“The invitation was in your eyes,” he said with a grin. It took her a moment to realize he meant an invitation for him to walk with her, which she hadn’t issued, and not an invitation to her bed, which she didn’t want, either. “Besides, someone has to protect you,” he continued. He grabbed her arm and wound it through his. She tugged for a moment, then gave up, unwilling to show him that he was, in fact, affecting her.
“Believe what you will. I just want to finish this job and get back to the real world.”
“How can you turn your nose up at such natural beauty? Besides, we’re going to be here for a good six months…at least,” he said.
The excitement in his tone had her pulse racing.
Lia had no doubt that Shane expected them to pick up where they’d left off in Vegas. For so long she’d chased him, trying to prove she wasn’t the little girl he’d first met when her brother had brought him home on a break from college.
But Shane was no different from any other boyfriend she’d had. He was intimidated by her brother, or worse, he cared more about her brother than he did about her. She was the odd woman out in a cozy bromance. Whatever the reason, he hadn’t been willing to be with her without Rafe’s permission — he hadn’t even listened to her objections. Shane had just run off to Rafe, even though she’d told him what that meant. That just pissed her off all over again every time she thought about it.
“I spoke with the designer last week and we’re on schedule. I don’t expect you to be here the whole time,” she said. She really hoped that was the case. Nobody could ever describe Lia as weak, but when it came to Shane, she didn’t trust herself to keep holding out against him, especially if he decided to be charming. She’d seen the man in action through the years, and he was good at making women trail after him. She didn’t want to be another in his long line of heartbreaks.
“Yes, the project is on schedule, and we have a wonderful crew to run it. Yet the problem is that I don’t trust anyone to see it through. I’ve decided this task needs me here until the end,” he said, stopping so he could turn her to face him.
The light in his eyes left no doubt that he was more than happy about their situation. Her stomach clenched as she fought her rising hormones. As Shane lifted his hand and removed a piece of hair that was clinging to her cheek, she knew she was in trouble.
Her breath quickened, and she was hot and hungry. She hadn’t been with another man since Shane in Vegas, and her body was going through withdrawal. It wasn’t easy to keep her distance, but she cared about herself enough to do so.
“Shane…” She attempted to warn him off, but there wasn’t much heat behind her words.
“Yes, Lia?”
Oh, the man knew how to seduce, knew exactly the power he had over her. She’d just have to be that much stronger.
Lifting her hand as if she were going to caress him, she saw triumph flash in his eyes. When she slapped his forehead instead, his shocked expression made a giggle escape her previously pursed lips.
“You had a mosquito about to attack.” With that, she pulled from him and turned back toward her small cabin. She felt victory at resisting him, even knowing she had a long way to go.
“This is only the first day, Lia,” Shane called out to her, making her shoulders stiffen. Yes, it was only the first day.
So he’d snatched away some of her victory. She certainly wouldn’t let him get another piece of it, or her, by sticking around. Not slowing her pace, she made it back to her cabin in record time, and she locked herself safely inside.
Yes, it was only their first day, but she’d still congratulate herself. If she took it only one day at a time, she might get through this unscathed. Might being the key word.
Chapter Three
Rafe
Rafe moved toward his waiting car with a wide grin spread across his face. Had Ari been cold, distant, or uninterested, there wouldn’t have been any hope.
But she was none of those things. There was heat in her eyes, and a quiver in her body. She still loved him — she just didn’t want to fess up to it. Well, too bad. He wanted her, and he would win her back. He meant what he’d said: he was there to win her love this time, not force it, which wasn’t an easy task for him.
His time in South America had shifted something deep inside of him. He didn’t think he’d ever be the same man again. He’d let go of the demons that had held on to him for too many years. Was he a whole new man? Well, no. But he certainly was a better person — or at least, he thought so.
But he wasn’t an entirely new man. That would be impossible. It was difficult for him to ask instead of demand, or chase instead of capture. Only one woman could make him change the way he viewed the world, and for her he would do whatever it took.
His life would never be complete without Ari. That realization had come to him when he still wasn’t over her after an entire year had passed. She was his other half — the person who made him whole. It was corny, especially in his own cynical, unromantic head, but he didn’t care. His arms ached to hold her, his body needed to possess her, and his heart felt empty without her. She was his — he just had to convince her of that.
Rafe hadn’t felt this good in a long, long time. He climbed into the back of the car and found himself whistling.
“I take it that your meeting with Ms. Harlow went well.”
“Exceedingly well, Mario,” he replied happily.
“Then why didn’t she join you?”
Leave it to his long-time assistant to dampen the mood.
“She will need some convincing, but I’m not worried.” And he wasn’t.
“Where to, then, Mr. Palazzo?”
“Home, Mario. I have some studying to do.” At the puzzled look on his assistant’s face, Rafe laughed aloud. If he was going to win her back, he certainly couldn’t sit in her classroom and ignore what she was trying to teach. Try that, and she’d really hand him his ass backwards.
His grin grew as he pictured her in front of that class. She’d been so nervous. Though she tried to cover it up, he knew her too well to miss a thing. Her hands had trembled slightly as she wrote on the projector, and she’d tucked her hair behind her ears over and over. Teaching was a new experience for her, and she was doing excellently, but she was definitely uncomfortable.
Rafe was sure it would be a bit worse for her now that she knew he was there. As much as he wanted her in his arms again, lying na**d beneath him, he enjoyed this chase with Ari. Before her, if a girl had made him chase her, she’d have been sorely out of luck. He would just move on to the next candidate.