“Alright, here we are.” He pushed the door open.
Peyton crossed the threshold and stopped in the middle of the large living space. “This is gorgeous.”
Michael closed the door behind him. From across the room, the ocean came into view through the sliding screen door and the wall of windows. The sounds of waves crashing against the rocks and seagulls squawking nearby pulled him farther into the space, welcoming him to paradise.
Michael tossed the key card to one of the tables near the sofa and gave the room a cursory glance before his attention went back to Peyton. He watched the gentle sway of her hips move to a rhythm all her own as she crossed the terracotta floor and headed straight to the patio door.
Damn.
If Peyton’s scent and walk could make his body stir with need, he was in trouble. Instead of following her across the room, he slowed. At that moment, he didn’t trust himself to follow her. He always went after what he wanted, and he suddenly wanted this cute little uptight woman who wouldn’t hesitate to put him in his place if he stepped out of line. The next few days were going to be hell if he didn’t get his libido under control.
“She’s not my type,” he told himself as he checked out a coat closet and the small kitchenette.
Turning back to the wall of windows and the patio door, his gaze latched on to the view of the ocean. Even from where he stood, he could see the sun’s rays glistening off the sparkling blue waters. Peyton leaned on the white railing and drew her head back, soaking up the sun. Finally, it looked as though she was starting to relax.
Michael leaned on the back of one of the upholstered chairs. The tan, striped sofa with two end tables sat on one side of the room and faced a large entertainment center. He took a good look at the space that would probably be his sleeping quarters since they were in a one-bedroom suite.
He shook his head and pushed off of the chair. The day definitely hadn’t gone as planned. And what had he been thinking deciding to take a break from women when he knew he would be in Jamaica a few days?
Peyton walked back into the suite and closed the sliding screen door. “This place is truly paradise,” she said, releasing the tight bun. “The view out there is breathtaking.”
“Yeah, in here too,” Michael mumbled, unable to take his gaze off of her, loving the way her hair fell around her shoulders in thick layers. He stood frozen in place as she talked about the white sand, the waves, and the warm weather. And then she smiled.
“This room, the ocean… I don’t think four days will be enough. I might have to relocate here.”
This was the first time she had actually smiled since being in his presence. The smile transformed her whole face.
Peyton narrowed her eyes at him. “What?” She looked down at herself and then glanced over her shoulder before returning her attention to him. “Why are you looking like that?”
He gave a slight shrug. “Your smile. I think it’s the first one I’ve seen today. It’s beautiful. Your face is all lit up, glowing.”
Crimson tinted her cheeks. “Oh.” She finger-combed her hair oblivious of the effect the move was having on him. He stayed put, ignoring the desire to approach her and run his fingers through the long tresses. “Thank you,” she said.
“You’re welcome.”
Peyton fiddled with the hair band in her hand and Michael waited, sensing she wanted to say more. One thing he had noticed early on is that she wasn’t shy. Although the way she hesitated made him think that yet again, he might not have her figured out.
“About what happened on the shuttle, I’m sorry if I didn’t seem grateful for what you did and what you’re doing now.” Her gaze met his. “Thank you. I’m usually the one jumping in to help others. I guess I’m not used to a man helping me the way you have today.”
Michael honestly didn’t know what to say. With her running a multi-million dollar construction company, it was no doubt she was a take-charge person. He would imagine she had to put out plenty of fires and would tend to put others before herself. But how was it that a woman with a face and body like hers didn’t have a man catering to her every need?
He recalled Luke’s comment about her probably not being able to find a date on such short notice. Maybe work kept her too busy for a social life. Then again, it could be the way she dressed. The ultra-conservative outfit wasn’t doing that curvaceous body justice.
Michael moved closer to her wanting to see if her skin was as soft as it looked. Instead of touching her cheek, the way he wanted to, he said, “I’m glad I could help, even though I did overstep on the shuttle van. Let’s call us even. Since I gave you a hard time with your airplane seat, maybe offering you the window seat on the shuttle can cancel out the pet name that you’ve given me.”
She frowned. “What pet name?”
“What? You don’t even remember the name?”
She started shaking her head when realization showed on her face. “Ohhh, no. You are an arrogant ass. The name stays.”
Michael threw his head back and laughed. “And the woman has a sense of humor. What else don’t I know about you?”
“I’m glad you asked. Since we have to live under the same roof for the next few days, I have some rules.” She strolled into the bedroom. Her gaze bounced around taking in everything. “This suite really is lovely.”
“I agree, but that’s the least Luke and CJ could do for us after the mess they just pulled.”
“I know. I’m shocked my sister would do something like this and what does that say about Luke that he went along with the setup?”
“It says that he would do anything to make his woman happy.” Michael would have done the same thing had he been in Luke’s position.
“Yeah, I guess,” Peyton said, less than enthused, making him wonder if something else was going on between her and Christina.
“So about those rules,” Michael prompted. “I meant what I said downstairs. I’ll be a perfect gentleman.”
Their gazes met and held. Unlike anyone he had met in a long while, Peyton intrigued him. Something made him want to know the beautiful boss lady better.
