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CHAPTER SIX
‘COMEWITHME.’
She lifted her face to his as if awakening from a dream. ‘What time is it?’
‘Eight o’clock.’
‘Eight o’clock at night?’ She flicked a glance back to her computer screen. ‘Wow. I didn’t realise. I’ve been working.’ She stood up with unconscious grace, rolling her head from side to side to ease the pressure in her neck. His eyes followed the gesture so she stopped abruptly. She’d been hiding in her room since their earlier exchange in the courtyard, terrified of how quickly he could wind her up and turn her insides to mush. She had to focus on the business side of things. ‘Would you like to hear what I’ve come up with?’
‘Not particularly.’ His eyes held hers and desire sparked in her bloodstream.
Business, business, business.
‘What can I do for you?’
His eyes bore into hers, slicing her with the heat of his gaze, and she shivered as a frisson of awareness travelled the length of her spine.
‘I want to show you something.’
‘What is it?’
He expelled a sigh. ‘I did not say I want totellyou something. Come with me.’
His authority was compelling. ‘Do I need shoes?’
‘No.’ And to her surprise, he held out his hand, staring at her impatiently.
She froze, the offered hand so much more than just a gesture. Her heart leaped into her throat and she looked down at his wrist, his fingers, with a sense that putting her own in his would be like sealing her fate—a fate she might not want to exist with, a fate she couldn’t outrun.
Slowly, she moved closer, and then, of its own volition, her hand lifted, meeting his halfway. The moment they touched, an electrical current fizzed through her, so, startled, she turned to him.
‘This won’t take long.’
Did he feel it at all? Did he realise how even the air around them seemed to change when they touched?
He led her out of the house through yet another set of doors. ‘I swear, after two days’ exploring, I still can’t get my bearings.’
‘I’ll give you a tour tomorrow.’
Her heart thundered.
Careful, Alicia. Once bitten, twice shy...
‘Another peace offering?’
He flicked her a grin and her insides knotted together.
The grass was dewy underfoot, the evening air still sultry and warm, the day’s heat refusing to budge despite the setting sun. She moved closer to him on autopilot, despite the warmth, and he held the line, so their bodies brushed as they walked. Each light brush of skin sent her pulse into overdrive and sparked a tangle of need in the pit of her stomach, so she was breathless by the time they reached the sand of the shoreline.
‘There.’ He pointed to a large stretch of grass that ran beside the sand.
‘Your second option,’ she said breathlessly, because it was perfect. But so, too, was the courtyard! ‘Both stunning,’ she said honestly. ‘You’ll have to choose which you like best.’
‘Do you have a preference?’
‘I won’t be here,’ she said, and she wasn’t imagining the wistful tone to her voice. She covered it by plastering an overbright smile to her face. ‘I suppose the house has more practical advantages, but there’s no reason not to have sunset drinks here, at the water’s edge. This could have a whole other theme. Whereas the dinner at the house could be more formal, with a classical band, this could be relaxed—a beachy, tropical party, with a percussion band to dance to.’
‘Dancing?’
