He let out a low groan and she licked over his lips, pushing gently so he’d open his mouth to her advance. And then, as she’d hoped, he took control of the kiss.

He pulled her into his lap, deepening the kiss, sliding his tongue across hers in a gentle exploration. Her body molded to his perfectly. She leaned into him, enjoying the hard wall of muscle against her much softer body.

She was tall, nearly five-ten, but he was still a head taller than her. If they were standing her head would tuck perfectly underneath his chin and she’d only have to angle her mouth up a bit to kiss him.

She was the first to break the kiss but she wasn’t finished. Not yet. She started at the corner of his mouth where the scar began and she kissed a gentle line over the entire puckered slash that ended close to his eye.

“You are beautiful,” she whispered. “To me, you are.”

He framed her shoulders in his hands and pulled her away, regret simmering in his eyes. But there was also answering desire. He actually picked her up and deposited her back onto the sofa and then backed off, standing a distance away.

“That shouldn’t have happened,” he said hoarsely.

He dragged a hand raggedly through his hair and looked away.

“Besides the fact that my job is to protect you, you’re so far out of my league it’s not even funny. I don’t even exist on the same plane as you.”

Her eyes narrowed as she stared back at him, unwilling to give an inch.

“Don’t you think it’s me who gets to decide who’s in my league?”

“A woman like you doesn’t have to go slumming,” he said bluntly. “You could have any man you want.”

“Apparently not,” she murmured, looking pointedly at him.

He stared back at her in clear confusion. “Why me?”

She smiled ruefully. “Attraction doesn’t follow a set of rules, you know. But I know that I don’t look at the others like I look at you. I don’t feel any chemistry with them, or anyone else for that matter. Can you deny that you feel it too?”

His lips tightened and he cursed softly beneath his breath. “No, I don’t deny it, but that’s not the point. I have a job to do and I can’t do that job if I’m distracted, and babe, you’re definitely a distraction.”

She smiled, pleased with the irritation in his voice. He didn’t want to be attracted to her and he was fighting it, but he was. She’d just have to work a little harder to crack through all those barriers he was putting up.

Playing the temptress was definitely new to her. She wouldn’t have thought she had it in her to be so bold. But then she’d never met a man who made her feel this way. She wasn’t entirely sure what she was experiencing here, but she knew she wanted this man.

And yeah, she was a job, but people met and fell in love all the time. Who was to say it couldn’t be that way for her and Swanny?

Whoa. Talk about getting way ahead of herself. She was already planning their future and he was pushing her away as quickly as she was pushing toward him.

“Don’t push me away,” she said in a quiet voice. “I’m attracted to you. I don’t sleep around, though you might think so because I’m being so forward with you. I’ve just never met someone I’ve felt this kind of chemistry with. I’d be a fool not to see where it takes us.”

He looked utterly shell-shocked. He swallowed visibly and then ran a hand through his hair again.

“Jesus,” he muttered. “The world’s most beautiful woman thinks I’m beautiful and I’m telling her we can’t get involved. I either need my head examined or need to make sure my balls are still attached.”

She laughed, her lips turning up into a broad smile. “Just something to think about. We’ll be spending a lot of time together over the next while. I just want you to promise me you won’t start avoiding me. I like you. I feel comfortable with you. Much more so than with the others.”

“I don’t particularly want to get my heart broken,” he said dryly. “When you move on and the job is over, am I just supposed to forget about you and move on like nothing ever happened?”

Her brow furrowed. “Is that what you think I’ll do? Break your heart? Here I was contemplating that you’d be the one to break my heart. But we’re getting way ahead of ourselves here. I just want your promise that you won’t try to avoid me over the next several days.”

He sighed. “Okay, I promise. But I still think you’re crazy and when you come to your senses, you’re going to think you lost your mind.”

She rolled her eyes. “You can’t blame this on the situation or that I have some kind of savior complex about you. There are three other guys on your team and I feel nothing for any of them.”

“Well, thank f**k for that,” Swanny muttered.

“Will you at least come sit with me?” she asked. “We still have a long flight and I’d like your company.”

He seemed to battle with himself over the simple request, and then he gave in and slid onto the couch beside her.

“You should get some rest,” he said gruffly. “I looked over your itinerary and it’s booked solid for the next several days. I don’t know how you manage to work those kind of hours.”

Without asking permission, she snuggled into his side and looped her arm across his midsection. He went still, his entire body vibrating with tension, but he didn’t pull away.