David’s smile widened as he took in little details about her. Sun glinted off a thick rumple of strawberry blonde hair. Every limb and angle on her lithe form was sleek, tanned, delectably curved, and beyond edible. Against his better judgment, he took a long stride toward her.

Her eyes goggled, and she shrank back until the lounger pressed against her calves halted her retreat. “Stop or I'll scream.” Yet her voice had lowered to a contradictory whisper as he drew closer, not stopping until he was a foot or so away.

Her half-panicked, half-fascinated stare held his own as he leaned toward her. She jerked and sucked in a loud breath as he reached past her to snap up the bikini top. He held the garment out to her, which she now stared at as though it would bite.

  

“I’m a contractor, not a porn site owner,” David replied. “I was hired to build an addition to the resort.” He cocked his head, sliding both hands—including the camera—into his shorts pockets. “I was just checking out the scenery.”

“So I noticed.”

“I have permission to be out here. What about you?”

“Me?” she asked, her cocky glare flickering with guilt.

“I don’t recall there being public sunbathing on this side of the hotel.”

“I wasn’t looking for public sunbathing for obvious reasons,” she said, her gaze sliding over to the abandoned swimsuit as though she could will it back onto her body.

  

“I’m sorry,” David managed. “I didn’t realize this space was occupied.”

Eyes that mirrored the lush green of the surrounding leaves simmered as she nodded to the camera in his hand. “And once you saw otherwise, you decided to take home a few naked picture souvenirs?”

“Of course not.” 

“What’s the matter, can’t a handsome guy like you get a real date?” 

“Look, lady, I don’t photograph naked chicks as a hobby—I’m here on business.”

“So you sell them. I feel so much better knowing my photo is in the hands of a pro, destined for Desperate Losers dot com.”

Ridiculous as the accusation was, he had to quirk a smile at her candor. 

David pushed into the press of exotic flora, hoping his mosquito repellent was enough to keep hungry tropical critters at bay. Fronds snapped back in place behind him, and he popped out into a generous, cylindrical nook. With interest but no conscious thought, the camera came up again. His finger depressed the shutter automatically for a rapid-fire round of photos as he took in the space. Maybe ten photos had already snapped off when he peered over the top of the Nikon just a bit too late. An occupied lounge chair was straight ahead, featuring the most luscious, mouth-watering pair of...

“Hey!”

He jumped as the heavenly mirage swung around on her lounger, the woman’s feet swooping into delicate sandals as she rose. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Kent sat in the chair, even more awe-inspiring in person than in cell phone images or video chat. His crisp white shirt was rolled to the elbow, and the top buttons were undone. “Please, have a seat,” he said, gesturing to a pair of cream-colored leather armchairs in front of his desk.

She adjusted the oversized purse on her shoulder, but she didn’t move. “Well, this isn’t quite the way I’d envisioned our first in-person meeting.”

His blue eyes slid over every inch of her, and she flushed when she realized she was dressed in the same outfit she’d described to him during their naughty lunchtime phone call—right down to the prim-and-proper bun. Her hand flew to her head to smooth down flyaways, but she dropped it when his eyes followed the movement with too much interest.

“So you were just going to have your secretary toss me out in the street without me even knowing you were here?” she asked.

A flicker of guilt clouded his gaze. “I’m sure you can appreciate why I didn’t think this was the right place for a…confrontation.”