"Whatever's easiest."
Lauren pursed her lips, and he realized he might have been less than diplomatic. He pulled himself up, grabbing the sheet. "I'm sorry, Lauren. Of course bring them yourself."
She smiled and patted him on the head. "Don't fret, Zach. You know, you're a fantastic client, a great friend, and a fabulous lover, but I went into this"-she waved at the rumpled bed-"with my eyes open, and long-term-relationship material you are not. Not for me anyway."
"Not for anyone," he muttered.
She grinned. "Now, I really have to go." At the door, she paused and turned back. "But one day, you're going to meet a woman and you're going to fall in love-and I'm betting there are a few of us out there who hope she gives you a real hard time."
"Never going to happen," he said to himself as the door closed behind her.
Zach got out of bed, pulled on a pair of drawstring trousers and a T-shirt, thrust his feet into leather flip-flops, and headed out across the gardens to the guesthouse.
A woman stood on the terrace. He'd been expecting one of his security guards, Gary or Simon, and he paused to study her. She was tiny-certainly no threat. Her slight form was wrapped in a white robe, her head wrapped in a towel. Her lips were compressed into a tight line as she struggled with the tray she carried. She appeared pale and curiously helpless, and he had an urge to rush to her assistance. The strangeness of the feeling made him hesitate, then he shrugged it away and strode toward her.
"Here, let me help you with that."
At the sound of his voice, she jumped then stumbled. "Shit." Righting herself, she glanced up as Zach hurried forward and held out his hands for the tray.
"I can manage." She stared at him, and he was caught in the gaze of a pair of enormous eyes the color of fresh green grass. They dominated a small, elfin face and glared at him with something less than appreciation-not an expression he tended to receive from women. He'd never seen her before, but maybe she was someone Gary or Simon had picked up. He'd told them to make themselves at home, after all.
While she was outwardly composed, a pulse beat rapidly at her throat-not as unruffled as she wanted to appear. He glanced down to check out the rest of her, just as her belt unraveled and the front of her robe parted.
Jackpot!
Beneath it, she was naked, and his eyes honed in on two of the most gorgeous breasts he had ever seen. Full-considering she was so slight-and up-tilted with dusky pink nipples. His dick jerked to attention at the sight-maybe he wasn't too old after all.
He forced himself to look up and caught her gaze. Her eyes narrowed, and she peered down.
"Double shit."
Dani took the last step to the table and slammed the tray onto the marble surface. She snatched the edges of her robe together, wrenched the belt tight, and tried to control the wave of heat washing over her face. It wasn't as though he hadn't seen breasts before.
She was aware she was being cranky-after all, it was hardly his fault she'd flashed her tits at him-but she couldn't seem to help it. The warm water of the shower had washed away much of her earlier tension, but her leg still ached. The sensation of weakness rubbed her emotions raw and sapped her ability to play nice. Plus, she was hardly dressed for meeting her new boss. She'd presumed he'd be too busy with his friend from the pool to bother with introductions tonight.
She sank into the deep cushions of one of the wicker sofas and fiddled with the contents of the tray while she studied him through her lashes. At least he had some clothes on now, and while she wouldn't exactly say it improved his appearance, it did make her feel a lot more comfortable. The only problem was, her brain refused to stop flashing up images of him in his former naked glory. All that sleek golden skin, rippling with muscles. Most unnerving. The images were bad enough. The effect on her normally rock-steady equilibrium was much worse, leaving her hot and twitchy and totally aware that she was naked beneath the robe.
What was wrong with her? She never thought of men, well, as men, and she certainly never thought about them naked. A decision she'd made early in her career and one she'd never had to question or found the least bit difficult-until now.
He was dressed casually, his feet bare, and she couldn't help but notice that he had long toes. Wasn't that supposed to mean he had a long ? Dani cut off the thought and shook her head, unable to believe she was contemplating the length of his dick.
She allowed her eyes to drift upward to his face. He had lean, tanned features; high cheekbones; a bony nose; and dark, heavy-lidded amber eyes, which observed her with more than a hint of lazy amusement.
So he found her funny, did he?
