Another day went by under the same tense conditions: ignoring her body’s very real reaction to Alistair’s constant nearness while delicately juggling enough lies to light her pants on fire.

By midafternoon on day three, Jess felt like combusting. After a particularly heated workout in the hotel gym, she returned to their suite to hear Alistair’s smooth voice.

“Right…well, I can’t see why that would be a bother.” He chuckled smoothly. “So you said by tomorrow evening? Brilliant.”

She stepped into the room hesitantly, panic cinching her chest. Oh God. Who on Earth could he be talking to? She shut the door as quietly as she could so it wouldn’t disturb his conversation.

“Sure. Sure. You know, this is a massive favor, Grant.”

Her stomach dropped to her feet. Fucking Grant. The office manager. How in the actual hell had Alistair gotten through to Grant when they were three thousand miles away and he’d lost his phone on a mountain?

Jess walked a bit closer to the bedroom, where Alistair’s smooth British baritone grew louder. “You know I’ll pay you back. You pick the prize. See you in about a week.”

She inhaled sharply when Alistair appeared suddenly in the doorway, surprise crossing his face. “Marigold. You’re back.”

“Hey!” She smiled brightly, trying to wipe the tension from her face. Please God, tell me this man did not just undo all my hard work in one conversation. “Who were you talking to?”

“Grant.” He held up her phone. Of course. She’d left it behind, needing a break from the screen and the constant scrolling through news feeds for any mumble about the company or Alistair’s accident. She just hadn’t imagined he’d appropriate it. “The office manager,” he added with a smirk.

“Yes, I know Grant.” She reached for her phone, and he handed it over. She squeezed it tightly, vowing to add a security password. “How’s he doing?”

“Oh, quite well. He’s sending me off a replacement laptop today. What a swell chap, right?”

Her eyes widened. “That’s very kind and efficient of him.” She set her bag down gently, letting the news percolate through her. “Did you tell him what happened?”

“The crash? Well, not exactly. I told him I lost my phone on the slopes, hence the call from your phone.”

She nodded. “Did he ask why I was here?”

Alistair shook his head. “No. Should he have?”

“No.” A long silence hung between them. She headed for the couch, already eager to lie down and sleep away the rest of the day. “Did you tell him about your memory loss?”

He snorted. “I didn’t mention it, no. Seemed a bit…inappropriate for a boss to mention that he doesn’t immediately recall his employee.” Bitterness rang in his voice. “Don’t they all know by now?”

“No, Alistair. They don’t.” She nibbled on her lip. “I didn’t think you’d want your employees to know. For, you know, morale and whatnot.”

“Right.” Alistair sighed, easing onto the couch across from her. The crackling fire across the room was the only noise for a long time. “I’ll just be glad when the laptop gets here. I’m eager to get reacquainted with my work. And who knows…it might all come flooding back.”

“You’re right. It might.” Her heart rate had eased up a bit now; she felt less like puking and more like she could continue with the original plan. “It was a great idea to call the office and get it sent here.” She pushed off the couch, pressing a kiss to his forehead before heading to the kitchenette. She’d ordered a small assortment of groceries to be delivered early that morning, so she could cook a few of Alistair’s favorite meals. “Are you ready for lunch?”

“Is my personal chef reporting for duty?” He craned his neck to look at her, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief. Her breath caught in her throat, and she paused midstride to watch him, completely captivated. This man… She blinked hard, pushing onward to the kitchen. He had mesmerizing qualities, a type of magic that could ensnare and enchant in equal measure. She’d been fascinated—and then repelled—by his charms since the beginning.

But only now was she realizing that the repulsion had been a defense mechanism. She shouldn’t want the boss, so she had to dislike him. Except she did like him…too much. And now she was defenseless against all those charms that had probably helped snag him countless lovers just in the time that she’d known him.

“I’m making a classic favorite today,” she said. “Something you fell in love with when you moved to Seattle and have been touting the benefits of ever since.”

“Ooooh. I wonder what it could be?”

“I won’t tell you until after the first bite. But you’ll probably guess long before then.” She smiled to herself as she took out the ingredients for grilled cheese and tomato soup. Such a simple, American classic, but for whatever reason, Alistair had remained enthralled. They’d held a Grilled Cheese Olympics once in the office as part of a morale building event. Hers won by a landslide, and he’d said that her special touch made it a million times better than their other colleagues’ attempts.

Little did he know the secret was garlic salt and feta, but no need to reveal her secrets. Especially now.

She hummed as she worked, putting the soup to simmer before buttering hearty slices of whole grain bread. After a while lost in her own world, a heat pressed against her. Alistair’s voice brushed across her ear.

