Free Little Rainbows by Helena Stone Page B

know it, but clearly you need to hear it again—be honest with the lady. She deserves it. Honesty works wonders and is the basis for any relationship, work or otherwise.”
    Jason sighed. Of course Hector was right, and it wasn’t his fault he didn’t know things were a lot more complicated.
    “I know, Hector, and I will. She’s still here and we’re talking tomorrow over breakfast. I’d love to have the conversation in private, but don’t want to scare her any more than I already did, so I’ll be taking her to the restaurant.”
    He thought for a moment, grateful Hector stayed silent and waited for him to finish. “I’ll find a way to convince her to stay. If it means putting her up in another hotel to keep her on the job, so be it. Thanks for calling.”
    He wasn’t ready to admit it, but this voice of reason had arrived at just the right time.
    “Let me know if there’s anything I can do, Jason. And go to bed. Sleep. Nobody thinks clearly or operates well when exhausted.”
    Jason nodded before realizing the man couldn’t see him.
    “I will, Hector. Thanks again.”
    Hector was right, of course. He did need to sleep. He needed to relieve some of the tension first. A shower, some lotion, those images of Heather flashing before his eyes and his hand would take the edge off. He would find a way of convincing her to stay. The alternative was unthinkable.
     

Chapter Seven
     
     
     
    She was ready when she heard the knock on her door. Well, she was awake, showered and dressed. She still hadn’t made up her mind about leaving or staying. It would be so much easier to just leave. There’d be no tension, no revisiting of memories she’d rather avoid and no tempting Doms to confuse her dreams. Of course there would also be no more business and she would have to live with the knowledge she’d broken her promise to Darren.
    What she really wanted was to hide here, in her rooms. Look out of the window, enjoy the view of the ocean, lose herself in the colors of those little rainbows appearing and disappearing in the spray. Another knock on her door ended the daydream.
    “Heather, are you there?”
    She squared her shoulders, took a deep breath and stepped forward to face the inevitable.
    She opened the door and looked up into Jason’s tired features.
    “Jason, you look exhausted.” She shook her head at her own stupidity. “I’m sorry, Jason. Good morning.”
    His tired eyes seemed to be filled with something resembling fear.
    “Morning, Heather, how are you?”
    The disappointment surging through her when he didn’t follow his greeting with a kiss took her by surprise. She didn’t think about it, just got on her toes and planted a light kiss on his cheek.
    “I think I’m okay, thank you. You do look tired though.” A thought ran through her head and she had to voice it. “God, I hope that isn’t the result of my meltdown last night.”
    Jason just shook his head and took her hand. “Let’s not have this conversation here, Heather. We’ll go down and talk over breakfast. We have a lot to discuss.”
    She felt safe when his big hand swallowed hers. The sensation still confused her, as did her disappointment at the missing kiss, but she couldn’t deny either. Yesterday his kisses had startled her and now, less than twenty-four hours later she found herself expecting them. Her mind was all over the place. How was she supposed to decide what to do if her thoughts and emotions changed from one moment to the next?
    The journey down in the elevator felt a lot longer than it could possibly be. She couldn’t stop herself from staring at Jason, who looked back at her in silence. Something in his face had changed. Yesterday he’d been delighted to see her again, happy to have her here and eager to work with her. Now she couldn’t escape the feeling that just the sight of her hurt him in some way. She guessed she’d scared him off with all her drama last night. Who wanted to hire a party planner who