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I should probably cut the guy some slack. It’s not every day you have the chance to hang out with an actual Brazilian supermodel. Danny wasn’t working for me the last time Ana spent time aboard, so I get it. She’s beautiful—in a purely aesthetic sense. But she doesn’t do anything for me. She didn’t back when she wanted to hook up either. Despite what the tabloids report, I do have some standards. And they include not getting involved with people who have the personality of a honey badger.
Danny doesn’t seem to care about personality, and I watch him practically bend over backward to bring Ana a glass of wine and a bottle of water.
“Is this room temperature?” I hear her ask.
I resist the urge to roll my eyes as Danny nods with all the eagerness of a puppy. He must feel the weight of my gaze because he glances my way, startles, then throws Ana one more look before heading off to do whatever he’s actually supposed to be doing. Which doesnotinclude hitting on my unexpected (and unwanted) guests.
Sadie is standing by the doors to the walk-out patio, talking to Leandra and Riley, laughing at something one of them says. She is pure beauty when she laughs, her eyes sparkling and her hair dancing around her face in soft waves. I like Sadie best when she’s lit up with that spark—the one that comes from somewhere deep within. The same one that makes her unafraid to give me a hard time, even from the moment we met. Somehow, she seems more alive, more vibrant than normal people, and it’s this extra alive-ness that colors her beauty in such rich hues.
Okay, I’m starting to sound a little too besotted. But then, who cares? I’ve never gone all-in on a woman. Never had a woman who even made me consider it. Now … I don’t want to consider what will happen if I can’t win Sadie over for real.
When she sees me, the laughter dies, and another look takes its place. Determination. Maybe mixed with a little irritation as her eyes narrow.
Good. She’s right where I want her to be. I wink, which makes her jaw clench and her eyes flash. As I see her break away and head toward me, I move in the opposite direction, turning my back on her as I move to the bar. I start to pour myself a bourbon.
Three … two …
“Well, someone’s looking pleased with himself tonight,” Sadie says from behind me.
I turn, glass in hand, blinking as though I’m surprised she’s there. Not like I was hoping she’d come after me.
“Evening, Sadie,” I say, ignoring her words and the challenge in her eyes. “You look … stunning.”
“Stop it with the flattery,” she says, but she can’t hide the way the corners of her mouth lift.
I take a sip of my bourbon, feeling the burn move steadily down my chest. “Is it still considered flattery if it’s true?”
“How can I know ifanythingyou say is true, Mr. King?”
“I’ve never lied to you, Sadie,” I tell her. “And I never will.”
Then, casually, I give her a slow once-over. She’s wearing a light blue sleeveless sundress that deepens the blue in her eyes. The neckline is not quite deep enough to be scandalous, just enough to be intriguing, and I find my gaze snagging on her collar bones.
Are clavicles supposed to be sexy? I’ve never thought so—but right now, I’m thinking of tracing her delicate collar bones with a finger, then following with my lips. And it’s possibly the hottest thought I’ve ever had.
I tear my gaze away, moving it to Sadie’s shoulders. They are the most delicate pink from our time outside today, matching the rosy tint in her cheeks. Which could be from the sun or just a blush. As I suspected after seeing her shower-damp hair the other day, her waves are wilder and more pronounced, barely skimming those alluring collarbones.
I finally allow my gaze to lazily travel from her lips to her blue, blue eyes, darkened with anger or maybe a mix of anger and desire.
“Like I said—stunning.”
“You are an infuriating man,” she says through clenched teeth.
“Isn’t he though?”
Seizing an opportunity the way a jungle cat might spot a gazelle separated from the herd, Jasmine steps up beside me and flutters her eyelash extensions at me. I immediately shift toward Sadie, but Jasmine follows, setting a possessive hand on my arm.
“I think that’s part of his charm,” she says. Her voice drops to something throatier. “It’s a special talent he has—to make women want him and want to kill him at the same time.”
I half expect Sadie to show a feral display the way she did earlier when she claimed me with a kiss. Ihopeshe does.
Instead, she laughs. Fake, but I bet Jasmine can’t tell.
“He does excel at that special skill,” Sadie says with a smirk. “Did they teach you that at billionaire school,Benjy?”
“It was a prerequisite for graduation,” I say, downing the last of the bourbon and setting my empty glass on the bar. Jasmine’s hand tightens on my arm, and she steps closer, brushing her body against mine.
“Alwayssofunny,” Jasmine says, and her laugh grates on my eardrums.
