by Kwan, Coleen
“Megan has a juicy story to tell you,” Anna said. “Apparently something big happened on New Year’s Eve. Last time I spoke to her, she sounded like she was still on cloud nine, though she wasn’t ready to give me the details.”
“Ooh, I’m so happy for her. She deserves something good after that douche bag of a boyfriend. And what about you? Any juicy stories?”
“No, my New Year’s Eve was very boring. I have to go now, Stephanie. Talk to you later.”
“Don’t forget to eat something healthy for dinner,” Stephanie advised her before hanging up.
Anna’s New Year’s Eve had been a disappointment. She’d gone out looking to relax and blow off some steam after the pressure cooker of work. At the back of her mind, she’d hoped to hit it off with someone, a man who could make her forget about work, about deadlines, and about Giles, if she were honest enough. She wasn’t a fan of one night stands, but in this case she’d have made an exception. One night of mindless, no-strings-attached shagging would have been perfect for getting the kinks out of her muscles. And for reminding her that there were other shagable men out there besides the maddening, debonair Giles.
But she hadn’t even come close to meeting a shagable man. In fact, the memory of Giles had somehow made every other guy out there look asexual. It was as if he’d taken all her hormones hostage and was slowly torturing them.
Stop thinking about shagging and Giles, she told herself. He was only a few metres away on the other side of the pod and seemed to have an uncanny knack of sensing her moods. She couldn’t let him sense this one.
***
“When are you coming back to London, darling?” Persephone reclined in her seat, flipping her blonde, cascading hair over one shoulder while her manicured fingers toyed with her gin and tonic.
They were in a five-star hotel overlooking the harbour with the setting sun casting a golden light over the plush lounge. Draped in expensive silk, Persephone looked right at home here, but Giles had felt vaguely uncomfortable ever since he’d sat down with her. And her question didn’t make him feel any easier.
“I don’t know,” he said honestly. “I like it here. Might stay a few years.”
Persephone put down her drink, looking disconcerted. “A few years? You can’t be serious.”
“Why not?”
“Well, I mean, the weather’s nice here, but” —she pulled a face— “it’s not London.”
Maybe that was precisely why he liked being in Australia. Here, he wasn’t weighed down by tradition and expectation and familial habits. Here, he could breathe freely, be his own man.
“And what about your family?” Persephone leaned across the table. She seemed quite worried for him. “They won’t want you so far away.”
His parents wholeheartedly approved of Persephone because she was ‘their type.’ His parents, he had to admit, were snobs, though he loved them despite that. His brothers weren’t as bad, but Giles was different from them. Always had been. He was the unacknowledged ‘grey’ sheep of the family.
“I’m not on the moon,” he pointed out. “It’s only a plane trip away from London.”
“Oh, the trip was ghastly!” She gave a shudder as her clipped tones rung out in horror.
Giles couldn’t help frowning. Was that how he sounded to Anna? All haughty and superior? No wonder she hadn’t warmed to him at first.
The waiter arrived with a platter of bar snacks, and the conversation drifted to less tricky subjects. Persephone was her usual self, chattering about the friends they had in common and what they’d all been doing, but Giles felt strangely disconnected. He’d only been away from the UK for a couple of months, but already he could sense the bonds loosening, and he realised he didn’t mind at all.
An hour later, Persephone went off to the ladies’ to repair her makeup, while Giles sat in their booth, wondering what Anna was doing and whether she’d bothered to eat any dinner. He was betting she hadn’t. Last week, when they’d worked late, she’d barely stopped to grab a chocolate bar from the vending machine. Tonight, with the extra pressure she was facing, she might not have even done that.
Coming to a quick decision, he signalled to the waiter and ordered some California rolls to go, giving his credit card at the same time to settle the bill. Moments later, Persephone slid her arm over his shoulders as she eased into the booth beside him.
“What should we do next?” Her smile was arch, her fingers suggestive. “Want to come up to my room for a bit of fun?”
