Page 10 of Undercover Billionaire

Reluctantly, Ari fell back to make way for her and Kelsey stepped inside, brushing past him, noting the low glow from the bedside lamp was the only light in the cabin. As she drew to a halt at the foot of the bed, the door clicked shut and she turned to face him. His eyes met hers before they travelled down her body, heat building in his gaze as it took in her formal uniform of red button-up blouse and dark grey pencil skirt.

The air zinged suddenly as heat morphed to a raw kind of hunger. His body may have been putting out keep out signals, but his eyes were telling a different story. Her gaze zeroed in on the knot of that towel, and she blinked as a surge of lust flooded her pelvis.

Oh no.Down, girl – down! She was not here for this. It would not be sensible or practical and she was nothing if not sensible and practical.

Kelsey briefly shut her eyes to block the temptation of him.Get your shit together, woman!Opening her eyes, she held up the twenty-euro note in her hand. ‘I found this?—’

She stopped and cleared her throat. Her voice had gone all helium on her again, which sounded guilty as fuck. Shehad nottaken the money and she would be damned if a wobbly voice said otherwise.

‘In the bar tonight. It was on the floor out the back near where I’d looked through your wallet when I was trying to find who it belonged to.’

Kelsey fought against the urge to swallow – another sign of guilt – despite her throat being dry as day-old croutons. ‘It must have fallen out and I didn’t realise.’

He didn’t say anything for the longest time, just looked at her, a frown creasing his brow as his gaze flicked from the money then back to her, his gaze probing. Assessing.

‘Thank you.’ He stepped closer until he was able to reach for the note, which he took out of her hand. ‘I thought I’d had more money in my wallet but…’ He shrugged. ‘A migraine can often make me fuzzy about facts.’

So hehadnoticed. Was that why he’d been so stiff and unwelcoming just now? Why he hadn’t acknowledged her at dinner tonight? Had he suspected her of taking it? And if so, why hadn’t he reported it or made a complaint?

‘I appreciate you returning it.’

‘Of course,’ she said, dismissing the gesture as a no-brainer with a quick shake of her head.

He stepped around her, the warm bulk of his bicep brushing hers. An army of goosebumps marched up her arm, across her chest and puckered her nipples. She caught a whiff of maple syrup again as he crossed to the bedside table, picked up his wallet and replaced the note.

Kelsey watched the shift and play of muscles beneath the burnished barrier of his skin, the clench of his ass beneath the towel. He turned and Kelsey quickly skittered her gaze to the left, although she was pretty damn sure he’d caught her perving.

‘I—’ She swallowed, her mouth far from dry now thanks to an excess of saliva, as she met his gaze. ‘Better go.’

Two ink-black eyes drifted over her mouth, down her throat, to the open V of her blouse and the way it strained a little across her chest before returning to her face. The husky rattle of Kelsey’s breathing seemed loud in the deafening silence of the cabin. Outside, more and more people were walking past, but inside it was eerily quiet – like a cocoon in the middle of a beehive.

‘Did you want to wait for a bit until the number of passengers returning to their cabins lessens?’

The offer was a little stiff even if it did seem genuine enough, and it made perfect sense to wait. But still, she was too conscious of him as a man. It felt too… intimate.

‘I think I’ve already interrupted your evening enough,’ she said, waving her hand at his towel, her cheeks heating as she tried not to remember how aroused he’d been beneath that towel earlier.

‘It’s fine,’ he assured. ‘They shouldn’t be too long and I can shower when you’ve gone. I’ll just—’ He indicated the wardrobe as he headed back her way. ‘Put something else on.’

Kelsey nodded. Himnotbeing in a towel would help.

He gestured to the chair at the small round corner coffee table. ‘Take a seat. I’ll be right back.’

Crossing to the chair, Kelsey sat as Ari disappeared into the bathroom and what sounded like a herd of people passed by outside. He was back in under a minute in track pants and a T-shirt.

‘I’m having a whisky,’ he said as he left the bathroom. ‘Will you join me?’

Kelsey didn’t think addingdrinkingwith a passenger in his cabin to her list of transgressions was particularly wise, and whisky wasn’t her favourite tipple, but they had todosomething. ‘Yes, thank you.’

He crossed to the open shelving above the in-built drawers and poured a shot of whisky into two glasses. He handed one to her then sat on the end of the bed. ‘To theHellenic Spirit, may she go well,’ he said, raising his glass.

Kelsey raised hers. ‘To theHellenic Spirit.’

Despite the urge to slam the whole thing back, Kelsey sipped at the drink. So did Ari. ‘Your headache is gone now?’ she asked politely, fixing her gaze on his face and not the soft fall of his shirt against broad shoulders.

‘Yes. I slept for a few hours before dinner and it was gone when I woke.’

‘You looked good at dinner,’ she agreed, and then her cheeks flushed as the full import of what she’d said dawned. ‘I mean… you looked…’ She groped around for a word that didn’t involve the words sexy, hot orfuckable. ‘Recovered.’

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