It just might take a while for her to talk herself into it, knowing Sadie.
He watched her lean legs disappearing into the water and shifted to keep a better eye on her as she dived under the waves. She looked so at home out there, like a sea nymph returning to her natural environment after being cooped up on land for too long. She looked free in a way she hadn’t since he’d arrived in Turkey.
Dylan wanted to make her look that way on land. Preferably in a bed.
Eventually, Sadie emerged again from the waves, slicking her dark hair back from her face with her hands. With water droplets shining off her skin in the sun, she began walking back towards him, and Dylan found himself putting a lot of effort into keeping his body calm and relaxed in the face of such a sight. God, she was beautiful.
The sound of his ringing phone was an almost welcome distraction. Fumbling in the pocket of his rucksack, he pulled it out and answered, only half listening to what his assistant had to say as Sadie arrived, rolled her eyes at him, and began towelling off with a spare towel.
By the time he ended the call Dylan wasn’t entirely sure what he’d agreed to, but he trusted his assistant to email him all the pertinent details. He’d deal with them later, when there were fewer distractions around.
‘Honestly. Who brings work to the beach?’ Wrapping a flimsy scarf thing around her waist, Sadie dropped to sit on the towel beside him.
‘You brought me,’ Dylan pointed out. ‘This week, that’s practically the same thing.’
Sadie laughed, high and bright, a sound he’d almost thought lost. She was so much more relaxed out here; he could tell it from the lines of her shoulders, the absence of the crease between her eyebrows that he’d thought was permanent. This was the Sadie he remembered.
‘Seriously, though,’ she said, ‘what’s so important that it can’t wait a few hours? Why not just let it ring—or, better yet, turn it off?’
Dylan shrugged—and realised she was watching his shoulders rise and fall. Interesting. ‘Guess I don’t want to risk missing an opportunity. I’ve missed too many in my life already.’
He’d been talking about the years spent taking responsibility for his family, saying no to chances and opportunities because they’d needed him. But as the words hung in the air between them he realised she thought he meant something else entirely. And maybe, he admitted to himself, maybe he did. Did you ever wonder what might have happened if you’d met me first, instead of Adem?
I wondered.
Sadie looked down at her hands, damp hair hanging forward across her cheek. ‘I’m not the same girl you asked that question all those years ago,’ she said, her voice soft.
‘You think I don’t know that?’ he asked. ‘Look at me, Sadie.’ She did as he asked, and Dylan took a long moment just absorbing everything she was now. Slowly, obviously, he looked over every inch of her, from her hair—shorter now than when they’d met by a good foot—down over her body, past every added curve or line, every soft patch and every muscle, all the way to her feet.
Did she really not know? Not realise how much she’d grown up since then—and how every year had only made her a better person? Who would want the twenty-year-old Sadie compared to the one who sat before him now?
‘You are so much more now than you were then,’ he murmured, knowing she’d hear him anyway. ‘You’re stronger, more beautiful, more alive...more than I ever dreamt any woman could be.’
* * *
Sadie stared down at him, captivated by his gaze as confusion, guilt and hope fought for space in her head. Did he really think that?
Yes. The answer came fast and true as she looked into his eyes. This wasn’t Dylan making a move, the way he did with all those other women. This wasn’t a seduction attempt. It was him stating a fact—something that was true and obvious to him, even if she found it hard to believe.
The knowledge that he believed it warmed her damp skin far more than the sun overhead. And his gaze on her body...well, that felt even hotter.
She broke, forcing her gaze away from his, and reached for a dry towel to lay out on the sand. Whatever this was between them, she wasn’t ready to deal with it just yet. She needed time to process his words—to examine them, pick them apart and find some sense in them, somewhere. And that was all but impossible when he was lying there next to her in nothing but a pair of swim shorts.
‘You should go for a swim,’ she said, not looking at him. ‘The water’s glorious.’
