“It’s fine.” Had he sought her out for a reason? She didn’t think he would’ve come looking for her to spend time with her. He’d avoided her the moment they’d boarded the boat, and she hadn’t seen him after they’d settled into all their accommodations. “Did you need something? Were we supposed to meet to go over things for tomorrow?”
Damn, she said she was going to look at the itinerary, but she’d been so enchanted by the island and everything on it, she hadn’t given it a second thought.
“No. I was about to take a walk and saw you standing there. Wondered if you wanted to join me.”
This man constantly surprised her. “Um, sure. I haven’t eaten, so I don’t want to go too far, as I’ll have to come back and prepare something and then get to bed early, so I’m looking my best for tomorrow.”
Indigo pressed her lips together and gazed up at the sky, the stars seeming so much brighter away from the light pollution of the city.
Word vomit wasn’t her usual modis operandi, but here she was blurting out things she wouldn’t normally, and probably sounded like a diva model—something she worked hard not to be.
“I wasn’t planning on taking a hike around the island. I was thinking a short stroll along the beach before heading back to cook my own meal.”
“Right. Well, that sounds good.” What was it about Wilt that had her acting so out of character? It was as though she enjoyed sparring back and forth with him.
If it was her who’d issued the invitation, and he’d acted the way she had, she’d be reconsidering it all.
“Do you need to get anything from your bungalow?” he asked, as if cancelling the offer hadn’t even crossed his mind.
Perhaps she was reading too much into everything. Her emotions were heightened with the enormity of the task at hand. Although, in reality, it wasn’t as if this was any different to her working with some of the most famous designers in Europe. But this felt different. Monumental, almost.
To be the face of a collection that was highly anticipated by the press and general public was a huge responsibility. To make sure she nailed every shot, so there would be no doubt that she was the right person for now and the future. Jeffrey had such a reputation for only using the best, that she couldn’t mess this job up.
“Indigo? Do you need to get anything from your place?” Wilt asked again.
“Sorry. Um, no. I’m good.”
“Right, shall we?” He started walking, and she fell in step beside him.
The water rushed in, covering their feet before receding. The gentle swoosh of the waves soothing.
She always loved the water, and whenever she was doing a shoot at a resort, she spent most of her time at the beach, listening to the waves. The motion and sound relaxed her, normally, but with Wilt walking beside her, her muscles were constantly tense.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Wilt roll his shoulder, it made a loud popping noise, and a grimace marred his features.
That didn’t sound normal. “Have you hurt your shoulder?”
For a brief second he paused, his body tensing, but then he relaxed, and she almost wondered if she’d imagined it.
“No.”
The man just flat out lied to her. If there wasn’t something wrong, the joint wouldn’t have popped like it had, nor would he have looked uncomfortable.
She skipped ahead of him and then turned and planted her hands on her hips. His only options were to stop or walk around her. He chose the former and matched her stance. He looked intimating. She doubted she looked the same, but she wasn’t budging. “Did you just lie to me? Don’t you think I should know if you’re injured or not? You’re supposed to be protecting me, after all. If you’re hurt, you won’t be able to do your job.”
“I can do my job perfectly well, thank you very much. Now can we continue, or do you want to turn back?”
An ember of anger lit in her belly. “Oh no, you are not getting away with that bullshit answer. Tell me the truth, Wilt, or I’ll do something I’ve never done before.”
He stepped right into her personal space. She was tall, but he was taller, so she lifted her chin to meet his gaze. No way was she going to cower in front of him. “And what’s that?” he asked quietly, his blue eyes narrowing in the bright moonlight.
“Go all diva and demand that I have a man competent enough to protect me, and the hundreds and thousands of dollars’ worth of jewelry I’ll be wearing.” Not once in her career had she wanted someone removed or replaced—no matter how much they annoyed her.
Would she go through with her threat?
She didn’t know. Her reputation as being a model who was easy to work with was something she prided herself on. But surely, Jeffrey and Greta wouldn’t want an injured guard protecting his collection.
“Do you know what I was before I worked in private security?” he ground out, his question a surprise.
