A Night With Consequences. Margaret Mayo

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      When finally Blake began concentrating on the screen in front of him Kara allowed her head to drop back and closed her eyes. But it was not easy ignoring him—not when his cologne teased her nostrils, not when she knew his leg was mere inches away from hers, not when she sensed that sometimes his eyes were on her instead of his computer.

      Quite how she managed it Kara did not know, but somehow she fell asleep. She was woken by Blake’s light touch on her shoulder as he told her that they were about to land and she needed to put on her seat belt.

      Embarrassed now, she moved to her original seat and sat rigidly upright. Blake on the other hand was totally relaxed, a smile turning up the corners of his lips. Had he watched her while she slept? Kara went hot at the thought. Had her mouth fallen open? Had she looked stupid? ‘I’m sorry I fell asleep on you,’ she said quietly.

      ‘And very beautifully too. It was quite something, having you resting your head on my shoulder. My usually prim and proper PA behaving like a real woman for once.’

      Alarm raced through Kara. Her head on his shoulder! Was that what she had done? Her heart went wild, leaping within chest as though it was trying to escape. ‘I really am sorry.’

      ‘No need to apologise,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘It was my pleasure.’

      His pleasure! Another source of heat seared the surface of her skin. This was too embarrassing by far. ‘It was very rude of me.’ She sat up even straighter. ‘I didn’t sleep very well last night. That must be why.’

      ‘Was it the thought of joining me today that kept you awake?’ His grey eyes met and held hers and Kara shivered. There was something in the tone of his voice that alarmed her.

      It was wrong to judge all men by her father—but her mother had told her to be careful, that men were not always what they seemed. And all she knew about Blake was that his affairs were legend. There was no way on this earth that she wanted to become another statistic.

      But how to answer his question? ‘It was the thought of what lay ahead,’ she said, which in itself was not an outright lie. ‘I’ve never been to Italy.’

      ‘Then I will enjoy improving your education, showing you places that you have only read about or perhaps seen on the television.’

      ‘Mr Benedict.’ Kara put on her most professional demeanour. ‘I am sure we will not have time for sightseeing. You have a very full schedule.’

      His slow smile said it all. ‘There is always time for enjoyment, Kara.’

      CHAPTER TWO

      IT SEEMED like no time at all before they were being driven to their hotel, and because Kara had booked the rooms and seen photographs of it she knew what to expect. Except that the grandeur of the building actually took her breath away. The architecture was stunning. But what stopped her breathing altogether was the discovery that her room was right next door to Blake’s.

      And it was clearly actually part of his suite, because it had an adjoining door. Fortunately locked, but that did not make her any happier, nor ease her alarm. Had he asked for her to be put here?

      There was only one way to find out. She walked the few yards along the corridor and tapped on his door, entering at the sound of his voice. ‘Why have I been roomed next to you?’ she asked bluntly, without even waiting for him to ask what she wanted.

      ‘Does it bother you?’ Blake did not look in the least concerned. He did not even look surprised—which told her that he must have been expecting a reaction.

      ‘Actually, yes, it does,’ she retorted.

      ‘For what reason?’ Grey eyes captured blue.

      ‘Because—well—’ She lifted her chin a fraction higher, realising that she actually didn’t have a particularly good reason. ‘Because it doesn’t feel right. I should be with the others. It’s as though you’re giving me some exalted presence.’

      Dark brows rose and he folded his arms across his magnificent chest. He had taken off his jacket and undone the top buttons of his shirt, revealing a scattering of springy dark hairs against darkly tanned skin.

      Kara had only ever seen him in a collar and tie. She had never seen the flesh and blood man beneath. Although it shouldn’t have affected her, it did. He suddenly looked less daunting and more human. And—she hated to admit it—sexy.

      ‘For your information, I was thinking of practicalities.’

      Kara hardly heard what he was saying. She was still staring at his chest, which was quite magnificently muscled. Did he work out somewhere? A private gym, perhaps? Or did he have his own gym? She realised she actually knew nothing about Blake; she had never been interested. But now all sorts of questions sprang into her mind. She was seeing the man now, and not her employer, and could not ignore the way her pulse raced that little bit faster.

      ‘It makes perfect sense,’ he said now. ‘You are my right-hand woman. You are the trigger to this whole conference running smoothly. There are sure to be things we need to talk about. I need you close to me.’

      He needed her close to him! They were the only words that penetrated through the haze that fogged her brain. Close to him!

      Then she blinked and everything snapped back into place. ‘I do not agree, Mr Benedict. There is no need for us to—’

      Her words were abruptly cut off. ‘Miss Redman—Kara—it is too late to change now. The hotel is full.’ His expression suggested that she was making a mountain out of a molehill. ‘But if it will make you feel any better I promise not to intrude on your privacy.’

      Kara felt hot colour flood her cheeks. Was that really what he thought she had been thinking? She somehow managed a glare before turning around and marching back to her room. After her initial concerns she had been excited at the thought of coming here, of hopefully seeing something of Milan, but now new fears began to build. What had happened to the barrier she had supposedly erected? One look at a V of exposed chest and she had gone to pieces. How stupid was that? She was behaving like a teenager instead of a twenty-six-year-old woman.

      Unfortunately she would now see Blake Benedict in a completely different light, and it could spoil the whole conference—unless she took herself in hand. Even with his shirt buttoned up and a tie in place, his jacket over his magnificent chest, she would still remember what she had seen. It would still haunt her thoughts and she would hunger to see it again, perhaps to even touch! Oh, God, this was crazy. She was turning into someone she did not recognise.

      She needed to be careful. Blake’s attitude towards her had changed as well. She knew that. He had never really taken the time to get to know her before. She had been a faceless woman who quietly and efficiently kept his office running. But something had happened on the flight over. He had taken a second look, and a third, and seen a changed person. And if her instincts were anything to go by he was taking a very real interest in her now.

      On the other hand maybe she was making a mountain out of a molehill. Maybe she was seeing things that were not there. Embarrassment coloured her cheeks again, made her wish that she had not gone to his room. The time to confront him would have been if he had stepped over the mark. It was going to be sheer hell facing him now. It would take all of her courage to keep her chin high and pretend that nothing was wrong.

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