“I appreciate it.”
He turned to go, when her small hand reached out to grab his elbow.
“It’s wonderful to have you back, Mr. Wexton,” she said with a smile that was just a little too knowing to be professional.
“How could I stay away?” he replied, the easy words slipping from him automatically.
Her smiled widened. “Will you be staying long?”
“I haven’t decided,” he answered.
“Well, if you need anything, I’m just a phone call away.”
Giving her a closed-lipped smile, he walked away. Under normal circumstances he wouldn’t have thought twice about some harmless flirting. But with Avery’s presence still fresh in his mind, he found he couldn’t summon any interest in Lea.
She’s not the woman I want.
Wyatt would never stop mocking him if he knew what was happening. The man who didn’t let himself grow attached to anyone was infatuated with a single woman. It was a travesty. A crime against nature. The faster he got Avery got of his system, the better. Then he could go back to the easy world of uncomplicated pleasure.
But for that to happen, he needed to convince Avery that a brief affair was in both their best interests.
Unfortunately he knew first-hand how stubborn she could be.
Shaking his head, he strode for the elevator. Good thing he loved a challenge.
Chapter Three
Avery kicked her door closed and dropped face first onto the wide, king-size bed. What a day. Her tablet was filled with notes and interview recordings. Karen had even more. Usually she was able to dive into work and use it to block out everything else, but this time it had felt like she was going through the motions. Her mind hadn’t been focused on the task at hand.
I wonder why?
Hayden was messing with her head, and it had only been a day. This project would no doubt take weeks.
Rolling over, she flung an arm across her eyes.
In the silence of her elegant suite, there was no stopping the flood of memories.
Hayden wasn’t the sort of man she ever pursued. In fact, she stayed as far away from his type as possible. Her life was governed by three rules—never mix business with pleasure, never have a one-night stand, and never, ever get involved with a playboy. The gala had caused her to break all three edicts.
For the life of her, she didn’t know why that night had been different. Hayden was handsome, she’d have to be dead not to notice, but through all their previous engagements while working on his hotels, she’d never felt a flutter of need.
Until the Christmas gala, when he’d appeared behind her. He’d touched her elbow, a simple brush of skin to skin, and she’d turned.
There’d been a look in his eyes. One that even now caused her breath to catch at the memory. He’d stared at her as if she were the only woman in the room. And better yet, the only woman he wanted to strip down and do wicked things to all night long.
It had been years since anyone had wanted her like that.
Maybe it’d been the champagne bubbling through her veins or the glittering decor of twinkling lights and Christmas snowflakes, but her better judgment had fled.
When his hand had slid across her lower back to guide her onto the dance floor, she’d been lost.
“Dammit,” she sighed, pushing herself up. It had been one night. Nothing more. Fantasy wasn’t supposed to cross over into reality. It wasn’t supposed to pursue her around the world.
He’d sent her texts, made offers to continue their liaison, and she’d turned him down cold. Hayden was not the sort of man to put extra effort into any romance he was ever involved in.
So why did he follow me here?
She couldn’t deny the secret thrill that shot through her, knowing that anyone had cared enough to chase her across an ocean. And therein lay the danger. Hayden was the master of extravagant and grand gestures, but if she weakened, he’d have her flat on her back on the nearest bed before she could blink, and would be gone from her life by the time the sheets cooled.
As if you’d need a bed, her mind whispered. He did a pretty good job that time up against the wall.
Shooting to her feet, she shook her head as if she could shake away the thoughts. “Focus on the job,” she told herself. “Do the work and get on a plane. How hard is it to keep your legs closed?” This was supposed to have been some fun in the sun while she helped out a struggling hotel. Her island paradise was getting more complicated by the minute.
Running a hand over her face, she glanced at her watch. The sun would be setting soon, and she’d be damned if she’d miss her first island sunset just to avoid the possibility of running into Hayden.
She crossed before the full-length mirror on her closet door and stopped. Heels had no place on the beach. Smoothing a hand over her jacket, she shook her head. It was the evening. She was off the clock and business clothes would only get ruined sitting in the sand.