‘You looked very happy, splashing about out there.’ He didn’t make any move towards the water, though.
‘I love it,’ Sadie admitted. A truth for a truth perhaps. ‘The sea always makes me feel...free somehow.’ Like all her promises and commitments, all her obligations and the weight of her worries might just float away on the tide.
‘I can see the appeal.’ With a groan, Dylan hauled himself to his feet, brushing off the stray grains of sand that clung to his legs. ‘Okay. I’ll go for a swim.’ He flashed her a smile. ‘Just for you.’
‘Great. Enjoy.’ Sadie sat down on her fresh towel with a bump, staring after him as he walked towards the water’s edge, the sun turning his skin golden across his broad back and trim waist.
She needed to think, she reminded herself, not ogle. With an act of willpower much harder than it should have been, she lay down and closed her eyes. There was no way she could think sensibly about that strange moment with Dylan while she could still see him. His very presence was distracting.
Unfortunately, she’d failed to account for her late night and exercise in her plan. The next thing she knew, cool droplets of water were dripping onto her and a sun-warm towel was being laid across her body. Her eyes flew open to find out why.
‘Sorry.’ Dylan tossed his head back, sending more water droplets flying. ‘But it’s pretty warm out here. I was afraid you’d burn.’
Personally, Sadie thought his presence might be more of a threat of that than the sun, but she wasn’t telling him that.
‘Thanks.’ She sat up. ‘Good swim? How long was I asleep?’
Dylan shrugged, fished in his bag for his phone and checked the time. ‘Half an hour or so, I guess? It’s nearly two.’
‘Wow. We missed lunch. Are you hungry?’ It wasn’t like they hadn’t had a substantial breakfast to keep them going, but all of a sudden her stomach was grumbling.
‘You know, amazingly, I am.’
‘Come on, then. There’s a great seafood place just off the beach. And it’s in the shade.’
Together, they packed up their small camp. Sadie pulled on her skirt and top over her tankini, and breathed a sigh of relief as Dylan put his shirt back on too. Half-naked Dylan on the beach was one thing—sitting at lunch was another entirely.
They headed up towards the boardwalk that ran along the edge of the beach. Brushing dry sand from their feet, they put their shoes back on and Sadie led him past the first few restaurants and cafés to the one she had in mind.
‘Finn loves the seafood platters here,’ she said, as they waited to be shown to a table. ‘You’d think a four-year-old would balk at calamari and battered prawns and such, but he loves them.’
‘It’s sounding pretty good to me too,’ Dylan said. ‘Perfect for a light lunch after a morning on the beach.’
Sadie smiled up at him. ‘Then that’s what we’ll have.’
Their table was at the front of the restaurant, and the glass doors that spanned the length of the space had been thrown open. Sadie sat back and listened to the waves, enjoying the cool shade on her hot body as they waited for their food. Her skin felt almost too sensitive now, like it was still being touched all over. She glanced across the table at Dylan and found his eyes already on her.
Maybe that was why.
It wasn’t until they were tucking into their seafood platter that Sadie
spotted the small flaw in her plan. ‘I was going to take you out for seafood tonight,’ she said, remembering suddenly her booking at the restaurant on the marina that had such good reviews. It was fancier than this place, and probably had less sand on the floor, but she’d be willing to bet their seafood platter wouldn’t have been as good as the one they were enjoying anyway. ‘Guess I’d better come up with something else after this. What do you fancy?’
Dylan paused with a prawn halfway to his mouth, looking at her just a moment too long to be entirely comfortable.
‘Actually, I’ve got plans for tonight.’
Oh. How stupid to assume that he’d want to spend the whole day with her and have dinner too. Just because he had the previous day.
‘Plans for us,’ Dylan clarified, and relief warred with anxiety within her.
‘Oh?’ she said, as lightly as she could. ‘I thought I was supposed to be showing you the town.’
‘And you’ve been doing a great job,’ he said. ‘But now it’s my turn.’
