He turned his back on her, needing to divert his attention to something other than the beautiful woman in front of him, and the temptation to sample her soft lips again.
What the fuck was wrong with him?
This wasn’t how he normally acted on a job. He was polite and professional. He certainly didn’t stare at his client’s feet and imagine pushing her back into the room to kiss her.
A few people walked past, staring at him, no doubt wondering what he was doing, and if he was some sort of creeper who stood outside a person’s door.
Maybe he should wear a suit so he looked like security and not a regular joe, like he was aiming for.
“I’m ready.” Indigo’s soft voice wafted over him like a warm breeze.
Again, his cock flared to life, and he took a couple of seconds to will it to settle the fuck down before he faced her, deliberately not looking at her feet. Wilt fixed his gaze to a spot of her shoulder, giving the impression of looking at her, but not really. “Do you have a jacket or something in case it gets colder when we walk back?”
She raised her hand, and a filmy piece of fabric floated in the light breeze. “I have a wrap.”
It didn’t look like it would be effective if a strong wind came rushing through the island, but he kept his words to himself. “Right, let’s go then.”
He held out his arm to help her down the stairs. Would she take it? Or would she make her own way down?
Her hand lightly gripped his forearm, and his skin warmed. He should’ve worn a long-sleeve shirt instead of the short-sleeve one he had on. At least he would have a barrier of cloth between her hand and his skin.
He ignored the warmth spreading through him. It was two steps, that was all he had to get through before he could drop hisarm. Except, they were already walking along the path toward the restaurant, and her hand was still on his arm, and he was fine with it.
Again, the thought that touching her–being so close to her–was wrong, filtered through his mind, but it felt right at the same time too. As though it was always supposed to be like this.
It was a slippery path he was walking down, and he needed to dig deep to find the anger and annoyance he had felt toward her that first day in the office. That was an emotion he should be grabbing onto, not the desire that seemed to be coursing through him.
What was the old saying? There was a fine line between love and hate, and Wilt was walking precariously along that line.
“You’re very tense,” she murmured, her fingers stroking along his arm.
Her touch wasn’t helping him in any way, but if he snatched his arm away, she’d know she affected him. Or she might think he found her repulsive. That was the last thing he wanted her to think about him, so he mentally willed his muscles to relax a little. Not totally, he still needed to be doing his job.
“Part of the job. Always ready to spring into action.”
“Even here, on this island?” The surprise in her voice wasn’t hard to miss.
“Yes, even the most innocent looking person can have evil motivations.”
“That’s a pretty sad thought to have. Not everyone is out to kill or harm someone.”
If only it was that simple. Over the last couple of years, the people close to him had stared evil in the face. People they thought knew. Colleagues they worked with who had turned out to be plotting against them.
It would be easy to list them for her, but they were almost at the restaurant, and he didn’t want to bring down the eveningbefore it had started. He should’ve kept his comments to himself in the first place. But he could at least answer her.
“You’re right. Not everyone does, but I’ve seen a lot over my years in service, as well as in the private sector. Things that would surprise even you.”
“I suppose so,” she murmured, removing her hand from his arm as he opened the door for her to enter. The chatter from the patrons seemed foreign after the quiet of their walk.
Wilt guided Indigo through the restaurant, his hand low on her back, his gaze surveying the area. He didn’t expect to find anything out of place, but as he’d just finished explaining to Indigo, anything was possible.
Jeffrey, Greta, Vincent the photographer, and Louella his assistant, were all seated at the back of the restaurant; the two remaining seats were ones he wouldn’t have chosen to sit in. He would have his back to the room, and he didn’t like that at all.
He would be vulnerable and oblivious to something happening. He didn’t have his team at his back, either.
Wilt mentally shook the thoughts off. They were on an island filled with tourists or people who regularly visited it. This wasn’t the middle of a war zone where having something as simple as a meal could be the prelude to an outbreak of violence.
“Hi everyone,” Indigo said brightly, and took one of the vacant seats.
