Page 28 of Unbuttoning Her Brooding Boss

‘And you don’t think they’d stick around if they saw the bitten-down nails? What’s wrong with a little reality?’

‘Nothing.’ She smiled. ‘But my site is aboutescape.’

‘You said you had nothing to escape from?’

She couldn’t answer that. So she opted for diversion. ‘Tell me about this weird fruit—do you know what it is?’ she asked.

He frowned slightly, but followed her lead.

The rest of the meal they spent sparring lightly on topics she deemed safe. But inside her anxiety was rising again. She had to leave. She needed to ensure Dan was okay—that Tara had seen him and made sure of it. He ought to be well asleep by the time she got home, but she didn’t want to be worrying about him the entire drive back.

So while Jack went to contact the invisible hotel aides to get them to collect the trolley she quickly tiptoed down the stairs to where the car was parked. She reached into the glove compartment and quickly pulled out her phone.

There were no more messages, so she quickly texted Tara.

I’m going to be even later. Please check Dan and let me know he's okay. Text asap.

She waited a moment, watching to ensure that the text was sent—there wasn’t great coverage here. But she had a reply less than a minute later.

Be as long as you like. All good here. Go be bad.

Fantastic. But she wasn’t going to be bad—merely late.

She switched off her phone and turned to put it back into the glove compartment before Jack caught her. But as she closed the compartment she heard footsteps behind her.

‘You couldn’t resist, could you?’ He walked up to where she’d frozen by the side of the car. ‘You made a call?’

She straightened and turned defensively. ‘Extenuating circumstances.’

‘No.’ He took two steps closer, so he was towering over her. Captivating her. ‘We had a bet. You lost. I win.’ He smiled. ‘But we both know you win too.’

‘Oh? I should consider myselflucky?’ She rolled her eyes, but couldn’t hide her breathiness. ‘You’re so arrogant you probably think I used it deliberately.’

‘Didn’t you?’

‘It was unavoidable.’ And unexplainable. She’d had to check on Dan. She couldn’tnot.

‘You can tell yourself that if it makes you feel better.’ He put his hands on his hips and stood with his feet planted wide, as if ready to block any attempt she might make to escape. ‘Time to pay up, fairy princess.’

‘You can’t be serious?’ And she was notanykind of princess—certainly not fairy.

‘Sure I can.’

Yeah, she knew that seriousness was his default setting—that the flashes of wicked humour came only when he was relaxed, with his mind taken off whatever it was worrying him. Whatever that meeting was about.

She tried one last time. ‘This is inappropriate.’

‘Yeah, but we had an agreement.’

She closed her mouth, biting back the words because the more she said, the more determined he seemed to become.

So she’d take it—be unmoved. And walk away.

Primly she waited, tilted her chin back as he neared. She wasn’t going to make it difficult for him. Or easy.

That hard-edged hungry look sharpened his features... desire glinted in his eyes. Part of her wanted to run far and fast. Another part wanted to press closer to him—and not just her lips. She wasn’t sure which urge was most dominant.

Now he’d got to within kissing distance.

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