‘Where are we going?’ Sadie asked, because she couldn’t really ask ‘Is this a date?’ without sounding incredibly idiotic if it wasn’t—and terrified if it was.
‘It’s a surprise.’ Dylan’s smile was almost wolfish, and it sent a shiver across the surface of her skin. ‘Just dress fancy, be in the lobby at eight, and leave everything else to me.’
Leave everything to him? If Dylan was in charge she shouldn’t be worried about it being a date.
She should be scared—or prepared—for it to be a seduction.
CHAPTER NINE
BACK AT THE AZURE, Dylan hung behind as they arrived in the lobby, waiting for Sadie to disappear before he put his last-minute plan into action.
It only took a moment to realise that Sadie was doing exactly the same thing. The woman was incurably curious.
‘Go on,’ he said, making a shooing motion with his hands. ‘You go get yourself all dolled up for tonight.’
‘You’re sure?’ Sadie remained hovering next to the reception desk, her hands clasped in front of her. Behind the desk, the woman on Reception rolled her eyes in amusement. ‘You don’t need me to call and book anything? What about a taxi?’
‘I have it all in hand,’ Dylan assured her. Which was only partially a lie—he knew exactly what he needed to do to get it in hand. Sadie just had to leave the area first. ‘And if I don’t, the lovely...’ He waved at the girl behind the desk.
‘Esma,’ she filled in promptly.
‘Esma here can help me. So go. Get ready.’ For a moment he thought she was about to object again, then she nodded sharply and started to head for the lifts.
He should let her go. Anything else would just make her more curious, more determined to find out his plans. But still...
‘And, Sadie?’ he called after her. She paused and turned back to face him. ‘Don’t wear black tonight.’
Sadie’s frustrated expression was its own reward.
Once he was sure she’d really gone, and the lift lights had ticked up to the higher floors, Dylan turned to Esma.
‘Okay, here’s the thing. I have a plan, but I need a little help.’
‘Whatever you need, sir,’ Esma replied cheerfully, and he wondered if she’d been ordered to give him anything he wanted, just to make sure he invested. Probably, he decided. No one who worked with people all day was ever naturally that cheery by late afternoon.
‘Great,’ he said. ‘Here’s what I need...’
A few phone calls later and it was done. Cars booked—thanks to Sadie’s reminder about taxis—and the best table reserved at the restaurant of the swankiest and newest hotel in Kuşadasi. As an afterthought, he’d also booked a room. Not—despite the voice at the back of his head telling him what a great idea it would be—to try and convince Sadie that friendship wasn’t enough.
No, if Sadie was serious about coming up with a new plan, and doing whatever it took to save the Azure, then she needed to know what she was up against. And so did he. The Paradise Grand Hotel was the place to go for that. By the time she’d taken a good look at the place and its rooms and restaurant, Sadie would know exactly how much work they had ahead of them.
Letting himself into his suite, he headed straight for the shower, whistling as he went. Everything was coming together nicely.
It wasn’t until he was lathering up, water sluicing down around him, that it occurred to Dylan that Sadie might think the evening could be something other than just business.
And would that really be so bad?
They’d made it past the memories of last night and through the strange, close moments on the beach. If he wasn’t mistaken, there had been a definite...softening in Sadie’s attitude to him since he’d confessed to the almost-kiss she apparently couldn’t remember.
Maybe this was more than just business. Maybe it could even be a second chance at something he’d never really had a first chance at.
But no. Tonight wasn’t the night.
Even if he did want to try and win one night with her, one glorious stolen moment, it couldn’t be tonight. Before anything at all could happen between them, they had to hammer out the work side of things. Mixing business and pleasure never ended well, in his experience.
But once their plan for the Azure was secure, he’d have a whole new proposal to put to Sadie.
