She would not look at him. She refused. But not looking at him was like being told not to look at the sun when a solar eclipse was happening. In general, it was hard not to look at the bright shiny hot center of the universe but when it’s a rule and you’re constantly being told not to… it was almost impossible.

Not that NASA scientists were restricting her hottie gazing, but still. Her point was valid. She ordered herself not to look and the result was the same.

She wanted to look. She needed to look.

At one point she found herself studying her coworker’s glasses a little too intently to see if she could spot him in the reflection.

She could not. But Elaine, the Vice President of some department that wasn’t Kat’s, would probably assume she’d lost her mind. Or maybe she just assumed Kat had developed an uncanny knack for maintaining eye contact.

So, yeah. Maybe she wasn’t handling this sudden revelation as well as could be expected. But how was she supposed to react?

She’d been disappointed and then a little relieved when she’d woken to find that the hottie had left. A goodbye would have been nice but also…awkward. She was so not a fan of morning afters.

She’d figured he’d disliked them too, which was fine. Except that then he magically appeared. In the main hall. With Gary.

And it turned out he wasn’t some random hottie bartender, but Bryce Dalton. Bryce. Dalton. He wasn’t famous famous—not like Richard Branson or Mark Zuckerberg or anything. The average person on the street wouldn’t recognize his name. She only did because she was a nerd when it came to the business world. Also, his name had become kind of a buzz word among the executives in this awesome retreat group.

In a lot of ways this weekend had brought back terrible, scarring memories from that summer her parents had made her go to summer camp. There was one cool-kid group in particular that had always whispered amongst themselves and would stop talking whenever she’d drawn near.

That’s what some of the senior level executives had been doing for weeks before the trip and it had heightened to clicky camper levels over the weekend.

The one name she’d caught when she overheard whispers?

Bryce Dalton.

And oh look, now he was here. In the flesh. The man of the hour.

The man who’d rocked her fucking world last night.

It was too much. She didn’t know whether she should be pissed or humiliated or what.

But how could she be angry when she hadn’t asked his name or told him hers?

But then, he knew she thought he was the bartender and he’d let her believe that.

But what difference did it make? Would she have refrained from sleeping with the sexy beast just because she recognized his name?

Probably not.

So maybe she had nothing to be angry about. But the pissed feeling stuck around even as she helped herself to the delicious omelet the cook had set out. If she was being honest with herself, it wasn’t so much anger that had her stewing as it was humiliation. She hated the thought that he’d been laughing at her.

She’d never liked feeling like the butt of a joke—she didn’t like it when she was a camper and she hated it when the guy laughing at her was the same guy who’d seen her naked.

“Could I have a word, please?”

Shivers raced down her spine even as a liquid heat spread through her muscles. She managed to keep from spilling her plate full of food, but just barely.

Jesus. Even this guy’s voice was sexy. Even without the crinkling smile and the hard-as-a-rock chest, his voice alone was hot. He could do voiceovers. He should narrate steamy romance audiobooks so she could listen to them late at night. He should—

He cleared his throat and she realized that he was still standing behind her at the buffet line, waiting for an answer. Though, to the others who’d already started finding seats at the dining room table, it probably looked like he was checking out the breakfast options.

Her mind raced with possibilities of what she could say. Screw you, along with a plate of omelet in his face? No. That would definitely lead to questions from her colleagues that she so did not want to answer. He might not be her boss or their boss or anyone’s boss, for that matter, but he was their host, and clearly a guy who her bosses and their bosses admired.

Just look at the way Gary had fawned all over him. Gary was her boss’s boss and while he was always gregarious, she’d never seen him fawn before. Not like that. Not like he might fall to his knees at any moment and start licking the sexy lumberjack’s boots.

She turned then, her head down so she could see his boots. Boots! As if he was just some humble sexy bartender here to serve and not the freakin’ billionaire owner of a mega-successful company that did God knows what. Just owned stuff, apparently.

He cleared his throat again and she looked up. Clearing of throats should not be sexy. The fact that his was made her angry all over again. And then there was his eyes, and his little sexy smile—one that said “aw shucks” and “oops, did I forget to tell you I own this joint?”—and his perfectly tousled dark hair, and the amazingly awesome five o’clock shadow which gave him just the right amount of rugged—

“A word?” he asked, cutting into her mental tally of his sexy charms.

She stared at him for a moment, keenly aware of her coworkers moving around her to reach the fruit that was spread out beside the yogurt. What an awkward place to be standing while facing the near-stranger who’d made her orgasm just hours before.

