The longer I waited, the more control I gave him over the situation.
Screw this.
I grabbed the edge of the pool and threw my arms over the edge, not hiding my nakedness. “Enjoying the show, Zotov?”
His sharp intake of breath was satisfying, but his eyes remained firmly locked on my face. “What are you doing out here?”
Interesting. Most men would have at least peeked lower. “Taking a swim?”
“Get out of the pool,” he ordered, his voice rough.
“Or what? You’ll jump in and drag me out?” I swept my hair back, then leaned back and let go of the edge. I started floating while keeping my head above the water to watch him and made no move to cover myself.Let’s see how good his self-control really is.
He clenched his jaw, but his eyes never wavered. “Stop playing. What are you doing out here? This is dangerous.”
“Dangerous how? I thought I was a guest.”
He shook his head. “Stupidity gets you killed faster than anything else.” He growled, “Now get out. Someone could see you.”
“Someone already has,” I said, deliberately lowering my voice until it sounded raspy and sultry. I drifted to the edge, taking my time. “You seem more concerned about others looking than doing any looking yourself. Such a gentleman.”
“Bella—”
I froze. The name hit me like a slap. He knew. Somehow, he’d figured out who was who. My mind raced through our interactions, trying to pinpoint when I’d slipped up.
Stop…again—both our names could be shortened to Bella.
“Hand me my clothes then,” I said, keeping my voice steady despite my thundering heart.
He looked around for them, then grabbed them from beneath the lounge chair but didn’t offer them. Instead, he put them on the lounge chair behind him, right next to a towel.
He faced me again. “If you’re so confident, why don’t you come get them?”
Power play. Classic. But two could play that game.
I planted my hands on the pool’s edge and pushed myself up and out of the pool, water cascading down my body. Let him look. Let him see exactly what he was dealing with. I wasn’t some shy virgin intimidated by showing my nakedness. And this was my chance to prove once and for all that I wasn’t intimidated by him.
I stood at the edge, dripping and defiant, while he blocked my way to my clothes.
“Well?” I said while tapping my foot.
His eyes darkened as they swept over me, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “Cover yourself.”
I laughed. “That’s what I’m trying to?—”
He moved faster than I expected. One moment, he was glaring at me; the next, his hands gripped my upper arms, and he pulled me against him. “What the hell were you thinking? Swimming naked in the middle of the night? What if it had been one of the guards instead of me? Or one of my brothers? Or Grey?”
The genuine concern in his voice caught me off guard. His fingers weren’t bruising, just firm. Warm.
“Are you some kind of exhibitionist?” he demanded while his eyes flickered to my lips and back up to my eyes. “Is that what gets you off? The thrill of being watched? Of getting caught?”
I sighed, acutely aware of how close he was, how strong he was, of how he was not a friend, no matter how caring he was. “I’ve got some kinks, but that’s actually not one of them,” I said and didn’t like the breathiness in my voice one bit.
I shouldn’t have started this. As if I could ever outmaneuver someone of the caliber of Ivan Zotov while bare-ass naked.
“So what? You admit this was stupid?”
“Oh, please,” I snapped, pushing against his chest—he didn’t budge. “I checked the camera angles. I knew exactly what I was doing.” Not.
