“For one moment, I thought I was going to hit the floor hard.” Her voice was thick with emotion.
“Not on my watch, Rachael,” he boasted, easing the pressure around her waist to avoid fuelling the heat boogying through his body.
This was the closest he had got to the woman who had intrigued him from the day he touched his feet on the soil of this beautiful island.
“Let go,” she breathed out, shielding her eyes with her lashes. Her voice was shaky, but her grip was as strong as an ox’s around his biceps.
Refusing to give in to her order, he grasped her shoulders, gave her one hard stare before he reached for her nape.
Rachael shut her eyes and held her breath probably anticipating a quick kiss. But Banjo released his hold leisurely. And her eyes glided open.
Before she could say a word, he jumped in. “I’ll help you out on my terms.”
“I beg your pardon,” she retorted after gulping in air. “I’m giving you the job.”
“Oh no, you’re not! You lost the chance to call the shots when you gave the job to someone else. Are you going to listen to my terms or should I return to painting the wall?”
Stepping back a few paces, Rachael shook her head. A wall of dark hair whipped around her rounded shoulders. “Sounds like you’re going to tell me either way.”
Clever woman, he nearly leered. “I’ll be your bodyguard, but only as a favour, not as a job. And you don’t get rid of me until I have to leave this city. Understand?” He wanted a reason to be by her side all the time whether she liked it or not.
Turning on her heel sharply, Rachael marched away without saying a word.
Frowning at her about-turn, Banjo called out. “You came to me for help.” The woman was heady for sure, he concluded.
Rachael carried on walking.
Just as he picked up the handy paint tray and brush, Rachael strode back with a wide grin on her face.
Banjo dropped the tools and crossed his arms. “Does that mean you’re happy with my terms?” Honestly, he tried not to jeer at her U-turn.
Instead of an answer, she clapped her hands and nodded. At that moment, he saw a cheerful, youthful side to a woman who usually favoured an uncompromising mien. The faint lines around her eyes faded away and her teeth glowed in the early morning sun.
“I’ve decided to look on the bright side,” she stated, swaying to her left and then to her right.
“Really?” His eyes followed her movements. Even the bump emphasised by her tight dress did not detract from her stunning curves.
“You’ve saved me money and that’s something to cheer about. Be ready by seven tomorrow evening. Dress code is formal.” Her eyes challenged him in a silent way as if she doubted he owned any formal clothes whatsoever.
Shaking his head, he grinned. “First, I’ve got no formal clothes here. You might have to go shopping with me later today, so you can show me where to buy appropriate clothing. Secondly, where are we going for the event tomorrow?” The fact he had a few suits in the closet was none of her business.
Rachael gestured with her hands. “I have a dance class this afternoon. Sorry, you’ll have to go shopping alone.”
Putting up one hand, Banjo suggested. “I can meet you after your dance class. Tell me where to pick you up.”
With her eyes narrowing at him, Rachael backed away. “I’ve got to run some errands for your mom afterward. I’m serious I can’t go with you. I wish I could.”
There was no apology in her eyes, only an attempt to fob him off. “Sounds like you’re making every effort to avoid being with me,” he pushed with a need to find out the exact reason she could not bear to be around him.
Gasping with her hands over her mouth, she blinked, looking around as if she was scared his mum could misinterpret his remark. “Why would you think I’m avoiding you? We share the same roof, don’t we?”
“The same reason you declined to give me the job in the first place,” Banjo chimed, adding, “and you know we’re hardly together even though we stay in the same house.”
To Banjo’s shock, his chest pounded waiting for an answer that was slow in coming. But why was Banjo resolute to make her spill her fears?
“Which is?” Rachael quizzed, her eyes hunting his openly and her kiss-me-now lips pressed together.
“The fact you find me easy on your eyes and you’re attracted to me.” He took a gamble voicing his gut feeling.
Stepping forward, Rachael poked his chest with one finger. “First, you have this sexy drawl you put on for effect. Maybe, just maybe if you wore a shirt like every other man on this pretty island, I might find you less intimidating or overpowering. Have you thought about that?”