“You’re so sexy when you cook,” he whispered, his arms encircling her waist. “I could watch you all day. But I wouldn’t be able to keep myself off you.”

She stiffened at first, but swallowed her surprise, relaxing into his arms. God, he felt good wrapped around her. “That sounds fine to me.”

He chuckled throatily, his palms pressed against the tops of her thighs. “Or maybe I shouldn’t distract the chef?”

“No, you can distract the chef,” she said before she could think better of it. “Just for a little bit.”

He made a growling noise, spinning her around and pinning her by the hips against the countertop. Pure heat radiated from him, the kind that told her exactly what he was after. His mouth covered hers, prompting a juicy, passionate kiss. His hand crept up to cup her face, his other hand knotting in the back of her hair.

“Seducing the chef might be a wise move,” he murmured against her neck, trailing his tongue down to her collar bone.

“It might enhance the…flavor profile,” she gasped, squeezing her eyes shut as his head dipped to the valley between her breasts. His soft kisses were mind blowing. Did he kiss every woman like this? Certainly no other man’s kisses ever inspired this reaction in her. She inhaled sharply when his hands hooked beneath her ass cheeks, hoisting her onto the counter. As if by reflex, she hooked her ankles behind him. He nestled perfectly between her legs.

And that’s when she realized the hardness she felt there was most definitely not from a belt buckle. It was Alistair’s cock, hard and seeking, pushed up against the most sensitive area on her body. She whimpered. Holy hell, there was no denying him, not with this deadly amount of desire pumping through her veins. She’d avoided the temptation for so long through sheer distraction and workaholism. But maybe that had been dumb. Maybe she’d been denying herself something that her being genuinely needed, like a healthy gulp of fresh of air.

“I know, Marigold, you need it too,” he cooed softly, his kisses trailing up her neck. He tugged at her ear lobe with his teeth, which sent a shock wave of lust through her. Her thighs tensed around him. Maybe screwing the boss wasn’t such a bad idea after all…would he really complain once his memory came back?

“I should really finish lunch,” she said, but her voice lacked conviction. To hell with lunch. She wanted Alistair naked and between her legs.

His gravelly laugh made her nipples into two tight points. His hands wandered up to the warmth beneath her workout shirt, toying with the hem of her bra.

“Lunch can happen whenever we want it.” He ground his pelvis against her, and she let out a strangled moan, foreign to her own ears.

As if on cue, the pot of soup began boiling over. She swore, pushing against Alistair to rescue it before it made a huge mess.

“It’s a metaphor you know,” he said coolly, leaning against the countertop. “It’s my passion for you. Bubbling over.”

She laughed as she held the pot above the burner, letting it settle down before replacing the pan and lowering the heat. “That’s smooth. If I didn’t know you already, I would instantly sleep with you.”

He winked, rubbing his palm between his legs. “But this still makes me dizzy.”

A puff of air escaped her—actual disappointment? She should be relieved. “We gotta ease into it.”

He groaned, making a show of heading back to the couch. “I know. I’ll go over here and be a good boy now.”

She smirked as she stirred the soup then returned to buttering the slices of bread. Alistair’s firm heat between her legs wouldn’t leave her; he was all she could see and taste as she browned up two perfect grilled cheese sandwiches.

Once their lunches were settling happily in both their bellies, Alistair looked calm and satisfied. He lounged on the couch next to her, eyeing her with a mischievous smile.

“That’s one of the best sandwiches I’ve had in my life.”

“Not the first time I’ve heard that, sweets.”

He rubbed his belly, letting his head loll back. “Only one thing could make this day better.”

“What’s that?”

“Fucking you until I go blind.”

Her cheeks lit up, so hot that she could barely maintain eye contact with him.

“When I talk like that do you always blush?” he asked.

“Usually, yes,” she choked out. They were the hottest words anyone had ever said to her. Coming from this British god himself.

“It’s so cute it just makes me want you even more,” he said, his voice a cool purr. He intertwined their fingers, bringing her knuckles to his lips.

“Well we shouldn’t fuck until you go blind,” she said, her mind buzzing as she slapped playfully at his arm. “Amnesia and blindness all in one go…that’s a lot at once, don’t you think?”

His laughter bellowed through the room, the type of raw laugh she always overheard during his personal calls that made her wish she could be the source of it. And now she was. She swallowed a knot of confusion—could she truly be the source of it if he still didn’t remember their actual history?

Just enjoy it for what it is. A dalliance with your super sexy boss that might very well lead to either the best or worst outcome of your life.