Kitabı oku: «In the Boss's Arms», sayfa 2

Perhaps she should suggest coffee. She had a lovely new espresso machine and she could take Liam Conway into her shiny, trendy kitchen and make coffee and insist that they talk some more. She could get him to talk about himself. There were so many things she should know before they—

Too late. Liam reached for her as soon as the front door closed behind them. And thoughts of coffee and the questions that had seemed so important scampered clear out of her head as he drew her in to him. And his lips met hers.

Oh…His lips were soft and firm and warm and super-slow. Alice’s legs almost buckled beneath her.

‘You have the most gorgeous mouth,’ he murmured.

‘I’m…rather taken with yours.’ She was a little stunned to hear how sinking-out-of-control she sounded.

And then he touched his lips to the side of her throat. ‘And you have the most kissable neck.’

Ah, yes. Flattery and sensuous, lazy lips were a heart-stopping combination. So different from Todd.

No, she wasn’t going to think about Todd. Just Liam. Just this—his mesmerising lips exploring her skin, making her body warm and wanton. She knew now that she’d been starving for intimate contact.

A hot, honeyed languor seemed to fill her. In a dazzle of warmth, she pressed her thighs and hips against Liam’s and arched her neck, silently begging him for more kisses.

Liam obliged. While his hands wedged her body hard against his, his mouth traced a sensuous path down her neck, into the little valley at her collar-bone and then up again. He kissed her ear lobe.

‘Best ears in the southern hemisphere,’ he said and he teased her ear with the tip of his tongue, and she was overtaken by a desperate need to nibble-kiss the rough skin all the way along his jaw.

His response was a sexy choked groan and the next moment he scooped her up in his arms. ‘Which way?’ he murmured as her feet left the floor.

Without a beat of hesitation she pointed down the hallway to her bedroom.

Chapter Two

IT FELT a little crazy to wake next morning with Liam Conway in her bed. Crazy and wonderful. And just a bit sad. This was going to be the hard part—the morning after the night before.

She and Liam could hardly pretend to be strangers after a night of amazing, heaven-on-earth passion, but just the same, the deeper getting-to-know-you stuff that they’d skipped wasn’t going to happen now. Soon Liam would be leaving, walking out of her life, and Alice would have to put on a brave face and remember that she didn’t mind; it was what she wanted.

Besides, now that she knew she was infertile, casual dating was probably all men would want from her.

With her head propped on her hand, she lay on her side and watched Liam wake, his eyes blinking, showing her snippets of blue like glimpses of morning sky.

He saw that she was watching him, and he smiled at her. ‘Good morning.’

‘Morning.’

His eyes were drinking her in now and he reached to touch her hair as it tumbled about her shoulders. Did she look a mess? Or like a woman who’d enjoyed a night of blissful ravishment? There was something about broad daylight that was so, well, revealing.

Liam, of course, looked better than ever. The darkening shadow on his jaw gave him a trendy, designerstubble sexiness, and his bulky shoulders were bronzed, almost glowing, an effect no doubt enhanced by the sunshine filtering through the filmy bedroom curtains.

Not that she should be lying here ogling him. Her job this morning was to facilitate his farewell—a friendly but matter-of-fact exit.

‘It’s going to be a nice day,’ she said and immediately winced. Not a clever start. She sounded like a tour guide setting off with a group of holidaymakers for the Great Barrier Reef. But what was she supposed to say? Thanks for the most amazing, beautiful, emotionally moving, best sex of my life?

It was the absolute truth. But would Liam believe her? She’d travelled to the stars last night, but for all she knew their lovemaking might have been every-day-average for him.

He stretched and, with his hands stacked beneath his head, he glanced where she’d been looking, at the window and the branches of palm trees against the patch of blue sky. ‘Another day in paradise, as the tourist brochures say.’ He switched his gaze back to her and smiled lazily. ‘And you and I are another day older.’

Indeed. Their birthdays were a thing of the past. Here today, gone tomorrow.

Alice sat up, holding the sheet around her. ‘I’m glad you stayed the night,’ she said shyly. ‘I would have felt a bit cheap if you’d left as soon as we’d finished—um—celebrating.’

Liam frowned. ‘It would be a crime to make you feel cheap. You’re a very special woman, Alice.’ The creases in his brow melted as his frown morphed into a smile. ‘And as I remember it, we spent most of the night celebrating.’

Alice felt herself blush. Then the rest of her began to warm up as Liam continued to look at her. And look.

