didn’t attempt to go further with a woman he desired and one who responded in kind? A man who wanted the challenge to continue, that’s who. That was one theory Jack could buy into. It was the alternative that bugged him more.
Because the only other reason he would push her away was fear. Fear of getting in too deep-something he’d never worried about before. But he did now, with Mallory.
But not enough to stay away from her.
“We’ve got to stop meeting like this.” He jumped as Mallory’s soft voice whispered in his ear, catching him off guard.
He glanced over his shoulder as she walked around him and took her usual seat across from him. “I couldn’t sleep so I went for a walk on the beach.”
He took in her tailored pants, rolled into cuffs at the bottom and her light lavender oxford shirt. “Dressed like that?”
She shook her head and laughed. “Don’t start.”
“I wouldn’t dare.” Instead he leaned forward in his seat. “Did anyone ever tell you you look most sexy when you’re not trying?”
The more he saw her in conservative mode, the more he liked and appreciated her contradictions. Far from wanting her to leave the conventional clothing behind, he’d begun to look forward to her daytime facade-because he knew he’d be the one to undress her at night.
“You shouldn’t tease me in broad daylight.” Her words were chiding but her voice was soft.
Before he could respond, he felt a brush of heat against his calf.
“Sorry.”
“No problem.” He shifted in his seat and swung his legs over to the other side. If she was going to play prim and proper, he didn’t need mistaken touches beneath the table working to arouse him.
“So as long as I have appearances to keep up I would appreciate you not discussing it again.”
He nodded.
“I appreciate your being so accommodating.” She shut her mouth, pursed her lips in a look that reminded him of his grandmother and blew on the coffee before taking a sip.
He reached for his glass of water and downed half the contents. He suddenly felt another fleeting warmth stir against his leg. A second passed before it registered that her touch wasn’t an accident but a deliberate caress of her foot against his bare leg.
He glanced up and caught her perusing the menu, but her lips were curled upward in a grin she couldn’t contain.
She hooked one foot around his calf and pulled his legs apart, then settled her arch against his thigh. Her toes were dangerously close to hitting a bulls-eye and any semblance of control he’d mustered was almost gone.
“Mallory.” Even he heard the warning edging his tone.
“Hmm?” She glanced up from the menu, wide-eyed but nowhere near innocent.
“What about those appearances you were talking about?” He grasped for a reminder of daily reality, anything to distract her wandering feet and his raging libido. But apparently appearances were all that concerned her because beneath the table where no one could see, her naughtier side had taken over.
She lifted her shoulders. “Look around you, Jack. No one’s paying the least bit of attention to me. I’ve accomplished one of my goals.”
An unexpected smile lit her face. “And now I’m about to accomplish another one.” Her foot wiggled in a provocative movement designed to arouse and entice. And she did both well.
He couldn’t speak without embarrassing himself with a full-fledged groan, and he couldn’t shift positions without allowing her deeper, fuller access. So he settled for counting to himself and attempting to focus on anything but her tantalizing, stirring movements.
“Remember that tension you wouldn’t let me relieve last night?” she purred.
He knew it all right. The same tension had built up inside him again, ready to explode and the little minx knew it.
“Good morning.” Paul Lederman’s booming voice called out in the quiet dining room. “Mind if I join you?”
Jack couldn’t answer if his life depended on it.
“Our pleasure,” Mallory said, speaking for him. But she didn’t remove her damn foot from its perch.
Jack shifted in his seat, unsuccessfully ignoring the push of her arch against his groin and the shot of white heat that followed in its wake.
He cleared his throat. “I hope you had a successful trip.”
“The best kind.” Lederman chose the seat beside Mallory, across from Jack.
At least Jack didn’t have to worry about her leg hitting the wrong target, but he still needed breathing room or he’d detonate like a grenade.
“I’m looking into buying another resort. This one’s in Nantucket,” Lederman said.
Jack made a mental note to check with the firm’s corporate and real estate partners to see what, if anything, they knew of this supposed deal.
He narrowed his eyes and gave Mallory a look that promised retribution. She averted her gaze.
“Nantucket’s a beautiful location, or so I hear.” She sat up straighter in her seat, in what would have been her professional attorney mode-were it not for her strategically placed foot.
“It’s perfect,” Lederman agreed.
“Speaking of perfect, I checked out the gym here. That’s quite a setup you’ve got going.” With Mallory having the upper hand, or in this case, the upper foot, on the family jewels, Jack decided not to mention Eva at the moment.
The older man nodded. “People who come here are looking to get away from stress. What with cell phones and laptop computers, most bring stress with them. The least a resort can provide is a full-service gym and a doctor on call.”
Mallory fiddled with the spoon beside her empty plate before meeting their client’s gaze. “Speaking of doctors, how have you been feeling, Mr. Lederman?”
The older man sucked in his stomach at the obviously unexpected question. “Never better, why do you ask?” His tone grew wary yet defensive at the same time.
Tread lightly, Jack thought. But he surprised himself by
As quickly as she’d positioned herself, she eased her foot down and leaned forward in her seat. But Jack was quick enough to clamp his legs together and grab her by the ankle, leaving her at his mercy as she attempted to formulate a response.
In a move that surprised him, she took off her glasses, and propping her chin on her hand, she concentrated solely on Paul. “Please don’t think I’m prying, but one of your employees mentioned you’d had a short stay in the hospital last year.”
Surfer boy, Jack thought. He’d never gotten an answer about what she’d discovered the other night. How could he when he’d been too busy discovering
“Gossiping among the staff?” Lederman’s expression grew thunderous.
She shook her head quickly back and forth. “Actually, no. It was raving by the staff. I’d mentioned how wonderful I thought the gym was-especially the doctor on call-you see my father had a mild heart attack recently…”
She trembled as she spoke and without thought, Jack clamped his legs tighter around her foot in the only display of comfort and support he could offer under the circumstances. It wasn’t enough and for the first time, he wished he was free to express his feelings. And he realized he had some serious thinking to do when it came to Mallory Sinclair, colleague, and Mallory Sinclair, woman.
Her surprised gaze darted to his and in the blue depths he caught a glimmer of appreciation and a hint of calming. He took heart in knowing he’d been able to soothe her somehow.
Then she settled her gaze on Lederman who had begun patting her hand, and she went on. “So I thought your hotel would be a perfect getaway for my parents. They adore their time alone, but my mother would feel so much better knowing they could go on vacation where he could exercise under a doctor’s supervision and she wouldn’t