Laughter bellowed out of his throat. “Such a relief to finally get to the bottom of our rows.”
Banjo took two steps forward to stand in front of her. While Rachael jumped back and swallowed as if he had hit her in the face.
“All you had to do was walk up to me and tell me you find me intimidating or overpowering.” At over six feet with a muscular build, he often caught women ogling him. He could live with the reality they found him attractive. But he had not met any woman who purposely avoided his gaze or company for the same reason.
“Would you have listened if I had? You walk around with a huge chip on your muscled shoulders as if every woman should bow to your handsome looks.”
Staring into her eyes, he shook his head. “I wouldn’t notice if you bowed. Monaco is hot and my comfort is all I care about. Thank you for the compliment. The chip on my shoulder was brought on by your frown when I first walked in.”
Rachael swung away. But he saw her stifling giggles down her throat. So he circled her and blocked her exit. “Laugh as hard as you want, if it makes you feel great. Come shopping with me, please. Forget everything else.”
“No way,” she muttered, before thawing into body-shaking giggles.
Sweat broke out on his brow just watching her laugh with him. Maybe this was what he wanted all along–to have her happy being in his company. Not for any special reason of course, just for the sake of his mum, he reminded himself. Who are you trying to convince, his heart grilled with a blow to his chest.
“I’ll wear a top if you come along,” he begged without shame.
“Shopping is easy. There are so many places to go and I can describe where you can find all you need. Oh yes, Desiree has a nice shop in the shopping mall. Have you met her yet?”
Groaning with a frown, he bleated. “Yes, I met her a few days ago. I hate shopping. If you come with me, it would be less painful.”
Rachael’s glare pricked him without mercy. “Nothing would please me more than to see you in agony as you stroll from one shop to another. In the end, you might not find a suit that fits your chiselled body.”
It did not matter whether she derived untold pleasure from watching him squirm during shopping. If she accompanied him, he would pull through.
“Good. Then watch me try to squeeze my chiselled body into a tiny suit. While I undergo the torture of shopping, you get to laugh until tears shoot out of your eyes and your belly aches.”
“Sounds like something I would enjoy after all,” Rachael agreed, nodding at him as she walked toward the back of the house.
Watching Rachael until she disappeared via the side of the house, Banjo laughed all by himself. If she needed him to wear a plastic bag before she agreed to follow him shopping, it would not kill him. He rubbed his abs as a few butterflies scooted around. The distant thought Rachael may have a boyfriend lurking somewhere in the world did not dampen the warmth cooking inside him.
“I was nervous asking Rachael out,” Banjo confessed with a peek behind him to be sure she did not reappear by his side. “Not to mention the softness of her body, her boobies and her intense gaze.”
In his heart, he knew Rachael was not interested in him, and there was no reason she should be anyway. But it did not stop the sparks from lighting up his body. Knowing the right
thing to do was great, doing the right thing could be tricky.
Five
“Why do you mess about when you’re shopping?” Rachael probed the man standing in front of her outfitted in navy blue trousers that were at least one size smaller. The white shirt was clearly oversized as well.
A mock groan peeled out from Banjo’s lips as he turned around with his arms spread out. “Name one man you know who enjoys shopping,” he shot back with a wry grin.
She paused with one hand on her jaw. Not one name jumped straight at her. “I can’t think of any.” She chuckled. “Really I can’t.”
“See? I’m only doing this for you. I hope you’re enjoying my pain.”
“Uh-huh,” she nodded. “Well, not quite. You’ve been tormenting me with the undersize and oversize clothes you’ve insisted on modelling for me.”
“The whole idea is for you to feel my pain, not enjoy it at my expense,” he hooted.
Right now, she sat tongue-tied watching the trouser fabric almost loosen at the seams because his toned ass snugged it in a way that robbed her mind of its precious peace. When she’d agreed to accompany him to get a suit, she had not bargained he would turn it into a clothing circus.
“So, what do you think?” Banjo asked, twisting his lips into a funny curl.
