Page 33 of Out of Office Nights
Setting her bag down, she toed off her flats, eager to feel the cool tiles beneath her bare soles, unable to contain her deep sigh.
She turned to find Teo watching her, as he’d done so many times in the last several days. As if he was attempting to decode her. And effortlessly succeeding.
She turned away sharply, fearing what he would see: a woman shattered and still bearing scars from her one and only serious attempt at a relationship, flailing to hang on to her professional lifeline while dealing with grief.
Open French doors drew her outside to a wide terrace, a long dining table easily seating twenty and wooden lampshades that would be glorious at night too.
Light and dark green tiles lined a sparkling, inviting pool, reminding her that she hadn’t gone for her customary ocean swim since Teo had arrived on her doorstep.
‘There are two things on your agenda today. The first is relaxation,’ he said from just behind her right shoulder.
She glanced over, meeting his imperious silver gaze and the imposing aura that easily eclipsed even this spectacular place so that he was the only thing she saw.
‘By order of the prince?’ she tried with a little heat in her voice.
His face shadowed momentarily then shrugged. ‘If that’s what it takes.’ He nodded at the view. ‘Swim first. Pool or sea?’
She forced her gaze away, to the sea then to the glittering pool. If she was doing this, she was doing it wholeheartedly. ‘Why choose?’
She caught his flash of surprise before she went back in to retrieve her beach-bag. ‘Is there somewhere I can change?’
Still watching her, he pointed down a long hallway.
Walking away, she felt a punch of satisfaction that she’d surprised him. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t much. But considering she was the one constantly on the back foot, it felt good. A change from the self-esteem shredding she’d felt when she was with Nathan. And…she wanted more of it.
In another stunning masterpiece of a bedroom, she changed into her all-white bikini, knotting a matching short sarong around her hips. Snapping up her sunglasses and sunscreen, she was back outside and halfway to the beach in minutes.
The tingling in her shoulders when her feet sank into the warm sand said Teo was right behind. Two muslin-draped cabanas were set up on the sand, complete with towels and refreshments. Tossing her glasses into the nearest one, she untied the sarong.
His sharp inhale peppered her skin with tingling awareness and not an insignificant layer of desire. Wanting to distract herself, she raced down the sand and threw herself into the incoming waves. Two Jet Skis were tied to a buoy about a hundred yards away.
She beelined towards them.
Barely twenty strokes in, she heard his faster ones. He overtook her easily, cutting through the water with streamlined prowess that was insanely beautiful to watch. She arrived at theskis as he straddled the first one. He held out his hand and helped her onto the other.
The second she was astride it, she flipped the ignition.
‘Sabeen!’ The bark of warning only made her bolder. ‘Wait!’
She didn’t. The spark of magic and the absence of despair fizzed in her blood. She might have resisted taking a break, but now she was here, she accepted it was exactly what she’d needed.
Her gaze on the horizon, she gunned the throttle. With a daring glare, she shot off, laughing with a freedom she hadn’t felt in for ever when his eyes widened.
He followed immediately, of course.
Teo Domene wasn’t in the habit of letting anyone best him. But she squeezed every ounce out of their little game, speeding up when he did. Circling him when he slowed down but never letting him close enough to risk her upper hand.
He watched her, his face set in increasingly frustrating lines. Until finally he conceded. ‘We’re going back. Now.’
‘You’re giving up? Was it not enjoyable for you?’ she asked, unable to hide her pleased smirk.
‘I have to. I can’t risk you doing anything foolish on my watch like breaking that beautiful neck.’
Her body reacted wildly to those words, her nipples hardening while her thighs clenched with the sensation pulsing between them.
The moment she reached the cabana, she snatched up a towel and held it against her body in a bid to hide and alleviate the turbulent feelings.
‘Did you enjoy your little adventure?’
