Chapter 5
Chapter
Five
After her mishap of being in the wrong place, the rest of the day had gone rather smoothly for Indigo.
She and Greta had chatted on the trip over.
The other woman told stories about her daughter and son, who were excited to be spending some time with their friends while their parents were on the island.
Greta also apologized in advance that when their kids joined them, things could get a little chaotic.
Indigo had been surprised the couple would want their children on a photoshoot with them, but Greta had explained this was their life; they always came with them.
They did online schooling—which they were very disciplined with getting the work done—and so had the flexibility to travel around.
When they got to high school age, Greta said they would put them into regular school.
Indigo would’ve loved to have had the experiences those kids were having, but it had just been her and her mum, and there hadn’t been any spare money laying around for anything fun.
Once she’d started earning some big dollars, she’d bought her mum her own place—which she’d only been able to enjoy for a couple of years before she got sick and passed away from complications of the illness.
The house was still Indigo’s, but she rented it out. One day she would sell it, but for now, she was happy having it tenanted.
The sun was beginning to set, and Indigo stepped on the soft sand to watch it dip below the horizon. Tomorrow, everything would be full-on, so she was going to savor the beauty of it all before she became too tired to do anything but fall into bed at the end of the day.
The bungalow she’d been given was cute and had a fantastic view of the beach.
There were even quokkas hopping around the bush.
She’d taken a dozen photos and even managed to get a selfie with one.
The little creature had been exactly like the photos she’d seen online, and she got one with it smiling at the camera.
She itched to post it to social media, but while she was on a job, she never posted anything, because she didn’t want to draw attention to the campaign she was working on.
Nor her location. After all she’d gone through with her stalker, she’d become extra careful to protect her location.
She posted any snaps she took while away, a couple of weeks after she returned.
The general public, and what they posted, was something she couldn’t control, but there had only been a few occasions when she’d been tagged in posts, and her location had gotten out.
The sun had disappeared, and all that was left were streaks of pink and orange. It was peaceful, and at times like this, the world seemed serene.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
Indigo startled at the deep voice behind her, and she whirled around, her hand on her chest. “A little warning would be nice. Do you often creep up on unsuspecting women?”
Wilt shoved his hands in his pockets, his biceps bulging against the fabric of the black T-shirt he wore. One that looked like if he moved a certain way, the seams would burst. The shorts he wore showcased his muscular thighs.
How wrong she’d been when she thought he wouldn’t be able to take an enemy down. The man in front of her looked as if he could wrestle a crocodile and not break a sweat.
“You’re right. Sorry.”
His apology surprised her. A lot of the guys she’d been out with and worked with, almost choked on the word sorry, as if admitting they were wrong would somehow diminish their manhood.
“It’s fine.” Had he sought her out for a reason?
She didn’t think he would’ve come looking for her to spend time with her.
He’d avoided her the moment they’d boarded the boat, and she hadn’t seen him after they’d settled into all their accommodations.
“Did you need something? Were we supposed to meet to go over things for tomorrow?”
Damn, she said she was going to look at the itinerary, but she’d been so enchanted by the island and everything on it, she hadn’t given it a second thought.
“No. I was about to take a walk and saw you standing there. Wondered if you wanted to join me.”
This man constantly surprised her. “Um, sure. I haven’t eaten, so I don’t want to go too far, as I’ll have to come back and prepare something and then get to bed early, so I’m looking my best for tomorrow.”
Indigo pressed her lips together and gazed up at the sky, the stars seeming so much brighter away from the light pollution of the city.
Word vomit wasn’t her usual modis operandi, but here she was blurting out things she wouldn’t normally, and probably sounded like a diva model—something she worked hard not to be.
“I wasn’t planning on taking a hike around the island. I was thinking a short stroll along the beach before heading back to cook my own meal.”
“Right. Well, that sounds good.” What was it about Wilt that had her acting so out of character? It was as though she enjoyed sparring back and forth with him.
If it was her who’d issued the invitation, and he’d acted the way she had, she’d be reconsidering it all.
“Do you need to get anything from your bungalow?” he asked, as if cancelling the offer hadn’t even crossed his mind.
Perhaps she was reading too much into everything. Her emotions were heightened with the enormity of the task at hand. Although, in reality, it wasn’t as if this was any different to her working with some of the most famous designers in Europe. But this felt different. Monumental, almost.
To be the face of a collection that was highly anticipated by the press and general public was a huge responsibility.
To make sure she nailed every shot, so there would be no doubt that she was the right person for now and the future.
Jeffrey had such a reputation for only using the best, that she couldn’t mess this job up.