Stifling down a giggle, she shook her head. “Try one trouser a size up and find a shirt that’s your size and stop messing about. Don’t waste my time coming out here if the trousers fit too tight.” Although Banjo’s bulge was hard to ignore, she tried not to stare directly at his fly. With the zip halfway undone because the trouser did not fit, it was a miracle she did not step forward to help him out. Thank God, his grey, hip-hugging designer briefs covered the top half of his crotch. To cope with the warmth growing within her chest, she chewed her bottom lip.
“Are you tired of staring at my body?” A cheeky grin followed Banjo’s question.
“Yes. It would help if you knew your size though,” she reproved in a light tone to tame the heat gathering in her stomach.
This was supposed to be fun for her. Not anymore. After watching Banjo change from one undersize outfit to another, her body tingled all over. His carved chest–tattooed with love–and his abs were designed to be touched by her fingers. And, his bulge reminded her of what she could have celebrated if things were a little different.
Flushed from her naughty thoughts, Rachael picked up a magazine from the coffee table and fanned herself. Then her phone vibrated.
“Wait, I’ll be back,” Banjo called out as he made his way back to the changing area.
Seated on a sofa, Rachael chewed her pinkie finger, only stopping when the false nail was too hard to bite through. She breathed in and out as images of Banjo’s sexy body flashed from one corner of her mind to the other. Sweet thoughts stirred her chest and she sat forward, shaking her feet wanting this ordeal to end.
Then Rachael checked her phone and found five text messages from Candice and Sabrina. Days ago, she had sent a photo of Banjo to her friends. It was the one she took while he surfed. It had been a challenge to snap pictures of him without been caught.
The message from Candice, read; “OMG! Get to work, girl. He’s hot!” followed by six different emoticons. Racheal grinned, fanning herself with her hand. And Sabrina’s message popped up. It read, Oh my days!!! He’s strong & sexy! Ride him now. What are you waiting for?
Before she could hit the reply button, Banjo appeared in a white shirt that fit his body like second skin. Rachael’s jaw dropped and her eyes widened. The outline of his biceps, forearms and the ridges on his abs teased her into shocking silence.
“Do I look like the perfect person to be by your side at the event?” His Italian drawl fanned the embers between her legs. Banjo knew just when to project his sexy accent. Tremors gushed down her backbone and she gritted her teeth.
Yet, her eyes fell to the flat front black trousers that worshipped his firm thighs and legs in a way that screamed, I’m so sexy.
To answer his question, Rachael stood on her feet and approached him. “Yes, you look perfect.” Before she could second guess her action, she reached for his left bicep and squeezed. She had wanted to touch his arms from day one. Strong waves like she never imagined burst through the shirt and scorched her fingers.
Awestruck, Rachael pulled back, but Banjo caught her right wrist and peered into her eyes.
“Don’t pull away, mio amico.”
For a moment, they stared at each other, searching and asking unspoken questions. Her chest thundered and she almost weakened at her knees. The Italian phrase, mio amico meaning, my friend sounded more like he wanted to make sweet love to her.
“Are you happy with the outfit, sir?” the saleswoman asked from the doorway to the showroom, and the fragile moment shattered into pieces as Banjo let go of Rachael’s hand.
“We’ll let you know when we’re ready,” Banjo said to the saleswoman, but his eyes remained on Rachael’s, urging her to open up to him.
Rachael swallowed, too afraid to breathe, too afraid to speak. Now was not the time to confront her muddled feelings.
“Talk to me, Rachael. Why do you shut me out? I just want to be your friend.”
“We’re friends,” she murmured, turning away and going back to sit on the sofa. Within her chest, her heart fluttered.
As she watched, Banjo shrugged on a jacket, holding her gaze as he straightened the slim fit fabric. The sophisticated dinner suit in twill with traditional smooth satin details boasted a single-breasted two-button jacket, elegant shawl lapels, straight shoulders and jetted breast pocket.
Every piece of clothing wrapped his striking frame like a dream, confusing her thoughts. Inside her bra, her nipples beaded and her thighs were now toasty.
“Are you still tongue-tied?” Banjo asked with an arched eyebrow.
