Christmas Secrets Collection. Laura Iding

      Did she expect the question to give him pause?

      It didn’t. He bent close just long enough to press a soft kiss on the vulnerable flesh of her belly. Then he shrugged. “You’re absolutely right. And I’ve been to the urologist more than once to get it done.”

      “But?”

      He shook his head. “I always chicken out. Some ingrained macho idea I have of myself, I think. That I’ll somehow be less a man if I’m sterile.”

      “You know that’s just crap, right?”

      He idly stroked her shoulder. “Yes, I do know. Still, it’s crap that I haven’t gotten past yet.”

      She couldn’t resist suggesting, “Then maybe you do want to have kids, someday. Somewhere deep in your macho manly man heart, I mean.”

      “No, I don’t.” He sounded very sure. “I’ve just got a stupid, irrational fear of being less of a man. A fear I will get over, one of these days.”

      Zoe reached up to cradle the side of his dear face. “You know, I could actually start to admire you if things keep on like this.”

      He faked a look of dismay. “You don’t already? What is wrong with you?”

      She laughed, but then she grew serious again. “You’re more honest and self-aware than I realized.”

      “High praise.”

      “Yeah, who knew? Sheesh. That first day, during the interview, I was actually thinking that working for you was the last thing I ought to be doing.”

      He ran a finger slowly down the outer edge of her arm, bringing a little shiver in anticipation of future pleasures. “Yeah, I’m a lousy interviewer, I know. I need to work on that.”

      “No kidding.” She did a bad imitation of Dax’s deep voice. “‘Can I be straight with you? You work for me, that’s all you do with me ….’”

      He had the grace to look chagrined. “Yeah, that was a little over the top.”

      “A little?”

      “See it from my point of view. I had just lost two assistants in a row, had to let them go when they decided they were in love with me. One of them showed up at my house unannounced, her arms full of gourmet food she’d whipped up just for me. She pushed past me into the house, set the bags of food on the entry table and then grabbed me in her arms and passionately declared that she had brought me dinner and we had to quit lying to ourselves. We had to face that we were meant for each other.”

      She tried not to laugh. “Oh, no.”

      “Oh, yes. And the next one was worse. I got off the elevator one morning and she wasn’t at her desk. She was at mine. On mine, in fact, and wearing nothing but a sexy pout and pair of red high-heeled shoes.”

      “I can just picture it—and I really wish I couldn’t.”

      “So I had to fire her, too. It was very inconvenient. She cried. She talked about filing a lawsuit, about getting a restraining order on me.”

      “On you? But she was the one who—”

      He bent close for a quick kiss. “You’re preaching to the choir, Zoe.”

      “What did you do?”

      “I gave her a big severance package—and told myself I was one lucky SOB that I could afford to pay her off. She finally went away.”

      Zoe teased, “An inconvenient naked woman. Is there anything worse?”

      He traced a finger down the side of her throat, the caress feather-light. “Somehow, when you say ‘naked’ and ‘woman’ in the same sentence, it doesn’t seem like that could ever be a bad thing.”

      She caught his hand, kissed it. “But it was.”

      “Yeah.”

      “You needed someone who could keep her mind on the job.”

      “Exactly. So when you came along, I decided to get it crystal clear in the interview that a hot affair would not be happening. And then right away I regretted making such a big deal about it. I realized I wouldn’t have minded at all if I’d come in one morning and found you naked on my desk.”

      She held his gaze. “I’m flattered, you know that. But—”

      “I know.” He looked resigned as he pulled his hand from hers. “Never would have happened. Never going to happen, not when we get back to civilization. We have an agreement and I promise to stick by it.”

      “Well, all right, then.”

      He leaned closer. In the faint glow from the fire outside, his dark eyes were full of sensual promises. “So I guess I’d better grab my chance while I’ve got you naked in my arms, huh?”

      “I guess you’d better.” She reached up, combed the hair at his temple with her fingers. “Kiss me, Dax.”

      And he did kiss her—everywhere. When he rolled on the condom and eased himself between her open thighs, she thought that being lost in the jungle was almost worth the fear they might not make it out. She could live with the fear.

      As long as she had Dax in her arms every night.

      She woke to the strangest sound. Like the beating wings of a giant bird.

      Her eyes flew open. Daylight. It was morning. Dax was already up, bent over beneath the low roof of the tent, hopping around on his good foot, getting into his pants.

      “Wh—what’s going on?” she muttered thickly, her mind still lost in a fog of sleep.

      “Helicopter,” he said the impossible word as he zipped up his pants. “It’s happening, Zoe.”

      “Uh. Happening?”

      “We’re being rescued.”

      “Rescued …” Could it really be?

      It was. The beating wings were descending—coming closer, louder. The sides of the tent rippled in a sudden hard wind.

      Dax granted her his wonderful heartbreaker’s smile. “Better put some clothes on, don’t you think?”

       Chapter Ten

      Zoe got her clothes on in record time.

      They went out and stood by the glowing coals of last night’s fire as the helicopter touched down toward the north end of the clearing. A man jumped out of the passenger side while the giant, whipping blades still whirled, dangerously fast.

      It was her dad.

      Davis Bravo wore old jeans and battered boots and a T-shirt. And to Zoe, he looked like everything safe and comforting and strong in the world. The recent years of anger and frustration with him fell away. He was only her dad, the best dad in the whole wide world.

      He ran at a half-crouch, ducking beneath the spinning blades until he cleared them. When he stood tall again, she was already launching herself at him.

      She landed like a bullet against his broad chest. He didn’t so much as stagger. He wrapped his arms around her tight and hugged her so close.

      And in a broken voice, against her hair, he murmured, “Zoe. My little girl. Thank God. Zoe …”

      She was crying, the tears smearing on her cheeks, dripping down her chin. “It’s okay, Dad. I’m okay. We’re safe, we’re well.”

      Slowly, he released her. His ice-green eyes were wet. He swiped an arm across them. “Your mother is going to be the happiest woman alive. She’s been in bad shape—we all have….” He choked up.