Page 20 of Kiss Me Forever

"Does there have to be a reason?" he challenged. "I like you. You like me. There's chemistry between us."

"No, there's not," she denied, even though her heart was beating way too fast.

"I think there is."

"Well, even if there was, this story is important to me. I am not going to mess it up by getting involved with you."

"How could a kiss mess anything up?"

She swallowed hard. She couldn't think straight with the turbulent sea rocking the boat and Alex's irresistible smile making her feel completely off balance.

"It's only a matter of time, Andrea. I've known that since the first minute we met."

"When you insulted me with that bulldog comment?"

"I don't think I was wrong. You have definite bulldog tendencies."

She made a face at him. "Well, I don't mix business with pleasure."

"It would be a pleasure." His hands slid around her waist, pulling her into his chest. "Say yes."

She wanted to say yes, but the predatory gleam in his eyes made her realize that this moment was about more than a kiss; it was also a power play. Alex was a gamer. He created battles and adventures for fun and profit, and to do that successfully he had to be a master at reading people, seeing their strengths, their weaknesses, understanding their motivations and using their desires against them. But this wasn't a game. This was her job. And even though every nerve ending in her body was tingling, she found some willpower. "No."

Surprise flashed through his eyes. "Seriously?"

"Your moves aren't going to work on me. This isn't a game. I'm here with you because it's my job. Neither of us should forget that."

He stared back at her, his gaze reflective, a bit confused, but there was also a hint of respect. "Okay."

She waited for him to elaborate, but he seemed content to hold her, to look at her, which might have been an even better move on his part, because now that he wasn't pressing for a kiss, she found herself wanting him to make that move.

Or maybe she would. How crazy was that?

She licked her lips, swallowed hard, trying to resist the attraction that sizzled around them. She couldn't remember feeling so lit-up, so on-edge. The only good thing was that Alex had definitely taken her mind off the swirling sea.

"Second thoughts?" he asked with a hint of amusement, his intense gaze reading her too well.

"You should let me go," she said finally, her voice a little too breathless. "Go downstairs—see your friends."

"I told you I won't leave you alone up here."

She drew in a breath, turning her head, hoping to see the harbor just seconds away, but they were still off shore.

"No escape route," he said.

"Stop reading my mind."

The boat took another lurch, and she stumbled against him. His arms tightened around her.

"The universe is trying to tell you something," he said lightly, his breath warming her cheek.

It certainly was. She was having enough trouble fighting her own attraction, much less his, and now the ocean had to get in on it.

And then another long dive changed everything as a huge wave broke over the boat, soaking them both in icy water. She gasped, her heart skipping a beat at the shocking spray. She looked at Alex. He appeared just as bewildered as he wiped water from his eyes.

Then his gaze turned to her and he started to laugh. "I guess the universe is on your side after all."

"They do say Mother Nature is a woman."

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