Then everything else ceased to register.
He wore a black shirt with black trousers, his dark hair raked back from his face. Under the soft golden lights spilling from the second deck his sculpted cheekbones and strong jaw jutted out in heart-stopping relief.
At the back of her mind, Inez experienced a bout of irritation at the fact that he captured attention so exclusively. So effortlessly.
Even as he shook hands with Pietro and welcomed him on board the Pantelides 9, his eyes remained on her. And God help her, but she couldn’t look away.
On unsteady feet, which she firmly blamed on the swaying vessel, she climbed the steps to where he waited. When his eyes released hers to travel over her body, she grappled with controlling her breath. She reached him and reluctantly held out her hand in greeting.
‘Thank you for the dinner invitation, Mr Pantelides.’
With a mocking smile, he took her hand and used the grip to pull her close. Despite her heels, he was almost a foot taller than her, easily six foot four. Which meant he had to lean down quite a bit to whisper in her ear, ‘So formal, anjo. I look forward to loosening your inhibitions enough to dissolve that starchy demeanour.’
Her pulse, which had begun racing when his palm slid against hers, thundered even harder at his words. ‘I can see how not having a woman fall at your feet the moment you crook your finger can present a challenge, senhor. But you really should learn the difference between playing hard to get and being plainly uninterested.’
His eyebrow quirked. ‘You fall into the latter category, of course?’ he mocked.
‘Sim, that is exactly so.’
He looked towards where Pietro had accepted a glass of champagne from a waiter and was admiring the luxuriously decorated deck, at the end of which a multi-coloured lit jet pool swirled and shimmered.
When his gaze re-fixed on hers, there was a steely determination in his eyes that sent a shiver down her spine. All the earlier alarm bells where Theo was concerned clanged loudly in her brain.
‘Then I will have to get a little more inventive,’ he murmured silkily before dropping her hand.
Inez clenched her fist and fought the urge to rub the tingling in her palm. She didn’t want him getting inventive where she was concerned because she had a nasty feeling she wouldn’t emerge unscathed from the encounter.
But she kept her mouth shut and followed him onto the deck. The cream and gold décor was the last word in luxury and opulence. Plump gold seats offered comfort and a superior view onto the well-lit marina and the open sea to their right. To their left, the lights of Rio gleamed, with the backdrop of the huge mountain, on top of which resided the world-famous Cristo Redentor.
A sultry breeze wafted through the deck as a waiter served more flutes of champagne. She took a glass as Pietro rejoined them. His glass was already half empty and she watched him take another greedy gulp before he pointed a finger at Theo.
‘I wish you’d given me the chance to make you another offer for this boat before you pulled the plug on our sale agreement, Pantelides.’
Theo’s jaw tightened before he answered. ‘You had several opportunities to make good but you failed to close the deal. So I cut my losses.’ He shrugged. ‘Business is business.’
Pietro bristled. ‘And cancelling our meeting today? Was that for business too, or pleasure?’
Theo’s eyes caught and held hers. Inez held her breath, wondering if he was about to give her up. His eyes gleamed with a mixture of danger and amusement. Somehow he’d sensed that he held her in his power. And he relished that power. Her hand trembled slightly as she waited for the axe to fall.
‘I’m not in the habit of discussing my other business interests, or my pleasurable ones, for that matter. But, suffice it to say, what kept me away from our meeting was very much worth my time.’ His gaze swept down, lingering over her breasts and hips in a blatant appraisal that made her breathing grow shallow. When his eyes returned to hers, Inez was sure all the oxygen had been sucked out of the atmosphere.
‘Our business together should be equally worth your time,’ Pietro countered.
Theo finally set her free from his captivating gaze. Narrow-eyed, he glanced at Pietro.