A Daring Affair (7 page)

“You’re Canadian?” Charlie asked, then glanced away briefly as Derby barked at a passing dog, before turning his attention back to her.

“Partly. I’m half American,” Mia answered, smiling.

“What part of Canada do you live in?”

“Edmonton.”

“Is that in Alberta?”

“Yes, that’s right,” Mia said, impressed. When she was traveling, she would sometimes receive a blank look when she told people where she lived.

“I have friends who like to ski in Banff,” explained Charlie. “I’m from California. Santa Barbara, to be exact. Sometimes people ask me where that is.”

“At least they’ve heard of Santa Barbara. When I tell someone in the States that I live in Edmonton, they ask me whether it’s near Vancouver or Toronto,” laughed Mia. “Then they ask inane questions like do I see polar bears in my backyard.”

“What?” Charlie grinned. “You don’t?”

Mia rolled her eyes at him.

“I love Santa Barbara,” said Charlie, “but I consider Maui to be my second home. It helps that I work remotely.”

“What do you do?” asked Mia curiously.

“I’m a cinematic artist for a video game company. It’s fun work.” Charlie paused before saying, “Say, if you’re around tonight, my friends and I are having a beach party here. Maybe you’d like to join us?”

Mia hesitated, even though she didn’t have any plans. She had hoped that Eric’s behavior toward her would thaw, and perhaps he would invite her to go out with him again. But who was she kidding? She needed to find a way to forget him and have her own fun. There were five more weeks left of her trip, and she was determined to make the best of it, with or without Eric.

“Why not?” Mia asked with a shrug.

* * *

Eric raked his hair back as he stared blankly at the facts and figures on his desk. He had been having difficulty concentrating all day due to a certain pretty, young woman who kept inconveniently popping into his thoughts. Mia distracted him to no end. He thought of her almost to the exclusion of everything else, and that did not sit well with him.

The weekend had finally arrived, and he was glad that he had been able to keep his distance from Mia all week. But now his patience was wearing thin. He saw her every day, but he steeled his mind and body to be completely professional with her. Every night, he ended up at a local bar in Lahaina, drinking with Kimo and other old friends and acquaintances, hoping to distract himself from thoughts of her.

It wasn’t working, though. He was tired of keeping Mia at arm’s length, and the longer he had to keep up the pretense of not being attracted to her, the more irritable he became.

“Hey, boss, do you want to go surfing?” Kimo asked, peeking his head around Eric’s office door. “Whatcha doin’ anyway? It’s Saturday morning. You shouldn’t be working.”

Eric smiled wearily, shutting down his computer. It was no use, he couldn’t focus anyway.

“Okay, let’s catch some waves,” said Eric agreeably.

“Finally, brah. You’ve been grumpy all week,” Kimo said. “I bet it has something to do with a certain pretty girl.”

“Let it go, Kimo,” warned Eric lightly. “Right now, you need to concentrate on your surfing skills. They’ve been kind of rusty lately, from what I’ve heard.”

“Ouch,” Kimo said with a wince as they walked out of the hotel together. “I’m going to have to prove you wrong, braddah.”

* * *

Mia peered through the thick, green foliage, looking for Derby’s stick. She giggled as she heard Charlie mutter irritatingly under his breath.

“He’s got plenty of toys and sticks, but no, he only wants to play with this one,” he said, parting the thick brush and finding the stick. “Here, Derby, go fetch!”

The dog barked and leapt into the air, catching the stick between his jaws.

“Thanks for helping me. I’ll see you tonight?”

Mia nodded, smiling. “Sure, I’ll meet you here. Is there anything you want me to bring?”

“Just yourself. Hope you’re not afraid of night swimming.”

“What if there are sharks?”

“Don’t worry. There hasn’t been a shark sighting in this area in a long time. I’ll keep you safe, pretty lady.”

Mia laughed. “If I had a loonie for every time a guy said that to me…”

Charlie chuckled and rose. He gave her a shaka
hang loose
gesture, extending his thumb and smallest finger with his three middle fingers curled, before he whistled to Derby to follow him.

“Who was that?” asked a deep voice curtly at her side.

Startled, Mia turned and looked up. “Eric,” she said with an indrawn breath.

