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‘Problem?’ Zak’s deep voice rolled over her.
She bit her lip, loath to start their meeting by confessing a setback. But there was no avoiding it. ‘Two of the volunteers have pulled out. One has an urgent family matter she needs to deal with, and the other’s changed his mind. I won’t be able to get replacements for a few days.’
‘How are you going to fix that?’ There was no challenge in his tone, only simple expectation.
‘I’m going to move a few people around, ensure there’s an even spread of skillsets to cover until the new volunteers arrive. And I guess this is where my general dogsbody role comes in handy. I’ll lend a hand where needed until the replacements get here.’
He nodded. ‘I’ll do the same. You and I can make up the shortfall.’
Something snagged in her midriff, robbing her of breath for a moment. ‘You’ll be helping to build lodges?’ she asked, frowning. ‘You... I wasn’t made aware of that.’
‘Would it have changed any part of your role?’
Yes, she would’ve been better prepared.
Before she could answer, he continued, ‘I designed the lodges and worked closely with the company that developed them in Montegova. I’m best suited to step in more than anyone else at short notice. Even you, Violet.’
When it came right down to it, she couldn’t object. This was his project, his name on the letterhead. It would’ve been easy to dismiss him if he’d been a spoilt, pampered prince, obsessed with his looks and getting his picture in the tabloids at every opportunity. But he was offering a sound solution to what could be an irritating setback.
‘If you’re sure...’
‘I’m sure, Violet.’ At her continued hesitancy, that edgy gleam returned to his eyes. One brow slowly rose. ‘Unless there’s another reason for your objection?’ he drawled.
Aware that the table had grown quiet, she firmed her resolve and shook her head. ‘Absolutely not.’
‘Good. Welcome to my team.’
The emphasis on my ignited that blaze between them again. She held his gaze for as long as she could withstand the flame, then focused on her tablet, aware that once again she’d been outplayed, had slid that much closer to the edge of an abyss whose depths she couldn’t quite fathom.
CHAPTER FOUR
VIOLET GAVE UP tossing and turning at five a.m.
She yearned to blame her restlessness on the different time zone and environment. But she knew the prospect of not only being in Zak’s presence but the steel trap of working closely with him for however long he intended to remain here was the reason she’d lain wide awake for long stretches of the night.
Showered and dressed within half an hour, she headed to the food tent, where the local construction crew and skeleton volunteer staff were gathered. She spotted Peter the moment she entered and joined him after getting her breakfast.
‘Good morning,’ he greeted with a wide smile, pulling out a chair for her. His scrutiny was quick but appreciative, exhibiting harmless male interest a polar opposite from the kind she was used to. The kind her mother keenly invited constantly in a bid to find her and her sisters the ‘right’ husband. Refusal to accommodate their mother was the reason her twin sister, Sage, had taken a job on the other side of the world in New Zealand and rarely visited Barringhall these days.
She glanced up as Zak stepped into the tent, immediately sucking up all the oxygen from the space and directing more female gazes to him.
For the first time since she’d known him, Zak was dressed at his most casual. Yet even the expensive light-coloured cargo pants and white T-shirt shrieked their exclusivity. Although she suspected that dressed in rags, he’d somehow find a way to exude effortless sophistication and suave elegance. With his broad shoulders, potent good looks and dark hair that gleamed damply from his recent shower, it was near impossible to look away from him as he sauntered over to where she sat.
His grey gaze went from her almost empty plate to her half-finished coffee. Unlike Peter’s, his scrutiny triggered fireworks in her body before it met her eyes. ‘Buon giorno,’ he said, his deep, raspy voice making her skin tingle even more. ‘I didn’t expect you to be up this early.’
She shrugged, aware of Peter’s interest in the exchange. ‘I couldn’t sleep so I thought I’d make an early start. The quicker I acclimatise to the routine, the quicker I’ll shake off the jet-lag. Besides, the volunteers and trucks should be arriving soon.’ And as soon as she rid herself of this disturbing reaction to Zak’s presence, she could focus her excitement elsewhere.
‘That’s the best part—when the long wait is over and we get to see the structures actually going up,’ Peter enthused.
Violet smiled at him, his effervescence infecting her.
‘Let’s hope all that enthusiasm doesn’t suffer in the face of hard work,’ Zak drawled, folding powerful arms across a wide chest.
She swallowed against the electrifying effect of his muscled biceps and glanced away.
Peter frowned, then shrugged. ‘Everyone flags a little when faced with the scale of the work to be done but the ultimate goal is what pushes us all on. It’s why I love what I do.’
Violet couldn’t help but respond to his infectious attitude. She was still smiling when a female volunteer hurried over with a fresh pot of coffee and offered Zak a cup. For an infinitesimal moment, he didn’t respond. His gaze remained locked on Violet a touch longer before he gave an abrupt nod.
