He reached up with one hand, gripping the back of her neck and pulling her down for a kiss.
Dinner would most definitely have to wait.
Twelve
“So how did you guys choose this place?” Luke asked.
Kelly sat in the cabana, staring out at the darkened ocean and the starry sky. The calm, warm breeze washed over her, and everything in her world seemed so right, so perfect.
For now, while they were in this island paradise, she was going to just live in the moment and not worry about Wingate or her job or what would happen once they returned. Nothing mattered but Luke.
Their time was running out, though, and she knew there would be no romantic evenings after this trip. Her boss would go back to diving headfirst into work and ignoring the rest of the world. She had to brace herself for that because this wasn’t a trip designed to make him fall in love...this only started out as a means of relaxation and seduction. And while she’d taken the risk and it had paid off, there was no way she would risk her heart; that was a sure bet to lose.
Kelly glanced over her shoulder to where Luke lay reclined beside her. He wore nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs and she had on a wrap cover-up with nothing beneath. They’d eaten dinner on the patio and had come down to the cabana once the sun had already set. They had complete and utter privacy.
“Zeke found the resort and showed me one day. Once I saw the place, I was in love and started planning,” she told him. “He knew you needed a break and he needed me to accompany you pretending the trip was about business. I knew this was my only chance to show you how I felt. I couldn’t do it in Royal or near the office.”
Luke slid his fingertips over her arm and braced his other arm behind his head. She would never tire of seeing him like this. So relaxed, so...unencumbered. The man was sexy as hell in a suit, but seeing him on a tropical island all wet and bare-chested, highlighted by the sun, did something else entirely to her.
The physical attraction had always been there, but as she’d gotten to know him, she’d appreciated his loyalty to his family. Not to mention the fact that when things got tough, he still stuck around. She’d dated a few men who fled when things got complicated instead of trying to work things out.
Stability hadn’t been too strong in her personal life over the past several years. Her career was all she could cling to and Luke had always had her back. But she knew he couldn’t be there on a long-term-relationship level. Luke wasn’t made up like that and ultimately that’s what she would need.
“This place is perfect,” he agreed softly. “So...you ready to tell me why you never revealed how you feel?”
“We’ve already been over this,” she reminded him. “The timing was never right and I couldn’t take that chance.”
“I never took you for someone to back down from what you wanted.”
Kelly smiled and turned back to the breathtaking ocean view. She pulled her knees up in front of her and wrapped her arms around her legs.
“I did go after what I wanted,” she said. “I just took my time. Patience is everything.”
Luke sat up next to her, the cabana shifting with his weight. The man wasn’t just formidable in the boardroom, he emanated power everywhere. All big and dominating and absolutely perfect. She couldn’t find a single flaw with Luke Holloway.
“You dated while you’ve been employed with me,” he murmured. “There have been flowers on your desk from time to time.”
Kelly nodded. “That’s true. I even dated a guy for several months about a year ago, but I was never really into them. I wanted to be. I wanted to get you out of my mind because I kept telling myself this was wrong. I mean, how cliché can I be to want to have sex with my boss? That’s not professional and how would the rest of the employees react if we were...you know.”
Luke’s chuckle vibrated against her. “You think I’d send out an office email and inform everyone we had sex?”
“No,” she laughed. “But the dynamics between us have changed and someone might pick up on that when we get back. I worry how that will look for me.”
Luke reached over and slid a finger beneath her chin, turning her head to face him.
“Nobody will know a thing,” he assured her gruffly. “We went away on a business trip and that’s all.”
Kelly really didn’t know how she’d go back to work and see him in that capacity after being so intimate with him here. She knew how he tasted, how he touched and liked to be touched, what it took to make him come completely undone...
“It sounds easy enough,” she agreed. “But I’m not sure I won’t be able to stop—”
“From jumping me on the boardroom table?”
“No, silly!” Kelly laughed again and swatted his chest. “I was going to say I won’t be able to stop from staring at you and I hope nobody picks up on that.”
“Maybe I’ll be the one caught staring at you,” he tossed back with a grin. “Did you ever think of that?”
Kelly swallowed and shook her head. “I never thought this would actually happen. I wanted it to, but I wasn’t sure you’d ever see me as more than just your assistant.”