A sharp sensation of protectiveness—of possessiveness—speared through him. That couldn’t be right.
But his instincts honed in. He needed to discover the secrets lurking just beneath her beautiful, blushing surface. Was he right? Because it might explain some things...
Suddenly escaping everything seemed like a fantastic idea. Perhaps he ought to take her criticism as constructive feedback. Perhaps he ought to take a break from work to focus solely on this situation. He could barely work anyway because he was too busy ruminating on her rejection. He couldn’t concentrate until he got what he wanted. And now what he wanted was to know her. They could go somewhere warm with water and a beautiful view of things she liked—plants? Weird fish? And no interruptions whatsoever. He’d put all his energy into securing this deal. It was like any other acquisition, right? It needed time for negotiations; he needed to make the most enticing offer he could and the other party needed time to adjust to the change.
But there was no professional protocol to be maintained when the deal was this personal. He would protect his children. He would protect their mother. Somehow he would find a way to ensure she couldn’t refuse what was right and best.
He phoned Petra—his assistant manager on the insurance arm.
‘Sorry, P, I know it’s Saturday but this is a biggie.’ He gritted his teeth, thinking of what Rosanna had said.
Petra’s surprise was audible as he asked her to step in and take over for a few days. But he also sensed her determination whistling down the phone. She wanted to do a good job. He knew he could count on his people, he just...hadn’t done it to this extent before.
‘I’m going to be out of contact almost completely,’ he warned her, bracing against his own discomfort at the thought.
‘For how long?’ Petra sounded staggered.
‘It shouldn’t be more than a week, but I’ll keep you posted.’
Then he phoned Jake on the Castle Holdings arm and repeated the request. It was only going to be a few days. Surely nothing too drastic could happen in that time. He’d sort out the marriage situation with Rosanna and prove her wrong about his micromanagement tendencies at the same time. Win-win.
He found her perched on the edge of her bed, frowning at a book.
‘Did you unpack your bag already?’ he asked.
Her eyes widened. ‘Um...’
‘Pack it again. We’re going away.’
Her eyebrows shot up, like a porcupine on instant defence. ‘Yesterday’s travel wasn’t enough for you?’
‘I think you were right,’ he said briskly. ‘We both need time and space to sort this out together.’
‘What about your work?’
‘I can’t remember when I last had a holiday.’ Fact was, he’d never had one. ‘Now is as good a time as any.’
A mutinous gleam shone in her eyes. ‘So what’s your plan?’
Was that resentment at his authoritative style? He breathed out, trying to slow down long enough for her to get on board. ‘Where would you like to go?’
He’d already made arrangements but they could be changed—he could nail adaptation for her.
‘I’m not leaving the country.’
Her suspicion was sobering. He had a lot of work to do to gain her trust. ‘I’m not asking you to,’ he said quietly. ‘But we could get some fresh air and sunshine.’
‘Have you noticed my skin?’ She gestured to her face and body with her hand. ‘The last thing I need is sunshine.’
Now he smiled, because he had noticed her skin. He couldn’t seem to resist fantasising about tracing her freckles. ‘Warmth and rest, then. You’re exhausted.’ He held his breath.
She regarded him steadily for a long moment. And then? ‘Okay.’
A win. Finally.
CHAPTER TEN
ANY OTHER WOMAN would consider a three-hour flight cosied up in a first-class pod with Leo Castle a dream come true. For Rosanna? It was a nightmare. He was too close; she could smell the freshness of his soap and feel the warmth of his body. Both of which made her want to lean even closer. She didn’t, of course. She fretted.
She’d messaged her parents just before boarding, guiltily telling them she’d gone away on an assignment for work. It wasn’t altogether untrue. This was a kind of business. And she wanted any future arrangement agreed with Leo before telling her parents. She didn’t want them attempting to interfere.
‘Why the Great Barrier Reef?’ she asked Leo, desperate for distraction from his nearness.
‘Why not?’ he replied. ‘You ever been?’
She shook her head.
‘Me either.’ He smiled enough for the one dimple to make a brief appearance. ‘We can discover it together.’
He was working hard at being agreeable but the truth was there was a slender bond of intimacy growing between them. Not quite the sort she secretly ached for. Right now she couldn’t maintain eye contact or she was going to do something stupid. She pounced on the small packet of snacks the air steward passed her. It was exactly what she needed to occupy herself. But the packet was impossible to open. She tried with hands, then teeth, then with pure unadulterated frustration.
‘Do you want—?’ Leo broke off as the foil finally burst and launched salty rice snacks into the air like confetti. ‘A hand with that?’ He finished the offer belatedly.
Rosanna stared. Leo was the one who needed a hand. He’d borne the brunt of the explosion. A billion rice snacks now littered his lap. She half expected him to explode next. Instead he shot her a sideways look and not one, but two dimples appeared. Next minute, the man was laughing.
