Page 71 of 2 Books in One Bundle

She was curled up in one of the chairs in the library when she heard the door to Orion’s office open and then sometime later, shutting again. Half of her was relieved he hadn’t bothered to come and find her, while the other half was annoyed. Not that she wanted him to. Of course, she didn’t want him to.

Yet that left her alone with her thoughts and the fact that if she wanted to give him something she knew he would like, it would have to be something to do with her.

It could be a secret...

She didn’t have any secrets, though. There was nothing of interest about her, and why he was so fascinated with her she didn’t understand. Still, she had to give him something.

That night she ate her dinner alone, then indulged in a bath in her ensuite before going to bed.

She slept like a log and when she woke up the next morning, she lay there going over what she was going to give Orion today.

Perhaps it would have to be a kiss. She didn’t want to give him one, not when she knew she was too susceptible to it backfiring on her, and besides, she had to hold something back; it wouldn’t do to give him everything he wanted straight away. Yet what else did she have?

When she went downstairs, breakfast was waiting for her and this time so was he, sitting at the table, casually sipping his coffee. His amber gaze was intent as it met hers and she found her heartbeat accelerating the way it always did when he was around.

He was just as gorgeous as he’d been yesterday, still dressed in jeans and a casual shirt of some soft-looking black textured fabric. The neck of the shirt was open, revealing the smooth olive skin of his throat, and she couldn’t drag her gaze away from it.

She’d kissed him there that night they’d spent together and tasted the salt of his skin. The memory made her mouth go dry and her face feel hot.

As if he knew exactly what she was thinking, he gave her one of those slow-burning smiles that made her insides melt and something insistent throb between her legs. ‘Good morning, Snow White.’ His voice was on the edge of a purr. ‘I trust you slept well.’

She pulled out the chair opposite and sat down, while he pushed a cup of coffee in her direction. ‘Thank you,’ she muttered, trying to calm her racing heart. ‘Yes, I did.’

‘I’m excited about my gift.’ He took a sip of his own coffee, watching her, his dark golden eyes glinting in the cool winter sunlight coming through the windows. ‘I’m assuming you’ve thought of something.’

Her heart was beating far too fast and she knew abruptly that she couldn’t give him the kiss she’d been planning on. If he could make her this flustered simply by looking at her, she couldn’t risk a kiss. It was a loss of control she couldn’t allow herself.

‘Yes.’ She tried to make the word calm and cool. ‘I’m going to give you a secret.’

It wasn’t much of a secret, but she couldn’t think of anything else.

He smiled, though, and the gleam that lit in his eyes was genuine interest. It was as if she’d offered him the rarest of jewels.

He put his coffee down and leaned his elbows on the table, expression expectant. ‘A secret? I’m assuming it’s a secret about you?’

She blushed helplessly. ‘Yes, but it’s silly. It’s not even a secret.’

‘I’ll be the judge of that.’

She sighed and glanced away, cupping her coffee mug in her hands and pressing her fingertips against the hot ceramic. He was going to be disappointed. ‘My favourite artist is Vincent Van Gogh,’ she said hesitantly. ‘And... I know everything about him.’

‘Do you now?’ He didn’t sound...uninterested.

‘Yes. I used to love going to art galleries and museums as a kid and looking at...beautiful things. And when I found a piece I particularly loved, I liked reading all about it and the person who made it.’

‘Is that why you were able to explain Van Gogh’s painting so eloquently?’

Bracing herself, Isla finally looked up from her mug and met his gaze. He had that intent look on his face again, focused on her as if he’d never heard anything as fascinating as what she was telling him. It made something that had knotted tight and hard in her chest loosen slightly.

The most luminous thing in that gallery in that moment was you...

He’d told her that on their wedding night and she’d been so shocked by it. Because no one else had thought she was luminous when she talked about art. In fact, she never talked about it to anyone, because no one had ever been interested.

‘It’s one of my favourite paintings of his,’ she said, still feeling shy. ‘I love his use of colour.’

Orion’s gaze didn’t waver from hers. ‘Tell me more.’

Her cheeks felt hot. ‘You can’t be interested.’

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