Tempted by the Boss

by Jules Bennett

  Luke’s face sobered as he leaned in closer. “How did I miss this?” he whispered against her lips. “How did I not see you?”

  He folded her into his embrace, holding her on top of him as he rolled to his back. Kelly straddled his lap and braced her hands on his chest.

  “I take it dinner can wait?” she asked with a grin.

  He reached up with one hand, gripping the back of her neck and pulling her down for a kiss.

  Dinner would most definitely have to wait.

  Twelve

  “So how did you guys choose this place?” Luke asked.

  Kelly sat in the cabana, staring out at the darkened ocean and the starry sky. The calm, warm breeze washed over her, and everything in her world seemed so right, so perfect.

  For now, while they were in this island paradise, she was going to just live in the moment and not worry about Wingate or her job or what would happen once they returned. Nothing mattered but Luke.

  Their time was running out, though, and she knew there would be no romantic evenings after this trip. Her boss would go back to diving headfirst into work and ignoring the rest of the world. She had to brace herself for that because this wasn’t a trip designed to make him fall in love...this only started out as a means of relaxation and seduction. And while she’d taken the risk and it had paid off, there was no way she would risk her heart; that was a sure bet to lose.

  Kelly glanced over her shoulder to where Luke lay reclined beside her. He wore nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs and she had on a wrap cover-up with nothing beneath. They’d eaten dinner on the patio and had come down to the cabana once the sun had already set. They had complete and utter privacy.

  “Zeke found the resort and showed me one day. Once I saw the place, I was in love and started planning,” she told him. “He knew you needed a break and he needed me to accompany you pretending the trip was about business. I knew this was my only chance to show you how I felt. I couldn’t do it in Royal or near the office.”

  Luke slid his fingertips over her arm and braced his other arm behind his head. She would never tire of seeing him like this. So relaxed, so...unencumbered. The man was sexy as hell in a suit, but seeing him on a tropical island all wet and bare-chested, highlighted by the sun, did something else entirely to her.

  The physical attraction had always been there, but as she’d gotten to know him, she’d appreciated his loyalty to his family. Not to mention the fact that when things got tough, he still stuck around. She’d dated a few men who fled when things got complicated instead of trying to work things out.

  Stability hadn’t been too strong in her personal life over the past several years. Her career was all she could cling to and Luke had always had her back. But she knew he couldn’t be there on a long-term-relationship level. Luke wasn’t made up like that and ultimately that’s what she would need.

  “This place is perfect,” he agreed softly. “So...you ready to tell me why you never revealed how you feel?”

  “We’ve already been over this,” she reminded him. “The timing was never right and I couldn’t take that chance.”

  “I never took you for someone to back down from what you wanted.”

  Kelly smiled and turned back to the breathtaking ocean view. She pulled her knees up in front of her and wrapped her arms around her legs.

  “I did go after what I wanted,” she said. “I just took my time. Patience is everything.”

  Luke sat up next to her, the cabana shifting with his weight. The man wasn’t just formidable in the boardroom, he emanated power everywhere. All big and dominating and absolutely perfect. She couldn’t find a single flaw with Luke Holloway.

  “You dated while you’ve been employed with me,” he murmured. “There have been flowers on your desk from time to time.”

  Kelly nodded. “That’s true. I even dated a guy for several months about a year ago, but I was never really into them. I wanted to be. I wanted to get you out of my mind because I kept telling myself this was wrong. I mean, how cliché can I be to want to have sex with my boss? That’s not professional and how would the rest of the employees react if we were...you know.”

  Luke’s chuckle vibrated against her. “You think I’d send out an office email and inform everyone we had sex?”

  “No,” she laughed. “But the dynamics between us have changed and someone might pick up on that when we get back. I worry how that will look for me.”

  Luke reached over and slid a finger beneath her chin, turning her head to face him.

  “Nobody will know a thing,” he assured her gruffly. “We went away on a business trip and that’s all.”

  Kelly really didn’t know how she’d go back to work and see him in that capacity after being so intimate with him here. She knew how he tasted, how he touched and liked to be touched, what it took to make him come completely undone...

  “It sounds easy enough,” she agreed. “But I’m not sure I won’t be able to stop—”

  “From jumping me on the boardroom table?”

  “No, silly!” Kelly laughed again and swatted his chest. “I was going to say I won’t be able to stop from staring at you and I hope nobody picks up on that.”

  “Maybe I’ll be the one caught staring at you,” he tossed back with a grin. “Did you ever think of that?”

  Kelly swallowed and shook her head. “I never thought this would actually happen. I wanted it to, but I wasn’t sure you’d ever see me as more than just your assistant.”

  He gripped her chin between his thumb and finger again. “First of all, you have always been more than just an assistant. I wouldn’t get anything done without you. You deserve more credit than what you give yourself.”

  His words warmed her deep into her heart. She knew he valued and appreciated her. Luke had always been the best boss and treated her with such respect. Even if she wasn’t halfway in love with the man, she would love him simply for the way he treasured her.

