Chapter Three
As the sun set over the lush tropical island, and birds chirped happily overhead, Holly dug into her meal and tried not to stare at Josh as he sat across from her at the outdoor candlelit dinner. Colin and Adam, two of the young techies who weren’t going through a midlife crisis, sat on either side of her, and while Colin tried to make conversation with her, she was too focused on Josh.
Chatter took place all around her as the entire Encore staff bonded, but she couldn’t get her mind off Josh or the way he was laughing at something Anita, the boss’s cute nineteen-year-old-looking bimbo secretary said. Holly stabbed at her steak with a little more force than necessary and popped a piece into her mouth. Jealous? Absolutely not. There was just something in the way Anita was bonding with Josh that bothered her. From the frown on their boss’s forehead, he didn’t seem to like it, either. Really, did the girl have to be all touchy like that?
Breaking her two-drink rule, she refilled her wineglass from the carafe in the center of the table and took a much-needed sip, praying the alcohol would wipe away the heated memories of their mixology contest.
Why, again, did I think it was a good idea to lie down on Josh?
A fine shiver moved through her, her back still tingling from the way he splayed those big hands over her flesh, pulling her body down over his. And when his hips lifted to join with hers… Torture. Her nipples tightened inside her lacy bra, and she gave a silent prayer of thanks that it was dusk and no one could see her arousal through her cotton sundress.
Josh Steele.
A hot rush spread over her, and if she knew what was good for her, she’d figure out a way to suppress this sudden attraction to him. She was here for one reason and one reason only—to prove to her boss she was a team player so she could get the position she deserved. If she continued to pair up with Josh during the challenges—and get distracted by his hard body and big hands—it was going to put a whole lot of kink into her plan.
Oh God, why did I think of Josh and kink in the same sentence?
Okay, that was it. First chance, she was going to ask for a new partner. The idea of pairing with Stanley was starting to look better and better all the time. A warm breeze carried Josh’s scent across the table, and she breathed in, pulling his warm, outdoorsy aroma into her lungs. Good God, how was this helping her douse her attraction to him? Maybe she should head to the beach and dunk herself into the cold water. That ought to get her head on straight.
She stole a quick glance at Mr. Distraction, himself, as he relaxed into his seat, shoulders square, long legs kicked out in front of him. Seeing him in wet board shorts was one thing, but this version of the well-built gamer-boy—a pair of khaki pants that fit his body to perfection and a button-down shirt that pulled snugly across tight muscles—was something else entirely. He definitely cleaned up nice. Sam was right; there was a treasure beneath the surface. Was she right about Holly doing him, too?
Oh God!
He pulled his phone from his pocket, and his hair fell forward as his fingers flew over the screen. Was he playing a game during dinner? Texting? His head lifted slightly, and her gaze moved over his taut face. He sat up a little straighter, his back suddenly tense. Holly considered his body language as she pierced a small potato and brought it to her mouth. He didn’t look happy about something.
“Josh,” their boss, Jeff, said from the head of the table. “I had no idea you could make such a mean Bloody Mary.”
The potato lodged in Holly’s throat. Come on! Josh was getting all the credit for their combined efforts. Did her boss not know how much torture it was for her to lie over him? Seriously, though, would Jeff never see her as an equal in this male-dominated workplace? Would Encore forever remain a boys’ club? Fighting the urge to inflict Jeff with bodily pain, she gripped her wineglass to busy her hands.
Josh tucked his phone back into his pants, and in a move that was slow and calculated, he took a sip of water, placed his glass back on the table, and met her eyes. A troubled expression crossed his face and lingered for a moment, and then it was gone. He smiled, his features softening when he said, “Actually, it was all Holly.”
Her head snapped back. What? Josh was giving her the credit? Why would he do that when he was up for the senior analyst position as well? More importantly, why did his endorsement feel so…personal? Yeah, they might be on an island, stuck in close quarters, but she needed to put as much distance between them as possible. Tomorrow she’d ask for a new partner.
“Really,” Jeff said as he turned her way. Eyebrow raised, he fixed her with a surprised look. “Is that true, Holly?”
