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Authors: Kate Hoffmann
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really hungry.”
4
S HE WAS FREAKING out, Mal realized. Amy stood inthe conference room at Maximum Adrenaline, staring at the pile of gear spread across the wide table. Mal draped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
“I’m going to wear all this clothing?”
“No,” Mal said. “You should have a base layer, a fleece layer and an outerwear layer. This is just a selection of the smaller sizes that we have. Start with the base layer. I think the dark blue ones will probably work. If not those, try the gray. The fit should be close to your skin, but not overly tight.”
“Won’t I need a change of clothing?”
“Just an extra base and fleece layer to sleep in. You’ll carry that in your pack, along with lots of socks. I’ll see if I can find you a pair of boots.” Mal reached in his pocket and pulled out a pair of sunnies, then slipped them onto the bridge of Amy’s nose. “You’ll need those. The snow can be really bright under the sun.”
He turned and walked out of the room, heading for the storage shed where they kept their gear. Dana watched him pass her desk then hurried after him, Duffy at her heels. When they got outside, she fell into stride next to him. “What are you doing?”
“I’m prepping for a trip.”
“I mean with her. She’s a reporter, Mal. She came here to get a story.”
“It’s not like that,” he replied. “We have an agreement. Nothing I say to her is on the record unless she says it is.”
“Did you lose your mind in Greenland?”
“We’re friends. I trust her.”
“Why? You don’t even know her.”
That was true, Mal had to admit. But they’d shared some very intimate moments, moments where they’d both exposed their vulnerabilities. He’d rarely had time for women and had never had anything that resembled a real relationship. His job came first. But with Amy, he almost felt...normal. It wasn’t just about the sex, even though the sex was great. They talked to each other and she understood him.
Sure, there was a chance he could be fooling himself, but Mal had lived by his instincts for long enough to be confident that Amy wouldn’t betray him. If he knew anything about Amy, it was that she couldn’t hide her true feelings. Her every emotion was written across her face the moment she felt it.
Dana grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop. “You have lost your mind. And when she splashes our whole story on the pages of High Adventure, I’m going to say ‘I told you so.’” She observed him shrewdly. “Are you— Oh, no. Oh, bloody hell, Mal. No, no, no. You’re sleeping with her?”
“No,” Mal lied.
“Yes,” she said.
“I’m taking her on this trip so she can write about the expedition, and not about our father. I’m not going to even mention Dad. If she can get this story into High Adventure, then it will all be worth it. We need the exposure. And I have to put an expedition plan together before we offer this trip to actual paying customers anyway.”
“And that’s why you’re sleeping with her? So she’ll get us some free publicity?”
“No!” Mal said. “I’m sleeping with her because she’s funny and sweet and hot. It just happened, and now it keeps happening and I don’t want to stop it. And who put you in charge of my sex life?”
“You want to stop it? That’s easy. Just keep your damn trousers zipped.”
“You’re starting to sound like Mum,” he said.
Dana gasped. “You’ve said a lot of dodgy things to me in my life, Mal, but that’s the worst. I do not sound like Mum.”
“I know what I’m doing,” Mal said. “I have everything under control.”
“Right,” Dana replied.
“I do. I’m going to give Amy the trip of a lifetime and that will be it. She goes home in six days.”
“Just be careful,” Dana warned.
“This is an easy expedition,” he said. “No real danger.”
“Not the expedition,” she said. “Be careful with
4
S HE WAS FREAKING out, Mal realized. Amy stood inthe conference room at Maximum Adrenaline, staring at the pile of gear spread across the wide table. Mal draped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
“I’m going to wear all this clothing?”
“No,” Mal said. “You should have a base layer, a fleece layer and an outerwear layer. This is just a selection of the smaller sizes that we have. Start with the base layer. I think the dark blue ones will probably work. If not those, try the gray. The fit should be close to your skin, but not overly tight.”
“Won’t I need a change of clothing?”
“Just an extra base and fleece layer to sleep in. You’ll carry that in your pack, along with lots of socks. I’ll see if I can find you a pair of boots.” Mal reached in his pocket and pulled out a pair of sunnies, then slipped them onto the bridge of Amy’s nose. “You’ll need those. The snow can be really bright under the sun.”
He turned and walked out of the room, heading for the storage shed where they kept their gear. Dana watched him pass her desk then hurried after him, Duffy at her heels. When they got outside, she fell into stride next to him. “What are you doing?”
“I’m prepping for a trip.”
“I mean with her. She’s a reporter, Mal. She came here to get a story.”
“It’s not like that,” he replied. “We have an agreement. Nothing I say to her is on the record unless she says it is.”
“Did you lose your mind in Greenland?”
“We’re friends. I trust her.”
“Why? You don’t even know her.”
That was true, Mal had to admit. But they’d shared some very intimate moments, moments where they’d both exposed their vulnerabilities. He’d rarely had time for women and had never had anything that resembled a real relationship. His job came first. But with Amy, he almost felt...normal. It wasn’t just about the sex, even though the sex was great. They talked to each other and she understood him.
Sure, there was a chance he could be fooling himself, but Mal had lived by his instincts for long enough to be confident that Amy wouldn’t betray him. If he knew anything about Amy, it was that she couldn’t hide her true feelings. Her every emotion was written across her face the moment she felt it.
Dana grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop. “You have lost your mind. And when she splashes our whole story on the pages of High Adventure, I’m going to say ‘I told you so.’” She observed him shrewdly. “Are you— Oh, no. Oh, bloody hell, Mal. No, no, no. You’re sleeping with her?”
“No,” Mal lied.
“Yes,” she said.
“I’m taking her on this trip so she can write about the expedition, and not about our father. I’m not going to even mention Dad. If she can get this story into High Adventure, then it will all be worth it. We need the exposure. And I have to put an expedition plan together before we offer this trip to actual paying customers anyway.”
“And that’s why you’re sleeping with her? So she’ll get us some free publicity?”
“No!” Mal said. “I’m sleeping with her because she’s funny and sweet and hot. It just happened, and now it keeps happening and I don’t want to stop it. And who put you in charge of my sex life?”
“You want to stop it? That’s easy. Just keep your damn trousers zipped.”
“You’re starting to sound like Mum,” he said.
Dana gasped. “You’ve said a lot of dodgy things to me in my life, Mal, but that’s the worst. I do not sound like Mum.”
“I know what I’m doing,” Mal said. “I have everything under control.”
“Right,” Dana replied.
“I do. I’m going to give Amy the trip of a lifetime and that will be it. She goes home in six days.”
“Just be careful,” Dana warned.
“This is an easy expedition,” he said. “No real danger.”
“Not the expedition,” she said. “Be careful with
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