Marrying The Boss by Judi Nolan Page B

broad
expanse of Spencer's naked chest. The heated, masculine scent of
him engulfed her senses, touching off a riot of clamorous need. As
she fought it down, Kate felt her equilibrium tilt alarmingly, her
knees threatening to buckle beneath her.
    " Careful." Spencer's hands shot out to
fasten on her forearms as she nearly lost her balance. He frowned
down into her face. "Too much sun?"
    " No!" Kate faltered. "No. I'm sorry. I just
didn't see you there."
    To her dismay, she found she couldn't turn
her eyes away. Her heartbeat slammed into overdrive as she absorbed
all of him. Why did he have to appear at all the wrong
times?
    Like now when she was bone tired and her
resistance far too low to combat his mouthwatering appeal. The
broad sweep of his shoulder looked much too comfortable and she was
almost tired enough to lean against him.
    His thick dark hair was curling and damp,
clinging to his head and neck while the darkness of more than two
days growth of beard shadowed the firm line of his jaw. His
brooding masculinity took her breath away.
    Kate watched, fascinated, as a bead of
perspiration trickled from the hollow at the base of his throat,
arrowing down over his chest, heading for the waistband of his
shorts—where they rode low on his hips—before it became lost
somewhere along the way.
    " Oh, help." Kate breathed, licking her lips
and trying to force air into her starving lungs.
    " Kate? What's the matter? Spencer came
closer. "Are you all right?"
    " Oh no. I mean, yes, I'm fine," she gasped,
jerking her eyes upwards to encounter his hooded stare. "I didn't
expect to see you today."
    Spencer's mouth twisted, his hands dropped
away as he said, "And here's me thinking I'm hard to
miss."
    No , Kate had to agree in all honesty, he
wasn't hard to miss. That was the whole problem. Spencer Stelanos
was taking up too much space in her mind for her comfort. Right now
she was feeling acutely uncomfortable.
    Her throat turned desert dry. He
was a hard man to overlook under any circumstances. But
today ...she
sighed, unable to prevent her wary eyes from tracking back to
him.
    Dressed in running shoes and black shorts,
Spencer had stripped off his shirt, looping it around the back of
his neck. He held the ends now in his strong hands, like a sports
towel, using the hem of the shirt to wipe the sweat from his brow.
With his eyes briefly covered, Kate couldn't help but
stare.
    The title of Greek god simply didn't come
close to describing the man. In her mind's graphic image when he'd
first invited her to go running with him, his smooth tanned olive
skin was gleaming and oiled with perspiration. The sculptured
muscles of his chest were overlaid with a fine dusting of moist
dark hair that traveled in a narrow line down to his navel and
beyond, disappearing beneath the waistband of his shorts. His
abdominal muscles were hard and shaped, adding definition to a body
that would make most women faint with desire.
    " I'm afraid I'm all out of water," Kate
managed, tearing her gaze away as a strong shudder ran through
her.
    She closed her eyes on a soft groan. This
was far too much unwanted fantasy come to life for her to handle
all at once. But his warmth surrounded her senses, meddling with
her determination to keep her distance.
    " Kate…?"
    " What?" She looked up.
    His dark blue eyes were concerned. "Are
you sure you're all right?"
    Kate felt her cheeks heat. "Truly, I'm
fine," she muttered, taking a hasty step backwards.
    " Well, I guess I'll have to survive without
water. But I had a message on my answer phone from the estate agent
when I got back this morning."
    He flexed his shoulders. "She said you
were thinking of giving up the lease on the cottage. That you
weren't happy here. But you refused to tell her why. Care to
explain your reasons to me now?"
    " Oh, damn." Kate's eyes widened. She felt
acutely uncomfortable. "No, not really."
    She was hot, tired and the disturbed
clamoring of her senses shortened her temper. She didn't