“It wasn’t all me. I couldn’t have done it without my partner,” Holly said, her professional demeanor back in place. “If there is one thing I know, it’s that effective team players get the job done and done well.” Okay, now she was laying it on a little thick. But she wasn’t the type to sell someone out to further her own career, even though she preferred to work independently. Past experiences had taught her that letting others in only led to heartache. How many friends had come and gone over the years, using her to get into her father’s organization? Those who were actually interested in her, and not what her father could do for them, ended up frightened away by the inquisitions, background searches, and her dad’s overbearing personality. Other than Sam, no one ever cared enough about her to stay and stand up to the man. Even her mother had left. Sure, her dad had driven her away with his possessive behavior, but she’d left Holly, too.
I wasn’t enough of a reason for her to stay. Wasn’t worth the fight.
But she couldn’t let Jeff know that she’d closed herself off to others. If he didn’t see her as a team player, she’d never get the position.
Josh’s gaze warmed as he held eye contact with her, and a flutter erupted inside her stomach. She clamped her thighs shut and cursed her body’s traitorous reactions. “Who knew we’d make such a good team.”
“Well, then,” Jeff said, as he linked his fingers together. “I was thinking about mixing the teams up tomorrow, but since you two seem to be working so well together, I don’t think I will. I’m interested to see how things play out in the next couple days.”
Well, hell, talk about a plan backfiring.
Holly placed her napkin on the table. “On that note, if you’ll all excuse me, I need a good night’s sleep so I’m well rested for the exercises tomorrow.” Nods and agreement spread around the table as a few others stood and prepared to leave.
“I’ll walk with you,” Colin said from beside her. “Your villa is close to mine.”
“I—” she began, not really wanting the company, but Josh stood so quickly his chair faltered backward.
“Colin,” he said, “hold up. I need to talk to you about the Lexington data.”
“Oh,” Colin said, his gaze darting back and forth between her and Josh. “Sure.”
Holly hiked her purse up higher on her shoulder and hurried her steps so she wouldn’t have to make conversation on the way back to her villa. With her brain going a million miles an hour, she needed time to think, to figure out a game plan.
How the heck am I supposed to work with Josh and keep my mind on my task?
She wasn’t sure, but she needed to find away.
The sounds of waves washing up on shore reached her ears, and instead of turning in for the night, she made her way to the ocean. Signs were posted warning beachgoers to do the “stingray shuffle.” Since she had no idea what that was, she kicked off her shoes and walked on the cool sand. The beach was quiet this time of night, the perfect place to gather her thoughts. She walked along the shore, the cold water rushing over her feet and up to her knees, only to be dragged back out again by the pull of the tide. The tang of salt wafted before her face, and she breathed it in and looked over the moonlit water. It really was breathtaking. If Sam were here, she’d no doubt drag Holly into the water for a late night swim.
You should do him.
Dammit, she really needed to stop thinking about her friend’s dare. She was not going to do Josh—no matter how hot he was, or how her traitorous body was urging her to do just that.
She lingered in the water for a long time, until she figured the others had all returned to their rooms and settled in for the night. As she prepared to head back to her villa, a noise in the distance drew her attention. She looked up from the water and noticed a figure jogging toward her—a big, muscular figure that could only be Josh.
Talk about temptation in a pair of shorts—and nothing else. Why oh why couldn’t he have just gone to bed like the others? And more importantly, why did he have to jog without a shirt on? Any more half-naked run-ins with him and she’d be going against her own best interests and doing him already.
She turned, intent on avoiding him, but when her foot came down on the sand, and something sharp dug into her heel, she let out a cry, and fell backward. The sand provided a soft landing, but her wrist twisted when she fell onto her outstretched hand.
“Ow…dammit.”
“You okay?” Josh yelled as he rushed toward her.
“I don’t know. Something stung me.”
“Shit.” He bent down and scooped her up, grabbing her purse and her shoes. “You probably stepped on a stingray.”
“It hurts.” She touched the inside of her heel and felt something sticky. “I think I’m bleeding.”
“The stinger is probably still in there.” He tightened his grip on her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Are you feeling anything else? Like nausea, lightheadedness?”
“No,” she said honestly and was grateful that he hadn’t asked about arousal because, yeah, the sting hurt like a son of a bitch, but she was in Josh’s arms. The feel of her body pressed against his almost overrode the pain. Almost.
“Okay, but we still need to get you to the clinic and get the stinger out.”
She rested her head against his strong, bare chest as a fresh jolt of pain shot through her foot. She was thankful for it, happy that it gave her something to think about other than how powerful and protective he was, how good his muscles felt beneath her fingers. She moaned, and he must have mistaken it for pain.