Oh, heavens. The daylight made no difference. She was as susceptible to him now as she had been in the night.

She wished she was savvier about how these things worked. Where did a one-night stand end and the beginning of a relationship start?

She wasn’t looking for a relationship, couldn’t bear to leave herself vulnerable, only to be hurt again.

‘I—I’ll make some coffee,’ she said, edging away. ‘Or perhaps you’d prefer tea?’

If Liam was surprised by her withdrawal he made a quick recovery. ‘Coffee would be fantastic.’

She drew a deep breath of relief. She’d half expected him to drag her into his arms and she knew she would have been too weak to resist. But fortunately, he accepted her decision with good grace. When she wriggled towards the edge of the bed, he didn’t try to stop her.

She headed for the bathroom and, once she’d finished there, she wrapped herself inside a white towelling bath robe and went through to the kitchen to start the coffee. It wasn’t long before Liam joined her, showered, but still unshaven, and dressed in the clothes he’d worn last night.

The sight of him strolling into her kitchen was enough to make her heart do a somersault. Darn. Here she was, safely surrounded by pots and pans, and Liam Conway had the same disturbing effect on her as he did on the dance floor or in her bedroom.

‘That coffee smells sensational,’ he said.

She held up a packet she’d taken from the freezer. ‘Would you like croissants?’

‘Is that what you’re having?’

She nodded. ‘It’s my Saturday-morning treat. Croissants and coffee and the weekend papers out on the deck.’ She fingered the lapels of her bathrobe. ‘I wasn’t going to bother with the papers this morning, but if you want them it’s not far to the shop. You can grab them while I warm these croissants.’

He thought about this for a moment and then shook his head. ‘I can do without news from the outside world today. I don’t officially start work here till Monday. There’s time enough then to come to grips with what’s going on.’

‘So you’ve actually moved to Cairns to start a new job?’ She tried not to sound particularly interested and she ducked her face as she slipped the croissants into the oven.

‘I’ve bought a new business that has a branch here,’ he said in an offhand way that suggested he didn’t want to go into details. ‘This is a great place by the way.’

‘Thank you.’

‘I take it that green is your favourite colour?’

He was looking at her collection of green crockery and glassware which she kept on display on open shelving.

‘I guess it must be.’ She smiled, pleased that he’d noticed them. ‘Virgos are supposed to like white best.’

‘Are we?’

‘According to the experts. But I’ve been collecting green bits and pieces since I was about twelve. It started with a plate shaped like a water-lily pad and went on from there.’ She shrugged. ‘It’s become a minor obsession.’

Todd had hated her green collection. ‘We’re not Irish,’ he’d yelled at her and in one of his bad moods he’d smashed her favourite piece. For the past five years she’d kept the collection locked away. Now it was free again.

Liam picked up a green and white bowl fashioned like a field of clover with delicately scalloped edges, and he turned it over and examined the maker’s name on the base. ‘This is great. It has personality and it sure beats the plain white minimalist stuff you get in restaurants.’ He set it back carefully.

As she selected napkins from an overhead cupboard, she framed a question in her head about his new business, but she hesitated to ask because he could have already told her if he’d wanted to. But then she decided to dive in anyway.

‘What business have you bought?’

‘A travel company.’

No. Alice stiffened and felt cold all over. She stared at him. ‘Which travel company?’

He stared back at her, warily, without answering.

‘Please tell me you haven’t bought Kanga Tours?’

A muscle in his jaw jerked and he continued to frown at her as he very deliberately straightened his shoulders and folded his arms over his chest. ‘Would it matter if I had?’

‘No…well, yes—it would.’

‘I beg your pardon?’

She felt a slam of panic. ‘I can’t believe this.’

‘Can’t believe what?’ His eyes narrowed and, if it were possible, his expression was even more cautious. ‘Why? What’s the problem?’

She switched her gaze to the glass-fronted door of her oven. The croissants were already turning golden.

‘What do you know about Kanga Tours?’ Liam demanded. ‘I had the company checked out thoroughly. I got the best advice. I know the growth in the north hasn’t been as strong as expected, but that’s why I’m here. To turn it around. I believe in hands-on management. Overall the company seemed to be a damn good business proposition.’

‘Oh, it’s a good business,’ she said while her heart hammered. ‘If you’re a good manager, you’ll make plenty of money here.’

‘So, why are you looking like it’s really bad news?’

She bit her lip. He wasn’t going to like this.

