“You don’t have to stay,” I inform him stiffly.

“I don’t expect you to work today at all, from here or the office.”

“Why ever not?” I lean back in the chair and frown up at him. “You’re paying me to work.”

“You’ve travelled all morning, Kate. Settle in. Eat something. In fact, let me take you out to eat something.”

“I don’t think that’s necessary.”

“I do.” He removes his suit jacket after taking his sunglasses out of the inside pocket and drapes it over the back of the sofa. He rolls the sleeves of the white shirt that molds over his muscled torso all the way up to his elbows, unbuttons the top two buttons, and removes his soft blue tie. “That’s better. Go change into something more comfortable, and I’ll feed you the best jambalaya you’ve ever had.”

“I’ve never had jambalaya before,” I reply with a raspy voice. I can’t tear my eyes off his broad shoulders.

“This will ruin you for all other jambalaya; I promise you.”

I frown and meet his gaze, trying to figure him out. “Are you sure?”

He nods and waits expectantly. I have a feeling not many people say no to Eli Boudreaux.

“I’m not going to sleep with you.” The words are out of my mouth before I can reel them back in. I feel my face flame, but I tilt my chin up and square my shoulders firmly.

“I didn’t invite you to,” he replies calmly, but his eyes are full of humor.

I nod and walk back to the bedroom to change into a light summer dress, slather on sunblock with SPF 4000 to protect my white, freckled skin, and then rejoin Eli, who is now looking out my windows.

“You’re always looking out windows,” I remark with a smile. He turns to me and his eyes heat as he looks me up and down, and I suddenly feel very exposed.

“You’ll burn, cher.”

“I’m wearing sunblock.”

“Do you always argue?” he asks.

“I don’t argue.”

He holds my gaze for a moment and then tosses his head back and laughs, shakes his head, and leads me out into the hot afternoon.

“Let’s go this way first.” He turns to the left and rests his hand on the small of my back again, ever the gentleman, walking me down Royal Street. If you’d asked me yesterday if I thought I’d be walking in the French Quarter with the sexiest man I’d ever seen by my side, I would have told you to consult a doctor.

And Eli Boudreaux is sexy. But he’s not mine, and he never will be. He’s my boss, and he’s being kind.

I take a deep breath, determined to pull my head out of the gutter and enjoy New Orleans, when Eli pulls me into a trendy shoe and accessory shop called Head Over Heels.

“Shoes!” I exclaim, already salivating. Okay, so the man is showing me shoes. I might sleep with him after all.

“Hats,” he corrects me.

“Holy crap, what are you doing here?” A woman with short, dark hair and full lips smiles from behind the counter.

“Kate needs a hat,” Eli replies and grins as his sister launches herself into his arms and holds on tight.

“Been a minute,” she whispers in his ear in the same New Orleans drawl. Eli grins.

“You saw me at Mama’s last Sunday.”

“Been a minute,” she replies and steps back, smiling at me. “Hi, Kate. It’s good to see you again.”

“You too, Charly.” I’m pulled into another hug—the Boudreaux family is an affectionate bunch, and the middle sister, Charlotte, is no different from the rest.

“What can I do for you two?”

“Kate needs a hat,” Eli repeats.

“I do?”

“Oh, yes, sugar, you do,” Charly replies with a nod. “We need to keep the sun off your face and shoulders. Let’s see…” She leads us to the back of the shop and pulls three hats off the wall, all wide-brimmed and pretty. “I think green is your color, with that beautiful auburn hair and your pretty green eyes.”

“Thank you, but this hair is about to be a curly tangled mess with all this humidity.”

“I know the feeling. I’ll make a list of hair products to use while you try these on.” She jogs back to her counter as I plop the first hat on my head. It’s pink, not quite as widely brimmed as the green, and makes me look like a mushroom.

“Try the green one,” Eli suggests, but instead I pull on one with a rainbow of colors. It looks like a box of Crayolas exploded all over it. Eli just watches me in the mirror with humor-filled eyes and crosses his arms over his impressive chest. “You do have beautiful hair.”

“Thank you.” His jaw ticks. If he doesn’t like giving out compliments, why does he say anything at all?

“Oh no, dawlin’, the green one,” Charly says as she rejoins us. I smirk as I put the green hat on and sigh as I realize that she and Eli were right.

“Looks like this is the winner,” I say with a grin. “I’ll take it.” I pull my wallet out of my handbag, but Eli lays his hand over mine and shakes his head.

“Bill me,” he tells Charly, who smiles and nods happily, while handing me a list of hair products to try, waving at us as Eli leads me back out into the heat. “Feel better?”

“Hmm,” I murmur, but, oh, God, yes, it feels so much better. “Thanks for the hat.”

“You are welcome,” he replies, his accent making me squirm again. I met this man just a few hours ago, and so far, everything he does makes me squirm.

Not good. Not good at all.

“Tell me about yourself,” I say, surprising myself. All I know is, I need to get my brain on something other than the mass of testosterone walking next to me. We cross the street, me on the outside, and Eli immediately trades places with me, tucking me next to him away from the street. “Chivalry isn’t dead,” I whisper.

“No, dawlin’, it’s not.” He flashes me a quick smile before leading me to a café with beautiful courtyard seating.

“It’s surprisingly cool in here,” I murmur after we’re seated.

“The trees keep it cool,” the waitress says with a smile. “Need a minute with the menu?”

“Do you eat seafood?” Eli asks me.

“Yes,” I reply.

“Good. We’ll both have the seafood jambalaya, please.”

The waitress nods and walks away, leaving us alone.

“Now, tell me more about your plans to catch the person stealing from my company.”

“You didn’t answer my question first,” I reply, and butter a piece of the bread the waitress just set down for us.

“What question?”

“Tell me about you.”

“I don’t matter.” His voice is calm, but sure. Final. He leans back, folds his arms, and shutters immediately close over his eyes.

Interesting.

“It’s your company, so yes, I do believe you matter.”

“All you need to know about me is that I’m your boss, you’ll be paid timely, and I expect nothing but your best on this job.”

I set my bread on a small white plate and lean back, mirroring his pose with my arms crossed. “Actually, I believe it was Savannah who hired me, and I don’t ever give less than my best. Ever.”

He raises a brow and cocks his head to the side. “Beau, Savannah, and I hold equal shares and equal interest in the company. All three of us are your bosses, Kate.”

“Understood.” He watches me for several minutes. I can’t figure him out. He has moments of being so kind, nice, and I think he may be attracted to me, and then the walls come slamming down and he’s distant, impersonal, and borderline rude.

Which is it?

Not that it really matters, because starting tomorrow I’ll answer to Savannah, and I’ll hardly ever see the mysterious and sexy Eli.

I hope.

I tilt my head back, close my eyes, and take a deep breath of the thick New Orleans air. There’s a light breeze now, cooling my heated skin. The trees above are green and lush, and I can see sprinkles of sunshine as it fights its way through the leaves.

Our meal is served and I stare down at the bowl of rice, shrimp, mussels and a bunch of stuff I can’t make out dubiously, then glance up to Eli, who has already dug into his bowl heartily.