Page 31 of Awakened in Her Enemy's Palazzo

It wasn’t a good deed. He found the older man’s mind as sharp as ever, and fascinating, and hoped that one day, if he was lucky, he might be in Leonard’s position.

‘Don’t cancel.’

The trip would give him an opportunity to tell Rollo in person just how far he had overstepped the mark with that press leak.

The new file he had submitted still lay unopened on his laptop. Theo did not delve too deeply into the reason for his lack of urgency in opening it. Perhaps he liked the idea that life still offered some surprises, he mused, thinking of cobalt blue eyes.

Theo strolled into the library. ‘Are you ready?’

Grace dropped the book she had picked up and all the kinks that had vanished from her spine returned, along with the beginnings of a headache.

‘I thought you’d left.’

But silently and without an explanation here he was, looking...

Her eyes made a veiled sweep of his tall frame, from his feet to his glossy dark head.

He was not dressed for the office, more the beach, in khaki swimming shorts and a black tee shirt that exposed his muscular biceps.

Her sensitive stomach muscles quivered.

She smiled and dismissed the physical response. Eye candy, she told herself dismissively, and immediately experienced an inner cringe moment. It was a lazy analogy, and maybe showed the level of chaos he created in her head.

Grace knew that there was a lot more to the man than the body of a Greek god.

‘I’m back. Did you miss me?’

She wanted to say,I barely noticed, but she was basically an honest person.

Instead she snorted, but didn’t quite meet his eyes. ‘It has been quiet and peaceful. Ready for what?’ she added, thinking,I knew it was too good to be true.

He produced a megawatt smile, all perfect teeth and hidden meaning. ‘Getting back on the horse.’

‘I don’t ride.’

‘The grotto.’

She tensed, images of the event flashing through her head. ‘What about it?’

‘You’re scared, and there is no shame in that.’

Her chin went up, and then up a little more, because he was smiling. ‘I’mnotscared.’

‘I’ve had a tedious flight—a drunk decided he wanted to exit at thirty thousand feet. This is what you get for being conscious of your carbon footprint. First class is overrated when compared to a private jet. But let’s not go there. I was going to go for a swim to loosen up, and I thought of my last swim...’

His expression was impassive, the words innocuous, but his honey-toned delivery made her skin prickle—and not with suspicion.

The fact was shehadbeen relieved when he had vanished with no word, no explanation—so typical of his arrogance!

It had been the not knowing if or when he would return that had bothered her...not his absence. The fact she hadn’t been able to let her defences down completely. Missing him would be like missing the absence of a pain in the rear.

But had things felt a little flat with him not around?

She pushed away the laughable idea. She liked a quiet life and it had been very quiet—and peaceful. Twenty-four hours without being constantly on edge.

Boring?

She ignored the silent intervention in her head.

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