Page 48 of Worth the Risk

‘It was supposed to be a five-day semibusiness trip before our wedding. We were both into sailing and planned to open a boating company after we got married.’

His nostrils flared but he didn’t speak.

‘We were supposed to attend a three-day course on a superyacht to learn the ropes together but we couldn’t afford it in the end so he went and I stayed at a hostel in town. He called at the end of the first day to say the owner had extended his stay for the full five days at no extra charge. I was a little pissed but Adam was excited and I couldn’t say no. Turned out the owner of the superyacht was a shipping heiress with more money than she knew what to do with. I’m assuming at some point one of them seduced the other or maybe it was a simultaneous seducing. Who the hell cares? Bottom line is I got a call on the last day of the trip from Adam to say he wasn’t coming back. He’d already called his parents to tell them the wedding was off.’

‘Fucking bastard. So you stayed?’

‘No, I flew back home and licked my wounds for two months.’

Something flickered his gaze but he remained silent.

‘Then I took my share of our savings and came back here.’

‘You wanted to succeed where you’d lost before.’ It wasn’t a question. I liked that he got my determination and my ambition.

‘Yes. And I did.’

‘Good for you. Success is the best way to fuck your enemies over.’

His praise warmed me and when he raised his glass to me, I let myself get lost in that hard, edgy hunger in his eyes.

I sipped my wine, watching him over the rim as he returned my stare with an unwavering one of his own.

‘Are you speaking from experience?’ I eventually asked, unable to curb my curiosity.

‘Of course I am,’ he replied. ‘I didn’t get to where I am without knowing a thing or two about being fucked over.’

The arrival of our food didn’t save me from the intensity of his unblinking stare. To be honest, I wasn’t sure I wanted to be saved any more.

‘Are you going to elaborate or shall we talk about the weather now?’ I asked as he spooned stuffed peppers and cufte onto my plate. Although he served himself, he made no move to eat. I took a bite of the delicious food, chewed and swallowed.

His smile evaporated far too quickly. Long, elegant fingers toyed with the stem of his glass, his pensive gaze raking my face to rest on my mouth for a long moment before rising to spear mine again.

‘I was betrayed by my fiancée, too.’

Shock squeezed my insides tight. ‘You were engaged?’

His phone buzzed. He slid it out of his pocket, read the message and tucked it back. ‘Yes. Eat up, Leonora.’

I stared blindly down at my plate, then back at him. ‘Are we in a hurry?’

‘I sure as fuck hope so. Vadim has agreed to the final terms of the deal. His lawyers have just sent the signed papers to me.’

My heart lurched wildly, then proceeded to bash itself crazily against my ribcage. ‘And that means...?’

Gideon sat forward, trailed his forefinger over my lower lip. ‘It means I’ve been a good boy long enough. Now I intend to be very, very bad.’

I had very little memory of finishing my meal. But I must have because by the time Maximo appeared to clear the table, my plate was empty.

‘Are you ready to go?’ Gideon’s demand was rough, barely coherent.

At my nod, he rose, tossed down a handful of crisp notes and meshed his fingers through mine. Whatever he muttered to Maximo on the way out made the other man smile. I added a quick smile of my own before we burst out into the quiet street. Lightning forked from where our hands connected and radiated through my body. Anticipation rippled through me, dragging a jagged little sound from my throat.

Gideon froze, his grey eyes spearing mine on the shadowed street. ‘Fuck, I’m not even touching you properly and you’re already turned on, aren’t you? I can’t wait to experience all this sexiness.’

Was it possible to both love and hate that level of arrogance? I remained in place when he started to move again.

He dropped my hand and planted himself in front of me. ‘What are you up to, Leonora?’

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