Page 49 of Unstable

“You jerk!” She sputtered with laughter and swiped her arm across the surface of the water, sending a wave splashing over him.

“Now you’ve done it.” He growled and dove toward her. She was hampered by the water as she tried to move out of arm’s reach, and he easily pulled her under. She popped back up, pressing down on his shoulders, and he allowed her to dunk him before wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her off her feet.

She threw her head back on a laugh as she clutched at his shoulders. “Okay, okay, truce!”

“That’s what I thought.” He grinned.

Face to face, they stared at each other, and all of a sudden it sank in just how close they were. Irina’s chest rose on a breath, brushing against his. He was flirting with fire, but for the life of him, he couldn’t remember why it was a bad idea. Irina evoked feelings in him, both emotional and physical, that he’d never experienced. He’d tried to rationalize it by telling himself it was only because he hadn’t been with a woman in months.

But he knew better. It was Irina who was different. He couldn’t think when she was around, and he couldn’t keep his eyes off her. She was a perpetual distraction, and he couldn’t focus on anything but her.

Her lips were only inches from his own. He dropped his gaze to her mouth, full and sensual. Her lips rolled inward then parted slightly on a soft sigh as her fingers sank into the hair at the base of his neck. He dipped his head just as a high-pitched ring pierced the air.

Both of them froze. The ring came a second time from his cell phone, and Irina lifted her gaze to his. He wanted to ignore it, to recapture the spark he’d felt a moment ago zinging between them.

A third ring pealed incessantly.

He cleared his throat. “I should get that.”

He simultaneously cursed and blessed whoever had just ruined the moment as Irina drifted away. Cool water replaced the feel of her hot body against him, and he wanted to pull her back to him.

Shaking his lust-addled head, he braced his hands on the side of the pool and launched himself up and over. He threw a quick glance over his shoulder to where Irina had paused on the steps of the pool.

She was bent over at the waist, hair draped over one shoulder as she wrung water from the long strands. It glimmered in the sunlight, and he wanted to run his fingers through it, gather it up and pull her close, take that kiss she was so willing to offer just a few seconds ago.

His gaze dropped to her bottom, barely constrained by a tiny scrap of teal fabric. His blood went hot, and he let out a little growl as he snatched up the phone.

It was going to be a long week.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-TWO

Irina's heart slammed against her ribcage, and she dragged in an unsteady breath as she pressed one hand over her chest and leaned against the door. While Roman took the phone call, she used the opportunity to slip inside and put some distance between them. She needed a second to herself to process everything that had happened—and everything that hadn’t.

She swore he was about to kiss her before his phone rang, breaking the moment. She couldn’t figure him out. One minute he was the big, bad bodyguard, keeping her locked away in the ivory tower. The next, he was laughing and smiling, joking like they’d known each other forever.

Despite the innocent flirting over the past few days, she felt a real spark with him. He made her feel giddy, like she was walking on air, but she had no idea if he felt the same way. Their past was so riddled with drama that she didn’t know how to reconcile his recent behavior. The hard ridge she’d felt through the thin material of his shorts told her it was more than just friendly banter, but she had no idea if he would ever let himself feel more for her.

Not for the first time, she wished she had someone to talk to other than Roman. Since he was currently the subject of her speculation, he was the last person she could turn to. A rash desperation took hold, and she scrabbled through her bag, looking for her cell phone.

Roman had given it back a few days ago, once things between them had smoothed over a bit. She’d thrown it back in her purse, and now she snatched it up. While she waited for it to turn on, she stripped out of her soaked sports bra and shorts, then slipped into dry clothes.

As soon as her phone powered up, her screen was bombarded with hundreds of notifications that had come in through email and text message over the last week. Ignoring all of them, she pulled up her phone log and quickly tapped Aster’s number, then waited impatiently for it to connect.

Aster didn’t even bother with a hello. “Irina, please tell me that’s you!”

“Of course it’s me,” she laughed. “Who else would it be?”

“Thank God! I was starting to worry about you.”

Irina smiled at Aster’s overprotective reaction. She could be super paranoid sometimes, but she loved her to death. “I thought Louis told you I was headed out of town.”

“Yeah,” Aster huffed. “But you never know. The whole thing just sounded sketchy with your elopement and everything. You never even told me you were seeing anyone.”

Irina could hear the accusation in Aster’s voice, but Knox’s strict instructions came back to her, and she smoothly ignored the unspoken question. “I know, I’m sorry. Everything happened so fast, and we wanted it to be a surprise…”

Ha. Wasn’t that the understatement of the year? Getting married had sure surprised out of her.