Page 8 of Wonderlust

“If you need me to iron any of your clothes once you’ve unpacked, let me know,” she called as Shane led me away.

“Thank you, but I’m sure they’ll be fine.” Jeez, shewasjustlike my mother.

“Mary is a bit of a mother hen.” Shane winked, leading me down a long hallway and pointing out rooms as we walked past. There were so many: the games room, the library, the bar, the television room, and the music room. This was just the ground floor, too! I was in awe of everything.

“I’m going to get lost in this place,” I chuckled. This mansion needed a map!

“I’ll watch out for you.”

“Thanks.” I smiled shyly, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear. I always wore my hair up when I was working because I hated when it got in my face. The humidity here was making it a little unruly, though.

“Alex is probably out by the pool.” Oh, the life of a rock star. I took a deep breath, ready to face him again.

There were a few people out by the pool. The first thing I noticed was a mass of beautiful, long blonde hair and these long sexy legs, with long slender feet that were in the most amazing silver stilettos I’d ever seen. Alex and his blondies; I had to hide a smirk.

The figure turned as Shane called out, and my gaze froze on the blond. It was aman! Wow! His eyebrows were perfectly shaped and he could apply his makeup better than me. His face looked familiar, too. I was sure I'd seen him in magazines before.

Mr. Feminine strutted gracefully over to me. “Natasha, this is Diego Britvic,” Shane introduced. I was in awe of this guy. Maybe he could teach me to walk in those shoes. He moved better than a catwalk model.

“So, you’re the one that bruised Alex’s ego? I love you already, Honey! And you’re gorgeous, too!” He pulled me into a tight embrace, taking me by surprise. Oh no! Had Alex told everyone? Why would he do that?

“I’m not sure anyone could break through that ego of his, but it’s lovely to meet you.” Diego eyed me carefully before looking over at the other side of the pool.

“Alex, aren’t you going to get up to greet Natasha?” My eyes scanned across the water until I found him. My mouth fell open at the sight of Alex in just his swim shorts. His sun-kissed body made my legs clench together. That wasn’t a good reaction if I was going to be spending a lot of time him. None of that stopped me from gazing at his body from head to toe, though. He was lean but had strong, broad shoulders, and all his tattoos were on full display. His left arm had a tattoo at the top that was music related. Thorns, music notes, and roses joined together with the letter ’H’ underneath. He had two stars on either side of his chest. My eyes fell onto the crucifix on his torso, near his heart next. He could have been sculpted by Michelangelo himself for how perfect he was. Lastly, my eyes fell on the lonely Latin quote,dum spiro, speroon the inside of his left arm. I’d always loved the meaning of that quote—While I breathe, I hope—and always wondered why he’d chosen it.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again so soon, Miss White.” Alex had a playful grin on his beautiful face when he reached me. I didn’t like it.

“I don’t know what you were complaining about the other day, Alex. She’s a beauty.” Diego stretched his hand out to the touch the side of my face. “You better watch yourself with this man-whore. He’ll eat you alive if you let him.”

“Diego, don’t you have to straighten your hair or something? You can go, too, Shane. I’ll take it from here.” At Alex’s command, everyone disappeared from the pool area. He really was the king of his castle. Did everyone always obey his orders? “What?” he asked, snapping me from my thoughts. He seemed a little vexed with me already.

“Do you always clear a room this fast?”

“It’s a rock star perk. Ialwaysget my own way.” Something told me that we weren’t talking about clearing the room anymore.

“My last employer trusted my judgment and it worked well that way.”

“I’m sure we can come to some sort of arrangement.” Alex’s piercing blue eyes wandered to my cleavage. Really? He couldn’t even be subtle for a few moments?

“We won’t if you keep trying to get into my knickers!”

“Knickers? I prefer the word panties. It’s sexier.”

“They both mean the same damn thing. You’ve forgotten your British roots.”

“You’re bringing up panties a lot…”

“It’snotgoing to happen, Mr. Harbour.”

“You really think you can resist me?” he asked smugly.Stupid egotistical rock star!Hadn’t he learned anything from our first meeting in London?

“Oh, I know I can.” Why did I enjoy denting his vanity so much? Oh yeah, because he deserved it.

He was thoughtful for a few moments. “Okay, if you say so. Let me show you to your room.” He was backing down? Well, that was a surprise.

I lost count of how many doors I passed while following him silently down the corridor.

“This one is yours.” He pushed the door open, revealing a pale blue room. It was smaller than I had imagined, compared to the size of this place. Clearly, I wasn’t getting the same accommodations that his last PA had, and that was fine by me.

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