He took off running along the beach, his long legs eating up the distance in record time as he carried her like she was nothing but a seashell. His heart crashed against his chest, and he cut through the resort and hurried to the clinic outside the main lobby. He came to a fast halt at the clinic door, where a Closed sign dangled in the window.
“Shit.”
“Should we check with the front desk?” she asked.
“That will take too long.”
He looked around and stepped up to a bench. “I’m going to set you here for a second, okay. Will you be all right?” He lowered her and pressed her purse onto her lap.
His concerned gaze moved over her face, taking her in, and even though he was trying to help, it reminded her too much of her father’s men. Her spine straightened, and she instantly went on the defensive. “I’m fine.” She was a big girl who could take care of herself. “I don’t need your help.”
He frowned and dropped to one knee in front of her. “I know that, but Mrs. J would tear me a new one if I didn’t help.” He jabbed his thumb into his chest, and as she took in the worry lingering in his eyes, something inside her surrendered. “So, this is about me, not you, okay?” A pause and then, “Think you can take one for the team?”
She was about to ask who Mrs. J was, but he reached into his pocket and pulled out a tactical knife. What the heck? The thing was big, with a handful of blades and scissors. He stood, and she inched back in her seat, hoping he wasn’t planning to remove her stinger with that unsterilized piece of equipment.
She tightened her hands around the strap of her purse. “Where are you doing with that?”
“I always carry one.”
She angled her head and looked him over. Her father’s security guys carried tactical knives all the time, but what would a tech guy need with one?
“A guy never knows when he’ll find a damsel in distress.”
“I’m a lot tougher than I look.”
Instead of answering—which pissed her off; she was tough dammit—he stuck one blade into the lock. A quick jiggle and it opened with ease.
The door yawned open, and she eyed him carefully. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
He rolled one shoulder, making light of the situation, but she sensed there was more to this Josh than he was letting on.
“Like what?” he asked.
“Oh, I don’t know. Misguided youth, maybe.” She pointed to the open door. “That was way too easy for you.”
He laughed. “Yeah, something like that,” he said. “Come here.” He scooped her up, carried her inside, and set her on the paper-lined examination table.
“This could very easily be classified as breaking and entering.” She shot a glance around after he turned on the lights. “I don’t want to end up in jail.”
“I’ll take the rap.”
“How heroic of you.”
He grinned. “Let me have a look.” He sat at the end of the examination table, and dropped the leaf. Her leg dangled over the edge, but he took her foot into his hand and bent forward to examine her wound, the position feeling far too intimate. She went up on her elbows to watch, and his warm breath caressed her inner thigh as his eyes narrowed in concentration.
“I can see the stinger. I’ll have to remove it, and then we need to clean the area and bandage it. You okay with me doing that?”
Nope, not one little bit, but she had no choice.
“How do you know so much about stingrays?” she asked, narrowing her eyes as she studied him dubiously.
“Boy Scouts.”
He stepped away and began rooting through the drawers, pulling out gauze, antiseptic, and what looked like a pair of tweezers. He scooped up a towel and rolled it. Her blood pulsed hot as he repositioned himself between her open legs, his forehead creasing. She tucked her sundress around her body and smoothed it down to her knees.
Beginning at her ankles, warm fingers touched her legs. His callused hands slid over her bare skin as he spread her thighs wider, loosening her tucked dress so he could place a towel under her leg to lift it. His muscles rippled with the movements, and it was all she could do to keep her gaze off his naked chest. Dammit, why couldn’t he have left his shirt on for his run? Seeing him like this was doing the craziest things to the needy spot between her legs.
His hands climbed higher, and her dress slipped up to her hips, once again giving him an unobstructed view of her panties. She wasn’t really sure why her dress needed to be that high, or why being laid out in the clinic like this, Josh deep between her legs, felt so sexual and…naughty. A shiver moved through her, and she took a breath and tried not to concentrate on the sweet sensations dancing inside her. But she failed, miserably.
He stilled for a second and darted her a quick glance. “You okay?”
Get it together, before he figures out what his touch is doing to you.
“Yeah, just nerves.” And arousal. A whole lot of arousal. Best to leave that alone and unspoken, though.
