Page 17 of Undercover Billionaire

Her step faltered as their gazes locked. Ari’s presence was like a sudden zap of static electricity, and not just because he looked devastating in a casual T-shirt fitted snug across his chest and biceps. Or the fact he hadn’t shaved, taking the stubble firmly into whisker territory. But because he said he wasn’t going to do this – monopolise her attention when she was working.

It made her super conscious of her indiscretion, although, to be fair to him, Ari seemed as surprised by her presence. It wasn’t like the man was privy to her work schedule.

‘Can you serve the gentleman at the end?’ Rasheesh prompted as Kelsey dithered for a moment.

She nodded. There was little else she could do with the cocktail crowd at the bar and Rasheesh frowning at her uncharacteristic inaction.

‘Good morning, sir,’ she said, approaching him with her most polite smile in situ. ‘What can I get you?’ She winced internally at how formal she sounded.

‘Whisky, please. Neat.’ Ari was equally as formal.

Kelsey poured the drink then put it down on a white bar napkin in front of him. Ari glanced at Rasheesh then back at her saying, ‘Sorry,’ as he lifted the drink, the glass hiding his lips. ‘I didn’t know you’d be here.’

She gave a brief nod. Unfortunately, whether it was deliberate or accidental, she couldn’t ignore him, especially not in front of one of the bosses. It was her job to be polite, to ‘make idle chit chat’ with the customer; hell, even flirt a little if it meant a nice tip and a passenger deciding to upgrade to a more expensive alcohol package.

Which Kelsey would have been more than happy to try withany other passenger. But with Ari, she was determined to keep this conversation professional – no matter how hot he looked this morning.

‘You’re not going to check out Naples today, sir?’ she enquired, projecting her voice a little for the benefit of Rasheesh.

They’d docked early this morning and 90 per cent of the passengers had disembarked to spend a day in one of Italy’s most popular tourist destinations.

He shook his head. ‘I don’t really get what the fuss is about Naples.’

Kelsey agreed wholeheartedly, but publicly dissing one of their ports was frowned upon. ‘You’ve been before?’

He nodded. ‘Several times.’

‘You could take a tour to Pompeii?’ she said, her tone firmly suggestive. Him being off the ship most days would be better for avoidance purposes.

A tight smile crossed his lips and she knew damn well he’d received her message loud and clear. ‘I’m probably going to stay on the ship most days.’

Kelsey blinked, her brain grappling with the revelation. Ari had confessed to being a cruise virgin, so surely he’d want to disembark at every stop and see all there was to see?

‘I’d have thought you’d want to explore more given this is your first cruise?’

He shrugged. ‘I’m only planning on getting off at Mykonos.’

Kelsey’s brows rose. ‘Not Athens? Or Santorini?’ They were the two most popular stops on the cruise.

‘No.’ He said it in a clipped kind of way that sounded very Greek. ‘I know them both well and I prefer Mykonos.’

It struck Kelsey that Ari might have been better off taking a cruise to the Caribbean rather than an area with which he was so familiar. But maybe he hadn’t wanted to go too far afield.

‘I love the beaches and sitting in all the little bars on the water’s edge,’ he continued. ‘I love its laid-back vibe.’

She nodded, his words disarming her resolve to stay polite but aloof. ‘I love Mykonos too.’ She loved being closer to the water. Her favourite thing to do was to sit in one of those bars and stare at the windmills.

‘A woman of taste.’

His dark gaze held hers briefly before he downed his drink in one swallow, as he had yesterday. She watched the shift of muscles in his throat and the fascinating coverage of his whiskers.

Damn it all – why couldn’t the man just leave the ship every day like anormalpassenger?

Tapping the rim, he said, ‘Another.’

Acutely aware she was staring and that he knew she was staring, Kelsey poured the drink. ‘What are your plans for on board then, sir?’

Her voice wobbled a little at calling himsir. It sounded kinda dirty in public given what had happened in private and it was the last thing Kelsey needed on her mind.

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