Page 68 of Crossing Lines

We spend the next few hours working on building a new line. Even if he doesn’t know a single thing about design, his questions are astute, thoughtful. The hours fly by, and it’s more fun than I thought possible.

At six o’clock, he leans back into his chair and stretches his neck from side to side. “You’re really good at this.”

“So are you.”

Evren’s phone rings, and he glances at the screen. “I need to grab this. It’ll only be a few minutes, and then I can take us home.”

Home. Together. Why does that sound so good?

I watch him pace outside the room, the edges of his lips pulling down every time he passes the window next to me. When he’s finished his call, he’s more subduedand asks, “Ready?”

“Sure.”

We walk to the car in silence.

We drive home in silence. And that silence turns into a crackling kind of tension.

When we pull into the driveway, Evren breaks it by saying, “I’m going to go for a swim.”

I glance at him in surprise. He’s more of a swim-at-ten-at-night kind of guy. But it’s not even seven, and he’s going now?

My body is a ball of pain after that walk, but there’s something bothering him, ever since the phone call, and I don’t want him to be alone right now.

“Can I join you?” I blurt out.

“You don’t even have to ask.”

Chapter 17

Nina

He’s already on the patio by the time I finish changing into the skimpiest swimsuit I own, which is a thong with small triangles covering all the important bits. Based on my choice, I’m pretty sure I’m ready to take us to the next level.

The second Evren sees me in the bathing suit, he throws me a towel and storms to the pool house. He bangs on the door and Nate comes out.

“I need you gone for the next two hours,” Evren says.

“Done,” Nate says. “I’ll patrol the front.”

Nate doesn’t even look at me as he enters the main house.

“Caveman much?” I ask.

He shrugs. “Sue me.”

“Don’t tempt me,” I say, setting down the towel on the lounge chair. He chuckles and I turn around and find him checking out my ass. Instead of commentingonthat, I ask, “Why did you want to go swimming now? Normally you go later.”

“Hmm, and how would you know? Did you watch me when you were in the pool house?” He slowly walks toward me.

“No,” I lie. “Why would I do that?”

The look on his face is electrifying, a dangerous spark that ignites something wild inside me, urging me to throw caution to the wind and surrender to the moment. He stalks toward me, his gaze locked on to mine with an intensity that causes my pulse to flutter. My breath hitches as he closes the distance, and just when I think he’s about to close the gap, he strides past me and plunges into the water with a graceful dive.

“You tease,” I call out, laughing. That asshole had me thinking he was going to do something different, like ravage me on the lounge chair.

“I’m not the one who paraded around all day in that sexy-as-fuck skirt.”

“Is that why you needed to swim?” I ask. “To cool off?”

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