Bartered (The Encounter #1)(50)

“Hey,” I called out to him, hoping he’d change back to the sweet, seductive man from last night. At the same time, I knew wishing for it would be a bad idea as well. My situation was beyond sticky and complicated. It wasn’t just me or Damen that would be affected if things went awry. I had Yannis and my mother to think about; subsequently, I best keep my thoughts and priorities aligned, or else my father’s wrath, the next it lashes out, would truly be unforgiving.

Compromise.

The word seemed to have overused itself when it came to me. However, it was the only thing that would make sense out of everything I had done as of late.

My eyes wandered about the alcoholic bottles as I contemplated what to drink first. I noticed Hugo had moved from his stance and was making his way towards me.

“I hope you don’t mind my dress.” I slightly blushed when I realized how informal I looked, not like what he was used to, and opposed to his dapper self. Then again, whatever he wore, he never failed to appear as though the clothes were meant for his body. His easy confidence and magnetic appeal were a persistent lure to any woman’s appreciative glances.

His eyes… Though I wasn’t staring at them, I felt their intensity as they scrutinized my simple outfit, which truly didn’t help with my embarrassment. “The dress?” his eyebrow rose, slightly inquiring. “It’s lovely, but if you’re unhappy with it, you’re more than welcome to take it off and slowly strip before me.”

“Like that last time, you mean?” I added, a little breathless as I recalled the night where he watched me strip naked before he intimately touched me in places.

For heaven’s sake, Isobel, get it together! I reprimanded myself when the familiar stirrings of Hugo’s magic started to work on me. The second I realized what I had just done, Damen’s loving face appeared before my very eyes, making me snap out of my trance.

“You were scared of me then, were you not?” His question threw me off a little.

Was it obvious that I hadn’t wanted to go through with it that night? Maybe so. Maybe that was why he had changed his mind with me, too, and thrown that two-week challenge, which seemed to have been unsuccessful.

“I was…”

The memory seemed so long ago.

“Champagne?” He gestured towards the iced bottle before giving me a pointed look. “Or red? White? Cognac?”

“Champagne is fine. Thanks.”

As I watched him through my lashes, he carefully poured me a drink in a crystal flute before handing it to me. After pouring his own, he then faced me, drink in hand, before he slowly lifted his. “So, what should we toast for tonight? Best wishes? Anything congratulatory perhaps?”

“Not on my part.”

“Not on mine, either,” he mused. “So what should we toast to?”

A universal question that wasn’t so hard to respond to. “Here’s to good health and good luck?”

“I suppose that could work,” he murmured before raising his glass, wishing me well as I did the same.

I couldn’t pinpoint what it was, but something was off. Maybe it was the way he was looking at me tonight that got me edgy, or the way he simply looked too good to be real. I couldn’t seem to stray my eyes away from him. Had he always been this gorgeous? I wondered in frustration.

He cleared his throat before addressing me again. “Fancy a quick dip in the sea?”

I laughed at his question since the last time had almost gotten me killed from extreme fright. “I think I’m fine for now, though I do promise to let you know if I’m up for it later.”

His eyes twinkled, as if he, too, was remembering my major humiliation. “How about dancing? Fancy doing that with me?”

Dancing sounded brilliant compared to being mauled and surrounded by sea mammals or predators lurking about. “Dancing sounds perfect.”

He nodded before producing a remote out of nowhere. Then he pressed a button and a soft, mellow music filtered through the background.

Downing the rest of my drink, I let out a small groan before I made my way towards him. Really, there was something gravitating about him, the pull was much more powerful than the last time. I wished I could easily ask him what it was, but I thought better of it.

Placing his empty glass on the nearest flat surface, he gently pulled me into his arms, placing one hand on the side of my hips. The music had a throaty, male voice singing in the background, adding a touch of melancholy and romance in the air.

“What’s the name of this song?” Lifting my chin to meet his gaze, I was instantly overwhelmed by this sudden need to kiss him.

“La Vie en Rose,” he rasped out, making me stare directly at his lips, which were looking much more enticing as the seconds ticked away.

“I like it…” I trailed off, still unglued from the sight of his lips.

“Ma belle,” he groaned out in such a way that made me yearn for things I shouldn’t be even thinking. “Did you think of me at all?”

Yes and no, depending on the circumstances. “Sometimes, when I wasn’t preoccupied with personal things,” I lied lightly, hoping that my answer would suffice his curiosity.

“I’m sure you were busy with your mother,” he thoughtfully added before I gave a small nod, a little ashamed of my lies.

“Yeah, it was a bit chaotic. Thanks for understanding.”