Page 29 of The CEO


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She hadn’t done it deliberately—one look at her shy gaze firmly fixed on her food told him that—and he needed to get a grip before he made a mess of things like he had last night.

He broke off a piece of the soft, doughy bread, dipped it into the pungent curry sauce, and stuffed it onto his mouth before he said something he’d regret, like ‘let’s get out of here and let’s get naked.’

“Mmm, divine.” Her tongue flicked out to capture a drip of gravy and he stifled a groan, focusing on the unique blend of spices hitting his taste buds rather than how much he’d like to lick away that spillage.

He needed to say something to divert attention from how much he wanted her, to focus on anything other than the driving, obsessive need to get her naked and moaning his name while he plunged into her.

“Sujit whips up the best Indian food I’ve ever had. It rivals some of the feasts I’ve had in Singapore and India for authenticity.”

“You’ve been around, haven’t you?”

“Yeah, definitely a perk of the job. I’ve traveled almost everywhere.”

“Any favorites?”

He’d steered the conversation onto safe ground, only to be diverted by the small moans of pleasure she made between mouthfuls, and he gulped his entire glass of water before answering.

“Probably Alaska for its glaciers. I’ve cruised the Inside Passage from Vancouver and the ship usually spends a day in Glacier Bay. It’s amazing that ships like ours that weigh around seventy-thousand tonnes can sail to within a mile of those monsters. I’ve been lucky enough to see huge chunks of ice calving off the ice face.”

Maybe he should focus on that ice, focus on all that cold, anything to dampen the urge to leap across the table and drag her into his arms as she stared at him with wide-eyed awe.

“I also love the Mediterranean, especially Italy. Capri is great, with its ancient cobbled streets and home-made pastas.”

He could’ve regaled her with tales of his travels all day, particularly as her wide, luminous eyes fixed on him with fascination, but the longer she stared at him the harder it was to forget every sane reason why he couldn’t push their involvement no matter how much he wanted to.

He’d seen the devastation in her eyes last night, the lingering hurt from the jerk who had screwed her around, her desolation at having their relationship labeled a fling. He’d planned on backing away then but once he’d taken her on deck and couldn’t resist kissing her, his plans to leave her alone had drifted away on the sea mist.

He wouldn’t hurt her by having a fling, but couldn’t offer her anything else considering where he’d be for the next year.

So where the hell did that leave them?

For now, he’d keep things light. He’d promised her a tour today, the least he could do after she’d come through for him with the exercise classes, and he’d make it a fun day for her if it killed him.

“You know, the South Pacific islands are growing in my popularity stakes all the time.” He leaned forward and crooked a finger at her. “I think the present company has a lot to do with that.”

She blinked as if startled by his compliment and he wished he could ring her ex’s neck for battering her self-esteem to the point she couldn’t accept a compliment without embarrassment.

“You mean Sujit? I totally agree, his food is to die for. I haven’t been to those other places but I’d definitely put Fiji first on my list.”

He grinned at her clever comeback but he wasn’t done yet. “What about Noumea? How high should New Caledonia rate? I hear their moonlit beaches are magical.”

The recollection of their first kiss stained her cheeks pink and her eyes dipped as he belatedly remembered he was trying to cool down, not get more wound up.

She pointed at the food. “You’ll give me indigestion, flirting on an empty stomach. At least let me put a dent in this feast before you turn on the charm.”

He laughed, more relaxed than he’d been in years despite his desperate yearning for her. It had been that long since he’d enjoyed a woman’s company enough to spend more than a few hours with her, and while he dated infrequently, he’d never experienced such a connection on so many levels with any woman. Not even Magda, and he’d married her.

“Let’s finish up and hit the road. I can’t wait to show you the island’s best beach. It’s isolated, so tourists haven’t wrecked it.”

She mumbled an acknowledgement and focused on her food as he wondered what he’d said to elicit that reaction. She’d been cool one moment, perspiration covering her skin in a delectable sheen the next, a sheen that had him envisaging all sorts of erotic ways he could clean it off.

If he were prone to flights of fantasy, he’d almost say she was hot and bothered about his mention of being on an isolated beach together. Yeah, and she wanted to rip his clothes off too. Definitely wishful thinking.

“Is the food too spicy for you?”

Her guarded gaze snapped to his, as if trying to read something into his innocuous question. “No, it’s fine. It’s just a little hot today.”

Hot? It was positively burning, though the weather had little to do with it.

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