Page 50 of Out of Office Nights
What if he didn’t want it?
Could they slot back into their previous roles of creative director and creative genius, existing on separate continents?
A layer of unease had slithered over her emotions, a tiny spurt of gratitude following that she hadn’t voiced her feelings so recklessly.
Keeping that in mind, she’d remained silent as the middle-aged butler swept open double doors that led to yet another exquisite set of rooms, with vaulted ceilings, handmade glittering chandeliers and a mix of antique and contemporary furniture that begged to be admired and appreciated. But herfocus had remained riveted on Teo, who was watching her with that heavy-lidded intensity she yearned to break through. Right before he dismissed the butler and unceremoniously swept her off her feet and into an even grander royal bed.
Now, the mid-morning sun laid her actions bare.
She was plastered all over him, not fighting him at all when he’d dragged her over his body so she’d slept with her cheek on his chest, his fingers tangled in her hair.
‘Your heartbeat just picked up. Should I be flattered into believing it’s excitement, or should I anticipate a little turmoil in the light of day?’ he mused with that slight edge that lined his voice so often now.
She remained silent, cursing him inwardly for his vexing talent. But it was probably a good thing if he knew the full extent of her unease. It would make things so much simpler.
Nathan had been entirely oblivious to her feelings, mocking her for being melodramatic whenever she’d pointed out his insensitivity.
She frowned. Why on earth was she thinking about him?
‘Speak or I will be forced to act. Perhaps more of that madness you crave, hmm?’ There was a lazy indulgence in his voice, but with a clear command too.
Raising her head, she caught a glimpse of wariness. And it occurred to her that he’d probably never been in this position. After all, every woman he’d bedded had probably begged to be there, protested at being shown the door when the time came. And while she’d stopped herself from avidly following his every move in the tabloids, from his tension just from being this close to his father, she highly suspected Teo had never brought a woman here before.
Was she being wildly naive? Secretly hopeful that she was unique?
‘Or are you cured so soon?’ came the drawled query, even as thick conceit mocked the possibility.
Sabeen wasn’t sure if it was the urgent need for damage control—because no, she was far from cured; in fact she feared the opposite—or the need to keep barrelling down this path she’d taken with him that made her slide off him. Or at least attempt to.
He caught her easily, his hands spanning her waist to keep her in place atop him. Eyes turned quicksilver in the morning light burned into her. ‘Stay. Use your words. I’m capable of many things, but I don’t think I’ve mastered the ability to render anyone permanently mute,tesoro.’
‘You asked me about Nathan before. Do you want me to talk about another man while I’m lying in your arms?’ she asked, eyebrows raised.
He tensed. Jaw clenched tight, he released her, but he didn’t move far away, following when she slid off the bed to go to the window.
The breathtaking grounds beyond the window barely caught her attention, the delicious thought that he clearly didn’t want her out of arm’s length stealing through her, burrowing into needy spaces that threatened to melt her resolve. Because she would’ve loved nothing more than to erase this aspect of her past with Nathan from her mind.
‘We met on a photo shoot in Norway. The old clichés were eye-wateringly rife. As were the warnings that he was a womaniser collecting notches on his bed-post. And yes, I thought I could be the exception to the rule.’ She slid him a glance then, gauged his reaction. Tried to see if she could read between his lines. Silver eyes challenged her to speak the words aloud.
She couldn’t. Because…because…
She shook her head, terrified to finish that thought. There would come a time, pretty soon she feared, when she would need to face every emotion she felt for Teo Domene head-on. Not least because of the promise she’d made to herjida.
‘I also did the unthinkable when he said that we were done. I chased after him. All the way to a small village in the far reaches of Norway. To discover he had a wife and the requisite two point five children who knew nothing of his other life. In the space of a half hour, I shattered four lives, plus mine.’
‘Was he the reason you gave up your previous career?’ The question was an icy blade, cutting through the thick emotions clogging the air.
She paused, not to choose her words but to bask in the small bubble of pride she felt then. ‘No. I’d planned to give up modelling two months before I met him. The scandal that I’d seduced a married man and continued to pursue him when he wouldn’t leave his wife and family for me was simply a cruel coincidence. Of course, that wasn’t what was reported. It was a much juicier story for me to have crashed and burned over a man who didn’t want me, who’d jilted me. A story he did nothing to deny, even though he knew the truth. I hated him for that, but I think I hated myself more for being so blind. For not remembering my family history until it was too late.’
She sighed, the memory of what came next slashing through her. ‘I came home…after.Jidawas already sick, but she was still my rock. I think…all this heaviness I’m carrying is because I helped her as much as I could, but if I hadn’t been so preoccupied, maybe I could’ve done more.’
His silence when she finished speaking drew her to face him. His eyes were narrowed, his face set in enigmatic lines she couldn’t fathom.
‘You wanted to know. Well, that’s the whole sordid saga. Are we done with this now?’
He closed the gap between them. ‘Not quite,tesoro.’
She shook her head vehemently. ‘No, I’m done with—’