When he’d agreed to see Persephone, he’d wondered if she had this in mind, but now that she’d raised the subject, he found his body totally unresponsive to her. In fact, her perfume was too cloying, her lipstick too garish, and her eyes too calculating. Persephone was as beautiful as ever, and once upon a time he’d have gladly followed her upstairs, but now she did nothing for him. It wasn’t her fault. She hadn’t changed; he had.
“I’m sorry,” he said gently as he removed her hand from his shoulder. “But I can’t.”
Her eyes popped with surprise. “You don’t want to fuck?”
Not her. Not anyone except a stubborn, gorgeous woman who dominated his thoughts. And he didn’t want to fuck Anna so much as make love to her, to crush her in his arms and find out all her secrets, all her sweet, dark, lush secrets... Christ, he was growing hard for another woman while turning down the advances of the one in front of him. Not very chivalrous.
“I don’t think that would work for us anymore,” he said as diplomatically as possible.
Persephone pouted. “I suppose you’re bonking some Aussie girl called Kylie. Next thing you know, you’ll be eating horrible Vegemite and talking like someone from Neighbours.” She sniffed to register her disapproval.
Giles grinned. “I should be so lucky.”
But she didn’t get his attempt at humour. With a shrug, she gathered her handbag. “Oh well. Guess I’ll call my friends and see what they’re up to.” She pecked him on the cheek and rose to her feet, already scrolling through numbers on her phone. “Bye, darling. It was fun catching up.”
She tripped away, and he was willing to bet she’d forget about him before she even left the hotel.
The waiter arrived with his card, receipt, and the box of California rolls in a small white carrier bag. Giles rose to his feet, energy returning to him in a strong surge. He had an important delivery to make.
***
Swiping a hand across her damp brow, Anna reached for her Diet Pepsi and took another slug. As she set down the can, she glimpsed the time on her screen and sighed. Eight pm already, and she still had so much to do. Grimacing, she stared at the lines of code on her screen, but it was hard to concentrate when her stomach was grumbling and her hair was sticking to her neck.
In the hushed stillness of the office, the click of an opening door reached her ears. That was the door that led to the lift lobby. Someone approached from behind her. She swung round, expecting a security guard, only to find Giles walking towards her.
Unbidden, her heart skipped a beat. She’d assumed that only happened in novels, but apparently it was a genuine thing. She only had moments to compose herself and to regret how sticky and messy she looked before Giles entered their pod.
His jacket was slung over one shoulder, and in the other hand he had a white carrier bag.
“Whew!” he blew out a breath as he halted before her. “It’s like a sauna in here. What happened to the air conditioning?”
“Unfortunately, they’re doing maintenance tonight, so no air conditioning.” She pushed back a limp strand of hair, conscious of her rumpled appearance. Giles, of course, looked as debonair as ever. “What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Thought I’d check in and see how you were doing.”
Giles had lurked in her mind ever since he’d left for the day. Whenever she’d paused for a break, she’d wondered what he was doing with Persephone, whether he was enjoying himself, whether he was going to sleep with her. He’d only bee
n gone a couple of hours, but that was long enough for a quick shag, wasn’t it? No, she didn’t want to think about that. But she was glad he’d dropped in. Working alone at night was no fun, especially with the extra pressure hanging over her, clouding her concentration.
“Actually, I’m a bit behind where I hoped I’d be,” she found herself admitting.
“It’s always like that when you’re trying to solve a problem under pressure,” he said, looking sympathetic. “And it doesn’t help when it’s as hot as Hades.” He tilted his head to one side as he added, “Plus, I’m willing to bet you haven’t had any food to go with that Diet Pepsi.”
“I was planning to get a Snickers bar from the vending machine.” Until she’d lost track of the time.
Giles stepped forward and placed the carrier bag in front of her. “California rolls. They’re better for you than a chocolate bar.”
The carrier bag contained a plastic box. She took it out, opened it, and gazed at the fresh, delicate food inside. “You got these for me?”
