"You'll catch your death dressed like that," he commented. "If you can call it being dressed."
Laura blushed furiously, grateful for the hotel's insistence on generously sized towels. "Well, again, I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sure your suit will dry out alright, but if not, let me know and I'll have it cleaned and pressed or something."
"I have a better idea. Come out to dinner with me tonight and I might forgive you." When she looked dubious, he added, "I am a guest here, remember? As my host, you're obliged to help me enjoy my stay."
Her eyes flashed bright violet. "I'm obliged to help all the guests enjoy their stay," she pointed out. "I couldn't possibly have dinner with everyone!"
Daniel's lips twitched. "That's true, but you have an extra duty of care after accosting me with a waterlogged swimsuit and a deadly insect. I could sue."
Laura's shoulders drooped, beaten. He was right, she supposed. Not about suing—he was joking about that, surely?—but that she was struggling to find a good reason to refuse, and besides, she had no intention of standing here any longer in nothing but a towel, arguing the point. Against her better judgement, she nodded.
"Good," he said with smug satisfaction. "I'll call for you at reception at eight."
He strolled whistling to his room, leaving Laura to wonder if she'd taken leave of her senses altogether.
****
Daniel was thinking much the same thing as he stripped off his suit, placed it carefully on a hanger to dry out, and stepped gratefully into the shower. As the cool water slid over his skin, he tipped his head back and let it flow over his face. Hypnotised by the spray, he allowed his mind to empty of the myriad thoughts and details from his meetings today, only to be replaced by a vision of Laura standing in her doorway with a towel wrapped around her, water still glistening on her lightly tanned shoulders, dismay in her eyes and a pretty blush on her cheeks.
He'd tried not to stare—honest, he had—but he'd lost the battle. Not that the hotel's large towels gave much away. It would be the first and only time Daniel was actually annoyed by a hotel's insistence on luxury, although even that wouldn't have done Laura much good if she hadn't had such quick reactions when the towel began to slip from her fingers. Daniel's blood pressure spiked just thinking about it. In punishment for his wayward thoughts, he turned the shower to almost cold and stood there several minutes longer.
When he padded back into his bedroom, his mobile phone was ringing. He glanced at the caller display and answered. "Hi, Ben. How's it going?"
"Well, if you can ignore the fact I'm doing the work of three people, everything's hunky-dory." There was a slight pause. "I do think you could have thought a bit harder before you gave Natalie the time off, Dan. It's not easy with both of you out of the office at the same time."
There was recrimination in Ben's voice, but Daniel was more concerned with what he'd said than the way he'd said it.
"I'm well aware of that, which is why I wouldn't have agreed to her taking time off while I'm away on a trip. She told me you'd agreed to it."
"So if I didn't agree to it and you didn't agree to it, what on earth is going on?"
Daniel's jaw clenched. "She's playing us off against each other, that's what's going on. Did you know she's out here?"
"What? Out where? You mean with you in Portugal?"
Daniel rolled his eyes. "Yes, in Portugal, but no, not with me. I sent her packing. It wasn't pleasant." Tucking the phone under his chin, he headed for the fridge to pluck out a cold bottle of water and roll it across his forehead before taking a large gulp.
Ben was still spluttering at the other end. "But I . . . I don't understand."
"Ok, let me break it down for you. Natalie tagged herself onto my booking—and into my room—without telling either of us what she was up to. She even got an earlier flight from a different airport, presumably so I couldn't turn her back before she got here as a done deal. When I arrived, her lingerie was already laid out on my much-wanted bed and she would have been more than happy to join it."
"And . . . and did she?"
"Oh, she was in my bed alright." When he heard a gasp at the other end, he took pity and added, "I slept on the floor."
A cough neatly covered Ben's splutter of laughter.
"Not funny, Ben. I had to get her a room in town and practically push her out of here."
"So is she flying back?" The hope in Ben's voice reminded Daniel that as much as he wanted Natalie out of his life, Ben needed her in his.
He sighed. "She said not yet."
Now it was Ben's turn to sigh. "Great. So why on earth did she follow you out there?"
Because she thinks she's in love with me. Because she thinks if she's persistent enough, I'll fall in love with her. "She wanted to help me out—to work together," was all he said.
"Is that such a terrible idea? Now she's out there, maybe she could come in useful, do some of your legwork for you."
"That's what she said."
"But?"
"I'd rather not have the help and thereby not have the complications. Natalie was a big mistake for me, Ben, and I just can't get it through to her that I don't want to start it all up again. I told her to come home to you, but . . ."
"It's okay, I understand. I could try to talk to her when she gets back, if you want. I don't know how I'd manage without her, but if she's causing problems for you . . ."
"No, don't do that. This is my problem, not yours. I haven't seen her since she left yesterday, so
