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“No apology necessary,” he said.
He steps aside in a fluid movement, flashing a slow smile at me. I nodded, my stomach fluttering and a warmth spreading between my thighs. I wanted to chide myself as I pivoted to watch him disappear down the hall. He was so deliciously handsome with his broad shoulders and long legs that I wondered if he’d been real the moment he was out of my sight.
I went back to my room and shut my door and sat out on the balcony. How could he make my body react so violently without even knowing me? I was a little shaken and my plate of food sat forgotten as I looked out over the river and remembered how he’d looked at me with those impossibly dark eyes.
Later that day, I pulled my balcony door shut and turned on the shower, filling the bathroom with steam and the scent of lilacs. As I lathered up and rinsed beneath the hot spray, I thought about what to post that evening at dinner. I was supposed to post four times total on my Instagram feed and five times a day on my Stories, so I still had to get in a few more Stories before I could head to sleep.
I dressed in a slim nude dress and clasped a gold choker with a teardrop diamond around my throat and brushed out my hair. Perfect. Then I slipped on a pair of strappy black sandals and grabbed my clutch and headed down the hall.
The dining room was full and I was feeling a little overwhelmed by the bustle. I paused in the entrance, skimming over the dimly lit room and noticed that the bar was almost empty. I slipped through the soft piano music and gentle candlelight and took a seat at the end, nestled against the far wall.
“What’s your poison?” the bartender said. She was short and bubbly with a pleasant face.
“Vodka cranberry, please and thanks,” I said, smiling back. I was feeling a little lonely and her friendliness was welcome.
As she made my drink, I glanced over and the man I ran into earlier was standing in the doorway. He wore a dark blue button up shirt and crisp dress pants and a pair of expensive shoes. His phone was up to his ear and he was speaking quietly and urgently into it, his shoulders tense. Then he hung up and looked around, suddenly relaxed as though he’d flipped a switch.
I sipped my drink and wondered if he was here to meet someone. For some reason the idea roused disappointment and something almost like jealousy. I wanted to be the woman he was meeting, although I’d never be brave enough to approach him. And there was also the problem of my lack of experience with men. It wasn’t something I wanted to get into with a stranger tonight. Especially not this stranger.
He scanned the room and his eyes fell on me and his lips parted. Heat rose up my throat to my ears and I looked down, pretending to focus on my drink. For a moment, I thought he’d walked away, but then my scalp prickled deliciously and I realized he was standing right behind me.
I turned and he was there, his gaze still fixed on me. There was a fascination in his face, as if he couldn’t drag his eyes away. He leaned against the bar, his large hand resting on the countertop.
“Hello,” he said. His voice was rich with a pleasant edge.
“Hello,” I murmured.
“I recognize you from earlier,” he said, taking the seat next to me.
“Sorry about running into you,” I said.
His mouth twitched in a slow smirk. “No, I didn’t mean in the hall. Funny thing, I was outside having an afternoon cocktail and I looked up and saw a very beautiful woman who didn’t seem to give a fuck about drawing the curtains before she got dressed.”
I gasped, a confusing mix of shame and arousal sweeping through me. “You saw me?”
“Yes, you weren’t exactly hiding.”
“Well,” I said, drawing myself up. “You shouldn’t have looked.”
He leaned in close enough I could see the dark lashes shading his bottomless eyes. “I couldn’t look away.”
I opened my mouth to reply and couldn’t think of a single thing to say. Instead I dipped my head and brushed my hair back, my heart pounding.
“What’s your name?”
“Iris,” I said, forcing myself to look up.
“I’m Duran. Can I get you another drink, Iris?”
I considered it and then nodded. “I’ll have a vodka soda.”
He retrieved the drink and faced me, his intelligent gaze searing into me until I dropped my eyes. “Why did you come here tonight?”
I considered this, remembering my vow to live a little while I was at the resort. My heart began pumping faster and my palms went sweaty, but I ignored them and kept my cool. I shook my hair back and squared my shoulders.
“Waiting for a gentleman like you, I suppose.”
His brows rose slowly. “Not what I expected.”