He couldn’t just take his usual, casual approach to a hook-up—because Sadie wasn’t like his usual conquests. They had history, for a start. And she’d been clear on the friendship front, for good reasons. Her place was here in Turkey, with Finn and her memories, much as he wished he might be able to persuade her to move on from that. He couldn’t compete with the commitments she’d made—and even if he could, would he really want to? So he’d be upfront about what he could offer—and it wasn’t forever. He was a short-term fix at best—in business or otherwise. That had to be clear before he could take things further, otherwise it wouldn’t be fair—on either of them.
Tonight would be all business.
Decision made, Dylan shut off the shower and told himself that putting on his best suit for the evening was all about the destination, not the company.
* * *
Don’t wear black. What kind of fashion advice was that? And who was Dylan Jacobs to tell her what she should or shouldn’t wear anyway?
Except...if tonight was about them for once, instead of business, maybe this was just his way of hinting at that. Letting her know she was off duty tonight; that she could retire the black suit, relax and just enjoy being there with him.
She had to admit it did sound appealing.
Eventually, she picked out a navy halterneck cocktail dress that showed off her slightly pink shoulders, and slid it over her showered and lotioned skin. It was fancier than anything she’d have worn to the restaurant at the Azure or to a bar, but not too over the top. And he had said to dress up...
With a decisive nod, Sadie picked out her highest silver heels and added a little eyeliner to her usual make-up.
When she finally made her way down to the lobby, she was glad she’d made the effort. Hanging off the arm of Dylan Jacobs could be enough to make a girl feel positively plain by comparison at the best of times, but the suit he’d chosen for the evening only made things worse. Charcoal grey and perfectly cut, it accentuated all the wonderful things about his body that she’d tried not to stare at on the beach that morning. With a crisp, white shirt open at the neck he looked the epitome of relaxed elegance.
Sadie stood up a little straighter and hoped she didn’t fall over in the unfamiliar heels.
‘You look fantastic,’ Dylan said, leaning in to kiss her cheek. ‘And navy—’
‘It’s not black,’ Sadie interrupted quickly. ‘That was your only stipulation.’
‘Is definitely you
r colour—that was all I was going to say.’ Dylan flashed her a smile as he took her arm. ‘Come on, the car is waiting.’
‘Okay,’ Sadie said, once they were both settled in the back seat of the car. ‘I’m dolled up, we’re in the car—now will you tell me where we’re going?’
‘What’s the best, most luxurious and prestigious hotel in Kuşadasi?’
‘The new Paradise Grand,’ Sadie answered promptly, then frowned. ‘Wait. Why are we going there?’
‘To check out the competition,’ Dylan said. ‘If you’re really ready to go with a new plan to save the Azure, you need to know exactly what you’re up against.’
She should have worn a black suit.
Hopefully the car was dark enough that he couldn’t see her embarrassed blush. What had she been thinking, imagining this could be anything more than just business? Wasn’t that what they’d agreed? And what she’d insisted on from the start?
This was why he was here, in Turkey. Anything else was completely incidental. She had to remember that.
‘Here we are,’ Dylan said a while later, as the car pulled to a halt. Jumping out, he headed round to open her door before the driver could, and she took his hand as she stepped out of the car.
At least now she knew what she was really there for, she could give it her full attention.
The new Paradise Grand Hotel was on the outskirts of town, a little further than most tourists would like—but there the similarities with the Azure ended. Sadie was pretty sure that any guest would put up with the mildly inconvenient location in return for the splendour the Paradise Grand offered.
The hotel building rose out of a garden of palm leaves and greenery, all glass and steel and white stone. Her hand on Dylan’s arm, Sadie climbed the steps and the automatic doors opened with a swoosh.
Inside, the lobby was every bit as impressive as the exterior. The centre of the building was open all the way to the glass roof—some twenty storeys up—and every floor had a balcony overlooking the majesty of the central foyer. An ostentatious fountain burbled in the middle, surrounded by more local flora. Sadie swallowed as the chattering sounds of what had to be a full-occupancy hotel filled her ears.
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