The Virgin Secretary's Impossible Boss

‘Get the other side of this, lad. And your good lady, too.’

Linus wrenched his gaze away from Andi to look at the landlord as he stood beside the armchair holding two glasses of amber liquid. Probably whisky, Linus acknowledged ruefully as he gratefully took one of the glasses and held the rim next to Andi’s lips. ‘Drink,’ he instructed firmly as she made no effort to do so.

Andi’s throat moved convulsively as she acknowledged that there was something in Linus’s eyes just now as he looked down at her, an awareness that only increased her own wariness about spending these four days alone with him in Scotland.

She obediently sipped the golden liquid, almost choking on the unaccustomed alcohol as the whisky slid down her throat to burst into a fiery warmth as it reached her stomach, warming her from the inside out. Thawing Andi enough for her to realize she was sitting on Linus’s thighs and still cradled in his arms.

She struggled to sit up, taking the glass of whisky from his hand as she stood up and moved sharply away from him, averting her face to stare into the fire as she sensed his questioning gaze following her movements.

What had happened just now?

She had looked up into Linus’s face and seen—what? Awareness, certainly. Desire, possibly. Almost as if Linus had been looking at her for the first time. And perhaps he had. Andi certainly bore little resemblance today to the prim no-nonsense PA she chose to present to him in the office. Her hair fell loosely about her shoulders; her denims and jumper were much more casual than anything she would ever wear to the office. She felt strangely vulnerable without the shield of her tailored business-suits and blouses. Especially if that change had also affected the way Linus viewed her.

She suddenly became aware of the conversation taking place between Linus and the landlord.

‘Get my wife to make up the room,’ the landlord murmured before hurrying away and disappearing through a door marked ‘private’ .

‘Do you want the good news or the bad news?’

There was a frown between Andi’s brows as she turned to look at Linus, her inability to think clearly telling her that she still hadn’t recovered from the freezing cold outside. Or perhaps that was the effect of the whisky. Or, more likely, being held in Linus’s arms a few minutes ago…

‘The bad news first, I suppose,’ she invited through lips that tingled painfully with renewed feeling.

Linus nodded. ‘The bad news is this is just a pub, not a hotel, so the landlord doesn’t normally rent out rooms for the night.’

Andi blinked. ‘And the good news…?’ she prompted warily.

He grimaced. ‘He does have a bedroom he can let us use for the night. It’s his daughter’s bedroom, but she’s away at university at the moment.’

Andi moistened dry lips. ‘A bedroom—singular…?’

‘Bedroom, singular,’ Linus confirmed, his eyes narrowed.

‘You aren’t suggesting the two of us share that bedroom?’ Andi frowned across the room at him, those chocolate-brown eyes gleaming with indignation.

Linus scowled darkly at Andi’s obvious dismay at the mere suggestion they might have to share a bedroom for the night. What the hell did she think he was going to do, ravish her as soon as they were alone in the bedroom together?

Not that it was an altogether unacceptable idea when Andi was looking so damned beautiful; Linus just didn’t like the obvious implication that he couldn’t keep his hands—or any other part of his anatomy!—to himself.

His gaze narrowed. ‘You would prefer that we go back out into the snow instead and try to look for somewhere that has two bedrooms available?’

‘No, of course not.’ She snapped her irritation. ‘But—it—you could always sleep down here,’ she added hopefully.

Apart from the armchair Linus was sitting in, there was only one other, and then bench seats and diningroom chairs placed about the empty tables.

He shook his head. ‘I prefer the comfort of a bed. I have no objections to you sleeping down here if that’s what you want to do,’ he added harshly as Andi’s frown deepened. ‘Of course, the landlord might think that a little strange, as he seems to have assumed that we’re a couple.’

‘Then you can just unassume him!’ The hand not holding the whisky glass clenched into a fist at Andi’s side. ‘I am not sharing a bedroom with you, Linus,’ she repeated firmly.

‘What is your problem, Andi?’ Linus barked impatiently.

‘I—you—we…’ Andi gave an incredulous shake of her head, totally panicked—aware of him as she was—at the thought of sharing a bedroom with Linus. ‘You’re my boss. I work for you!’

His eyes glittered mockingly. ‘And that precludes us sharing a bedroom?’

‘According to you, yes!’ she reminded him a little more desperately than she would have wished. ‘You don’t get involved with your female employees, remember?’

‘Sharing a bedroom doesn’t mean we’re involved.’

‘It doesn’t mean we’re uninvolved, either!’

Linus’s gaze moved over her in slow appraisal. ‘I’ll keep my hands to myself if you will.’

‘This is so—so ungentlemanly of you!’

Linus shrugged, unconcerned. ‘I don’t remember ever claiming to be a gentleman.’

‘Just as well!’ she breathed frustratedly. ‘You—’

‘We’ll talk about this later, Andi,’ Linus snapped, and turned questioningly to the landlord as he bustled back into the room.

