She squeezed her eyes shut. Since when did she have rabid sexual fantasies about a virtual stranger? Such uncontrollable, lusty urges? She blamed it on the sight of all that beautiful skin.
‘The first time was a mistake,’ she muttered. ‘The second you couldn’t help.’ She opened her eyes and stared some more, watching as he slowly walked until he stood ten inches too far within her personal space. ‘This time—’
‘Was entirely deliberate.’
THREE
AllSophy could hearwasthe thud, thud, thud of her heart. ‘Deliberate?’
He smiled. Such a slow, amused smile she wondered whether the word had actually emerged from her mouth or whether it had just been some sort of scared-animal squeak.
‘You seemed to like it,’ he said quietly, tiny twin lights dancing in his otherwise incredibly dark eyes.
Like it? Oh, that was the understatement of the century. She blinked at him. He was so calm. So at ease in his gorgeous skin. So sure of his effect on her—the effect hedefinitelyhad on any woman—he was that confident. It was enough to slap sense back into her. ‘You’re definitely feeling better, aren’t you?’
‘One hundred per cent.’
‘Great.’ Sophy took a step back into the corridor. ‘Then perhaps you’d like to see what I’ve been doing with sorting out the admin in there.’
‘I’ve seen it. It’s looking good. It’s very easy to understand the system you’re setting up.’
‘Oh.’ She was deflated—he’d stolen the ball back just like that.
‘But we do need to talk about the function coming up.’ He walked out to the corridor after her. ‘And I need to show you some of the stuff to update the website. I understand Kat’s been helping you a bit when she can?’
‘Yes, she’s been great.’ Sophy tried really hard to keep her concentration on the conversation but it kept sliding down to where his flat abs hit his jeans.Unbelievable—both his body and her reaction to it.
‘The rest of the team will be back in later today. They’ve been helping on another project.’
‘The bar.’ Kat had told her about it. Lorenzo was the backer behind some guy opening up a new bar in the heart of cooldom. And she could totally be professional in the face of this provocation. Sure she could.
‘Yes.’ He was sounding all serious but his eyes were dancing. ‘Shall we go into your office and get on with it?’ She stopped only three paces along. Nope. She couldn’t be professional—not like this. ‘Do you possibly think that you could put a shirt on?’
A deep, totally pure sound of amusement rumbled out of him. ‘It really bothers you.’
‘It’s inappropriate.’ Sophy felt her temperature rising. She wasn’t a prude—really she wasn’t. But this was just before nine a.m. and they were atwork.Hell, yes, it bothered her.
‘No more inappropriate than you bursting into my apartment and ordering a nurse for me.’
Sophy smiled, feeling a sense of power return. ‘Nowthatreally botheredyou,didn’t it? Me seeing you like that—in such a weakened state. Did it wound your male pride? Is that why you’re showing your muscles again now? Proving your masculine strength?’
‘You really think I was weak?’ He turned, his big frame took up half the space in the corridor.
And then he moved. Instinctively she retreated—backing up against the wall.
But he followed, totally hemming her in. She stuck her chin in the air trying not to feel anxious—or, worse, the lick of anticipation.
Sparks seemed to be coming from his eyes. ‘I don’t think I’m the one who needs to prove anything. I think that’s for you to do.’
‘What exactly do you think I need to prove? That you don’t bother me?’ Altitude sickness on the second floor—that was her problem. She must be the world’s first case but she’d swear the air was thinner here because she could hardly get her words higher than a whisper.
His brows flickered. ‘Don’t I?’
‘Of course you do.’
His brows shot higher. What, he hadn’t expected honesty?
‘You’re half naked.Allthe time,’ she explained the obvious. ‘But it’s the inappropriateness that bothers me. Not your actual body.’ Oh, great, now she sounded prissy. And not at all honest.