Page 31 of Filthy Hot Billionaire
Of course, my intentions were good, but once I made it down to the main floor, then slipped out onto the veranda overlooking the pool, my thoughts immediately drifted back to my dinner with Knox. There was no evidence it had ever taken place now that the staff had cleaned it all up. Even the table was gone. Yet it felt like I had just run away from that table.
I took a deep breath and crept down toward the pool, watching my feet as I moved toward the hot tub. It was secluded in the corner and overlooked the ocean, which would give me a better chance of not being caught if someone happened to look outside.
My attempt at stealth was ruined completely when I heard someone clear their throat.
The sound dragged a surprised squeal out of me before my eyes processed the man currently inhabiting the hot tub.
“Did you come to join me?”
I swallowed hard and backed up a step, doing my best not to look at Knox or the intriguing dark thatch of hair on his chest as he reclined, his arms spread wide, extended along the coping behind him.
“Em?”
I was definitely staring, my gaze having wandered downward, utilizing every shimmer of light coming from beneath the water as it washed over the planes and angles of Knox’s absurdly muscled upper body. He was rock hard and chiseled to perfection. From his rounded shoulders to the taut traps and the thick slab of his pectorals.
“Join me, Emily.”
My gaze snapped to his face at the brusque command. “What?”
“Join. Me.”
Without thinking, I peered down at myself. I was wearing one of the hideous gowns Kitty had started buying for me when I was sixteen, getting rid of the shorts sets I’d slept in before that. It was as though she was attempting to hide the fact that I was a woman, even from me. This one was a white flannel number with tiny little rosebuds dotting the entire thing. The buttons on the top were in the shape of roses, not quite hidden by the wavy trim.
For the record, I hated it, but I preferred it over sleeping naked due to the creepy cam in my room.
“I’m … uh … not dressed for a swim.”
“Who said anything about a swim?” Knox asked.
My gaze was once again glued to his torso as he stood up and moved toward me. A new section emerged, and I was instantly transfixed by the highlights and shadows of his abs and the sexy lines that formed a V and angled down as though directing my gaze lower. But it was the thin trail of hair that captured my full attention. What little I’d seen of a man’s body had come from the magazines Hannah snuck me. Most of those men were smooth and glossy, and I briefly wondered if it was a preference. Looking at Knox’s prime male form, I couldn’t imagine anything sexier than the hair on his chest and the treasure trail that disappeared into his shorts.
“Live a little, Emily.”
I looked up into his face again, clenching my teeth tightly. That sounded an awful lot like a dare, as though he didn’t think I was capable of living a little.
Well, to be fair, I wasn’t. And if it weren’t for him being here, I wouldn’t be outside now, risking the wrath of the evil stepmonster.
“Do I scare you, little girl?”
God, that voice. The timbre was too rich, the cadence too smooth.
I narrowed my eyes. “Of course not.”
It was a total lie, but it came off well. Probably had something to do with all the pent-up rebellion I’d been harboring for years. Now that there was someone here who would push me to do the things I wasn’t allowed to do, I found it difficult to resist.
“Then join me.”
I gripped the flannel of my gown and fisted it until I managed to raise it up to mid-thigh, then took a step forward and sat on the raised ledge before turning and putting my toes in to test the water. It felt surprisingly good, and it was only then I realized the air was significantly cooler than it had been during the day. The temperature had dipped down into the high fifties but felt cooler thanks to the breeze off the ocean.
Convinced it wouldn’t scald me, I inched forward and let my feet slip down into the water.
“Get in all the way,” Knox said, his tone firmer than before.
“I’ll get my gown wet,” I blurted before realizing that was pretty obvious.
“Take it off,” he said, sitting back down and resting his arms out again as he stared up at me.
“As if,” I retorted.
