Chapter Eighteen #2
Feeling rumpled and dishevelled, I lift my case onto the bed, take out my washbag, and go into the en suite bathroom. I take a quick shower, using some of the complimentary products that smell of frangipane, and dress in yoga pants and a tee.
While I scoop my hair up into a bun, my brain weaves through my memories of the night before. It’s hard to make sense of it. I’ve had so little sleep over the past few weeks, and I must have been high on adrenaline too; it still feels like a dream.
I think you’re possibly the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.
His words make me catch my breath. Did he really say them, or did I conjure them up?
I study my reflection, my pale skin and the dark circles under my eyes, and my spirits slowly sink.
It doesn’t matter either way. He’s still my CPO, and he was being kind to a crying woman, that’s all.
I’m foolish if I let myself believe anything else.
I finish my bun, take a deep breath, and head out.
I walk into the living room. He’s cleared away our half-eaten dinner from the night before.
He’s not there, but then as I turn toward the large windows, I see him out on the deck, reading a book.
He’s wearing swim shorts, and he’s bare-chested.
Wow, look at those abs! His bare feet are propped up on a chair, crossed at the ankle.
His legs are incredibly long, and his thighs look as if they could easily crush a girl between them.
Ho-lee fuck.
He looks up then and sees me, and surprise lights his features. Immediately, he puts down his book, gets up and opens the sliding doors, and comes inside.
“Good morning,” he says, walking over to me. “How are you doing?”
“I’m okay, thank you.” My stomach flips at the sight of so much tanned skin. “Um… I’m sorry I slept so long.”
“It’s only eight,” he says. “It’s hardly late. Would you like a coffee?”
“I can make it,” I protest as he walks around the kitchen counter. “I know you call me princess, but I’m not actually royalty.”
He laughs and turns the machine on. “Maybe not, but I like doing things for you. You deserve it.” He glances at me and smiles, then opens the fridge to retrieve the milk.
I perch on the bar stool, unable to tear my eyes from him. I’ve seen him in a suit, and in civvies, but this is something else. It’s only as I look at his hair that I realize it’s damp.
“Have you been swimming?” I ask, surprised.
“Yeah, I couldn’t resist.” He starts the espresso pouring, then steams the milk. “It was fucking cold, but it woke me up.” He chuckles. Then he glances at me and obviously sees me staring. “What?”
“You look… different.”
“I actually slept, for once. Okay, only for five hours, but that’s five hours more than I’ve been sleeping.” He replaces one mug with another and starts the espresso pouring again.
“You don’t normally sleep well?”
He shakes his head and pours the milk over the espresso in the mugs.
“Because of the nightmares?” I ask softly, remembering him telling me.
“Yeah.” He passes my mug to me, then says, “Hold on.” He takes his phone out of his shorts pocket and answers it.
“Hello? Oh, hey.” He mouths Ella to me. He listens, then says, “Right. Okay. Yeah. Yes, I understand. No worries. Yeah, all good here. Frost took us straight to the villa last night. We’ll have a walk around today.
The security’s good. I don’t think we’ll have any trouble here.
Yeah, right by the sea. Hydrangea Villa.
Okay, yeah, speak soon.” He ends the call.
“Hibiscus,” I say.
“What?” He picks up his mug and sips his coffee.
“You said Hydrangea Villa. We’re in Hibiscus.”
“I knew it was some exotic flower,” he grunts. “Gardening isn’t one of my many talents.” His eyes sparkle over the rim of his mug.
Is he flirting with me? It’s so hard to tell. He’s turning away now, and I follow him out onto the deck.
The light sea breeze is cool but refreshing. I sit next to him, and we look out at the ocean. “It’s so quiet,” I observe, listening to the call of the seagulls.
“When was the last time you had a vacation?”
“Gosh, over a year. Dom took me to Fiji the previous January.”
Luke doesn’t say anything, but he scowls.
“You really don’t like him, do you?” I say, amused.
“I really don’t.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s good looking, and he knows it and uses it to get what he wants. He’s arrogant and condescending. And…” He stops himself and glares into his mug.
