PLAYING DIRTY WITH THE HOT CEO

chapter 23

Titus

Heidi sighs, and my stomach gives a strange flip. I can’t deny that, deep down, I was hoping she’d had enough of England, and that when we go back to New Zealand, she realizes how much she misses it, and decides to stay.

But she speaks about the history here so passionately, and she loves her job, and I know she’s not ready to go. I can’t expect her to leave for a guy she barely knows, just because he thinks he sees the seed of something worth nurturing. It’s hardly strong enough to build a future on.

I glance across at her. She’s studying one of the moorhens that’s gliding on the river, and she looks sad. Is it because she’s also thinking that she doesn’t want to leave here? Does she feel the same way I do—that there’s a spark of something between us? Or is she thinking about Jason, maybe wondering whether she should try again with him?

Anger flares inside me. She wouldn’t go back with that i***t, would she? No, of course she wouldn’t. She’s sad because she likes me, and she has feelings for me, and she can’t bear the thought that our time together is limited. That’s what I’m going to assume, anyway.

“Talk to me about your school,” I say, because I want to return the smile to her face. “What does your typical day look like?”

Sure enough, she brightens as she starts telling me about her pupils, and how her day progresses. When she’s laughing and joking around, it’s easy to think of her as a young woman without a care in the world, but when she talks about her work she speaks knowledgeably and passionately, telling me about teaching standards, statutory assessment requirements, and differentiation—how she adapts her teaching to respond to the strengths and needs of pupils.

“They’re very lucky to have you,” I say, holding up a branch of a tree that’s leaning across the path.

“Thank you.” She ducks under it, then holds it up for me so I can pass beneath.

We continue on along the magical pathway that makes me feel as if we’re miles from civilization, surrounded by bird calls and the occasional splash of a fish jumping out of the water. At one point, she stops with a gasp to point at a kingfisher sitting on the bridge crossing the water, its turquoise feathers glinting in the sunshine. As we go over it and start to head back, we spot a small mammal darting through the shallows that she tells me is a water vole. Ducks swim past, looking at us with interest, and elegant dragonflies with their diaphanous wings skim along the river’s surface.

It’s a beautiful vista, but it’s still not as beautiful as the girl walking by my side. It’s warm and humid out here, and her English-rose complexion glows. Her blonde hair gleams in the sunlight. It’s the perfect length to draw attention to the soft, pale skin of her elegant neck. It makes me want to kiss it.

“Titus,” she scolds.

“What?”

“Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“You know like what. Like you want to kiss me.”

She looks up then and meets my gaze. I stop walking, and she does too, turning to face me.

“I do,” I say. “I can’t help it.”

Her lips curve up. “You’re a naughty boy.”

“Our clothes are still on.”

She laughs. “That’s true.”

“The question is, would you like to kiss me?”

She sighs, repeating the answer I gave when she asked the same question. “More than life itself.”

I move closer to her, and she slides her arms around my waist. “Well, if anyone’s watching, we are officially a couple,” I murmur, and lower my lips to hers.

Her mouth is soft, and her lips part for me, allowing me to slide my tongue against hers. I cup her face and deepen the kiss, and she gives one of her delightful half-sighs, half-moans, tilting her head, her tongue darting to stroke mine.

I lower my arms around her, and her arms rise around my neck as she presses against me. Ahhh… I stroke my hands down, following the line of her waist, the flare of her hips, fire licking up inside me, and I can’t resist flicking up the hem of her top and resting my fingers on her bare skin. She gives a delicious shiver, and that’s it, my erection springs to life.

We kiss for a while, in the afternoon sunlight, surrounded by the gentle quacking of the ducks, the honks of geese flying overhead, and the movement of water through the reeds at the edge of the river.

When I eventually lift my head, her cheeks are filled with a rosy flush, and her eyes look dreamy.

“Mmm.” She presses her lips together. “You kiss like a god, Lawrence Oates.”

“It’s easy when I’m kissing you.” I touch my lips to her cheek, then her lips once more, briefly. “Come on,” I say softly. “Let’s get back to the lodge.”

We continue walking, but this time I put my arm around her, and she nestles against me with her arm around my waist.

“I was thinking while you were talking to Alan and Vicky that you seem quite shy sometimes,” she says.

“Oh?”

“You don’t talk about yourself much. I mean, you discuss your work, and you have funny anecdotes and stories, but I realize I don’t actually know that much about you.”

“What do you want to know?”

“I don’t know. About your family? Have you got any siblings?”

“Nope. Only child.”

“Do you have any other relatives in New Zealand?”

“Yes, my dad’s a Kiwi.”

“Oh of course, he’s in politics, isn’t he?”

“Yes, he’s a lawyer, based at the Beehive. Most of my family is in Wellington. My dad’s sister is a surgeon. Her husband is a computer engineer, and he’s the reason I got into the field. He invented a computer graphics card when I was young that was the best-performing in the market at the time, which is where he made most of his money. When I was in my teens he started to get interested in AI. He’s got three boys, and I spent a lot of time with them all, tinkering with computers and writing code, so it’s not surprising we all ended up working in the field.”

“They’re all computer engineers as well?”

“Yeah. Saxon’s actually on the verge of opening up a second branch of NZAI in Wellington with me.”

Her eyebrows rise. “Oh, really?”

“Yeah. It’s going to be health-focused, working with Wellington Hospital and looking at ways to use AI to help deliver better healthcare faster, and at a lower cost, as well as working on the IVF research.”

We approach the cottage again, and I open the sliding doors, let her walk past me, and follow her in.

“Thank you,” she says. “For sharing a bit about yourself. I thought maybe you didn’t like talking about your family.”

“I don’t mind at all. I just find that most people aren’t really interested and would much rather talk about themselves.”

“That’s true. Unless they’re interested in you.” She smiles. “I might have a read for twenty minutes before I start getting ready. I’ll just get my book.” She goes into the bedroom.

I stand there for a moment.Unless they’re interested in you.Her words send a frisson down my spine. I can still feel the touch of her lips on mine, and the feel of her soft body pressed against me. God, this is torture. I look at the sofa, picturing myself there tonight, looking up at the ceiling, thinking about her just a few steps away in the bedroom. It would be so easy to toss the covers aside, get up, walk in there, and sweep her up in my arms. I don’t think she’d resist me, either. But it’s because she wouldn’t resist that I need to be strong enough for both of us.

I give a silent groan and run both hands through my hair. Where’s your willpower, dude? Pull yourself together!