“Indigo? Do you need to get anything from your place?” Wilt asked again.
“Sorry. Um, no. I’m good.”
“Right, shall we?” He started walking, and she fell in step beside him.
The water rushed in, covering their feet before receding. The gentle swoosh of the waves soothing.
She always loved the water, and whenever she was doing a shoot at a resort, she spent most of her time at the beach, listening to the waves. The motion and sound relaxed her, normally, but with Wilt walking beside her, her muscles were constantly tense.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Wilt roll his shoulder, it made a loud popping noise, and a grimace marred his features.
That didn’t sound normal. “Have you hurt your shoulder?”
For a brief second he paused, his body tensing, but then he relaxed, and she almost wondered if she’d imagined it.
“No.”
The man just flat out lied to her. If there wasn’t something wrong, the joint wouldn’t have popped like it had, nor would he have looked uncomfortable.
She skipped ahead of him and then turned and planted her hands on her hips.
His only options were to stop or walk around her.
He chose the former and matched her stance.
He looked intimating. She doubted she looked the same, but she wasn’t budging.
“Did you just lie to me? Don’t you think I should know if you’re injured or not?
You’re supposed to be protecting me, after all.
If you’re hurt, you won’t be able to do your job. ”
“I can do my job perfectly well, thank you very much. Now can we continue, or do you want to turn back?”
An ember of anger lit in her belly. “Oh no, you are not getting away with that bullshit answer. Tell me the truth, Wilt, or I’ll do something I’ve never done before.”
He stepped right into her personal space. She was tall, but he was taller, so she lifted her chin to meet his gaze. No way was she going to cower in front of him. “And what’s that?” he asked quietly, his blue eyes narrowing in the bright moonlight.
“Go all diva and demand that I have a man competent enough to protect me, and the hundreds and thousands of dollars’ worth of jewelry I’ll be wearing.” Not once in her career had she wanted someone removed or replaced—no matter how much they annoyed her.
Would she go through with her threat?
She didn’t know. Her reputation as being a model who was easy to work with was something she prided herself on. But surely, Jeffrey and Greta wouldn’t want an injured guard protecting his collection.
“Do you know what I was before I worked in private security?” he ground out, his question a surprise.
“No. And does it matter to this situation?”
“Yes, it does.” He moved even closer to her so his chest was brushing hers.
He leaned down, and the movement of his mouth mesmerized her.
“I was an SAS soldier. I’ve had a bullet go through my thigh and my arm, and I still managed to take out five insurgents.
I can handle anyone, even with a sore shoulder.
You don’t need to worry, Diva, I’ve got you covered. ”
The ember of anger from moments ago was now a fully-fledged inferno. She hadn’t missed that he’d admitted he had an issue with his shoulder. “Diva? You’re going to call me diva?”
He shrugged, and he didn’t grimace, but she saw the momentary tightening of his mouth. “Isn’t that what you said you were going to do? I think your exact words were ‘go all diva’ on me. To be honest, I’m not surprised.”
There was nothing worse than having her words thrown back in her face. “I know what I said, but that doesn’t mean you get to call me that.” She poked him in the chest. “It’s insulting, especially as you don’t know me.”
Wilt caught her hand and kept it pressed against his chest, her skin tingling from the contact. Their breaths came out ragged, and they were standing so close to each other that to an onlooker they would look like a couple.
She should move. Should snatch her hand away, but her feet were rooted to the spot, as if she was encased in concrete and not damp sand.
“You infuriate me,” he whispered, before he lowered his head and captured her lips. Shock held her still for a moment before she started kissing him back.
Her mouth opened beneath his, and his tongue pushed in, dueling with hers. He adjusted his hold, releasing the hand he held, and cupped her ass. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, losing herself in the moment.
It was madness.
They were fighting only seconds ago.
The kiss was so wrong, but so right at the same time.
She moaned, arching her back to allow him to trail his lips down her neck, his light stubble brushing her sensitive flesh.
A group of birds flew overhead, squawking loudly, and it was enough to penetrate the sensual haze that had fallen over them. Indigo gasped and pushed against Wilt’s chest. His arms immediately released her, and he took two steps back.
“What was that?” she whispered after a few seconds.
“Something that is never going to happen again.” Wilt turned and walked off, leaving her breathless, aroused, and confused as hell at how she acted.
She’d never done anything like what she’d just done on a job. She did what she was employed to do, associating where necessary with the support staff, and then she went to her room afterwards. Sometimes she joined them for dinner, but it was always in a group setting.
She would have to make sure anything she did in the future with Wilt would be done with others around, because if she was alone with him, she didn’t know what she would do.