Vasili was fighting his curiosity about her. He shouldn’t want to know more. What he learnt would make no difference to their strange relationship, no matter how much he lusted for her.
‘What about your mother?’ he asked.
She shook her head. ‘I never knew her. She died when I was an infant.’
‘So it was just you and your father?’
‘Yes.’
Vasili had always felt alone, despite having a family, but Helia...she truly was alone. Well, not any more. Because his ring did sit on her finger, even if it was impossible for him to be the kind of husband she would want.
The way she looked at the water, with such longing, broke his heart. It was true that Vasili had to protect himself from Helia. To prevent her from getting too close. But he wouldn’t let the situation they were in change the man he was—and that man would never be cruel enough to leave someone drowning in their grief. In their loneliness.
Like you are?
Standing up, he ignored that voice, holding out a hand to her instead. ‘Come with me.’
She hesitated before placing her hand in his. ‘Where are we going?’
‘You’ll see.’
He released her hand as soon as he’d pulled her up, leading her to the massive sparkling blue pool on the deck. He descended the steps one at a time, feeling the water rising with each step, until he was waist-deep, his feet planted firmly on the floor of the pool.
He turned back to Helia then, holding out his hand with an inviting smile. ‘Join me.’
Vasili watched her closely as he waited at the wide steps.
Her eyes darted the length of the pool. Fixating on the deep end.
‘Don’t think about that yet. Just join me over here.’
Satisfaction and heat battled for dominance within him as he noticed the way her gaze travelled from his upturned palm to his body. She was drinking in every inch of his bare skin.
‘Trust me.’
The two words had her gaze meeting his, and then, with a deep breath, she screwed up her courage, peeled off her kimono and slowly stepped into the water.
Pure pride washed through him, but he pushed that aside. Pride wasn’t something he would allow himself to feel for this person he was trying to keep at arm’s length.
Vasili moved towards her, and she latched on to his hand the moment he offered it.
‘That’s it,’ he encouraged, leading her to the next step, and the next, until she was standing with him.
‘How do you feel?’ Vasili asked. He could see how tense she was.
‘Okay for now.’
‘Just breathe, Helia. The water is shallow. Relax.’
She nodded, but his heart twisted at seeing all her confidence vanish.
‘I won’t let anything happen to you.’
‘I believe you,’ she said, in a slightly tremulous voice.
Her beauty paralysed him. Vasili stood in the water with her, taking in the way her swimsuit covered her up but left little to the imagination. As bikinis went, it was modest. Vasili had been on boats with women who wore far less. Yet this green garment had him in a chokehold. It revealed just enough of her breasts for him to picture kissing them. Leaving his mark on them. Her bare stomach was flat, with little droplets of water...
He spun Helia around in order to regain control over himself.