“I believe you,” she said. She relocated the decorative pillows from the bed to a nearby chair and then pulled back the taupe-colored comforter. She folded it and placed the cover on the foot of the bed. “Oh and I get the bed. You can take the sofa.”
Michael leaned against the doorjamb, folded his arms across his chest and crossed his ankles. “I can handle that. Anything else?”
“I’m too tired to lay out the rules right now.”
“Do you really think rules are necessary?”
“Rule number one. No touching,” she said as if not hearing his question. She lifted her blouse over her head, and a wave of excitement shot through him. His shaft stirred. It wasn’t until he saw the tank top she had on beneath the shirt that he chastised himself for acting like a high school boy peeking at the cheerleaders as they undressed.
What the hell is wrong with me?
He straightened and shoved his hands into his front pant pockets. Peyton kicked off her shoes and then laid across the bed on her stomach, her firm butt catching his attention.
Michael cursed under his breath. The last thing he needed was to be jonesing over his best friend’s future sister-in-law. He promised he would be a gentleman, and he intended to keep that promise.
“Before we start setting up rules maybe we should take some time to get to know each other, especially since we have to pretend to be a couple. I’m cool with rule number one, but if we’re going to make this charade look believable, that rule is going to have to be bent.”
Soft snores filled the quiet space. Michael moved closer to the bed and stared down at Peyton. Apparently, she was more comfortable with him than he initially thought. At least comfortable enough to fall asleep.
He was more curious than ever to know her story. Normally when someone stoked his curiosity, he researched them or had his assistant research them, but Michael had no in
tention of doing that with Peyton. Anything he found out about her he wanted to hear from her directly.
Michael brushed the back of his hand along her cheek. It was as soft as he imagined.
“What’s your story?” he whispered.
Michael didn’t know how long he stood over her. All he knew was that he planned to get to know this special woman.
He covered her up and left the room.
Hours later, the bedroom door eased opened.
“Well, if it isn’t sleeping beauty,” Michael set aside the file he was reviewing. “Did you sleep okay?”
“Yeah, like a rock.” Peyton stood in the doorway. Her wrinkled clothes, tousled hair, and sleepy eyes didn’t detract from how sexy she looked. “What time is it?” She yawned and stretched, her tank top lifting just enough for him to get a peek at her smooth light skin.
“A little after eight. I was going to wake you earlier. Christina called to see if we wanted to have dinner with her and Luke. When I told her you were asleep, she suggested not waking you.”
Peyton sighed and pulled out one of the dining chairs before dropping down hard on it.
“Good. If they weren’t getting married, I would have been back on a plane hours ago.” She folded her forearms on the table and rested her chin on them, her doe-like eyes steady on him.
Michael slouched down on the sofa and propped his socked feet on the sofa table. He was going to have fun getting to know the boss lady.
“You can barely keep your head up, maybe you need more sleep.”
“I’m fine.” Peyton fingered one of the crystal candle holders sitting on the table. “I’m glad Christina and Luke found each other. CJ can be a little flighty at times, and I wondered if she would ever settle down with anyone.”
Michael nodded. “I know what you mean. Luke has always been a loner, so I was surprised to find out last year how serious he was about Christina.”
“I might be happy for them, but I’m still mad at my sister. She was just wrong in doing this to us.”
“Instead of being mad, we’ll have to come up with a plan to get even with them sometime during the weekend.”
A smile spread across Peyton’s mouth. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I like the way you think.”
Michael laughed. “I haven’t come up with an idea yet, but I’m sure together we can think of something, maybe over dinner.”
“Okay, but before we do anything concerning them or dinner, we need to set some ground rules regarding our living situation.”
Michael stood. He stretched his arms high over his head before letting them fall to his sides. “Yeah, you mentioned something about rules before you passed out. So let’s hear them.”
“Well, like I said before. No touching.”
“Except for when we’re in public,” he added. “We have to make this couples thing look real.” He chuckled at the way she narrowed her eyes at him. Oh yeah, he was going to have fun teasing Miss Prim and Proper.
“No unnecessary touching then. And when we’re here in the suite, no just walking into the bedroom or the bathroom when I’m in there. Knock first.”
“You act as if I have no home training.”
“I don’t know what you have or don’t have. I don’t know you, remember?”
“Well, we can remedy that. Ask me anything you want to know.”
“I plan to.” She stood. “But right now I need to shower and try to wake up. It’s been a long day.”
He reached for her hand when she started past him.
“We’re both adults on a little mini-vacation. How about we make up the rules as the need arises? In the meantime, let’s just play this little adventure by ear.”
“I don’t play things by ear. I like to know what I’m getting into and be prepared.” She pulled out of his grasp but didn’t walk away.
Michael studied her for a minute. “Are you always this uptight or is something else going on?”
“I’m not uptight!” she seethed.
He lifted an eyebrow. “No? Sweetheart, you’re stretched tighter than the strings on a tennis racket.”
“You don’t know me.”
“I know what I see. I can see you’re tired, but I can also see how tense you are.” And he didn’t think the tension swirling around her had anything to do with lack of sleep.
