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stained with red wine. So much for trying to find out his bad points. Other than an ex-wife and a daughter he hardly saw, Nate Somers had too many ticks in all the right boxes: easy to talk to, funny, work was his life, and they had many things in common, including the love of red wine, tropical island holidays and attending Spring Racing Carnivals.
    After their meal, they strolled along the boardwalk toward the Somers Residential Tower. Nate stopped and leaned on the railing overlooking the water. The breeze danced through his short brown hair. “Would you believe that this stay in Australia will be one of my longest anywhere? I’m usually never in one place for more than a month.”
    “Well, Sydney is a beautiful city. I’m sure you’ll find things to do to keep you entertained.” Jessica settled back against the railing next to him and enjoyed the cool evening air upon her face.
    “I don’t have a lot of spare time, but I already like what I see.” Nate turned. He stood barely a body-width in front of her. “But I wasn’t anticipating anything like you. You’re impossible to ignore.” Nate hesitated, his eyes searching her face.
    His close proximity caught her off guard. Jessica felt her cheeks color. She wanted to blame the alcohol, but the presence of this man before her had her unraveling. Where had all her years of professional conduct gone? As if the ground turned to quicksand, she felt herself sinking further and further under the spell of Nate Somers. His alluring voice pulled her along like the Pied Piper.
    She had to resist, but was unable to look away. “I think you’re suffering from delusion.”
    He lowered his head toward hers. The scent of his spicy cologne filled her senses and Jessica felt her body temperature rise as he closed the gap between them. She closed her eyes and held her breath. Her body tensed and waited for his lips to press against hers.
    But they never came.
    She opened her eyes to see Nate’s darkened with desire, just inches from hers.
    “Am I?” His lip curled at the corners.
    Why had he stopped? No, that’s a good thing. Jessica blinked several times to regain her composure. Flushed with embarrassment, she stepped away. “Yes. I think we should head back. It’s been a long day.”

Chapter 3
    Thanks to strict advertising deadlines and conflicting meetings, Jessica and her team had a late night of work ahead of them as they arrived at Somers Residential Tower on Thursday evening. Their first run of promotions and advertisements was due tomorrow and the whole crew was full of energy.
    Nate met them in the lobby. “Come, we’re going up to my apartment. There’s more room for us all to work, and the view is spectacular.”
    Jessica’s jaw strained and her palms went clammy at the thought. His apartment? Even though she was going to have others around her, the prospect of spending an evening working in his private dwelling made her break out in a cold sweat. She needed space, distance and formal settings to avoid intimate situations with Nate. Since Monday evening, she’d failed dismally to not think about his lips and what they would taste like. The chemistry between them was impossible to ignore. Regardless, the flame needed to be extinguished. She sucked in a long hard breath to calm herself down as Nate led them into the elevators and headed on up to his floor.
    Nate’s apartment was sleek and luxurious like the rest of the residential complex. In the dimly lit room, white furniture stood out against the plush, charcoal-colored carpet. A leather modular couch surrounded a glossy coffee table scattered with newspapers and magazines. Full-length glass windows framed spectacular views over Darling Harbour, Sydney Wharf Apartments and the casino, all of which looked peaceful from thirty-two stories up.
    Jessica noted the empty suitcase left standing by the far wall, a sole photo frame on top of the sideboard; laptop and work folders piled high upon the