Well, a commanding woman could be sexy in the right circumstances, but not when it was his assistant bossing him around like a toddler at the commands of his own brother. Luke would definitely be giving Zeke an ass-chewing about all of this.
“You can’t make me stay.”
Kelly took a step forward, coming toe to toe with him. Those green eyes seemed even darker now as she narrowed her gaze.
“You’re right, I can’t make you,” she agreed. “But Zeke asked me to do this. He’s gone to all of this trouble and your schedule is cleared for the next week. Please, do this for me. Take care of yourself so you can take care of Wingate.”
The conviction in her tone had his anger subsiding somewhat. He still didn’t like being tricked or hijacked or whatever the hell this was, but he also knew his brother wouldn’t have enlisted the help of his assistant or gone to great lengths to get him away from the office if he wasn’t worried.
Still, that attraction that had slapped him in the plane, coupled with sleeping so well next to her, would quite possibly lead to them crossing a line they could never return from.
“Can we get in the car?” she asked, her eyes pleading.
Luke glanced to see the driver had loaded their luggage and was waiting by the back d
oor to allow them in. With a heavy sigh, he headed for the SUV. He assisted Kelly before climbing in after her.
Once the door was closed, he glanced over at her. She stared straight ahead, legs crossed, and those glasses back in place. This was his most valued assistant, but she’d been much more than that. She’d stuck by his side through hell in both his personal and professional life.
Never once in the five years that she’d worked for him had she ever asked a thing from him. She’d been so damn noble and now she was clearly worried about his mental state because of all the stress. Luke swallowed hard. She obviously believed following his brother’s orders was the way to go, but Zeke wasn’t aware of this stirring deep within Luke. Zeke wasn’t the one turned on by his assistant’s demands and her sexy little glasses.
But Kelly turned to face him, imploring him, clearly concerned for his well-being, and he would have to be an absolute jerk to ignore all of these efforts. A few days away from the office wasn’t something he ever did, especially during such a critical time. However, his brother might have a point. If Luke could rest and possibly recharge his mind to start fresh, maybe that was the way to go.
Hell, he felt like he’d tried everything else at this point, maybe he should spend a few days in paradise with a gorgeous woman. Not that he could let anything happen between them. Because risking anything with this woman would be a recipe for disaster. She was too invaluable to him and the company.
And, while he did decide to stay, that didn’t mean he was happy about being lied to.
“Who else knows you kidnapped me?”
Kelly laughed. “Kidnapped? Really, Luke, there’s no need to be so dramatic.”
“What else would you call it?”
“A much needed getaway.”
He didn’t know the last time he’d had a vacation, but that didn’t mean he wanted one with his smoking hot assistant. Working with her in an office setting was one thing, but being in a romantic bungalow on an island resort was a whole different story.
“This might not be the best idea,” he told her. “Us sharing a room.”
She stared at him for a moment before turning and shifting to face him fully.
“Listen, we’re obviously both adults and we’re professionals. Besides, we have a house, it’s not like a hotel room with one bed. Unless you’re afraid you can’t keep your hands off me,” she joked with a wink.
Oh, hell. That wink and smirk shouldn’t affect him, but he couldn’t ignore that unwanted pull of attraction. How could this work? What the hell was his brother thinking?
“I’m just kidding,” she told him. “Don’t look so scared. But I do have to tell you about one rule Zeke was adamant about, and I have to agree with him.”
He raised his brows. “Rule? You mean after all this craziness you two concocted, you only came up with one rule?”
“For now,” she replied with a grin. “No electronics.”
Luke waited for her to tell him she was teasing. When her smile vanished, he realized she was indeed serious.
“You cannot actually think that’s going to fly with me.” He laughed, then sobered. “How can I check in with work or my brother?”
The brother he wanted to berate for meddling in his life.
“I assure you, Zeke has everything under control back in the office and there’s nothing for you to check in on. That’s the whole point of relaxing.”