Page 6 of Beautiful Dangerous

My stomach’s a knot of nerves, and I’m sure my hand’s shaking as I raise the tumbler of tequila to my lips and take a small sip. The alcohol hit is instant, but I’m also acutely aware that this is a situation I have to be in complete control of. So I put the glass down on a nearby table, and take another deep breath.

“You’re wondering why you’ve come here, am I right?” he asks, and I nod.

“Yes. I am.”

“Why you’re here, with this strange man who wouldn’t take no for an answer?”

He wouldn’t. Those flowers he’d left in my room that night, I had flowers left for me for the next three days. Bottles of champagne. Notes asking if we could meet for a drink: if he could take me to dinner. He was persistent to the point where I felt worn down by his pursuit of me, that’s another reason why I’m here. But, now I’ve stopped to think about it, isn’t that what he wanted? To wear me down? Because men like him, they always get what they want, don’t they? And that thought does nothing to settle my nerves. I’m genuinely scared now. And I think I have every reason to be.

“I’m a woman, traveling alone, in a country I’ve never visited before. You can’t blame me for being wary.”

“No. You’re right to be wary, of course you are. But I promise you, Olivia, I have no ulterior motives here. I just want to spend some time with you, that’s all.”

I should’ve suggested we meet in the hotel. Why didn’t I do that? Why did I agree to meet him here, at his sprawling estate, miles outside of town? Why did I do that?

“Come. We’re eating outside.”

I pick up my drink and follow him out onto the terrace. Underneath a fairy-light-decked pergola there’s a table set for two, piled high with food and wine – cold meats and salads; dishes of vegetables and bowls of colorful salsas. The surrounding trees and bushes are also strewn with tiny twinkling lights, it’s a beautiful setting, and not one he created, I’m guessing. This man has staff, it’s obvious.

There’s a barbecue in the corner which seems to have meat of some description still sizzling away on the grill, and that’s where he heads to first, picking up a pair of tongs and flipping over a couple of large, thick-cut steaks.

“My father taught me how to barbecue when I was just a boy,” he explains, casting me a quick glance over his shoulder. “It’s something I never forgot. How do you like your steak cooked, Olivia?”

He’s assuming I eat meat, which I do, but the fact he doesn’t even consider that I might be vegetarian, or even vegan, tells me a lot about him.

“Medium rare, please.”

“A woman after my own heart!”

He lifts the steaks from the grill and lays them down on a white oval plate, carrying them over to the table before pulling out my chair. “Please. Sit. I’ll pour us some wine.”

He’s the perfect host, and that’s fine. I’ve never really been one for romantic gestures but I’m also not going to pretend I don’t like it. I do. It’s nice to be pampered, for a change, and there’s a tiny part of me that’s quite enjoying it, even if those nerves in my stomach are showing no signs of lessening.

“I picked this one myself, from my own collection.” He hands me a glass of deep red wine before sitting down at the table. “It goes perfectly with this particular cut of beef. Please, help yourself to salad and vegetables. My housekeeper, Celine, she makes the best roast potatoes this side of the border.”

I’m not really very hungry, those ever-present nerves are seeing to that, but I’m going to be polite and try to eat something. He’s quite obviously gone to a lot of trouble. Well, someone has, anyway.

“So, Olivia, what brings you to Mexico?”

I reach for a bowl of potatoes and spoon a couple onto my plate. “A vacation. A much-needed one.”

He raises an eyebrow as he fills his plate with green salad. “I see. You needed some time alone, am I right?”

“Yes. You’re right.”

It’s been a tough year. This vacation, it’s a treat to myself; some time to get over what’s happened, and think about moving forward.

“And then I come along, and ruin it.”

“You haven’t ruined anything.” He hasn’t. Not really. There’s only so much of my own company I can take, in the end.

He smiles and briefly drops his gaze, reaching for the bowl of potatoes. “So, is there any reason why you need some time alone?” He looks back up at me, his expression almost apologetic. “Forgive me. I didn’t mean to ask such an intrusive question. It’s none of my business.”

“It’s fine. Really. It’s just been a hard few months, that’s all. I lost my father, and my uncle, in a road accident not that long ago and, you know, that kind of floored me.”

“Oh, Olivia, I am so sorry.”

It’s my turn to drop my gaze. “It took a while for me to even accept that they’d gone, but you have to move on at some point, don’t you? Life goes on, whether you want it to or not.” I look up, and his eyes are still on me. Kind eyes. He’s making me feel a little more comfortable now, but that wariness is still very much there. “And then, just as I was starting to feel like…” I stop talking, aware that I was only a second away from telling a complete stranger about Callum. He doesn’t need to know about that, he doesn’t need to know anything else about me. “I’m sorry. I just needed a break from the real worldfor a few days.And Mexico’s been perfect escapism, so far.”

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