Hehadto control himself.
Ares thrust his hands into the pockets of his trousers to keep them contained.
The pulse at the base of her throat, just above the neckline of her soft jumper, was racing. He could barely look away from it.
‘Hello, Ares,’ she said.
He hadn’t been aware that he’d missed the sound of her voice until he heard it again, light, husky, feminine. She used to hum while she’d cleaned the fireplace in his room at Ivan’s. He’d never recognised any of the songs, but he’d liked hearing them. He’d found it soothing.
He gritted his teeth, forcing a leash on his hunger. ‘Hello, little maid. Welcome to the Cotswolds. I don’t think you’ve been to England, have you?’
The soft curves of her breasts rose beneath her jumper as she took in a breath, and he couldn’t look away from those either. ‘No. But then you know that already, don’t you?’
He did. He knew everything that she’d been doing since he’d made it his business to know. So, he knew that instead of traveling and seeing a bit more of the world, she’d stayed in Paris instead and worked at her job in the café. Chatted with her co-workers and went home every night to her little apartment.
There was no point denying it, so he didn’t. ‘Yes.’
‘I thought so.’ Her chin had that stubborn tilt to it again. ‘There’s a guy who sits in a car across the street from my cafe. Sometimes he comes in for a coffee, but most of the time he just sits in his car. Except of course when the time comes for me to go home.’
You really think she wouldn’t notice? She’s far too smart for that.
Perhaps he should have been annoyed that she’d spotted the member of one of his specialist teams that he’d sent to keep an eye on her, but he wasn’t. The man was an expert at tailing people and yet still she’d seen him. He liked that. She was, indeed, far too smart.
‘It is for your protection,’ he said.
‘Worried about the risk to your investment?’ There was acid in her tone. So much for hoping she wasn’t going to be angry with him. But was it only because she hadn’t liked being watched or was there something more going on?
‘You’re my wife.’ He met her challenging gaze head-on. ‘I want you to be safe.’
‘You also want to know exactly what I’m doing, don’t you?’
He ignored that. ‘Is it me having you watched that’s really making you angry or was it what happened in Thailand?’
She stared at him for a second, then abruptly turned back to the fire, holding her hands out once more to the blaze. ‘Nothing happened in Thailand,’ she said after a moment.
Ares took a couple of steps closer. She was standing very rigidly, though he wasn’t sure whether it was anger or fear that was making her so tense.
He couldn’t leave it the way he had in Thailand. He needed to find out what was wrong.
‘You walked away so abruptly,’ he murmured. ‘Then I didn’t see you again for the entire week. I wanted to give you some space and I thought you might...come to me to discuss things, but you didn’t.’
She said nothing.
He had no idea what she was thinking and suddenly that felt unacceptable. This was important. He needed to know if he’d made things difficult for her.
So, he took another couple of steps, closing the distance between them until she was mere inches away. He could see the rounded curve of one cheek, the flames from the fire sending golden flickers over her skin, and since her hair was pulled back and the neckline of her jumper low, he also noted the delicate arch of her neck, the fragile contours of her collarbones and the curve of one small ear. She had her ears pierced and wore small golden hoops.
Pretty. So pretty.
She must have sensed him standing behind her, because he could see how her shoulders tensed. Was that him making her uncomfortable? Was he standing too close?
He should move and yet... He didn’t.
‘Rose,’ he said quietly into the silence. ‘We will talk about this, understand me? I am not going to let you walk away a second time.’
Still, she said nothing, her gaze fixed on the flames in front of her, tension radiating from her.
‘Rose.’ This time he put an edge of command in his voice. ‘Look at me.’