Swallowing in a rush, she piped. “I already told you. The outfit is great. The jacket adds something more. Can we wrap this up now?”
Her words sounded forced from her throat. Clearly, she was struggling to control her awareness of this man who demanded her attention in a brutal way.
“If you’re sure, then it’s all good.” Banjo whisked himself out of the showroom leaving a bewildered Rachael behind.
Soon he was back with a large package. “I need a pair of matching black shoes. Where do you suggest we find a pair that fits me?”
Shaking off the heat igniting inside her chest, Rachael frowned. “What size do you wear?”
“Guess,” he beamed as they walked out of the shop and sauntered straight into Desiree who had been making her way down the wide walkway.
“Hello Desiree,” Rachael greeted the woman who knew the soft gossip of everyone who lived in the coastal cities along the entire French Riviera.
“Good to see you, Rachael.” Desiree’s small smile ballooned into a broad one when she caught sight of Banjo standing behind Rachael.
Moving ahead with the hope of carrying on with their shopping, Rachael stopped because Desiree had other ideas. Without second thoughts, Desiree rushed toward Banjo and opened her arms for a hug.
Knots clenched inside Rachael’s stomach. Maybe it was fear. Maybe it was jealousy. But it was not indifference. Whatever it was, Rachael ground her teeth as she waited for Banjo to hug Desiree. But he lifted the packages in his hands in front of him, halting the other woman’s pleasure ride. And a sigh slipped out of Rachael’s mouth. Undoubtedly, it was a sigh of relief.
“Oh, have you been shopping together?” asked Desiree looking from Banjo to Rachael.
Rachael shrugged and offered a small grin. It was not her place to shop and tell, she thought. Besides what she did with Banjo was not Desiree’s business.
Desiree turned to Banjo, fluttering her eyelashes as she reached for his right arm. Rachael swallowed, squirming inside as Desiree’s fingers tightened around his arm.
“Desiree, I still have some more shopping to do with Rachael tonight. We’ll catch up sometim
e.”
The woman reluctantly let go of his arm. “Are you free tomorrow?” Desiree asked with a pout.
Inside her head, Rachael wanted to smack Desiree’s desperate face with a frying pan. The thought brought a wide grin to her face.
“As a matter fact, I’m not free at all. I’m going to be very busy with Rachael in the next couple of weeks. But my pledge still stands.”
Desiree stepped back as if she had been hit by a fast-moving train. “I envy you, Rachael. Take care of him for me.”
“See you around, Desiree.” Really? Desiree already had her pink claws on Banjo. Christ! The woman did not waste precious moments sitting on her skinny backside.
Once they were out of Desiree’s earshot, Banjo chuckled while his eyes gleamed.
“I missed the joke,” Rachael grumbled.
“I saw the way you ate up Desiree with your eyes. It was funny.”
“Such familiarity within so short a time makes me wonder if you already got into bed with her.”
Banjo halted for no reason. And she slammed straight into him from behind. Swiftly, he turned on his heel and wrapped his free arm around her body. For a whole minute, she stayed pressed to Banjo’s full height. When her bump got in the way, she shifted a bit, breathing in his warmth and sharp masculine fragrance.
Banjo’s arms felt like a safe haven. What a strange feeling, impossible even, but true. Around the impressive walkway bothered by hand-crafted banisters, people walked past and no one cared that she lingered in his arms.
“Are you okay?” Banjo cooed in her ear.
The skin along her neck heated up, sending pools of desire racing to her nipples.
“Fine, thank you,” she replied, pushing away from him. “Follow behind, I’ll take you to the shoe shop.” How did she get herself entangled with Banjo despite her best efforts to keep away?
“Suits me,” he agreed. “You were going to guess my shoe size,” he reminded her with a wink and a nudge.
“After you tell me if you and Desiree are checking each other out behind closed doors.” Loops formed in the depth of her belly while she waited for his response. Rubbing one hand along her bump, she shrugged. “Don’t answer the question. I’m not sure about your shoe size. With your frame, I would say you wear a size eleven.”
You're Mine ~ A Sweet & Steamy Romance Page 4
