“You get to do the work.” He cut her off on purpose. “I want you to build a new server plus a front-end package from your team that will tie this to the software model you will be designing. And we’ll need—”

“Different tiers for pricing, and packages and even log-in portals for different members,” she replied, a keen sense of excitement vibrating through her.

She had a feeling she had scratched not even the surface of the man he was. And yet she had judged him for not seeing Robert all these years. It scared her and excited her, like nothing else, what else she might learn about him in the coming weeks. And there was no way to turn back from this, no way to curb the curiosity that swept through her.

“Maybe you’ll last long enough with me, then,” he said, standing up.

Riya looked up, hanging between the urge to apologize, why she had no idea, and to leave the status quo. There was something about the tone of his voice that said he had neatly pushed her into the employee box. That he regretted the tiny little fracture in his control earlier.

The easy humor, the carefully constructed indifference, they were all a foil for something beneath, something deeper. Riya wanted to run away and delve deeper at the same time.

“Take a couple of hours off. The island heat can be too strong for newcomers.”

She nodded, feeling a strange sense of disappointment as he walked away.

* * *

Nathan was e-signing a bunch of documents for his virtual manager when he heard more than one long sigh from his engineering team and a subdued curse fall from the local construction crew they had hired.

Baffled by the sudden change in the tenor, he looked up from his tablet.

His own breath fisted in his chest. Languid energy uncoiled in his belly.

Clad in a white stretchy top that hugged the globes of her lush breasts, and denim shorts that showcased the lean muscles in her long legs, Riya was coming down the steep path. Her hair was tied into a high ponytail and swung left and right with her long stride. She wore flats, the strings of which tied around her ankles in the most sensual way.

He couldn’t fault his team for losing their focus, nor fault her for her simple attire. The weather was a combination of damp and stifling heat.

Every inch of him thrummed with tension and anticipation. Locking his jaw, Nathan turned away. Fought the insidious thought supplied by his mind that he could have her if he wanted.

Her skin glistened golden in the sun. And it felt like raw silk, he knew now. And her brown eyes took on the darkest shade when he touched her. The faintest whiff of roses clung to her skin. Two tiny things about her that he would never be able to erase.

Even as he warned himself, his gaze traveled over the modest neckline of the sleeveless T-shirt that draped over her lush breasts and dipped to her waist.

She stopped and looked around her with a smile that only added to her appeal.

The need to run his fingers over that graceful line of her neck, to sink his hands into her hair, to shake loose the safe, sterile world she had built for herself, to be the one to wake her up to her own potential in every way was almost overwhelming.

She was like a beautiful butterfly that refused to leave the cocoon, and he wanted to be the one to lure her out.

With a curse that punctured the stunned silence around him, he shot up from his seat. Turned away from the temptation she presented. Reminded himself that he had conquered obstacles and fears that were far more dangerous.

Things were already too twisted between them. And from her episode with Drew, he knew she could never handle him.

Nathan needed the rule-following, road-map-for-my-life female in his life the way he needed a heart attack.

What he should do was to put her on a flight home immediately and forget her or her little deal.

And yet with the excitement thrumming through her as she reached them, her wide eyes taking in the equipment around, he couldn’t find it in him to break his word.

Three more months of this torture, and he was already chafing against his own rules.

* * *

Pushing her shades on to keep the orange glare away, Riya looked around herself. All the guesses she had made were off by a mile. It was not a casino, or a resort or a theater or an architectural marvel of any kind.

A huge crane stood behind the working team. An enclosure that was as tall as her surrounded the crane.

Her heart beating with a thunderous roar, she stepped inside and stilled.

A raised platform with an exquisitely designed, waist-high iron railing that went all around sat center stage in the enclosure. The most luxurious little sofa with legroom in the front sat against the back wall, and Riya noted that it was riveted to the wooden floor of the platform. As she watched with spiraling curiosity, tiny little lights, strategically placed around the perimeter of the floor turned on, casting brilliant light around.

