Control, Jess, cool, calm control.
‘Is Xander around?’ Jess asked, determined to get this interview under way as soon as possible. Pamela had only given her a week to get the article written. They were going with a Great Artists of the Twenty-First Century theme and Xander’s interview was going to be the showcase piece, so it had to be good. If she didn’t manage to produce something whiz-bang enough Pam had suggested she’d have to pass on Jess’s notes to Maggie and have her write the article instead.
No way was Jess going to let that happen. This was her big opportunity to prove to Pamela she was the right fit for Spark.
She just needed to get Xander to trust her enough to open up and talk.
Rosa nodded. ‘He’s down at the villa’s private beach. Just follow the path over there to the lake.’ She pointed in the direction she meant.
Jess thanked her and set off to the beach, pulling the hem of her blouse down where it had ridden up over her middle and swiping a rather damp hand over her hair.
The path took her through a small grove of sweet-smelling olive trees and opened up onto a small, sandy cove with spectacular views across to the other side of the lake.
There was no sign of Xander at first, but as she looked around she noticed a movement in the clear, still water of the lake.
Jess came to an abrupt halt as Xander stood up from where he’d been swimming, gleaming rivulets of water running down from his hair and cascading over his naked chest. She watched, mesmerised, as he waded towards her, his movements agile and smooth as he powered through the water.
He glanced up and saw her standing there, tipping her a mischievous grin and giving her a welcoming salute.
‘Jess, good to see you.’
She watched him advance towards her, rooted to the spot and with an unnerving pulse beating in her throat.
His golden skin gleamed in the bright afternoon light, the gentle rays highlighting every contour of his solid frame, and as he pushed his wet hair back from his angular face, making the muscles of his chest twist and flex, she had to suppress a squeak of pure delight. There was unbridled power in his stride, as he quickly covered the ground between them, that made her insides jump and twist with pleasure.
Scuffing her toes into the sand, she gave herself a lecture on the evils of letting her overactive imagination get the better of her.
‘Hey,’ Xander said, when he finally reached her, flashing her a grin that made her stomach lurch with lust. Drops of water clung to his eyelashes, making them look obscenely long and lush as they framed those incredible eyes of his.
Jess swallowed, trying to loosen up her throat, which was tight with tension. Shaking her nerves off before they took too firm a hold, she reminded herself that she was here to work, and that was what she was damn well going to do.
‘H-hello. This place is beautiful,’ she managed to stutter out, cursing the shake in her voice. She was having immense trouble keeping her gaze on his face and not allowing it to drop to the incredible physique of his chest.
‘It’s a friend’s holiday home. Pretty impressive, huh?’
‘Yup. Impressive.’ It seemed she was totally out of intelligent conversation. Not a great start for someone who was supposed to be a wordsmith for a living.
‘I’m heading back up to the villa for tea and cake. Rosa makes the best summer panettone. Come and join me.’ It wasn’t a question and she bristled a little at his bossy tone.
‘I’m not hungry. I had a late lunch.’
He gave her a slow, sexually laden smile that made her stomach swoop alarmingly. ‘Well, I’m hungry.’
The gentle breeze caught her hair and blew it across her suddenly incredibly hot face. Before she could react, he took a step towards her, lifted his hand and slid his long fingers against her cheek, then tucked the rogue curl of hair behind her ear. It was such an intimate thing to do she was utterly lost for words, and, instead of speaking, she found herself staring at his mouth, totally transfixed by the fullness of his lips as they parted slightly, revealing his perfect white teeth. The heat of his almost naked body bled into her skin and she took a deep, calming breath in, only to draw the musky fragrance of his skin into her nostrils, sending her senses spinning out of control.
Every bit of her body felt energised and tingly—the anticipation of what could happen if he just leant forward a couple of inches burning like wildfire in her chest. Was he going to...?
Kiss me.
She wasn’t sure for a second whether she’d said it out loud and she skimmed her gaze up to look into his eyes, hoping desperately it had only been an errant voice in her head.
His gaze flicked between her eyes, the bright aqua of his irises captivating her with their other-worldliness.
What the hell was going on here? A nervy panic rose inside her, causing a wave of jittery heat to rush up her neck. She couldn’t handle this. Not here, in broad daylight, totally unprepared for what might happen if he kept on looking at her like that.
Xander must have sensed her panic because he took a step away from her, giving her the space and air she suddenly craved.
‘You okay, Jess?’ he said, bemused concern clear in his voice.
‘Fine. I’m fine,’ she managed to gasp, forcing a smile onto her face. ‘Just a bit hot in the sun.’ She flapped a hand in front of her face in a pathetic attempt to cool herself down. ‘I have to go and check in to my hotel but I wanted to let you know I’d arrived. I’d like to make a plan for starting the interview so we can get started as soon as possible.’ She kept her voice clipped and businesslike, trying like mad to pull back the professional persona she’d been so keen to promote.
‘How very diligent of you. Well, to be honest, I’m not in the mood for spilling my deepest, darkest secrets right now.’ He took a step closer to her and dipped his head, his gaze capturing hers as something dangerous flashed in his eyes. ‘I’d like to get to know you a bit more intimately first.’
‘I’m not going to sleep with you,’ she blurted out before she could stop herself, her nerves riding roughshod over her common sense.
He laughed out loud, shaking his head in mirth.
Jess just stood there dumbly, flushing hot with embarrassment.
What an idiot she was. Of course he wasn’t talking about sleeping with her. She very clearly wasn’t his type if the media reports of his affairs were anything to go by. From what she’d seen in the press—and at his studio—he was more of a leggy-blonde type of guy.
And that suited her just fine. Absolutely fine. Couldn’t be finer.
‘Don’t worry, I’m taking a break from seducing innocent young journalists, so your virtue is safe with me,’ he joked, his mouth quirked in a playful smile. ‘I am interested in your body, Jess, but only on an artistic level.’
Jess pulled her arms across her chest. ‘You can’t blame me for being wary when you make provocative-sounding statements like that. You do have a reputation for being a bit...’
‘A bit what?’
She paused, searching for the right word. ‘Wild.’
He gave her a bemused grin. ‘I promise to be on my best behaviour,’ he said, making a crossing motion over his heart. ‘And if I slip up you have my permission to lick me into shape.’
Oh, my God, the images he’d just conjured in her mind.
She really needed to get out of here before she totally lost her cool.
‘Come over for dinner tonight at eight,’ he continued, going over to a rock where he’d left