Mom for the CEO's Daughter by Susan Meier Page A

working, everything felt different. Especially the very casual way Kara spoke to him. In the office, their banter and her quick wit made for good communication. At the beach, it tingled up his spine like the hands of a lover. Worse, he was noticing things about her he shouldn’t notice. Not about an employee!
    He handed Kara a plastic bucket. “So what do you say we build a sand castle?”
    Stacy nodded enthusiastically.
    â€œYou get the water,” he said to Kara.
    Kara glanced at the bucket and back at him. Her eyes narrowed. “For?”
    â€œTo make the sand wet so we can pack it.”
    â€œOh. I get it.”
    She gingerly picked her way along the sand to the water. Baffled, Gabe let his gaze follow her, only to be treated to a very nice view of her backside. He groaned, annoyed with himself. But when she carefully crouched down to dip the bucket into the retreating wave, she didn’t get any water.
    She stood there, as if confused until another wave came in. Then, stiff as a board, she filled the bucket.
    He frowned. Was she afraid?
    Of the water?
    She returned with salt water sloshing over the sides of the bucket.
    He motioned for her to dump it into the little bowl he and Stacy had scooped out of the sand. “Are you afraid of the water?”
    She shrugged. “I’ve never been to the ocean before.” She looked up and out over the beautiful blue sea. “It’s very big.”
    He gaped at her. “You own a bikini and you’ve never been to the ocean?”
    She shrugged. “I have a friend who has a pool. I tan there…and swim.”
    He almost asked her what kind of friend. Was her friend a man? A
boyfriend?
But he clamped down on his jealously. Where the hell was all this coming from?
    ***
    Kara focused her attention on the water she had poured into the hole.
    Stacy reached in and pulled out a blob of wet sand which she patted into a small pink bucket. She smiled at Kara. “I’m making bricks.”
    â€œLet me help.” Kara grabbed the second bucket.
    â€œSo your mum never took you to the beach on vacation?” Gabe asked.
    She sucked in a breath, annoyed with herself. She’d gone an entire year of working with Gabe Fulton without revealing the details of her not-so-happy childhood, and after ten minutes together at the beach she’d slipped up.
    â€œMy mother was a single mum, remember? We couldn’t afford to go on vacation.”
    â€œThat’s too bad.”
    Drat. Now he felt sorry for her. That was the whole reason she didn’t want to tell him about her childhood. She hated pity. She’d pulled herself up by her bootstraps and made herself a success. There was no reason to pity her. She wanted him to
like
her.
    â€œI work for
the
Gabriel Fulton, billionaire entrepreneur extraordinaire. It’s a dream position that every assistant wants.” She caught his gaze. “Most people wouldn’t feel sorry for me. Some might even call me lucky.”
    He laughed and she smiled. There. Not one wisp of pity in his silver blue eyes now.
    He grabbed the second, bigger bucket. “Time for more water.”
    Kara’s eyes followed the stretch of his body as he unfolded from his sitting position in the sand. His swim trunks caressed his perfect butt and left bare a temptingly touchable chest and sculptured abs. Tall and regal, with no-nonsense black hair, he ruled his companies with the skill and mastery of a king guiding an empire. The way he worked had attracted her more than his good looks, but the good looks certainly didn’t hurt.
    She watched him walk to the water, bend down, scoop up a bucketful and rise to come back.
    She dropped her gaze to the wet sand she was patting into a brick.
    She had a thing for him. He was finally noticing her. They were in paradise. This was her big shot to change their relationship from professional to personal. The bikini had broken the ice. Now she had to figure out