Mia hoped her voice had not sounded as unsteady as she suddenly felt. She had grown accustomed to seeing him only in his business suit the past few days. This morning, his muscular, toned body was bare except for a pair of dark blue board shorts. His hard chest displayed a six-pack that only male models possessed.

“Who was that?” Eric repeated tightly. This time his voice held a hint of irritation that had her bristling.

“Just someone I met this morning,” she said, shrugging her shoulders.

“You shouldn’t be talking to strangers.”

Mia raised her eyebrows at his imperious tone. “I’m sorry, but he displayed the aloha spirit, and his dog was cute,” Mia said pertly.

He had no right to tell her who she could talk to. After all, he had ignored her all week, except to ask her to file, take dictation, and get him coffee.

Eric snorted. “Aloha spirit?”

“That’s right, something which certain people have been lacking lately,” Mia couldn’t help adding. She nearly flinched under his piercing stare, but she refused to be intimidated by him. Eric deserved some kind of verbal smack down.

“I see,” Eric said slowly, “you think I’ve lacked aloha spirit?”

Something in his eyes warned her not to provoke him further, but Mia didn’t care. He had hurt her feelings by treating her coldly the past week. She was tired of hiding her feelings and wanted to vent.

“There’s been a definite lack of warmth at the hotel lately,” Mia said peevishly, “and it’s not because the air conditioning has been too strong.”

Mia gasped as Eric placed his hands on her shoulders, his fingers caressing her soft skin.

“You’re treading on dangerous ground, Mia,” he warned in a rough voice.

His fingers were setting her skin on fire. The Eric who had retreated from her all week was back, and she saw the attraction in his eyes in full clarity. She suddenly had an epiphany - he hadn’t lost interest in her; he had just been hiding it from her.

“Am I?” she asked boldly, her eyes challenging.

Eric bent his head, and she found herself caught in a mind-stealing kiss that took her by surprise in its ferocity. He plunged his tongue into her mouth, kissing her with a passion that made every molecule in her body come alive. She wrapped her arms around his neck and arched up against him, unconsciously pleading for more. He suddenly released her, but she continued to cling to him.

“You have the sweetest lips,” Eric said, his breathing harsh.

“What just happened?” Mia asked, amazed at how quickly she had gone up in smoke in his arms.

“Something I couldn’t resist any longer,” he reluctantly admitted as he stared down into her wide eyes.

“Why did you resist in the first place?”

“Because I wasn’t sure if it was right,” he answered before he bent his head and kissed her again, this time at a more leisurely pace. She met his mouth eagerly before he released her.

“Now I just don’t care anymore,” he added, touching his forehead to hers.

“Good,” she said, secretly applauding his rash behavior.

Mia arched into him, reveling in the feel of his hard body flat against hers. She let out a little moan as he bent his head and began kissing her neck.

Eric lifted his head to stare into Mia’s dazed eyes.

“We should stop,” he said huskily.

“Please, don’t,” Mia pleaded, rubbing her lower body into his. He groaned and she felt his hand drift down to caress her bottom.

“You feel so good in my arms, Mia,” he said. “But this shouldn’t be happening.”

“Why not?” she asked, releasing a frustrated breath.

Her body was so heated that she didn’t care if they were in the middle of a beach, where anyone could see them. Eric caressed her cheek with his thumb, temporarily assuaging her mounting frustration. The tender gesture warmed her heart, and she gazed steadily into his eyes, urging him to continue.

“You’re my assistant, Mia,” Eric said slowly. “We can’t do this.”

“It’s Saturday. I’m not your assistant on Saturday,” Mia said, attempting to subvert his logic.

Eric shook his head and released her reluctantly.

He glanced behind him and said, “Kimo will be back in a few minutes to go surfing with me. He’ll find us doing this.”

“I suppose it wouldn’t do if Kimo found us this way,” she conceded reluctantly, twisting her lips.

Eric kissed the top of her head. “No, it wouldn’t. Do you want to watch me surf? I need to cool off.”

“I need to cool off, too,” Mia said with a pout.

They saw Kimo in the distance, carrying two surfboards. She had to find a way to convince him that at least after office hours, there was no reason they couldn’t indulge in a little romantic fun.

* * *

As Eric sat on his surfboard, watching Kimo take on a wave, he contemplated what had just happened between himself and Mia on the beach. His jealousy had been roused when he had seen Mia talking to a handsome stranger. He had not liked seeing her talking with and smiling at another man, and his gut had churned at the thought that she might find the stranger attractive.

