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A shout called her attention toward the pool where Armando and Max were splashing their way from one end to the other.
“Looks like they are racing,” Rosa remarked.
“Of course they are. They’re men,” Princess Arianna replied. She did peel her shirt away from her skin. “This is the first time I’ve ever watched Max swim. I didn’t know he was such a good swimmer.”
He was definitely the faster of the two—his pale body was a good length ahead—but Armando had better style. His bronze shoulders rose up and down in the water, like a well-tuned piston. Rosa envied how he could be graceful both on land and in the water.
Unsurprisingly, Max reached the wall first. When he realized Arianna and Rosa were standing there, he pulled himself out of the water.
“Well, isn’t this a pleasant surprise?” he said, leaning forward to give Arianna a kiss. From the way he twisted his body, he was doing everything he could not to let his wet body come in contact with hers.
Rosa couldn’t help but look him up and down. The man was definitely as well built as his movie-star looks implied. Princess Arianna was a lucky woman.
Armando’s voice sounded behind her. “Next time, we do more. We’ll see if you’re so fast when you have to make a turn, eh? Can someone hand me a towel?”
Someone being her, of course. Rosa should have known he wouldn’t stay in the water. There was a large white one draped over the back of a nearby chair. Steeling herself for what she was about to see, Rosa grabbed it and turned around.
Oh, my.
Forget fragrance ad come to life. Try sea god.
Anyone who met the man could tell Armando was well built simply from the way his clothes draped his body. What the clothes didn’t show was how virile he was. He made Max Brown look like a young boy. Awareness spread from her core as she took in the muscular, wet body, its contours glistening under the lights. Droplets clung to his chest hair, like tiny crystal ornaments. Wordlessly, she watched as he wiped them away with the towel, her breath catching a little on each stroke across his skin.
If she couldn’t stop thinking about a peck on the lips...
“Rosa?”
She jerked her attention back to his face to find him looking at her with unusual intensity. “Is everything all right?” he asked. “You looked flushed.”
Because you’re beautiful. “It’s the heat,” she replied. “It’s like a sauna in here.”
“Well, the room was designed for people in bathing suits.” He wrapped the towel around his waist, and Rosa let out a breath. Never did she think wearing a towel would be modest. “I said I was surprised to see you. You’ve been avoiding me.”
He’d noticed? Of course he had. She hadn’t exactly been subtle about staying away. “No, I haven’t,” she lied anyway. “There is a lot going on, is all. I have been very busy coordinating the various year-end events.”
“Right. Coordinating. I understand,” he said in a voice that said he didn’t believe her in the slightest. “Why are you here now, then? Did something happen?”
His eyes had not just dropped to her lips and back. He was a man about to marry an amazing beauty. The last thing he would waste time on was their mistletoe kiss, unless he was remembering her foolish bolt through the kitchen door.
“I—” Rosa began. This would have been so much easier if Arianna had let her send a text. Thanks to his half-dressed state, the moment felt far more intimate than it was. What was more, the princess wasn’t even talking to Armando. She and Max had taken themselves to one of the many lounge chairs, leaving her and Armando alone.
“King Omar’s office called. Mona is still feeling ill and won’t be able to attend the concert tonight.”
“Oh.”
That was an...odd reaction. Detached and almost relieved sounding. Surely that couldn’t be the case. “I thought I should let you know as soon as possible in case this affects your plans for the evening.”
“You could have texted.”
“Arianna wanted me to tell you in person.”
“Oh.” That answer did come with a reaction. A conspiratorial smile that said he understood exactly what had happened. They usually shared dozens of such smiles during the course of a normal week. Seeing this one made her feel all melty inside. She’d missed his company, dammit.
“Anyway...” She cleared her throat. “If you would like to cancel...”
“Cancel? Why on earth would I cancel?”
“I only thought that with Mona not attending...” Seeing his frown, she left her answer hanging. “Never mind.”
“Never mind is right. I can’t believe you even suggested I wouldn’t attend.” He headed toward a bench by one of the bamboo trees where a robe and additional towels lay. As he brushed past her, his bare shoulder made contact with hers, and Rosa’s insides turned to jitters at the feeling of dampness through her blouse. It was as close to skin against skin as she’d felt in a long time.
