‘No.’
She nodded, wondering why he’d bought it, and when. She moved past the dining table, which she supposed he might use for boardroom meetings, and past more comfortable chairs that were angled to face the cinema screen. A partition with a timber-looking door was beyond the screen. She turned to face Theo, only to find he was almost on top of her, so when she stopped walking, his chest brushed against hers, and warmth licked her every cell.
‘Can I keep going?’
His eyes flared again, in that way he had. A brief flicker of flame, of passion, before he could control it. Fascinating.
He dipped his head in acknowledgement, and Annie turned away again, glad for the reprieve of looking right at him. She opened the door, and stepped right into an enormous bedroom. It took up almost the whole back of the plane, with its king-sized bed, sofa and another huge screen.
Just looking at the bed made her mouth go dry. She twisted the enormous engagement ring on her finger, the huge diamond something she’d strangely gotten used to over the preceding fourweeks despite her initial disdain for it. To distract herself from the bed, she pointed to two other doors. ‘What’s through there?’
‘The gym,’ he murmured, close enough that she could feel his breath on the top of her head. ‘And the bathroom. There’s time to freshen up and change before take-off, if you’d like.’
Her heart twisted at the simple courtesy. It had been a long day, and the thought of a hot shower and fresh clothes was suddenly instantly appealing.
‘My bag?’ she asked.
‘Stowed, but there are clothes in there for you.’
‘Oh.’
He really had thought of everything. Then again, it probably wasn’t the first time he’d ‘entertained’ on his luxury plane. The thought drained the warmth from her body, leaving her ice-cold.
‘I won’t be long,’ she said, turning from him easily now, and wrenching open the door to the en suite. As she might have come to expect, given the rest of the plane’s fit-out, it was also the kind of room that would be more at home in a mansion than a plane, with white tiles, gold fittings and a shower that was big enough for two.
Yes, definitely a flying bachelor pad, she thought with distaste, as she slid the dress from her body, then her silky white briefs. The water came out warm and with good pressure, so she stepped under it and just stood there for several minutes, before reaching for the body wash and lathering herself all over, ignoring the way even her own touch sent sparks of need through her over-sensitised nervous system.
She hated that he could so easily do this to her, and yet…anticipation was a flickering flame in the pit of her stomach.
This marriage was a necessary evil, so far as Annie was concerned, except in one way. There was no denying their physical connection, and even though Annie barely recognisedthe man he’d become—so filled with hate and rage—she knew better than to lie to herself.
She wanted him, just as much as she always had. It was a need that defied logic and explanation—it was simply a part of her.
Ten minutes later, she had dried herself off with a towel, and dressed in one of the outfits that had been left hanging in the wardrobe—a simple pair of shorts and a comfortable T-shirt. It hardly screamed seduction, but maybe that was a good defense to what they were inevitably hurtling towards.
She fidgeted her fingers and counted to ten before opening the door to the bedroom and scanning it for Theo, only he wasn’t there. She frowned, padding through the plane in the towelling slippers she’d found, back into the main living area. Disappointment was a heavy stone in her gut.
She’d expected him to be in the bedroom. She’d wanted him to be there, waiting for her, and she couldn’t believe that. What kind of fool did that make her? A lamb, willingly led to slaughter, that’s what.
His eyes glanced up from the newspaper he was reading when she entered, and perhaps he saw the vestiges of disappointment on her features, because his smile was one of mocking indolence.
‘Something the matter?’
‘Of course not,’ she snapped, taking the seat across the aisle from him. ‘Where are we going, anyway?’
‘My island.’
‘Yourisland?’ she repeated. ‘Since when?’
‘I’ve had it a long time, in fact.’
She frowned. ‘You’ve never mentioned it before.’
‘It never came up.’
She looked across the corridor towards him. ‘That’s weird, because it feels like something you probably should have mentioned.’
‘Why, Annie? Do you think knowing I had an island might have convinced your friends and your parents that I was good enough for you, after all?’