Sinfully Summer by Aimee Duffy

stepped closer, her eyes burning. Arousal flashed alongside his irritation, angering him more. ‘And as you saw last night, I wasn’t drunk even though I’m on holiday and had every bloody right to be. If it wasn’t for you blackmailing me I’d be lying on the beach right now working on my tan.’
    Alexa’s arms had switched position to her hips in her onslaught, tightening the fabric across the contours of her breasts. Her nipples stood to attention behind the material and all Ric could focus on was the sound of her harsh breathing, the remembered image of all that silky skin beneath and he was a heartbeat away from losing control.
    ‘I didn’t blackmail you,’ he insisted. ‘If you hadn’t behaved the way you did, I would never have had to give you the ultimatum.’
    She stepped closer, anger pounding off her petite frame in waves. He had a vision of her on the bed beneath him, her wild hair spread around her face using both their anger to push each other to unknown pleasure.
    ‘You arrogant—’
    Ric grabbed Alexa around the waist and lifted her up so they were eye to eye. Backing her into the wall, he fought every urge he had to close the gap between their faces and kiss her. She gasped, her eyes wide with surprise as her hands circled his arms for support. But then something shifted in her expression, her eyes darkened and her gaze dropped to his lips.
    Ric forced himself to remember why giving in to this attraction was a bad idea. He lowered her to the floor. ‘Enough. We need to figure out a way out of here.’
    Alexa’s gaze dropped from his face, her hands clenched into fists and he regretted the outburst. After all, he had been the one to lose control. Again. Not her. He pulled his wallet from his trousers and slid out a credit card.
    ‘What are you doing?’ she asked.
    Something he thought he’d never do again, but he had no idea when Justin and Mark would be back. ‘Let me try something.’
    He slid the card in the gap between the door and frame, just above the handle. After tilting the far side down, he held on with both hands and prayed a platinum Visa card was strong enough to shift the metal release.
    ‘Hold onto the handle and pull when I tell you.’
    Alexa obeyed, her eyes wide as she looked up at him. Again she was too close, he caught the scent of flowers, felt her chest heave against him with every breath. He forced himself to focus on the task at hand. Sliding the card down, he hooked it on the curve of the catch and pushed at an angle. The mechanism moved. ‘Pull.’
    Alexa hauled the door open. He dodged out of the way but heard a crack a second before she cupped her forehead.
    ‘Ow!’
    ‘Alexa, let me see.’
    She backed away from him, her hand still plastered to her forehead. Her eyes watered, but she didn’t make a sound. The swell of guilt he felt pushed him forward until he pulled her wrist away. An angry red, vertical line travelled the expanse of the skin.
    ‘Come on, there should be ice in the galley.’
    He stalked toward the kitchen knowing she’d follow. The sound of feet padding on the wooden floor stopped before they reached the end of the hall. He turned to see her pull her phone out of one of the pockets on the dress.
    ‘My head’s fine. I’m going to take some photos and get back to the hotel. I have work of my own to catch up on.’
    He followed her up the stairs, cursing himself all the way. There was no reason to snap at Alexa. It wasn’t her fault he couldn’t keep the burning desire he felt for her at bay. He had to find a way to control himself. He had to help with the clean-up at the site over the weekend, and wouldn’t see her until next week. That should be plenty of time to put things into perspective.
    After the crazy Friday, Alexa was determined to have as much fun as possible. The weekend passed in a blur of giggles, shopping and quality time on the beach. She hadn’t seen or heard from Ric on Monday, and managed to plan out a draft guest