She held out a chocolate to him. “Want some?”
“I’ll have some later. Right now, I’ll just watch you sample them.”
“Are you sure?” When he nodded, she didn’t waste any time slipping the chocolate between her raspberry-pink lips.
Demetrius couldn’t help but stare as a look of ecstasy came over her. Zoe’s eyes drifted shut in utter delight. The breath caught in his throat, unable to turn away from the sight of Zoe savoring the chocolate. When a moan of pleasure reached his ears, his heart slammed into his ribs. He definitely needed to buy this woman chocolate and often.
When her eyelids fluttered open, her gaze met his. The tip of her tongue trailed over her lips. Her mouth lifted into a smile. She was doing this on purpose. His straining lungs insisted he blow out his pent-up breath. Blood pumped hard and fast through his veins. She had to know that she was driving him to utter distraction.
He watched her shimmery lips wrap around another piece of chocolate. This time, as she savored the candy, her gaze held his. Oh, she was a temptress. And it took every bit of willpower for him to keep his distance. But if he kept staring at her, he’d lose the battle. Second by second his common sense was slipping from his grip.
When she raised her fingers to her mouth, he intently watched. She popped one finger in her mouth. Her pink lips wrapped around it. Then she slowly withdrew it. A soft moan vibrated in his throat. Did she know just how crazy she was driving him?
She smiled at him. “That was amazing.”
Indeed it was. Very much so.
“I suppose I need to finish with these boxes.” Zoe replaced the lid on the chocolates and set them aside. She moved back to the boxes.
Seriously? After all of that tempting and teasing, she was going back to work?
He glanced around at all of the decorations. If she could act indifferent, so could he. Though it might be the most difficult feat he’d ever accomplished.
* * *
Zoe tried to slow the rapid beat of her heart.
Being here with Demetrius in his bare feet, jeans and his shirtsleeves rolled up, it was so hard to remember that they were no longer a couple. But that was the way things had to be. It was best for Demetrius. Sucking down the sadness in knowing that she could never have the only man she’d ever loved, she got back to work straightening up the mess of boxes.
For a prince, he surprised her with the way he didn’t complain about cleaning up. He even knew where the vacuum was kept, and to her astonishment he knew how to work it.
When everything was sorted, she turned to him. “Grazie. I didn’t expect you to do all of this.”
“I enjoyed this evening.” He yawned and stretched.
His shirt rode up giving a hint of the light splattering of hair on his abdomen. Zoe inwardly groaned, unable to turn away. His gaze caught hers and it glittered with amusement. Heat flared in her cheeks. He’d busted her checking him out.
“I...I’m glad we could do it together.” There was a nervous quiver in her stomach. “You should probably be going. I know you’re tired and you probably have a lot of meetings first thing in the morning.”
He took a step closer to her. “I know why you’re trying to get rid of me—”
“I...I’m not.” Liar. Liar.
“Zoe, you can’t deny the chemistry between us. It’s always been there.” He moved until he was standing in front of her. “But there’s one thing I need to know.”
She gazed up into his eyes. Her heart squeezed. Not so long ago, when she looked into his eyes, she saw nothing but love. These days it was as if he had a protective wall around himself, and she couldn’t tell what he was feeling. “What is that?”
When he spoke next his voice was soft and she had to strain to hear him. “Did you ever love me at all? Or was it all just a lie?”
The backs of her eyes stung. She blinked repeatedly. “How could you think that?”
“How could I not? You left me.”
“It...it wasn’t like that. You have to understand that it was such a difficult decision.”
“But still you did it. You made the decision to leave.” The walls came down and pain reflected in his eyes. All she wanted to do was soothe it away. He reached out, gripping her shoulders. “Please tell me. Did you love me?”
With each word spoken, it was getting harder and harder for her not to blurt out that she did love him—that she’d always loved him. She looked everywhere but at him. Her gaze came to rest on the French doors. They beckoned to her. “I...I never meant to hurt you.”