“And what?” I wait for him to say something about the photo.
“I hate that he ordered your lunch for you,” he says. My lips slowly curve up, which just makes him scowl more. “Don’t mock me.”
“You’re very sweet.”
“Yeah, because every guy likes to be called sweet.” He takes out his phone again.
“Hold on.” He answers it. “Hello? Oh! Good morning. Yes, very good, thanks. Oh, yeah, that would be great.” He checks his watch.
“Perfect. See you then.” He ends the call.
“That was Gabriel. He asked if we’d like a tour at nine. ”
“Sounds good.”
“Yeah, I’m interested to take a look around.”
We chat for a bit about our first impressions of the island, and then decide to get changed before Gabriel turns up.
Luke goes down to the next bedroom, and I go into mine and change into cream slacks and a white vest. It’s a few degrees warmer up here in the Bay of Islands, and it’s going to be a gorgeous day, judging by the forecast.
When I come out, Luke has changed into cargo shorts and a navy polo top, smart but casual. We slip on our shoes, and by the time we make our way out, Gabriel is waiting in the golf cart, alone this time.
“Morning!” he says cheerfully as we board the cart. “Thought I’d take you around before things get too busy. We’ve got a conference starting at eleven. It’ll start getting busy in an hour or so.”
“What kind of conference?” I ask as he heads the cart off along the road.
“Medical innovation. We’ve got experts coming from all over the world.”
“It’s a great idea,” Luke says. “Having a place to bring them all together.”
“Yeah, that’s what’s at the heart of 35 South. People do their best thinking when they’re away from their inboxes.” He emerges onto the main drive. “We’ll start with the hotel facilities.”
He parks at the base of the steps, and we follow him up to the main hotel entrance.
The lobby is huge, and the design is what he calls biophilic, integrating nature into the built environment.
It looks like something out of a science fiction movie.
There’s a large fountain in the center, palms and plants everywhere, and the front desk and all the pillars are carved with Māori patterns.
Stairs sweep around the building in a spiral as they rise to the next floor, a mezzanine that overlooks the lobby.
Gabriel shows us the huge central amphitheater and the range of smaller meeting rooms; the impressive gym with the day spa; the bars and lounges; the small but impressive library; and the cafés and restaurants.
“It’s an amazing place,” I tell him when we return to the cart, and he drives us slowly around the complex before heading back to our villa. “You have great vision.”
“I’m lucky to have an amazing staff,” he admits.
“Where did you meet Caesar?” Luke asks.
“He came here for an agritech conference.” Gabriel chuckles. “We’d broken up into smaller groups, and we were in the same meeting room. He knocked his coffee cup over and it spread across the table and soaked all the handouts.”
I giggle. “That sounds like Caesar.”
“He was mortified, but it broke the ice.” He stops outside our villa.
“Thank you for taking the time to show us around,” Luke says, “I appreciate it.”
“I hope everything’s okay inside?” Gabriel asks.
“Yes, thank you,” I reply, “it’s beautiful.”
“The hotel will be busy today, but you’re always welcome to use the facilities.”
“We’ll probably stay down here,” Luke says as we get out, “but thank you.”
Gabriel nods. “Just call if you need anything.” He waves and heads off, back to the hotel.
We go down the path and into the villa. I stand in the center of the living room, arms folded.
“What’s up?” Luke asks.
I shrug. “You said we’d stay here. It… reminded me, I guess, about last night.” He wants us to keep away from people. For a while, I’d forgotten.
Luke studies me for a moment. Then he says softly, “Want to go for a walk along the beach?”
I swallow hard. “That would be nice.”
“Come on, then.”
“Give me one sec.” I go into my room, take my shoes off, and change into a pair of shorts. I grab a bottle of sun lotion and take it back out, and we both apply a little to our face and arms, then don sunglasses and baseball caps.
We walk over to the sliding doors and open them, and Luke takes off his shoes and leaves them inside. He locks the doors behind us and puts the key card in his shorts. Then we step down from the deck onto the sand, and head off along the beach.