She swallowed then nodded and lowered her head but she made no move to step away. She was putting no distance between them and that, he knew, was a good sign.
The elevator doors opened again and this time Rock was successful in walking Dana to her door. He stood back as she used her keycard to open it and then she turned toward him.
“Goodnight, Rock.” That was all she said, her voice soft and low, but in her eyes was a look that said a whole lot more.
Dana stepped inside and closed the door gently behind her.
And when Rock walked away he knew deep inside that from here on his relationship with his employee could never be the same again.
CHAPTER TEN
‘If once you have slept on an island you’ll never be quite the same.’ Dana smiled as her thoughts went back to the words of the poem she’d learned as a little girl. The words were those of Rachel Field, if she remembered correctly, and they were so true.
She’d just spent her first night on Paradise Island and it had been wonderful. Well, maybe she was being a bit biased. She’d had a fantastic dinner date with Rock and then he’d kissed her. Again. And the second time was more electrifying than the first.
She hadn’t been shocked when he’d pulled her into his arms. It was what she’d been wanting all evening. And, as if he’d been reading her mind, he’d given her what she’d been craving all along.
And she was not disappointed.
Now, as she lay in the luxurious comfort of her hotel bed, she relived that kiss, every second of it, and she could only groan at the memory. But today was a new day and they had business to take care of. She glanced at the bedside clock. Six forty-five. Plenty of time to shower, dress and make it down to breakfast by the agreed time of eight o’clock.
She stretched then slid out of the bed and padded over to the bathroom where she splashed water on her face, stripped off the bra and panties she’d slept in, then stepped under the cool spray of water. And as it washed over her, her mind churned with thoughts of what lay ahead. She was looking forward to seeing Rock again. And she wasn’t. Well, she was more looking forward to it than not.
What if he acted like nothing had happened? What if he went back to his old, aloof self? Worse still, what if he looked at her like he’d known all along that she would succumb to his charm? What if he thought she was easy?
She sucked in her breath at the thought. No, she didn’t even want to think it. She would never survive that.
With a sigh she turned off the tap and toweled off. A piece of work, that was what she was. She’d hopped out of bed all excited, convinced it was going to be a great day, and within minutes she’d done a one-eighty and had talked herself into a state of near depression.
At the end of it all, though, the only thing she could do was wait until she saw Rock again. Only then would she be able to gauge his response to her.
An hour later, dressed in sensible shoes and a comfortable suit of white linen, Dana made her way to the restaurant where a breakfast buffet had been set up. At that time of morning the breakfast room was sparse with only a few guests, plates in hand, gathering slices of French toast and scooping up eggs from the warming pans while others sat at the table, enjoying more elaborate fare. Dana’s eyes searched the room but Rock was nowhere in sight.
She shrugged. No big deal. She’d arrived ten minutes early so he would probably be down soon. She helped herself to a glass of orange juice then strolled over to an empty table that looked out onto the translucent blue sea. She would enjoy the view while she waited.
She’d finished her juice and gone back for seconds when it occurred to her that Rock was taking a long time to get downstairs. Dana frowned. She’d expected him to be early, not the opposite. From what she knew of him after over three months of their working together, she knew this was not like him.
Dana slipped her cell phone out of her purse and checked the time. Twelve minutes after eight. She pursed her lips as she mulled over her options. She could respect the fact that he was her boss and just wait until he decided to descend from his palatial suite, or she could call him and ask him what the heck was keeping him so long. She preferred the second idea but she decided to wait just five more minutes before she exercised that option.
When she saw the time hit eight twenty without any sign of Rock she began to get worried. Something was definitely wrong. She would not wait another minute.
Dana slung her purse over her shoulder and hurried to the hallway where she picked up the house phone and asked to be connected to Rock’s room. The phone rang and rang. No answer. Where could he be? Or had he deliberately turned the ringer down? For a moment she debated whether or not to go up to his room. And then she thought, what if he was sick?
Without another moment’s hesitation she hurried to the elevator and pressed the button for the penthouse floor. As soon as the door opened she hurried along the hallway toward his suite, not really believing he was sick but just wanting to make sure. When they’d parted he’d been fine. He was all right, she told herself. At the door she took a deep breath then knocked. No answer. She knocked again and still there was no sign of Rock. The worry rising inside her, Dana wondered if she should head back downstairs and get the hotel manager. Suppose something terrible had happened? Suppose he’d passed out or worse, had a heart attack? She was about to turn away when she decided to give it one last try. She pounded on the door. Hard.
Within seconds she heard the snapping of the lock and the door opened. Before her stood a tall, bare-chested, and sleepy-looking Rock.
“Are you all right?” she blurted out, her eyes examining his face for signs of distress. But he looked fine. “What happened to you?”
Rock grunted. “What time is it?” he asked, his voice thick with sleep.
Dana could not believe her ears. “It’s almost eight thirty. You were supposed to have been downstairs at eight o’clock for breakfast. Remember?”
“Oh, right.” He sighed and put his hand to his forehead.
“Is something wrong?” Dana couldn’t hide the hint of worry that crept into her voice.
“Migraine.”