Page 19 of Here Comes Trouble
‘Okay. I’d like to take you up on your kind offer,’ she said, coming to a halt in front of him, tipping her chin up defiantly as if she was afraid he’d think less of her for conceding to his demand. On the contrary, the fact she was so graciously accepting his help only made him like her more.
‘Great, give me your bag and I’ll meet you outside,’ he said, taking the suitcase from her. She didn’t stop him, clearly too tired today to put up a fight.
He waited outside by the car while she checked out, feeling the warmth of the early morning sun seeping into his skin. Just being away from the city was already having a positive effect on him. The pace of life here was calming and he could feel the tension beginning to drain away. All he needed to do now was to use this growing sense of confidence and the flashes of inspiration Jess seemed to incite in him whenever she was around, and he could start to restore the passion his work had been missing.
He couldn’t even begin to explain to himself why she had such a big effect on him, but hell, it didn’t matter, as long as the inspiration stayed around long enough for him to begin to create something he was proud of again. Already the sketches he’d done of Jess and the ideas she’d inspired in him were head and shoulders above anything he’d produced in the last year. There was finally life to his drawing again. Instead of the unimaginative marks on paper he’d had to drag out of himself up until this point.
Bizarre that she’d been the one to draw that out of him. She was nothing like the type of woman he usually hung around with, but there was something beguiling about her.
Glancing back at the hotel, he saw Jess come out and blink in the sunlight as she looked around for him.
He gave her a wave and she walked stiffly over in those crazy-high heels of hers and took her case from him.
‘Okay. I’ll see you back at the villa,’ she said, already wheeling her case off to her own car, tension clear in her gait.
‘See you back there in ten,’ he said, ducking into the driving seat, impatient to get back for some well-earned breakfast and the opportunity to get to know this intriguing woman a little better.
* * *
When he arrived back at the villa, Rosa had already laid out the breakfast things on the terrace. Xander flopped into a chair and stared out at the spectacular view over the lake while he waited for Jess to arrive and join him.
She was only a couple of minutes behind him, and he watched as she made her way gingerly over the path that ran around the house and sat down in the chair opposite him with a relieved sigh.
‘Thank you for rescuing me from that place. You’re my hero,’ she said, flashing him a subdued grin.
Was she serious? Or was this her own personal brand of sarcasm?
Man, it was unnerving not being able to read her easily. Perhaps the crux of their problem was they didn’t get each other’s sense of humour yet?
He chose to think she really meant what she said and smiled, relaxing back into his chair and hooking his arm over the backrest. ‘Actually, itwaspretty heroic of me. I’m not a morning person and I got up a whole hour early to come and fetch you for breakfast.’ He chased this statement with a grin, so she knew he was only joshing.
Was that a flicker of appreciation he saw in her eyes? He was surprised by how much he hoped so.
Rosa came back and poured them each a cup of coffee, then put a plate loaded with pastries and fresh fruit in front of them. Jess frowned at it for a second before popping a piece of melon into her mouth and chewing it for rather longer than necessary before swallowing it.
‘I’d like to sketch you this morning, when we’ve finished breakfast,’ he said, before taking a sip of the strong, aromatic coffee.
Her gaze shot to his, her eyes suddenly wild and uncertain.
‘Really?’ She cleared her throat, brushed some imaginary crumbs off her fingers, then smoothed her hands over her lap. ‘Okay.’
He frowned at her reaction. ‘What is it with you? You seem to be in a perpetual state of apprehension.’
She pushed her chair back and stood up so suddenly it made him jump. ‘I’m fine. Really.’ She gave him a shaky grin. ‘Actually, I’m not hungry so I’m going to get settled in my room, have a shower and psych myself up before we start if you don’t mind.’
He watched her walk away. Her body was rigid and her hands clenched at her sides as she moved awkwardly in her heels.
What the hell had he said wrong now?
* * *
After finding her outrageously luxurious room – which she investigated thoroughly before even taking her jacket and shoes off – Jess spent a while carefully unpacking her suitcase and hanging up her clothes in the enormous walk-in wardrobe. The soothing action of tidying was a welcome relief from dealing with the intensity of Xander’s charismatic presence and she took her sweet time over it in order to stall having to go back outside again and sit for his picture.
Her small collection of clothes looked sad and limp and rather pathetic all by themselves on the enormous rail and she shut the door hurriedly on them, not entirely sure where the sudden feeling of gloom had come from.
It must be down to not having slept all night.
When Xander had suggested she move in here with him, her first instinct had been to categorically dismiss the idea, but with her head feeling like it was stuffed with cotton wool and her body aching with tiredness, she’d actually been pathetically grateful when he’d insisted on it. Just the thought of spending another sleepless night in that awful hotel had made her insides clench and squirm.