‘For God’s sake, Alice. You look like I confessed I was a terrorist.’

‘I—I work there. At Kanga Tours.’

His jaw dropped. Fast. He stared at her and, as her words really sank in, he glanced away sharply. Cursing, he raked angry fingers through his hair.

Alice knew what he was thinking—that if word leaked out that the new boss had slept with one of the staff on his very first night in town, there could be all sorts of unpleasant ramifications. He could be branded as a sleaze, a predator, and she would be the tart, the wild divorcee, sleeping her way into the new boss’s favour.

Office affairs made ripples that very often became waves, waves that could swamp the boat. It could be just awful. For both of them.

She remembered the stir among the staff last week when Dennis Ericson first told them that a new boss was arriving from Sydney.

And then she was struck by a light-bulb moment. ‘Conway! For heaven’s sake. Now I remember why your name sounded familiar last night.’ Clasping her hands to the sides of her face, she let out a groan. ‘If only I’d thought of it earlier, but I didn’t make the connection. When I went to the Hippo Bar the last thing on my mind was my work or a new boss.’

‘Quite.’

The single, carefully clipped monosyllable seemed to cut through her. Neither she nor Liam had been thinking about work last night. They’d been totally distracted. Just thinking about how very distracted they’d been made her blush.

The oven pinged and she was grateful for a different kind of distraction. Shoving her hands into padded gloves, she pulled the croissants from the oven and avoided Liam’s gaze as she popped them onto the plates she’d already set on a tray, along with the coffee and cutlery and a pot of strawberry jam.

In one bound Liam was across the room and taking the tray from her. ‘Let me carry that.’

‘Thanks.’ At least he wasn’t so angry that he forgot his manners.

Their hands brushed as Alice handed him the tray and she made the mistake of looking up. His eyes were so close to her now. Too close. A look passed between them, a look that spoke of intimate secrets, of everything they’d shared last night—of Liam’s caresses, his whispered endearments, and her wild response to the satiny heat of him thrusting deep inside her.

It had been bad enough trying to carry on at work through the mess of the divorce. But how could she cope now, while her boss was a walking reminder of more things she needed to forget? The memories of their intimacy would stay with her. Every day.

A mask seemed to slip over Liam’s features and he turned to carry their breakfast things onto her back deck, which was cleverly designed to give privacy while offering a view of the tropical courtyard below. For the next few minutes their conversation was confined to the coffee and croissants and whether Liam would like milk or sugar or jam. But Alice was bursting with the need to talk about their predicament.

‘We were supposed to be going our separate ways this morning,’ she said.

He sent her a sharp, searching look. ‘Is that what you wanted?’

Her heart gave a startled leap. ‘Well, yes, of course. It’s what you wanted, too.’ The stern expression in his eyes prompted her to add, ‘Isn’t it?’

To her dismay he didn’t answer. Instead, he took another sip of coffee and put the cup down slowly. ‘Let’s sort this work issue out. What’s your role at Kanga Tours?’

He was changing the subject. Why? Was he upset with her? Had she read him incorrectly? Surely he hadn’t hoped for more than last night?

The thought that Liam might have wanted to continue their relationship set Alice suddenly adrift, swept away without warning by a flash flood. She struggled to remember his question.

‘I—I’m one of the specialist consultants,’ she said at last. ‘I look after the customers who want specialised tours in tune with particular interests.’

Liam nodded. ‘Do you cover everything? The reef, the rainforest and the outback?’

‘Sure.’ Pride set her chin at a tilt. ‘Everything from snorkelling or diving on the reef, to night-time spotlighting in the rainforest and outback cattle musters. They want it, I package it for them—even speciality restaurant tours.’

A smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. ‘I’m sure you’re very good at it.’

‘I really enjoy my job. Since my divorce it’s been my life saver.’

He didn’t respond immediately.

‘Look,’ she said. ‘I know it’s going to be awkward for you to have me at work, but I won’t let on that I—I’ve met you. I can be discreet and professional.’

‘Yes, you’re a bright girl.’

A bright girl. It was rather a comedown from a very special woman, which was what he’d called her half an hour ago.

‘I think that’s the best way to play it,’ he said as his long fingers broke off a piece of croissant. ‘From now on our relationship will be entirely professional.’

‘Yes.’

‘There’s no need to compromise either of us. We’re mature adults. We can give each other space and get on with our jobs.’

‘Yes,’ she agreed again. ‘There are at least ten employees at Kanga Tours, so we won’t be falling all over each other.’