But, much as the breakfast buffet was not ideal, she couldn’t fathom how she would explain peeling off from the crowd for a private tet-a-tet with the lodge owner and Gary’s new man-crush.

Before she could come up with an appropriate way of saying “fuck off, I’m at a work event and I’d rather not clue everyone in to the fact that I slept with a stranger last night,” she was saved by an unlikely person. Todd. Unlikely in that she despised him so it was rather odd to feel relief when he stopped at her side, a little too close for comfort, as always.

Todd could be in the next room and he would be too close for comfort.

A schmarmy schmooze at the best of times, he was currently bedazzling Bryce with his too-white veneers. “Bryce, I see you’ve met my golden goose.”

Kat held back a sigh, but just barely. She watched with some amusement as Bryce slowly, seemingly reluctantly, turned his gaze from her to her asshole boss. He not only didn’t return Todd’s smile, but he seemed to be studying him like he was a bug under a microscope. Ha! Her esteem for Bryce Dalton went up several notches.

Not that she had a low opinion of him, exactly, but now she felt fairly positive she could add ‘good judge of character’ to his list of admirable traits. Up until now his admirable traits solely consisted of sexy skills, so this was a step in the right direction—straight out of dirty town.

Good, that’s what she needed. To get her head out of the gutter when it came to this guy.

Todd, God bless his tiny penis, never seemed to understand how brash and condescending he came across to all normal human beings. He’d spent too long at the upper echelons of this company and was used to being surrounded by sycophants and friends. She assumed that was the reason he didn’t pick up on the social cues that Bryce was less than thrilled with his bravado. The way he managed to insinuate himself into the conversation and objectify her in one fell swoop was truly mind-blowing. Impressive really. But then, she was used to Todd and his refreshingly forthright idiocy.

Bryce’s voice was low and markedly less enthusiastic than Todd’s. “Of course I met her. You were there.” He gave Kat a look that said “is this guy for real?” before turning back to Todd. “Surely you remember, it was just minutes ago, right around the same time I met you.”

Boom. And that was how it was done. Bryce managed to put Todd squarely in his place while also affirming to her that he had no desire to out her or their tryst.

She bit back a laugh at Todd’s floundering response. “Oh, of course. That’s right.”

Only problem was, Bryce sorely underestimated Todd’s obtuseness. Todd rallied quickly and with a vengeance. Snaking an arm around her shoulders, he pulled her against his side. It was a friendly gesture, not exactly inappropriate. If anyone ever uttered “sexual harassment” to HR, she supposed he could argue that he slung his arm around his male coworkers’ shoulders as well.

He did, he was a toucher like that.

But it still seemed slimy and gross. Not to mention patronizing since she was shorter than him so it kept her tucked to his side like a pet or a sidekick. At any moment she expected him to pat her on the head.

Todd barreled ahead, apparently noting Bryce’s interest in Kat and wanting it for himself. Which pretty much summed up everything she hated about him as a boss. Every time she got credit, he was there to steal some of it for himself. As if this brash, ridiculous excuse for a human could sell anything to anyone. “Yes, sir. I asked Kat to come along as a reward for all her hard work this year.” He turned to look at her with a smarmy smile brimming with pride as if he was her father or something. “Our number one salesperson right here.”

She couldn’t smile. Normally she would—he was her boss, after all. But being treated like a child in front of Bryce went beyond humiliating and right into cruel and unusual.

She risked a glance in Bryce’s direction to see how he responded. To her surprise, his smile matched Todd’s. It was big, still sexy, and fake as hell. “So I’ve heard,” he said, his voice taking on a booming quality that mimicked Todd’s. Or mocked, rather. She could see the dark humor in his eyes clear as day and it was slightly terrifying.

And also sexy.

But it would have scared the crap out of her if she was the subject of this barely concealed wrath. Yet Todd—ridiculous, dumb as a box of tacks, Todd—seemed oblivious to the fact.

“In fact, that’s why I want to steal her away for a word in private,” he said, taking her by the arm and pulling her out from under Todd’s arm like she was a toy on the playground. “Or maybe I’m just going to steal her away, period. My company could use someone like her.” He gave Todd a wink for good measure.

She didn’t see Todd’s expression but the fact that he didn’t respond was telling.

Bryce didn’t drop his grip on her arm and she felt his touch all the way to her toes. Lord, he had some magical chemistry about him. No one man should have so much sex appeal.

Then he was steering her toward the door leading to the hallway. As it was, Todd could tell the others she was being taken off for a chat about her role at the company. If she tried to resist, it would only lead to questions.

That was why she meekly followed along.

