Betrayal (Infidelity Book 1) - Aleatha Romig Page 0,36

and Charli, Nox Tall-Dark-and-Handsome wasn’t outside the realm of possibility.

A few minutes later I stepped into the front lobby of the resort and walked toward the large glass entrance. My breathing hitched when Mr. Handsome came into view. Without thinking, I scanned him up and down. Each time I looked at Nox from afar, I wondered what it was that he’d seen in me and why he hadn’t been dating anyone. The man was sex on a stick, and for a few more days he was all mine. The way his gray suit fit perfectly in all the right places tightened parts of my insides while melting others. He was talking to one of the hotel employees. As I approached, I concentrated on my steps across the shiny floor, but from the corner of my eye, I saw the employee nod my direction and Nox turn.

Any semblance of composure I’d been holding floated away with the breaking of the proverbial thread. From nearly fifty feet away, his blue gaze drank me in and devoured me whole. I was the prey to the lion I envisioned when he growled. Instantaneously, one of his cheeks rose, pulling his lips into a lopsided grin. His approving expression filled me with the confidence I needed to move forward.

The Del Mar employee disappeared into a haze, as did everyone else. Nox and I were the only two people on earth. I’d seen this happen in special effects during a film. Everyone except the main characters was out of focus. As I came to a stop in front of the only person in the lobby, I begged my heart to slow its stampede.

Lifting my hand, Nox brushed his full lips over my knuckles. “You are stunning.”

Before I could respond, he turned toward the employee who had reappeared.

“Don’t you agree, Ferguson? My date is the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen.”

“Sir, you’re a lucky man.”

Taking my hand into the crook of his elbow, Nox turned us toward the doors. “Luck,” he responded to Ferguson, just before we walked away, “has nothing to do with it. It’s all about knowing what you want.”

“Yes, sir. Have a good evening and you too, Miss Moore.”

“Thank you,” I managed to say.

Nox’s closed-lip grin widened, revealing his white teeth and a bright smile. Though he was still talking to Ferguson, his eyes were only on me. “Oh, we shall. We shall.”

I was about to ask about our plans, if we were going to do more than the restaurant in Oceanside when Nox stopped in front of a black Porsche Boxster convertible.

“Your carriage for the evening, m’lady.”

“Really? You’re going to drive? I guess I thought when you said a car—”

“Are you disappointed?”

“No,” I answered honestly. “Not at all. This is a great car.”

Opening the passenger door and helping me in, he replied, “It’s a rental, but I like to drive.” Once he was in the driver’s seat, he said, “I could arrange to have a driver tomorrow night, if you’d prefer.”

“I like this better.”

“Good.” He put his hand on my knee. “I want you all to myself.”

I couldn’t hold back my smile as I fastened my seatbelt. As he pulled out from under the awning, the evening sun washed over us. We made our way down the winding road off the resort. Since I’d decided to leave my hair down for the night, I searched through my handbag and found a hair tie and fastened the auburn waves into a low ponytail.

I wasn’t making Nox feel better when I’d said I preferred his driving. I detested limousines. They reminded me of Alton. Savannah wasn’t that large. There was no reason for Alton Fitzgerald to be driven to his job each day or for he and my mother to be driven to dinner. It was simply him being ostentatious.

As we headed north, I scoured the breathtaking scenery along Highway 101. With the roof open, I could scan every direction. Out Nox’s side of the car, the Pacific Ocean glistened with prisms of light as the sun sunk lower in the sky. Throughout the entire trip, whether we were talking about the ocean or the sky or just enjoying the whoosh of the wind around the Boxster, Nox held my hand or my knee.

The touch of his skin to mine no longer shocked me. That didn’t mean the connection was gone. It was different. Instead of the electricity I’d felt the first time we touched, now our link was more like a familiar blanket. Even