Alexandros turned to Demetrius, his head of security, who sat stone-faced at the console like a statue carved out of wind and duty.
“Have a car waiting at the dock,” he said over the engine hum. “And have warm and dry clothing delivered from the yacht for my guest and myself.”
“Nothing for me—thanks. I won’t be hanging around once we get to shore,” she said.
“Do you plan on leaving in your undergarments?” he bit back.
She shrugged her slender shoulders and pulled her legs up as far as she could while retaining her death grip on her boots. He shook his head and muttered a low curse.
Demetrius’s lips twitched, but he gave a curt nod and tapped his earpiece.
Alexandros turned back to the woman beside him. Her fingers were pale and trembling despite the warm weather. Her hair was a mass of wet curls that stuck to her forehead, her jaw, her neck. He wasn’t sure if her hair was black or brown. The temptation to reach out and rub it between his fingers made him grit his teeth.
The night air hit cold and sharp against his soaked skin, a jarring contrast to the molten heat still coiling low in his stomach.
Mikrouli mou,he thought, the endearment rising unbidden.What the hell just happened?What is it about her?he groused, his temper simmering like a bed of hot coals.
He sighed when she shivered again.
He glanced down at his own arms, wet and useless. Harold—one of the younger security crew—held out a thick towel.
Alexandros took the plush towel without a word and turned back to her. He hesitated for a fraction of a second. She could bite, he was sure of it—but he couldn’t leave her shivering.
She was watching him through her lashes, warily, like a cat ready to scratch.
He didn’t speak. He just lifted the towel and motioned for her to lean forward.
Her lips parted as if she was about to argue. She glared at him, butsurprised him when she released an exhausted sigh and relented. She leaned closer, cautious but not flinching.
Good.He wasn’t sure he could handle it if she flinched.
He wrapped the towel around her shoulders, tucking it around her with far more care than he’d used on a living human being in years. It gave him an excuse to draw her closer. She hesitated, her body rigid. He sensed that she didn’t give her trust easily.
The warmth of the towel and his body was enough to lure her for a second, just a second, into feeling safe. He liked that. He liked that a lot. Resting his chin against the top of her head, he breathed in her scent—the faintest trace of jasmine from her shampoo and salt from the water. The combination of her body pressed against his and her scent hit him harder than he’d expected.
His arms tightened protectively around her when she continued to tremble. Exhaustion, cold, and probably shock layered thick around her, but she still clutched those boots like armor.
He couldn’t help it—he smiled.
Not a smirk. A real, honest smile. When was the last time that had happened? Hell, when was the last time he cared whether he had smiled?
“What’s your name?” he asked quietly.
She let out a soft breath, her lips slightly blue. “I would tell you it was Helga, but Vito already blasted it to everyone on board. It’s Dani.”
“Dani,” he repeated, tasting the sound of it. “Short for Danielle?”
She shrugged against him. “Just Dani.”
No explanation. No attempt at charm. No flirtation. Just a shrug. Like his name, his yacht, his perfectly tailored world didn’t impress her in the slightest.
“I’m Alexandros,” he offered. “Alexandros Kallistratos.”
She blinked up at him. “Uh-huh.”
That was it. No wide eyes. No breathy repetition of his name. Just another shrug, like she’d met ten billionaires before breakfast and didn’t have time to be dazzled today.
The Zodiac slowed as it approached the dock, the gentle lapping of waves breaking the quiet. Alexandros realized he hadn’t beenbreathing properly since he had pulled himself out of the water. It had nothing to do with his chase or swim. He suspected it had everything to do with the woman in his arms. Every moment with her had been sharpened to a knife-edge, he realized. And he didn’t want it to end.
