Chapter 4 #2
I dropped to my hands and knees, crawling under the table to retrieve my phone—screen shattered, because of course it was. ‘Flipperty-shit, double-damnit,’ I cursed.
‘Ajax,’ that voice said again, calm but commanding. ‘Get the lady another coffee.’
I climbed to my feet, bent over my poor, busted phone, one hand still on the table to steady myself. ‘What were you drinking?’ the sexy voice asked. ‘Please, take a seat.’
I raised my head; the man was standing, and my eyes travelled up him.
Blue jeans hugged muscular thighs, and his form-fitting white T-shirt fit his perfect body in all the right ways, showing off the plane of his stomach, the bumps of his pecs, and defined biceps. Holy fuck-balls, he was a big bastard.
I eventually reached his face. His eyes were locked on mine, sharp and unwavering, and I froze as my knees gave out, and I collapsed into the chair.
His intense, unwavering gaze made my heart rate spike; he was a predator, and I felt like the prey.
‘Drink?’ he prompted again, voice low and intoxicating. My mouth was dry, and my lips were numb. The guy was insanely attractive; movie star hot, and I stared at him like a creeper.
Si Thalassa, my target, stood before me.
I went still.
‘What sort of coffee would you like?’ he said again, tilting his head, looking at me as if I were an imbecile. ‘I’ll get you another.’ That voice—barrel-deep, raspy, confident—crawled over my skin like smoke. The assuredness in it radiated through my body and burned across my flesh.
I sucked in a deep breath, feeling an annoying tug in my core—a warm, fuzzy pull. I resisted the urge to swipe an arm across my damp forehead, because the force of his presence beat into me in a way I’d never felt before. It was disconcertingly delicious.
I let a wider smile linger on my lips as I tried to swallow the boulder in my throat and licked my parched lips.
His gaze tracked the movement, and something dark and unreadable flared in his eyes.
My smile faltered as I cleared my throat.
‘Erm… double espresso, please.’ Ajax appeared and placed my hat and sunglasses on the table, then stalked back into the coffee shop.
‘Give me your phone,’ Si said, lowering into the chair opposite me, holding out a hand.
‘Sorry?’
‘I’ll get it fixed.’
‘Oh—no, no. That’s fine. But thanks,’ I replied, clutching the cracked device to my chest.
‘Nonsense. Give it here.’ He extended one large hand again. ‘Theseus is a whizz with electronics.’
Caught between a rock and a man built like a godsdamned Victorian mansion, I caved. Tremors flitted through my fingers as I handed it over.
‘Jason,’ Si said, and a tall, powerfully built man stepped forward—bald, dark-skinned, and imposing.
He was dressed in the same get-up as Ajax—a grey linen suit and tight white tee—and Si handed him my phone.
Tension swirled inside me like a tsunami, but outwardly I schooled my expression into one of calm.
‘Take that to Theseus. Tell him to have it repaired by tomorrow.’ Jason gave a small bow and took off.
‘So, what is your name?’ The way he asked it, low and smooth, raised goosebumps. There was something almost vicious behind his calm.
‘Amelia.’
‘Amelia,’ he repeated slowly, as if he were savouring the syllables, but his eyes narrowed as an indecipherable expression etched on his beautiful features.
My heart pounded a rapid tune, but I held his gaze as I asked, ‘And your name?’
‘You can call me Si,’ he replied, his eyes still locked onto mine.
‘Okay.’ I cleared my throat again, still trying to swallow the lump lodged there.
‘What state are you from, Amelia?’
‘I’ve travelled from London. I moved there when I was fourteen.’ I paused. ‘I’ve come away to escape an abusive situation.’ A dark frown carved itself into his too-beautiful face—and guilt smacked me in the gut. Lying was second nature, but damn it, this one burned.
For fucks sake. What’s wrong with me?
‘And where are you staying?’ His eyes seemed to peel away my skin and look straight into my soul.