Peyton’s shoulders sagged, and she huffed. “I’m going to take a shower.” She walked away without looking back.
Michael rubbed the back of his neck and stepped out onto the balcony. So much for a relaxing mini-vacation. His beautiful roommate was already irritating the hell out of him.
Luke owed him big for this one.
Chapter Four
The next morning, Michael leaned on the railing of the balcony and stared out at the ocean. Sailboats could be seen in the distance, while surfers, parasailers, and other water enthusiasts took advantage of the perfect weather and the light breeze. He could see why people chose to retire to tropical locales. From where he stood, it was true paradise and like Peyton, he too could envision himself there on a permanent basis.
Michael had barely slept, thoughts of Peyton occupied his mind most of the night. Knowing she was nearby, behind the closed door of the bedroom, had him thinking about what ifs. What if she let her guard down and they got to know each other better? What if he kissed her and enjoyed her taste? What if…
There he went again, thinking about her in ways that would never come to fruition.
He glanced at his watch wondering what was taking her so long. He had talked her into going for a walk along the beach with him before breakfast.
The bedroom door opened. Michael glanced over his shoulder, and his mouth went dry at the site of Peyton’s backside in an aqua colored one-piece swimsuit. Her back was bare, and the sides of the suit had deep cutouts, revealing light, smooth skin. The way the garment hugged her curvaceous body and showcased her shapely legs, had Michael turning fully for a better view. His shaft shifted behind his plaid Bermuda shorts.
Hot damn.
He knew she had a smoking hot body beneath those librarian clothes, but the reality exceeded what he could have imagined.
Peyton initially held a short, matching wrap in her hand, but tied it at her waist as she glanced around the room. Then she turned to face him.
“Are you ready?” she asked, her gaze darting around, sneaking peeks at him from behind long lashes. Her behavior was so inconsistent that Michael still couldn’t get a good read on her. There were moments when she came across as a badass, with witty comebacks and an I’m-not-going-to-back-down attitude. But times like this, when she could barely look at him and seemed to crawl within herself, made her come across as shy and unsure.
His gaze gobbled her up. She had her hair down. The long strands gently curled on the ends, fell around her shoulders in layers. She wore minimum makeup highlighting her expressive eyes with a light shade of eyeshadow and a touch of red on her lips. But it was the swimsuit, displaying her full, luscious breasts that had him thinking ungentlemanly-like thoughts. He already knew she had great boobs, but damn.
“Don’t take this the wrong way,” he started, but stopped to clear his throat, not missing the way her shoulders suddenly sagged, “but you look fine as hell in that suit.”
A slow smile spread across her tempting lips, and her shoulders lowered when she exhaled. “Thank you.”
Michael pushed away from the railing, walked back into the suite, and closed the slider. “So do you want to take that walk first, or grab something to eat?” He placed his hand on her back, regretting the move the moment he touched bare skin. The electric jolt that kept shooting through his body whenever he touched her was there again. By the pink tint to her cheeks, she felt it too.
“Maybe we can grab something light, walk a bit, and then come back for a full breakfast,” Peyton suggested.
“Sounds good to me.”
Twenty minutes later, after grabbing a quick snack, they slipped on
their sunglasses and made their way to the beach. They weren’t the only ones with the idea of getting in an early walk. Some couples walked hand in hand along the water’s edge, while others relaxed on the loungers working on their tans, reading, or napping.
“Last night you sounded anxious about all of your family arriving tomorrow,” Michael said after they’d walked a few minutes next to the ocean. Though it was hot and the sun beamed on top of their heads, the light breeze helped relieve the discomfort of the elements.
“All of them aren’t coming.” Peyton stopped and began removing her sandals, her feet sinking into the hot sand. Michael extended his hand, and she held on while she removed both shoes. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure. You were saying?”
“Besides the resort being for couples only, no way would this place be able to handle the entire Jenkins’ clan. My grandparents have seven children, sixteen grandchildren, and now great-grand kids are starting to pop up. Add spouses and extended family to those numbers and holidays and special events, like weddings, can get rowdy.”
“So, it’s the potential noise level that has you on edge?”
Peyton shook her head and then pushed strands of hair away from her face before glancing out at the water. She slowed her steps.
“We’re a very close family. Everyone is always in each other’s business.”
“And what? You feel they’re in your business or will be in your business?”
Peyton hesitated and started moving again. Michael kept in step wondering if she was going to answer.
“Both,” she finally said. “I think they’re a little worried about me. The last few months I haven’t been myself.”
“If not yourself, who have you been?”
She laughed, responding the way he’d hope. He had suggested the walk hoping they could get better acquainted.
“I’ve been a version of myself. I have a feeling that has something to do with Christina pawning me off on you like some charity case.”
“Whoa. Wait!” Michael halted and stopped Peyton with a hand on her shoulder. “Where’d that come from? Because from where I’m standing, you are no one’s charity case. You are a beautiful, intelligent, and witty woman. There’s no way in hell there aren’t men out there waiting to be the yin to your yang.”
Seducing the Boss Lady Page 4