Читать книгу The Prince's Christmas Vow - Jennifer Faye - Страница 11

CHAPTER FIVE

“HOW’S IT COMING?”

Demetrius strolled into the office late the next afternoon. He couldn’t help but notice how Zoe jumped. He hadn’t meant to startle her.

“Good.” Her voice said otherwise. “Well, as good as can be expected at this stage.”

“I just visited the work site and the construction of the residential rooms on the backside of the mansion is moving ahead of schedule. Soon you’ll be able to get in there and do your thing.”

A frown pulled at her full, lush lips, but she didn’t say anything. Things definitely weren’t going as well as she’d like him to believe. Maybe she wasn’t up to the task, after all. There were still those dark smudges beneath her eyes. Something was most definitely keeping her up at night. But what?

His immediate instinct was to go to her—to rectify whatever was troubling her. He took a step forward, then hesitated. What was he thinking? Obviously he wasn’t—at least not clearly. Her problems were no longer any of his concern. And that had been her choice. Not his.

She glanced up at him, peering over her laptop. “Did you need something else?”

He cleared his throat. “I’d like to see what direction you’re taking the project.”

Her mouth gaped, but nothing came out. He couldn’t help but notice the pink gloss shimmering on her lips. His thoughts rolled back in time, remembering how her kisses were always sweeter than berries. His body stiffened. With determined effort he focused his mind back on the only thing that mattered—the only thing he could count on—work.

“Perhaps I could see what you’ve been able to do so far on the computer.” His words eased the awkward silence.

“I...I don’t have anything but some rough outlines.”

“That’s okay. It’s just with all of my meetings, we haven’t been able to talk much.”

There was a rebuttal reflected in her eyes, but in a blink it was gone. With a shrug, she stood up. “Be my guest.”

He wasn’t sure by the stilted tone of her voice whether she would be open to his feedback or if she’d just give him lip service and then disregard his input. He wanted to believe they could set aside their differences in order to make this important project a success. They were, after all, both professionals.

He took a seat, surprised that she was doing all of her work on the small laptop when he’d provided her with a computer and a large-screen monitor, which was much easier on the eyes. Then he noticed that she had specialized software. He should have expected that, but he’d noticed how his thoughts became severely distracted around her.

She stood off to the side. “You have to realize that what you’re looking at are some rough sketches. There are no details. I haven’t had a chance to refine them.”

“I understand.”

She showed him how to navigate the software. As she leaned over his shoulder, he caught a whiff of her perfume. The alluring scent was the same as what she wore when they were together.

Concentrate on the pictures.

Minutes passed, and then she asked, “Well, what do you think?”

“I don’t know.” It was the truth.

“Don’t tell me you hate all of the themes.”

He flipped back and forth between the three layouts of the mansion’s ballroom that she’d done up. The first screen cobbled together garden-themed pictures with lots of greens, pinks and yellows. The second screen contained images more in line with ancient Roman ruins utilizing the idea of the large columns on the front porch as well as adding some Greek and Roman statues. The last screen pulled together various Mediterranean aspects from the blues of the sea to the green of the palms.

“Say something. The suspense is torture.”

He’d never seen her so anxious. Under different circumstances, he might have turned this into a bit of fun, but the time for teasing and light banter had long passed them by.

“They all have aspects that I really like.” He flipped through the images once again. “Can you combine them?”

“What?” She moved to stand on the other side of the desk in order to face him. “You’re not serious, are you? They’re too different. It would be a mess.”

He raked his fingers through his hair. “I never said that I was any good at decorating. That’s what I have you for.”

She crossed her arms and leveled a steady stare at him. “And you’re the one who insisted that we work on this together. You went on and on about how you had to approve everything.”

He got to his feet. “Fine. I pick the garden theme. Wait. No. The sea one.”

She waited as though sensing he would change his mind yet again. “You’re sure about the sea setting?”

He thought for a moment and then nodded. “I think it’s the most relaxing of all them. If the residents aren’t capable of making an outing to the seaside, then we can bring it to them.”

“Okay. Then we need to pick out a color scheme.” She pulled up a few color combinations. “I’d like to get some samples up on the walls as soon as possible to get a real feel for the shades before we commit to a color scheme.”

However, as she leaned over his shoulder to type something in the computer, one of her barrel-roll curls landed on his shoulder. A driving need grew in him to wrap her silky strands around his finger. If he were to turn ever so slightly—if he were to reach out to her and draw her closer—she’d land in his lap.

As though in a trance, he reached out. His fingers slid down over the soft, smooth strands. What would it hurt to taste her sweetness again? He started at the end of her curl. His finger and thumb worked together wrapping her hair inch by inch around his digit.

Her surprised gaze met his. His heart pounded in his chest. But there was something more in her gaze. Interest. Excitement. Desire.

The fact that he could still turn her on sent the blood roaring through his veins, drowning out his common sense. Long-denied desire drove him onward. One thing that couldn’t be denied was that they had chemistry. They should have a warning sign—combustible when mixed.

With each twist of her hair, her face moved closer. He would show her what she’d given up. He’d remind her that all of this could have been hers if only she’d believed in them—if only she’d loved him.

A noise in the hallway caused her to jump back. He reluctantly relinquished his hold on her hair, allowing her to straighten. He tried to tell himself that it was for the best, but a sense of regret churned in his gut.

He cleared his throat as he tried to remember where they’d left off. “What about this gray-blue color? I like it.”

There was an unmistakable pause before Zoe spoke. “That is a bit dark and you have to realize the darker the shade, the smaller the space will appear. Why don’t you see what you like on this page?” She adjusted the computer so that it displayed dozens of much lighter shades of blue. “Trust me. They’ll appear darker on the wall.”