He let it pass. “No. Why here, my villa?”
“Oh.” She sipped her tea, her eyes holding his over the edge of the mug. “I remember seeing it the first day I arrived. This big, beautiful building high on the cliffs. I was fascinated by it – the way it seems to be cast from the stone that surrounded it yet totally modern at the same time. It’s a beautiful contradiction.”
“But you haven’t been here before?”
“No,” she shook her head. “I felt like a long walk today,” she shrugged. “I don’t remember even consciously deciding to set out for this place.”
“There’s security fencing.”
“I came up the steps. From the beach.”
He swore under his breath. “They’re disused for a reason, Maddie. They’re incredibly dangerous. Didn’t you notice the fallen rocks?”
She flinched – just a small, involuntary movement that had him softening his tone. “There’s a locked gate.”
“It was an open gate when I got there.”
“The wind must have blown it off its hinges.” He shook his head, because that shouldn’t have been possible and yet the only option was that she’d scaled a six foot construction – which didn’t seem likely.
“I didn’t notice,” she admitted, a hint of guilt crossing her face.
“I’ll have it fixed.”
“So how do you get down to the beach?”
“I drive.”
“But you’re right here, above it. Why don’t you get the stairs fixed?”
He frowned. “I would, if I used the beach.” He took a drink of his espresso. “By the way, that whole stretch of the beach is private too. There were definitely signs, right? Or had they also been blown away?”
A hint of blush spread through her cheeks. “No, there were signs saying ‘private property’. I presumed they were planted in error. I mean, beaches shouldn’t be private, right?”
He laughed. “Why do I get the feeling you’re trouble, Maddie?”
“Because I don’t like to listen to bossy signs?”
He made a growling noise of assent.
“I truly presumed this was an art gallery or something.”
“An art gallery that was only accessible by perilous steps from the beach?”
“No. Naturally I thought there was a street somewhere too.”
“There is.”
“Let me guess, it’s gated though.”
“Si.” He shrugged his broad shoulders, noting the way her eyes dropped to the gesture, following
the outline of his body. “I like to keep to myself too.”
“I’m sorry to have intruded,” she lifted her gaze to his face and he felt the same flash of electricity firing deep in his gut.
Pleasure and anticipation stirred inside of him, even as he knew he should fight it. She was staring at him with those enormous blue eyes and his body was responding even as his mind was trying to retain control. She was staring at him and slowly he shook his head, and when he spoke there was a gruff resignation in his voice, as though he knew there was a game of fate afoot, one that would get the better of him.
“I’m not.”