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He had called her babe, baby, love, and now sweetheart today. And each time a term of affection fell effortlessly from his lips, she felt a tingle of excitement.
Don’t take it to heart, she reminded herself. It could just be his way, like a waitress calling you hon.
But no matter the reason he used these words, she couldn’t seem to temper her reactions, and they felt out of proportion.
Sure, he was a wildly good-looking man. But they had almost nothing in common, and they were only here for one thing.
Don’t think about that thing. Don’t think about it…
But it was hard not to think about it when she was pressed to his muscular back, soaking in the heat of him.
On the trail ahead, the cypresses finally opened up to reveal the house.
Her jaw dropped open as she took it in. Its white stucco walls rose out of the emerald lawn and reflected in a massive pool. The house itself seemed to be made up of several wings and additions at various levels, each with what looked like hectares of terra cotta roofing tiles overhanging the areas below and providing a contrast with the brilliance of the blue twilight above. It was more a palace than a house.
It certainly lived up to the fanciness of its name.
Stars on the Sea.
Jubal pulled the moped up close to a stone terrace that seemed to lead to the main entrance.
Reluctantly, she let go of him, swinging off the moped and onto the ground. She removed the helmet and hung it back on the bike, then shook her hair out in the cool sea breeze.
“You okay?” Jubal asked her, his dark eyes filled with concern.
“I’m fine,” she told him. “This is… amazing.”
He smiled down at her, and for a moment, Stars on the Sea disappeared and all she could see was him.
“Dinner will be served as soon as you’re changed,” Oberon said politely. “You can just head inside. There are bathing suits waiting for you.”
Jubal gestured toward the terrace, and they moved to it together.
The breeze from the ocean below swirled around them. It was cool and fresh, with a saltiness Chloe drank in gratefully.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Jubal asked. “It feels so real.”
“Most of it has to be real,” Chloe decided. “You can’t fake all of this. And Maltaffia already has a gorgeous coastline.”
Jubal gave her a half smile, and whether he agreed or just didn’t want to break her illusion, she was grateful.
As they reached the house, the doors slid open to greet them. Polished wooden floors gleamed as the last of the sunlight slanted in through massive windows.
Tiny lights, like fireflies, trailed ahead of them, leading up the curved staircase.
Suddenly, Chloe felt shy.
If they were heading upstairs, and that meant bedrooms.
Or maybe just one bedroom?
“We’ll just get changed,” Jubal reminded her. “Dinner’s by the pool. I can’t wait for that. Are you a good swimmer?”
“We don’t really have many large bodies of water back home,” she admitted.
“You’re going to love it,” he assured her. “And we’ll stay in the shallow end until you learn.”
She smiled gratefully as they continued up the stairs.
