Totally Tempting. Mary Lynn Baxter

she stepped into her room and closed the door.

      Dean closed his eyes and stood there. What had he done? Was he out of his mind? He’d taken advantage of the fact that she was there with him, which was unconscionable.

      And why hadn’t she slapped his face!

      Now he knew exactly how she felt pressed against him, how she tasted as her soft mouth opened to his like a budding flower. He’d not forget it, nor would he forget the fact that they still had five days together before heading back to Chicago.

      He shook his head and strode into his bedroom. He stripped off his clothes and headed for a much-needed shower and some stern self-talk. Getting involved with Jodie Cameron would be the height of recklessness.

      Unfortunately for his peace of mind, he’d discovered tonight that he’d been involved with her for years.

      The first thing Jodie knew the next morning when she opened her eyes was that Dean had grossly underestimated the effect of the mai tais. She didn’t have just a headache; concrete drills were going off inside her head.

      The second thing that registered was the heavenly scent of freshly brewed coffee wafting its way into her room. The thought of coffee was the call of the sirens that drew her out of bed. She put on the thick terry-cloth robe that was in the bathroom, carefully brushed her hair—even her scalp hurt this morning—and went in search of the elixir that might help her live.

      Dean sat at the kitchen bar, next to the coffeepot, reading the paper. He glanced up when she moved carefully toward him.

      “How’re you feeling?” he asked, his voice low.

      She almost whimpered. Even that much noise made her head hurt worse. “I should have stopped after the first drink,” she whispered. She filled the large coffee mug sitting beside the pot to the brim and immediately lifted it to her mouth. It was too hot to drink, but she could live off the aroma for a moment.

      “Aspirin will help,” he said, nodding toward a bottle there on the counter.

      She filled a glass with water, took a couple of tablets and sat down on the bar stool next to Dean.

      He wore shorts, a shirt and sandals. He looked rested and fit. She could almost hate a person for that when she felt like something that had washed up on the shore. He continued to read the paper, and for the first time she fully appreciated his taciturn personality.

      She sipped her coffee and squinted out the window. The sun had been up for hours, but at this particular moment she didn’t care if she ever saw the sun again.

      Dean laid the paper on the counter and got up. He walked over to the expanse of windows and drew the drapes closed.

      “How did you know?” she asked with relief when he seated himself once again. He flicked on the small light near where he sat.

      “I’ve overindulged myself a few times in my thirty-odd years. I know what it’s like.”

      She placed her mug on the counter and rested her head in her hands. “The drinks tasted so innocent. I had no idea…” Her voice faded.

      He raised his hand to rub her back in sympathy but thought better of it. He cleared his throat. “I know the idea doesn’t sound appealing, but you’ll feel better once you get some food inside you.”

      “You are absolutely right. The idea doesn’t sound at all appealing.”

      He grinned and picked up the phone. After ordering them both breakfasts, he hung up and looked at her. “Nibble on some toast, drink some juice—”

      “Are you kidding?” she asked in horror, dropping her hands from her head. “I’ll probably never drink another glass of juice again.”

      “It wasn’t the fruit juice that caused your pain.”

      She groaned. “You’re always so logical.”

      “So are you, most of the time. You’ll feel better as the day wears on.”

      “That’s a relief. Right now I’d have to get better to die.”

      He chuckled but didn’t say anything else.

      When their meal arrived, he opened the door and took the tray, giving the waiter a tip before closing the door and bringing the food to the bar.

      Jodie eyed the tray skeptically at the same time her stomach growled. Like it or not, she needed to eat something.

      Did Dean always have to be right?

      Miraculously by midafternoon she was beginning to feel almost human again. Not well enough to go outside just yet, but better. Anything was an improvement.

      Dean had left after breakfast and hadn’t yet returned. She wondered where he’d gone. Not that it was any of her business. He might have hooked up with one of the women they’d met at the luau last night.

      She frowned at the thought.

      What was the matter with her? He’d dated a number of women since she’d worked for him and she hadn’t given the matter a thought. Until last night, she hadn’t figured he had much passion in him.

      She’d definitely been proved wrong there. She groaned at the memory of her response to him. If she hadn’t felt so awful this morning, she probably couldn’t have faced him.

      At least he’d been a gentleman and hadn’t mentioned what had happened last night.

      Jodie finally went in and showered, the water having its usual soothing effect on her. By the time she dressed and returned to the living room, she felt human again.

      She heard the key in the door and glanced around as Dean let himself inside. When he saw her, he grinned and said, “Ignore the ransom note, I managed to escape.”

      Six

      Jodie jumped up and stared at him in shock. “You were kidnapped?” she asked, her voice going up.

      He paused before closing the door. “Sorry, I was just making a joke. I was gone longer than I expected to be.” She lowered herself back into the chair, feeling silly for overreacting. “How are you feeling?” he asked, making himself comfortable on the nearby sofa.

      “Much better than this morning, thank you.”

      “Did you eat anything for lunch?”

      “I ordered some soup. I wasn’t up to going downstairs.”

      “I’ve set up sightseeing tours for the rest of our stay here. We’ll meet Steve Furukawa for lunch tomorrow in Honolulu. While we’re there, we’ll see the Pearl Harbor Memorial and whatever else looks interesting. There are some great places to see while we’re here. I think you’ll feel well enough tomorrow to enjoy them.”

      “Oh. Well. That’s nice. I mean, I’m looking forward to it.”

      “Do you think you’re up to sitting out on the beach for a while? The fresh air will do you good.”

      She nodded. “Good idea. I’ll go change.”

      He got up when she did. “I’ll do the same.”

      As she changed into a two-piece suit she’d bought the day before, Jodie realized that she hadn’t seen Dean in his swimsuit. He’d reported that it fit, and that was all that had mattered to her.

      She just wished she wasn’t so physically aware of him.

      They rode the elevator in silence. Jodie wore the matching cover-up to the suit. Dean had on one of his shirts but hadn’t bothered to button it. They both had large towels with them.

      She did her best not to stare at his chest. Instead she trained her eyes on his face, only to discover that he was looking at her with a great deal of interest.

      “New suit?” he asked as they left the building.

      “Yes.”