She crossed her arms and met his eyes, determined to have this conversation like an adult.
‘Olivia, closely controlled security is only required if there is a risk of the client putting themselves in danger. Unfortunately for me, in your case, that means, yes, it’s needed.’ He sighed. ‘And I am not prepared to shadow you around this island simply to provide you with a more enjoyable experience.’
‘Are you telling me I’m under house arrest just because you’re determined not to spend any time alone with me?’ she said with disbelief.
‘I don’t think it would be the best idea,’ he said plainly. ‘For obvious reasons.’
She watched him silently for a moment, wondering if he was actually openly referring to the chemistry between them. ‘Are you really so unable to control a flimsy attraction?’ she asked bravely, shocked at the words coming from her own mouth.
His eyes widened. ‘I’m a grown man, Olivia. Older than you by almost a decade.’
‘I fail to see what age has to do with it.’
He stepped forward, a dangerous glint in his slate-grey eyes. ‘I’m not a mindless teenager who can be waylaid by a set of curves.’
‘Well, then, what’s the problem?’ She shrugged one shoulder, fully committed to her act now, even as her insides quaked. ‘I’m not about to jump your bones, and you’ve made it clear that you are far too mature to do anything quite so...primal.’
He smiled the kind of smile that screamed danger as he allowed his gaze to take her in slowly from her head down to her bare toes. ‘Primal? Is that what you’d call it?’
She gulped.
He noticed.
Roman took a single step forward, closing the gap between them so that they stood almost toe to toe. ‘I’d like to wager that you’ve never jumped anyone’s bones in your life, Printsessa.’
‘I’m not about to divulge that kind of information to you.’ She tried her best to keep up her confident act but he’d rattled her. He knew it too.
Cursing her lack of practice in these things, she turned as nonchalantly as possible and began walking back towards the villa, hoping she’d simply seem bored or tired.
‘I did not mean to offend you.’ His voice drifted from behind her as she began climbing the steep steps. ‘I’m sure you are perfectly capable of jumping my bones.’
‘Don’t flatter yourself,’ she breathed, aware that she was barely a quarter of the way up and already feeling winded from the incline.
She hadn’t eaten nearly enough today to fuel this kind of exertion, and tiny spots had begun to appear at the edges of her vision. She paused, holding on to the rail for a moment as she caught her breath.
‘Problem?’ he asked, coming to a stop beside her.
He was barely even breathing heavily, the great brute.
She shook her head, not wanting to admit that she had been moping around the villa for most of the day and had refused Jorge’s offers of lunch and dinner.
Standing up straight, she continued to climb, begging the gods of never-ending stairs to have mercy on her. Eventually she reached the top—and not a moment too soon. She caught one glimpse of the amber lights of the villa before her ears began to pop and her legs started to shake.
Roman instantly noticed the change in her demeanour. ‘Was the climb really so tough?’ he asked, half mocking.
She groaned, moving to the grass and half sitting half falling onto her rear end with an unceremonious grunt as the world tilted around her.
‘You look as though you are about to be ill.’ He crouched in front of her, the mocking tone completely vanished from his voice. ‘Olivia?’
‘I need some water,’ she managed to rasp, looking up at the blurred outline of his face. ‘Just a little light-headed.’
* * *
Roman took one look at Olivia’s pale features and cursed under his breath. ‘When did you last eat?’ he asked, a mixture of anger and concern filling him as her eyes darted away from him with embarrassment.
‘Just give me a moment to catch my breath.’
‘No, you need a damned sandwich and some common sense,’ he gritted. ‘Can you walk?’