Ella remained in the living room, thankful she had dark glasses on so he couldn’t see her wide-eyed wonder. “I don’t care.” She should probably ask for the room farthest from his, but that would be rude.
Rhett reappeared in the living room, all easy, casual elegance in his jeans and subtle Hawaiian-print shirt that emphasized the broadness of his shoulders. He was built to perfection. If she saw him in swim trunks and nothing else, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to handle it. “I picked a room for you. I’ll make sure your luggage is left there.”
She shrugged. “That’s fine.” The man had impeccable taste and gracious manners. She wasn’t worried. “Listen, may I ask you a question?”
His brows furrowed, creases formed on his forehead, he frowned so hard. “Sure. What’s up?” His easy tone didn’t hide the edge lurking just beneath the surface.
He didn’t like to be questioned. In fact, he seemed to be rather closed-off, which was a shame, because she’d love to know more about him and his family, the business, the dynamics between them all.
But it was none of her business.
Nibbling on her lower lip, she decided to make her request. The one she’d been planning to make since last night. “I’d like to walk around the resort for a bit on my own. Do you mind?” She offered him a smile, trying to ease any discomfort he might have. “I want to get a sense of the place, maybe walk down to the beach and watch the waves for a bit. It’ll help open up my mind and senses.”
“Sounds rather mystical.” He sounded amused, but there wasn’t any cruelty behind his words.
He wasn’t making fun, which she appreciated. “A perfumer is a true juxtaposition. We’re chemists, dreamers, artists…” All of those things and more. She’d always felt so odd, especially since she was so sensitive to stimuli. Sometimes things, situations, became too overwhelming for her to deal with.
Such as being in close proximity of Rhett. Talk about being over-stimulated…
“You’ll have to share with me your process.” She met his gaze at that remark. Was he serious? Most people didn’t care. And those who did ask usually grew bored real quick. “I mean, I’ve done my research, I know what goes into creating a marketable scent.”
She waved a hand, slightly offended. Really, what did he know? A few marketing meetings, a bit of research, conversations with a variety of perfumers, assessing, judging and now he knew? “
You talk of the promotion part of it. The business part. There’s much more to it than that.”
“Well.” He straightened, looking vaguely insulted. “Perhaps you’ll let me in on the magical side one day.”
A little smile curled her lips. “If you’re lucky.”
She was unexpectedly sassy and hell if that little hint of attitude didn’t turn him on. He’d tried his best to ignore her on the plane, diving headfirst into work, keeping his eyes focused on the laptop screen and not her. Sitting across from him, her pretty legs crossed and giving him a flash of ankle and shin, the teasing glimpse made him sweat.
Her shin and ankle, for the love of God. He was a boob man, an ass man. The sort of man who used to ask women to flash him their tits and they would do so willingly. Flash their chests, lift their skirts, it had all been so easy.
And now that he reflected on his past, it had been so empty.
He’d done a one-eighty because he knew it was the right thing to do. And he was still tempted—even more so, since she was like the forbidden fruit. Either Gabriella Durand had been sent by the devil himself to lure him back to the dark side or it was already too late.
Rhett was going straight to hell and there was no turning back.
Misery coursing through him, he watched as she walked down to the beach, her steps careful, her hair billowing all around her with the breeze. The dress she wore exposed an inordinate amount of skin compared to what she usually wore, and all of that pretty, creamy skin was on flagrant display. Waiting for the intense sun to char it to a bright red color, which he knew would be painful.
He was obsessed with her. Couldn’t get her out of his head, couldn’t stop wondering what it might be like, to really kiss her. Take her hand and lead her to his room. Strip that dress right off her and see her naked. What a sight that would be, those long legs, rounded hips and her perfect breasts. He wondered what color her nipples were.
Damn. He was getting hard just thinking about it.
Going to the sliding glass door, he opened it and walked out onto the deck. He would’ve called out a warning to her, ask if she was wearing any sunscreen, but she was too far away and besides, the wind would probably carry it in the opposite direction.
So he waited. For a woman, something he never did. But Gabriella was making him do lots of things he never did. And the more time he spent with her, the more closed up and mysterious she seemed to be.
Which brought on the obsessive thoughts. He wanted to learn more, especially about the perfumer process. Was it wrong that he wanted to walk beside her, listen to her talk, have her explain things to him. He knew it was unusual, their approach to the product. Hardly any luxury brand had an in-house perfumer anymore and the owners/executives definitely didn’t shadow the perfumer while she was hard at work. A scent tour such as the one they were going on was usually heralded by the marketing team.
Hunter had fought with Alex when the decision had been made. Not that Rhett was supposed to know about it, but he did. The marketing team should’ve been in charge of the perfume creation, Hunter had pointed out. He wanted to send in his wife Gracie to do the job.
Alex had refused Hunter’s suggestion. His mind had already been made up. That Alex showed that much faith in Rhett, that much belief in him, made him reluctant to disappoint.
But they were on an island for the next few days. Together, in close proximity, working together, hell, practically living together. They were sharing a slice of island paradise and he was supposed to pretend she didn’t interest him? That he had no intentions beyond a working relationship?
What happened on Maui could stay on Maui. Yeah, yeah, he knew he was using the term for the wrong location but it was apt. He knew she was attracted to him. Would she be interested or would she refuse him?