Yeah, right. It had nothing to do with the fact that he smelled so damn good or the fact that he looked just as hot, if not hotter, in the cold light of day. And it certainly wasn’t because his anger on her behalf had kind of turned her on in a weird way.

Nope. She was just going along with this for appearances. She was a saint, basically. A martyr for her profession.

She followed him down the hall, which made it impossible not to think about how she’d followed him the night before. “No wonder you knew about the library,” she muttered.

It hadn’t particularly been for his ears but she saw him straighten in front of her and his pace picked up speed so they were nearly jogging to reach the door at the end. He ushered her inside and closed the door.

“I’m sorry.”

She blinked at him. The apology was so blunt and so… unexpected. Oh, she’d assumed he’d apologize, but not like that. She’d prepared herself for his excuses, his rationalizations. Just ‘I’m sorry’ caught her off guard.

Her first impulse was to say “it’s okay.” But it wasn’t okay. Her pride was still stinging. But he’d apologized and she saw no rationalizations in sight.

Crossing her arms, she took a deep breath and said the words that had been running through her mind since she’d spotted him in the main hall and figured out who he was. “Were you laughing at me?”

He winced, his gaze softening with something unbearably close to pity.

Oh hell. That hadn’t come out right. Her voice had been way too shaky, too weak, too vulnerable. That wasn’t her at all.

He took a step toward her but she backed away. He already took up too much space in this office—which was beautiful, she noted absently. He was beautiful. He was wearing another plaid flannel shirt, blue and gray this time, and it did incredible things to his eyes. It turned them from a smoky gray to a steel. He still didn’t look the part of a mega-successful business owner and for that she resented the hell out of him. He’d tricked her with those damn cowboy boots and the crinkly eyes and the five o’clock shadow. Shit, she was back to cataloguing his sexiness again.

He stopped moving toward her, tucking his hands into his pockets. Possibly to try to seem less intimidating in this small space, but the effect was dangerous in a whole other way. She wasn’t intimidated by his size or his power, but she was scared to death that if he so much as crooked his finger she’d be all over him. Leaping into his arms without so much as a howdy-do.

“I wasn’t laughing at you.” His voice was quiet, low, and filled with so much sincerity it physically hurt. Her chest did a weird constricting move in response.

She wanted to believe him. Unless he was the best liar on the planet, she probably should believe him. But it wasn’t quite enough. Crossing her arms over her chest, she raised her chin. “So why lie?”

He grimaced and pulled one hand out of his pocket to scratch the back of his head. “I didn’t really lie. I mean, you didn’t seem to want to know my name and…”

Apparently, her raised brow had the desired effect because he stopped that little speech before he even finished.

“True,” she said. “That is all technically the truth. “But I think you’re smart enough to realize that knowing you are the owner of Dalton Industries and friendly with my bosses might have had an effect on my behavior last night.”

He winced again and she decided she hated that wince. It didn’t suit him. He had the air of someone who was used to being in control, and the role of apologetic and humble didn’t suit him.

“Not to mention the fact that you own this place,” she continued. “Which makes you my host and—” She groaned as snippets of conversation came back to her. “And I totally insulted your place, didn’t I?”

His lips started twitching like he was trying not to laugh and she narrowed her eyes. Not the time, buster. He got the message because he grew serious, though his voice still held a hint of laughter. “Yes. Consistently and creatively.”

Now it was her turn to wince. “Sorry.”

Wait, she wasn’t the one who was supposed to be apologizing here.

“Don’t apologize.” He cocked his head to the side and gave her a smile that made her knees weak. “I had it coming.”

“Yeah, you did.” But some of the anger had left her voice. Much as she tried, it was hard to keep up her anger in the face of his obvious guilt and also… his hotness. Damn it, this guy could get away with murder with those dimples.

“But you still haven’t told me why you did it,” she said. “Or didn’t do it, whatever. You know what I mean.”

He studied her for a while and his gaze was warm and sweet. So unbelievably sweet. For a minute she thought he wasn’t going to answer, and when he did he might as well have punched her in the gut because it knocked the wind right out of her.

“I like you.”

Just like that. He said it so simply, so naturally. Like it was the most normal thing in the world.

She wasn’t sure how she was supposed to respond. Most guys played games—games she could do. Banter she could handle. Sarcasm, forget about it. But this utter sincerity?

It was baffling.

“You, uh… you like me?”

His lips crooked up on one side in a way that did devastating things to those dimples. “I like you.”

