Page 44 of Virgin's Stolen Nights with the Boss

He looked stunning...elegant and polished. He stood there, waiting for her to speak, and she knew damn well what he expected. After all, she’d spent the last fifteen minutes wishing everyone else luck, and now she stood before the owner of the team.

But Carmen was too angry to play nice. ‘Yes?’ she said, rather directly. ‘Is there something you need?’

‘Nothing.’ He went to go but then clearly changed his mind. ‘Wishing someone good luck is generally considered polite...’

‘You don’t need luck, Elias.’ She took a tense breath. She knew he was probably as superstitious before an event as she was, and she wouldn’t want to feel responsible for him losing.‘Buena suerte,’Carmen snapped. ‘I wish you luck in Spanish.’

‘Hey!’ Elias frowned. ‘Whatisyour problem?’

‘No problem,’ she said, all too aware that if she blew her temper now, it would be the fourth job she’d lost...

Only, this had nothing to do with work.

Nothing.

Her eyes met his and she could feel her chest rising and falling, hear her own breath in her chest. Suddenly, she couldn’t stop herself.

‘How dare you look at me as you did last night and then expect me not to be angry when I hear your date waits for you today!’

‘What the hell...?’

‘You heard me,’ Carmen said. ‘You kissed me last night with your eyes—you know damn well that you did.’

‘What does that evenmean?’

‘You know exactly what it means—and you know too that we could have taken it all the way to bed!’ She was furious. ‘You’re damn lucky I won’t be at the match today. Because if I’d seen her there I’d have slapped your cheek!’

‘And that,’ Elias snapped, ‘is exactly why I don’t do relationships! We haven’t even kissed and you expect me to answer to you?’ He turned on one booted heel. ‘You’re unreal,’ he called out as he walked off.

‘I’m right!’ she called out. ‘And you know it.’

Illogical?

Maybe.

Over the top?

Carmen did not care.

She had standards, and she was setting them for herself, here in this beautiful land where she was finding herself. Her heart was shattered, yet bit by bit she felt as if it was beginning to beat again...as if a brave new heart was blossoming...

‘Your master is an arrogant bastard,’ she told Dom as she fed him a treat before heading over to Capricorn. ‘I hate men,’ she told the mare, who nudged her to go for a walk. ‘Come on, then,’ she said.

But walking Capricorn on the beach did little to cool her temper. Worse, though, embarrassment was starting to emerge. Carmen knew that she’d revealed to Elias how attracted she was to him, and as well as that she knew she could be demanding.

But he’d probably laughed the whole episode off by the time he’d got to his vehicle, no doubt used to the hired help having a crush on him...

Her phone rang.

‘What?’ she snapped as she answered Alejandro’s call.

‘Just reminding you it’s Emily birthday...’

‘I know. I’ve sent her a present.’

‘No,’ Alejandro said. ‘You messaged my assistant and asked her to get something.’

‘What do you want from me, Alejandro? Am I to call and sing “Happy Birthday”?’

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