If Loving You is Wrong

2: Intimidating

Liana stared very impolitely as the man from the restaurant sauntered down the small steps towards she and her friends.

He was talking briefly to the white man standing next to him who laughed suddenly. For some bizarre and completely unsubstantiated reason, she thought they were laughing about her,

"Stop being stupid Li," she mumbled under her breath even while she still couldn't take her eyes off him.

Liana held back, unsure of what to think, do or say until Asahd, holding Saima close to his side and with a kiss on her temple, turned to introduce his companions.

"This is Julian," he said gesturing to a tall handsome black man, now stood beside him who nodded with a large smile of gleaming white teeth. Emilia seemed to be immediately smitten as she smiled shyly up at him.

"This is David," Asahd continued, pointing to the very pretty blonde hair, blue eyed white man who waved, "and this, is Antonio."

Liana's heart raced again as Antonio as he was now named, stepped forward with a slight nod of his head but no smile to speak of. So, he was the only one without manners it seemed,

"Nice to meet you," Emilia said,

"Likewise," Liana added quietly not sure of what else to say.

She couldn't seem to take her eyes off him but as yet, he hadn't even seemed to notice her.

Surely he must remember her from the restaurant; he'd been staring long enough...

"Asahd and his friends are joining us for a few days before they go back to work."

"Not all of us stopped working," Julian said with a smirk.

Asahd and David seemed to get the quip and laughed but Antonio remained steel faced, only a raise of his eyebrow showing he'd even acknowledged what they'd said. Emilia giggled as she took a not so subtle step toward Julian and said,

"Let's head back to the pool deck and get everyone settled in." Julian didn't need to be told twice and licked his lips as he followed Emilia back to the front of the yacht; everyone else followed including Antonio who walked right past Liana, without a word.

----

"So, what do you do?" Liana asked as the seven of them sat in the dining room having dinner later that evening.

They had mostly been discussing Saima and Asahd's engagement and how they would be getting married sooner rather than later; or at least until Asahd's latest business merger went through which seemed to effect the other men in some way as well.

Liana was sat in between David and Emilia throughout the mean but Emilia was so engrossed in heart surgeon Julian who sat beside her, she hadn't said two words to Liana all evening.

David smiled his perfect white teeth at her before replying,

"I'm an architect, large homes mainly. I'm actually working on a project with Antonio."

At the mention of his name, Antonio looked up from his dinner plate and turned his gaze on David and Liana. She tried not to be affected by it but the strength of his observation was too much to bare. She realised then that his eyes were a very deep green, like wet moss. He had really long eyelashes and while clean shaven, he had small crows feet at the corners of his eye and laugh lines around his mouth, though she couldn't tell what he could ever find funny. He'd been practically silent all evening; revealing nothing about himself and only making the bare minimum in conversation. Liana wondered then how old he was,

"I was just telling Liana here about our new project Antonio, care to elaborate?"

For the first time in the hours since he had arrived on the yacht, Antonio looked directly at her and Liana's heart stopped but resumed beating in a throbbing pulse a little further down...

"Not really." Antonio said before turning away from them again and Liana was shocked at his rudeness although David didn't seem to be. The blonde architect laughed and turned away from his friend,

"Forgive Antonio, he's not very sociable. He has...issues," Liana saw as Antonio scoffed even though he wasn't looking at them and for some reason this angered her more,

"Excuse me David but I need to get some air," she said gently before putting her napkin on the table and heading outside.

Liana stood on the side of the yacht, looking down into the still dark water.

They weren't currently moving and so the water looked like a solid black blanket with no moon to light it up. She gripped the railing, her knuckles turning white as she mulled over being so angry about a man she knew nothing about.

That wasn't altogether true, she knew his name and the fact that he was rude and anti-social so why then was she so attracted to him?

He was absolutely beautiful and when he had finally looked at her at the dinner table, she could have happily disappeared into his eyes.

Liana brushed a few of her flowing curls out of her face and placed it behind her ears,

"Put it back,"

Liana almost jumped clean out of her skin as she turned at the sound of a mans voice and saw Antonio standing there.

"What?"

"Put it back," he repeated. "Your hair looks beautiful around your face."

Liana was stunned,

"W-what are you doing out here?"

"Watching you," he said simply as though it were obvious and the most natural thing in the world. "I've been watching you all day it seems."

His voice was low as though he didn't have to adhere to the laws of nature and be heard over the winds on the ocean.

Liana's heart leapt, he did know who she was but why then had he been ignoring her?

"You haven't looked at me...said anything to me..."

"I don't know you," Liana faltered as she stared back at him, mesmerized by his solemn expression and penetrating stare.

"No, you don't...excuse me." Liana moved to walk by him and back into the dining cabin when Antonio reached out and grabbed hold of her arm, puling her into his chest and without another word to her, lowered his head and kissed her.

Liana was lost.

Lost in his kiss, his scent; his body and his mouth.

Everything about her was lost to the incredible sensations that flowed through her body as Antonio kissed her.

It wasn't gentle or loving but passionate and sinful and Liana knew she wouldn't have stopped him if he'd try to have sex with her right then and there.

She couldn't explain why but she wanted this man, wanted his body inside hers and just as she was thinking to give in to that need...

"Liana?"

Antonio let go of her instantly and placed his hands into his pockets,

"Liana there you are, what are you doing out here...Antonio?" Emilia looked from Antonio to her friend for an explanation, but Liana was too stunned to speak; her heart currently threatening to beat straight out of her rib cage!

Antonio nodded his head in acknowledgement,

"Excuse me," he said simply and casually, walked away.