much initially. She wasn’t sure she liked him a whole lot more now, but being in proximity with him had given her time to notice what she hadn’t at first.
And that was basically a chiseled jaw, flawless muscle structure and eyes that seemed to see straight through her. Or at least straight through her clothes. Which, again, should be much more offensive than it was.
She huffed and walked out of her bedroom, closing the door gently behind her, and heading down the stairs, out to the garden area. The palace was still hard for her to navigate, less so now that she’d realized it had light switches. The memory made her smile and she forced herself to stop. No dreamy, smiley-type memories of Alik.
It was manufactured. Because if she went further with that memory, she would come to the crude, awful things he’d said to her in the hall. About kissing her. Touching her.
Her body heated. With rage, she was sure. Because it had been crude. Not exciting.
She pushed open the ornate double doors that led out to the pool and the gardens. She paused and headed toward the pool, which was set into the balcony, overlooking the ocean.
She stopped when she heard the sound of water in motion, closer than the waves below. And she had to wonder if she’d come here on purpose, hoping a little bit that she might find him.
He hadn’t seen her yet, though. There was no way.
She could just barely make out his shape. He was gliding through the water, a dark shadow in the brightly lit pool. Like a shark. She had to stop comparing him to predators—it was giving her a complex. Making her feel hunted.
Another rash of heat spread through her. What was wrong with her? Where was sensible, practical Jada?
“Jada.” His head was above the surface now and he was treading water, his eyes fixed on her.
“How do you do that?” she asked.
“If I was not good at sensing when people were present, I would be dead by now.”
“You say that with such certainty.”
“I am certain of it.” He swam to the edge of the pool, planting his palms firmly on the side and levering himself out of the water.
She watched the play of his muscles, water sliding down over the dips and hollows. Her throat felt suddenly dry and she realized she was thirsty. That brought to mind the image of her sliding her tongue over his skin, collecting the drops and…
She blinked. “I couldn’t sleep,” she said. “Obviously neither could you.”
“Not so much.” He reached down and took a towel from one of the chairs that lined the pool, dragging it over his broad chest. Her eyes followed the motion.
She could see now, more clearly, the tattoo on his chest, and when he raised his arm to brush the towel over his short dark hair, she saw another one, words, running the length of his bicep.
“What do they mean?” she asked.
“This one?” he pointed to the inside of his wrist, the black anchor. “Nothing. I was very drunk that night.”
“And the one on your chest? It’s written in Arabic, isn’t it?”
“Yes. I got it after that hideous injury healed. I don’t often complain about pain, but that one hurt.” He paused. “It was after Sayid was taken captive. He was in prison for a year. That’s how long it took us to find him. A year of intel, of threats and whatever else we could do to convince his enemies to reveal his whereabouts. I got it just before we executed the mission to rescue him. It’s a common proverb here, something parents say to their children. ‘At the time of a test, a person rises or falls.’ I knew that when I went in after Sayid, I would rise or fall with him. Luckily, we lived.”
“Yes, luckily.”
White teeth flashed in the darkness, one of his naughty smiles, she was sure. “You don’t sound overly thrilled about me coming out of it alive, Jada.”
“I wouldn’t wish death on you. Not on anyone. I’m glad Leena has a father.” Though she wished Leena could have a father more capable of loving her. Alik cared, she could see that. There was a fierce protectiveness that ran through his actions with his daughter, but there was no tenderness. He almost seemed afraid of her. Afraid to touch her.
She thought back to their earlier conversation about babies and wondered if he was worried that she’d break beneath his touch.
“You just wish it