Breaching His Defenses

He didn’t expect perfection from a significant other, but there was no reason the relationship couldn’t be flawless. The math supported it as long as the variables were correct. It was harsh, but it hadn’t let him down yet.

A twinge of envy echoed in his chest as he pulled his attention away from the loving couple, aka pending heartbreak. His eyes grew wide when his gaze landed on the woman whose black hair—complete with a Kool-Aid red streak down one side—just brushed her jaw.

Back to your hotel room. Work awaits. But the woman had his attention, and his feet refused to move. Even from this distance, she screamed chaos in a way that made his fingers twitch with the need to bring order. And at the same time, he couldn’t stop staring.

Her hot pink T-shirt draped off one shoulder, exposing a strap of the black tank top underneath, and her messenger bag hugged her body enough to highlight perky breasts and round hips. Her lips moved as her gaze travelled the tablet in her hands. She glanced up occasionally when she swiped the screen and then returned to whatever had so engrossed her.

Beautiful. The thought caught him off guard. It was true; her face was attractive, and her bag enhanced every seductive curve, but something else captivated him. He studied her a little longer as she shuffled at half-speed toward an unknown destination. It was the intensity with which she read her tablet. Her gaze and focus were enthralling.

Being able to pay attention is an essential quality in any individual. Not that he was keeping track. Even if his thoughts were taunting him with images of stripping her shirt off and exploring her bare skin, he had way too much work to make this trip to deal with something like base lust.

He turned toward the elevator.

He exhaled as he stepped into a waiting car. Don’t think about the call. You’ve got other work to do, like making sure this sale and the next aren’t repeats of those in the past.

His eyes grew wide when the woman with the tablet stepped through the closing doors. She only looked up long enough to push a number on the control panel. The elevator sealed them off from the rest of the world, and she continued to stare at the device in her hands.

What’s she reading that’s so fascinating? He inched a step closer and peered over her shoulder. The faint citrus scent teased him and kicked his pulse up a notch. His mouth twisted in ambivalence when he saw what had her attention. “You know none of that’s accurate, right?”