‘Can I hear the dulcet voice of reason about to make its appearance?’ he purred, lounging against the mirrored panel and staring at her while the smile still played on his lips.
‘Someone has to be reasonable on your behalf,’ she said primly, but there was a responding smile in her voice and her lips were twitching.
‘Why?’
‘Because...’ He could be so utterly charming that it was easy to have your breath taken away. She was barely aware of the door opening as she followed him out of the lift onto an airy wooden corridor with broad windows overlooking unimpeded views of the sea. ‘Because it’s crazy to come over here to get hold of a start-up and end up distracted by a fleet of Catamarans.’
‘Have you ever known any of my deals to fail?’
‘No, but...’
They’d reached her suite without her even realising and now he leant against the door and stared down at her.
‘Max was the sensible one,’ he murmured, and Ellie’s eyes widened as the gap she was trying hard to establish between them started to crumble. ‘He took on the responsibility for grabbing the reins and making sure the ship was steered into calm waters. I will be grateful for ever that he allowed me the opportunity to live a little, even if Ihaveended up as part of the sprawling Stowe dynasty.’
He fished a key card out of his pocket, unlocked the door and pushed it open while Ellie stared at him and struggled to come up with a suitable reply to what he had just said.
A sharing of confidences? Or just a passing remark about something that he didn’t consider particularly newsworthy? How fragile was the working relationship between them if it could drift off course with a few random, non-work-related remarks?
But, of course,shewas the one who was obsessed with maintaining distance between them.Shewas the one who was stupidly affected by him because her body remained at odds with her head. She was smart enough to know that nothing in her life had prepared her for a guy like James Stowe. She was certainly smart enough to know that there was a vast difference between being compatible on the work front and compatible on any other front.
‘I’m guessing that you won’t be joining me for dinner later?’
‘I don’t think that that’s part of my job description while I’m here, is it?’
Ellie had meant to sound light-hearted. Instead she was embarrassed and dismayed at the ungracious, unnecessarily sarcastic tone of her voice.
His lips had thinned and his eyes were suddenly cool. ‘You’re quite right. It’s not.’
‘I didn’t mean to... What I’m trying to say is that...’
‘I can read the writing on the wall as good as the next person,’ he said, stepping back so that she felt the sudden drop in temperature between them like a physical barrier. ‘I won’t force you to socialise out of hours, although naturally, if it’s by way of entertaining business contacts, then I will expect you to oblige.’
‘Yes, I wouldn’t dream...’
‘Of course, you’ll be paid overtime. I wouldn’t want you to think that I’m taking advantage of you because this is not the usual working environment.’
Blushing furiously, Ellie stared down at her feet for a few seconds. There was no point launching into yet another stumbling apology. Where was her much-prized professionalism? She hated the feeling of losing control.
She breathed in deeply, and when she looked at him her grey eyes were clear and calm and she was proud that she had managed to salvage the situation with some dignity.
‘Of course. And you didn’t allow me to finish. I have no problem entertaining business contacts. I simply meant that this is a first for me, being in a place like this, and I would very much enjoy getting to see a bit of the island in my free time. If I didn’t phrase that properly, then I apologise.’
‘Now you’re beginning to sound as though you’re reading from a script. I almost prefer the sniping approach. So, you want time to yourself while you’re out here? Not a big deal.’ He shrugged, which made her feel foolish for overreacting to a simple dinner invitation.
‘To explore.’
‘Naturally. I didn’t imagine you’d want nights out to go clubbing.’
Ellie had no intention being drawn into rash self-defence at that provocative generalisation, but holding her tongue was harder than she thought, and she fought to bite back the sharp retort rising inside her.
‘What time are things due to kick off tomorrow?’
‘Eleven sharp in the conference room on the first floor. We need to brainstorm before we meet the guys at one. Bring your tablet. There’s a lot we need to get through before we meet them. They’re young and, if there’s sailing involved, we’ll need to make sure we start laying some foundations down before their attention is distracted.’
‘Of course.’ Ellie thought that this was more like it. Brainstorming with her tablet and laying down foundations in a workmanlike fashion.
She was smiling, back to her usual unflappable self, as he spun round on his heels to call over his shoulder, ‘And don’t forget, Ellie...ditch the formal gear. We’re going to be sailing the high seas for a couple of hours. You might find a skirt, a blouse and some closed-up shoes get a little restrictive.’