  “Second,” he went on. “Since my engagement ended, I don’t do much with dating or even looking to add someone into my life. I’m devoted to Wingate and determined to grow our product line.”

  “Your ex wasn’t right for you.”

  Kelly hadn’t meant to let that out, but now that she’d expressed her true feelings, she didn’t care that he knew.

  “Did our engagement affect how you felt?” he asked.

  Kelly didn’t want him to think she was looking to slip into that role of trophy fiancée. “Despite wanting you, I wasn’t looking for more. I just didn’t think she fit into your world. She seemed to... I don’t know. Needy.”

  “She was,” he agreed. “I’m glad I realized it before we married. I wasn’t in love with her and she wanted a social status that she thought I could give her. It seemed like a good fit at first, but I seriously dodged a bullet with that one.”

  Marrying someone like Luke Holloway would certainly give someone a bump in their standings. It would get someone invited to the poshest parties, an automatic in with the elite Texas Cattleman’s Club and money would never be an issue. Luke would give his woman everything she could ever want, and he would totally treat her like a queen.

  Kelly never wanted a man to take care of her, she was more than capable of taking care of herself. She wasn’t looking to marry Luke, she’d just wanted him in her bed. She wanted him to make her feel alive, to fulfill these fantasies she’d had for years.

  But now that she knew they would make one hell of a team in the boardroom and the bedroom—it still didn’t change anything. Because when it came down to it, they wanted different things out of life.

  “She didn’t find the work hours too appealing,” Luke went on. “She wanted the prestige and the money, but without the work.”

  “Well, that’s impossible, especially during crisis mode.”

  Luke snaked an arm around her wa
ist and hauled her back down onto the bed. “I don’t want to talk about my ex anymore,” he told her brusquely.

  That was something Kelly could definitely get on board with. She’d rather talk work than the woman who used to wear Luke’s ring.

  “I didn’t even know I needed this,” he stated after a minute of silence. “You were right.”

  Kelly snuggled deeper into his side, tucking her head just beneath his chin. “I’m always right.”

  His laugh vibrated against her cheek.

  “What?” she asked. “I am. Where would you be without me? You’ve admitted you couldn’t live without me in the office and now I’m right about you needing this break.”

  “I would have never left for anything other than meeting with an investor or finding a way to fix Wingate.”

  He didn’t have to admit that, she knew, and that’s why she had to essentially lie to him to get him on that plane. When Zeke approached her, he’d told her there would be no way his brother would meet with anyone without her by his side. He trusted her with every aspect of his business.

  “I should feel guilty for deceiving you,” she finally said. “But I honestly don’t.”

  “You could have seduced me in Royal.”

  “As I told you before, the timing was never right.” Kelly eased back and rested on her elbow to stare down at him. “And that’s not the sole reason I brought you here. I really was worried about you and so was your brother.”

  “He’s just as much of a workaholic.”

  “That’s true,” she agreed. “It’s in your blood, but he does know when to take a day off here and there to give himself some space. Everyone needs to recharge at some point in time. And besides, he has Reagan.”

  He tucked her hair behind her ear and trailed his fingers down her cheek. Her body had never really calmed since the waterfall and now each touch and each smoldering gaze from Luke only revved her up all over again.

  “How many more days do we have?” he asked.

  “Three.” Not long enough. “I have a fun day planned tomorrow, but if you want to stay here and be lazy and naked, I can cancel.”

  Luke smiled. “You’ve gone through so much to get everything organized and planned.”

  “Think of it as part of your Christmas present,” she told him. “Though I didn’t actually pay for anything here.”

  Now he did laugh. That low, rumbling laugh that she rarely heard since he was so consumed with work. She wanted more of that in her life...she wanted more of that for him.

  Ugh. This couldn’t be happening. She could not fall for her boss. There was no room in his life for her and she would not fall down that same loveless hole her mother did.

  “I better step up my game for you,” he joked. “I haven’t even started shopping, but I typically get you the same thing each year.”

  “I’m not worried about my Christmas present, Luke.”

  There was nothing else she wanted from him than what he’d already given her. This whole trip was much more than she’d ever hoped for.

  “Why don’t you just promise to take more time for yourself after you get back?” she asked. “That would be a great present, because then this wouldn’t have all been for nothing.”

  He eased her back and came to hover over her. The way he always maneuvered her to where he wanted her was just another layer of sexy she hadn’t anticipated.

  “You can ask me for anything,” he told her. “Consider it yours.”

  Could they try to keep a physical relationship once they returned? Was that even possible? Because at this point, she wasn’t sure she could just turn off that switch and act like nothing had happened between them...

  But was continuing their sexual liaison something Luke wanted? Was he even thinking that far ahead? She wanted to give him some time to get used to this. She’d had years to accommodate to her feelings, but everything was still so new to him.

  “No Christmas present necessary,” she reiterated. “There’s nothing I need.” But then again...

