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There had been no right answer to give the school principal. She’d followed her gut with the vineyard owner. But this time, she chickened out. Instead of saying, “Stick a pin in your bag of tricks and just tell me something real,” she fell back on his words from last night. “I thought you’d never ask.”
His arms tightened around her. “You don’t have to wait for me to ask. We both know why I’m here. You want to come, just say so. I’ll make it happen.”
Damn. “Rider, I…I want—”
“Give me a tour, Czarina.”
The request threw her off balance. “A tour of the villa?”
“Exactly. I have some specific requirements for tonight, and I’m not sure which room will suit them.” He turned her toward the doors and gave her a gentle push.
The way he said “requirements” weakened her knees. She nearly stumbled. “What sorts of requirements?”
“I’m mainly concerned with comfort and view—your comfort, and my view.”
She turned, a little surprised to find him right behind her. He moved quickly and quietly when he wanted to. “The patio has the best view.”
“No, it doesn’t. Not even close.” He stepped through the doors ahead of her and took her hand. “Come on, I’ll show you.”
Then, like a man who knew exactly where he was going, he led them through the living area, retrieving the bag he’d brought before heading down the short hallway to the villa’s second bedroom. It was the room she’d selected for herself because the idea of sleeping solo in the massive four-poster bed in the master suite made her feel stupid. The monstrosity boasted a mirror mounted overhead. This had been a singles resort, after all. Her smaller bedroom wasn’t without questionable decor choices, but at least she didn’t have to wake up to the sight of herself alone in a bed every morning.
He left her hovering just inside the door and stepped deeper into the room, looking around the space, taking stock as if ticking off check boxes in his mind. The standard-size king bed sat in an ebonized, carved wood frame. Ornate, but not quite as over-the-top as the one in the master. He closed a hand over the polished round finial accenting the footpost closest to him and gave the frame a shake. It didn’t budge.
His slow smile made her insides jittery.
He tossed the bag on the bed, where it sat looking dark and mysterious against the pristine white cover, and then sized up the large mirror propped against the wall opposite the bed.
From a decorator’s standpoint, the piece made sense. It doubled the size of the room, as well as reflected the light and the view from the glass doors along the adjacent wall. But he didn’t seem overly concerned with the design elements. He sent her another smile and patted the mattress. “Come here.”
Her legs were in motion before she could question the decision. When she reached the side of the bed, she made a move to sit, but he curved his hands around her upper arms and stopped her.
“Crawl onto the bed and kneel here.” He indicated the center of the mattress.
“Oh. Okay.” She balanced her weight on one foot, raised the other, and reached behind her to slip her heel off.
“I like the shoes.”
She paused and then lowered her foot and looked down at the gleaming leather. “Me, too.”
“Are they comfortable?”
“Nope.” She laughed at her own foolishness. “But they make me feel sexy.”
“Funny how that works, sometimes. You could even consider the sentiment a theme for this evening. Keep the heels on, Czarina.”
Those jitters in her stomach turned hot and fluid as he helped her onto the bed. He took a moment to position her where he wanted her and then stepped to the side. She looked up to see herself in the mirror, kneeling in her slinky black dress on a cloud of white. The list of things in this world she stressed about stretched longer than she liked to admit, but her appearance generally wasn’t one of them. Right now, however, she stared at her reflection through his eyes. What did he see when he looked at her? Plaything? Challenge? Friend? Lover?
He caught her eye in the mirror. “That view right there has it all over the patio.”
“Kind of a solitary view, from my perspective. Are you going to join me?”
“In a little while. First, I need you to join me.” He held out a hand and helped her off the bed. Then he brought her directly in front of the mirror and moved to stand behind her. Her eyes naturally sought him out, but found the man in the mirror slightly disorienting—and slightly imposing. Yes, she was well accustomed to men in suits, but she wasn’t accustomed to him in a suit. He looked taller, broader, and far more unpredictable than the easygoing charmer with the wicked smile. The crisp white collar of his dress shirt set off the bronze column of his throat. The black jacket turned his eyes a shade darker, and infinitely harder to read.
He skimmed his hands up her sides. His palms whi
spered over her dress. “Did you like your gift?”
Ah. There was the wicked smile. She propped her hands on her hips and lifted her chin. “Yes.” For some reason, the admission brought heat to her cheeks. To combat the blush before it bloomed, she added, “Thank you for the…ahem…carefully selected items.”
