Her eyes flashed with anger at my lack of reaction before she dashed toward the lake and dove in.
Shaking my head, I got up and tugged my shirt out of my jeans. “I’ll ask for a fucking pay raise once I’m back in Chicago.”
Emma giggled as if she thought it was a goddamn joke. Did my face look like I was fucking joking?
Ignoring her and Danilo, I stalked down to the lower deck, following Anna’s and Leonas’s laughter.
I jumped in headfirst. I needed to cool off for various reasons and was glad for the silence beneath the water’s surface for once. When I emerged after almost a minute, laughter and shrieks drifted back to me. I floated on my back while making sure to keep an eye on my two troublemakers.
My moment of peace was short-lived when Anna began swimming toward me.
“Do you ever just have fun?” Anna asked, hovering beside me.
“Yes. When I’m not working.”
Anna began floating beside me, revealing way too much of her body. I cast my eyes up to the sky. “You mean when you don’t have to be around me.”
I didn’t say anything. Her body floated closer to me and our arms brushed, and I snapped. “I’m not your friend, Anna. I’m your bodyguard. Even if you can’t act professional to save your damn life, I have to.”
Anna’s expression turned frosty but she didn’t get the chance for a comeback because Sofia began screeching. I jerked upright in the water, scanning the area as I grabbed Anna’s wrist. She, too, had stopped floating and swam beside me.
Of course, it turned out to be a fucking seaweed that had wrapped around Sofia’s leg. Anna smiled at me. For once not provoking. “You immediately grabbed me to protect me.”
“That’s my job.”
She nodded but still gave me that strange smile. I was glad when she swam over to Sofia to have a girl’s talk.
I wasn’t in the mood for swimming anymore, so I made my way over to the ladder. By then Sofia had climbed out and walked back up to the house, leaving only Anna at the deck. “You should head to bed. I don’t want to have to take care of you when you have a cold,” I muttered.
Anna rolled her eyes. “I was going to head to the lodge anyway.”
She grabbed the ladder.
“Let me go first,” I ordered. I didn’t want to have her ass right above my head while she climbed out. Anna released the rail with a frown and made room so I could climb up first. When I was up on the deck and turned back to the water, Anna gave me a knowing smile. “I really enjoyed the view.”
“Get out.” I motioned at Leonas. “You too,” Leonas grumbled but swam toward us.
Anna grabbed the rail and climbed out. Immediately goose bumps flashed across her skin. It was fucking cold. I headed back to the upper deck where we’d left the towels and grabbed three then headed back toward Anna who was already halfway up the deck. I dropped two towels then unfolded one and held it out to Anna. She allowed me to wrap it around her shoulders and angled her body toward me as she peered up at me with a soft smile. “Thanks, Santino.”
I released her shoulders quickly and nodded as I stepped back. I wished Dad hadn’t taught me to be a gentleman. Most of the time, I managed to refrain from acting like one. Anna didn’t move, only looked at me, still snuggled in that towel.
I dragged my eyes away from her, picked up the other towels and thrust one of them at Leonas’s head.
“Hey!” he protested, then narrowed his eyes at me. “Why don’t you rub me warm with a towel?”
“I didn’t rub anyone, so stop talking shit,” I growled.
Leonas stalked past me, towel-drying his hair with a snort.
Anna too finally began to walk toward the lodge. I followed close behind her, drying my hair. When she stopped abruptly and turned, I couldn’t stop anymore and bumped into her. Luckily she had the towel wrapped around herself.
“You know, Santino,” she said in a sweet voice, peering up at me through those fucking long lashes. “Dad won’t kill you for drying me off.” She pressed her palm against my naked chest. “He might kill you for all the other things we’ll be doing soon.”
What the fuck? I gripped her wrist and pushed it down, then stepped back. This was a game we wouldn’t be playing. The stakes were too fucking high. “We won’t be doing anything, Anna, and if you touch me like that again, you’ll regret it.”
She held my gaze and her smile widened before she turned around and headed into the house.
“Fuck!” I snarled. “Fuck this goddamn job. Fuck it all!”
“What’s your problem?” Samuel asked.
I scowled at him. He was Anna’s cousin, Dante’s nephew and definitely not someone I’d confide in.