“Oh, no you don’t,” she whispered to herself in the empty boardroom. That train is not returning to this station. Time to buckle down.
A few people began to trickle in, and Dr. Meriter approached her.
“Good morning, Kyra,” he said. “Now that you’ve had a little time to settle in, I hope you’ve been able to see some of our beautiful capital.
“Oh, I have, and it’s lovely,” she said a little too enthusiastically. She cleared her throat and managed a flustered smile.
“Great,” he replied and called the meeting to order.
Still no sign of Marcus, but as it was, that was totally okay with Kyra. It would be less of a distraction if he didn’t show for the day.
To Kyra’s misfortune, Marcus did show. Twenty minutes into the meeting, he pushed through the door, his hair still wet and his gorgeous face looking freshly scrubbed. His woodsy cologne filtered through the air, filling her senses with memories of their hot night.
“Sorry I’m late,” he said and flashed a smile that sent Kyra’s heart into flutters.
She pinched her leg beneath the table and told herself to focus on the meeting. If she wanted that promotion, she needed to get her head out of the clouds and into the game.
As Marcus settled into his chair at the long boardroom table, he felt all eyes on him, judging him for his tardiness. A twinge of guilt passed through him. Maybe his father was right. Maybe he was just a playboy. He hadn’t even made it twenty-four hours on the new job before getting distracted—first by the gorgeous woman who also happened to be his colleague, then by spending such a passionate night with her that he accidentally overslept.
But maybe last night was just one last hurrah. Resisting Kyra Rogers would only be a growing problem for him. Better to get her out of his system straight away.
And he had.
Right?
He stole a glance at her from across the table. She looked perfectly professional, not like the woman who’d had wild sex with him for hours the night before. As she concentrated on Meriter’s presentation, her wiry curls fell over the side of her creamy dark cheeks, making him want to run his fingers through her hair, to touch her face… and more of her.
Okay, maybe she wasn’t out of his system. If he was honest with himself, she was all he’d thought about this morning.
He forced himself to focus. His old man would be pissed off when he found out about Marcus being late, and Meriter would surely spill the beans. Marcus had to buckle down. He’d had his fun, but the fun would have to be put on hold for the time being. His inheritance and his position in the kingdom were at stake. For the rest of the morning, he worked diligently to be attentive and on task, to answer questions, and to provide input. He even impressed himself.
At mid-morning break, Marcus decided to approach Kyra and lay things out between them. That way, it wouldn’t be uncomfortable moving forward professionally.
“I really enjoyed spending last night with you, Kyra,” he said.
She smiled, and his pulse quickened. “It was fun, but—”
“It can happen again?” he asked, both joking and hopeful at once.
Kyra shook her head and looked at him seriously. “I think we’d be better off keeping things professional between us from now on.”
Marcus nodded. “You’re probably right.”
“I’m glad we agree,” she said. “I’m going to get some coffee before we start up again.”
Marcus watched her walk over to the coffeemaker, her curvy hips swaying as if there was a song playing in her mind. His eyes roamed over her luscious body.
Kyra may have been right that it was best to keep their hands off of each other, but as far as he was concerned, resisting the temptation she presented was going to be hard.
He watched her bend down to pick up a stirrer she’d dropped on the floor, his gaze fixed on the ass he’d held onto for dear life the night before.
It was going to be damn hard.
3
“Wow, this place is swanky,” Maggie said as she inspected Kyra’s hotel suite. “I’ll take the master bedroom,” she joked.
Kyra laughed and patted her younger sister on the shoulder. “You and Ava will most definitely be sleeping in the second room.”
“So not only are they putting your family up for a visit during this work trip, but they’ve got you booked in a suite,” Maggie said. “Damn, girl, can I get a job at your company?”
Kyra was tickled watching her sister and niece remark on every luxury at the hotel from the stocked mini-fridge in the sitting room to the bidet in the bathroom.
“You do what with that little toilet, Auntie Kyra?” Ava asked with a horrified look on her face, backing away before Kyra could answer and then asking, “Will you help me unpack my suitcase?”
Kyra tousled Ava’s curls, ones that were so much like her own. “I sure will, baby girl.” She picked up Ava’s bag, feigning a struggle and laid it on the bed.
“What do you have in that bag?” she joked. “Rocks?”
“Pandy,” Ava said and pulled out her favorite stuffed panda. The animal was ratty and discolored but obviously well-loved.
“Pandy wanted to check out Sovalon, huh?” Kyra asked her grinning niece.
“I want to check out Sovalon,” Maggie said. She bounced onto the bed. “How’s the nightlife, sis?”
Kyra’s steamy night with Marcus flashed behind her eye in swatches of hot skin and full lips.
“Oh, it’s okay.” Kyra cleared her throat, hoping her sister wouldn’t catch on that she was hiding something.
Maggie got up and went to the mirror. She began primping. “I might have to check it out if you’re okay to keep Ava for the night.”
Of course Maggie wanted to party. “I’m fine keeping Ava, but you have to remember you’re in another country,” she warned her sister. “You can’t go out and get sloshed. You don’t know the laws here—you could end up in a lot of trouble.”
Maggie released a throaty laugh and plopped back onto the bed.
“Look at my big sister acting like she’s my mother,” she joked.
“Well, somebody has to keep tabs on you.” As usual, it was Kyra.
“Kyra,” Maggie argued. “I’m not a child anymore. I can’t even remember the last time I went out and got sloshed.” She made air quotes with her fingers and rolled her eyes. “I’ll be alright, won’t I, pumpkin?” she asked Ava.
“Yeah, Mommy,” Ava said.
Kyra’s phone buzzed with an incoming text. It was from Dr. Meriter to the members of the board.
The location we picked for the crisis shelter has major problems and the deal isn’t going to proceed. We will need a new location—fast. Start brainstorming and be ready to share ideas in the morning.
Kyra’s muscles tensed. This put them back at square one. Wistfully, she watched as Maggie bent over Ava and started tickling her. Ava giggled, and Maggie blew kisses on the little girl’s belly, making her laugh even harder. How nice it must be to have such a carefree life like Maggie’s, not having to take work home or worry about tomorrow’s meeting.