Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 96460 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 482(@200wpm)___ 386(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96460 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 482(@200wpm)___ 386(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
I gave a tight, polite smile. “Grazie.”
Giovanni’s next sentence made Nathan pause, and since it had been delivered with lust and a seductive smirk, I could wager a guess as to what it was. Before Nathan could spit out the translation, Phillip appeared.
“There’s a phone call for Mr. Abramo.”
He was annoyed but climbed from his seat and followed Phillip, leaving me to examine Nathan.
“What did he say?”
“That you’re very beautiful.”
The sound of the dinner around us faded. I’d been asking about the earlier discussion, not the last slimy thing Giovanni had said. Another woman might have assumed this compliment came from the smooth Italian, but I knew from whom the words really came. I hadn’t heard the phrase molto bella, so I understood that Nathan had cleaned up the sleaze.
“Thank you,” I said.
The unexpected flattery got to me much more than it should have. He shifted uneasily in his seat as his gaze went to the main lodge.
“Now’s your window of opportunity to escape,” he said. “You should go.”
And from whom, exactly, was he telling me to escape? I was fascinated by this man, but I had zero desire to continue with Giovanni, and that trumped everything else. My chair squealed across the floor when I stood.
“Good night,” I said.
He wouldn’t even look at me. “Go.”
My fascination with him deflated at his commanding tone. When I tried to head out of the main lodge, one of the staff members stopped me. It was dark, and I’d have to wait for the armed escort. Every second I remained gave Giovanni more time to return and resume his goal of getting me into his bed.
There was a quiet sigh right behind and above me. Was he a ninja? How had I not heard him?
“I’m armed. I can take you.”
Nathan said it like it was the last thing he wanted to do, and my annoyance grew. Why offer if he didn’t want to?
“Fine,” I said, stepping off.
He walked beside me, his gaze scanning our path like we were surrounded by enemies, but there was nothing but gnarled bushes and long grass.
We’d only just made it away from the lodge lights when I considered a different destination. I wasn’t tired. Wasn’t ready to go to bed. There was so much of this beautiful country around me that I hadn’t yet seen.
I could sleep later.
“Where are you going?” he demanded when I followed the trail that led past my cabin and down the hill. A single lantern burned on a wooden patio jutting out over the river, and my footsteps creaked on the floorboards.
“Will you tell me what Gio said when I sat down?”
He raked a hand through his hair, and his eyes hardened as he considered whether to tell me the truth. “He was guessing what you’d be like in bed.”
“Oh, yeah?” I grinned. “What was the verdict? Frigid bitch or bossy control-freak?”
He looked irritated and didn’t seem to find that amusing. Maybe he didn’t have a sense of humor.
Or perhaps I’d guessed a little too closely.
“Can I finish walking you back to your room?” It was a question but sounded more like an order.
“Nope. I want to know what he thought.”
He put his hands on his hips, taking a large stance that showed off his impressive and intimidating stature. His face soured. “Giovanni suspects frigid.”
My eyebrow lifted as I tugged the corner of my mouth into a smirk. “He would be wrong.”
“I figured you lean more toward the control freak.”
So, the tall, handsome American had considered what sex would be like with me. Tingling warmth crept over my skin. “You,” I said softly, “would not be wrong.”
There was no outward reaction, other than a slight lift of his shoulders on a breath. I leaned against the railing, looking at the inky water gently flowing beneath us. The breeze picked up, and I shivered.
“Olivia,” he said, his tone stronger. It was nice to hear my name on his voice.
“I’m in Africa. I can hear hippos over there in the grass. Can you just give me a minute to appreciate all this before locking me in my room?”
He frowned. “There may be hippos over there, but God knows what else.”
“You’re armed.”
His eyes were blacker than the water below us. “I’d prefer not to have to use it.”
And that, I could tell, was the truth. “Have you before?”
The handsome and emotionless face that peered down at me didn’t change. “My job can get dangerous.”
Not an actual yes, but enough of one, and I shivered again.
“Are you cold?”
Not really, but I didn’t want him to know that his words were the cause. “Yes.”
In the lamplight, I watched his hands close on the zipper of his jacket and ease it down. I wasn’t concerned about the holstered gun that came into view. It was his pending action that made me breathless.