Two small tables sat on either side of the sofa. Exotic orchids in vases along with an assortment of other things like expensive chocolate and even a bucket of champagne in ice sat on the tables.

And the final thing she noticed was safety tethers on each side of the sofa.

Her breath hitched in her throat as she realized what the elaborate setup meant.

She turned around, determined to find out if the fantastic idea was really true, when Nathan and a tall brunette stepped inside the enclosure.

Meeting her gaze, Nathan tilted his head toward the newcomer. “This is Sonia Lopez. She’s the project manager.”

A kind of suspended silence hung in the air where the woman obviously waited for him to say more and then gave up.

“Riya Mathur. She’s the software architect on a company I acquired recently.”

Relief sweeping through her, Riya shook the woman’s hand.

Sonia cast another quick look toward Nathan before stepping out of the enclosure.

Leaving her alone with Nathan.

She jerked as he clasped her wrist and tugged her toward the raised platform. “Let’s go.”

Her eyes wide, fear beating a tattoo in her head, she shook her head. “No. I would very much like to be a spectator, thank you.”

The most unholy delight dawned in his eyes, a wicked fire that turned them into a fiery blue. His mouth curved into a smile; it was the most gorgeous he had ever seemed to her. There was no facade, no frost. Only pure, undisguised laughter at her cowardice. “Not a choice. If you want—”

Surprising him, she took a few steps forward and cast a quick glance at the setup. “It’s not fair, Nathan. My going on this has nothing to do with my company’s abilities.”

“Life’s not fair, Riya. But you have to grab your thrills where you can.”

With that, he pulled her and they stepped through the railing.

“You sound like a little boy going on an adult ride for the first time.”

He clasped her hand and pulled her down to the sofa. Her knees quaking, she managed to stay still as he clipped the safety belt around them. And now, instead of an intangible one, there was a rope binding them together.

Breathe, Riya.

Within minutes, a faint whirring began and the crane unfolded, lifting them up into the sky.

Riya gasped and clasped his hand tighter, at the sheer magnificence of the feeling. Her mouth dry, she laughed giddily as they went higher and higher.

The whole island was laid out beneath them like a glittering jewel. The villas, the infinity pool, the beautiful grounds, she had never seen a more breathtaking sight. Her heart raced at a thunderous speed, a strange pull in her stomach.

When it felt as if she could extend her hand and touch the clouds, they came to a standstill. She found her gaze drawn to Nathan’s profile.

His nostrils flaring, he looked around them, his eyes glittering with thrill and energy.

It was the most exhilarating thing she had ever been part of, the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. And the effect of it still paled against the sheer masculinity of the man holding her hand.

Panic surged within her and Riya breathed in greedy gulps. He tightened his clasp on her fingers. “You okay, Riya?”

She nodded and met his gaze. “This is your true thrill, isn’t it?”

The safety belts forced them much too close for her comfort. When he turned, his thigh pressed against hers and Riya sucked in a sharp breath through a dry throat. “Yes.”

Laughing, because it was just impossible not to when you were hundreds of feet in the sky, Riya nodded. “It’s spectacular.”

“I think so.”

“I hope it’s not going to be limited to this island,” she said, thinking of how many people, average people like her, would miss it if it were. “Something like this, everyone should have access to it.”

He turned to look at her, a warmth in his eyes. “We’re aiming for Las Vegas, Paris, Bali, São Paulo, Mumbai, London in the first round. As soon as the approvals are in, we’ll launch the new level of membership and also offer an exclusive offer to our low tier members at a discounted price.”

Riya glanced around once again, her heart swelling in her chest. “It’s going to be magnificent. What’s it going to be called?”

He shrugged and smiled. And Riya felt a different kind of pull on her senses. “Haven’t decided yet,” he said.

Before she could blink, the safety tether loosened. Imagining them plummeting to death, Riya gasped and held on tighter.

Only to realize that Nathan had undone the belt.

