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The handsome man sitting next to Juli on the bus leaned in and whispered in her ear. “I don’t want them to see me. Will you play along for a minute?”
Did he mean the two guys that just boarded as it prepared to leave?
“Yes,” she said. It came out as a squeak.
“Thank you.” He slid one hand behind her, the other lifting to tunnel into her hair. His gaze focused on her lips, and time seemed to stop.
Was he planning to kiss her? A complete stranger? Her heart clattered like a galloping horse. She should push him away.
She didn’t move.
He ducked his head, his face dangerously close.
As though they were on automatic pilot, her arms lifted to drape around his neck. His T-shirt was beautifully soft beneath her fingers. Was her breath fresh? Yes. She’d been chewing gum. Juli should be outraged, but she felt strangely excited.
He shifted to nuzzle against the side of her neck. “Don’t be scared.” His fragrant breath smelled of apples.
“I’m not,” she managed to reply. Then, as her sanity returned, she whispered again. “Who are they?”
He moved his head. She could tell he watched the men from behind the curtain of her hair. Long moments passed, and then he eased back further. She felt strangely bereft. He glanced across the aisle to his companions. His friend seemed to be reading the tour guide, while the girl chattered to the toddler. The two last-minute additions to the excursion sat near the front of the coach, facing away from them.
“Thanks for that. Let’s just say I’d rather they didn’t see me.” His body was close, his arm still draped across her shoulders.
Juli caught a flash of a tattoo peeping out from his short sleeve, but then he shifted position and it vanished from view.
Five minutes ago, she didn’t expect this to happen. She’d been waiting in line for the bus doors to open, fanning herself with a copy of the Wellington Summer Tourist Guide, and gazing at her fellow passengers from behind the safety of her sunglasses.
The guy ahead of her—the same one who almost just kissed her—had caught her attention. Tall and built, with cropped dark hair and the most wicked smile, he stood out from the crowd. Too hot to handle. She nicknamed him Mr Sexy.
He chatted to a pretty conker-haired young woman holding a wriggling toddler, and another guy who also scored highly on the attractiveness scales. The three of them pored over a copy of the same booklet Juli used to fan her face.
The woman smiled at each man in turn, and then handed the child to the first guy. Were they a couple? Just friends? And why did Juli care?
Whatever their relationship, these guys stuck to the woman’s side like glue, as the group inched forward toward the bus.
“Down,” said the child and squirmed some more.
“Okay.” Mr Sexy bent to place the kid on the ground. In doing so he took a step back and almost trod on Juli’s foot, grazing against it as she moved out of the way.
He spun around. “Hey,” he said. “Did I just stomp on you? I’m really sorry.”
She liked his American accent. And his good manners. And his apologetic smile.
“It’s okay. You missed me.” She couldn’t help returning his smile. She’d have liked to come up with a witty remark, but jetlag wasn’t her friend, and her brain was firing at half-speed.
He looked about to say something, when the line began to move and his buddy nudged him. Mr Sexy gave Juli another smile and returned to his companions.
Juli wished she had a friend to share the bus tour with. She knew one other person taking this excursion—Nick Anderson, the charismatic Marketing Director of TM-Tech—but purely on the basis of a ten-minute introduction in the airport lounge. On the flight across from London, he sat several rows away, and now he was at the front of the queue, with his wife and colleagues.
This was Juli’s first trip to New Zealand, a place she always wanted to visit, so why wasn’t she happier?
She felt like a fish out of water. She was certainly tired, but this was a business trip, and she had to be on her A-game.
Juli boarded the bus and snagged a window seat. The young woman with the toddler and the second guy sat across the aisle from her. Where was their companion?
“Mind if I join you?” Mr Sexy smiled down at her.
He probably wanted to sit near his friends, but Juli wasn’t complaining. “Please do.” She tried not to watch as he stashed a camera bag in the overhead rack, tickled the child under the chin, and then dropped into the seat next to her.
His foot knocked against hers. “Oops. Sorry.” He flashed her another friendly smile, and then he leaned across to his friends and chatted to them in an undertone.
Juli tried to place his accent. American, but she couldn’t be more specific about his light drawl. She smiled out of her window, as the remainder of the passengers boarded. The day was looking up.
The six-hour tour was intended for visitors to Wellington. According to the brochure, it would head north, taking a trip across Paekakariki Hill Road, then continue up to the Kapiti Coast for lunch and shopping, with a side-trip to Queen Elizabeth Park. It sounded fun, and better than sitting in her hotel room all day, brooding over Philip.
Yes, sitting next to Mr Sexy was way more fun than she expected.
He smiled at her. “By the way, I’m Jack,” he said.
She inhaled his woody-smelling aftershave. Damn, he smelled as good as he looked, and she gazed at him, entranced. Any residual thoughts of her soon-to-be-ex Philip dissolved.
“My name’s Juli.”
“Hello, Juli.” He tried to copy her French pronunciation, Zhoo-lee. “Exotic.”
She laughed softly. “It’s Pascal, actually.”
She feasted her eyes on him and tried to memorize the details, to enjoy again later. There were little laughter lines around his eyes. The hint of a scar curving under his jawline. Blue eyes so dark she could fall into them. And white, strong teeth.
He looked as though he should be starring in an action movie, instead of sitting on a tour bus with her.
~ * ~
To carry on reading, buy Shattering the Trust
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If she trusts the wrong man, she could wind up dead
Juli’s business trip to New Zealand should be awesome. Throw in front row tickets to see her favourite band while she’s there? Perfect.
That’s before she learns she’s in danger from a terrorist splinter cell. She has information on a new technology, and they want it, at any cost.
Falling for one of the band’s bodyguards should make her feel safer. But the one man she needs to trust hasn’t been honest about who he’s really working for.
If Juli can’t separate the truth from the lies, her technology will get turned into a potent weapon, and the world will pay the price.