  Kelly eased her knees up beside his hips to allow him to settle in between her legs. Then she laced her fingers behind his neck. “Or maybe we could come up with something you could give me.”

  Nodding approvingly, Luke slid his hand up the hem of her cover-up and found her more than ready. She cried out and pushed into his touch.

  “I’m sure I can do something for you,” he promised.

  Making love by the ocean in the dark of the night was a moment she would never forget. Kelly hoped this was just the beginning of their intimate relationship and that her boss would want to keep things going once they returned home.

  Thirteen

  “I didn’t take you for someone afraid of heights.”

  Luke held onto the edge of the deck and stared across the vast expanse of trees and lines. Nothing like looking like a complete wimp in front of the woman who went to so much trouble to prepare these plans.

  “I’m not afraid of heights,” he scoffed, trying not to lose his breakfast. “I’m just...getting acclimated, that’s all.”

  “Sir, you do not have to go,” the worker assured him. “We have people all the time that back out. It’s different once you get up here and see.”

  “I’m not backing out,” he stated.

  Damn it, he wouldn’t. He ran a multi-billion-dollar company and he’d never shied away from a challenge in his life. There was nothing he’d ever turned away from when he wanted it. And he damn well wanted to impress Kelly right now.

  “Do you want me to go first?” she asked, placing a gentle hand on his arm.

  He glanced to her, finding her absolutely adorable in her protective gear, with worry glimmering in her eyes. She’d do anything for him. She’d proven that over and over again. Now he needed to man up and show her that he wasn’t someone who couldn’t have a good time.

  Unfortunately, his idea of a good time was hitting the weight room or going for long-distance runs. Nice things on solid ground. That was more his style.

  Flying never bothered him, but this...this was a whole different level of crazy. Now there was just a thin cable holding him up and he wasn’t necessarily a small guy.

  “I’ll go first,” he gritted out, ignoring the churning in his gut. “Let’s do it.”

  He listened once again as the worker went over the basic rules and what to do at the other end. Finally, he stepped to the edge, pushed aside the fear that nearly took him out at the knees and just stepped off.

  The second he dropped and started gliding, he squeezed his eyes shut. But then something changed within him. His trepidation gave way to exhilaration and the smooth ride seemed almost liberating. Luke opened his eyes to see the treetops below and the bright beautiful ocean in the distance. Before he knew it, he was landing on the other deck and another worker was patting his back on a job well done.

  Luke turned in time to see Kelly’s big, wide smile as she rushed toward him from the cable. She was absolutely breathtaking like this. And apparently had needed this adrenaline rush just as much as he did.

  Something shifted inside him once again. There was something about her that propelled him to take risks, that had him wanting to know even more about what made her smile like she hadn’t a care in the world.

  “You did it!” she exclaimed. “Did you like it?”

  Luke nodded as he was assisted in removing his helmet. “I did. It was pretty awesome.”

  “I really am sorry I terrified you.”

  Luke didn’t want pity, good grief that was like just adding salt into the wound. He might as well turn in his man card.

  “Honestly, I didn’t know heights bothered me that much until now,” he admitted.

  “Do you want to go again?” she asked.

  There was a sparkle in her eyes that he couldn’t resist. This woman was a risk-taker, which w
as a hell of a turn-on. He wanted to see that smile more. He wanted her to be happy. And most importantly, he wanted to be the man to ensure that joy never faltered.

  This side of Kelly was not one he typically saw in the office and he realized he wanted to keep uncovering those layers to find out her true essence.

  He dropped a kiss to her lips. “Let’s go.”

  * * *

  After several hours of zip-lining and hiking through trails along the mountainside, they headed back to the resort in their Jeep. Kelly loved the freedom of driving with the top down along the ocean road and having Luke by her side made the experience even more special.

  “How about a walk along the beach?” she suggested once they were back inside their bungalow.

  “Sounds good to me.”

  She slid her arms around his waist and stared up at him. “I really am sorry you were scared earlier. I just assumed—”

  “That I was brave?” he laughed. “Don’t tell anyone I nearly passed out looking at treetops.”

  “Your secret is safe with me,” she assured him. “We’re all afraid of something.”

  His brows drew in as he tipped his head, studying her. “You’ve found my kryptonite. What’s yours?”

  Kelly’s heart clenched. What she truly wanted, more than anything was a family of her own one day. And a solid, loving relationship with a man who would put her first. But that man could not be Luke, no matter how much she might want him to be. There was no use in getting her hopes up or even letting her mind go in that direction. She’d been with him for five years and it wasn’t like one week of great sex would reprogram this incurable workaholic.

  “I think a girl needs to keep some secrets.” She smiled and kissed his bearded chin. “Let’s get our suits on and go to the beach. Maybe wear that suit you had from the first day.”

  “That tight thing? It will cut off circulation to the most important parts.”

  Kelly slid her hand between them and cupped those said parts. “Well, we certainly can’t have that. I have plans for us later.”