Page 34 of Out of Office Nights
‘You wanted me to relax. That was me relaxing.’
He raked a hand through his wet hair, completely—hopefully—oblivious to what the sight of his tight, bronzed body was doing to her. ‘Evidently. I’ve never heard you laugh before.’
‘Whereas I’ve heard you laugh far too many times.’
He remained sombre, watchful in a way that reminded her of his twin. In a way that made her insides jump because Teo in this mode was a little frightening with his incisive intuition.
‘Speaking of which, you said the first thing on the agenda was relaxation. What’s the second?’ she asked after wrapping the towel tight around her body.
His gaze probed hers for several beats before taking a seat on the beach lounger next to hers. Pouring from a pitcher of ice-cold fruit punch infused with dates, cinnamon sticks and mint, he handed it over to her.
She took it and sipped, nearly rolling her eyes at the heavenly taste.
‘Your grandmother,’ he said.
Her heart lurched, but the hot objection she’d intended cooled far too rapidly and died altogether. Buying herself time, she took another sip, then stretched out on the lounger.
With her gaze on the horizon, she replied, ‘Why do you want to know about her?’
‘It’s undeniable that she had a huge influence on you. Still does.’
She flicked her gaze away for a quick reprieve before his sheer will pulled it back. ‘She wouldn’t have approved of you.’
One corner of his mouth quirked, but his face remained serious. ‘I’m aware that you think she might not initially have.’
She frowned at the puzzling response. ‘How?’
Those incisive eyes probed even deeper. ‘Among other things, you tense up every time I walk into your living room. That armchair was hers, wasn’t it?’
She inhaled sharply then nodded jerkily.
‘Tell me the significance of it.’
‘It was her favourite chair. But it was also meaningful beyond its comfort. She used it whenever she wanted to have an important talk with me. I… It feels like every significant turningpoint in my life has involved that chair.’ Tears pricked her eyes, but she rapidly blinked them back. ‘Since she died, I only sit in it when I miss her counsel and her warmth. I couldn’t let anyone else sit in it.’
He nodded and surprised her again by saying, ‘And you shouldn’t.’
Something tight inside her eased, and Sabeen found she could breathe even easier. Which triggered a fresh smarting of tears. What the hell was he doing to her?
He’s the Playboy Prince, damn it.
He shouldn’t be this considerate. This in tune with compassion. He should be pushing his sexual aura on her so she could storm off in a huff, pull the protective cloak tighter around her precious emotions. Not unsettling her with the dangerous idea that this connection developing between them could be as wild as his quicksilver eyes promised. Insanely beautiful, even. But above all and most importantly: non-toxic.Solid. Strong enough to withstand past devastation.
‘Tell me of your time with her.’
Was it her imagination, or did he sound wistful? Jealous, even.
Her belly clenched for several seconds. Then tension eased out with her next breath. ‘She brought me up as much as my mother did.Jidafelt she had to be strict over certain things where my mother was more…chill.’
‘They clashed over that?’
Sabeen nodded, the memories a little bittersweet. ‘Repeatedly. I like to think I got the best of both worlds. And they loved each other, so it wasn’t too disruptive or dysfunctional.’ She caught his mouth tightening at the clarification, reminding her of the rumours swirling around his family. Rumours she’d paid no heed to but now triggered her curiosity in light of the shadows that haunted him. The test of fire he’d spoken of.
‘You loved her, and she loved you. So why are you so terrified of that chair?’
Her head swivelled to meet his shrewd gaze. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ she said hotly.
‘It goes beyond grief,dulce.’
