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The Boss: A Cozy Romance 11
Despite his experience with women, Rafael surveyed her with something approaching incredulity. How was she managing to turn elemental sex into a conversation topic? He spread his hands in a gesture of mounting exasperation, trying to rein in the ferocious surge of animal lust that still threatened to engulf him. ‘Isn’t it obvious? I find you sexy.’ She tilted her head back and fastened him with her gaze. ‘But you don’t like me, do you?’ Rafael clenched his jaw. Never, if he lived a million years, would he understand a woman’s drive to question the blindingly obvious. ‘And how is that relevant?’ ‘I can’t believe you just asked me that.’ She rubbed a hand over her face to remove the raindrops that still clung. ‘You were kissing me.’ ‘And you were kissing me back.’ ‘Yes.’ She met his gaze without flinching. ‘But then I stopped you. I can’t have a relationship with someone who doesn’t like me. It doesn’t feel right.’ Remembering the heat of her mouth against his, Rafael was about to
The Boss: A Cozy Romance 12
THEY walked without speaking, but were spared an awkward silence by the chorus of birds and frogs chirping and monkeys chattering, the now familiar rainforest sounds that provided a constant accompaniment to their physical efforts.Occasionally Rafael glanced over his shoulder and looked at her but his gaze didn’t linger and she wasn’t even sure why he was checking on her because she had the distinct impression that he wouldn’t have minded if she’d fallen head first into the river that now bubbled cheerfully alongside the path.Clearly he was wishing himself alone in his rainforest hideaway.She’d made the mistake of trying to reach out and touch his deep, dark secrets and, like an injured predator, he’d given her a warning.Keep your distance.Don’t come too close.So keep her distance she would and she wouldn’t go too close.They’d visit the fazenda as planned, walk back to his lodge and then he’d give her his answer about her business. And whatever that answer was, she’d lea
The Boss: A Cozy Romance 13
‘What are they saying?’‘They’re telling you that the coffee is grown in shade in the forest. In that way none of the forest is destroyed and the trees fiX nitrogen in the soil which helps the coffee bushes grow.’ He broke off as Filomena spoke to them. ‘She says that keeping the trees prevents erosion and protects the coffee from the harsh weather. The natural sugars increase and enhance the flavour of the coffee.’‘And the fallen leaves provide nutrients and help prevent moisture loss from the soil.’ Grace smiled and nodded. ‘Please tell them that I understand the benefits of shade-grown coffee. Every café has a wall devoted to telling that story. People enjoy their coffee knowing that they’re preserving a small part of the rainforest.’‘A marketing goldmine, I’m sure.’ A flicker of contempt in his eyes, Rafael studied her for a moment and then turned and spoke quietly to the woman. She responded immediately with lots of hand-waving and glances towards her husband. Voices were ra
The Boss: A Cozy Romance 14
She intended to find an answer to both questions just as soon as she’d persuaded Rafael Cordeiro that she was innocent.But did it really matter what he thought of her?What really mattered more than anything was that these people, these gentle, hospitable people, thought her guilty.And perhaps, in a way, she was guilty, she thought miserably as she sifted through the sparse facts at her disposal.True, she hadn’t taken the money but it was her business, her accounts, and she hadn’t noticed that anything was amiss.Racked with contrition for the fact that they’d suffered because of her, she tried to work out what she could do to make amends. Impulsively she dropped to her knees and took Filomena’s hand in hers.‘I will find out what’s happened and I will repay the money we owe to you. Your family will not suffer,’ she promised, her voice shaking with emotion. She turned her head and spoke to Rafael, her voice fierce. ‘Translate for me.’His eyes were cold. ‘I don’t believe in g
The Boss: A Cozy Romance 15
THE walk back through the rainforest to Forest Lodge was charged with tension, the atmosphere between them snapped taut after the outpouring of emotion at the fazenda. And that was hardly surprising, Rafael said to himself as his long legs swallowed up the distance. Women were never at their best when they’d been found out. And Grace Thacker had been well and truly found out. There was no more hiding. Her fraud was exposed, the consequences of her actions thrust in her face. With him standing over her shoulder and Filomena crying, she’d had little choice but to express guilt and remorse and she’d done it most convincingly. In fact, she’d been extremely convincing. If he hadn’t known it to be impossible, he would have thought that the accusations levelled at her had come as a surprise. Indeed, her shocked response and her almost remarkable display of self-condemnation had both been sufficiently compelling to have him on the verge of reaching out with words of comfort and support. He
The Boss: A Cozy Romance 16
Glancing over her shoulder, Grace tried to memorise the way back to the lodge. And then the trees seemed to open up and the path widened. And there, in front of them, was the pool. Grace caught her breath in surprise and delight. The frothy white waterfall poured over the rocks above and spilled into a large pool bordered by huge boulders and tall ferns. Surrounded by trees, exotic plants and birds and butterflies of every conceivable colour, the pool water gathered up the evening light and sparkled as though a million precious jewels lurked beneath the surface. ‘It’s beautiful.’ She glanced around her and Maria nodded. ‘It’s safe, but not at night-time. And be careful walking back to the lodge. It’s very easy to take the wrong path. Turn left and then right.’ Grace was looking at the pool. The walk through the jungle and the shocking revelations about her business had left her feeling drained and exhausted. It would be a relief to strip off, cool down and relax. Then, perhaps,
The Boss: A Cozy Romance 17
RAFAEL WAS ALREADY seated at the table when she arrived on the terrace. He had a drink in his hand and his blue shirt was open at the neck and revealed just enough bronzed male flesh to draw her eyes for longer than she would have liked. Even dressed casually he looked cool, sophisticated and way out of her league.She scanned his handsome features and her heart bumped crazily against her chest. What was it about him that had such a powerful impact on her?She didn’t know and she didn’t understand it. But she knew that whatever had scarred him in the past, however bad his experiences had been, she didn’t want him to think her guilty of fraud.She hadn’t intended to bring the subject up again but how could she not? No matter how hard she tried to push the whole thing away until tomorrow, the guilt kept intruding. ‘You must think I’m awful,’ she said impulsively as she slid into her chair, ‘taking money from those people. I know that I’m sort of guilty because it’s my company but I w
The Boss: A Cozy Romance 18
The smooth lift of his eyebrows drew attention to the fact that she’d just revealed that she’d been watching him work.‘I couldn’t sleep that well last night,’ she confessed hastily, ‘and I was looking out of my window. I saw you. Working on the computer. Talking on the phone.’ Sleepless. Driven. What were you thinking of down there in the dark with only a flickering screen for company? What demons robbed you of sleep?‘I had work to do.’ But the cold brevity of his statement didn’t convince her and she sensed his withdrawal. Not physically. Physically he hadn’t moved. But emotionally, something had shifted. The simmering connection between them was damped down by something cold and remote and she knew for sure that he lived with darkness. Something dark and painful that haunted him and she knew that his wakeful night had nothing to do with work and everything to do with his own personal demons.Who had twisted his view of life?Was it his wife or was it more?She felt a flash of
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