Forbidden Fantasies 19: Taken Beyond Temptation by Cara Summers

Author:Cara Summers [Summers, Cara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance
Publisher: Harlequin Blaze
Published: 2010-05-12T04:00:00+00:00

9

SHE WHIRLED TO SEE her stranger. Jack Ryan, she reminded herself. Jack Ryan. “You.”

“Me. And the offer still stands. I go to the gym and use a punching bag when I get angry. They’re a couple of real jerks.”

She took a deep breath and let it out. “Just distract me until they’re inside. I want to yell something rude at them. And that would be childish.”

“I can understand the impulse. But the effort would be wasted. They’re not very good listeners.”

She narrowed her eyes. “And you know that because?”

“Your manager sent me to find you about twenty minutes ago to let you know their rooms were ready. Their own rooms. They don’t have to move into mine after all. But I didn’t want to interrupt.”

She tilted her head to study him more closely. “So you eavesdropped instead.”

“They’re inside, by the way.”

She took a step toward him. “I’m more interested in you right now. Why did Avery send you? Aren’t you supposed to be fixing the glitch in the software system?”

“Avery sent me because you have my key, and the crisis is well on the way to being over. The lobby is practically cleared. The guests have returned to happy-camper mode and are either out in the courtyard having brunch or they’re heading down to the beach. Not a bad idea since it’s already in the low nineties.”

“What was wrong?”

Ian debated a moment. It was just like her to zero in on the important question. He’d given Avery his professional opinion—someone had hacked into the hotel’s reservation system and shut it down. The question was whether or not to tell Jillian. He decided to give her the vague version. “The system shut down. I was able to get it started again.”

“Jenkins and son said a similar thing had happened to them and they predicted significant financial losses because of it.”

“Yeah, so I heard.”

She fisted her hands on her hips. “And just how much of our conversation did you overhear?”

Since he’d deflected her from the issue of someone sabotaging her hotel’s software system, he decided to go with the truth. “I reached the ballroom just in time to catch the history of all the previous owners who have failed to establish successful businesses here at Haworth House.” He’d found that piece of information interesting and intended to have Cody Marsh look into it further.

She closed her eyes, whirled to pace a few steps away, then walked back. “The whole thing was a setup. Colonel Jenkins and his son never intended to offer me a consulting position.” She waved a hand. “All they wanted was to plant enough worries that I might convince my sisters to sell.”

Her voice was on the rise, Ian noticed. Not that he blamed her. It had been a setup, and a pretty insulting one at that. He was pretty sure her voice wasn’t carrying to the inner courtyard of the hotel, but just in case, he took her arm. “Why don’t we take a walk in the maze? It will offer some shade and you can continue your rant in a more private venue.

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