Rosanna remained frozen a split second longer, then she too slid into a chuckle—half in relief, then pure ridiculousness. His laugh was warm and infectious and the unexpected merriment multiplied. She giggled helplessly as she felt his shoulders shake in an easy, intimate moment. She helped him collect the morsels, trying not to make anything of the chance to touch him, but she felt her flush building and knew he was watching her expression too closely.
‘Sorry,’ she muttered.
‘I’m not,’ he answered in that low, intimate way. ‘It’s nice to see you laugh. You haven’t much.’
She glanced up and was ensnared in his gaze. ‘Nor have you.’
Now he was smiling, small and lopsided, but true and unbearably intense. The whisper of want swirled, spinning her closer to him. It would be so easy to tip forward and touch her mouth to his—that kiss last night had sent her soaring. And his smile now reminded her of the gentle humour that night on his terrace at the towers. It had been irresistibly easy then. But they’d both been pretending to be people they weren’t. That wasn’t reality now.
‘Next time, let me help?’ His gravity washed through her like shock waves, radiating through her body to bone.
Could she trust him to? Did she have any real choice?
In how he helped? Yes, she did. She sobered completely and made herself sit back. She had to think more clearly than this.
After the flight they faced a hop by helicopter. They skimmed over sapphire waters, looking down on emerald and gold islands that Rosanna could scarcely believe were real, so gorgeous were the colours. Finally at their secluded destination, she stood on the deck just absorbing the hombre blues stretching before her. The privacy and luxury and untouched wildness were profound.
‘Lost for words?’ he asked quietly.
She nodded. She’d thought that by escaping the city—his domain, her family difficulties—she’d be able to focus on combatting his will. Only now she was here in this incredible, unique beauty, peace descended. In a place this perfect, there could be only tranquillity.
‘We have the hut to ourselves,’ he said.
Rosanna smiled. She wouldn’t exactly call it a hut. The stunning villa was mostly open-plan with clean lines and soft furnishings that subt
ly screamed comfort. She’d noted with relief that there were two bedrooms, both with stunning views. They had their own pool as well as that amazing ocean just behind her. But none of these exquisite things were enough to distract her from the man now walking towards her.
‘Give me your phone.’ He held his in one hand and stretched his other towards her.
‘Why?’
She followed him into the villa and watched him open the small safe secreted in the lounge. ‘Locking away my phone and my watch. Yours too.’ He glanced at her wrist but she didn’t have a fancy smart watch like his.
She met the challenge in his gaze and handed her phone over.
‘No phones. No moans,’ he mocked.
‘What?’ She coloured at his amused phrase.
‘That’s the deal, right?’ he said softly, standing too close to her. ‘No work. No pleasure either. At least, not sexual.’
Her heart beat heavily.
‘Because, just so we’re clear, that’s how I’d like to relax,’ he said.
He actually looked more relaxed already. More handsome. More tempting.
‘You said you didn’t really fool about all that much,’ she muttered huskily.
‘Now I’m here with you I can’t think of anything better.’
She tried to breathe. ‘Not going to happen.’
‘I know.’ He grinned. ‘I’m resigned to the fact.’
But she wasn’t; instead she was already battling the heated thoughts his words conjured. ‘You’ll never last without your phone.’
‘Maybe you’ll never last,’ he countered. ‘You’ll be the first one to give in.’
‘Is that your goal? To make me the one to surrender?’
‘Surrender?’ His lips curved seductively. ‘Why does it have to be a fight when it’s something we both actually want?’
‘We all want things that aren’t good for us sometimes.’
‘Sometimes we just need to live a little because who knows what’s going to happen tomorrow?’
As they had that night at Kingston Towers?
‘How long are we staying?’ She desperately turned the topic.
‘A week or so? Thought we could play it by ear.’
Her pulse lifted. She was going to be alone with him for days. ‘Wow. That’s a long time for you to be away from work. How are you going to cope?’
‘I’m sure I can find some way of passing the time.’ Such loaded implication in a quiet drawl. His smile suddenly flashed. ‘You enjoyed it, Rosanna. Why not let yourself enjoy it again?’ He leaned closer to whisper. ‘It can hardly make the situation worse, can it? You’re already pregnant. We’re already in a mire of complicated. Why do we have to feel frustrated as well?’
So this was merely a source of frustration for him? ‘You don’t think it will make things worse?’
‘I think it will make some things a whole lot better,’ he said calmly. ‘At least it will be out of the way.’
She stared at him. ‘So you think it will go away?’
‘When you’ve had enough of anything, you don’t want it any more.’
So she would become something he could take or leave without any concentration or effort or will. He’d indulge but couldn’t foresee indulging in her for too long. It wasn’t as if anyone else had ever wanted to. But for Rosanna the amount of will required to resist him right now was almost unsustainable. And if they indulged, what if they then became out of sync in the satiation of this hunger? What if he’d had enough before she did and he didn’t want her any more? He would find someone else who he did want. And...what if she never had enough? What then?
His smile softened. ‘I’m going to go cool off,’ he said. ‘You want to join me?’
