Page 17 of Tempting Her Forbidden Boss

Okay, so she really didn’t have a choice. But she had to admit she was actually interested to see what it was like too. ‘Okay,’ she answered, crossing her fingers that this wasn’t a huge mistake. ‘Thanks.’

He smiled then. ‘Now that’s sorted, come on through and have a drink.’

He was walking off before she could refuse. And she couldn’t refuse, could she—couldn’t be completely rude—not now he’d given her a job?

The town house was gorgeous—a traditional wooden villa on the outside but one that had been rebuilt on the inside. High ceilings and big windows let in lots of light. Neutral but warm colours made it welcoming. A huge painting hung on the wall above the fireplace. The lounge was big and the sofa comfortable-looking. But she didn’t sit, instead she walked to the window and saw the last of the sun’s light was turning the clouds a fiery orange. She was unfamiliar with the geography of Auckland, but somehow she’d expected a view of the city buildings, or perhaps the water. She wasn’t expecting the verdant, lush garden. It was like a miniature forest. So gorgeously green in the middle of winter and so private.

‘Can I get you a drink?’

She turned her back on the beauty of it. ‘No, thanks.’

He didn’t get himself one, either, just stood on the far side of the long, low coffee table by the sofa. ‘Take a seat, Dani.’

‘I don’t feel comfortable about staying here.’

‘Why not?’

She opened her mouth and then shut it again.

‘You’re no longer working for me. Technically Lorenzo will be your boss.’ With wide-spread fingers, he ruffled through his hair, rubbing his head hard. He closed his eyes for a second. ‘I’m sorry, okay?’

Oh, it was hours too late for the repentant-man act. She wasn’t falling for it. ‘Maybe next time you should try keeping your hormones in check. What was it all about anyway? Kiss-a-temp day?’

‘You misunderstand.’ His eyes shot open, lancing through her. ‘I’m not sorry I kissed you. I’ll never regret that experience. It would be an insult to you if I did.’

‘Oh, please.’ Too smooth. Way too smooth. And the sparkling humour in his unwavering gaze just made her want to tell him so. But, damn, her cheeks were burning—she must look like a totally floored teen. So embarrassing.

His scrutiny intensified. ‘What I’m sorry about is the whole office watching, and the gossip.’

‘I don’t care about the gossip. People can think what they like—it makes no difference to me.’

His brows flickered but he didn’t question. ‘Fair enough, but I care about it and I won’t have either you or me on the line because of it. I’m sorry about what the agency did. This will make it right.’ He sighed, jammed his hands in his pockets. ‘Where’s your family—in Australia?’

‘I don’t have any. My parents are dead,’ she said baldly.

‘I’m sorry.’ His frown deepened.

Instantly she regretted telling him—she didn’t want his pity, but more than that she didn’t want to remember. The lump in her chest when she thought of her mother was like sharp, burning ice and she hurriedly turned her thoughts away from her. But not to her father—as far as she was concerned he’d never been alive to her. Instead she pushed the focus back onto Alex, remembering what she’d been told. ‘Your father died last year.’

Silence. She’d hit a nerve. His frown disappeared as his face smoothed, then it shuttered completely into unreadable blandness. ‘You’re up on your research.’

‘You were the number-one topic of conversation at the water-cooler.’ She aimed for flippant, trying to cover the moment of awkwardness. ‘I didn’t even have to ask.’

A slight grin reappeared. ‘But you were going to? You wanted to find out?’

‘No. It was all thrust upon me.’

His low laughter refreshed the room, lightening everything—including her mood. She even grinned back.

He immediately pressed his argument home. ‘Look, I’m hardly here. I travel a lot. It would be good to have someone minding the house. You can stay for a week or two and save some money to get into a place of your own. It’s the simplest solution. We’ll hardly see each other.’

Dani considered it. What was she so worried about—her unreal attraction to him? If he was away a lot, then she could control it, right? And it wasn’t as if he were trying to pounce again. He might have said he didn’t regret kissing her, but neither had he asked for another. It was a bit deflating, but it seemed all he felt for her now was a sense of responsibility—not unbridled lust. She wouldn’t misinterpret his charm as meaning something more.

His brows lifted fractionally, as if he knew he’d won. ‘So it’s a deal.’ He held out his hand.

Dani looked at it. Surely she had nothing to lose and everything to gain. She could work, not worry about a roof over her head and be able to find Eli.

But, like that day in the lift, her instinct was warning her again, that sense of impending danger. She ignored it and reached out. ‘Thanks.’

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