Priceless Treasure(19)

Three days had passed since her impromptu lunch with Ashton, and she’d begun to notice a pattern. A Twilight Zone pattern that she wanted nothing to do with. One day the man was almost … dammit, the only word she could come up with was sweet. But then the next, he was the asshole boss from hell.

She never knew which side of the coin was going to land when he moved toward her. But there was only one more workday left in the week, and then finally she was going to get to see her sister. It was about time.

So she could put up with just about anything for another day. She looked down at her watch, noted the time, and made a slight amendment — another day and fifty-three minutes. No big deal.

But thirty minutes later, when she was putting away the cleaning supplies, she felt a sudden chill, and it had nothing to do with the breeze blowing in off the ocean. Savvy had no doubt that Ashton was standing within a couple of feet of her.

Dang it! Another fifteen minutes and she would have been safe and sound and inside hiding on her temporary boat. But of course Ashton knew her schedule. If he wanted to seek her out, he was going to do it, whether she was on the clock or not.

When she turned toward him, she almost drew back. Ashton normally wore shorts, polo shirts, or no shirt at all, and Disarray could have been one of his many middle names. The man ran his fingers through his lush head of hair more than any other person she knew.

Yes, she’d seen him in a suit once, when he was with his bimbo fiancée on the night of the show, but it had been dark and she’d had a buzz going on, so she hadn’t gotten the full viewing pleasure. But right now, this man could be gracing the cover of GQ in a three-piece suit that made his shoulders appear a mile wide. Worse, his hair was brushed back, and his cheeks were tanned and firm. So freaking unfair! Why didn’t she have billionaire genes?

She’d found him attractive before. Come on, she wasn’t dead. But standing before her in all his glory, he was absolutely mouthwatering. That wasn’t a thought she wanted to have about her bipolar boss.

“You’re gaping at me, Savvy.”

It took a moment for his words to penetrate her muddled brain. But with the accompanying arrogant smile now resting on his lips, his words computed and she grew instantly cranky.

“I’m most certainly not.” Okay, maybe she could have come up with something a lot more biting than that. He’d caught her by surprise, though, and she was thinking ahead now for her next insult.

“Why lie?” he asked with a shrug. “You obviously like a man in a suit. Had I known, I might have worn one more often.”

This time her mouth really was hitting the floor, but she managed to snap it shut. She didn’t normally lack in intelligence, and it really bit her on the butt that she’d turned stupid in this man’s presence. What in the world was wrong with her? She didn’t like him, and besides that, she wasn’t one of those girls who went all googly-eyed when they found a man attractive. Or at least she’d never been one of those girls.

“Is there something you wanted?” she asked at last when no stinging comebacks came to mind.

“Nope. I was just passing this way and thought I would say hi,” he said after his eyes trailed from her head to her toes and then back up.

The pig didn’t even try to hide his leering.

“Seriously, Ashton, are you this crude with every woman you’re around?” she asked when he met her eyes again.

“Actually, no. I find you attractive. Why is that so offensive?”

“I consider it despicable that you not only find me attractive but that you harbor zero qualms about hiding it from anyone. In case you’ve forgotten, which is a distinct possibility, you have a fiancée,” she said between clenched teeth. When was this man going to understand what that sentence meant?#p#分页标题#e#

“So what? We’re not married yet, and I’m not dead,” he told her with a shrug.

That jerk! He’d just used her unspoken line about not being dead. “You know what, Ashton? It’s officially five o’clock, and I’m punching out,” she told him as she turned away.

Before she got two steps he grabbed her arm and spun her around. His eyes narrowed and he pulled her in against his chest.

“One of these days, little missy, you won’t be walking away,” he told her.

Savannah didn’t know how to reply to that. To the moon, Ashton? Definitely not.

His head bent forward just the slightest bit, and her body began to shake. That was certainly from fear and not desire. But before he did what she expected and kissed her, he let go and strode off.