“What do you do besides cook and visit family?” he asked.
“I love listening to classical music when I work out, but I don’t like it otherwise.” She shrugged a shoulder. “One of my many quirks.”
He moved beside her on the bench, pulled his plate and wine glass over. Then, he collected her hand in his. “You’re very intriguing,” he said before pressing his lips to her hand and kissing it.
Her fingers were trembling. “Are you cold?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“Do I scare you?”
“No.” Then a playfulness brightened her eyes. “But when you tie me up and take me against my will, I’m going to act like I’m scared to death.”
Energy surged through him, landing between his legs. “I can’t wait.” After a pause, he asked, “Why are you shaking?”
She tugged her hand away. “Truth?”
“It’ll be a first.”
“You’re—” She stared into his eyes for several seconds.
SIMONE
She couldn’t tellhim the truth. That would be way too revealing. She was having dinner with Luciano Santini on his sixty-foot yacht… after having crazy-hot sex with him. That was beyond insane. Yes, she’d dated handsome men, a few had some bucks too, but no one like Luciano.
Not even close.
She was a regular girl. Wouldn’t he date a princess from some foreign country or an actor worth millions?
He was studying her so hard, he’d furrowed his brows. “Tell me,” he coaxed.
She broke eye contact, lifted the stemless wine glass and swallowed down a hearty gulp. Not the most suave move, but she needed a stall so she could come up with something to say.
Then, it hit her, and the sharp sting of truth snapped her back to reality.
She was just someone to fuck. Someone he wanted to confront, someone he wanted information from. He’d spotted her watching him, so he’d tracked her down, then moved in for the kill.
Only he’d used sex as a tool. Was he expecting her to open up about who sent her? Was he expecting a late-night confession? Did he actually think she’d be that gullible and naïve?
Yes, he was agodin bed. Yes, he wasveryhandsome with a shit-ton of money, but he wasn’t interested inher. He was interested in who she was working for.
The sex high she’d been enjoying fell out from under her and she plummeted back to reality. Her reality where people have jobs—not an empire—and people have money, justnotboatloads of it.
She moved off the bench. “This was fun, but I gotta take off.”
Surprise flashed in his eyes. “Finish your dinner, then I’ll take you back.”
“I’m out.”
She hated being a bitch. He’d been nothing but nice… and so damn talented, but she didn’t live in a fantasy world. She lived in the real world where she didn’t date billionaires.
Before she blurted out anything else she’d regret, she hurried down the stairs to his stateroom. Moving as fast as she could, she dressed, opened the door, and crashed into him.
“This is definitely one for my journal, but I’m out,” she said.
“Are you swimming back?” he asked.
“What?”