All he knew was that after a week of subduing his attraction to her, he couldn’t subdue it any longer. He kissed her because he needed to. He kissed her because he had to. His body needed hers, and only by sheer force of will was he able to stop himself from dragging her to his condo and taking her to bed. Mia would have been shocked at the intensity of his longing for her.

* * *

Mia sat on the beach, watching Eric surf with Kimo. Her body was still humming from the recent scorching kiss she had shared with Eric. Just seeing him and his gorgeous body surfing the waves made her want to drag him out of the water and go somewhere private. She was annoyed that he had stopped kissing her because of some professional boundary he thought he was crossing.

Of course she knew that most people were wary of getting sexually entangled with their boss. There was a high potential of the situation becoming a complicated mess. But they were in a tropical paradise, and only a robot would be able to withstand the powerful chemistry between them. She was going to have to find a way to get it through his thick skull that she didn’t care if he was her boss and she was his assistant. She wanted him, and he wanted her. It was just that simple, and she wasn’t going to let him pause long enough to think the next time he kissed her. A girl could only take so much frustration.

“What are your plans for today?” Eric asked Mia as he approached her, holding his surfboard at his side.

Mia had watched him surf for almost an hour before he had finally decided to call it quits. She wanted to answer, “I’ll go anywhere with you,” but bit her tongue. It was best that she take it subtly with him, then lure him in for another kiss before he could even blink. “I don’t have anything planned, but I wanted to explore a little of the island,” Mia answered, hoping he would take the hint and play tour guide.

Eric hesitated, looking intently down at her.

She read the indecision in his eyes and silently willed him to ignore his uncertainty.

“Well, I can recommend a few places,” he said slowly.

Mia’s disappointment at his answer must have shown in her eyes, because he shuffled his feet and looked down at the sand.

“Why don’t you take her on the Road to Hana?” said Kimo as he came upon them.

Mia smiled brightly at Kimo, appreciating his suggestion.

Eric shook his head at Kimo. “It’s a long drive,” he said vaguely.

“So?” Kimo asked, shrugging. “It’s only half past eight - you’ll get there in no time, especially with the way you drive. It’s a great road trip, and Mia will love the scenery,” he added, oblivious to the strained undercurrent between Eric and Mia.

Kimo grinned at Mia and said, “The Road to Hana is awesome, with lots of breathtaking natural waterfalls, lush foliage, and tropical forest greenery. Make sure to bring your camera, bug spray, and sunscreen.”

“Thank you for the suggestion, Kimo,” Mia said gratefully. Kimo was the kick Eric needed to keep him from being so by-the-book with her.

“Maybe another time,” mumbled Eric.

Kimo looked at Eric with a puzzled frown at his reticence.

“What’s the matter, brah? Don’t tell me you have to go back to work. You work hard enough during the week. Mia works just as hard, but if you’re too busy today, I can take her.”

Eric frowned at his friend and shook his head.

“No, I’ll take her,” Eric said firmly.

“Thank you, Eric. I would like that,” Mia said graciously, giving him a wide grin. He glanced at her with an unreadable expression.

“Let me take your surfboard, Eric,” offered Kimo, “I’ll drop it off at your place before I head down to Lahaina for some breakfast.”

Eric handed him his surfboard while Kimo grinned at them both.

“Have a great time, kids!” Kimo said with a shaka gesture before walking away.

“Bring your bikini. You’ll like the waterfalls,” Eric said, “I’ll see you in the parking lot in half an hour.”

“You don’t sound too excited.”

“I’m containing my excitement,” he said wryly and turned away before she could say anything else.

Mia watched him walk away with a deep sigh. She hoped she wouldn’t regret insisting on going on this road trip with him.

* * *

Conflicted was not an emotion Eric was familiar with. He had wanted to spend the day with Mia, but after pondering about her while he rode the waves on his surfboard, he had decided against it - until Kimo had suggested it. Kimo had put him on the spot when he had told Mia they should take the drive on the Road to Hana. A long road trip was not conducive to keeping her at arm’s length, especially when they reached a waterfall where she was bound to scamper around in a skimpy bikini. He gritted his teeth and looked inwardly for an arsenal of rapidly deteriorating self-restraint. Kissing her this morning was impulsive and reckless, two attributes he was wholly unfamiliar with.