Out of Control(46)

“That is so—”

“I know.”

She nibbled on her lip. “So you want to continue with this…” She waved a hand in the general direction of his groin. Then paused to look again.

“Hell, yes.”

“Why? You could have any woman you wanted. I saw them watching you yesterday. Why me?”

“The truth—again I don’t know. Maybe I like a challenge.”

“I’m hardly a challenge.”

“You’re the first woman to ever knock me on my ass.” He ran a hand through his hair. “You’re overthinking. Why not enjoy what we have while we have it? Neither of us is into commitment. One day soon, I’ll be in the clear and I’ll go back to my real life. And you’ll get your physical and go back to yours. Right now, we’re both in a strange place. Why can’t we share it?”

It sounded logical, and so like her own thoughts yesterday, but still a little twinge of doubt niggled her. She studied him, trying to unearth the source of her unease. He was so beautiful, so perfect, and she was as far from perfect as you could possibly get. But it wasn’t only his physical looks that drew her; she liked him and that scared her. She didn’t want to like him as a person. She wanted to be able to walk away from this with no regrets. And maybe she should be doing just that before she got in too deep. But at the thought of walking away, something inside her rebelled.

This might be her one chance to explore physical passion. And maybe afterward they could be friends. He’d obviously stayed friends with Lauren, his accountant, and she was guessing with the vast numbers of other women he’d slept with. He was such a friendly guy.

“You won’t try and get me fired again?”

“I’ll make you a deal. I’ll try and shut up about it, but from now on, you stick to working the dogs. No more guarding my back.”

She could live with that. “Okay. It’s a deal—until the real world intrudes.”





Chapter Twelve

Gary and Simon were both waiting on the tarmac when she descended from the plane. Both dressed in dark suits and in serious business mode.

This time she and Zach had had the plane entirely to themselves, apart from the exceptionally discreet flight attendant. Dani wondered whether it was obvious to the two men below that they’d spent the entire flight in bed, guzzling champagne and giggling like teenagers. She’d never thought that sex would be so much fun. But now she felt as though her indiscretions were branded across her forehead in big red letters.

She was totally conscious of Zach behind her. They hadn’t discussed what they would say—if anything—about their…relationship. She’d sort of presumed they’d be discreet. Or maybe she’d just hoped. But as they stepped off, Zach’s arm came around her waist and he drew her to his side in a blatant show of possession.

She twitched with the need to pull free. His grip tightened, and she closed her eyes and counted to ten.

Gary and Simon were still there when she opened them. Simon’s face twisted into an expression of disapproval, but Gary appeared resigned. “Jess called me,” he said.

“Oh.”

“I don’t approve.”

“Neither do I,” Simon added.

“Get over it,” Zach snapped.

Gary nodded. “Jess says it’s not a conflict of interest, and she’s in charge. Just don’t make me trip over the two of you every few minutes.”

This time when they made their way through the airport, she stayed firmly attached to Zach’s side. Gary took point and Simon brought up the rear. She could feel his disapproval burning into her back.

“You don’t have to keep hold of me quite so tight,” she mumbled.

“You ashamed to be seen with me?”

“Maybe.”

He leaned down and kissed her cheek without breaking his stride. “Hard luck.”

She gritted her teeth and resisted the urge to dropkick him again. He could be such an asshole. And she was feeling grumpy, probably due to too little sleep over the past couple of days. And she’d lulled herself into believing that what was between her and Zach was nobody’s business but theirs. Seeing Gary and Simon was a wakeup call. Real life was already intruding.

She slipped her arm around Zach’s waist and pressed herself against him. Screw them—they’d have to get used to it.

Skip was in the back of the car. The little dog hurled himself at the windows when he caught sight of their approach. She slid into the backseat beside Zach and the dog jumped onto her knee, licked her face.

“He missed you,” Simon said as he climbed into the driver’s seat, and Gary got in beside him.