He gave me a brief family history. He told me how his family came to Hawaii from Japan many years ago. He’s an interesting man.”

She sat down and propped her bare feet on the railing. “There’s something about this place that seems almost magical. The scent of flowers, the soft breeze. It’s easy to forget there’s another world out there.”

“I watched you walk along the edge of the water. I was relieved to spot you. I was worried when I discovered you weren’t here when I got back.”

“I had no idea you would return so soon.”

“Steve wanted to get home to his family. I enjoyed listening to his stories about his sons and daughters. He’s very proud of them.”

“You constantly surprise me,” she replied.

“In what way?”

“Somehow I can’t picture you listening to stories about children.”

“Why not?”

She shrugged. “I can’t see you as a family man.” When he didn’t reply, she added, “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“I’m not offended. I never thought of myself in that light, so I suppose you’re right.”

They stayed on the balcony enjoying the night air for a while. Then Dean said, “I’m going to bed. See you in the morning.” He stood and stretched, and Jodie straightened and got up, as well.

Once inside, Dean switched off the lamp, leaving the room bathed in moonlight.

“Thank you for giving me this opportunity, Dean.”

“No problem. I seem to get some masochistic pleasure whenever I’m around you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know, Jodie. I want to make love to you so badly I constantly ache with it. And that’s when you’re not around.”

She hoped the darkness hid her flushed face and the trembling of her body. “I didn’t know,” she said faintly.

“Do you want a demonstration?” he asked. He walked over to her and drew her into his arms. His kiss was gentle at first. If he’d grabbed her, she could have easily pushed away from him. It was his gentleness that undid her.

The kiss quickly heated up and Jodie felt him pressed against her, his arousal very evident.

Alarms went off in her head…or were they bells? She couldn’t tell and at the moment did not care. She slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him back with all the pent-up love and passion she had for him.

Dean was the one who broke away. “I’m sorry. That was inexcusable.” He turned and strode toward his bedroom. “Good night.”

Good night?

He had kissed the living daylights out of her and all he could say was good night?

Every nerve in her body tingled with anticipation. She took deep, steadying breaths, shaking so hard she could barely stand there. How dare he start something he didn’t intend to finish.

She should be grateful.

She should be thankful for his restraint.

She turned away and started to her bedroom and then wheeled around and marched across the room to his closed door. Without knocking, she shoved the door open. She didn’t see him but she knew he was there.

“That was a rotten trick, Dean Logan! How dare you start something and then walk away as though nothing had happened!”

She slammed the door and marched back to her room, slamming that door for good measure.

The nerve of the man. Just because she refused to date him. Just because she knew that making love to him would be the worst possible thing she could do to herself didn’t mean that she could just walk away after the passionate kiss they’d just shared.

So maybe she did want a fling after all! That was all that Dean would ever have with her.

She went into the bathroom and took off her clothes. She’d take a shower until she was calmer.

She turned on the shower and, without waiting for it to warm up, stepped inside, needing the shock of cold water on her heated body. She stood with the spray hitting her face, forcing herself to let go of her frustration and get a hold on her emotions.

Which was why she didn’t hear Dean enter the room until the shower door opened behind her and Dean stepped inside wearing nothing but a smile.