Page 106 of Pandora's Pleasure

“Follow the money, and all that.”

“This town is all about favors. Some cost more than others.”

His brow arched. “Maybe I should be more wary of you.”

I broke into a smile.

It would have been polite to swim toward Damien and take that glass of freshly squeezed orange juice from his hand. He stood at the edge of the pool in his swimming trunks holding up two drinks, offering me one.

The view was regally spectacular. He looked tall and devastatingly handsome, his toned muscles kissed by the sun’s golden rays as he presided over paradise.

He noticed I was staring at his assets, and waggled his eyebrows playfully.

Nibbling on my lower lip self-consciously, I continued to admire his striking, majestically sculpted form—perfectly proportioned as though plucked out of the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence.

Our school trip to Italy had seen the entire class staring up at an exact replica of this man carved in marble. We’d gawked at the statue’s perfectly chiseled features.

My gaze traveled up Damien’s muscled calves to his firm thighs, that classic V a prelude to a taut belly and six pack abs.

“I see what you’re doing there,” he said, finally wading in toward me.

“I was looking over your shoulder at an exotic bird.”

“Is that right?” He looked amused.

I waded forward to meet him halfway and accepted the drink from him.

“If you kiss me,” I said, “I imagine it would make a great photo.”

“Not sure that’s necessary.” But that sidelong glance told me he liked the idea.

“I think it’s important we play our part,” I added.

“You mean something like this?” He leaned forward and nuzzled my neck, his lips tracing my jawline and gliding to my earlobe, causing a shiver of need to run through me.

He reached for my drink and moved over to set our glasses on the edge of the pool. “Or are you thinking of something more like this?”

He cupped my face and leaned in, pressing his mouth against mine, sparking a passionate response from me. Our kiss erupted into a frenzied attack. We explored each other’s mouths with firm lips and sensual tongues, deep and needy, wanton and full of truth. Our secret affection spilled out, exposing our hearts.

I wanted this to be real. An authenticus, but I knew a love like this wasn’t possible. We were too entrenched on the path that was expected of us and there’d been too much hate between our families for this relationship to ever work.

He would always keep holding back.

For some reason, it hurt to believe this…and it shouldn’t. I’d been working for so long on not caring, but I couldn’t get enough of his touch. I found myself missing him even when he was close, as though our love existed in an alternate universe and was bright and vibrant but totally inaccessible.

He cupped my face and kissed my forehead. “You’re not the girl I thought you were.”

“Is that good or bad?” I asked breathlessly.

His smile widened against my lips, feeding my anticipation, causing hope to flare inside me.

“Damien…”

“What do you need? Tell me.”

“Help me escape,” I said quietly.

He pulled back abruptly and stared at me.