Free A Little Surprise for the Boss (Mills & Boon Desire) by Elizabeth Lane

swollen with spring runoff, its water chocolate brown with silt. Calm, rippling stretches alternated with wild rapids that raced and tumbled, spraying the air with mist.
    Terri knew the river like the back of her hand. She used the outboard motor to steer the raft into the spots that would make for an exhilarating but safe run, letting the rapids carry it downstream. The four sheikhs whooped and cheered as the flat-bottomed rubber raft bounced and slithered over the roiling water, roaring with laughter as the cold, muddy spray drenched them from head to toe.
    Buck had introduced them by name—Abdul, Omar, Hassan and one more she’d already forgotten. Matching those names with faces was more than her busy mind could handle, especially when she was running on a mix of aggravation and insufficient sleep. To keep them straight in her head, she’d renamed them Eeny, Meeny, Miney and Moe—in order of their height.
    Eeny was the one to watch.
    Scanning the river ahead, she steered right to avoid a jutting rock. This was the easy part of her job. She could simply pilot the raft, ignored by the clients as they enjoyed the ride, and by Buck who sat in front, pointing out interesting sights and lecturing on the geologic history of the canyon. For now she could relax. But that pat on her rear had put her on high alert. Once they reached camp she would have to watch her back. She mustn’t let herself be caught alone or give any hint that she might be available. Having to slap a client’s face would be bad for Buck’s business.
    They’d be camping in the canyon three nights, then riding mules up the long, steep trail to the South Rim. She could handle the physical rigors of the journey, but between the discomfort of being the only woman and her worry about the duties she’d left behind, Terri was already anxious for the trip to end.
    Buck hadn’t even given her a chance to back out. As always he’d ignored her needs and taken for granted that she’d do what he wanted.
    All the more reason to quit and move on.
    * * *
    Buck’s eyes swept the sheer sandstone cliffs that rose on both sides of the river. Then his gaze shifted to the rear of the raft, where Terri sat with one hand on the tiller. Even in the oversize rain gear she wore, she looked every inch a woman. He’d seen the way the four men looked at her, especially Abdul, and he didn’t like it. In their culture, an unveiled female, especially a pretty one, might easily be seen as fair game, especially since they were already paying for her services as river pilot.
    He could hardly put her in a burka. But once they got to camp he would need to keep her in sight and make it clear to the men that female employees were off-limits.
    Off-limits.
    This trip was supposed to make Terri fall in love with the area again and choose to stay. The last thing he wanted was for her to get so fed up with ogling clients that she’d be even more determined to leave.
    Besides, Abdul had no right to think of Terri as someone he was entitled to due to his money and position. Terri deserved more respect than that—and she knew it. They’d had plenty of rich men and celebrities in and out of the resort through the years, and Terri had never been dazzled or overawed by anyone. She wasn’t the type to fall into a stranger’s bed just because she was flattered by his attention or impressed by his wealth.
    His thoughts spiraled back to that interlude in his bedroom, with Terri leaning above him, eyes closed, moist lips parted, hair hanging down to brush his face as she moved above him, pushing him deep, and deeper, into the honey of her sweet body… Instead of falling into bed with a stranger, she’d fallen into bed with him, and it had been phenomenal .
    The raft pitched and dived, jarring him back to the present. As they plowed into another stretch of rapids, Buck grabbed the seat to keep from being flung into the water. Best keep his mind on what was happening, he scolded himself. But even