backed into a corner and decided to eat as many nibbles as she could; she'd felt too rough this morning to eat any breakfast. Best leave the boring small talk to the others. They were so much better at it than her and she was going to have to work up to a full on tour guide act. She couldn't do it cold. Who knew what might come out of her mouth at the moment?
Leaning against the back of a sofa she retreated into the unfocused, barely there look she'd perfected over the years to stop morons approaching her. She felt Nate's presence next to her before she saw him, felt the embarrassing jerk of her body's reaction to the warmth of him.
She turned to face him. It was always better to face matters head on, to take control of situations, relationships, pretty much anything really. Better to be the one who acted than sitting around waiting for others to do things to you.
"So, Holly tells me I'm going to be your guide for Verbier?" She said the only thing that came to mind while trying to solve the problem of where to look. Looking directly into his eyes, while kind of thrilling, felt dangerous. Like she might turn into Rebecca and involuntarily start touching him or something.
Ick. I refuse to turn into a sappy girl.
She settled for looking just past him, as though scanning the room. Then she realised how rude that was and reluctantly turned back to staring at the cool eyes assessing her and the thick eyebrows quirked into a question.
It felt intense, intimate.
Just a step away from a kiss…
"You don't want to ask me if I'm a keen snowboarder or if I've been to Verbier before?" His lips twitched into an almost smile. "They seem to be popular questions today."
"No." Tash returned the half smile, tentatively. Whatever this was, this thing happening to her, she was losing control of it rapidly.
Her heart pounded and she folded her arms across her chest, hugging her body.
Because if I'm holding myself my fingers can't stray to his arm to feel the muscles beneath that expensive suit. This is crazy. It's just sexual attraction. It means precisely nothing.
"Thank God, I hate wasting time on small talk." Nate exhaled and appeared to relax. It was a compliment, this assumption of a shared attitude. Heat crept up Tash's neck.
He's a suit Tash. Don't fall for the charm. You and Nathaniel Campbell have nothing in common.
"Because time is money?" Tash couldn't help the hint of snark in her tone; it escaped before she could suppress it.
"No," he replied, expression unchanging, seemingly unbothered by the jibe. "Because bullshit bores me and I've got better things to do with my time. But sometimes needs must."
"I suppose so," Tash replied doubtfully.
If you want to take on world media domination that is. First a TV show and now a book? Working in television must involve a lot of bullshit.
Nate's mouth widened into a wide smile, as though he'd heard her thoughts and found her beyond funny. A warm glow radiated through Tash.
How annoying to be so easily manipulated by the twitch of a few facial muscles. Get over yourself Tash.
"Could you show me my bedroom?" Nate asked.
Heat spread from her neck to her cheeks.
I'm blushing now?
Tash cringed. She was blushing like a teenager. And she'd never even blushed when she actually was a teenager!
It's a simple request, not a come on, you idiot. And now he knows you fancy him. Oh crappity crap.
"I'd like to get out of this suit," he added, loosening the knot of his red silk tie. "We had a meeting in Geneva fresh from the plane but between you and me, ties are like small talk."
"Oh?" Tash's mind felt curiously blank of words of more than one syllable.
Between you and me. You and me.
The words, combined with the idea of him getting out of his suit, stirred delicious possibilities in her mind. Perhaps this was Nate's superpower - turning the minds of all females to goo?
"They are both necessary evils." Nate grinned again, a flicker of knowing in his eyes told her he knew exactly what effect he had on her. It made something flip low down in Tash's stomach.
"Right, well…If you follow me I'll show you your bedroom," Tash blurted and turned, leaving the room. She assumed he was following her down the corridor, someone certainly was. But she didn't dare look back to check in case he was too close behind her. In case the bizarre connection he had straight to certain parts of her body made her do something really crazy like step even closer so she could inhale his masculine scent or nuzzle his neck.
Grip Tash. As in get one.
She walked down to the largest guest suite. She knew this room had been earmarked for him. There'd been enough fuss about what papers and magazines to leave for him on the small table in the corner - Le Monde, the Financial Times, Vanity Fair and GQ. Whether to leave an espresso machine in the room - no, too B&B. And whether orange blossom oil in the diffuser was too girly - at this point Scott had told Holly to stop fussing; Nathaniel Campbell was here to assess the business opportunities and write a book and being male meant he probably wouldn't even notice there was an oil diffuser in the room, never mind care what scent was in it.
Tash held the door open for Nate, surreptitiously inhaling his masculine, citrusy scent as he passed. Sod the orange blossom, she'd be happy to just to smell him all day. She walked into the room with him, embarrassed at her thoughts.
"Your, er bed." Tash gestured towards the king size sleigh bed, feeling vaguely stupid. "Sorry, I never know how to show people their rooms without sounding like a twat. Holly usually does this bit. As far as I'm concerned a bed is a bed and if you can't work out the difference between the ensuite and a wardrobe or work the switch for the blinds well…you don't deserve to have it pointed out to you. Not you obviously, I wouldn't imagine for a minute that…I think I'll just shut up now."
Argh. What is happening to me? This is not like me.
"I quite agree." Nate laughed and her chest relaxed in relief. "I hate it when hotel staff insist on showing me how my room works. I always want to tell them to sod off and leave me in peace."
Tash wanted to say 'me too' but then she'd never actually stayed in a hotel. The odd cheap guesthouse and B&B but nothing grander than that.
See? We have nothing in common. Nothing.
"So, everything's okay?" She hovered, pulling her arms across her chest again, not wanting to adopt a defensive posture but not knowing what else to do with her arms.
Does he want me to sod off?
"Everything seems great," Nate said, feeling the mattress with one hand while staring straight at Tash. "Nice and firm, just how I like it. How about you?"
"Um…"