But…there would be almost daily contact.

‘I imagine I’ll be out of the office a great deal,’ Liam added, as if he was reading her mind. ‘Especially at first. There’s a lot to do to ensure the company’s viability, so I’ll be out and about. I want to find new premises.’

‘So our old building in the backstreets isn’t good enough for…?’ Alice saw the warning spark in Liam’s eyes and broke off in mid-sentence.

‘I need a prime location,’ he said crisply. ‘Something where all the action is—on the Esplanade with mountain and ocean views perhaps, right on the tourist and backpacker thoroughfare.’

She drained her coffee-cup. ‘I’m sure you’ll want to put your own stamp on the company.’

He didn’t answer. He helped himself to the strawberry jam and then ate his croissant slowly and seemed to pay close attention to a cluster of Golden Cane palms in the courtyard beneath them.

When he finished, he said, ‘Thanks, Alice, that was excellent, but now I should leave you to get on with your weekend.’

She forced a smile and hoped it was broad enough to give the impression that she had so many exciting things lined up for this weekend she didn’t know where to start.

Liam began to gather up their breakfast things. ‘Leave them,’ she insisted. After all, she had two whole days to carry them inside and wash them.

What else was she going to do?

Weekends had always come as a bonus at the end of a busy working week, but suddenly this one loomed emptily before her. She was already focusing on Monday morning, and seeing Liam again. But she was worried too. Darn it. Why did he have to be her boss?

‘Would you like me to call a taxi?’ she offered.

‘No, thanks, I’ll walk. It’s a great morning for having a look around and getting to know my new hometown.’

Her bare feet padded on the timber floor and she knotted her bathrobe more tightly at the waist as she followed him to her front door. A lump jammed her throat as he opened the door and turned to her.

Oh, heavens, last night had been so wonderful. The most beautiful night ever. It made up for all the hurt…

She suddenly wanted to cry. Crazy! No. She mustn’t.

But what should she do now? Kiss Liam on the cheek? Wave him goodbye?

She forced another smile and held out her hand. ‘See you at the office, Mr Conway.’

‘Alice, don’t.’ Dark colour stained his face as he clasped her hand. ‘Don’t be like that.’

Like what? she wanted to ask.

But he was staring at her hand in his. And then suddenly his shoulder nudged the door closed again and, to her amazement, he pulled her roughly to him and his mouth came down hard on hers.

The passionate force of his kiss stunned her. Backing against the door, he pulled her to him, his mouth possessive, uncompromising, bruising. Her heart pounded in answer. Her body softened in instant surrender.

After just one night the smell and the taste and the feel of him were wonderfully familiar. A sweet sense of recognition overwhelmed her—the strong feeling that she belonged in these arms, with this man. She was tinder to his fire, ablaze at the first contact.

Her lips welcomed him. Her hands hungrily explored the muscly wonder of his shoulders; they twined in his hair. Her breasts strained for his touch.

And then, too soon, way too soon, he lifted his head and set her a little apart from him. His eyes glittered with an unreadable emotion.

‘Damn,’ he said, making the word sound both soft and harsh at once. ‘That wasn’t the way I’d planned to say goodbye.’ He touched his lips gently to her forehead. ‘I’m sorry, Alice. It won’t happen again. From now on I’ll be on my best behaviour.’

Too overcome and breathless to answer, she pressed her fingers to her lips to hold back a protest. Once more he opened the door and this time he stepped outside. He sent her one brief, scorching glance, and then he turned and strode swiftly away without looking back.

She watched him go with her fingers still pressed against her lips. Lips that were tender from the imprint of his kiss.

Chapter Three

LIAM spent most of the weekend at the office, working his way through the company’s files and planning his business strategies. He was determined to lift the Cairns branch’s performance to match what he’d recently achieved in Sydney. As a self-made man, he’d worked impossibly hard over the past decade and he’d developed his own formula for revitalising a business.

New premises and a big investment in promotion and marketing were high on his agenda. And a staff performance appraisal. Several years ago he’d been forced to replace many of the inherited staff with a new team.

Could he do that again?

What about Alice? God help him. Could he be hard-headed and impartial enough to sack her if it was necessary?

All weekend his mind was constantly flooded by memories of her, of her heart-stopping, gut-wrenching loveliness, of the way she’d looked with her dark hair spread across the pillow, her rosy lips parted, inviting him to kiss her. She was so sweet and yet so wildly sensual. How could her husband ever have left her?

