‘Do you have a car booked back to the Azure,’ she asked, ‘or shall I get the concierge to call us a taxi while we pay for dinner? They can take a while on busy nights.’
Dylan looked up from his phone and grinned. ‘Sorry, am I ignoring you?’
Sadie shook her head. ‘I’m just thinking about getting back to work.’
‘Actually, there’s one more thing I want to see here first.’ He slipped his phone back into his jacket pocket and smiled again, slower this time. Sexier. With his full attention on her, Sadie couldn’t stop the warmth that seemed to cover her skin under his gaze. Really, who could blame a girl for getting ideas when he looked at her like that?
‘What’s that?’ she asked, but Dylan was already standing.
‘Let me settle up here,’ he said, eyes dark with promise. ‘Then you’ll find out.’ He flashed her one last smile as he signalled the waiter over, and Sadie swallowed despite her suddenly dry throat.
Get a grip, Sadie, she told herself firmly. She was imagining things. He’d made it perfectly clear that tonight was about business only. Nothing he did next would convince her otherwise.
Or so she thought, until he led her out of the restaurant to the elevator, stopping at the twelfth floor and pulling out a room key card.
‘You got us a room?’ she asked, as he slipped the key card into the lock and, with a flash of green, the door fell open. He stood aside to let her in, and Sadie entered, staring around her. ‘A room with champagne. And rose petals. And chocolates.’
Okay, maybe she hadn’t been entirely imagining the vibes. After all, who booked a hotel suite complete with built-in seduction supplies if they didn’t have plans other than business for the night?
In a split second Sadie made her decision. Even the fear and anxiety burning through her veins couldn’t compete with the rising tension between them. For twelve years she’d wondered what it would feel like to kiss Dylan Jacobs—and since the moment in the elevator after their night on the town that curiosity had grown beyond all reasonable proportions.
He wanted her. What more proof did she need than rose petals on the coverlet and champagne chilling beside the huge king-sized bed? Maybe he’d just wanted to get business out of the way before they moved on to the more...personal part of the evening. She could understand that, even if she wished he’d shared his plans with her earlier. Except she’d never have concentrated on work if she’d known she had this waiting for her.
And, God, why was she still thinking?
Sucking in a breath, she turned, only to find Dylan right behind her. Her hands came up automatically to rest against his chest and she looked up to see heat in his eyes. No doubt at all, he wanted this too.
‘You booked us a room.’ Her voice barely sounded like hers—it was too breathy, too sultry.
Dylan nodded, his gaze fixed on hers like she held all the power here for once. Sadie kind of liked it.
Seizing the moment, she stretched up onto her toes, bringing her mouth just millimetres away from his, savouring every moment. ‘Good idea,’ she murmured, and leaned in to kiss him.
From the moment their lips touched, bliss filled Sadie. Every inch of her body fizzed from finally, finally kissing Dylan Jacobs. And she knew, in her heart, that this was right—that she could move on, that there was a future for her beyond always being a widow. That she was still a woman, too.
Until Dylan stepped back, breaking the kiss, his hands on her upper arms holding her away.
‘Sadie...no, I’m sorry...’
Normally, the sight of Dylan lost for words would have amused her. As it was, it just enraged her.
He’d ruined her fizz.
‘If you tell me you booked this room to compare it to the Azure...’
‘I didn’t ask for the champagne and stuff!’ He waved an arm around wildly, encompassing the room. ‘They must have...misunderstood.’
‘Just like me.’ Sadie bit the words out, too furious to say more.
‘No! I... It’s just, this needs to be business first between us, Sadie.’
Because everything was, for him, wasn’t it? Nothing mattered more than the next project, the next shining opportunity. Certainly not her.
‘Of course.’ With a deep breath, Sadie gathered the tattered remains of her dignity around her, and gave thanks that she hadn’t wasted her best red dress on this disaster of an evening. ‘Well, I think I’ve seen all I need to here. If you’ll excuse me...’
She didn’t care if he had a car booked or plans to look through some slideshow on the Azure’s future. Sadie was going to the bar, drinking one more glass of wine to wipe away this evening, then getting a cab back home, where she would go straight to bed. No champagne, no rose petals, no Dylan. Alone.
‘Sadie, wait.’ He tried to grab her arm again, but she dodged him.
‘I’ll see you in the lobby in the morning as normal,’ she said. Maybe if she pretended nothing had happened tonight, he’d forget—like she had, apparently, after that wedding so many years ago. ‘We’ve got plenty of work ahead of us.’
And that was all. Just work.
CHAPTER TEN
THIS NEEDS TO be business...
Sadie woke with the same words echoing in her head that she’d fallen asleep to, and a familiar burn of embarrassment coursing through her body.
What on earth had she been thinking, trying to kiss Dylan? Maybe she could just blame the wine.
Lying back against her pillows, she ran through the night before in her head. The part before everything had gone crazy and wrong. There had to be something she could salvage from her utter humiliation.
The business message had certainly got through loud and clear. So, how did she show him that she was back to work mode today, and that last night had been a minor blip? What had he told her she needed to do to live up to the luxuries of the Paradise Grand?
The other hotel had certainly been impressive, she had to admit, and the food almost as good as the Azure’s. But it didn’t feel homely or comfortable...
Suddenly, Dylan’s words came back to her.
‘The Azure is about charm, heart and home—those are its selling points. The personal touch. And if it’s not home to you, if you don’t love it...’
Maybe he had a point.
In fac
t, she decided as she headed for the shower, even if last night hadn’t been exactly what she’d been hoping for, maybe it had given her something more. Not another notch on Dylan’s bedpost, which in the cold morning light she could only agree was a good thing. She’d lost her mind, briefly, but she was back in control now. This was all a business proposal—not a fantasy romance or a glimpse of possibilities that never really were.
Instead, he’d given her a way to prove to him, once and for all, that he should invest. All he wanted to know was that this place truly was her home, her passion.
And she knew exactly how to do that.
Suddenly, the day didn’t seem quite so hopeless.
She met him in the lobby as usual, knowing he’d clocked her casual dress immediately. His eyebrows rose, just a touch, as he smiled a greeting at her. Was that nervousness she saw behind his eyes?
‘So, boss lady, what’s the plan for today?’ Boss lady. He really wanted to make sure she didn’t forget this was business, didn’t he? Well, that was just fine by her.
‘Have you eaten breakfast?’ she asked, too focussed on her plan for small talk.
‘Sort of.’ His forehead crinkled up a little in confusion. ‘Some fruit and cereal. I wasn’t all that hungry after last night’s feast. Why?’
‘Perfect,’ she said, ignoring the question. ‘You don’t want a heavy stomach for today’s activities.’
‘Now I’m really intrigued,’ Dylan admitted.
Sadie flashed him a bright, fake smile. ‘Good. Then follow me.’
He’d seen the whole hotel on their tour on the first day, so by the time she’d led him down the stone stairs and towards the corridor to the spa he’d already figured it out, which shouldn’t really have surprised her. He was a bright guy.
‘A spa day?’ he asked, a hint of incredulity in his voice.