PLAYING DIRTY WITH THE HOT CEO

chapter 13

Heidi

I feel Titus’s presence beside me with every cell in my body. It takes all my willpower not to turn, slide my arms around his waist, and bury my face in his neck.

I don’t want a white knight to swoop in and save me every time I’m even remotely in danger. I like to think I can cope alone—hell, I moved across the world, got myself a job and a house, all on my own. I don’t need a man. But f**k, I love that he stood up to Jason for me. That he got physical, and thrust him up against the wall. I couldn’t have done that, and Jason really, really needed someone to do it.

It’s the first time I’ve thought that the nickname Titus suits him. I looked up the meaning years ago. It means ‘of the giants.’ Honorable, strong, a defender.

I want to feel his lips on mine. To have his big, strong hands on my body. Oh my God, I want to have him inside me. I dreamed about it last night in bed. I’ve thought about little else all day, and now I’ve watched him stand up for me, I’m not going to be able to stop thinking about it.

But I can’t sleep with him. I know if I suggest it, I’ll just embarrass myself. He only thinks of me as Oliver’s little sister, and even if he did desire me, he’s such a nice guy that he’d never make a move on me.

Plus, I know there’s a possibility I’m only crushing on him because I’ve broken up with Jason and I feel vulnerable and lonely. It’s just a rebound thing, maybe for him as well, as I know he didn’t break up with his ex that long ago. He’s only been here for one day, so what I’m feeling—this connection, this longing—can’t be real.

He sighs, and he looks a little wistful. Is he feeling what I’m feeling? Or is he exhausted by this drama that has nothing to do with him? I thought he liked me, but maybe I misread the signs.

“How about we watch a movie or something?” he suggests.

He’s trying to move past it. And that’s fair enough.

I force my lips into a smile. “I’d like that.”

“Come on then. Let’s have a cup of coffee and you can choose what we watch.”

So we make ourselves a latte, then take it into the living room. I sit on the two-seater sofa, expecting him to take the chair. To my surprise, though, he sits beside me. Okay, the sofa faces the TV whereas the chair is at an angle, but even so…

“What kind of movie do you fancy?” I ask, trying not to sound breathless. “Something sci-fi, as we’ve been discussing astronomy?”

“Sounds great.”

We decide onGravitywith Sandra Bullock, and I put it on, then curl up beside him, knees pointing away so I’m not tempted to lean against him.

We don’t touch for a while, sipping our coffee. Then, after about twenty minutes, he slides down a little, props his feet on the coffee table, and stretches his arm out on the back of the sofa, not quite around me, but almost. Feeling like I’m sixteen, I sit there for a minute, not daring to move, and then I look across at him. He meets my gaze, and something in his eyes makes my heart miss a beat.

He doesn’t feel as if he can make a move on me, either because of Oliver, because he’s only here temporarily and neither of us need that complication, or, more probably, for both those reasons. But I wasn’t wrong. He likes me, and he wants to comfort me.

I curl up the other way, turning my knees toward him, and rest my head on his shoulder. He doesn’t lower his arm around me, but he moves it an inch, so he’s just touching my back, and he kisses the top of my head.

And that’s it, we stay like that for the rest of the movie. The scent of his aftershave rises from his warm body, and I watch his chest rise and fall with each breath he takes. On the rare occasions that he says anything, I feel his deep voice reverberate through him, and I have to fight not to shiver.

I’m disappointed when the movie comes to an end, but feel a little thrill when he doesn’t stir, but instead picks up the remote. He brings up the YouTube app, searches for ‘ambience night sky’, and chooses something called ‘Stonehenge Starscapes’, which show Astro-lapse scenes of the celestial sphere moving over the prehistoric monument, overlaid with gentle piano music.

Then he lets his head tip back onto the sofa, inhales deeply, and lets out a long sigh.

I rest my cheek on his shoulder again and, unable to stop myself, place a hand on his chest. I can feel his pecs beneath the soft T-shirt fabric, the defined muscles firm under my fingers.

“Are you feeling homesick?” I ask.

“No.”

“Do you miss working?”

He waits a little longer before replying. “I wouldn’t say miss. I feel a bit… I don’t know, guilty, I guess. Vacations have always seemed self-indulgent to me, so I don’t tend to take much time off. But I enjoyed today. Getting out, exploring the country. Being with you. I’m just sorry it had to end badly.”

“It hasn’t. Not at all.”

He smiles.

I draw a heart on his chest. “Oliver said that Elizabeth feels guilty about not moving over here, as if she’s letting women down, because she has this huge opportunity to help people needing IVF. Is that how you feel?”

“Yes, pretty much. Do you know Ben Prince?”

“Hmm, is he related to Hal King? Lives in Wellington?”

“Yeah, that’s the one. Their family owns a toy company. Well, he married a woman called Heloise. She’d been married before, and she and her husband had been conducting research into a cure for melanoma. They’d gotten really close, but her husband had Motor Neuron Disease, and he died very young. Heloise had been nursing him, and she had a complete breakdown. She walked away from her research and ended up as nanny to Ben’s daughter. She was vilified in the press, and most of her friends and family refused to talk to her.”

“Oh, that’s awful.”

“Yeah, it is. I can associate with how she must have felt. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I’m on the same level as her by any means. But our research at NZAI is important in lots of ways, not just in IVF. We’re making revolutionary advancements in astronomy, and also in understanding climate change. We’re helping to make a difference, and it’s hard to walk away from that, even for a few days.”

“It’s funny to think you run a whole company.” I like touching him, so I draw another heart on his chest. He looks down, watching my finger move. “How many employees do you have?”

“Twenty-two at the moment. We’re relatively small, because most of our work is carried out in affiliation with other companies like Mack’s and Elizabeth’s.”

He’s in charge of twenty-two people. It impresses and depresses me a little at the same time. A guy like this is never going to be interested in me. He might have taken one day out of his busy schedule to be with me, but soon he’s going to be back in Auckland, or flying around the world, speaking at conferences and inventing all these marvelous things to change the people’s lives. There’s definitely a physical attraction, but that’s all.

I push myself upright and get to my feet. “Well, I suppose we should get to bed. Tomorrow we’ll go to a few more places during the day.” I pick the cups up, then hesitate. “Um… in the evening I’d arranged to go out to dinner with a few friends in Plymouth.”

“That’s okay. I can do a bit of work while you’re out.”

“Well, I, um…” I tuck my hair behind my ear. “I was wondering whether you’d like to come with me. No pressure at all, I completely understand if you’d rather not.”

He meets my eyes, and his lips curve up. “Sure, why not?”

My heart leaps. I smile back, then say hurriedly, “Are you sure? I mean, I’ll tell them we’re just friends, but there might be a bit of teasing.” I wrinkle my nose.

He chuckles. “I’ve had to deal with Huxley and the others for the last ten years. I’m sure I’ll manage.”

“Okay. Well, I’ll see you in the morning.”

He gets to his feet. “Night.”

“Night.”He disappears up the stairs.

I take the cups out to the kitchen and put them in the dishwasher. Then I look out of the window, up at the stars. I can see Mars to the west, glimmering red, and just above it the half-moon in Leo.

Smiling, I lock the door, then turn and go up to bed.