Finishing off that third bottle of wine might have been a mistake.”
Kit nodded slightly, beginning to enjoy the jolt of caffeine
kicking in. “I like your boat.”
“You didn’t get dizzy or seasick last night, did you?”
“Oh no.” She’d slept like the dead. “Not at all. Well, I got
dizzy this morning when I got up, but it certainly wasn’t from the boat, more
like from an intense alcohol stupor. Poor Pepper’s been home alone all night.
He probably thinks he’s been abandoned.”
He rested his chin in his hand and enjoyed the view from
across the table. Even dressed in baggy men’s clothing she was all woman. A
simple shower had her smelling like spring flowers. Listening to her voice,
watching her mouth move as she talked, he knew what he’d like to do with that
mouth. And the recent memory of getting her out of her dress would stay with
him for some time.
Kit felt his intense stare and glanced up. Her eyes found
his, locked. She steadied her gaze. Even with the throbbing in her head still
evident, she picked up on the heat between them, a sexual energy she wasn’t
sure she’d ever felt until now. Below the pit of her stomach, a spark of lust
ignited, settled in. Wetness pooled between her legs. And she was pretty sure
it wasn’t leftover from her shower.
If her head hadn’t been pounding, she might have acted on
the urge. She tried to tell herself it was the hot coffee making her feel so
warm, not the sparks of lust from his gaze.
Why was he staring at her like that? Never dropping her eyes
from his, she said in a soft voice, “I didn’t mean to put you out of your bed
last night.”
“How do you know that isn’t where I slept? I just got up
first.”
Her face flushed crimson. “Oh really? Then maybe next time
I’ll be awake and you won’t have to take advantage of the situation.”
“Next time…you’ll be awake. Probably all night. And if I had
wanted to take advantage of the situation, I pretty much could have. You were
out for the night. Do you always snore so loudly? You should probably get that
snoring checked. I’m hoping I don’t have a complaint from the neighbors.”
She chewed on the inside of her mouth. “I see. You’re rather
self-assured there will be a next time. Just so you know I don’t make a habit
of falling asleep in strange beds without my clothes on. Don’t you think I
deserve to know how I got out of my dress?” With green fire lapping in her
eyes, she added, “And I don’t snore.”
“Getting you out of the dress was the easy part. Your dress
was wet. You can’t sleep in wet clothes. But the moral dilemma hit me when I
got down to the black bra and thong. Leaving those on, now that was much more
difficult. It took all the restraint I could muster, a great deal of willpower
to take the high road when you were so out of it. I deserve a reward for being
such a saint.”
This playful side to him was new. And the tide had turned.
There was heat here, enough to light a match. “Did you develop a sense of humor
in Japan, Jake?”
He ignored her comment. Instead his thoughts drifted to the
sort of activities they could spend the day doing if they both cancelled work.
The idea hit him that maybe he could persuade her not to be in such a hurry to
leave. “Let’s blow off work, take the boat out. I’ll take you to Catalina for
the day.”
“The workaholic playing hooky? Okay, what have you done with
the real Jake?”
“When you own the company you can take the day off.”
“Since when? This from the man who’s known on three
continents as Mr. Software, the one who’s the first to get to work in the
morning and the last to leave. I’ll say it again, what have you done with the
real Jake Boston?”
“Maybe I’m changing.”
“What’s the old saying, something about a leopard can’t
change his spots? I won’t believe you can change until I see proof.”
“You want proof, fine. Let Baylee handle the shop. Let’s
spend the day sailing.
Kit nodded slightly, beginning to enjoy the jolt of caffeine
kicking in. “I like your boat.”
“You didn’t get dizzy or seasick last night, did you?”
“Oh no.” She’d slept like the dead. “Not at all. Well, I got
dizzy this morning when I got up, but it certainly wasn’t from the boat, more
like from an intense alcohol stupor. Poor Pepper’s been home alone all night.
He probably thinks he’s been abandoned.”
He rested his chin in his hand and enjoyed the view from
across the table. Even dressed in baggy men’s clothing she was all woman. A
simple shower had her smelling like spring flowers. Listening to her voice,
watching her mouth move as she talked, he knew what he’d like to do with that
mouth. And the recent memory of getting her out of her dress would stay with
him for some time.
Kit felt his intense stare and glanced up. Her eyes found
his, locked. She steadied her gaze. Even with the throbbing in her head still
evident, she picked up on the heat between them, a sexual energy she wasn’t
sure she’d ever felt until now. Below the pit of her stomach, a spark of lust
ignited, settled in. Wetness pooled between her legs. And she was pretty sure
it wasn’t leftover from her shower.
If her head hadn’t been pounding, she might have acted on
the urge. She tried to tell herself it was the hot coffee making her feel so
warm, not the sparks of lust from his gaze.
Why was he staring at her like that? Never dropping her eyes
from his, she said in a soft voice, “I didn’t mean to put you out of your bed
last night.”
“How do you know that isn’t where I slept? I just got up
first.”
Her face flushed crimson. “Oh really? Then maybe next time
I’ll be awake and you won’t have to take advantage of the situation.”
“Next time…you’ll be awake. Probably all night. And if I had
wanted to take advantage of the situation, I pretty much could have. You were
out for the night. Do you always snore so loudly? You should probably get that
snoring checked. I’m hoping I don’t have a complaint from the neighbors.”
She chewed on the inside of her mouth. “I see. You’re rather
self-assured there will be a next time. Just so you know I don’t make a habit
of falling asleep in strange beds without my clothes on. Don’t you think I
deserve to know how I got out of my dress?” With green fire lapping in her
eyes, she added, “And I don’t snore.”
“Getting you out of the dress was the easy part. Your dress
was wet. You can’t sleep in wet clothes. But the moral dilemma hit me when I
got down to the black bra and thong. Leaving those on, now that was much more
difficult. It took all the restraint I could muster, a great deal of willpower
to take the high road when you were so out of it. I deserve a reward for being
such a saint.”
This playful side to him was new. And the tide had turned.
There was heat here, enough to light a match. “Did you develop a sense of humor
in Japan, Jake?”
He ignored her comment. Instead his thoughts drifted to the
sort of activities they could spend the day doing if they both cancelled work.
The idea hit him that maybe he could persuade her not to be in such a hurry to
leave. “Let’s blow off work, take the boat out. I’ll take you to Catalina for
the day.”
“The workaholic playing hooky? Okay, what have you done with
the real Jake?”
“When you own the company you can take the day off.”
“Since when? This from the man who’s known on three
continents as Mr. Software, the one who’s the first to get to work in the
morning and the last to leave. I’ll say it again, what have you done with the
real Jake Boston?”
“Maybe I’m changing.”
“What’s the old saying, something about a leopard can’t
change his spots? I won’t believe you can change until I see proof.”
“You want proof, fine. Let Baylee handle the shop. Let’s
spend the day sailing.
Similar Books