Liam had been consumed by an insane desire for her.

But office romances often led to trouble and trouble in business could reach atomic proportions. Staking a claim on Alice Madigan would place his goal, the success of his new business enterprise, in jeopardy. He couldn’t take that risk, not when dark, insistent shadows from his past still haunted him.

He had a debt to pay, which left him with no choice but to put his business goals first. Always.

At the sound of a knock on his door on Monday morning Liam looked up to find Dennis Ericson, the branch office manager, lounging a casual hip against the door frame and wearing a supercilious smile.

‘Good morning, Dennis.’ Liam rose and held out his hand. The men had met before when Liam was making his pre-purchase investigations, but not as employer and employee. Dennis was in his mid-to-late forties, a family man, going thin on top and soft around the middle.

He accepted Liam’s handshake, but the wry grimace on his face somewhat marred the sincerity of the gesture.

‘You’ve settled in quickly, then,’ he said, casting an openly curious glance around the office, checking the few small changes the new boss had made to its layout.

Liam nodded. ‘Spent the weekend in here, going through files.’

The silly grin returned. ‘And have you claimed your prize?’

‘What prize?’

For answer, Dennis shot him a sideways, narroweyed glance.

Liam sensed that he was being set up. ‘What are you talking about?’

‘Saturday’s Cairns Post,’ Dennis said ominously. ‘Page three.’

Liam shook his head. ‘I didn’t check the weekend papers. Is it something important? Some corporate offer?’

At that Dennis laughed. From his hip pocket he extracted what looked like a newspaper cutting and he flipped it onto the desk.

Annoyed by the smugness of the fellow, Liam refused to rise to the bait. He knew from experience that there was always someone wanting to get the upper hand with the new boss on the first day. He gave the folded cutting a cursory glance, and then stood very still and perfectly silent. Watching Dennis. Waiting.

Dennis’s smile slipped. His Adam’s apple slid up and down and, when Liam refused to move, he pouted. Finally, he picked up the clipping and unfolded it. ‘Take a gander at this.’

Liam scanned it. Bloody hell.

‘Aren’t you lucky, sir? You’re this week’s Mystery Winner.’ Dennis seemed to take pleasure from his boss’s obvious surprise. His cockiness revived. ‘Dinner for two at The Beach House,’ he said. ‘All you have to do is give the local newspaper office a call.’

It was a photo of Liam leaving the Hippo Bar. With Alice. Clipped and enlarged, no doubt, from a shot the photographer had taken of three girls whose faces were rather out of focus in the foreground. He and Alice looked blissfully happy. Intimate. They were holding hands and her head was dipping towards him as if she was listening intently to something he said.

A white ring circled his head and the caption above the photo read: Who is this man? The text below explained, as Dennis had, that this mystery winner could claim his prize of a dinner for two.

‘Do these mystery prizes happen often?’ he asked.

‘Every week,’ replied Dennis smugly.

So much for keeping that night under wraps.

‘Nice work, boss.’ The edge to Dennis’s voice was sharp enough to cut chain wire. ‘I suppose we can skip the lecture on management probity and staff relations?’

Teeth gritted against a biting retort, Liam screwed the paper into a ball and tossed it across the office to the waste-paper basket. He was grateful that it curved in a perfect arc and fell neatly into the basket, dead centre. ‘I know what you’re thinking,’ he said quietly.

‘That you started getting extra-friendly with the staff the minute you hit town?’

Liam’s response was to move past Dennis, to reach for the door and to close it with deliberate control.

‘Sit down, Dennis.’ With a curt nod he indicated the chair by the desk. ‘You and I are going to have a little chat.’

Dennis sat. And his confident smirk began to wane as Liam took the high-backed leather executive chair and leaned back, watching him, without speaking.

Liam was damned if he was going to let this fellow launch a smear campaign. He knew that if he didn’t act promptly, Alice’s reputation would be dirt by morning-tea time.

With his elbow, he gave a file clearly marked Dennis Ericson a surreptitious nudge towards the front of his desk and then he stabbed at his desk phone for front of house reception.

‘Sally,’ he said, enjoying the way Dennis’s eyes bulged when he read the name on the folder. ‘Hold all my calls, please. And don’t send anyone through to my office. It’s most important that I’m not interrupted for the next twenty minutes.’

‘Morning, Dennis.’ Alice called her greeting as they passed in the hall outside her office.

