Page 32 of Out of Office Nights
She swallowed, the notion a little staggering and perhaps too soul-salving to digest right now. ‘Do you do that with every collection?’
He turned, presenting her with his profile as his gaze fixed in the middle distance. ‘No.’
Sifting through their previous conversations, she recalled a snippet. ‘You said this collection was important. Why?’
His nostrils flared, and his fists tightened for a moment before he exhaled. ‘I have a specific point to prove,cariña.’
‘To whom?’
He redirected his gaze to her and pierced her with silver eyes that held deeper shadows. ‘Do you care?’
‘Of course I—’
He waved her away. ‘I’m beginning to think you enjoy me making you step out of your comfort zone just so you can blame me when you have a good time.’
His means of evading her questions was annoyingly effective. ‘Of course I don’t.’
Sensual lips twisted. ‘You wasted two weeks before I got here. I’m reclaiming one of those days so we can make better headway. Get your swimsuit, Sabeen. I leave in three minutes.’
She could stand there, arguing with him on her doorstep. Risk him riding away. Or she could pursue this path she was already on. And yes, the thought of watching him burn another load of her designs withered her spirits. So maybe a break was what she needed.
Still, she took her time packing away her work and washing her breakfast things before tossing the items she needed into her beach-bag. It irked her that only five minutes had passed but she took it as a win when she stepped out and locked her front door.
‘What am I supposed to do with this?’ She held out her wide bag.
Without taking his eyes off her, he gestured. A hovering guard stepped forward, took the bag and headed for the SUV.
She pursed her lips, knowing she’d run out of time. Knowing deep down her senses were already leaping with glee at the thought of riding with Teo once more.
Helmet in place, she took her seat behind him.
‘Are you going to tell me where we’re going, or is this another of those delayed gratification things?’ she asked as they hit the road.
His deep laughter filled her helmet. ‘Who’s dwelling now,tesoro?’
Her mouth twitched, veering dangerously into a smile. She hurriedly killed it. She absolutelywasn’tenjoying this push-and-pull between them. He might possess other intriguing layers, but he was still the Playboy Prince.
Nathan Gray shattering her trust and her emotions had taught her never again to become a slave to them.
She was playing that reminder on a loop when they passed through cast iron gates and up a long driveway.
The property was ten times the size of her grandmother’s.
Flat-roofed and single-storeyed, like most dwellings in the area, it sprawled wide in intriguing squares, rounded layers and coloured Moorish windows both small and large. Towering date palms, begonias and bougainvillea swayed in the breeze, offering refreshing pops of brightness against the backdrop of the terracotta villa.
Swinging off the bike, she pulled off her helmet and followed Teo to the open front doors. No staff greeted them—intentionally, she suspected.
It freed her to absorb her surroundings to her heart’s delight.
A wall of shelves made of uneven-sized stones pulled at her to inspect the artefacts displayed there. Small pots and Moroccan-made statues vied with other gorgeous pieces from sub-Saharan Africa.
But what really drew her attention and delighted her senses was the dome in the middle of the living room. Built in the shape of a sphere with rough walls, its summit was a glass opening the size of a bathtub, drawing the gaze up to the gorgeous blue sky. It would be a spectacular thrill to lie beneath it at night, staring up at the stars through it.
Sabeen had visited countless luxurious residences in the world but hadn’t felt as restful as she did when she stepped into the large foyer.
It took several moments to realise why. It wasn’t the two giant vases filled with long-stemmed white lilies she knew cost several thousand dollars a bunch. It wasn’t even the faint hint of the ocean or the mint tea and culinary delights happening out of view.
She didn’t want to freely admit it, but Teo’s presence in her grandmother’s home had layered tension on her she thought she’d reasoned away as professionalism. But being here now, with no need to be on her emotionally fraught guard, she breathed freely for the first time in…a long time.
