Free Her Man with Iceberg Eyes by Kris Pearson

ready on the sideboard, and taking the bottle by its
neck. Kate tagged along uncertainly, wondering if she could escape
now.
    But Diana ushered her into the changing room,
inviting her to choose from the half-dozen swimsuits kept there for
the use of guests. Kate slid into the plainest and most concealing
she could find, bundled up all of her hair on top of her head, then
followed Diana next door. Relief washed over her once she saw the
pool was huge.
    Matthew stood fully clothed by the big
folding glass doors forming two walls of the room. His eyes
caressed her, burning down the length of her legs, blatantly
appreciating the curves of her breasts and hips. He unsnapped the
door-locks and slid the misted panels aside. Frosty air and
moonlight poured in, as magical as any film set. Lord of the
Rings mountains shimmered, crystal clear, impossibly close.
    Diana submersed herself in the warm bubbling
water with an exclamation of pleasure, and Kate followed rapidly to
escape Matthews’s hungry eyes.
    She sat mesmerised as he slowly pulled his
shirt free from his trousers. Long fingers slid the buttons through
their holes. With a shrug, he shimmied the shirt down his arms,
baring his body for her, still holding her eyes with his own.
    Kate would not have noticed if someone had
punched her in the stomach. She’d stopped breathing. She’d stopped
thinking. She’d started wanting, mindlessly.
    Her hands longed to smooth and stroke his
powerful shoulders and arms. Her lips and tongue needed to lick and
slide over his hard chest and lean torso.
    His fingers located the catch on his
trousers, and the dark fabric slipped a little down his hips. This
granted her the briefest glimpse of an intricate band of tattooing
circling his waistline before he stepped away and disappeared into
the changing room.
     

CHAPTER SEVEN
    Nothing had prepared her for this. She’d
arrived in Queenstown hoping for a job. She might still be
successful in her quest. She was coming to terms with her possible
new boss being famous...the house being so large and beautifully
appointed.
    She had managed—just—to cope with Matthew for
the day. Had resisted his potent charm, fielded his intrusive
questions, not quite fallen apart when he stood too close,
arrogantly playing with her hair, caressing her ear.
    But his taunting little strip-tease was her
undoing. His hard flesh was lean and streamlined. It was the body
of a fully mature man, with no boyish softness, no unwanted fat, no
hint of city slackness. The combination of his vineyard labours,
high-country photographic hikes, and the professional gym next to
the spa room had made him tough and toned, sinewy and sexy. She
might have imagined him as gorgeous as this, but now she knew.
    And so far she’d seen only half of him.
    Desperately she turned to Diana as a
distraction.
    “Matthew says I’ll need a proper party dress
for Saturday. Is he teasing me again?” she asked in a voice that
was less than steady.
    Diana smiled. “For once he’s not teasing. We
thought we’d give everyone the chance to really dress up—quite fun
in mid-winter.”
    Kate nodded, trying to think of anything else
to say. “He was most extravagant buying me clothes today, and now
he wants to pay for this dress as well. It’s embarrassing.”
    “He wouldn’t know the meaning of the
word.”
    She thought of the lingerie selection and
silently agreed.
    “He’s probably quite enjoying spoiling you.
Lottie’s no fun to buy for. She practically lives in his old
shirts—well-daubed with paint.”
    Kate smiled. She could picture that. “All the
same, it doesn’t feel right...”
    “He does exactly as he wants, Kate—you’ll
have a job stopping him. This one’s bad enough,” she added as
Hamish padded in from the changing room.
    “Who’s bad enough?” he asked, giving Diana’s
short blond curls an affectionate ruffle as he stepped into the
pool.
    “You are, birthday boy, but your brother’s
even worse.”
    “Matthew?