I didn’t like that for two reasons. Because I didn’t like the idea of her regretting me. And because I selfishly didn’t want to be regretted.
Especially when the sex was that good.
And it was.
Everyone who knew me knew I was no saint. I’d gotten around more than my fair share. I’d had plenty of sex. Some of it good, some of it mediocre, some of it I’d rather forget.
But I couldn’t think of a single other instance where it felt as all-consuming as it had with Shawn.
Which made her regret even harder to come to terms with.
I mean, the woman didn’t even come down when I’d purposely brewed coffee to try to entice her down.
It was clearly a serious sort of upsetment about the whole thing.
The day turned to night and she didn’t come down for anything to eat.
I took her meals and set them in the fridge, then took myself to bed early, figuring that the least I could do was stay in my own room and quiet to allow her to move around the villa without having to run into me if she didn’t want to.
It was about an hour after I sat down in the chair in my room that I heard her door open. A minute later, I could hear her feet on the stairs as she went downstairs.
I pictured her down there, making coffee, eating the leftovers of two meals while grumbling about all the veggies.
I didn’t dare to move from my position lest I give myself away, but I could see the outline of her on the back deck, staring out into the darkness for a solid twenty minutes before she suddenly took a slow, deep breath, then made her way back to the villa.
I had no idea what she did for the next hour, but I could occasionally hear her moving around, shuffling things about, before, finally, she made her way back upstairs to lock herself into her room.
I went to sleep, figuring the next day would be much of the same thing with her staying in her room and avoiding me.
So I was beyond shocked when I was standing in the doorway to the back deck watching for signs of Adnan and the boat bringing something fresh to eat from his lovely wife and I heard footsteps on the stairs.
I hadn’t exactly been quiet moving around making coffee.
She had to know I was awake and around.
I felt an unexpected surge of hopefulness that she’d worked through what had to be complicated emotions that came with having sex with a man you saw of as your kidnapper, that she’d decided to make peace with it, and start talking to me again.
Turning, I watched as she made it to the landing, feeling my air knocked out of me at the sight of her.
She was wearing a floor-length filmy sundress that, if she had the sun beating on her, would be pretty damn see-through. It looked amazing with her tanned skin and her inky black hair.
I couldn’t think of a single other instance in my life when a woman damn near took my breath away.
It had to be the surprise of it all, right? Shawn was tough and clearly personally preferred a more tomboyish style. So the dichotomy between her usual style and this ultra-feminine dress had to be to blame for my strange, over-the-top reaction.
“Morning,” she said, voice sweeter than I was used to hearing it.
“Good morning, love,” I said, brows pinching as I watched her move toward the coffee machine.
“Are you waiting for Adnan?” she asked, reaching up to grab not just one mug, but two. Then looking over her shoulder at me, waiting for an answer.
But I found myself a little dumbstruck for a long moment at the image of her just like that. The exact replica of her at that moment belonged on a life-sized canvas on a wall in a damn museum. The world needed that kind of beauty in it.
No, screw that.
I wanted the original on my bedroom wall.
The museum could have a print.
“Ah, yes,” I said, remembering myself. “He’s late.”
“I’m starving,” she admitted, reaching up for a third cup.
I was too surprised—and, let’s face it, turned-on—to really think through her actions, to see just how off she was right then.
All I knew was she was being pleasant. And I liked it.
It was about five minutes later that I heard Adnan making his way toward the villa.
As soon as he had tethered the boat and jumped, making his way toward the villa with a covered plate in his hands, Shawn made her way toward me, handing me a coffee with what I could only call a shy smile.
Really, that should have done it.
It should have knocked some sense into me.
Because Shawn didn’t have a shy bone in her body.
I brushed it away, though, as she gave the same smile to Adnan as she took the plate from him then handed him his cup of coffee before heading back to the kitchen, opening the plate and starting to eat while I talked to Adnan.