CHAPTER SEVEN
HE’DCONCLUDEDTHEmeeting as swiftly as he could, but that had still meant he was delayed by almost an hour, and it was only as Raul pulled up in front of his apartment building that Alejandro wondered what Sienna had been doing to keep busy. She had her phone, so perhaps she’d spent the time scrolling Instagram or similar, but something about that didn’t fit right. For some reason, he couldn’t see her as someone who spent a lot of time on social media. Reading a book? Writing emails? He frowned, wondering at how little he knew of her, and why that felt strange. He didn’t exactly go around collecting the biographies of the women he slept with, so why should she be any different? Because the few things he did know about her had sparked a billion fresh questions, and Alejandro liked having answers to his questions.
He’d grappled with his guilt on the drive to the apartment. It still sat inside him, and he doubted it would ever shift—on some level, he was glad for that. To not feel bad for having betrayed his oldest friend would have spoken volumes about his character. He didn’t want to hurt Luca. But this was no longer about his friend. Sienna was her own person, with her own autonomy. Alejandro couldn’t refuse her simply because Luca had misread her character and needs.
He pushed into his apartment, looking around, frowning. For a moment, he thought she wasn’t here, but her rucksack was by the door, as well as her strappy shoes. His eyes scanned the lounge area, and he moved through it, unbuttoning his shirt at the neck, rolling up the sleeves as he scanned the room for a clue of her whereabouts.
Curiosity growing, he continued to move through the apartment, room by room, until he passed his office and a movement, a splash, caught his eye.
He stopped walking.
And stared.
She was in the pool.
And going by the trail of clothes between him and the pool, she was naked.
Despite the fact they’d made love earlier that afternoon, desire burst through him like volcanic lava. He cut through his office, opening the French doors onto the terrace and startling her, apparently, with his abrupt arrival. Almost as though she hadn’t expected him, as though she hadn’t been swimming naked with the specific intent of tempting him...
‘Alejandro.’ She breathed his name, her body instantly heating in response despite the water lapping at her sides. Instinctively, she ducked down, so only her head and neck sat above the water’s surface. It was no good, though. His eyes clung to her creamy breasts beneath the rippling water, feasting on their outline, so she expelled a soft breath, her eyes clinging to his.
‘Well, this is a nice surprise,’ he drawled.
She looked around desperately for her clothes—flung with careless non-concern across the tiles of the deck.
‘I wasn’t sure what time you’d be here,’ she murmured. ‘I thought much later, to be honest.’
‘I’m disappointed. Are you telling me this display isn’t to tempt me?’
Her eyes widened. Tempt him? ‘Sorry to disappoint, but that didn’t even occur to me.’
His laugh was soft and ran like melted butter across her skin. She shivered despite the heat of the afternoon.
‘If you’ll pass me a towel, I’ll get out.’
‘Get out?’ He shook his head. ‘I don’t think so.’ And with her eyes feasting on his body, he undressed, slowly, purposefully, as if he knew what torment the gradual reveal of his naked frame was doing to her equilibrium. In reality, it took him less than a minute to strip out of his shirt and trousers, but to her disappointment he left his boxers on, diving into the pool with a power that took her breath away. Seconds later, he was right where she was, lifting up just an inch away, his dark hair slicked back from his brow, his eyes glowing with a thousand shades of blue in the afternoon light.
‘Much more fun to stay in together, no?’
There was so much she didn’t know about him, but one thing she did was that his accent grew thicker when he was flirting. The words softened and ran over her like velvet, so her nipples tingled, silently begging for his touch.
‘Definitely.’
Another laugh. ‘I’m glad you agree.’
‘This place is something else.’
He looked around the expansive terrace, as if seeing it from her eyes. ‘I suppose so.’
‘You’re just used to it.’ She pulled away from him, not because she wanted to, but because her body was heating with a need she couldn’t control, and she knew, from recent experience, that physical distance was the only way to contain that. ‘But, trust me, it’s incredible.’
He was quiet, but she knew he was coming, following her, so that when she braced her elbows on the edge of the pool, looking down at the street below, he was right beside her in an instant. So much for distance. So much for wanting distance. Her traitorous body felt as though it were partly on fire, and she ached to reach out and touch him.
‘When did you move here?’ Talking was good. Talking distracted her. Sort of.
‘I bought the place about six years ago, and I spend my time between here and Madrid.’
‘You have a place there too?’