She sank into the deep cushions of one of the wicker sofas and fiddled with the contents of the tray while she studied him through her lashes. At least he had some clothes on now, and while she wouldn’t exactly say it improved his appearance, it did make her feel a lot more comfortable. The only problem was, her brain refused to stop flashing up images of him in his former naked glory. All that sleek golden skin, rippling with muscles. Most unnerving. The images were bad enough. The effect on her normally rock-steady equilibrium was much worse, leaving her hot and twitchy and totally aware that she was naked beneath the robe.
What was wrong with her? She never thought of men, well, as men, and she certainly never thought about them naked. A decision she’d made early in her career and one she’d never had to question or found the least bit difficult—until now.
He was dressed casually, his feet bare, and she couldn’t help but notice that he had long toes. Wasn’t that supposed to mean he had a long…? Dani cut off the thought and shook her head, unable to believe she was contemplating the length of his dick.
She allowed her eyes to drift upward to his face. He had lean, tanned features; high cheekbones; a bony nose; and dark, heavy-lidded amber eyes, which observed her with more than a hint of lazy amusement.
So he found her funny, did he?
She opened her mouth and clamped it closed again. He was her employer. She had to be polite. Didn’t she? But as his laidback golden stare loitered on her breasts, her blood pressure rose. Screw polite. Besides, he obviously had no clue who she was, and she could always plead ignorance.
“Can I help you?” she asked, examining her fingernails.
“I was looking for Gary.”
His voice was rich and smooth and sent the most unusual ripples of sensation sliding down her spine. Ignoring her unwelcome reaction, she glanced around then lifted one shoulder in answer.
Obviously, he was undeterred by her lack of response, the smile still in place, his gaze still warm. “So I’m guessing you must be a friend of Gary’s.”
“Really?”
“Or is it Simon you’re with? And are you just friends or more?”
“More?”
“I’m merely trying to find out whose toes I might be treading on.”
It took Dani a moment to realize what he was saying and longer for the meaning of his words to sink in. Was he flirting with her? She shook her head—unbelievable. And what about the naked blonde from the pool earlier? She peered over his shoulder just in case the woman was loitering somewhere close. The last thing Dani wanted on her first day on the job was to get into a catfight with her playboy boss’s blond-Barbie-doll-girlfriend. But all was clear, and she turned her attention back to the man in front of her.
She had no experience with handling men—they tended to keep their distance. Probably because she had something of a scary reputation. Plus, she was usually accompanied by a very large dog. She picked up her sandwich for something to do, then put it down again.
“Would it make any difference?” she asked.
He grinned. “Well, I’m hoping there’s nothing serious, because I don’t intrude on other people’s relationships.”
“You don’t? How noble of you.”
His grin faded as though she wasn’t behaving in the expected manner. No doubt, he was used to women being a little more appreciative of his attentions. Hard luck—Dani didn’t do appreciative.
Gary emerged through the patio doors, rubbing a towel over his damp hair. “Hi, Zach. Have you two introduced yourselves?”
“I was about to do that very thing,” Dani murmured.
Gary gave her a look of reproach, a look that clearly said, This is our employer. Behave yourself.
She curved her lips into what she hoped was a sweet smile and batted her lashes—which was a first. “I would have, honest. I just didn’t recognize him with his clothes on.”
Gary grinned. “Liar.”
Zach was studying them both, his brows drawn together. “Actually, I thought the new guard was arriving. I came over to introduce myself, but I can see you’re busy…” He turned to go.
“Hey wait, Zach,” Gary interrupted. “This is Dani Sinclair. I think Jake spoke to you about her.”
Swiveling on his heels, Zach faced them once more. He gave a short laugh but when no one else joined in, his disbelieving expression shifted from her to Gary and back again. “Jake said he was sending out some specialist. An ex–army sergeant. This is my specialist?” He waved a hand in Dani’s direction. “Are you telling me Jake sent goddamn Tinker Bell to protect me?”
Chapter Two
Tinker Bell?
Dani gritted her teeth under the incredulous stare. Taking a deep breath, she clamped her mouth shut and counted to ten. It wasn’t nearly enough.
Gary grinned. “Dani’s not actually out here to protect you personally.”
“Well, that’s a relief,” Zach replied.
“Not that I couldn’t,” Dani muttered, her fists clenching at her side, “if I actually wanted to.”
“So what is it she’s here to do?” he asked Gary, almost as if she wasn’t there and wasn’t quite capable of telling him herself.
Jerk.
She should be cool and drop it, but she couldn’t leave it alone. “Is it because you don’t think a woman can protect you? Or because you don’t like the idea?” She kept her voice reasonable, but it was an effort.
“No, it’s because you look like I could push you over with one finger.”
She leaned toward him, eyes narrowed. “Just try it.”
His gaze had dropped to where her robe gaped open at the front, revealing the curve of her breasts, and she straightened abruptly. What was is about this man that put her back up? After ten years in the army, she’d thought herself immune to any sexist comments that came her way, but for some reason he was needling her. She caught the glint in his eyes and had a horrible suspicion that he knew exactly how much he was pissing her off.
Gary peered from her to their boss. Obviously he considered it time to put a stop to whatever was going on. He cleared his throat to get their attention. “Dani’s a dog handler,” he said. “The best there is,” he added for good measure as Zach continued to look skeptical.
“Well that would be really nice…” Zach paused, lounging back against the balustrade behind him, arms folded across his chest, gaze still fixed firmly on her. “If I had a dog.”