“No...no...no...Nate...Please Noooooo,” she screamed as he tugged her up until they were standing. He dragged her forward to the railing, and the whole setup swung in the air. Her stomach lurched, and Riya plastered herself to him from the side, breathing hard.

He stiffened for an infinitesimal moment even as the ridges and planes of his lean body pressed against her.

Adrenaline pumped through her, her muscles trembling with a thousand little tremors. She was shamelessly plastered against his back, but for the life of her, she couldn’t seem to peel herself away from him.

His fingers tugged at her arms around him. His smile dug grooves in his cheeks. His hair was wind-ruffled; his eyes were glowing. “Don’t worry, Riya,” he whispered, tucking her tight against his side. “I won’t let you fall.”

Sandwiched snugly against his side, Riya looked around at the magnificent sight.

Her heart boomeranged against her rib cage; her senses spun. It was a moment of utter perfection, of glorious beauty.

When he pulled her back down, she went reluctantly, suddenly loath for it to be over.

Letting her breath out slowly, she settled into the moment, grateful to him for allowing her to be a part of it. They sat like that for a while. Everything about the evening cloaked them in intimacy.

Gratitude that he had given her a chance, that he’d let her be a part of this, and some unknown sensation she couldn’t stem welled up inside her. And beneath it, Riya felt a sliver of fear that she was crossing into unknown territory. “Nathan, I’m very sorry for everything that...for all the hurt we caused you. I can’t imagine what you must have felt learning about Jackie and me so soon after she died. I’m so—”

His arm around behind her, he turned, and his finger landed on her mouth. “I don’t require an apology from you.”

Raising her gaze to his, Riya forced herself to focus on his words rather than the sensation of how her own mouth felt. “Is Maria right? All these years, would you have come back if Jackie and I had been gone?”

“No, I wouldn’t have. Leave the past where it is, Riya. Come out of your cocoon, and live your life, butterfly.”

The warmth in his endearment caused minute little flutters all over her.

“Just because I don’t stand hundreds of feet in the sky and touch the clouds on a regular basis doesn’t mean I’m not living,” she countered.

His long fingers landed on her jaw, the abraded tips pressing into her skin. Their legs tangled in front of them. He shifted sideways until he was all she saw. Found herself staring into languid pools of molten hunger.

Desire punched through her, every inch of her thrumming with alarm and anticipation.

They were hanging in the sky with a slice of paradise laid out beneath them for as far as she could see. And the man in front of her, the most gorgeous, the most complex man she had ever met. In that moment, something she had held tight inside her, something she hadn’t even realized existed, slowly unraveled.

Just a little movement of his head and suddenly his breath feathered over her nose.

Her fingers landed on his chest, to push him back. But the thudding roar of his heart beneath muted any rational thought. A slow fire swirled low in her belly, spreading to every inch of her.

One long finger traced her jawline in reverence, the tips of the others grazing her neck. “I think it’s the most terrible thing in the world that you don’t know whether you enjoyed a kiss or not, butterfly. The most horrible thing that no man has shown you, without doubt.”

Liquid desire darkened the ice blue into the shade of a cloudy sky.

Every other thought faded from her mind except this man, every other sound faded except the loud peal of her own pulse. Every other sensation fled except for the insistent and answering thrum of her skin at the hunger in his eyes.

The brush of his lips against hers was at once cool and hot, testing and assured, bold and yet inviting. His beard rasped against her tender skin, wreaking havoc on her. The contrast of his soft lips and the roughness of his beard...her entire world came crashing around her.

It was her own response to the press of his soft mouth that blew her apart, the strength of the deep longing that jolted to life inside her. Her fingers crinkled against his shirt as he increased the pressure and the back of her head hit the leather.

Heat, unlike any she had ever known, slithered and pooled in every molten muscle as he licked her lower lip. His body teased against her own, a soft invitation to press herself against the hardness.

She purred, like a stroked cat, and gasped at the curl of pleasure and instantly, he pushed on. Only when it vibrated through her did she realize that it was a groan that fell from her mouth. Pleading for more, demanding more.

