Page 26 of Resisting the Bossy Billionaire

It wasn’t physical strength she’d been seeking but the mental strength needed to leave this temporary sanctuary from Marcello and deal with seeing him again. Talking to him. Pretending.

Pretending that when the storm passed and she’d fully recovered, things could go back to how they used to be.

And then she found herself lying in the bath in the pitch black.

The door was closed. No light spilled through the cracks from the bedroom. It must be a full-blown power cut. She’d closed, too, the expertly fitted blinds. No residual light from the outside could penetrate it.

Groping carefully for the rolled sides, she sat up and called Marcello’s name. The bathwater had been cooling and now goosebumps flecked her skin.

She hugged her knees and called his name again. She’d put a towel on the chaise longue but couldn’t even make out its shadow.

And then she heard her name.

‘I’m still in the bath,’ she called back.

‘Are you okay?’ His voice came from behind the door.

‘Yes, but I can’t see anything at all.’

The door opened. A circle of orange light filled the doorway. It took a moment for her brain to catch up and see it was the torch from Marcello’s phone. Of him, she could see nothing, not even his outline.

‘There has been a power cut,’ his disembodied voice informed her grimly. ‘From what I can see, most of Central Park is down.’

Acutely aware that he could see her, she covered her breasts and tried to speak normally. ‘Doesn’t the building have a back-up generator?’

‘I would assume so. I will check with the concierge once you’re out of the bath. Can you see enough to get out safely?’

The orange glow now coming from the doorway was emanating just enough light by the bath to create shadows. ‘I think so.’

He must have picked up on her uncertainty. The light moved closer until its source stopped by the double sink. ‘Better?’

‘Yes...’ She swallowed and strove even harder for normality in her voice, as if what she was about to ask were an everyday occurrence. ‘Can you pass me the towel please? It’s on the chaise longue.’

‘Sure.’

The light source moved again. She saw the gleam of an outstretched arm at the same moment she heard the rustle of a bath towel being lifted.

The light moved closer.

She reached for the towel. Once she had it in her clasp, the light source retreated a few steps.

‘I will stay close in case you need me,’ he said tightly.

She nodded and tried to open her throat to breathe. The light from the phone had put her under a dimly glowing spotlight. The man behind it was still indistinguishable but she could feel him through the vibrations of her naked skin that no longer felt cold. Could hear the long pauses between each of his breaths...

Marcello turned his face from her. He could not turn off the rest of his senses.

Water sloshed and, as much as he tried to think about anything else, all he could see in his mind’s eye was the illuminated figure in the bath tub rising slowly to her feet.

He’d had to brace himself before entering the bathroom knowing it would be impossible to avoid Victoria’s nakedness. And so it had proved. Her wet hair, part covering her breasts, had contrasted strongly with the luminescence of her skin. A mermaid come to life. A siren leading a man to danger...

‘Can I borrow your hand while I step out, please?’ she whispered.

Everything inside him contracted sharply then pulsed in a rush. He had to tighten his grip on the phone before he could force the steps needed to reach her side.

Closing his eyes, he reached out to her and did his damnedest to banish the image of Victoria in full, curvaceous naked bloom. It was futile. One glance had etched in his retinas. Even with only the dim torchlight, that one glance had been enough to see that the soft down of hair between her legs was the same beautiful shade of red as the hair on her head.

Dio, his blood had never pumped so hard.

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