Page 35 of Out of Office Nights
Her heart banged against her ribs, hammering at her throat. Drowning out the sound of the waves crashing to shore.
He was unravelling her. With a shocking comment here, a sceptical glance there, a simple command torelax. The more she struggled to deny him, the looser the reins on her emotions became.
She was sure it was why she blurted a stupidly unguarded question. ‘Why are you helping me? And don’t tell me because it’s in my contract.’
‘Fundamentally, yes, but if you’re seeking deeper meaning, I thought that was obvious,cariña. You’ve achieved the impossible height of intriguing me. And I sense that once you shed that baggage you’re lugging around, the wells of talent will gush like the proverbial river. I’d be a fool to let all that potential go to waste.’
So…this was solely a professional advantage he sought to gain.
Her reeling heart berated her for being a fool. She turned and faced the glittering horizon, willing the free fall of dismay to stop. Lifting her gaze higher, she followed the vapour trail of a jetliner for a full minute. Then she shook her head, a peculiar but unstoppable certainty striking deep. ‘That’s not all. You think you know me so well, but I see you too. This whole process isn’t just about me.’
Stealthy tension crept over him. He presented her with his regal profile as the silence stretched taut. Just when she thought he’d ignore her, he spoke. ‘You’re right. In a manner of speaking.’
‘Explain,’ she insisted. He’d delved deep beneath her foundations. Just why she needed to reciprocate she wasn’t sure, but it felt imperative.
His jaw rippled. Then he exhaled. ‘I have doubters. In Cartana. Doubters I intend to make eat their words. Is that satisfying enough?’
A month ago, she would’ve been stunned. But she recalled the shadows, his solemnity and bleakness. ‘Who would doubt you?’ she asked because it felt…absurd. He held more talent in his pinkie than most tapped into in their entire lives.
‘I’ll give you three guesses.’
She frowned. She’d seen him with his brothers, had seen their pride during the wedding. She’d barely encountered his mother. Or seen him interact with his father, for that matter, even though they’d both been present. ‘Your parents?’ she whispered.
The tight clench of his face verified her guess.
Before she could press for more, he bit out, ‘Now answer my question, Sabeen.’
She scrambled to recall what he’d asked. Her grandmother. The chair. ‘She didn’t entirely approve of my modelling, but she was on board with the new direction of my career.’ She shrugged. ‘I care about not disappointing her.’
‘That’s not all. You’ve been so brave. Don’t stop now.’
She stifled a growl. ‘This is the furthest thing from relaxing. You know that, don’t you?’
He merely arched a brow. Waited.
‘Fine. Her worry and disappointment went deeper. She was…scared for me emotionally too. And some of her predictions were realised. I haven’t been able to bring myself to seek her forgiveness or counsel. Or sit in her chair. Are you satisfied?’
He treated her to that heavy silence until she wanted to squirm. ‘Moderately,’ he eventually said.
She cast her gaze around for a distraction, realised she’d left her phone behind. Then she saw him recline, his eyes drifting shut.
He was giving her the reprieve she desperately sought. It should’ve eased her disquiet. Instead, she found herself examining him. Tracing his aquiline nose, those sensual lips that still haunted her dreams. The dark mole she hadn’t noticed before. The corded power of his arms. His ridged torso rising and falling in steady breathing, thick thighs she wanted to run her hands over.Repeatedly. To the visible bulge of his shaft beneath his damp swim-shorts.
She swallowed the sudden warmth in her mouth as heat stung her, tunnelling deep to rest, urgent and delicious, between her legs.
‘Look your fill,tesoro. I’m not going anywhere,’ he drawled, then his eyes still closed, he let loose a wickedly devastating smile that had her surging off the lounger, his rich laughter following her as she threw herself into the sea once more.
For the next two hours, Sabeen remained on her guard while she sipped cocktails which appeared as if by magic, and snacked on exquisite Moroccan hors d’oeuvres. But when it became clear Teo wasn’t waiting to pounce again with his invasive questions, she truly relaxed.
Did she believe his probing psychoanalysis was at an end? Not by a long shot. But perhaps he’d truly meant for her to relax today.
So she did.
She dozed by the sparkling pool after a sumptuous lunch, explored the villa properly to discover there was indeed a housekeeper and her assistant that came with the property.
In a surprisingly large study, she gasped in delight at two floor-to-ceiling bookshelves holding hundreds of books. Plucking a bestseller that had been all the rage months before, she found a nook in a smaller living room and lost herself within the pages, looking up in surprise to see the sun had moved significantly, that early evening was falling.
And Teo was walking towards her.
