Page 25 of Teasing Her Grumpy Boss

Would he give her a second to answer? Riled, she spat, ‘I’m not in a flat at the moment. I got to Wellington on Monday. I’ve been in a hostel but can’t stand sleeping in a room full of strangers. I struggle to sleep as it is.’

‘Insomnia?’

She nodded. ‘Terrible.’

‘Another thing we have in common.’ He might be acknowledging something they shared, but he sounded arctic.

She smiled in empathy, hoping it would help her case.

The glacier refused to melt. Not even a drop. ‘We should quit while we’re ahead.’

Okay, so the empathy bid failed. She turned back to bolshy. ‘I thought I’d crash here until I set up a flat.’

‘You thought wrong. You can’t sleep here.’

‘It’s only for a night or two, Daniel.’ Was he familiar with the concept of leeway?

‘This building is zoned commercial, not residential.’

Clearly not. ‘Rules and regulations, huh, Daniel?’

Green eyes met gold. His were flaming again—but not with hot lust. Now it was all cold anger. ‘You are not sleeping here, Lucy.’

Fine. She marched into the room beside him and bent—starting to roll her sleeping bag.

‘Lucy.’

If iron will could speak, it would sound like Daniel.

‘What?’ She snapped the question, while still stuffing her sleeping bag into its carrier.

‘Might I suggest you put some clothes on?’

She stopped then, suddenly aware of how she must look to him standing behind her. Naked. Cowgirl boots. Bending over. ‘Sure.’

She marched out of the room and back to the bar, pulling on her top and skirt—not bothering with either bra or panties. When she got back to the room, less than a minute later, he’d finished packing away her sleeping bag. Her violin case was at his feet and he carried her pack on one shoulder. He held her jacket out to her.

‘Come on.’

She didn’t take it. ‘What do you mean come on?’

‘You’re coming home with me.’

‘In your dreams.’

‘Right home. Right now.’

She stared at him. Stunned at his words.

‘I’m not kidding, Lucy. I have a perfectly good spare bedroom. It is almost six in the morning. I have a load of work to do later and I am not going to spend hours standing here arguing with you. You won’t have to sleep with strangers. And certainly not me, as you’ve made it clear you couldn’t think of anything worse. Let’s move on.’

For once in her life Lucy was struck speechless. He was so cool about it. He wore that remote expression that had her wanting to leap up and do something drastic to get his attention again. Hot attention. But he’d come over all clinical.

The warm air of the early morning contrasted sharply with the chilly silence in which they walked along the bay to his apartment. He’d insisted on carrying her pack. She’d insisted on carrying her violin. There was where the conversation ended.

His apartment was as swanky as she’d expected. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows gave splendid harbour views. Stylish, minimalist, obviously designer-done, the whole place screamed suited bachelor—one who spent too many hours at work. He showed her to her room. Big bed, white spread. She walked away from it. ‘Thank you.’ She hoped to dismiss him immediately.

His response was even cooler. ‘No problem. Stay as long as you like.’

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