A Daring Affair by Joy Tremay

with the flow. Unfortunately, Eric had such a strong hold on her that she couldn’t lead Charlie on. Was she really that far gone in her emotions that she couldn’t even flirt with another man? She looked at Charlie and felt guilty. Perhaps she shouldn’t have gone out with him tonight.
    Suddenly, Charlie smiled, squeezed her hand and gave her an understanding nod.
    “Just my luck, I finally meet a woman I’d like to spend time with, and she’s not interested.”
    “Oh, come on, Charlie,” Mia said with a teasing smile. She was relieved he wasn’t upset with her. “I’m sure you’ve met more than one woman in Maui who captures your interest.”
    He paused for a long moment. “None of them is you,” he said quietly.
    “I’m really sorry, Charlie,” she said, looking down at her lap.
    She felt his finger under her chin. “Hey, we can always be friends, right?” Charlie asked.
    Mia nodded eagerly. “I would like that. Can we shake on it?”
    Charlie chuckled. “Sure.”
    Mia held out her hand, and he shook it.
    “Besides, you might change your mind one day,” he said teasingly. “You couldn’t possibly resist my muscles for long.”
    Mia laughed, glad that he wasn’t so serious anymore. “Behave, Charlie.”
    He laughed and watched Mia get out of his truck. “If you ever just want to hang out, you know where I am.”
    “I’ll be sure to watch you catch some waves. Thanks again,” Mia said before Charlie drove off.
    “Hot date?” she heard a deep voice ask before she turned around and found herself faced with Eric’s disgruntled stare.
    Mia’s heart leaped to her throat as she took in Eric’s handsome features and his well-built body, dressed in blue jeans and a black T-shirt. She stood in front of the elevator in the lobby of the hotel.
    “I was out with a friend,” she replied, glancing away.
    Mia didn’t really feel like engaging in a conversation with him. She felt particularly vulnerable since realizing just how much she cared for him. The elevator doors opened and she was about to step inside when he took her arm and turned her to him. She looked up to find steely gray eyes piercing hers.
    “Who was that who dropped you off right now?” Eric asked in a low tone that failed to hide his annoyance.
    “Just a friend,” Mia answered. His attitude rubbed her the wrong way. He didn’t have any right to look so irritated.
    “He looked vaguely familiar. Was he the guy I saw you talking to on the beach a few days ago?” Eric asked brusquely, his hand still on her arm.
    Mia tried to shake his hand off, but his grip was firm.
    “His name is Charlie, and we went out dancing tonight,” she said defensively.
    Eric’s eyes reminded her of granite as they hardened at her answer. “I see,” he said slowly, removing his hand from her arm, “is that all you did with him tonight?”
    Mia blinked at his question, laced with sarcasm she didn’t appreciate. She crossed her arms in front of her and looked at him with disgust.
    “Just what are you implying, Eric?”
    * * *
    Eric was taken aback by Mia’s fiery glare, but he supposed he deserved her anger. He had been in an aggravated state of arousal since dropping her off Saturday night after their road trip to Hana. Barking at the inept construction men had helped, but the tension in his body had been increasing these past few days. He wanted Mia so badly, that every time he looked at her in the boardroom, his body ached. He needed an outlet for his frustration, and seeing her with another man had provoked him into behaving as badly as he felt.
    “I’m sorry, Mia. I didn’t mean to imply anything.” He ran a hand through his hair, feeling confused and frustrated.
    “I don’t bed hop, Eric,” Mia said, looking vexed. “I wouldn’t sleep with you, then sleep with someone else a few days later. What kind of woman do you think I am?”
    Eric drew in a deep breath and wanted to erase the hurt on her face. “I think we need to talk,” he