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But not answering would risk leaving him with the belief that she was shallow. Wondering why that mattered so much to her, Rebel decided on a not too revealing answer. ‘I was trying to prove a point.’
‘To who?’
‘To myself. To my father.’
His mouth compressed, disapproval back in full force.
‘You disapprove? No matter what everyone else thinks, an athlete needs a better support system than just agents and trainers. I thought I could function without one, and, yes, I was at the top of my game during that time, but in the long run it didn’t work for me. So I chose to do something different. It probably doesn’t mean anything to you, but I found more fulfilment in jumping.’
Draco parked the car on a quiet lamplit street in Fulham amid several late-model sports cars and SUVs. The restaurant he’d chosen tonight was another exclusive one, frequented by the crème de la crème of celebrities. A discreet security presence ensured the patrons could dine without intrusive media presence, although somehow information usually leaked out.
He helped her out, but held onto her as he shut the door. After clicking the lock, he stood in front of her, effectively pinning her against the car.
Tensing, Rebel tilted her face to look at him, expecting more of the disapproval that had bristled from him. Instead, she read a jagged understanding in his eyes. He looked almost uncomfortable as he stared down at her.
‘I understand the need to find fulfilment in what you do. But I believe that it should go hand in hand with attempting to be the best you can be. You have the potential to be number one again, but you’ve let your emotions and superficial things get in the way of that goal for far too long.’
Draco’s view of her might have altered slightly, but he still believed she wasn’t committed enough to what she’d dedicated the past five years of her life to. The pang that accompanied the observation triggered alarm. How could the view of a man she hadn’t known three days matter so much?
‘You should really stop thinking you know all there is to know about me,’ she replied.
His eyes dropped from hers, his gaze roving her face before locking on her lips. ‘Everything you’ve told me so far has only confirmed my opinion of you.’
She swallowed, wishing the hurt in her chest and the sudden tingling of her mouth away. Forcing lightness to her voice, she said, ‘Whereas I know next to nothing about the man who I’m supposed to be madly in love with. Perhaps we should rectify that before I slip up and commit a faux pas?’
‘We will do that over dinner,’ he replied. Then his gaze dropped past her shoulders to the unsteady rise and fall of her chest. Pushing back from the car, he completed a full scrutiny before he trapped her hand again. Lifting her ring finger to his mouth, he kissed the knuckle above the stone. ‘You look incredible, by the way.’
Her breath caught, her heart tripping over itself before slamming hard against her ribs. ‘Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself.’ She made a show of perusing him from head to foot, secretly revelling in the freedom to look her fill of the lean masculinity that inhabited the dark suit and black silk shirt. Having experienced the power of that body up close, she found her breathing was decidedly unsteady by the time her gaze rose to meet his.
His smile wasn’t as show-stopping as it’d been when he’d unleashed his charms on Contessa. But it had more genuine depth, making it even more dangerous to her equilibrium as she found herself smiling back, her senses singing as his eyes warmed and his thumb rubbed over her knuckles.
‘Now that we’ve established our appreciation of each other’s dress sense, let’s go eat.’
He linked his fingers through hers and walked her into the modern decor of the Italian restaurant. Unlike before, there wasn’t a chef to fawn over them or pose for pictures, for which she was glad. Although their presence wasn’t brazenly acknowledged, Rebel caught a few discreet glances as they ate their first course.
But even that small disturbance disappeared as Draco furnished her with his history. His flawless English had made her think he’d been brought up in England despite his Greek name. Finding out he’d only relocated from Athens to England five years ago came as a surprise. But not as much a surprise as discovering he, like her, had lost his mother during his teens. And that he’d been a champion cross-country skier.
Rebel frowned. ‘I know the name of every skier who’s won a major competition for the last fifty years.’
One sleek eyebrow rose, giving him a rakish look that she strenuously resisted gawping at. ‘Are you accusing me of lying?’
