But now, with his reaction, the first traces of my fears are disappearing. Like his kiss unlocked something I’ve been holding on to for far too long.
As the boat clears the cliffs and turns right, I glance back at the bridge. Aiden is standing behind the wheel, sunglasses shielding his eyes. His head is turned, giving me a perfect view of his chiseled jaw, the straight blade of his nose. The wind ruffles his hair, tugs at his shirt.
He wants me. Aiden Hawke, a man I’ve admired and secretly desired for years, wants me. The knowledge is both terrifying and seductively thrilling.
I haven’t been with a man since Brett. I’ve held myself back, partially out of guilt and partially out of fear that once a man learned the truth, he wouldn’t want me anymore.
Aiden’s kiss knocked that out of the water.
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking I don’t want you…”
I need time to think. But every touch, every heated glance, every searing kiss is making me consider that an affair with my boss and fake fiancé would be a very good idea.
Chapter Nine
Aiden
THE STRAINS OFmusic reach my ears. Drops of notes that remind me of rain splashing on the surface of a pond.
I glance to my left. Seraphina’s balcony is just around the corner. But I can’t see her.
I force myself to look back at my laptop. I stationed myself here as soon as we got back to the villa. I also made one phone call to the director of the Hawke Foundation and asked him to set up an endowment fund for Grace’s Refuge. After learning firsthand everything they did for Seraphina, and everything they continue to do for people in need, I want them to never have to worry about money again.
I forced myself out of the room at six to meet her for dinner on the terrace. The sight of her sitting at the table in another of her new dresses, a long pale blue gown with a black ribbon tied at the waist, had me gritting my teeth all through dinner. She must have sensed my tension because she kept the conversation focused on business, asking questions about this account and that investment. By the time we were served dessert, I was almost relaxed.
But then she stood and walked to the edge of the terrace. There was no back to the dress, just ties that I could easily imagine undoing. I managed to wish her good-night and go back to my room. Pulled out my laptop again and started answering emails.
I had no intention of seeking her out again tonight. But as more instruments join in and the music swells, I can picture her dancing on that stage at the botanical gardens, the way her movements flowed like water.
I close my laptop. Stand. My pulse is accelerating, blood pounding through me as I walk out of my suite and down the hall to her door. It’s partially open.
I pause at the threshold. I know what will happen once I cross it. When she looked at me on the boat, tilted her face up to mine, I nearly gave in. Nearly stripped her naked and laid her out on the cushions.
One corner of my mouth quirks up. I’ve been fighting this attraction for years. The last few days have been torture. But once she trusted me with her story, once she looked at me with the full strength of desire in her eyes, there was only one answer as to whether we would end up in bed.
But I meant what I said. I wasn’t going to take her fresh off her confession. Not with her emotions running so high. When we come together, I don’t want the past between us. Only the present.
I ease the door open and step inside. A palatial suite that mirrors mine, with a round bed on a marble dais and a gauzy canopy held up by slim Corinthian columns. Ivory furniture decorated with azure-colored throw pillows and silk blankets.
And a half-circle balcony that overlooks the ocean. The lights on the railing cast a golden glow as Seraphina dances.
Her moves are light and graceful as she moves about the terrace. She changed into a loose, flowing dress. The pale purple reminds me of the lavender growing in the fields just beyond the villa as she dips, spins on the ground and then comes back up, pausing with one leg extended behind her. Her fire dancing was mesmerizing, but seeing the true extent of her dance training is captivating in its own way.
I want her. Need her. But I need to confirm she understands there is no future for us. Only these few months we have before we go back to the way we were before.
Warning whispers across the back of my neck. If we cross this line, can we go back? Can I break my own rules, let down my boundaries just to have a brief affair with Seraphina?
Yes.
As the song draws to a close, Seraphina rises up on one foot and turns. Once, twice, three times, her other leg out in a perfect line. She stops suddenly, drops to the floor. Then, slowly, she raises her head and looks straight at me. Electricity crackles between us just like it did at the gala. Except now it doesn’t just flare and disappear. Now it lingers, building until I can feel it snapping across my skin before it sinks into my veins and heats my blood.
How did I resist her all these years? How did I work alongside her without touching her? Seeing her?
The truth hits me like a punch. I didn’t let myself see her because I knew it would be like this. Not just a casual fling but one that lingered. One that could hurt.
Seraphina stands, her breath coming in short pants.
“I heard the music.”
