Page 21 of Their One-Night Rio Reunion
She was a complete novice in more ways than one, and especially when it came to the art of seduction. But he wanted her. That was all she needed to know.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CAIOPACEDBACKand forth in the den, with the French doors open and leading out to the opposite side of the garden to where Ana was.
She wanted him.
And she knew he wanted her. For a man who’d never held back from pursuing a woman he wanted before, this was novel territory. Up until now there’d been an unspoken agreement between them not to rock the boat. As soon as she’d appeared in that excuse for a swimsuit the boat had started to sink in choppy waters.
But he assured himself he was doing her a favour by not indulging in this mutual lust. He might not have slept with a virgin, but he’d been one once. And he’d learnt a valuable lesson at his first lover’s hands.
He’d momentarily confused sex with emotion after that first experience with an older woman. He’d blurted out afterwards, ‘I want to see you again.’
She’d turned around and looked at him with pity and said, ‘No, you don’t. You think you do, but this is just sex,carinho, you’ll soon learn...don’t worry.’
And she’d left.
He’d felt as if his heart had been cut out of his chest. But she’d been right, of course. He had soon learnt, and he hadn’t made the same mistake again.
He wasn’t about to subject Ana to a similar devastating revelation. Not after they’d spent a year together, getting to know one another and developing a mutual level of trust. In a way, she was the first real friend he’d ever had, and this was something he was only really appreciating now—how entwined their lives had become without him even realising it.
He thought back to when they’d returned to Rio de Janeiro after their tour through Europe. Next, they’d been headed to North America. But for a few weeks Caio had caught up with business in Rio. He’d got used to coming home in the evenings and finding Ana cooking, not realising at the time that she’d cooked the food herself from scratch.
For a man who was allergic to any notion of domesticity he’d found it surprisingly appealing, and they’d settled into a routine of sharing dinner and chatting about inconsequential things. They’d watch a movie together, or a documentary, both of them sharing similar interests—which Caio had subsequently blamed for lulling him into a false sense of security.
One day Caio had found himself postponing a meeting so he could get back to the apartment in time for dinner and he’d gone cold inside. At what point had they crossed some invisible line to turn this marriage of convenience into something that had begun to resemble a real marriage?
Boundaries had already been crossed. He wasn’t about to cross the final one now. No matter what she did to provoke him. He could resist. He had the benefit of experience and wisdom gained from painful experience.
‘What are you making?’
Ana was careful not to show her reaction to Caio’s reappearance. She hadn’t seen him since she’d been on the lounger. Admittedly, once the adrenalin had worn off, she’d enjoyed a couple of tranquil hours dozing and swimming and reading.
She’d returned to the villa to put on a thigh-skimming sundress after peeling off the swimsuit. So much for enflaming Caio to the point that he couldn’t help himself. But she hadn’t lost heart. Not yet.
She looked up, feigning surprise. ‘Oh, there you are. If we weren’t on an island, I might have suspected you’d left.’
He made a face. ‘I was in the study, looking up some news sites to see if there’s any mention of us or the kidnappers.’
Ana’s hand stilled. For a moment she’d forgotten about the outside world. This island was like a bubble. ‘Is there?’
Caio shook his head. ‘No, nothing. I can’t make any calls or send any electronic messages in case they’re intercepted. We just have to hope that things are going according to plan for the security team. So...’ he said.‘What are we having?’
Ana continued stirring the sauce. ‘Chicken in a white wine sauce with some fresh vegetables.’
‘Sounds good. I’m going to take a shower...’
Caio turned and left the kitchen and Ana watched him go, her eyes on his tall, rangy body. Broad shoulders tapering down to slim hips, tight buttocks and long legs. In many ways he was still an enigma, even though she felt as if she’d got to know him on a level that most others didn’t. Due to sheer proximity for a year. You couldn’t help but pick stuff up—habits, behaviours—after spending so much time travelling together and sharing a living space.
The only thing they hadn’t done was share a bedroom.Yet.
‘Wait!’ she called out just as he was disappearing.
He stopped and turned around.
She said, as nonchalantly as she could, ‘I thought we’d make a bit of an effort tonight.’
‘Effort?’
