“Agreed,” he said, his gaze dipping to the neckline of her shirt before it snapped back up.
Marianna sighed. This guy had teased out a conversation with her all the way across the ocean. Friendly, and gently coming on to her without being too forward. Darren? Donovan? She usually remembered names, but the endless plane ride was making everything a little hazy. Dressed in a suit and wearing the same kind of expensive watch William had loved to show off, he was the kind of man she was supposed to be into. But he did nothing for her. Nothing at all. Usually she didn’t mind a little small talk, but the look he just gave her suggested that he was about to take the conversation a step further.
The seat belt sign clicked off. Marianna stretched, brushing the wrinkles out of her silk shirt. The seats in business class reclined almost fully, so she had slept a few odd hours somewhere over the Pacific, though not nearly enough to call it a night’s sleep. Simon was picking her up, and she didn’t need a mirror to know she was a mess. Did the complementary kit the airline handed out include a toothbrush? Not that it mattered.
What was it about Simon that got under her skin? Ever since he had shown up at her house eleven years ago with a sullen look on his face, as if he couldn’t decide whether he hated her or wanted to fuck her, she couldn’t resist pushing him a little. She could charm anyone, but her smiles and private-school manners didn’t put a dent in his scowl.
It had started as a puzzle: How could she crack this hot guy’s icy exterior? After watching him work, shirtless, for a week straight, it was time to up her game. What would happen if she did a little topless sunbathing while no one else was around? Just to see if he’d stare. Marianna knew the exact moment he saw her. Midstep up the ladder, his mouth parted, and his hand went straight to his dick. Then his hand jerked away, and he turned around and got back to work. And didn’t look her way for the rest of the day.
A wave of heat rushed through her, the memory still physical. Damn. Even the guy in the seat next to her was going to catch on if she couldn’t keep her mind out of that gutter. Besides, there was no reason to dredge up memories about that summer anymore. It was too depressing to think that the best times of Marianna’s sex life had happened when she was too naive to appreciate just how good it was. And just how badly it could end.
Book, scarf, headphones...was she forgetting anything? With one last glance at her seat, she headed down the aisle and exited the plane. Her seatmate was waiting for her on the Jetway.
“Where are you staying?”
“The Four Seasons,” she said.
As soon as the words were out, Cameron Blackmore’s instructions from their phone call came back to her.Don’t give anyone information about your trip, even details that seem irrelevant.He probably meant people back in Miami, people connected to William, but it was better to steer this conversation in another direction anyway.
“I’ll be there, too,” he said, falling into step with her.
“Oh,” she said. “Are you traveling anywhere else in Australia?”
The guy started listing his top attractions—the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru, some valley in the wine country. Her bags were waiting on the carousel, and she and her new friend walked through customs, toward the arrivals area. The man slowed to a stop as they neared the doors.
“Very nice to meet you, Marianna.”
She held out her hand, heading off a kiss on the cheek, or other more intimate moves. He took it.
“Donovan,” he added. “In case you were half-asleep when I told you.”
She laughed. “Nice to meet you, Donovan.”
“Maybe we could meet for drinks at the hotel?” He was still holding on to her hand.
Marianna hesitated, searching for an answer that didn’t give him details. “I’m...”
The man’s eyes flickered to something behind her, and he let go of Marianna’s hand. She felt Simon before she turned around, a dark, brooding presence. The scent of him hit hard, sending a bolt of lust through her. Donovan’s eyes widened a little, and he looked back at her.
“Maybe I’ll see you around,” he said. He gave Simon an appraising look and walked away.
Slowly, Marianna turned. She straightened up and met Simon’s sharp gaze. Her heart beat harder as she found his eyes, hot, intense, sending her body into high alert. He looked good, really good, but his crisp white dress shirt and clean-shaven jaw contrasted with the dark circles under his eyes. Had the week been hard on him, too?
She stared into his eyes, both familiar and different, and the streams of travelers around them faded away. He wasn’t just looking at her; he was looking into her, searching for something. Whatever he found made his expression soften a little. The electric pull between them surged. He ran his hand through his thick dark hair and heaved out a breath.
“Who was that?” he asked, his eyes following the man through the terminal.
“Maybe it was one of the guards you hired for me,” she said with an innocent smile. “They were very attentive.”
A low rumble came from Simon, his eyes darkening. “What the fuck? I told them—”
She rolled her eyes and cut him off. “Oh, relax, Simon. That was the guy I sat next to on the plane.” She added sweetly, “Not that Donovan is any of your business.”
“You made everything you do this week my business, remember,Princesa?”
“Don’t call me that,” she snapped. He had teased her with that nickname years ago, but his tone was far from teasing right now. “You told me to make a new plan, and this is it. Or did you already forget the note you left when you ran out on me?”
She asked the last question slowly, and his gaze fell to her mouth. Heat blazed in his eyes.
“This is a bad idea,Princesa,” he growled, drawing out the name. He licked his lips. “Don’t push me.”
Tension radiated from his body. She put her hands on his chest to create some distance. But the moment her hands brushed against his muscles, she froze. A soft groan came from deep inside him. She lowered her gaze to his full lips. Once, so many years ago, those lips had worshipped her own lips, her neck, her breasts. Everywhere.
“No,” he whispered, like he could read her mind. He backed away as if touching was the last thing he wanted.
Shit. She was supposed to taunt Simon a little for leaving her, not drool over him within minutes of landing in this country. Spending every second of the next few days together was going to make it tough to maintain her focus. But it was too late to change her mind. She had set the plan in motion. If William really was in the business of smuggling, he’d get into her emails and find her here in Sydney. It was time to concentrate on that, not the hot blaze of desire that flashed across Simon’s face right before he took a step back.
“We’re not going there again,” he warned.
She gave him a cool smile. “This week, I decide where we’re going.”
