Chapter 26
26
DARIUS
W aiting for her on the front steps, I tap my dress shoe in annoyance and let out a heavy breath.
Not only is she late, but I can’t believe she actually showed up in her big, obnoxious bus and almost knocked over my fifteen thousand dollar imported fountain.And how dare she fly in here with her music blaring like some bratty teenager?
Does Ziggy Beaumont even take life seriously?
As far as she’s concerned, life is all tarot cards and herbs and prophecy stones. While the rest of us have to live in the real world where six o’clock actually means six o’clock.
Okay, fine. Ziggy’s great. I’m being dramatic.
But she drives me mad.
She finally maneuvers her big, obnoxious vehicle to a stop. Thankfully without crashing that thing into my living room. Shaking my head, I march down my steps and toward the bus in the driveway. I’m ready to let her have it.
But when the bus’s door folds open, and Ziggy steps down off the bottom step, I lose my breath. And whatever chastisements that were just sitting on my tongue, everything goes blank.
Holy fuck.
Ziggy looks ethereal. She’s positively gorgeous in her long, flowing gown and the wreathe of tiny white flowers in her pale pink hair. Her silky waves fall in long coils over her shoulders, begging for me to reach out and touch them.
The way that corset molds to her breasts makes my hands twitch with jealousy. Right now, her blue eyes remind me of the ocean. She reminds me of a mermaid walking on dry land.
I can’t stop staring.
Panicked words start spilling from her lips, but I don’t comprehend them. “Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry that I almost hit your fountain. I didn’t mean to. And had I knocked it over, I would have most totally paid you back for it. Well, except for the I-have-no-money part. That would have made it tricky. But I would have totally let you take it out of my paychecks and…”
She’s apologizing profusely—that much I gather—but I can’t say that I’m fully listening. It’s like my normal multitasking brain is currently switched to eco mode. I can’t do much more than stare, as I take her in from top to bottom. I’ve never seen something so beautiful, so majestic, so radiant…
I take my business goals seriously—I swear—and I want my goals to be taken seriously by the people I work with. But it’s starting to feel like whenever Ziggy is around, I forget why any of that matters.
Which just annoys me more.
If Ziggy notices me acting strange, she isn’t calling me out on it. While I stand there, dumfounded and staring at her, she just reaches into her purse and hands me back the credit card I gave her to go shopping with.
“I hope the dress is up to your standards, but if it isn’t, well, tough luck.” She shrugs, with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes that zips straight to my groin.
With a flip of her hair, she starts to march past me toward the expertly polished luxury coupe that I’ll be driving tonight. But before she can get too far, I grab her delicate wrist and twirl her around, giving her a full once-over.
“Ziggy, you’re absolutely stunning,” I barely croak out. I scan her outline again, refusing to pass up this opportunity to openly check her out.Under my stare, she shivers visibly.
She pauses, her cheeks going pink like her hair. “Um, thanks,” she replies shyly. “You, um, you look good— great— too.”
She gnaws on her lower lip, eyes skimming down my tuxedo as the sexual tension grows thicker. I try to subtly adjust the bulge in my pants before her eyes make it that low.
I’m about to do something stupid—like ask if she’d like to step inside for a pre-gala drink. Or just cut to the chase and tell her to lose that dress on my bedroom floor.
Before I can do that sort of thing, Ziggy clears her throat. “So, uh, should we get going?”
I snap out of my trance. Right, the gala . “Yes,” I grunt, then I repeat myself. “Yes.”
Leaving the dirty fantasies behind, I escort Ziggy over to my car, open her door, and enjoy the view while she cautiously climbs inside the passenger seat. I shut her door then notice her closing her eyes and doing some weird breathing exercise.
Whatever she’s doing, I hope it’s working out better for her than it is for me. I adjust my painful semi-erection again as I round the car.
I get behind the wheel and the ride to Sin Valley is awkward and silent. I catch Ziggy peeking at me almost as many times as I steal a glance her way.
I force my eyes to stay on the road but now that we’re confined to the small space of my luxury sports car, I’m enamored by her scent as well.
It doesn’t matter what I do, or where I look. Ziggy’s breathtaking presence is everywhere.
The smell of her shampoo. Her pale thigh peeking through the slit in her dress. Those breathy sighs she lets out every few seconds.
I grip the steering wheel with all my might. All I keep thinking is, how the hell am I going to keep my goddamn hands to myself tonight?