Page 22 of Their One-Night Rio Reunion
‘It’ll be our last dinner together.’
‘Are you expecting me to wear black-tie?’
The thought of him in a tuxedo, even though she’d seen him in one hundreds of times, made her heart pump. ‘You don’t have to go that far.’
He shrugged. ‘Okay.’
When Caio had disappeared, Ana stopped stirring and took a breath at the thought of staging a grand seduction. She considered not going through with it. Did she really want to try and fail to entice one of Rio’s most renowned lovers? But something stubborn within her refused to give in. To admit defeat before she’d even tried.
Before she could lose her nerve, she finished preparing the food and then took off the apron and went up the stairs to her bedroom suite. She took a shower herself, luxuriating in the powerful spray and steam, liberally applying the very expensive-smelling soap.
When she was out, wrapped in a towel, she surveyed the clothes. The deep shimmering royal blue dress caught her eye. She reached out but didn’t touch it, suddenly filled with a sense that if she wore it she would never get over the humiliation of rejection. Instead, she pulled out a dress in a dark golden colour. Off the shoulder, it hugged her body all the way down to below her knee. It was sexy, but understated. After appearing all but naked in front of Caio earlier, she wanted to aim for sophisticated elegance this time.
She dried her hair—so much easier now that it was about twelve inches shorter than it had been—and put on a light layer of make-up. She still wasn’t overly confident doing her own make-up, but she pushed aside her insecurities.
After putting on a pair of strappy gold sandals, she took a deep breath and went back down to the kitchen. There was no sign of Caio and she felt ridiculously nervous. She put the apron back on over her head and went to check the chicken in the pan and start cooking the vegetables.
She took out a chilled bottle of white wine and two glasses—which she almost dropped onto the tiled floor when she looked up and saw Caio standing in the doorway, wearing not quite a full tuxedo but a black suit and a white shirt, open at the neck.
His hair was damp. She could smell his scent from a few feet away, spicy and earthy. Masculine.Deus. She was like an animal in heat.
‘Need a hand?’ he asked.
She held out the bottle and glasses for fear she would drop them. ‘Open the wine, please? The table is set out on the terrace. The food won’t be long.’
She was aware of Caio finding a bottle opener and pulling the cork. Carrying the bottle and glasses outside. When the food was ready, she took off the apron and arranged the chicken and vegetables on two plates, then carried them outside to the table, aware of Caio’s eyes on her. The balmy sea breeze skated over her bare shoulders and she could feel her nipples getting hard under the stretchy material of the dress.
He said, ‘This looks amazing. Your skill with cooking really is a testament to how much you dislike your father.’
Ana retorted, ‘You should see myboeuf bourguignon.’
The minute the words were out of her mouth she realised that Caio would never see it or taste it. The sudden reminder of impending loss was like a knife between her ribs. But he was right—this wasn’t about emotion. She’d come to respect him and trust him. That was all. Nothing more. Apart from epic levels of lust and desire.
Tonight was it. No fear. No regrets.
She was sorry she hadn’t gone all out and worn the blue silk dress now. At least if she was going down, it would be in style.
She sat down and Caio handed her a glass of wine. She saluted him before taking a sip, relishing the crisp, dry taste that exploded on her taste buds.
He took a bite of the chicken and made a sound that connected directly with Ana’s lower body, sending a wave of heat right through her core. Great. Now her appetite had fled. For food.
‘Good?’
‘Delicious.’
Ana forced herself to eat, barely noticing the way the succulent creamy chicken almost melted on her tongue. When she’d swallowed, she said, ‘I was thinking earlier that it must be amazing here when there’s a storm.’
Caio sat back and looked around. The sound of waves lapping against the beach could be heard in the distance. ‘Yes, it would be. It’s so exposed.’
Like she’d been earlier. Except she refused to feel embarrassed about that.
Caio ate some more and then asked, ‘So what’s your plan when you get to Europe? Are you going to apply to university? You should, you know.’
Ana felt insecurity rise. ‘I’m not sure. I’ll stay in Amsterdam for a while with Francisco and maybe get a job.’
‘You don’t need to work.’
Ana gave Caio a look. ‘Do you really see me settling for a leisurely life of shopping and coffee mornings? I loathe shopping, and I never did fit into the socialite crowd.’ She held up her neatly manicured hand to demonstrate. ‘I never got false nails. If that’s not proof, I don’t know what is.’
