Page 6 of Unbuttoning Her Brooding Boss

Her the car? Or her Steffi?

Jack looked amused. ‘I’m always careful.’

Stephanie wanted to kidnap them both and drop them into the Southern Ocean. Instead she acted all Steffi Leigh and stepped in front of Jack to pull Tara into a quick hug.

‘Will you check on Dan for me?’ she asked quickly into her friend’s ear.

She hadn’t left her brother alone for as long as this in months.

‘Of course.’

As Stephanie stepped back Tara looked too happy for comfort.

‘It’ll be fine,’ Tara added meaningfully.

‘You will check, though? In person?’

‘Trust me.’ Tara leaned forward and wrapped Stephanie in another quick hug. ‘What’s the worst that can happen?’ She stage whispered, ‘It’s only a couple of hours. Go enjoy yourself.’

How was she supposed to enjoy herself with the wolf?

And yet there was a tightening in her body, as if her muscles had sharpened and her skin had shrunk. As if she was preparing for something.

Anticipation.

She hadn’t felt, it in such a long time. Hadn’t looked forward to anything in so long. She was looking forward to negotiating with this man—to taking what she wanted from him. Shewasgoing to secure this deal, for all his initial disapproval.

‘Bye, Jack. Nice to meet you.’ Tara waved and practically skipped back into the hotel.

Jack walked around to the driver’s door.

‘You know we drive on the left side of the road here?’ Stephanie muttered grimly.

‘I’m aware of that.’ He got into the car and slung his briefcase on the back seat.

By the time she got into the passenger seat he already had his seatbelt fastened and was sliding his hands over the steering wheel, getting the feel of the vintage beauty.

‘You’resureyou don’t want me to drive?’ Stephanie wasn’t sure she could cope with sitting so near to him. He seemed bigger, somehow.

His answering smile was not innocent.

Stephanie ignored the traitorous warmth invading her body. She couldnotbe attracted to someone so arrogant. ‘You don’t want to have to listen to me issue directions all the time.’

‘We’ll get to where we want to be more quickly without directions.’

Without directions? ‘You don’t know where I’m going to take you.’

‘But I know exactly where I want to go.’

She pressed her lips together, understanding. He’d been to Melbourne before. He had somewhere he wanted to go. So he’d hijacked her abduction plan.

‘You don’t like ceding control? Always have to be in charge of the destination? Hence your need to write travel guides telling people the best way to get to the best place to go?’

She shouldn’t have said that—Steffi Leigh was supposed to be too sweet to get snippy.

‘You’rethe one dictating what colour gelato people should eat to look “effortlessly cool”,’ he mocked. ‘As if flavour doesn’t matter.’

‘You have it wrong. Taste is everything.’

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