Page 119 of Ruin Me With Lies

After several long beats of silent staring, I clear my throat and say, “Your brother ordered me to turn in the opposite direction if I see you.”

His eyes glint with daring mischief.“I’m sure he did.”

“He also said to remind youhe’smy boss, not you.”

“Noted.”

Jesus,he needs to stop staring at me like that… “Okay, so...can I go, then?”

One corner of his mouth hikes up.“Only if you’re in the mood to be chased.”

Pushing to my feet, I arch a brow.“I’ll be out that door faster than you can haul yourself out of that pool.”

He doesn’t even blink.“How far do you think you’d get?”

Well, hell.He’s not wrong.Compared to the villa, there are only a handful of guards stationed here.But that’s because his enforcers are planted all over this neighborhood like roots.All of them watching.

Nope, I wouldn’t make it very far.

When I resignedly sit back down and pick up a strawberry instead, he flashes me a wicked, self-satisfied smile, then pushes off the ledge and glides back into the water.Effortless, graceful, entirely in control.

After another several minutes of swimming, he disappears beneath the surface and doesn’t come back up.

The quiet stretches on too long, prompting me to get up and go peer over the edge of the pool.He’s sitting cross-legged at the bottom, meditation style.

Impressive breath control.

“Show-off,” I mutter as I return to the table, half-jealous.My lungs would revolt at the mere idea of doing that for fun.

I nibble idly on a scoop of almond butter, wondering not for the first time what, exactly, I’m doing here.

Eventually, Stefano emerges, hauling himself up out of the pool.And...wow.

It’s not polite to stare, but…wow.

There goes the last 0.0001% of restraint I was barely clinging to.Why is it always the things we can’t have that are so impossibly hard to resist?

Those abs…that ridiculous Adonis belt…that defined chest…that very noticeable bulge behind his swim trunks—

“Don’t stare my skin off.”A sly grin slants his lips.“I need it to stay warm.”

I’m not a blusher.I’m not.But there’s definite heat blooming under my cheeks and along my neck, that I can only hope isn’t obvious.

His eyes doesn’t leave me, but it’s that little smile sitting on his sexy lips that makes me wary.And his mood, it’s…different.That dark, coiled, dangerous energy that emanates from him at all times is…nowhere to be found.

In its place is something unsettlingly soft.Light.Relaxed.Content.

I don’t trust it.Not for a second.

He snags a towel off one of the lounge chairs and starts drying his hair, never taking his eyes off me, that damn smile still dancing on his lips.

Unnerved, I push to my feet.“Why did you send for me?”

“Because I wanted to see you.”

“Why?”

“Because I like looking at you.”