The expression on her face suggested that was about as likely as him finding mermaids in the lake tomorrow morning.
‘Goodnight, then,’ he said evenly.
Turning, he strode down the hallway before she could close the door in his face—or, worse, before he did something unutterably stupid, like capturing her mouth with his and finishing what they had started out on the deck.
CHAPTER SEVEN
WHEN MIMI WOKE, her room was in darkness, so that for a couple of moments she thought it was still night-time. Then, as her eyes began to adjust, she realised there was a thin line of daylight around the edge of the curtains. And with the daylight reality came rushing in.
Rolling onto her back, she stared up at the ceiling as her face flushed with heat.
Last night she had kissed Basa.
Twice in one day.
Skin tightening, her mind replayed the slow, pulsing hunger in his dark gaze and the bone-melting heat of his response when she kissed him. Thankfully she had come to her senses, pulling away from temptation before she’d done anything more. But she hadn’t just wanted to kiss him. She had felt hollow with desire, as if everything solid inside her had dissolved and she was made of nothing but air. She had wanted him...wanted him to fill that aching emptiness.
She might be weak and reckless, but she wasn’t completely stupid. She knew that even if they only slept together once, to satisfy their mutual hunger, it would be asking for trouble. There was no way she could cold-bloodedly file that particular experience away. Not when it would first involve admitting the small matter of her virginity to Basa.
Her cheeks felt suddenly hot.
She had almost told him last night, when he’d been grilling her about her motives for going to his room, but she was glad she hadn’t. She didn’t want him thinking she was holding out for him. She just hadn’t met anyone else who made her want to take that next step. He was an impossible act to follow.
But she sure as hell wasn’t about to admit that to him. He might be attracted to her, but she had known even without his not so subtle reminder about his preferred future Mrs Caine that she was not his type, and the speed with which he had showed her to her room suggested buyer’s remorse at having responded to her so fervently.
Pushing back the duvet, she slid out of bed. Using the light creeping into the room, she made her way to the window and cautiously pushed the curtains aside.
She stared through the glass, not breathing.
Whatever she had been expecting, it had not been this.
The
view was epic, staggering, intoxicating.
The lake looked like a vast blue mirror, and a dark fairy-tale wood hugged the edges of the water. It was difficult to make out the individual shapes of the trees that lay beyond. Further away, a lemon-coloured sun was warming a flotilla of snow-tipped peaks.
She bit into the smile that was curving her lip. It was beautiful, but she was not here to sightsee. And after last night Basa would probably be desperate to get back to civilisation, so there was no point getting too excited about the scenery.
She showered beneath what felt like a waterfall of warm water in the state-of-the-art bathroom, then pulled on a pair of trousers and a sweatshirt and tied her hair up in a loose bun before making her way to the living room.
The house was quiet and beautiful in a completely different way from the mansion in Buenos Aires. That was all drama and gilded glamour, whereas this was all about tapping into the surroundings. The decor was understated, but casually opulent with an emphasis on natural materials. It was also messier than the other house, she thought as she looked about, glancing at the rows of shelves that were curtseying gently beneath the weight of books.
How could one man live in two such diametrically opposed homes?
She was curious—more curious than she had a right to be or the good sense not to be. She tilted her head on one side to read the spines, looking for clues.
‘Take one if you want,’ said a cool, refined voice from somewhere behind her.
Cheeks burning, Mimi turned to find Basa watching her from the doorway. She felt her pulse quicken. He was wearing jeans and a dark jersey that hugged the muscles of his chest. The sleeves were pushed up to his elbows, revealing a tantalising stretch of smooth, golden skin. Against her will she found herself picturing the rest of his body.
Horrified by the direction of her thoughts, she shook her head. Her eyes darted around the room, looking for some means of escape, but there was only one door and his shoulder was wedged against the frame, his body filling the opening. It was the perfect pose, both owning the room and blocking her exit, and as if he could read her mind his mouth curved up into one of those rare smiles that made her feel as if she was drowning beneath her own heartbeat.
‘Really, I mean it.’
Pushing away from the doorframe, he came and stood beside her, his dark eyes flickering over her face. ‘It’s one of the pleasures of coming here—the chance to lose oneself in a book.’ He held up the one in his hand. ‘I’m reading this at the moment.’
Mimi frowned. On the cover a woman’s profile was silhouetted against a pale green background; she had a bun like hers, but much neater, so she guessed that it was either a magical fantasy or a historical romance—two genres she wouldn’t have thought appealed to a man like Basa.