that it was any of her business. He might have hooked up with one of the women they’d met at the luau last night.
She frowned at the thought.
What was the matter with her? He’d dated a number of women since she’d worked for him and she hadn’t given the matter a thought. Until last night, she hadn’t figured he had much passion in him.
She’d definitely been proved wrong there. She groaned at the memory of her response to him. If she hadn’t felt so awful this morning, she probably couldn’t have faced him.
At least he’d been a gentleman and hadn’t mentioned what had happened last night.
Jodie finally went in and showered, the water having its usual soothing effect on her. By the time she dressed and returned to the living room, she felt human again.
She heard the key in the door and glanced around as Dean let himself inside. When he saw her, he grinned and said, “Ignore the ransom note, I managed to escape.”
Six
Jodie jumped up and stared at him in shock. “You were kidnapped?” she asked, her voice going up.
He paused before closing the door. “Sorry, I was just making a joke. I was gone longer than I expected to be.” She lowered herself back into the chair, feeling silly for overreacting. “How are you feeling?” he asked, making himself comfortable on the nearby sofa.
“Much better than this morning, thank you.”
“Did you eat anything for lunch?”
“I ordered some soup. I wasn’t up to going downstairs.”
“I’ve set up sightseeing tours for the rest of our stay here. We’ll meet Steve Furukawa for lunch tomorrow in Honolulu. While we’re there, we’ll see the Pearl Harbor Memorial and whatever else looks interesting. There are some great places to see while we’re here. I think you’ll feel well enough tomorrow to enjoy them.”
“Oh. Well. That’s nice. I mean, I’m looking forward to it.”
“Do you think you’re up to sitting out on the beach for a while? The fresh air will do you good.”
She nodded. “Good idea. I’ll go change.”
He got up when she did. “I’ll do the same.”
As she changed into a two-piece suit she’d bought the day before, Jodie realized that she hadn’t seen Dean in his swimsuit. He’d reported that it fit, and that was all that had mattered to her.
She just wished she wasn’t so physically aware of him.
They rode the elevator in silence. Jodie wore the matching cover-up to the suit. Dean had on one of his shirts but hadn’t bothered to button it. They both had large towels with them.
She did her best not to stare at his chest. Instead she trained her eyes on his face, only to discover that he was looking at her with a great deal of interest.
“New suit?” he asked as they left the building.
“Yes.” She stopped and put on her dark sunglasses.
Once on the beach, Jodie carefully laid out one of her towels and slipped off the beach cover.
“Very nice,” he said and she glanced around. He stood with his hands resting on his hips, obviously waiting for her to finish making her beach nest.
Dean stripped to his swimsuit was a Dean she’d never known existed. It unnerved her to have all her ideas about who the man was turned upside down. When did he have time to work out, which he had to do to be in such good shape?
She sat and he tossed his towel down and sat beside her. She wished that she could forget the kiss they’d shared. It had been an aberration; certainly not the norm. However, every time she looked at his mouth, she remembered how his lips had felt touching hers.
The man certainly knew how to kiss!
“This is nice,” he said several minutes later. “Is the air helping your head?”
“You’re being nice to me,” she finally replied. “And it’s making me nervous.”
“Why? Aren’t I always nice to you?”
“Shall I be polite or honest?”
“You’re talking about the office, aren’t you?”
“That’s the person I know—or thought I knew.”
He leaned back on his elbows. “Well, we’ve moved past that, haven’t we? After last night?”
She groaned. “I was hoping you’d forgotten about that.”
He turned onto his side, propping himself up on an elbow. “Why? We’d had fun at the party and we ended the evening the way most dates are ended—with a kiss.”
She slipped her shades down her nose and looked at him. “This is not a dating situation, Dean. I happened to be available to come here because my boss gave me the time off.”
“Worked out well, didn’t it?” He grinned. “You’ve opened my eyes regarding several things about my life. I’m hoping you can continue to teach me how to relax and enjoy myself. You’ve done a good job so far.”
Jodie sat up and folded her legs into a yoga position. “What’s going on, anyway? What do you hope to accomplish while we’re here, other than gaining another client?”
“I want to get to know you better. I’ve already told you.”
“Why? You’ve known me for years and have never looked at me the way you have since we arrived here.”
He chuckled, and despite her practical nature, she was charmed by the sound. A week ago she would have sworn he didn’t know how.
“I’ve never seen you in a swimsuit before…or a sarong, for that matter,” he offered casually. Then his tone changed. “I find you fascinating. You have so many facets to your personality, and I’ve discovered that I want to learn each and every one of them.”
“Dean. We’ll be back at the office next week and none of this will have mattered. I don’t want to make anything more out of our time together than it is.”
“I guess that means we won’t be sleeping together.”
Chuck was right. All men thought about was getting an available woman in bed with them! Then she realized he was laughing at her reaction.
“You’re teasing, right?”
“Actually I’m enjoying the expressions running across your face. Just so we’re clear, I wouldn’t say no if you decide to take me up on my offer.”
She shook her head and stretched out on her towel once more. Her heart raced so fast she was certain he could see it pounding in her chest. She knew he was teasing.
He
