Christo’s voice behind them was as smooth and sleek against her skin as the silk lining of the dress.
Anna excused herself and slid from the room.
‘You’re lurking again.’ Thea turned to face him. ‘You know my thoughts on that.’
‘That I’m untrustworthy?’ His hands clenched and released, his fingers flexing restlessly.
Right now he most definitely did not look like a man who could be trusted. A shadow of stubble shaded his jaw. His hair looked as if he’d raked his hands through it one too many times. And all the while his hooded eyes devoured her in a dark, gleaming sweep from her neck to her feet and back again.
His charcoal three-piece suit was the only thing giving him any air of respectability. The rest of him looked irretrievably disreputable. A liquid heat bloomed deep and low inside.
‘Yes. And I’m not wearing the dress.’
‘Don’t you like it?’
She ran her hands down the exquisite fabric. Too many emotions were coursing through her. ‘No... Yes. It’s beautiful.’
‘Then why are you afraid?’ The corners of his lips tipped in a knowing smile.
‘I’m not afraid. I just want to wear the dress I picked for myself.’
He cocked his head to the side, looking at her as if she was some curious bejewelled butterfly. ‘Let me gu
ess. Plain? Black? One you can hide behind?’
‘Stop saying those things!’
‘Wear the gown I chose for you.’
He pointed to the mirror behind her. She turned.
‘One that shows the magnificent woman you are.’
As she looked at her reflection Christo closed in behind her, his warmth solid at her back. The scent of him was intoxicating. Crisp. Wild. Pure male.
He reached out and placed his hands on the tops of her arms. She absorbed the quiet intimacy as his thumbs began to make slow circles. A shiver of pleasure at that beguiling touch began at the base of her neck and sparkled down her arms. There was a rightness in this picture. Something settling about them standing together like this.
‘Your father and Demetri...’
He caught her reflected gaze, his hands continuing that gentle stroking. It was as if he was trying to delve into the soul of her.
‘I’m sorry they have to be here. It can’t be avoided.’
Thea looked to the floor. At the glittering perfection of her dress. Her twinkling shoes. He didn’t need to see the vulnerability his decision had wrought in her.
‘You won’t tell me the reason?’ she asked.
‘I want more information before saying anything else.’ Christo hesitated. ‘You’ve been hurt enough by them. I won’t add to your pain. If there was any other way...’
‘You’ve said that before.’ She shrugged. ‘Yet here we are.’
He bent down, whispered in her ear. The breath caressing her throat.
‘Courage, Thea.’
His voice rushed over her, hot and thick, with the same jolt as her morning coffee. Then he released her and stepped back. She mourned the loss of his hands on her skin.
‘I’ll see you downstairs in an hour.’