“Yes.” He dropped into his chair, a small smile on his lips. “I know you like California rolls because I saw you eat some last week.”
Again, he reminded her that he was aware of her as a person. And that he was thoughtful and kind. Traits that only made him more attractive, unfortunately.
“Thank you,” she said quietly before she picked up the chopsticks included in the box and tasted one of the rolls. “Delicious,” she pronounced after she’d taken a bite.
Giles seemed to relax. “Good.”
She recognised the name inscribed on the carrier bag; it was a chic bar in a luxury five star hotel. “Is that where you went with Persephone?” she couldn’t help asking.
His only reply was a brief nod.
“I hope you didn’t leave her just to deliver dinner to me,” she pressed on, not exactly sure why she was doing this.
“No.” Resting his elbows on the armrests, he laced his fingers together. “We met, we talked, we ate, and then we were done. Simple as that.”
He wasn’t telling her everything, she was sure. But she was glad he wasn’t with the so-superior-sounding Persephone. And glad that they hadn’t shagged. More glad than she should be.
“And besides,” Giles continued. “I came back to help you, and this time I’m not taking no for an answer.”
His face was set, his eyes determined. Anna inhaled a breath. He’d ditched another girl for her. He’d bought her dinner, and now he wanted to spend more time with her, coding, of all things.
Her heart skipped another beat. Oh for goodness sakes, this was getting ridiculous.
“It was rude of me to turn you down the first time.” She acknowledged her fault by inclining her head. “I’d appreciate your help, Giles.”
His eyebrows shot up as if he hadn’t expected her to give in so easily. Then he grinned as he scooted closer in his chair. “Okay, then.” He started to tug at his tie. “Mind if I get more comfortable?”
“Oh, er, sure.”
He undid his tie and folded it neatly on his desk. Next, he took of his cufflinks and placed them next to the tie before rolling up his sleeves. His lightly tanned forearms were muscled and dusted with fine dark hairs. The open collar of his shirt revealed the strong column of his neck, hinting at the firmness of his chest below. Anna stared, unable to tear her gaze away from Giles as her imagination ran wild, picturing herself undoing the buttons of his shirt and sliding her palms across his hard chest.
“Anna?” Giles’s gentle tone washed over her. “Where do you want to start?”
She’d start by licking that pulse at the base of his throat, and then she’d work her lips all over his pectorals, sucking and tasting every inch of his skin.
She jerked back, a hot flush spreading across her cheeks as she saw Giles grinning at her. Busted.
Her California roll plopped from her chopsticks.
She dipped her head as she flustered through some papers on her desk. “Uh, here’s a list of Oscar’s programs that need fixing.” She grabbed a pen and hastily circled items on the list. “Why don’t you get started on the ones I’ve marked?” She pushed the piece of paper towards him, steeling herself to meet his eyes.
“I’m on to it, boss.” His blue eyes twinkled before he swivelled away to his computer.
Anna heaved out a breath. She could not afford to be distracted just because Giles had bought her dinner and rolled up his sleeves for her.
Silence descended once more as they returned to work, but it was a companionable silence, and the tense knot between Anna’s shoulders gradually eased. She ate her California rolls and sipped her Pepsi as she immersed herself in code.
But the stuffy atmosphere made it hard to concentrate. She kicked off her shoes, undid another button of her shirt, and eventually hiked the shirttail out of the waistband of her skirt. Moisture beaded between her breasts and on her upper lip as she flapped the front of her shirt.
She slid a surreptitious glance in Giles’ direction, and then wished she hadn’t. He’d taken off his shoes and socks, and the sight of his bare feet was both startling and arousing. He looked younger and more carefree. With his head propped up on one hand, his fingers messing up his thick, chestnut hair, and his shirt hanging loose, he looked more like a uni student than a polished, professional, highly successful consultant.
He straightened in his chair, and she quickly jerked her head away. No way could she let him catch her ogling him again. But oh, how impossible it was to stop thinking about him. She couldn’t resist taking another peek at him...