Okay then. There it was again. She shifted uncomfortably. Were her palms sweating? Because it felt like maybe they were sweating. Or itchy. She rubbed her hands against her jeans. “So, that’s your excuse?”

Good. Yes. Let’s go with offense.

He nodded, and she was both relieved and slightly terrified to note that his meek, humble act had given way to the laid-back confidence he’d had the night before. “That’s my excuse.” He held his hands out palms up as if he was laying it all out there for her. “I liked you from the moment you stepped into my bar. I liked your smile, I liked the way you talked, the way you made me laugh…” He grinned outright and her belly did a backflip. “And I guess it goes without saying that I liked the way you looked.”

It may have gone without saying but she liked that he’d said it. “You can say it again if you want,” she said.

He laughed softly. God, his laugh was sexy. Taking another step closer, he lowered his voice and reached for her. “I like the way you look.”

A laugh was bubbling up in her chest and her skin got that warm, tingly feeling. Her whole body was too sensitive. The air itself was chafing against her raw nerves. If he touched her she’d lose what little hold she had on sanity and lust would take over like it had last night.

Last night. That’s what this was about. Taking one more step back she fixed him with a look she hoped conveyed that she meant business.

He let out a little sigh. His gaze never left hers as he said, “I liked you and I thought you liked me.”

Her brows drew down as she frowned. “I did like you.”

He gave her a hint of a smile and for the first time since she’d met him, she saw beyond that confident exterior to something shockingly vulnerable. “Good. But what I meant was…” He took a deep breath. “Last night I thought you might like me back and I knew you didn’t know who I was, just what I was.”

“A hottie.” Oh shit, did that really just slip out of her mouth?

His shocked laugh came out in a short burst and she found herself grinning in response. “That’s not what I meant,” he said. “But thank you.”

“No, thank you,” she said, her tone teasing. Joking she could do.

“What I meant was, you didn’t see me as Bryce Dalton, with all that entails…”

“Money, power, and a Fortune 500 company with your name on it?”

He let out a long breath. “Exactly.”

“I see.” And she did. Just like that what he was trying to say became clear. He’d gotten used to women wanting him for other reasons—well, she highly doubted women were repulsed by his looks, but she could imagine that it would be hard to tell who wanted you for what when one had not only good looks but money and power to boot.

God, life was so tough for some people.

She knew better than to crack that joke. Something told her he was a tad sensitive on the subject and she knew better than anyone that being liked for the wrong reasons could kind of suck.

“So,” she said, letting out a sigh that matched his. “You’re really trying to get out of this with the poor-little-rich-boy act, huh?” She said it laughingly, without a hint of malice and it had the desired effect of lightening the mood, along with his demeanor.

He lost that sad, puppy dog vulnerability that had made it impossible not to feel something in return. His sincerity had demanded reciprocation, which she resented. But now… well, now they were back on even footing.

This she could do.

“So, here’s the thing,” she said, moving toward him slightly so she was no longer out of reach. “I still like you for a bunch of reasons except for the fact that you’re Bryce Dalton, big man on campus.” Lowering her voice by several octaves, she did her best movie trailer voiceover impersonation when she said his name and made-up title.

He grinned at that. “Oh yeah?”

She nodded. “Yeah.”

Was she really doing this? Hell yeah, she was. So he owned the lodge. So what? And so he ran a huge company. She’d never suffered a fear of successful men… or women, for that matter.

Besides, after admitting the truth, she found herself feeling for the guy. Not that this would be a pity fuck, by any means. More like a ‘why the hell not?’ fuck. She’d still never see him again after tomorrow morning—that hadn’t changed.

Nothing had changed, really. She just knew the name of the guy she’d slept with. Not a big deal, really.

Bryce was watching her patiently as she debated what she was about to do, even though the debate was thoroughly rhetorical. Her body had decided right around the time he’d said he’d liked the way she’d looked. It wasn’t just his words but the way he’d looked at her when he’d said it. Like she was delicious.

Like she was freakin’ edible.

Yeah, she wanted more of those looks.

Really, from that moment on her body had declared it was game on with this guy for as long as she had him, at least. Twenty hours and counting….

“So you think you could manage to forgive me?” he teased, closing the distance between them and pulling her close.

Oh man, that chest. It should have a shrine made in its honor. “I think I can manage.”

The words had barely escaped when his mouth was on hers, hungry and searching. His lips moved aggressively, taking and giving as he moved his hands down to cup her ass and press her hips to his.

His erection was hard evidence of his desire and she moaned, pressing her breasts against that epic chest as she clung to his shoulders and tried to keep up with the frantic pace of his kiss.

