Free Trouble on Her Doorstep by Nina Harrington

sensation.
    Instantly her head lifted just a little and those eyes recognized a shift in the electricity in the air between them. It had that same power as the energy bolt he had felt when he first saw her in the hotel, but here it was magnified a hundred times.
    It seemed only natural to drop his briefcase to the floor, slip both hands behind the back of Dee’s head and cradle her skull. When he bent down and pressed his cheek against her temple, he could feel her breath on his skin, and each breath he took was warmed by the scent of the woman he was holding so close to his chest.
    His mouth slid slowly down to her lips, making her take a sharp gasp that told him everything he needed to know.
    This was a woman designed for pleasure, and given the chance he wanted to be the one to show her just how good that pleasure could be.
    Shame that two cyclists just happened to be speed-racing past them at that very second, laughing loudly, followed by a woman on a mobile phone with a tiny yapping dog on a lead.
    Perhaps this was not the place. Dee certainly thought so; she let him go so quickly that he almost overbalanced but held it together by keeping a tighter grip on her waist.
    Dee grinned back at him, and suddenly it was as if the sunlight in the break in the clouds above their heads was focused on the genuine warmth of her delight. The grey was gone, replaced by an infectious smile which seemed to reach down inside his very being and twist by several hitches that steel wire of attraction that bound them together.
    Irrepressible, fun, real. His sunshine on a grey day.
    This was what he wanted. This was what he needed in his life.
    This was probably why he stepped back, slid his hand from her hip and held his elbow out towards her.
    ‘May I have the pleasure of being your personal hotel guide on this fine February morning, Miss Flynn?’
    Dee looked at his elbow, eyebrows high, as though she was getting ready to give him her very best snarky remark, then flashed him a blushing half-smile.
    ‘Well, if you can stand the scurrilous gossip this will create, I may be prepared to risk it,’ she replied and threaded her hand through the crook of his elbow. ‘Although, there is something you should know.’
    ‘You have a jealous boyfriend at home who is going to track me down and sort me out if I make a move?’ Sean chuckled as they strolled up the path away from the river, Dee leaning slightly into his shoulder because of the height difference.
    ‘Hah! Very amusing. Not a bit. No boyfriend, jealous or otherwise. I am working on my master plan to take over the tea trade one festival at a time. No time for boyfriends; hell, no. They are far too distracting to a lady entrepreneur like myself.’
    ‘Of course. I completely understand. Today Lottie’s Cake Shop and Tea Rooms, tomorrow the world. I can see it now. And a great idea for a franchise.’
    ‘I know. But the tea shop is only one of my many talents.’ Dee coughed dismissively. ‘I was quite serious this morning when I answered the shop phone. The tea-import business is at the very early stages and I am taking my time to think about the name of the company and how to brand myself. So important, don’t you agree?’
    Sean opened his mouth to answer then looked down at this girl who was capable of rendering him silent.
    Then he looked at her again in silence before replying. She was serious. Totally, totally serious.
    And his interest in her just ramped up another notch.
    ‘I do agree. The right name and brand are crucial for creating the perfect image for your company. It has to be unique, creative but easy to recall. Not easy. Which is why there are a lot of companies making serious money working for clients who have exactly that problem.’
    His reward was a short nod. ‘I had a feeling that you would appreciate my business sense, which is why I plan to launch my new company at the tea festival. That way I get the perfect feedback direct from the experts in the trade.