It was unsettling. This man radiated power like nuclear fallout, and my fight-or-flight reflexes were gearing up—and very rarely did I choose flight—but with this level of force and dominance, flight seemed like a doozy, and the thought of my running away seriously pissed me off.
I had a soft spot for bad boys, but this man was in a league of his own. He was bad news.
I’d definitely use the helmet to get to him—I’d never see him again after today—then he’d be dead.
Again, guilt slithered through me like venom, but I squashed the feeling.
In another life, this man was someone I’d like to get to know whilst I mapped his eight-pack with my tongue.
In this life, I was planning to kill him.
‘The, erm, Atlantis Hotel,’ I said as I ran my fingers through my messy hair.
A feral, almost predatory smile graced his lips.
It was ruthless. Bone-chilling. He stared at me in a way that made my bowels a little watery—those captivating eyes were the blue-green of the ocean right before a squall.
I held his gaze, refusing to be intimidated, and released a slow breath when those stormy eyes dropped to his coffee.
After a sip of coffee, he said, ‘Very good. I’m staying there too. In the penthouse.’
I smiled as my eyes met his… Bingo. I’d gotten his location without even trying. Maybe this chance encounter had been a gift from the beyond. Ajax returned and placed my coffee on the table. I picked it up and took a sip. ‘This coffee is so good,’ I muttered.
‘The best in town,’ Si said, and his raspy baritone voice resonated through my core like vibrating panties.
He rested his hands on the table, and my eyes dropped to his bronzed forearms, thick with muscle and ink.
I struggled to swallow as heat pulsed deep in my core.
Since when were forearms a kink? I wanted to trace those tattoos. Travel them. Lick them.
Shit… Please tell me my nipples aren’t hardening.
I subtly folded my arms across my chest for fear that my nipples were, in fact, like two coat pegs.
‘Let’s walk back to the hotel,’ he said. ‘Theseus will have your phone fixed by tomorrow, and I shall return it to you myself.’
‘You can leave it at reception. Tell Theseus thanks.’
He ignored my words and stood. I scrambled to collect my things—shoving my hair back under my hat and slipping on my sunglasses—and jogged to catch up. He towered over me. In my flats, he had at least nine inches on me; he had to be around six and a half feet. The man was massive.
The humid air pressed against my skin, the combination of it and the target’s proximity making my breath shorter as sticky, sweet, briny air covered me like a damp blanket.
We didn’t talk all the way back to the hotel.
He strolled like a man with nowhere to be and nothing to fear, drinking in the ocean with each step.
His obvious bodyguard, Ajax—aka the tool—followed at a respectable distance behind us. I could snap his neck before he even thought about it; I was better trained than most bodyguards, but I had to play this cleverly and bide my time.
Almost at the hotel, he stopped and turned to me. ‘I’d like to have dinner with you this evening. Wear something elegant.’
I felt my eyebrows creeping up my forehead. Dinner? ‘I’m—’
‘It’s non-negotiable. Be ready for 7 p.m.. I’ll meet you at the Sunset bar for drinks first.’
I blinked a few times. ‘Erm, you can’t be serious.’
‘Deadly.’ His eyes flickered with amusement, as if he enjoyed watching me flail.
Holy Hades, this man wore his arrogance like a cloak; his ego must have its own gravitational field. ‘You’re losing your marbles, dude. You can’t just demand someone go to dinner with you.’
‘I can, and you’ll be there.’ He smiled—and damn…
that smile was a thing of perfection. It could have melted the knickers off a nun, and I cursed when a host of butterflies fluttered in my middle.
Then he turned and walked away, leaving me staring at his back, open-mouthed as Ajax trailed after him, a deep scowl on his angular face.
Fuck, I needed to punch myself in the mouth. My alter ego was in tatters… my wig and contacts were in my room. And he had my phone.
Shit, shit, shitting shit.
The barometer meter reading on today’s suckery? Catastrophic.
I was so screwed.