Page 36 of The CEO

He touched her hand and she flinched, silently cursing her reaction.

“I like you, Lana. And I want to get to know you better.”

She shook her head, using her hair as a shield to hide her face. “What’s the point? I’m off the ship next week so why get to know each other better?”

“Because it could be fun.”

Her gaze snapped to his, surprised by the serious glint in those deep blue eyes. She’d seen him cheeky, teasing, even wicked, but nothing like the solemn expression fixing her with concern.

“Fun? The only fun a guy like you would be interested in over the next week is a fling. And I’m not.”

His eyes darkened to midnight, disappointment flickering in their depths. “You don’t have a very high opinion of me, do you?”

She shrugged, hating that they were having this conversation, hating she’d put a dampener on what had been a lovely day more.

“You’re a guy. You’re a sailor. You meet woman all the time. You’re a master at flirting. The only reason you’re paying me any attention is because of that stupid challenge I threw down that first night on the spur of the moment because I couldn’t think of anything else quick enough to get rid of you.”

She took a deep, steadying breath, clenching her hands to stop them from shaking. “It’s nothing personal. I understand. You see me as some sort of challenge considering I’m not falling at your feet like the rest of the female population probably does. You—”

“You’re wrong. Dead wrong.” He leaped up from his towel and started pacing the sand, long, angry strides that showed he was wrestling with something.

“Am I?”

Her whisper stopped him dead as he swivelled to face her, before kneeling in front of her.

“Damn straight. Want to know why you’re here with me today, on my one day off a week?”

“Go ahead, I’m sure you’ll tell me anyway.”

His hands cradled her face in their warm, firm grip before she could blink. “Because I like you.You. Not your clothes or your willingness to help me out or because I expect you to sleep with me. I like you because you’re funny and smart and you make me laugh.”

“So now I’m a clown—”

“Shut up.” He kissed her, a soft, tender kiss that reached down to her soul, shattering defences along the way, scaring her beyond belief.

He eased away too soon, leaving her breathless and yearning. “Now, it’s time to head back. And I don’t want to hear another word.”

She opened her mouth to respond that no man told her what to do, and he pressed his finger to it. “Not one word. Not another character assassination. Not another assumption. Not one word unless you agree to play nice. Got it?”

Her lips twitched and his answering smile made her heart sing. He wasn’t asking for anything, didn’t expect her to sleep with him, hadn’t belittled her when he’d heard the sorry truth about her inexperience with men.

So what should she do? Spend some more time with him? Get to know him better? With the aim to…what? He had his life at sea, she had a great apartment in a hip city, a few colleagues she could call friends at a pinch, and a good job at the museum. They didn’t have a future no matter how well they got to know each other.

“Stop overthinking.” He held out his hand and for the second time in as many hours she silenced her voice of reason and took hold of it. “How about we go with the flow and see what happens over the next week. How much trouble can we get into in seven days?”

She raised an eyebrow and he grinned as a scary thought flitted through her mind.

Plenty.

ChapterNine

Though Lana would’ve preferred silence, they made desultory small talk on the drive back to the ship. She could add excellent conversationalist to his growing list of attributes. She tried to concentrate on what he was saying, but she couldn’t stop the thoughts swirling through her head, most of them focused on the man sitting next to her.

She’d never met anyone like Zac.

Confident and charismatic, yet astute enough to look beyond the surface and hone in on exactly what she wanted: a guy to recognize she had a brain, a sense of humor, and a yearning to not be taken for granted. She couldn’t believe he’d been so insightful at the beach and cracked the protective shield around her heart with his sincerity.

So what now? She wouldn’t have the guts for a fling no matter how far her confidence soared, couldn’t do something like that unless she was emotionally involved. And while Zac said he liked her, like didn’t equate to what she craved, a lifelong love from an incredible man who’d put her first.

---