‘You’ve been in a strange mood all day.’
‘And you’ve been in a bad mood all day!’
His back straightened, his hands lifting from his pockets to cross lazily over his chest. The movement was slow, languid even, but the body language was clear.
Wrong answer.
Tension lined his features, barely restrained tension that held his broad-shouldered pose rigid and forced the flicker of movement at his jaw. And suddenly it wasn’t a gunslinger she was looking at. Against the glittering ocean and infinite skies he could have been a sea god, emerged from the oceans to claim the world and everything it contained. And, if he’d been holding a trident, she had no doubt it would have been launched directly at her right now.
‘Is that so?’ he questioned, dragging her attention back to his face and one pointedly arched brow. ‘I’ve been in a bad mood all day?’
She swallowed. He’d probably been in that mood his entire life, if what Morgan had told her was any indication. Not that she was crazy enough to add saying that to her list of transgressions. ‘At least since I got in.’
‘Late.’
She cocked her head. ‘Pardon?’
‘You were late, I recall. Maybe if you’d got in on time you might have found my mood a little more to your liking.’
Tegan doubted it. She glanced down at her watch. How much more of this day did she have to endure?
‘Expecting someone?’
She looked up at him. ‘Excuse me?’
‘Do you have somewhere you need to be?’
She blinked. Where was this headed?
‘A lunch date, perhaps?’
‘Not that that would be any of your business, but I’m planning on working through lunch.’ She paused, knowing she should shut up now, but unable to resist giving the man back something of his own medicine. ‘To make up for my earlier crimes against the state.’
Something unreadable flashed across his eyes, and his jaw worked overtime before he finally spun away to face the wall of windows. ‘Good,’ he said. ‘That’s exactly what I meant. Let me know how you get on with Rogerson.’
He even looked powerful from the back, she realised absent-mindedly, unable to miss how his shirt pulled across his broad shoulders before narrowing to tuck into a lean, packed waist and trousers that fitted in all the right places.
Suddenly he turned his head, looking back over his shoulder at her and capturing her open appraisal. His eyes narrowed, his expression remaining resolute.
‘Was there something else?’
It took a second to realise she’d been dismissed and that she’d missed it completely. And, instead of running for the relative sanctuary of her work station like she should have, she’d sat here ogling him. And he’d caught her red-handed. What the hell was wrong with her, hanging around in here, when being with him was the last thing she needed?
‘No,’ she murmured in response as she gathered up her note pad and rose from the chair. ‘Nothing at all.’
The soft snick of the catch told him she’d gone, but still he stayed where he was, watching without really seeing the endless waves roll in along the coastline.
So she didn’t have a lunch date. Why had that launched such a surge of satisfaction? Why had it even mattered? She was Morgan, his PA.
His PA with the endless, smooth-skinned legs.
She’d had them tucked demurely away beneath her, but every now and then she’d shifted slightly, and those legs had shimmered in the light, drawing his eye and causing his mind to wander—and hold out for the merest glimpse of lace. Fruitlessly, as it had turned out.
So, if it wasn’t a lunch date, maybe it was dinner she had planned? There had to be some reason for her less buttoned-up dress code. Unless his presence here today had spoilt some other plans she’d had in mind? That could account for the sassy attitude.
Not that he was interested. He was curious, that was all. Anything that affected the performance of a significant member of his team was a concern. And if something was bugging her he’d find out exactly what it was.
Time didn’t have a chance to drag. Once back in her work space, Tegan did a more thorough once-over of the file to assure herself she was on the right track, before launching into the myriad tasks Maverick had set her, all the time praying she didn’t make any major blunders.
But, before any of that, the first thing she’d done was to take the time to email Morgan in Honolulu. Urgent, she’d written in the subject header. Call me tonight at home asap!
She could only hope Morgan would check her private email daily, as she’d promised when Tegan had agreed to this crazy scheme.
Not that she’d really agreed to anything, when it all came down to it. She’d been well and truly guilt-tripped into it.