LITMIR.BIZ

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to finish making her beach nest.

      Dean stripped to his swimsuit was a Dean she’d never known existed. It unnerved her to have all her ideas about who the man was turned upside down. When did he have time to work out, which he had to do to be in such good shape?

      She sat and he tossed his towel down and sat beside her. She wished that she could forget the kiss they’d shared. It had been an aberration; certainly not the norm. However, every time she looked at his mouth, she remembered how his lips had felt touching hers.

      The man certainly knew how to kiss!

      “This is nice,” he said several minutes later. “Is the air helping your head?”

      “You’re being nice to me,” she finally replied. “And it’s making me nervous.”

      “Why? Aren’t I always nice to you?”

      “Shall I be polite or honest?”

      “You’re talking about the office, aren’t you?”

      “That’s the person I know—or thought I knew.”

      He leaned back on his elbows. “Well, we’ve moved past that, haven’t we? After last night?”

      She groaned. “I was hoping you’d forgotten about that.”

      He turned onto his side, propping himself up on an elbow. “Why? We’d had fun at the party and we ended the evening the way most dates are ended—with a kiss.”

      She slipped her shades down her nose and looked at him. “This is not a dating situation, Dean. I happened to be available to come here because my boss gave me the time off.”

      “Worked out well, didn’t it?” He grinned. “You’ve opened my eyes regarding several things about my life. I’m hoping you can continue to teach me how to relax and enjoy myself. You’ve done a good job so far.”

      Jodie sat up and folded her legs into a yoga position. “What’s going on, anyway? What do you hope to accomplish while we’re here, other than gaining another client?”

      “I want to get to know you better. I’ve already told you.”

      “Why? You’ve known me for years and have never looked at me the way you have since we arrived here.”

      He chuckled, and despite her practical nature, she was charmed by the sound. A week ago she would have sworn he didn’t know how.

      “I’ve never seen you in a swimsuit before…or a sarong, for that matter,” he offered casually. Then his tone changed. “I find you fascinating. You have so many facets to your personality, and I’ve discovered that I want to learn each and every one of them.”

      “Dean. We’ll be back at the office next week and none of this will have mattered. I don’t want to make anything more out of our time together than it is.”

      “I guess that means we won’t be sleeping together.”

      Chuck was right. All men thought about was getting an available woman in bed with them! Then she realized he was laughing at her reaction.

      “You’re teasing, right?”

      “Actually I’m enjoying the expressions running across your face. Just so we’re clear, I wouldn’t say no if you decide to take me up on my offer.”

      She shook her head and stretched out on her towel once more. Her heart raced so fast she was certain he could see it pounding in her chest. She knew he was teasing.

      He had to be teasing, hoping to fluster her.

      Well, she was made of sterner stuff.

      Her tone casual, Jodie said, “I’ll think about it.”

      He gave a whoop of laughter and said, “You do that,” and then trotted to the water’s edge to wade out into the water.

      She watched him dive into a wave and appear on the other side. Of course she wasn’t going to sleep with him. That would be the dumbest thing possible for her to do. Okay, so he wouldn’t turn her down. So what? To him it would be a casual fling. But becoming intimate with him would change her life. Long after he’d forgotten about this trip, memories would haunt her. It would be impossible to work closely with him without recalling what they had shared.

      No. The answer was no.

      Jodie stood and walked toward the water.

      The water felt good to her, cooling her overheated body. Jodie lowered herself into the water and began a leisurely crawl, feeling her muscles work as she glided through the water.

      When Dean spotted her, he angled toward her, cleaving the water in strong strokes.

      She smiled at him as he drew near. “I decided to see if the water felt as good as it looks…and it does.”

      “How’s your head?”

      “Still on my shoulders. From now on, I’ll have one drink and stop, no matter how good it tastes to me.”

      They continued to swim parallel to the beach, Dean keeping pace with her. Eventually they waded toward the shore together and continued walking until they reached their towels. He quickly dried off and waited for her to gather her things.

      “What would you like to do this evening?”

      There was a provocative question if she’d ever heard one. “You don’t have to entertain me while we’re here, you know.”

      “True, but we’ve both got to eat and I’d prefer not to eat alone.”

      “That makes sense, I guess,” she replied. “Do you have someplace in mind?”

      “Actually I do. I ate there the last time I was here and the Polynesian food is well prepared. If you’ve never tried it, you’re in for a treat.”

      They stepped inside the elevator.

      Finally she nodded. “All right. Thank you for suggesting it.”

      That evening Jodie looked around the softly lit room, the hurricane lamps on each table making an oasis of light. “You’re right,” she said to Dean, “this is a great place with a distinct atmosphere.”

      “I’m glad you’re enjoying it. Do you like the food I ordered?”

      “It’s different but really good. Thanks for bringing me.” She sipped her iced tea. “How should I behave toward your prospective client tomorrow?”

      He studied her for a moment in silence. Finally he said, “No striptease, no hula and no playing the ukulele.”

      “Striptease? I’ve never done anything like that in my—” She stopped. “You’re teasing me again.”

      “Can’t resist. You’re so much fun to watch when you react.”

      “Fine. Just for that, I’ll take my ukulele and sing all through lunch.”

      “You can sing?”

      “No.”

      “A threat then.”

      “Very much a threat.”

      “You’ll do fine tomorrow. You know our business very well. Speaking of which, once we get back, I’m going to talk to Frank Godfrey about putting you into his department as soon as possible rather than waiting until you graduate. We’re only talking about a few months. So treat tomorrow like a training session as I present what we have to offer and answer Furukawa’s questions.”

      “You’re going to promote me now?”

      “Not this minute, no. But when we get back to the office I’ll start the ball rolling.”

      “That’s wonderful news! Thank you so much.”

      “Don’t thank me. Frank’s a good supervisor and he’ll work you hard learning

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