Celine entered her bedroom, tossed her cross-body purse on the bed and shook her head at the thought of her audaciousness. What in the world had possessed her to say something like that to Zion? She’d outright told him they would make love one day, when she knew that wasn’t true. She was not surprised that he hadn’t spoken one single word to her on the way home. He wouldn’t even look at her.
She was about to go into her connecting bath when her cell phone rang. Recognizing the ringtone, she quickly moved toward the bed to pull the cell phone from her purse. “Hey, Desha.”
“I’m just checking to see how things went with Blackstone at the escape room.”
Celine sat down on the side of the bed. “We had fun.” She honestly thought they did. He’d seemed distant at first for some reason, but when he saw that advancing from room to room required them to work together to figure out the clues, he’d stopped being unapproachable. Only problem was that once he’d stopped acting detached, she couldn’t stop noticing certain things about him. Why did he have to be one hundred degrees of fineness? No man should look that sexy in a pair of jeans and a polo shirt. Nor should he smell so darn good. And those times after they’d figured out a certain clue and he’d smiled, she’d wished a Zion Blackstone smile didn’t always cause a sensuous shudder to pass through her.
And Lordy, she didn’t want to think about the kiss, that smoking-hot kiss that had singed her brain cells and caused an indescribable ache between her thighs. As far as she was concerned, since he was the one to cause the ache, he should be the one to take it away. She knew only one way for him to do that, which was why she’d told him they would make love one day.
“Celine, you’re still there?”
She was quickly reminded she had Desha on the phone. “Yes, I’m still here.”
“Any reason you aren’t focusing?”
Oh, she could think of only one reason. It was hard not to let her attention wander whenever she thought about a powerful, well-muscled body with broad shoulders, solid chest, flat abs, sinewy thighs and legs, and a too-handsome face. “Zion Blackstone is messing with my mind, Dee.”
“Is he worth the nuisance?”
“That’s debatable, although I did tell him that we’ll be sleeping together one day.”
She could hear her best friend’s gasp. “You did what?”
“I know, I know. Doing something like that is so unlike me, right?”
“Being direct, no. Telling a man the two of you will be sleeping together, yes. What gives? I heard he’s very handsome, but you’ve been around handsome men before. Lots of them. What makes him different?”
Now, that was a question she honestly couldn’t answer. All she knew was that Zion had an effect on her. One she wished desperately he didn’t have. She didn’t think he was deliberately trying to seduce her or anything. In fact, she had a strong feeling that getting involved with her was the last thing he wanted. He had said as much.
Then why did you tell him that the two of you would be making love, like it was a foregone conclusion?
For some reason she liked pushing his buttons and seeing how far she could go. “Not sure what makes him different, but he is.”
“And for you what does that mean, exactly?”
Desha had always been her voice of reason, her restorer of common sense and her calm before the storm. Could her best friend help her get through a potent case of sexual chemistry? “I’m not sure exactly what it means, other than I had no intention of being captivated by the likes of him. But...”
“But what?”
“Whenever he looks at me I feel things I’ve never felt before. And when we stand within a few feet of each other I actually can pick up his scent. His scent and not necessarily the cologne he’s wearing. I always thought they were one and the same, but I found out they’re not.”
“Hmm, this is interesting.”
A far as Celine was concerned, it was worse than interesting. It was crazy. “And he’s not doing anything to encourage it.”
“You sure about that?”
Celine thought about the kiss. “Positive. He seems somewhat annoyed by my interest.”
“That’s a first.”
Celine fought back the twitch of a smile that threatened her lips. Yes, it was. “I’m beginning to think that I’m losing it.”
“Or maybe you’re finally getting it.”
“Meaning what?”
“Meaning that Zion Blackstone has placed you in a position you’ve never been in before.”
Why did the word position suddenly conjure up a lot of naughty thoughts in her head? All sex positions. Him on top. Her on top. Her standing and pressed back against a shower wall. Her sitting spread-eagle on his lap... “Yes, you could definitely say that, Desha.”
“Then you need to consider if you want to take this further. According to you, he’ll be leaving tomorrow night.”
“I don’t want to take it further. I’m just going through a no-sex-in-a-long-time phase. After he leaves, he will be out of sight and out of mind.”
“You’re sure?” Desha asked, not sounding totally convinced.
“Positive.” Celine hoped more than anything that was true.
“And what about Nikon?”
She rolled her eyes, wondering why Desha was even asking. “You know the deal with that, Desha. Nothing is going on between me and Nikon—it’s all a publicity stunt. He and I haven’t even kissed. Trust me when I say that Nikon does nothing for me.”
“But Zion Blackstone does?”
Celine drew in a deep breath. “As much as I wish otherwise, yes, he does.”
* * *
Zion leaned away from his laptop and smiled at the sketches of jewelry pieces he had designed. In his mind he could see Celine wearing them. For the necklace he had used a ruby partially enclosed in a three-quarter circle of diamonds shaped like the letter C, for Celine.
When dabbling around with ideas as to what style would work for her neck, he’d decided that although she wasn’t a diamond girl, a few highlighting her ruby would be nice. Distinctive but not gaudy. Definitely laid-back but uniquely classy. He was also satisfied with images of the matching earrings.
Zion checked his watch, finding it hard to believe it was after midnight. Instead of going down to dinner he’d opted to remain in his room and concentrate on the designs. The kitchen staff had been kind enough to deliver a tray to his room and he’d appreciated it.
He’d called the airport to see if he could get an earlier flight back to Rome. If things worked out the way he hoped, he would fly out sooner. He was convinced Celine was trying to drive him crazy.
