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To say what?
To discuss this plan in greater detail, that’s what! So that she didn’t feel like she was potentially flying blind into a lion’s den. What did she know of Guy’s family? Only that they were mega-wealthy, super-influential, aristocratic, and quite frankly, terrifying to Adeline, who’d never had much to do with anyone of Guy’s ilk until, well, Guy.
Butterflies launched an assault on her stomach as the captain changed course, tacking the boat inlands, towards the island. But as it veered to the southern side, the cliffs dropped away, flattening themselves out to create the most beautiful wh
ite-sand beach Addie had ever imagined. The water was turquoise, and so clear that as they drew nearer to the island she observed turtles paddling a few metres away.
“Oh!” She gasped, leaning further over the boat, a smile curving her red lips as she watched their elegant movements.
“If you could avoid falling in, I would appreciate it.”
His accent was like salted caramel, oozing down her spine. Addie straightened, bracing herself for a brief moment, knowing that when she turned around she was going to be face to face with Guy, again. Slowly, she spun towards him, her heart in her throat.
It wasn’t as though she’d forgotten how handsome he was, yet her body reacted to the sight of him as though for the first time. Her knees felt weak and her blood pounded like lava through her veins, her chest moved quickly as she tried to breathe normally.
Yes, Guy was as captivatingly beautiful as this island. She’d never seen him dressed quite like this, either. So dangerously sensual, for relaxation and comfort. In a pair of beige shorts and a white t-shirt that hinted at the contours of his muscled chest, that showed off his deep tan, that made her ache to rip it off and run her fingers over a chest she remembered being contoured and broadly muscled.
She swallowed, but it was pointless. Her throat was as dry as the desert. Her equilibrium was nowhere to be found and yet Addie knew, even in her Guy-addled state, that she had to perfect the appearance of confidence, especially when she was far from feeling it.
“So, at last you deign to grant me the pleasure of your presence,” she delivered with ice in her tone, relieved that she’d taken the time that morning to choose a truly stunning outfit. She’d had no idea what to expect, so scant had the details been, and so she’d had to prepare for anything – including meeting his family as soon as she’d arrived.
She’d dressed to kill, and she was gratified by the look of awareness that passed over his face as he surveyed the frayed denim mini-skirt and pale blue halter neck shirt. Guy wasn’t the only one to boast a deep caramel tan. Addie didn’t have the luxury of Spain’s climate but the back garden at her home was secluded and she’d spent the last three weeks catching some Vitamin D whenever she could.
“Have you been missing me, querida?”
Her heart fluttered. “Not at all, believe me.”
He moved towards her, and she held her breath, her eyes on his mouth as he closed the distance between them.
“Are you lying again?” He murmured, standing so close she could feel the heat emanating off him in waves. Against her will, without her knowledge, she swayed forward, her body pulled of its own volition, her stomach rolling. She stared at his mouth as though she could draw his lips to hers with the only the power of her mind.
Instead, he laughed. A soft sound of derision, of dismissal, and then he straightened, moving a little away.
He’d been playing with her. Toying with her so easily! Where had her bravado gone when she’d needed it?
Heat threatened to spread through her cheeks; Addie angled her body from his, returning her gaze to the island even when her whole concentration was focused on the man beside her. They were getting closer to a jetty, which she hadn’t seen earlier, and the boat was slowing as they approached.
The butterflies were worse than before, hammering her insides. She could make out some more structures in the distance, set a little way back from the beach, on a gentle rise that would allow for a view of the ocean.
“Having second thoughts?”
His question ran over her skin and goosebumps followed.
She wasn’t. Well, maybe she was, a little, but every time she’d thought about backing out of this crazy plan, the realization had instantly followed that it might mean she would never see Guy again. She didn’t know what would happen at the end of this week, but at least now she had a chance. A chance to explain. To help him understand the truth of her life.
She couldn’t blame him for being angry. Guy wasn’t a man to be made a fool of and he felt she’d done that to him. He didn’t realise that she hadn’t been lying so much as protecting herself.
She could never tell him about her mother – it was a secret she’d sworn she’d keep – but The Accident? Maybe if he knew… if he knew what she had been trying so hard to forget?
“Because I should tell you, it’s a little late to change your mind.”
She lifted her face to his, and the air around them seemed to crackle the moment her eyes met his. He was so close, his elbows propped on the railing beside her, his face hovering just inches from hers.
Her smile was tight. “I’m here, aren’t I?”
He nodded, a curt acceptance of her decision. “Fine.” Only he didn’t seem fine. He seemed to resent her, to resent the fact she was here.
“Are you?”
