Page 107 of The Forbidden Billionaire
“I’ll handle Marcus,” she says, “don’t worry about him.”
I will worry until I can speak to him alone, but I put it to the back of my mind and concentrate on the present, as we finish our lunch and head out into the bright sunlight.
We walk back slowly to 35 South, holding hands and enjoying the blustery sea breeze. We watch the fishing boats making their way from the waterfront out into the open sea, and both say that we’d like to live near the sea. We talk about having dogs and children, and I can see the same wonder in her eyes that I’m feeling, as a whole future opens up before us full of happiness and hope.
We’ve a long way to go yet, and lots to sort out before we even start thinking about settling down together, but I sense that she’s enjoying this glimpse into the future as much as I am. Maybe her relationship with Dominic was similar to mine with Penny, in as much as it was like walking on gravel, uncomfortable and tricky for so much of the time. It’s wonderful now to feel as if we’re walking on cool, damp sand with the water washing over our toes.
When we get back to the villa, we decide to pour ourselves a cold drink and sit on the deck and read for a while. We’ve just sat down and opened our books when we hear a knock at the front door.
Surprised, as we haven’t ordered any room service, I go over to the door and look through the peep hole. It’s one of the staff holding a bouquet of flowers. Frowning, I open the door.
“Good afternoon, sir,” he says. “Delivery for Ms. Ashford.”
My heart bangs against my ribs. “Were they delivered to the main reception?” I ask, taking the bouquet.
“Yes, sir. The caller specified Hydrangea Villa, but that’s empty at the moment, and as it had Ms. Ashford’s name on it, we assumed they’d just got the villa name wrong.”
There’s no point asking him who the caller was, as I doubt it was he who took the call. I thank him and close the door. I stand there for a moment, my brain working furiously.
“Oh,” Aurelia says, coming into the living room. “What beautiful flowers!” Her smile dies as she looks at my face, her mouth opening in an O of shock. “Oh no.”
Six feet apart, we stare at each other for a long moment.
“Are they from him?” she whispers.
“I’m not sure.” It’s possible that her parents or Marcus could have sent them. I remove the card where it’s stapled to the cellophane and pass it to her.
She opens it, and we both read it. It just says, “Hope you’re enjoying the island, Beauty.” It’s what he’s called her before, so the flowers are definitely from him.
She presses her hand to her mouth, her eyes darting around. “Is he here, on the island?”
“I don’t think so.” I take out my phone, pull up Ella’s number, and press dial as I take the flowers into the kitchen. I lay them on the counter and put the phone on speaker.
She answers in a few rings, “Luke? Everything okay?”
“We’ve just taken delivery of some flowers.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah. Ella… they were delivered to Hydrangea Villa. We’re staying in Hibiscus.”
“You told me Hydrangea.”
“I know.”
“Oh…” Understanding dawns in her voice. “You told me that on purpose?”
“Yeah. I wanted to know whether information was leaking from inside the team.”
Aurelia stares at me, clearly surprised. “It’s someone on the security team?”
Every piece I’ve been trying to fit together suddenly clicks. “I’d stake my career on it.”
“What made you realize?” Ella asks.
“He knew my name. He seemed to know Aurelia’s movements a little too intimately. I suspected he was in the security business because of the way he avoided the cameras at her apartment. Just a lot of little clues.”
Aurelia’s jaw has dropped. “Do you know who it is?”
