Page 77 of Perfume Girl

Forgive her, whatever she is doing in there. Walk away and don’t let your reaction control your destiny.

I went back inside.

ICOULDN’T BE WOOED BYthe man who was the biggest threat to my future—I’d come too far and risked too much.

God, how did I end up here?

Astor’s home was the most opulent place I’d ever stayed in. To be honest, I wasn’t going to miss sleeping on the floor, either. And damn…seeing his kinder side tugged at my heartstrings, causing me more than a twinge of guilt.

I couldn’t get over that view—an infinity pool that led your gaze out onto an endless blue ocean. I strolled closer to the wall of glass to better see the pool bathed in a soft blue florescence. If I had been invited here under different circumstances, I could have savored every second of this luxury. My gut wrenched at my deceit.

Still, this was an advantage I had to make the most of. I was going to find his bathroom and check out Astor’s colognes to see if there was anything in there resembling mine.

My thoughts turned back to him and I wondered how he felt about me being here. I’d sensed he really wanted to do this and that made me feel a little better.

Off on the horizon dark clouds rolled closer. Soon the sky would open up and a downpour would cleanse the air.

To the left of the pool was a row of sun loungers, and I imagined Astor barbequing and entertaining friends. No doubt he was an amazing host. He’d certainly gone above and beyond to heat the pool downstairs, and I wondered if the one out there was heated, too. A swim would dissolve this post-wine haze.

I located a panel on the wall. With a punch of a button the glass door slid open and a burst of warm air blew in. The heat from the tiled patio soaked into my soles as I padded toward the water.

I knelt and dipped my fingers into the blueness, just as Astor had done downstairs. Goodness, how rich did you have to be to own two of these?

I whooshed my hand through the warmth and it felt good against my skin. With the high wall on either side of the vast property, and the dim lighting, the neighbors wouldn’t see if I took a dip.

I grabbed one of the plush towels from the corner stack and lay it on a nearby lounger for when I got out, then stripped off my dress and underwear.

Naked, I threw another wary glance around and then waded in until I was fully immersed, my body quickly acclimating to the heat. Pushing myself off to swim toward the other side, I wondered if spies ever felt a tingle of remorse for deceiving those around them. Here I was enjoying Astor’s place and yet my ulterior motives were complicated.

I made it to the other side of the pool and kicked off, continuing with sweeping breaststrokes, doing laps while admiring the two-story property that was worth millions. If I lived here I’d never want to leave. I loved the way Astor had decorated his home. There was stillness within the walls, a Zen-like atmosphere that reminded me of him.

Don’t let your guard down and be seduced by all this luxury.

Turning to swim in the direction of the seacoast, I marveled at the infinity pool that concealed the boundary between here and the ocean. I let out a sigh of happiness.

A crack of thunder came from a mile away and I cursed the weather for turning so quickly. I’d get out soon. Swimming during a storm was a bad idea, but I had another lap in me before I’d have to climb out.

Lightning zigzagged across the night sky.

I heard a crack and a hiss…

A loud splash came from behind me. Turning, I saw the blurred shape of a man cutting through the water fast toward me.

My scream was muffled as he grabbed me, my head going under the water for a few seconds before he lifted me up and shoved me unceremoniously out of the pool onto the terrace, bruising my arms and knees. Panting, my heart pounding in my ears, I pushed myself up ready to sprint away—I had to make it to the house and lock him out.

I froze, throat tight with panic, realizing it was Astor.

He climbed out of the pool and leaped toward me, scooping me up in his arms and hurriedly carrying me into the house. I gasped as a blast of cold air hit my wet skin. He put me down and I staggered backward, falling onto the couch.

“You okay?” He was out of breath.

Thunder rolled and a bolt of lightning lit up the sky.

The worry that I’d stained his sofa with chlorine was followed by the realization that Astor was behaving like a madman. The embarrassment of being naked was overruled by my anger.

I pushed to my feet. “The chance of being struck by lightning is a million to one!”

“Tell me you’re okay?” He stood there dripping water onto the rug.