Rose reckoned a swim before dinner might relax her. The way she felt—excited, aroused and bewildered at the thought of seeing Raffa again in these extraordinary surroundings—threatened to take her mind off the reason she was here. Plus, she had to brace herself for disappointment when he treated her not as a dance partner, or a woman he wanted to spend time with, but as his head groom—which should have been enough for her, but really wasn’t. Selecting her armour, she chose a bright green swimming costume with matching cover-up. This was no time for blending into the shadows.
A sense of urgency pervaded his work the moment Raffa learned Rose was on board. Finishing the last of his video calls early, he found it impossible to concentrate on anything else until he’d seen her. A head groom gained unique insight into his life, meaning the position called for the utmost discretion, along with encyclopaedic knowledge about horses, together with the ability to communicate that knowledge to all types of people. This week would prove whether Rose was ideally suited in the long term for the job.
She was certainly suited for his bed, he reflected before he could stop himself as he pulled on his swimming shorts. The purser had informed him that Rose was in her stateroom, so he planned to swim and clear his head before meeting up with her. Having spent the morning behind a desk, he was eager for exercise.
He arrived at the pool to find Rose had settled in before him. The surprise of seeing her there was a punch to his senses. With her back to him, and a large-brimmed hat hiding her spectacular hair, it was clear she’d gone for impact, rather than discretion, by choosing an emerald green swimsuit that outlined her spectacular figure. A matching cover-up was draped across the chair, but she made no attempt to reach for it as she turned to face him.
Rose.
Grabbing a swim towel from the stack on the side, he slung it around his neck.
Removing her hat, Rose placed it carefully on the sunbed at her side. With a graceful action, she reached up to free her glorious hair from the colourful scarf containing it. As she raked her fingers through the waist-length tumble, the effect it created was, to Raffa’s mind, a fiery cloud to compete with any sunset.
‘Raffa!’
‘I’m sorry if I startled you.’
She clutched her chest. ‘It’s good to see you,’ she said. ‘Thank you for inviting me to your yacht. Not as a guest, of course,’ she added quickly, as if wanting to reassure him on that point.
‘I hope my purser has made you comfortable?’
‘If I had to walk the plank anywhere, I guess this is the best place to do it.’
He raised a brow. ‘Let’s hope that won’t be necessary.’
His body urgently demanded one thing, while his mind demanded another. He required the best of the best in the role of Head Groom. Rose was that individual. There’d be other women he could have in his bed.
But they wouldn’t be Rose.
‘ThePegasuseffortlessly covers vast distances, allowing me to entertain at short notice. No hotel can compete with the facilities here.’
‘I heartily confirm that,’ Rose agreed.
Something had to give. How could she be so cool when the wolf inside him was howling with impatience? ‘Swim?’ he suggested curtly, willing his body to behave.
‘Why not?’ Rose replied eagerly.
‘You do swim?’
‘I do,’ she confirmed, with what he thought was a glint of amusement.
Rose accepted the invitation gladly. Having seen Raffa in black swimming shorts that revealed more than they concealed, she badly needed cooling off. Her senses were in free fall, but wanting him was dangerous to both her heart and mind. How to stop wanting him was the problem. Raffa was her boss. Rose was here to prove she could handle all aspects of the job. Expanding her working life was an exciting prospect, and one she embraced with enthusiasm...but there was nothing to stop her having a little harmless fun along the way.
The water was deliciously cold against her overheated skin. Rising to the surface, she drew in air before slicing through the water as if racing her brothers. Within moments a form appeared beneath her. It was Raffa, swimming underwater on his back. She kicked even harder, but, the wretch he was, he pulled ahead.
‘You cheated,’ she accused when they reached the far end, by which time she was laughing with sheer pleasure.
‘I cheated by swimming underwater?’ Raffa queried with a frown. ‘You should have set the rules before we began. You’re a great swimmer. Fast,’ he approved.
‘Six brothers, remember.’ She spoke with the broadest of smiles, appreciating her brothers more in that moment than she ever had before.
‘And a competitive spirit,’ Raffa added. ‘You’ll need that to go far in your career.’
‘I won’t disappoint,’ she promised fiercely, loving the way they could switch from play to work and back again.
‘This experience will be good for you, Rose. You don’t know how strong you are until you’re tested.’
‘Prophetic words?’ she queried as Raffa placed his big hands on the side of the pool and sprang out. ‘Not up for a race, then?’ she shouted after him.