‘The missus already had some broth simmering in the pot,’ the elderly man announced with satisfaction. ‘She’s put some bread in to bake to go with it while she goes upstairs to make the bed.’

It felt good to hear the faint Scottish burr in the other man’s voice, making Linus realize how much he missed his homeland and the warmth of its people.

Linus had left Scotland years ago, of course, having accepted that he could either remain a big fish in a small pond or become an even bigger fish in a much bigger pond by moving to London and investing his money in property there. He had never regretted making that move—how could he when it had made him his fortune? But just hearing the Scottish accent again reminded him that this was still his home.

‘How long do you expect this blizzard to last?’ Andi was the one to question the landlord tightly.

‘Och, this is no a blizzard,’ the elderly man assured her indulgently as he heard her English accent. ‘This is no but a bit of a flurry.’

Andi’s eyes widened. A bit of a flurry…God help them if it should turn into a blizzard!

‘Sassenach,’ Linus confided in the other man dryly.

Andi had absolutely no idea what that word meant, but she felt sure from the condescending smile that passed between the two men that it must be something derogatory. She gave Linus a censorious frown before turning back to the landlord. ‘How long is this flurry expected to last, then?’

‘No more than a couple of days,’ he said dismissively.

‘A couple of days?’ Andi echoed with dismay as visions of herself and Linus marooned here for two days—and nights—popped unbidden into her head.

‘A blizzard usually lasts a week or more.’ The landlord nodded, unconcerned.

‘How…reassuring,’ Andi murmured weakly as she dropped down into the armchair opposite Linus’s—a mockingly amused Linus if the taunting laughter in those pale, green eyes was anything to go by.

Andi could find nothing about this situation that was in the least amusing. How could she, when just the thought of sharing a bedroom with Linus made her feel weak at the knees? Especially so after the intimacy of his earlier remarks.

‘I’ll just go and check on your food,’ the landlord murmured nervously after shooting unhappy glances at Andi and Linus as their gazes remained locked in silent battle.

Andi sat forward in her chair once the two of them were alone. ‘Linus, you really can’t be serious about the two of us staying here and sharing a bedroom?’

Linus shrugged out of the warmth of his jacket before answering her. ‘I’m open to any other suggestions you might have. Viable ones,’ he added warningly as Andi would have spoken. He raised mocking brows as he settled back into his chair. ‘Just because I’m a man and you’re a woman does not mean I’m going to pounce on you as soon as we’re alone in a bedroom together!’

Her cheeks flushed. ‘I never imagined that it did.’

‘Perhaps you think you might be tempted to pounce on me?’

Her eyes narrowed. ‘Linus.’

‘Andi?’ he came back challengingly.

Once again Andi’s chaotic thoughts were brought to an abrupt halt as instead she eyed Linus uncertainly, the dangerous glitter of his gaze enough to tell her she would be unwise to pursue this particular subject at the moment.

The whole idea of her and Linus sharing a bedroom for the night was unwise…

She drew in a ragged breath. ‘This is all your fault.’

‘I’m hardly responsible for the weather, Andi.’ He gave an impatient shake of his head.

Her eyes darkened almost to black. ‘You’re responsible for my being in Scotland—that’s enough reason for me to blame you entirely for this mess!’

‘What mess?’ he bit out impatiently. ‘As the landlord has already said, this is nothing but a bit of a flurry. He shrugged. ‘A couple of days and we can be on our way.’

‘Just in time for your stupid rugby-match, I suppose? Twenty-two men trying to beat each other’s heads in.’

‘Thirty men—this is rugby, Andi, not football—and they aren’t trying to “beat each other’s heads in”.’ Linus’s mouth tightened. ‘The object of the game is to score tries by running with the ball and placing it over the line.’

‘Whenever I’ve accidentally caught a glimpse of a match on television—as I’m changing channels, of course—’

‘Oh, of course!’

She nodded. ‘There just seems to be a tangle of arms, legs and bodies thrashing about on the ground.’

‘That’s because the other object of the game is for the opposing team to stop their opponents from scoring those tries.’

Andi gave a disdainful snort. ‘I’m not convinced, Linus.’

‘I’m not trying to convince you!’ He stood up to pace impatiently. ‘You’re obviously a complete philistine when it comes to the magnificent game of rugby.’

‘Magnificent!’ She sniffed inelegantly. ‘I suppose you know all about it?’

He gave a cool nod. ‘As it happens, I do. I was record holder for the most tries and conversions scored my last year at school.’

‘That explains a lot.’

Linus’s gaze narrowed warningly. ‘Would you care to explain?’

‘No, I don’t think I will.’ Andi stood up in one fluid movement, relieved as she did so to find that her limbs had completely thawed out now. ‘“Sassenach”…?’ she prompted scathingly.

Linus gave a dismissive shrug. ‘Someone from England.’

