One
SILAS
Dubai
Bourbon puddled on the counter as the bartender’s gaze fixated behind me. I knew that look, the way his smile crooked to the side as his eyes lit with lust and intrigue.
A woman.
As I brought the cut glass to my mouth, the strangest sensation struck me, like the air in the room had been sucked from my lungs, swept out like the tide before a tsunami. I turned on my stool when the force of an unknown presence beckoned my attention.
Fuck me.
My Greek goddess in the flesh.
I’d been in Paxos just one week ago and spotted her across the way of a small plaza. She walked on the arm of an older man, moving with grace and owning every step. Her dark hair streaked with brown was pulled back into a ponytail. Golden skin glistened under the Mediterranean sun. I was fucking mesmerized, momentarily forgetting the two men on my heels. By the time I’d disposed of them, the goddess was gone.
She commanded the attention of every soul in that room. I couldn’t peel my eyes away even if I wanted to. As she passed, my gaze intensified, a silent plea for just a second of acknowledgment. But she gave me nothing. The striking woman strode past without so much as a glance in any direction. However, she had to feel the heat of my perusal as my eyes swept the length of her body. Her red dress was sin incarnate, open down her back, revealing a tattoo and smooth tanned skin, stopping just a hair above her ass. She was gorgeous. And she knew it.
Long, toned legs carried her to an adjacent table, where she sat, the hint of a smirk on her red lips. Low whispers caught my attention as two men briefly argued over who would approach first. I suddenly felt possessive of this woman. Like I’d staked an unspoken claim on her since fate had brought us together for an unlikely second chance meeting across two continents.
But I hung back and decided to let things play out. The taller of the two Australian tourists approached the table, two drinks in hand, as he cleared his throat.
“Excuse me,” he said, his voice lowered to an unnatural octave. “Is this seat taken?”
The woman took her time meeting his eyes, cocking her head slightly.
“No.”
The fucker beamed and placed his drink on the table as he dipped to slide into the booth beside her.
“That wasn’t an invitation,” she said, her glare as cold and ruthless as her tone.
He reared back, confused by her sudden harsh demeanor.
“Oh, well, I thought maybe—”
“You thought wrong.”
Fuck, I liked her.
The flustered man raked a hand through his blond hair, mouth in a tight line as he tried to cope with his bruised ego.
Greek goddess averted her gaze, disinterested, and that’s when our eyes found each other through the distance. I’d seen clips of pathetic romance flicks where love-struck couples claimed to feel the earth shift on its axis the moment they locked eyes with their soul mates. I felt none of that. Instead, my cock stirred, and warmth pooled in the pit of my stomach. I imagined pinning her against the wall, those damn legs locked around me as I fucked her until she cried.
The hint of a smile touched her lips before her attention was back on the uninvited stranger still hovering by her table.
“I just wanted to—”
“What’s your name?” she asked, leaning forward with a curious arch in her brow.
“Thomas,” he replied, his stupid smile sliding back into place.
“Thomas, since you obviously can’t take a hint, let me make this simple for you. Not interested in you”—her eyes moved around him—“or your friend. So, walk away.”
I laughed into my glass as I watched the man’s shoulders stiffen. He bent down, eye level with the unbothered woman.
“Bitch, you’re not even that good-looking, anyway. We just had a bet going—Who could fuck you first.”
