Page 50 of Undercover Billionaire

‘A little something to remember Mykonos,’ Ari said as her finger stroked the surface of the eye.

Kelsey glanced at him and smiled. ‘If you think I’m going to forget anything about today, you’re crazy.’

He returned the smile. ‘Here.’ He reached for the box. ‘Let me.’

She really should refuse but it was such a lovely gesture, and before she could knock it back he was taking it from her hands, removing the necklace from the box. And it was an easy step from there to turn around, face the mirror near the entrance and swoop her hair out of the way so he could secure it around her neck.

‘Well?’ he said, their gazes meeting in the mirror. ‘What do you think?’

It wasdivine.The chain was short and the eye sat just below the hollow at the base of her throat, and Kelseylovedit. ‘It’s beautiful,’ she whispered, fingering the eye, ‘thank you.’

He smiled and dropped a kiss on the side of her neck. ‘You’rebeautiful.’

God… this man was good for her ego, and she was going tomisshim. ‘I shall treasure it. But I feel so bad. All I got you was a lousy umbrella.’

He chuckled, his lips nuzzling her skin, spreading goosebumps and tightening her nipples. ‘And I shall treasure it.’

Kelsey laughed and then she turned in his arms and hugged him. She would always remember Mykonos.

* * *

The following two days were sea days on their way to Venice and they flew by. Ari spent most of them holed up in his cabin writing his report, which was extensive and which he was presenting at the board meeting in Venice the day after the ship docked.

Being cabin bound was also a good way of avoiding Kelsey. They’d decided Mykonos was it and Ari was fine with the decision.Perfectly fine. Kelsey had been some kind of aberration, a crack of sunlight into the bleakness of his life – nothing more. They lived on opposite sides of the planet with very different lives and neither of them was looking for a commitment.

Plus she was very busy with a ship full of passengers. Too busy to smile and chat and flirt. Definitely too busy for one last hook up.

Althoughhooking upwasn’t what they’d been doing. Not that there was anything wrong with it if both parties were keen. Hell, Theo almost exclusively hooked up. As did most of his cousins if the European tabloids were any indication.

Ari had even done it a few times himself – before Talia.

But it hadn’tfeltlike that with Kelsey – not even the first time. There’d been something between them from the second she’d served him at the bar on the day of their departure.

A spark. A connection.

And it hadn’t been sexual. Or notjustsexual anyway. It had been… deeper. Beyond the recognition of her as a woman and him as a man. It had been…

The umbrella.

That silly little umbrella. Or the sentiment behind it, anyway. A cheap, tacky bit of fluff that had probably cost less than one lousy cent to produce had dragged him kicking and screaming into the land of the living. Had opened his eyes. To life.

To her.

And he wouldn’t be seeing her again after today. They’d made their majestic entrance into the Venetian lagoon an hour ago and passengers who’d had an early breakfast were already disembarking. Ari was all packed to go but he didn’t want to leave without seeing her one more time. Even if it was just eyes meeting across a room, he needed to catch a glimpse.

Heading to the dining room, he scanned it, his gaze running over the sparsely populated tables. Obviously, most passengers had decided to eat early and get out into Venice as soon as possible. He couldn’t blame them – Venice may be a waterlogged old relic to many but to Ari it was a majestic citadel of inconceivable beauty.

Suddenly, he spotted Kelsey approaching a table with a pot of coffee and his heart leapt. Striding towards her, he seated himself at the empty table next to the one she was serving. When she was done, she turned and spied her newest customer, heading in his direction, faltering only slightly when she realised it was him. She was in her formal uniform which clung in all the right places and his necklace was at her throat.

‘Good morning, sir,’ she said, a smile fixed on her face but wariness in her gaze. ‘Would you like coffee?’

‘Yes please,’ he said, holding out his cup to be filled.

‘Are you eating breakfast, sir?’

‘Stay with me in Venice.’

She blinked. Hell –heblinked. Ari hadnotbeen going to say that at all. But then she was wearing his necklace and they were both going to be in Venice together so… why not?

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