as soon as Zack appeared. She might have found an ally.
‘I thought you were coming with Robertson during his visit last week?’Westchester continued, still sounding starchy.
Zack stiffened almost imperceptibly. ‘I was tied up.’ The denial sounded defensive to Kate, which wasn’t like Zack at all.
‘Well, at least you’re here now, young fella.’
Kate had to control the giggle at the old guy’s irascible tone. No, he definitely was not in awe of Zack.
‘I guess we better get you and your pretty assistant checked in,’ Westchester said, winking at Kate.
After signalling his bellboys, he led Kate and Zack into the hotel’s wood panelled lobby. A huge central fireplace accented the high vaulted ceilings, making the place look both spacious and homely at the same time. It was neat and clean and the profusion of wild spring blooms spilling out of the wall-hangings gave it a fresh, cozy ambience. It was beautiful in a sweet, uncomplicated way, but so unlike the sleek exclusivity of Zack’s Vegas hotel Kate wondered what had made him so determined to buy the place and relocate here.
Westchester introduced them to the reception staff using their first names. Kate wondered if the informality was another little dig intended to cut Zack down to size. If it was, Zack didn’t seem to notice.
‘Now, then,’ Westchester began. ‘The Ms Hawthorne who made the reservations said you’d need a two-bed cottage because you’d probably be working late together. So I stuck you in Terra Del Mar. It’s got a shared bath, but it is real pretty. Hope that’s okay?’
The blood surged back into Kate’s cheeks. Mount Everest just got bigger. How on earth was she going to resist Zack’s advances if they were sharing a cottage—and a bathroom?
‘That’s great,’ Zack said, stroking a hand across Kate’s back. In a lower voice, he added, ‘I expect we’ll be having a lot of late nights.’
If Westchester heard the innuendo he didn’t let on. ‘That’s settled, then. How about we get some tall drinks in my quarters while your luggage is taken to your cottage?’
Kate was about to accept when Zack interrupted her. ‘Kate’s tired from the trip. We’ll take a rain check on the drinks.’
‘All right,’ said Westchester evenly.
‘Don’t be silly.’ Ignoring Zack, Kate put a hand on Westchester’s arm. ‘I’d love to have drinks. I’m not the least bit tired.’ And she had no intention of being alone with Zack again so soon. She needed more time to marshal her defences.
‘I’m glad to hear it, young lady.’ Westchester tucked her arm under his, patted her hand. ‘I make a mean martini if I do say so myself.’ But as the older man turned to make the last of the arrangements with his receptionist Zack mouthed the word ‘chicken’ at her.
She blinked at him. Who, me? she mimed back.
He shot her a provocative smile and raised his eyebrows. Her blood pressure soared. Oh, dear.
‘I do hope you like martinis,’ Westchester said as he escorted Kate down the corridor to his private quarters.
‘I adore them,’ Kate replied, having never tasted a martini in her life.
Despite all her efforts to keep the drinks with Westchester going as long as possible, Kate found herself alone with Zack in the Terra Del Mar suite less than an hour later.
Just as Kate had suspected, the place was a romantic dream. Zack couldn’t have picked a better love-nest if he’d arranged it deliberately.
While Zack tipped the bellboys, she inspected the deluxe two-bedroom bungalow. Westchester had called it a ‘cottage’, but she thought the term a little quaint. A large sitting room with an open fireplace led onto a cliff-top terrace. Glancing into the master bedroom, she spotted a huge four-poster bed Sleeping Beauty would have been proud of. The image of her and Zack entwined on the coverlet came to mind and had her slamming the door shut.
‘You want the double or the single?’
She whipped round at the sound of Zack’s voice. He looked relaxed and amused with his butt propped against the back of an armchair. He’d taken off his jacket and slung it over the chair—and was studying her with an intensity that made her wonder if he’d just read her mind, again.
‘I…’ She stopped, cleared her throat. ‘I’ll take the single, thank you.’
He began rolling up the sleeves of his shirt, displaying tanned, muscled forearms sprinkled with dark hair. Kate’s mouth dried up.
‘You sure?’ he asked, crossing his arms. ‘Maybe we should conserve energy and share the double?’
‘That’s more likely to generate energy than conserve it,’ she shot back.
He laughed. ‘You’ve got that right.’
Her face wasn’t the only thing starting to heat up and she suspected he knew it from the way he was watching her. Tearing her eyes away, she walked past him onto the terrace.
‘Wow, this view is incredible,’ she exclaimed, maybe a bit too loudly as she walked across the redwood deck.
Although she was far too aware of the man behind her, she wasn’t wrong about the stunning natural beauty before her. Leaning on the rail, she gazed out over the rocky promontory. The ocean swirled below them, the waves crashing onto a sandy cove accessed by a steep wooden staircase anchored into the cliff. Secluded and spectacular, the cottage seemed to cast almost as potent a spell as the man. Spotting the bubbling hot tub at the end of the terrace, Kate deliberately turned away from it and let the brisk breeze cool her cheeks. Okay, probably best not to go there yet either.
The soft thud of his footsteps on the wooden boards seemed louder than the crash of the ocean below her. Warm hands smoothed over her belly and pulled her back against a solid chest. Zack’s breath whispered against her ear as his arms hugged her midriff. ‘You can’t run away for ever, you know.’
She shuddered as his thumbs traced her hip bones. Her breath hitched. She fought back the swell of pleasure, turned in his arms. Seeing him so close, the deep green of his eyes, the harsh demand on his face, smelling that tantalising scent of soap and man and sexual intimacy, she realised he was right. But letting him know it was another thing entirely. After allowing him to get the upper hand on the plane so easily, she had a lot of catching up to do.
‘I’m not running away. I’m standing my ground,’ she said tartly. ‘It just so happens I don’t like to be pushed. And up till now you’ve been a bit pushy, Boudreaux.’
Passion flared hot and intense in his eyes as he pulled her hard against him. ‘See that’s where you’re wrong. I’m not being pushy. I’m being honest.’ He sank his fingers into her hair, scraped it back from her face. ‘Unlike you.’
Fisting his fingers in the wayward curls, he captured her lips in a raw hungry kiss. Her mouth opened involuntarily and his tongue swept inside her mouth as every single nerveending in her body stood to attention.
Her breath panted out, the flames burning so strong, so fierce, she knew she would soon be overwhelmed. Her hands