Blue eyes gazed back at her, frank and warm, as if he knew all along she’d been staring at him. She didn’t break eye contact. Couldn’t. For hours, days, weeks, she’d been fighting this...this weird attraction, and now, worn down by stress and heat and him, she couldn’t look away. Didn’t want to look away.
“Hey.” His husky murmur sent a frisson down her spine. His eyes said so much more than that one monosyllable.
“Hey yourself.” Her voice was a croaky whisper in a dry throat.
“Hope you don’t mind.”
“Mind...what?”
The corner of his lips tilted up. “My bare feet.”
“Oh. No, of course not. Mine are bare, too.”
“So I noticed.”
His gaze lingered on her naked toes, and warmth spread across her skin as if he’d touched her feet.
She swallowed. “This is a weird conversation.” Trying to lower the temperature here. Why was it so damn hot?
“Having trouble concentrating?”
“Yeah.” She cricked her neck from side to side. “It’s so hot in here...”
And Giles wasn’t helping. He was hotter than the atmosphere and a lot more distracting. She pushed her hair away from her face, then slid her fingers down her throat, wiping away a bead of perspiration. When she glanced back at Giles, her heart jumped at the sudden blaze in his eyes.
“You shouldn’t do that,” he growled, his gaze fixed on her hand.
The naked hunger in his face blasted her common sense away. He wasn’t forbidden territory anymore, but the man who had tormented her fantasies for too long. And now that he seemed a little tormented himself, she was going to tease him some more.
Tilting her head back, she kept her eyes on him as she continued to stroke her neck. “Do what?” she murmured and dipped her fingers lower into her cleavage, thrilled when his hungry gaze tracked her movements.
The tendons in Giles’ throat flexed as he swallowed. “That. Unless you’re prepared to go back into that stationery closet with me.”
His eyes held a challenge, while his mouth promised nirvana.
It was Anna’s turn to be tortured. For a moment, pure lust hazed her brain and shuddered through her body. If only they’d kissed earlier, then she wouldn’t be so tied up in knots and longing for his touch. But one kiss wouldn’t have satisfied her, of that she was sure.
Oh come on, Reynolds. She had to show some
will power. She couldn’t degenerate into a nymphomaniac just because she was alone and frazzled with the hottest man she’d ever met.
With a sigh, she lowered her hand to her keyboard. “Yeah, you’re right. I shouldn’t do this.”
His shoulders slackened, and he looked frankly disappointed. “Doesn’t have to be the stationery closet, you know,” he murmured. “Any place will do.”
Shaking her head, she turned back to her screen, determined to ignore the yearning of her wayward body. “Let’s get back to work, shall we?”
She sensed his gaze lingering on her a while longer before the squeak of his chair indicated his acquiescence. A moment later he began tapping on his keyboard and nothing more was said.
Anna sighed inwardly. This had been a very trying day, and it wasn’t even over yet.
Chapter Three
Giles pushed back from his desk and stretched his arms above his head. The time on his monitor read ten-thirty. He swivelled round to look at Anna. She was leaning back in her chair, her face slightly paler than usual. She looked done in, and he felt a burst of anger against not only Oscar, who’d caused all this trouble for her, but also the management of this company and the outdated attitudes of the industry that had made her so reluctant to ask for help.
“Should we call it a day?” he asked, expecting her to say she’d stay another half hour.
But she surprised him by nodding tiredly. “Yeah, my brain’s not working anymore. I’ve been staring at the same bit of code for ages and not making sense of it.” Rising to her feet, she rolled her shoulders as if to ease away stiffness.
Immediately his attention zeroed in on her breasts. With more than a few buttons of her shirt undone, her cleavage was front and centre on display, and he couldn’t not look at it. He took in breasts firm and round as cantaloupes before he managed to tear his gaze away. With his eyeballs feeling wrenched, he powered off his computer.
