Tonight she was facing a different sort of danger, but her racing heart could make no distinction. Pausing to catch her breath, she glanced over her shoulder. Diego was more than a warrior and polo player, she’d heard on the grapevine. He had also been a renowned tracker in Special Forces. She was confident he’d find her. She was counting on it.
Pushing on, she almost missed the hidden dell she was heading for, but the clouds parted long enough for a shaft of moonlight to illuminate the pool. This was where she liked to swim in her downtime. She felt safe here. Sheltered by overhanging trees, the pool was fed by a pebbled stream that glittered and danced its way around a mossy bank. Behind the pond, a sheer rock face rose far beyond the canopy. The only sound was the bubbling water and an owl hooting. Drawing a deep, steadying breath, she settled down on the bank to wait. Diego would want to know why she’d led him here. It was said only his colleagues on the polo team could touch him, but she had to believe he’d follow her plan. The one thing that touched most men was sex. She knew less than nothing about building relationships, but she didn’t need to try tonight. All that mattered was that she tightened the bond between them so that Diego would care enough to follow her when she left. It was a big risk but it was all she had. She tensed as he strode into the clearing. Moonlight silvered his face. He zeroed in on her, focused, virile, and angry.
“What the hell are you doing out here?” he demanded harshly.
“Waiting for you,” she replied calmly.
Shrewd calculation filled his eyes. “How could you be sure I would follow you?”
“I knew you would.”
He huffed a harsh, humorless laugh. “Well, I’m here. What do you want?”
For a moment, her plan seemed crazy, but then she firmed her resolve. “I want to thank you properly,” she said in what she hoped he would take as an inviting tone.
“Properly?” he queried suspiciously. “What does that mean?”
“What would you like it to mean?” she asked softly.
His gaze sharpened with interest. “What did you have in mind?” he countered.
Everything that had seemed so straightforward in the planning stages changed radically, and all because Diego stirred feelings in her that were so unaccustomed, even a flutter of attraction between them hit her like a seismic shock. He wasn’t going to make this easy for her, she guessed. He was relaxed, while she was anything but. Everything hung on what she did next. He was waiting for her to make the first move. Good luck, she thought. You’re inexperienced and gauche, while he’s one of the most sophisticated and experienced man on the planet. Only her determination to follow through with her plan drove her on.
“I don’t have all night, Celina.”
She was no siren, so blunt would have to do. Lifting her chin, she told him, “I want to have sex with you.”
