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It was now or never.
With a last deep indrawn breath, she marched toward Zac. “Could I have a word with you?”
As a low resentful grumbling resumed through the gym, he pinched the bridge of his nose, the first time he appeared rattled. “Now isn’t the time.”
“I can help. I’m a qualified fitness instructor. I can take this class right now if you want me to.”
“You’re a fitness instructor?” He made it sound like she was a space cadet as his assessing gaze swept over her. Yeah, like her outfit made any difference to her credentials. “You really want to do this?”
“I wouldn’t have offered otherwise.”
Relief eased the tension in his face, as his lips kicked into a mischievous grin. “Does it mean I’ll owe you?”
She almost ran at that point, the memory of that sexy smile seconds before he’d kissed her all too fresh as she focused on his lips.
“You won’t owe me a thing.”
“Oh, but I will.”
Heck, how had this turned from her doing him a favor to having him in her debt?
With that beguiling smile and heat smouldering in his eyes, she was floundering out of her depth more than ever.
“Look, just forget it—”
“Go ahead and take the class but once you’re done, drop by my office,” he said, brusque and business-like, and she wondered if she’d imagined the loaded exchange a moment ago.
“Okay.”
As she turned away, he laid a hand on her arm, her skin burning despite the innocuous touch.
“One more thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Just so you know, I always pay my debts.” He paused, his disarming smile capable of tempting a saint. “And I fully intend on doing that with you.”
His eyes glittered with intent before he released her and walked away.
* * *
Lana tuckedstrands of frizz into her bristling ponytail, all too aware she was fighting a losing battle as she stared at her flushed face covered in perspiration sheen. The polished brass nameplate on the door to Zac’s office was highly effective as a mirror, too effective as she belatedly realized she should’ve ducked down to her cabin before presenting here.
When he’d said he’d see her after class he wouldn’t have anticipated a bedraggled, scraggly mess lobbing into his office. Then again, it wasn’t like she was trying to impress him. The opposite, in fact. The sooner he realized he couldn’t charm her like every other woman on the planet, the easier her life would be, even if a small part of her would miss his banter.
She knocked and waited for a ‘come in’ before pushing the door open, the sight that greeted her snatching the breath from her lungs.
She’d seen his many facets: sailor Zac resplendent in uniform, dancing Zac, dinner companion Zac, yet the sight of him behind a desk, pen scrawling across a daily planner in one hand, fingers flying across a keyboard with the other while issuing instructions into a phone, had her grabbing the door to steady her wobbly knees.
Zac made multi-tasking look easy, a guy in total control who could do anything he set his mind to, and when he glanced up and smiled in welcome she had to steel her resolve, for executive Zac was as appealing as the rest of his personas. More so, considering she understood business, thrived on business, her life was all business.
“I’ll get back to you. In the meantime, make sure those timetables are correct to within a second.” He stabbed at the disconnect button on the phone, threw his pen down, and leaned back in his chair, hands clasped behind his head. “Well, well, if it isn’t our very own aerobics instructor.”
With a shrug, she crossed the room and sat into a chair opposite him. “You make it sound like I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“Sorry, you surprised me, that’s all. How did it go? Bet those women didn’t give you a hard time.”
“Why would they? I’m good at what I do. Besides, I think they took out all their frustrations on you.”