Andi continued to look at him suspiciously for several seconds, sure there was more to that word than he was telling her; it had certainly sounded derogatory.

‘I’m going to ask the landlord if he has a bathroom where I can freshen up,’ she said abruptly. ‘If you’re serious about our staying here tonight.’

‘Oh, I am, Andi,’ he murmured huskily.

‘Then our bags are still outside in the Range Rover,’ she told him pointedly, her expression turning to one of quiet satisfaction as Linus’s face creased into a pained grimace. He turned to look out of the window and realized he would have to go back out into the still heavily falling snow to retrieve those bags. ‘Have fun!’ Andi added tauntingly as she went through the doorway marked ‘private’ .

Her smile faded, however, as soon as she was alone in the hallway, and she paused to lean back weakly against the wall.

She couldn’t share a bedroom with Linus tonight. Possibly tomorrow night too, if the weather didn’t let up. In fact, she trembled just at the thought of it.

Linus’s complete dismissal of the significance of the two of them sharing a bedroom wasn’t flattering, either.

Andi had been traumatized for months after her father and David had died. She hadn’t so much as looked at another man, let alone been attracted to one. But slowly that insidious awareness of Linus had crept into her battered emotions. How could any healthy, red-blooded woman work with him on a day-to-day basis and not be aware of the hard vitality of his body and the rugged handsomeness of his chiselled features?

Andi certainly couldn’t.

Which wasn’t going to help the situation at all when Andi found herself alone in a bedroom with Linus later this evening!

CHAPTER THREE

‘THERE’S only one bed!’

‘And your point is…?’ Linus came back dryly as he carried their bags into the small but comfortable bedroom that had been assigned to them for the night. A warming fire already burned in the small hearth; the only furniture in the room was a bed, a chair and a desk.

He had taken advantage of Andi’s absence to pull his jacket back on and go back outside for their bags. The snow was still falling as heavily, and the wind just as remorseless and icy cold. Linus had been relieved just to make it back to the inn.

‘You didn’t say anything about there being only one bed,’ Andi persisted, her cheeks flushed as she continued to stare at that bed.

Whether with temper or something else, Linus wasn’t sure.

‘Jim and Jennie have one daughter, hence there’s only one bed.’ He dropped their bags onto the carpeted floor, completely ignoring Andi’s pained wince as they landed with a thud.

Her gaze was accusing. ‘You knew there was only one bed?’

Linus shrugged. ‘I guessed that might be the case, yes. Stop being such a damned prude, Andi.’ He scowled as she continued to look at him wide-eyed.

The heated emotions Linus aroused in Andi were totally new to her, and all the more disturbing. Because, although Andi had been engaged to marry David, she had never been so completely physically aware of him as she was Linus. She was so aware of him that she trembled just at the thought of having to share that bed with him.

If Andi had learnt anything about Linus the last year, it was that he had absolutely no interest in a permanent relationship. That the moment any of the women who flitted in and out of his bed on a regular basis showed any signs of expecting a commitment from him, they were quietly and discreetly excluded from his life.

Linus had informed her only yesterday that such exclusion had also included any of his previous PAs who had shown an interest in a personal relationship with him.

‘Maybe you’re worried, sharing a bed, you might be driven mad with lust for me?’ Linus mocked softly.

‘Hardly,’ Andi snapped.

‘Then there’s no problem, is there?’ He dismissed her unconcerned.

Andi drew in a sharp breath. ‘Have you shared a bed with any woman in the last twenty years or so and not made love with her?’

‘Of course I—’ Linus broke off his instant rebuttal to give the question careful consideration instead. ‘No, I never have,’ he finally conceded. ‘But I’m sure there has to be a first time for everything.’

‘Does there?’

‘You know, you’re really starting to irritate me now, Andi,’ he rasped harshly. ‘Okay, so you’re beautiful and you have a fantastic body—especially in those tight denims and that body-hugging green sweater you’re currently wearing—but that doesn’t mean I’m going to attempt to make love to you the moment I have you alone in a bed!’

Andi’s thoughts were in turmoil. Linus thought she was beautiful and had a fantastic body…

The knowledge almost made her want to groan out loud. It certainly made her completely aware of the tight denims and body-hugging green sweater she was currently wearing.

‘Well, that’s really helped to clarify the situation,’ she muttered disgustedly. ‘I’ll sleep in the chair.’

Linus arched dark brows. ‘Trying to make me feel bad, Andi?’

‘Am I succeeding?’

‘No.’ He grimaced.

‘That’s what I thought.’ She gave a rueful nod.

Andi looked at him searchingly, noting as she did so the lines of tiredness beside his eyes and mouth. Those sculptured lips that had surely been designed to drive a woman wild…

Stop it, Andi, she instantly instructed herself firmly. Imagining what it would be like to be kissed by Linus, to feel his lips and hands on her body, really wasn’t helping this already fraught situation.

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