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She was about to tell him once again not to bother but instead changed her mind. He’d come up with a plan to deal with Elise and she had devised one of her own to deal with him.
Ten
“Make yourself at home while I shower and change.”
Dylan nodded as he watched her go into her bedroom and close the door. Trying to get his mind off how sexy she looked in that dress from last night, he thought about his conversation with Stuart that morning. He’d told his friend about the Elise situation. Stuart had given his approval to install video cameras as needed in his villa. Since Seth’s company also provided security for Stuart, he trusted whatever plan Seth put into place.
Dylan was about to sit down on the sofa when a scent invaded his nostrils. Lavender. It had been Charm’s favorite and evidently that hadn’t changed. When he heard the sound of the shower, sensuous visions flooded his mind. The one that held his brain cells hostage was of her standing naked beneath a spray of water.
He rubbed his hand down his face. It was too early for a drink so he decided to step out on her balcony to get a much needed breath of air. Instead of facing the beach, her balcony overlooked one of the resort’s beautifully shaped swimming pools. Already it was crowded. However, since her villa was five stories up, it was far away from the noise.
He thought about the conversation when Charm had referred to Elise as his ex-girlfriend. Maybe he should have let her assume that. Instead, he’d told her that she had been his only girlfriend. A part of him had inwardly dared her to say something about it. To bring up how things had ended between them. She hadn’t. It was as if she wanted to quickly change the subject. And to be quite honest, so had he.
“I’m ready, Dylan.”
He turned and his breath caught. Charm Outlaw messed with his testosterone each and every time. She looked amazing. Hell, she looked better than amazing—she was absolutely stunning. Light blue always looked good on her, bringing out the honey-brown color of her skin.
“Is anything wrong?” she asked, narrowing her eyes before glancing down at herself.
“What makes you think that?”
“You were staring.”
Now he was smiling because she was right, he had been. “I was admiring your outfit. It looks nice on you.”
She laughed. “It’s just a pair of shorts and a top.”
No need to tell her that the shorts showed a pair of beautiful legs and the style of the blouse with the top button undone displayed nice cleavage. “Yes, but even when we were together, I rarely saw you wear them.”
Charm rolled her eyes and he thought she looked cute doing so. “I live in Alaska, Dylan. Even the summers there aren’t conducive to such attire. Not like it is in the lower forty-eight.” She glanced at her watch. “I’m starving. Can we go eat now?”
He chuckled, recalling how cranky she would get whenever she was hungry. “Yes, we can go eat. Over breakfast I’ll share more details about Seth’s plan.”
“Thanks for breakfast, Dylan,” Charm said, once she’d drunk a cup of coffee and eaten the most delicious pancakes she’d consumed in years.
He shook his head and his lips curved into a smile. “You are welcome. I see you were hungry.”
She knew he was talking about the fact her plate was clean. But then so was his. “I see you’re in a good mood, Dylan. You were fit to be tied last night when I told you of that woman’s plans.”
He took a sip of coffee before answering. “In a way I still am. My reputation means everything to me. And to think Elise and Chrome planned to frame me is worth getting angry about.”
“And you have every right to feel that way.”
He nodded. “I said I would tell you about Seth’s plans.”
“What are they?” Now that he had her attention she couldn’t help but connect with the beauty of his dark brown eyes.
“First, I want to say I appreciate you letting me know what Elise was up to when you overheard her conversation. Considering how things ended with us ten years ago, you didn’t have to.”
Charm steeled herself against his words. He was finally bringing up how things had ended, and he was right. She didn’t have to tell him anything because she owed him nothing. As far as she was concerned, he owed her. However, hell would freeze over before she let him know how much he’d hurt her. Besides, he would find out soon enough. But for now...
“What happened between us was ages ago, Dylan, and I prefer we not bring up the past. We were young and thought we knew everything and discovered we didn’t.”
She saw his jaw tighten and wondered the reason for it. There was no way she could have hit a nerve when he was the one who’d broken her heart and not the other way around.
“You’re right. What we shared is in the past.”
She was glad he thought so. That way he wouldn’t suspect her plans. And speaking of plans... “What are Seth’s plans for Elise?”