As busy as he needed to be, thoughts of her still managed to creep into his brain. That wasn’t good at a time he needed to stay focused. She had to be the most desirable woman he’d met in a long time, and the most complicated. As soon as he thought he’d figured her out, she would do something that would make him scratch his head, or even worse, make his erection throb.
As soon as they’d arrived back at the Michaelses’ home he hadn’t wasted any time parting ways with her, saying he needed to get started on his designs. That hadn’t exactly been a lie, but at the time it had been a necessity. Riding back in the car with her had been pure torture. Every time she’d shifted gears on that powerful little car of hers, his gaze had been drawn to how she gripped the stick shift and he imagined her gripping him the same way.
Working his neck to get the kinks out, he stood, deciding not to bother anyone from the kitchen to come get his tray. He could very well return it himself. Besides, he needed to stretch his legs.
Grabbing the tray off the table, he left his room. The house was quiet and he figured everyone had retired for the night.
* * *
Celine knew the moment Zion entered their overly large kitchen. It was so massive he hadn’t seen her yet, but she’d seen him. This was where she would come as a kid when she wanted to sneak in and eat the dessert her father had forbidden her to have because she’d failed to eat her veggies at dinner.
“Looking for me, Zion?”
She knew he hadn’t been, and the look of surprise on his features was better than priceless. It was comical at its best and pitiful at its worst. She was very much aware he’d skipped dinner because of her, evidently feeling the need to put distance between them.
“No, I’m not looking for you.”
“Hmm, you don’t sound convincing,” she said, coming out of the shadows of the pantry.
“That’s your take on things, not mine,” he said, watching as she came closer.
His gaze was on her, all over her, and she sort of felt naked while fully clothed in a pair of shorts and a tank top. The gaze roving over her radiated heat that was a little too hot for her peace of mind at the moment. What was it with them and all this strong sexual chemistry that just wouldn’t go away? Why did she find him so darn tempting? How was he able to stoke her fire without much effort? And why was he looking at her like she was a dessert he thought was bad for him, but wanted anyway?
She came to a stop in front of him. “I’m harmless, you know.”
He lifted a brow. “Are you?”
“Yes, but...”
“And what’s the but?”
“The but is that I’m only as harmless as you want me to be.”
He chuckled and she felt him thawing a little, getting less uptight. She recalled him laughing and smiling a lot when they’d been in the escape room...before the kiss happened. A kiss she just couldn’t forget.
“You’re something else, you know.”
She smiled. “I see that as a compliment, Zion. In fact, I refuse to see it as anything other than that.”
He chuckled again and for some reason the sound made her feel all bubbly inside. “That’s your prerogative, Celine.”
She liked how he said her name, with a sort of Italian pitch to it. There was something about Zion she couldn’t quite put her finger on. It wasn’t anything he was deliberately trying to hide, but something she’d need to have a keen sense of observation to pick up on.
“I’ll be leaving in the morning.”
She lifted a brow, surprised. “In the morning? I thought you were leaving tomorrow night.”
He shrugged. “I finished sooner than I thought I would. I’ll email copies of the designs to your father and he’ll share them with you. I’ll be talking to him later in the week to get an approval to continue.”
She nodded, noting that he was taking steps to ensure he wouldn’t have to communicate directly with her anymore. “In that case, we can say our goodbyes now,” she said, fighting to keep the disappointment out of her voice. “Goodbye, Zion. Have a safe flight back to Rome.”
She moved to walk past him and he unexpectedly grabbed hold of her arm. The touch seemed to electrify every cell within her body. She looked up at him when he held on tightly. “Yes?”
Their gazes clashed. “It was nice meeting you, Celine.”
She wasn’t sure it had been nice meeting him. He had rattled her from the first and had reminded her how it felt to be a woman and how long it had been since she’d had sex with a man. The thought of the latter sent warm, sensuous vibes through her body. “Is that all you have to say, Zion?”
He continued to hold her gaze. Instead of answering her question, he asked one of his own. “Where are you going?”
She figured he’d asked because she was headed in the opposite direction from the doorway leading out of the kitchen. “Down to the wine cellar to grab a bottle. You can join me there if you like.” At that moment, she knew what she wanted, and was tired of pretending. Was he?
He dropped his hand from her arm, and she figured apparently not, for he said, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
She nodded. “Suit yourself.” She then walked off.
Celine felt her breath wobble, knowing he was still standing there watching her leave. But what had she expected? He’d made it clear that he didn’t mix business with pleasure.
Pressing the button for the elevator, she was tempted to glance back at him, but refused to do so. Even when she stepped onto the elevator she kept her back to him until the door swooshed shut behind her. That was when she turned around and released the breath she’d been holding.
When the elevator door opened to the wine cellar, she stepped out into the huge climate-controlled storage room, where thousands of bottles of wine were stored. She’d always thought this was a beautiful place, with the stone walls and detailed lighting fixtures on the ceiling.
The wine cellar had been designed by her father. Years ago it had been his private sanctuary whenever he needed his full concentration to study the script for his next movie. It had also been the place he would bring his friends for private conversations, which was why a huge conference table was placed in one section of the room, along with a bar and several stools.
She was about to head toward the rack where her favorite wine was kept when the elevator door opened and Zion walked out. Her gaze drifted over him and she could feel an urgency sizzle within her at the way he was looking at her.
“I decided to accept the invitation to join you,” he said, coming closer. “And you know what else I’ve decided to do?”
She swallowed deeply. “No. What?”
“To once again break one of my rules.”