She opened her mouth and clamped it closed again. He was her employer. She had to be polite. Didn't she? But as his laidback golden stare loitered on her breasts, her blood pressure rose. Screw polite. Besides, he obviously had no clue who she was, and she could always plead ignorance.
"Can I help you?" she asked, examining her fingernails.
"I was looking for Gary."
His voice was rich and smooth and sent the most unusual ripples of sensation sliding down her spine. Ignoring her unwelcome reaction, she glanced around then lifted one shoulder in answer.
Obviously, he was undeterred by her lack of response, the smile still in place, his gaze still warm. "So I'm guessing you must be a friend of Gary's."
"Really?"
"Or is it Simon you're with? And are you just friends or more?"
"More?"
"I'm merely trying to find out whose toes I might be treading on."
It took Dani a moment to realize what he was saying and longer for the meaning of his words to sink in. Was he flirting with her? She shook her head-unbelievable. And what about the naked blonde from the pool earlier? She peered over his shoulder just in case the woman was loitering somewhere close. The last thing Dani wanted on her first day on the job was to get into a catfight with her playboy boss's blond-Barbie-doll-girlfriend. But all was clear, and she turned her attention back to the man in front of her.
She had no experience with handling men-they tended to keep their distance. Probably because she had something of a scary reputation. Plus, she was usually accompanied by a very large dog. She picked up her sandwich for something to do, then put it down again.
"Would it make any difference?" she asked.
He grinned. "Well, I'm hoping there's nothing serious, because I don't intrude on other people's relationships."
"You don't? How noble of you."
His grin faded as though she wasn't behaving in the expected manner. No doubt, he was used to women being a little more appreciative of his attentions. Hard luck-Dani didn't do appreciative.
Gary emerged through the patio doors, rubbing a towel over his damp hair. "Hi, Zach. Have you two introduced yourselves?"
"I was about to do that very thing," Dani murmured.
Gary gave her a look of reproach, a look that clearly said, This is our employer. Behave yourself.
She curved her lips into what she hoped was a sweet smile and batted her lashes-which was a first. "I would have, honest. I just didn't recognize him with his clothes on."
Gary grinned. "Liar."
Zach was studying them both, his brows drawn together. "Actually, I thought the new guard was arriving. I came over to introduce myself, but I can see you're busy " He turned to go.
"Hey wait, Zach," Gary interrupted. "This is Dani Sinclair. I think Jake spoke to you about her."
Swiveling on his heels, Zach faced them once more. He gave a short laugh but when no one else joined in, his disbelieving expression shifted from her to Gary and back again. "Jake said he was sending out some specialist. An ex – army sergeant. This is my specialist?" He waved a hand in Dani's direction. "Are you telling me Jake sent goddamn Tinker Bell to protect me?"
Chapter Two
Tinker Bell?
Dani gritted her teeth under the incredulous stare. Taking a deep breath, she clamped her mouth shut and counted to ten. It wasn't nearly enough.
Gary grinned. "Dani's not actually out here to protect you personally."
"Well, that's a relief," Zach replied.
"Not that I couldn't," Dani muttered, her fists clenching at her side, "if I actually wanted to."
"So what is it she's here to do?" he asked Gary, almost as if she wasn't there and wasn't quite capable of telling him herself.
Jerk.
She should be cool and drop it, but she couldn't leave it alone. "Is it because you don't think a woman can protect you? Or because you don't like the idea?" She kept her voice reasonable, but it was an effort.
"No, it's because you look like I could push you over with one finger."
She leaned toward him, eyes narrowed. "Just try it."
His gaze had dropped to where her robe gaped open at the front, revealing the curve of her breasts, and she straightened abruptly. What was is about this man that put her back up? After ten years in the army, she'd thought herself immune to any sexist comments that came her way, but for some reason he was needling her. She caught the glint in his eyes and had a horrible suspicion that he knew exactly how much he was pissing her off.
Gary peered from her to their boss. Obviously he considered it time to put a stop to whatever was going on. He cleared his throat to get their attention. "Dani's a dog handler," he said. "The best there is," he added for good measure as Zach continued to look skeptical.