She couldn’t even imagine how much this visit would cost Angelo. And the fact that he could afford to stay in a place such as this without even batting an eye impressed her. They sure didn’t have anything like this back in Paradise. Wait until she told her mother and father about this.
THERE WAS NO time for fun and games.
Angelo didn’t get to the top of his profession by taking time off. Now that they were settled into their suite and Kayla had rested for a bit, they needed to get back to work. As he waited for her to join him, he couldn’t help but wonder what she made of his clash with his brother. He shouldn’t have taken her to the vineyard. What had he been thinking?
Yet on the car ride here, she hadn’t seemed to judge him. Instead, she’d acted as though she cared. It was as if she understood him. Her reaction surprised him. He wasn’t used to letting people into his personal life. But from the moment he’d asked her to join him on this trip, the lines between personal and professional had become irrevocably blurred.
Kayla entered the common room between their bedrooms. Her auburn hair was loose and cascaded down past her shoulders. Her glasses were off and she was no longer wearing the drab gray business suit. Instead, she was wearing pink capris and a white cotton sleeveless top, which showed off her creamy shoulders and slender arms.
The breath hitched in his throat. Who was this gorgeous woman? And what had happened to his nondescript assistant?
“I hope you don’t mind that I changed?”
Wow! All he could do was stare. It was as if she were some sort of butterfly who’d just emerged from a cocoon.
Kayla settled on the couch with her laptop. She gave him a strange look as though wondering why he had yet to say a word. The problem was he didn’t know what to say. Ever since they’d left New York, the ground had been shifting under his feet. Now it was as though a fissure had opened up and he was teetering on the edge, scrambling not to get swallowed up.
She didn’t appear to be too disturbed by his standoffishness, which was good. Before he took a seat anywhere near her, he had to get a hold on his rambling thoughts. Kayla wasn’t just any woman. He couldn’t indulge in a romantic romp with her, and then go about his life.
He was her boss and, more important, he couldn’t afford to lose her because she was good—really good at her job. He’d already had ideas of promoting her, but he wasn’t sure that she was ready to be advanced quite yet. He wanted to see how she handled the Van Holsen account, since he’d given her a lot of room to show him her stuff.
The tight muscles in his chest eased and he was able to breathe easier. Concentrating on work always relaxed him and put him back in his groove. Work was logical for the most part and it lacked emotions, again for the most part, depending on the client. But since he was the boss, he was able to hand off the more excitable clients to other account executives.
That was it. Focus on business and not on how appealing he found her. “How’s the Van Holsen account coming?”
She glanced over the top of her laptop. “Thanks to your help, I think I’ve come up with some innovative ideas. Would you care to take a look?”
His gaze moved to the cushion next to her on the couch and his body tensed. He was being ridiculous. She wasn’t the first beautiful woman that he’d been around. What in the world had got into him today? It had to be his return home. It had him feeling out of sorts.
Time to start acting like Angelo Amatucci, the man in charge. “Sure. I’ll have a look.”
He strode over to the couch and took a seat. Kayla handed over the laptop and their fingers brushed. Hers were soft, smooth and warm. A jolt of awareness zinged up his arm and the air hitched in his lungs. Stay focused. He didn’t dare turn to look at her. Instead, he focused his gaze on the computer monitor.
He read over her ideas for the new fragrance campaign and was truly impressed. Not only had she taken his ideas and expanded upon them, but she’d also inserted some of her own. He loved her initiative. Kayla was exactly the kind of innovative person that he wanted at Amatucci & Associates. Talented people like Kayla were the assets that would keep his company one of the most sought-after advertising agencies in the world.
“This is really good.” He turned to her. When her green gaze met his, the rest of his thoughts scattered.
“You really like it?”
He nodded. His line of vision momentarily dipped to her pink frosted lips before meeting her gaze again. He struggled for a nonchalant expression. “I think you’ve captured a touching nostalgic note with a forward-thinking view. This should capture both the new and old consumer.”
Her tempting lips lifted into a broad smile that lit up her eyes. “Now we just have to hope the client will approve.”
“I wouldn’t worry about that. Send this along to the art department and have them start working on some mock-ups.”
Her smile dimmed a bit. “You’re sure about this?”
“Of course I am. Don’t look so surprised. You don’t think you got the position as my assistant just because you’re beautiful, do you?”
Now why in the world had he gone and said that? But it was the truth. She was stunning. In fact, he was considering changing the dress code at the office. He really enjoyed this different look on her. Then again, if she looked this way in the office, he’d never get any work done.
Color bloomed on her creamy cheeks. “You think I’m beautiful?”
He stared back into her eyes longer than was necessary. In that moment, his ability to speak intelligently was debatable. He merely nodded.
“No man has ever called me that.”
At last finding his voice, Angelo said, “I’m having a hard time believing that.”
“Steven was more matter-of-fact and sparing on compliments. It wasn’t that he was a bad man. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. He was really good to me. He just wasn’t good with flowery words.”
“This Steven, he’s from Paradise, too?”
She nodded. “High-school sweethearts.”
“The man must need glasses badly to have missed your beauty. Both inside and out. Is he still your boyfriend?” Part of Angelo wanted her to say yes to put a swift end to this surreal moment, but a much stronger part wanted her to be free.
“We...we broke up before I moved to New York.”
The field was wide-open. Exhilaration flooded through Angelo. His hand reached out, stroking the smooth, silky skin of her cheek. The backs of his fingers skimmed down over her jaw, and then his thumb ran over the plumpness of her bottom lip. Her sudden inhale drew air over his fingers.
In her eyes, he noted the flames of desire had been ignited. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. And in that moment, he didn’t want to think—he just wanted to act. He wanted to forget everything and enjoy this moment with the girl with wavy red hair.
His heart pounded as he leaned forward. He needed her and her understanding ways more than he imagined possible. Their lips met. He was a man who knew what he wanted and he wanted Kayla. Yet he fought back the urge to let loose with his mounting need. Instead, his touch was tentative and gentle. He didn’t want to do anything to scare her away—not now that he had her exactly where he wanted her.
Kayla’s lips were rose-petal soft. And when she opened them up to him, a moan grew deep in his throat. She tasted sweet like chocolate. He’d never been a fan of candy until this moment. Now he couldn’t