And it wasn’t just their mouths that were touching anymore. His fingers inched into her hair and held her slanted for him; his lean body enveloped her; he was everywhere.

He felt alien, yet familiar. Her thighs trembled, locked against the tensile strength of his; her belly dipped and she groaned.

The tenor of the kiss went from slow, soft appraisal, a testing of fit and sensation to pure, exploding, ravenous heat.

He bit and stroked, nibbled and licked. He kissed her as if they would both drown if he stopped, and that’s how it felt. So she let him. Stayed passive and panting under his caresses, let him steal her breath and infuse her with his own.

A freeing desperation joined the molten warmth inside her.

When he stopped, when he sucked in a shuddering breath, everything inside Riya protested that he did. She flushed as he pulled back and locked eyes with her. His gaze was the darkest she had seen yet, his breath coming in and out a little out of sync. The pad of his thumb moved over her lower lip, and she shivered again.

“Did you enjoy that kiss, butterfly?”

Riya fell back against the couch, her fingers on her still-trembling mouth.

That kiss had been beyond perfect. But the mockery in his eyes grated; the laid-back arrogance in it stung. It was nothing but a challenge to him. Whereas the entire foundation of her life had shaken.

“I would have been surprised if I hadn’t,” she said, dredging up the cool tone from somewhere. Her fingers still on his chest, she glared at him. Her heart still hadn’t resumed its normal pace. “Very altruistic of you,” she said, a little hollow in her chest, waiting for him to deny.

He grinned instead. “I haven’t been called one of this generation’s greatest philanthropists for no reason.”

“Forgive me if being your charity case doesn’t fill me with excitement.”

Turning away from him, Riya sought silence. Fortunately for her, she felt them coming down again. They had just stepped out of the enclosure when they saw Sonia waiting there, her gaze stricken, her features pinched with pain.

Mortification came hard at Riya. Had the entire crew seen them kissing? If Nathan hadn’t been satisfied with proving his point and stopped, how far would she have let him go?

Next to her, Nathan turned into a block of ice, and Riya fled fast, wondering what she had stepped into. Reaching the villa, she couldn’t help casting a quick look at Nathan and Sonia.

The way they stood close but not touching, the tension that emanated from them, their body language so familiar with each other—it was clear they were or had been lovers. And the pain in Sonia’s eyes had been real enough.

Here was one clue to his past, an answer to the unrelenting curiosity that had been eating through her. A streak of jealousy and self-doubt held her still.

Shaking, Riya wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. If only his taste would come off so easily. But her mind rallied quickly enough.

He had stopped so easily when he was done. She was nothing but a naive, curious entertainment to a man who built castles in the sky, to the man who made billions by selling an experience.

* * *

Riya avoided Nathan over the next few days. With enough workload to challenge her and the very real threat of losing Travelogue, it was easy. Not that she had been able to get that toe-curling kiss or Sonia and her stricken expression out of her mind.

Determined to assure Sonia, and herself, that there was nothing between her and Nathan, she had gone looking for her the next evening. Only to find that Sonia had left the island that morning.

The fact that Nathan had so neatly, and quietly, dispatched her infuriated Riya. How dare he comment on her conduct when he possessed no better standards? Was this the true Nathan, flitting from woman to woman and walking away when he was done? Why did she even care?

But she kept her thoughts to herself, the very absence of his easy humor over the next few days enough of a deterrent.

He was her employer, and Robert’s son.

She spent the rest of her days between work, fixing any defects for Travelogue’s software, and her nights, soaking up the sultry beauty of the island. One afternoon the day before they were set to leave, she was working in one of the bedrooms in the villa she was sharing with four other female members of the crew.

The bedroom had open walls, with three-hundred-and-sixty-degree views of the island, bringing cool breezes in. Riya smiled, having finally hit on a solution to a design problem she had been trying to solve for two days.