Leaving her spread wide open on the table, he turned, filled a basin full of water, and dipped a cloth into it. “This could have been a lot worse. The barb is small, not a lot of damage, and not too much swelling around the laceration. I think it was just a baby stingray.” Blue eyes shot to hers, a tenderness there that she’d never seen before. The muscles along his jaw softened as his gaze moved over her face. “You still feel okay?”
Her breath grew shallow. “A little lightheaded,” she said, although she was pretty sure it had nothing do with the sting and everything to do with Josh and his touch.
As his eyes filled with a gentle concern, worry flitted across his face. He frowned. “Sometimes it can take two to three hours for the symptoms to worsen. I don’t want you alone tonight.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
Deft hands moved over the wound, dousing it in warm water. She winced, and he pulled back giving her a moment of reprieve. “Are you friends with any of the women from work? Any that you can stay with tonight?”
“Not really.”
Tweezers in hand, he leaned in, his head practically between her legs, his breath so damn hot on her thighs she was pretty certain she was going to orgasm. “This might sting.”
“It already stings, so just yank it,” she said, needing the pain to get her mind of her throbbing sex.
He grinned. “Okay. Clench down, this is going to hurt.” A quick tug and he had the stinger free from her heel. Blood oozed from the wound, and he pressed gauze to it as he held up the tweezers to show her the stinger.
“Souvenir?”
“No. I don’t want to remember any of this.” Especially how good his hands felt on her body.
He gestured to the gauze. “Can you hold this? Apply pressure.”
She sat up and held the dressing as he covered a bandage in ointment. He tapped her hand and she pulled it away. His warm eyes moved over his handiwork as he applied the bandage. His touch was gentle, intimate, and far too personal.
I really shouldn’t like it that much.
He exhaled slowly, crossed his arms, and gave a slow shake of his head. “It was a valiant effort, Holly.”
“Valiant effort? What are you talking about?”
Oh God, does he know I’m aroused and doing a piss-poor job at hiding it?
“Next time you should try to step on a bigger ray. I’m afraid this one didn’t do enough damage to send you home.”
She pursed her lips, relief moving through her. Okay, so he didn’t know what his touch had done to her. Thank God. “You think I stepped on a ray on purpose?”
“When a king cobra is nowhere to be found…” He pushed his hair back, and she caught his sexy grin. “Way to work with what you have, adapt to your environment, and use the resources at your disposal. I’m impressed.”
Charming. Sexy. Funny. Talk about the perfect trifecta. She trembled, a restless ache moving through her as his muscles flexed and relaxed again. Why the hell was he still single? Wait, maybe he wasn’t. Her gaze shot to his ring finger, only to find it empty. Though, that didn’t mean anything these days.
“Not married,” he said.
Jeez, he didn’t miss a thing. “Wasn’t asking,” she shot back, but that still didn’t answer the question of why a guy like him wasn’t hitched. “But since you brought it up, why not?”
He shrugged. “Not interested.”
Had some girl hurt him?
She frowned and looked at her feet. “Me, neither,” she said. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. It wasn’t that she wasn’t interested—on some level she was. It was just that she didn’t trust guys. In the end they all wanted something from her, or were too afraid of her father to stick around.
I get it. I’m not enough for anyone to stay or fight for.
He arched a brow, disbelief all over his face. “Really?”
“Why so surprised?”
“I don’t know. I guess…” He frowned and looked down, like he wasn’t sure what to say. After a thoughtful moment, he said, “I just don’t understand why you wouldn’t be interested in a relationship.”
She squared her shoulders. “I’m just not. Anyway, thanks for the help.” She threw her legs over the exam table. “I should get back to the villa.”
“Wait.” He put his hand on her thigh, preventing her from fleeing, and ohmigod, while she hated anyone telling her what she could and couldn’t do, the way he was holding her down, his big fingers biting into her flesh, filled her with a strange kind of pleasure.
“I was serious about you staying with someone.” His voice dropped, and when his eyes locked on hers, her sex clenched. She squeezed her thighs and took a deep breath to pull herself together.
“I told you I’d be okay.”
He gave a slow shake of his head. “Are you always this stubborn?”
“Are you always this bossy?” she shot back, one hand on her hip.
His head reared back. “You think this is me being bossy?”
“Yeah, I do.”
He lifted her clear from the exam table, and she yelped as he settled her against him. “I’ll show you bossy.”