‘Morning,’ he growled rudely, without making eye contact.

What was eating him?

Gulp. Had it started already? Was this because he’d seen the photo in the paper? The phone calls from her family had begun about five minutes after Liam left her on Saturday. Alice’s mother and each of her aunts had rung, all demanding details about the strange man in the photo.

No one from work had contacted her, but she knew it was silly to hope that, by some miracle, none of them had seen the photo. She’d been dreading coming to the office this morning.

‘What’s the matter? I’m not late, am I?’ She glanced at her watch. She was late, actually, thanks to traffic lights on the blink at a busy intersection, but not enough to upset anyone, especially as it was well-known that she often worked late or through her lunch hour without extra pay.

Dennis pursed his lips. ‘I’m sure you can be as late as you like from now on.’ He continued on, calling over his shoulder, ‘You’re sitting pretty now, Alice.’

Oh, great. That more or less confirmed her fears.

There was only one way to play it this morning. Cool. Carry on as if it was business as usual.

She went through to the office she shared with two other travel consultants, Mary-Ann and Shana.

‘You know what’s eating Dennis?’ she asked. And then she realised that playing it cool was a good idea in theory…but the who’s-she-trying-to-kid? look on her workmates’ faces made her stomach pitch.

Mary-Ann clicked a button to boot up her computer. ‘It’s not so much a matter of what’s eating Dennis, but who,’ she said. ‘Actually, it’s who’s eating him and spitting him out into little pieces.’

‘And the answer is the new boss,’ added Shana. ‘First morning on the job and this Liam Conway’s kicking heads. He lined poor Dennis up for a performance appraisal.’

‘Oh.’ Alice sat down quickly, a split-second before her legs began to shake.

‘Instead of kicking heads he should pull his own head in,’ muttered Shana.

‘Don’t tell me the new boss is an ogre?’

Shana rolled her eyes. ‘As if we need to tell you anything about him. Why don’t you tell us?’

Taking in her workmates’ identical expressions, Alice released her breath with a soft sigh. ‘OK, you’ve seen the photo in the Post.’

‘Of course we’ve seen it.’

‘How could we miss it?’

‘But,’ added Mary-Ann, ‘we didn’t know who the guy was till this morning.’

Shana came around to the front of her desk and crossed her arms over her chest. ‘At least we know now why you weren’t interested in the birthday party we offered to throw for you.’

Mary-Ann added her bit. ‘I thought you were supposed to be at your mother’s on Friday night.’

‘I was,’ said Alice. ‘But it was awful and I left.’

‘Hmm.’ Mary-Ann looked momentarily sympathetic and then doubtful.

‘Honest, guys. I went to the Hippo Bar to look for you, but you weren’t there.’

‘Ever hear of these little devices?’ Shana waved her cell-phone. ‘They’re the latest means of communication. You can speed dial a friend at the touch of a button.’

‘OK, OK.’ Alice raised her hands to ward off their anger. ‘Give me a break. Look, meeting Liam Conway was totally unexpected. He came into the bar. I was on my own and, well, we kinda clicked.’ She took a quick breath. ‘But it was a one-off thing. I won’t be seeing him again.’

The girls were leaning towards her now, faces intent. It was clear they expected more.

‘Clicked as in—totally clicked?’ asked Mary-Ann.

Alice thought it best to ignore that query. ‘I had no idea he was our new boss,’ she said. ‘And he didn’t know me from Eve. It was a really weird coincidence. Bad luck.’

‘Bad luck?’ cried Shana. ‘Honey, I’m not sure that’s what you call it.’

‘When it turns out he’s my new boss, I do.’

‘May I interrupt?’

The voice at the door startled them. There was a collective gasp and a surge of near-panic hit Alice as she turned to see Liam standing there.

Surely he must have heard their conversation?

He came into the room and she dropped her gaze, dusted a crumb from her keyboard. This was going to be worse than she’d feared. One look at Liam and she was remembering the way those grim lips had been soft and hot on her body.

The girls were watching her. She couldn’t be coy or self-conscious. This first encounter at work with Liam was the Big Test.

Taking another quick breath for control, she looked up again and managed a smile. ‘Good morning.’ She was aware of Shana sliding a watchful, sideways look in her direction. ‘Have you met our other consultants, Mary-Ann Dayton—and Shana Holmes?’

Liam shook their hands, greeted them with easy smiles. And then he stood in the middle of the room with his hands resting lightly on his hips, nudging his suit jacket aside.