Page 56

I glanced around. Of course, even being in a garden posed the risk of someone shooting you, but I couldn’t see how Leo could stop a bullet from hitting me. I had no intention of living my life in fear. I had survived tolive.
“Then maybe a spot in the shade would be good, considering your suit,” I said with a smile as I moved toward the pool. Leo didn’t move into the shade nor did he sit. He followed me but didn’t hover too closely.
I arrested the brakes and shrugged out of my bathrobe so it bunched around my waist.
Leo’s eyes took in my triangle bikini top and exposed belly, and he immediately turned his back to me. I pressed my lips together to hold in laughter.
“I apologize.”
I sighed. “There’s nothing to apologize for. I’m in swimwear.”
“It’s like underwear. It’s not something I should see without prior approval of your husband.”
I didn’t say anything else. My words wouldn’t convince Leo. As Samuel had said, his word was law, not just in our marriage. I set my feet down on the white stone and pushed out of the wheelchair but steadied myself on the handle in the back. Leo turned and made a move as if to come to my side. I raised my free hand, and he froze and looked away again.
I grabbed the railing that led down the stairs into the pool and slowly lowered myself into the water. Once I was fully immersed, I allowed myself to float. I loved the sensation.
Leo moved to the side and settled on a lounge chair. He checked our surroundings, very intent on ignoring me.
After over an hour of swimming and floating, I felt hungry. It must have been close to dinnertime by now, considering the way the sun hung low in the sky. I swam toward the ladder and began my slow ascend, my hands on the railing turning white from their grip. I was on the last step, about to put my foot onto the stone tile, but underestimated how slippery it would be, and I didn’t have the necessary muscle tone to catch myself. Before I could fall back into the water, arms wrapped around my waist and lifted me safely onto the ground. “Thank you,” I said, flustered. Leo’s alert eyes met mine, then he released my waist like he was burned. He took my arm instead, but I was shaky on my feet, so he had no choice but to wrap an arm around my shoulders.
“I apologize for the touch,” he said.
Steps sounded, and Samuel appeared on the terrace, dressed in suit pants and a white shirt. His eyes narrowed on Leo. “I advise you to reevaluate your hand placement.”
Leo looked pained. “I have to steady her.”
Samuel was at our side and took my bodyguard’s place. He immediately lifted me into his arms, which meant his clothes were soaked completely, but he didn’t seem to mind. He regarded Leo intensely.
“She fell,” Leo said.
“You protected her. I just want to make sure you use moments like this not for accidental improper touches that would result in a very unpleasant reaction on my part.”
“I won’t.”
It took every ounce of control I had not to say something, but if I undermined Samuel’s power in front of his soldier, he would be angry. “I’ll take over now.”
Leo gave me a small nod, then strode away.
Samuel’s gaze finally settled on me. “Are you okay?”
“I stumbled but didn’t fall. Leo caught me before I could make impact. I’m fine. He did his job.”
“He didn’t act in a way that made you uncomfortable?”
“No. He touched me as little as possible, but he had to steady me. He avoided looking anywhere near me once he saw I was only in a bikini. He was very careful not to risk your wrath.”
Samuel’s mouth twitched, obviously pleased with the level of control he had over his men. Then his gaze dipped to my body still in his hold. “It must have been difficult for him not to look. You look very beautiful in this little nothing.”
“It covers all the important places,” I argued. It wasn’t even a thong bikini like Anna wore on occasion.
“It covers the places only I have a right to see.”
I rolled my eyes. Then I registered the see-through state of his shirt. “You ruined your clothes.”
“We should dry you.” He carried me over to the towel cabinet, set me down with one arm firmly around my back, and took a towel. He helped me wrap it around my body, then carried me back toward my wheelchair and set me down. He seemed in a better mood than last night, for which I was glad. My belly rumbled. I let out an embarrassed laugh. “Swimming always makes me hungry.”
“Seeing you in your swimwear makes me hungry too.”