She keeps going until I’m wrecked, and even then, her hand slows but doesn’t stop. Joder. When’s the last time I did something so reckless? When I was young?
As my surroundings piece together again, I blink my eyes open and see she’s wearing a satisfied smile. She’s more than a little pleased with herself.
“You need a shower,” she remarks tauntingly, not sounding even a bit ashamed about what we’ve just done.
“So do you.”
She shrugs, completely unbothered. I have no choice but to straighten my boxer briefs and zip up my pants, cleaning myself as best as possible with some napkins from the console before she slides off my lap and tumbles out of the car.
Her hair is mussed up and her cheeks are still bright red. A flush creeps up her chest. Her dress is completely wrinkled. She bites down on her smile as I take her in.
“How’s that for begging?” she teases, her eyes alight with mischief.
I toss my head back and laugh. Suddenly I know with absolute certainty that Isabel De Vere is going to be the death of me.
Chapter Sixteen
Isabel
My phone buzzes, jarring me from my delicious dream. Cristiano was in it and we were in his car like we were last night, only we’d made it to the back seat and his heavy body covered mine. God, his hands felt real, so much so that I’m bereft when I pry my sleepy eyes open and realize I’m alone in my bed.
My phone buzzes again. It’s from Hugo.You got bumped, don’t come in. See you tomorrow.
I smile gratefully into my pillow, my toes curling with bliss at the idea of getting an unexpected day off.
I turn toward Simone’s bed and find it’s still made from last night, though I’m not surprised. She hasn’t slept here the last two nights. Oh sure, shetriedto fool me, sneaking in yesterday morning as if she was going to slip under her covers and pretend she’d spent the night in her bed, but I was already awake and reading when she opened the door and peeked in cautiously.
“Bollocks! You’re up?” she exclaimed, throwing the door open wide. “Why can’t you have a proper lie-in like a normal person?”
This morning, she doesn’t even bother with pretenses. She strolls in a few minutes after I wake up, gives me a groggy “Mornin’,” and starts unceremoniously yanking off her clothes on her way to the bathroom.
I sit up in bed, propping up my pillows behind me. “Where have you been?”
“Oh, nowhere!” she calls out innocently as she shuts the bathroom door behind her.
“With Felix again?” I shout.
“Yes! Wemighthave snogged and itmighthave been fantastic!” she shouts back.
I wonder what Annika thinks about her brother shacking up with Simone. Fortunately their apartment has separate bedrooms, unlike the one I share with Simone. There’s a chance Annika isn’t even aware of the situation.
I throw off my blanket and rush into the bathroom so I can ask Simone about it.
“Get this!”She yanks the shower curtain aside and pokes her head around it. “Last night, Felix and I were snogging on his couch, his hand up my knickers and everything—don’t get me started on how good that was—and we were so nervous Annika would walk in, but she never did. Come to find out, she was with ETHAN!”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.They are in looove. Big time!” She laughs and lets the curtain fall closed again. “Sorry we abandoned you yesterday. Was your shift absolute crap without us?”
“Um, it was okay,” I say, picking up my toothbrush.
“Antonio walk you home?”
“No, I got a ride.”
She laughs loudly. “I knew that bloke wouldn’t stay away from you. Was it innocent or did you two carry on like you did on the yacht?”
There was no keeping my pool-time rendezvous with Cristiano from Annika and Simone. When I returned to the aft deck, Simone took one look at me and grinned like the Cheshire cat.