He pulled back just long enough to mutter, “This is crazy.”

She would have laughed if she could draw enough air, but between his kisses, her crazy hormone levels, and the fact that she was crushed against him, oxygen was in short supply. She had to assume that was why her head was spinning when he leaned down for more.

He claimed her mouth with his tongue, seeking and plundering like a fucking Viking. When he moved back again she nearly pulled his hair to get his lips back on hers.

“Come back to my room,” he said.

“No.”

Her eyes were closed but she heard his pause. “Okay, fine. I’ll come to your room.”

She shook her head this time, impatient with longing. “No. No one can see us like this.”

He muttered a string of curses under his breath as he leaned his forehead against hers.

Silly man, he seemed to think that meant she was calling this off.

As if.

Smoothing her hands over his chest, she moved them down further, over his flat stomach until her fingers could grasp the waist of his jeans. “Time’s a tickin’, Bryce Dalton. The way I see it, we’ve got a little more than twenty hours until I leave this godforsaken state for good, and roughly ten minutes before my absence at breakfast lasts too long and people start to ask questions.”

She glanced up in time to see his eyes widen. “You mean, you want—”

“To screw like rabbits whenever we get the chance over the next twenty hours?” She blew out a breath, oddly liberated and appalled by her own reckless behavior. “Yeah, that’s what I’m saying.”

“But what about—”

She stopped his next question with a kiss. It wasn’t like casual weekend retreat sex was a difficult concept to grasp. There was no need to talk. Discussions and questions would only make her doubt herself and she had all the time in the world to rethink the insanity of her actions once she was back to her single, largely sexless life back in New York.

Her kiss seemed to do the trick. Or maybe it was the feel of her unbuttoning his fly and reaching for his cock.

Either way, he stopped talking and got to work on the fastenings of her jeans as his mouth ravaged hers.

She was on fire. Her own crazy, uncharacteristic actions made her horny as hell. Who knew she had an inner wild child just waiting to get out? Her friends at home would never believe it. She was the responsible one. Her whole life was planned out until her death and nowhere in those plans was crazy weekend retreat sex with a sexy lumberjack-billionaire.

It wasn’t like she was a prude—she’d had her share of casual flings over the years. Her plan didn’t involve staying celibate until her thirties, just single. But still, sneaking off during breakfast and proposing that they fuck like bunnies until she left and never saw him again?

Yeah… that was a first.

This crazy rush of desire made her ache everywhere. She couldn’t get close enough even as clothes went flying. Air came in desperate gasps as the intensity of his kiss deepened exponentially. His hands were everywhere, pulling her close, pressing her to him, molding every curve with a rough adoration that made her want to weep with longing.

Her bra slipped off and he teased her nipples, cupping her flesh as he pinched and rolled the sensitive nub. Her head fell back as she cried out. Clamping her mouth shut she remembered too late that they were being discreet. That her bosses were all out there, just down the hall.

Oh hell, if that realization didn’t make her even more turned on. He closed his mouth over her neck, tongue and teeth nipping and licking at her as she shoved his shirt out of the way for unrestrained access to that miraculous chest.

She moaned in sweet agony as his chest met her breasts. The ache between her thighs grew so intense…too intense. “Now,” she murmured, half wild with wanting. “I need it now.”

His breathing was just as labored as hers as he pulled back just long enough to push her hair out of her face and give her a hard, crushing kiss. “Are you sure?”

She let out a strangled gasping laugh. Was she sure?

Was he kidding?

This guy was too good to be true.

“Yes, I’m sure. Just fuck me, for Christ’s sake.”

That got the job done. He picked her up by her waist and sat her on the edge of his desk. As she placed her hands behind her for balance, she knocked stuff over while he found a condom and slipped it on.

Jesus, did he really keep condoms in an office drawer? Shit, maybe he screwed random strangers at his lodge every day of the week. Before she could stew over that—or even give it the proper consideration it deserved—he was back and she was lost to his touch.

Moving between her thighs, he kissed her thoroughly until she was clinging to his neck. She arched her hips, silently begging for him to put her out of her misery. “I want it,” she whimpered.

She felt his grin against her mouth. “And you’re going to get it. I promise. But first…”

She started to protest as he pulled his head away, but then she realized he was dropping to his knees in front of her. His head on level with her parted thighs.

He leaned forward, a wicked smile on his lips as he looked up at her. “First, I need a taste.” His tongue stroked her clit and her hips bucked. Strong hands gripped her, holding her still so his lips and tongue could work their magic.

And it was magic.

Oh sweet mercy… this man was definitely too good to be true.