She stood up and took a long sip of her fruity drink with a straw umbrella when Nathan appeared at the entrance. The cold drink did nothing to fan the flames that the sight of him dressed in a white cotton T-shirt that showcased his lean chest and hard midriff and tight blue jeans ignited.

Wraparound shades hid his expression, but Riya couldn’t care. Her gaze glued itself to his freshly shaved angular jaw, traveled over his chin. The beard was gone, although there was already stubble again.

And the mouth it revealed sparked an instant hunger in her.

Men didn’t have, shouldn’t have mouths like his. Lush and sensual with the upper lip shaped like a perfect bow. A cushion of softness that contrasted against the roughness and hardness of the rest of him.

She had the most insane, overwhelming urge to walk up to him and press her lips to his again, to see how it would feel without the beard. She pointed her finger at him and heard the words fall from her mouth. “You shaved it.”

Instant heat flared in his gaze, and Riya gasped, only then realizing she had said it out loud.

“What did you say?” he said, coming farther into the room, and she wished she could disappear.

“Nothing,” she managed, lifting her gaze to his. “Were we supposed to meet?”

He looked behind her and saw the papers she had been scribbling on and her laptop. “Riya, why didn’t you go with the rest of them for the submarine tour? The marine life you get to see here is unparalleled. With your record, it’ll be another decade before you leave California again.”

His remark grated even as she was aware that it was true. “I was stuck on a tricky design problem and I wanted to resolve it. And I did. I have an initial model ready.”

The surprise flashing through his gaze went eons toward restoring her balance. “Already?” he said.

“You did put my life’s work under scrutiny and up for assessment,” she said sweetly, handing him her laptop.

More than once, her work had come to her rescue. From a young age, she had been comfortable around numbers and equations and then code. Because you could be sure y would come out when you put in x.

Not like people and emotions. Not like the crushing pain of abandonment and the cavern of self-doubt and longing it pushed you into. Nothing like this incessant confusion and analysis their kiss had plunged her into.

He made no reply to her comment. Took the laptop from her and sat down at the foot of the bed. After a full ten minutes, he closed her laptop and met her gaze. Shot her a couple of incisive questions. Finally he nodded. “It’s better than I expected.” A deafening sound whooshed in Riya’s ears.

“Upload the docs into the company’s cloud. I’ll have my head of IT take a look too. Travelogue can have this project based on how the rest of your team brings it together for beta testing. But, irrespective of your team, you’re RunAway material.”

The whooshing turned into a roar. Exhilaration coursed through her and she damped it down. Too many questions lingered in her, and Riya couldn’t untangle professional from personal ones. Only that he would always do this to her...make her wonder about things she shouldn’t want. “I don’t want another job. I want my company back.”

He stood up and faced her, close enough to see the small nick on the underside of his jaw. The scent of his aftershave made her mouth dry. “You’re halfway there, then.”

“Until you remember why I’m not signing over the estate?”

“Excuse me?”

“I would like to know what you have in store for me, how far you’re willing to go for...” When he waited with a grating patience, she said through gritted teeth, “You kissed me.”

Nathan frowned, fighting the impulse to kiss that wide mouth again. It was bad enough that damn kiss was all he could think about. Even the incident it had instigated with Sonia hadn’t been enough to temper the fire it had started in him. “And you kissed me back. I don’t see your point exactly.”

Something combative entered her eyes. “What happened to Sonia?”

The question instantly put him on guard. The hurt expression in Sonia’s eyes had been haunting him the past few days. And the fact that he had caused her pain, even after he’d been careful not to, scoured through him.

“None of your business,” he said, turning away from Riya.

Her hand on his arm stalled him. “Just answer the question, Nathan.”

“You think one kiss gives you the right to take me to task?”

“No. I’m trying to understand you.”

“Why?”

“You hold the fate of my company in your hand. You hold my fate in your hand. I don’t think it’s worth killing myself if you’re unscrupulous. If you make a habit of taking your employees as lovers and then firing them when things turn sour, I’d rather cut my losses now.”

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