Chapter 6
Sadie hurriedly left the room and rushed to the kitchen to deposit the soiled dressings in the bin, her pulse thrumming through her veins, making her feel alive in a way she rarely experienced.
She didn’t want to dwell too much on what had just happened. It was an aberration, she told herself. A moment spawned by gratitude and proximity that had simply taken them by surprise.
Even wounded, Saul Stephens was definitely a charmer, but Sadie was surprised to find she liked him. That was new. She never warmed to people that quickly.
That’s lust, baby!
Nope. Not going there. But since he was staying in her home, she was pleased not to be picking up any uncomfortable, creepy vibes from him.
Just off the scale sexy vibes, a little voice screamed inside her head. Sadie smothered it.
Her asshole meter was very strongly defined, and she prided herself on how well she could read even the most reticent of people.
How would you know? You were busy trying to stick your tongue down his throat.
Shut up!
Oh good lord, her subconscious was arguing with itself.
She couldn’t believe she’d almost kissed him… and that was after she’d blatantly stared at his package.
And a very impressive package it was, too!
The man was going to be her undoing.
She leaned against the countertop and buried her face in her hands. What the heck had come over her? She did not behave like this! Not with anyone.
There’s a first time for everything.
Not for her. She was too cautious. Too broken. She couldn’t believe she'd allowed him to get that close.
Who are you kidding? He’s injured and confined to bed. You were the one crawling all over him.
I was doing no such thing! I was tending to his wound.
Yeah, by almost opening it up again with your over eagerness. You’re supposed to be caring for the guy, not mauling him.
He didn’t look like he minded.
Fuck!
Sadie forcefully shoved the rogue thoughts away. Saul Stephens was a man with far too many secrets for her to ever be interested in. She was someone who wanted - no, needed - to know what she was walking into up front. It was essential for her peace of mind and mental wellbeing.
Then ask him about his secrets so we can move on to the good stuff!
She ignored the chatter in her head. Sure, there were secrets there, and if Saul wanted to talk, she’d be there for him.
But, despite her job, she could respect that not everyone wanted their privacy analyzed and their personality and lifestyle dissected, so she tried to keep the psychologist part of her mindset - as ingrained as it was - under wraps outside her office.
Saul was an enigma, and as much as that appealed to her, she wouldn’t pry. Doesn’t hurt that he’s easy on the eyes…
Urgh! She batted the pesky thought away like it was a wasp.
One that would very likely turn around and sting her.
Looks didn’t mean anything - not to her.
Sadie’s stepfather had been a good-looking guy.
A charmer. That’s what had turned her mother’s head.
What had made her believe him over her own daughter.
Sadie stuffed the memories down. Burying them back in the past where they needed to remain.
But still, since you have an injured man staying in your home, in your bed, the least he can be is eye-candy.
And Saul was fortunate. As it was the weekend, Sadie was at home, since she worked a regular 9-5 job.
She was pretty much always on call, such was the nature of the set-up on the island, but her clients knew her off hours were only for emergencies.
Not only that, but next week was her one-in-four weeks off.
Like all the employees at the Eden Resort, she worked three weeks on, one week off.
Unlike many of the others, Sadie didn’t take advantage of the complimentary travel arrangements everyone’s posts included, to leave the island to visit with family during that week.
Close proximity. The perfect opportunity to get to know him.
She shuddered, a ripple of apprehension seeping into her bones and leaving her chilled despite the heat of the tropical morning.
As much as she’d like to blame Saul’s presence for reminding her of him, she knew that was unfair.
Her peace had been shattered long before the injured billionaire had turned up.
It was easy to try and blame others, but with her therapy hat on, Sadie knew she was approaching the time when she was going to have to open the closet doors and shake out the cobwebs that covered the skeletons that were hiding in there.
She just wasn’t ready.
But even as the thought crossed her mind, the echoes of the past tapped insistently at the edges of her psyche. They were becoming harder and harder to ignore.
Her normally dormant libido deciding to come out to play was a testament to that.