He frowned, tapping his spoon pensively against his bowl. 'Good point. I hadn't thought of that. Thank you.'
'Other than that, though, the pool's a splendid idea.'
'Any other thoughts on the place?'
'I like that it's so light and airy you feel as if you're outdoors. And the open-air kitchen that's not really a kitchen but more of an island.'
'Speaking of feeling as if you're outdoors … ' he reached for her bowl, set it on the coffee table with his ' … there's an architectural wonder in the master bedroom I haven't shown you yet.'
And a wonder it was indeed.
Long after Jared had fallen asleep, Sophie was still staring up at the field of stars visible through the massive circular window. With a flick of a switch it could be cleverly concealed by a ceiling panel in the form of a rosette. Amongst the snowy pillows it was like lying on top of a cloud and watching the night drift past. Like magic.
And hadn't these last few days been magic? she thought on a sigh. One magic moment after another with the man of her dreams. Literally.
The man she'd fallen in love with.
Yes. She'd fallen in love with Jared, and perhaps it was the most magic thing of all that she could allow herself that luxury.
But magic wasn't real; it was an illusion and it didn't last. And Sophie knew, with a heart that was already breaking apart, that very soon the magic would end.
'I've got another job for you, if you'd like it,' Jared told Sophie late the next afternoon. They'd arrived back at the office after lunch and were going over some work that had accumulated in their absence. Pam would be back on board on Monday and Jared knew Sophie could do with the extra money.
She looked up from the folder she was studying. 'What kind of work?'
'I promised Melissa an eighteenth birthday party. I've been too busy to make a time with her to organise it. If you could meet with her, make and oversee the arrangements, I'll continue paying you what you're making now until the night of the party. You probably have more idea what she wants than I do anyway.'
Her expression brightened, but then a little frown creased her brow. 'When were you planning it for? I'm leaving in a couple of weeks, remember.'
He remembered. And the knowledge was like a grass seed in his sock. A minor but constant niggle. If he'd been a less focused man he might have said to hell with the paperwork and spent what was left of the afternoon in Sophie's bed. He really was in danger of turning into an indulgent and irresponsible idiot.
He reached for a business card, jotted Melissa's contact details on the back. 'It'll fit in well, then. It's two weekends from now.'
'Two weeks on my current pay? To organise a party? That's … generous … thank you.'
'You're helping me out, so thank you.' He slid the card across the desk. 'I'll leave it to you to contact Melissa. I've already set up a credit card. It'll be available Monday, spend whatever you need.'
'Okay … It sounds like fun.' She shifted forward on her chair. 'I'll just sort these and make sure everything's ready for your efficient PA's return before I leave.'
'She'll appreciate it.' All business, he noted as Sophie stood, shuffled the folders on his desk into a neat little pile. He and Sophie worked well as a team. Understood each other. Respected each other. They could be professional when required.
And he could have her naked on his desk in five seconds flat.
His imagination slammed into overdrive and its very lack of that professionalism was its own appeal. His body tightened. Blood thickened and throbbed in his groin. It was five-thirty on a Friday afternoon. Those employees who hadn't yet left for their weekend were drinking up a storm in the staff lounge-he could hear the laughter and clink of glass, the muted hum of a middle-of-the-road CD.
No one was going to come looking for workaholic Jared.
He stood too, stepped around to the side of his desk. Lock the door, close the blinds. For once, do what no one expects of Jared Sanderson. 'Sophie … ' He could barely recognise his own husky voice. But he heard the possessive tone and the promise …
And he saw barely veiled humour flit across her expression as she backed up and crossed the room in record time. 'In your dreams, Mr Sanderson.' She poked her head around the door a few seconds later with a seductive sparkle in her eyes. 'My place, thirty minutes. Don't keep me waiting.'
He grinned, warnings to self about the dangers of indulgence and irresponsibility where Sophie was concerned already forgotten. 'I'll be there with wine.'
Still grinning, he returned to his chair. His lover and his PA rolled into one generous, intelligent, talented package. He'd never have thought of his PA in that way. Then again, he'd never had a PA quite like Sophie. And it worked. With Sophie it worked.
They'd come into the office this afternoon as professionals, as equals. They'd been able to put aside the fact that they'd spent the past couple of nights bonking each other senseless. Difficult. Very difficult.
Shaking his head, he forced his attention back to work. What the hell, he decided, slapping his folder shut. He deserved an early finish.
The weekend flew by as quickly as their stay in Noosa had. Except that for the first time in as long as he could remember, Jared allowed no interruptions from the office to impinge on their time together. No emails, no text messages, no phone calls.
They walked touristy shopping malls and drank coffee, wandered the beach and watched surfers ride waves, took a leisurely drive and a picnic basket into the Hinterland where the air was cool and green.
He showed her some of the developments he'd overseen up and down the Gold Coast. The new apartment block in Broad Beach that he intended renovating and living in someday. He took her home to his place where she and Lissa got along as if they were best friends rather than recent acquaintances.
But he didn't stay the nights with her. In the early hours he left her warm comfort and went home. He knew his sister wasn't fooled, but it wasn't so much about Melissa as about himself. This way it was easier to remember that this … whatever it was that he had with Sophie wasn't serious. It was temporary. A fling with a rapidly approaching use-by date.
Just a fling, Sophie reminded herself as she woke up alone at seven a.m. She hadn't asked him to stay the night when he'd rolled out of bed and gone home around two a.m. for the last three mornings. Because it was just a fling. She touched a fingertip to the dent in the pillow where he'd lain. No point in getting used to waking up beside him. Cocooned in their shared musky warmth. Seeing his eyes darken with desire when he turned his head on the pillow and saw her watching.
Shaking it away, she dragged herself out of bed and pointed herself in the direction of the bathroom. She focused her thoughts on this morning. No doubt he was already at work and she was meeting Melissa and Enzo at Enzo's restaurant to plan Melissa's birthday.
Enzo was waiting when she arrived. At this hour, the restaurant was closed to the public, but they sat at a table where a couple of floor-to-ceiling windows were thrown open to the salty sting of beach air. Early sunshine spilled onto the table and the aroma of croissants and coffee stirred her appetite.
While they waited for Melissa, Enzo poured coffee. 'So you're planning Melissa's party?'
'Yes.' She took a sip of the strong black brew. 'I know Jared would've preferred some fancy-schmancy event planner but Pam's back this week so Jared asked me if I'd like the job. Very kind of him since he knows I could do with the extra money. I'm going overseas.' She mentally frowned at the distinct lack of enthusiasm she heard in her last words. Of course she wanted to go overseas. She did.
Enzo nodded. 'Jared is a very kind man.'
'You've known him a long time?'
'He worked for Rico and Luigi a long time ago in the fish shop. I was fourteen at the time. Jared wanted to show he could support his sisters, bring in some money and study all at once.'
'That sounds like Jared. Who's Luigi? Another brother?'
Enzo shook his head. 'Rico loved him like a brother but he was, in fact, Rico's business partner. But Luigi was an evil man. My brother trusted Luigi but he fiddled the books, then absconded with all their money. Bankrupted Rico, put my restaurant into financial difficulties while I was trying to bail my brother out.'
She shook her head. 'That's horrible.'
'Jared came to our rescue. He was a rich man by then. Set Rico up in new premises. Gave us both financial backing. We owe him a great debt.'
'He's a pretty special guy.'
'He likes you. I can tell. Did you say you were going overseas?'
'Very soon.'
'Maybe you should reconsider. You don't want to let a good man like that get away.'