I didn’t want to talk to Gio. I wanted to know more about the man standing beside him, and although it was probably a bad idea to make him part of the conversation, I did it anyway. “Nathan, how many languages do you speak?”
He quickly masked his surprise, perhaps considering whether to share. “Six.”
I wanted to ask him which ones. Really, I wanted to hear him speak all of them, but just listening to his version of my words in Italian was delicious torture. God, I needed to get agrip. His rejection the other night had somehow made him more desirable.
Talking to Nathan directly ruffled Gio. He said something with his uncomfortable gaze set on me.
“He’s asked about your boyfriend. Is he American?”
“Sure.”
Nathan’s eyes clouded over, like he was fighting a cringe. “Do you find American lovers can satisfy you?”
I couldn’t help but snort. “Most of the time.”
“How many lovers have you had?”
Really?“Enough to know what I like.”
That failed to draw a reaction. Nathan’s expression was perfectly schooled. “He wants to know about your accommodations. If you’re lonely in that cabin by yourself.”
My mouth raced ahead of my brain. “I was the other night, wasn’t I?”
Therewas the reaction I wanted. A stunned Nathan was the most beautiful version of all. His gaze darted away. “Is that what you want me to tell him?” It came out sounding unhappy, maybe angry. “Do you want him to come back to your room?”
Was he worried about my safety? Or was there something else that made him intensely dislike this idea? Because if it was jealousy, that made no freaking sense.
“No. I’m not interested in him.”
No, my interest was squarely on the American. Yeah, it would probably be a mistake if we slept together, but so what? It was just sex, and yes, I was lonely. I’d felt alone ever since... I felt alone all the time now.
“Tell him I’m a lesbian.”
“Lesbica?” Gio looked thrilled. Of course that was an English word he’d recognize.
“No, signore,”I said to him directly. “Please explain I was kidding.”
The two men went back and forth in discussion, and sinceI couldn’t understand it, my gaze drifted out to the landscape beyond the window where the light was almost gone, but I could still make out a herd of elephants on the bank of the river.
A buzzing phone drew my attention.
“Mi scusi.” Gio answered it and disappeared from the room, leaving me alone with Nathan and the bartender who polished glasses in the corner.
“I’ll tell him you’re sick when he gets back.”
I groaned. “I can’t just avoid him the whole trip. There are only five of us at this damn resort. Seriously, I’ve got this.”
Nathan’s intense expression was like hitting an air pocket. “He expects you to sleep with him.” He gently set his calloused hand on my arm, which lingered on the edge of the bar.
“He’s going to be disappointed. I already told you,” my breathing went uneven, “he’s not the one I’m interested in.”
His hand remained, tingling on my skin as I fought back the urge to latch onto it.
“The other night . . .” he started.
No. I didn’t want to hear the“what a mistake”speech now, the one he’d been gearing up for me since the fuel truck yesterday. “Shit, don’t?—”
“I wish things weredifferent.”