She drew a steadying breath. She shook her head. ‘I’m going to...eat something.’
She watched him disappear into one of the bedrooms and then went to the sleek kitchen counter. She’d not considered how intimate this trip was going to be. How it had to be. She couldn’t play a part, she had to be herself. It was inevitable he’d discover everything about her here—it was the point, after all. Which meant she had to show herself as she was—flawed, stilted. Usually she was okay with herself, but she felt a flutter of nerves at him seeing her in a swimsuit. Her loose jeans and cotton tee were enough to mask scars—but she had more than scars to show.
She put together a small plate of delectable snacks from the vast selection on offer in the fridge, then went outside and sat on the comfortable lounger on the deck by the pool. She determinedly lifted her gaze beyond the pool to the amazing water beyond. Remote and isolated, this was an escape from the rest of the world and coming here was truly bucket-list material for her. She couldn’t wait to explore the living reef; the aquatic life would be incredible. Except at this moment she was most fascinated by the man tirelessly swimming length after length as if a great white shark were after him. He was in there a long time and, incredibly, her lashes lowered as the sound of the water and the warmth of the setting sun and the oddly comforting closeness of Leo Castle lulled her and suddenly she was fast asleep.
* * *
Rosanna stretched out slowly, loath to relinquish the dreamiest sleep she’d enjoyed in weeks. But as she blinked she heard an amused voice from a distance.
‘I was wondering if you were ever going to wake up.’ Leo stepped into her line of sight. ‘You’re like Sleeping Beauty.’
She stared at him—his black swim trunks and red tee revealed strength and heat... ‘Holiday’ Leo looked fine.
Quickly she sat up. ‘But I’m awake now. No kiss necessary.’
She was still dressed in yesterday’s jeans and tee but she had no recollection of getting from the lounger outside to the bedroom. He must’ve carried her and she didn’t even remember it, which was...embarrassing.
‘You were very sleepy,’ he said.
She glanced down beside her, noting the smooth clear space where he’d not slept.
‘I took the other room obviously,’ he added, revealing yet again he’d read her mind.
She felt that wretched heat fill her face.
‘Although you’re far more biddable when you’re half-conscious.’ Amusement kindled in his eyes. ‘Like a little limpet. It took some manoeuvring to extricate myself from your sleepy clutches.’
Surely he was joking? But she could well believe her body would burrow close to his given the chance.
‘Don’t worry, I was a gentleman.’ His customary serious expression returned. ‘I’m sorry if all the travel was too much.’
‘It wasn’t,’ she said huskily. ‘I was just tired.’
He left her and Rosanna resolutely put on a bikini she’d barely worn and covered it with a wrap dress. She couldn’t pretend to be anything she wasn’t and the sooner she was honest with him, the better. On her way through she snaffled a pastry from the platter on the kitchen counter and went out to the deck. It was a stunning day. Leo had sunglasses on and was pulling together swimming gear from a room by the pool.
‘You want to explore the reef after breakfast?’ he asked.
‘I’d love to.’ She studied one of the masks. ‘But I’ll need to practise in the pool first, I’ve never snorkelled.’
‘No?’ He glanced up at her in surprise. ‘You grew up in Sydney, right? City of swimming pools and beaches.’
‘Yeah, but I stay out of the sun because I burn easily.’ She’d covered up even more when her spine problems had emerged. ‘And we didn’t go on holidays. My parents always had a project on.’
His expression tightened. ‘But you’re their only child, right? Didn’t they spoil you?’
She’d never been spoiled like this.
Awkwardly she undid the cord of her wrap dress. That first night it had been almost dark and since then her clothing had been loose enough to hide the unevenness of her bod
y. It wasn’t as bad as it had once been; still, for the first time in ages, she felt self-conscious. She’d never shown anyone her scar like this. Why would she when she’d seen the unveiled disappointment on her parents’ faces? She glanced at him.
He was staring at her but behind those sunglasses it was impossible to tell what he was thinking. Where exactly he was looking. So she broached it directly.
‘My waist looks uneven because of my spine,’ she said briefly.
‘I hadn’t noticed.’ A husky apologetic tone. ‘I wasn’t looking at your waist...’
He removed the sunglasses and the expression in his eyes was blatantly carnal. A surge of heat scampered across her skin because she recognised that primal expression of want. But now she’d pointed out her imperfection to him he blinked and his gaze slowly lowered.
Her scoliosis hadn’t bothered her as much as it had bothered her parents. It was their reaction that had hurt her—their shame over something she’d not been able to control and their determination to correct it without anyone knowing. As if her deformity had to be a dreadful secret. They’d hurried her to specialists and demanded correction.
‘It became obvious when I was about eleven and started growing. Initially the specialists weren’t sure whether I’d need surgery but my parents pushed for it—the argument being that it would prevent it from progressing. Really, they wanted me to be perfect. I never was, of course, no matter what happened with my spine,’ she said.
Her truth told, she turned so he could see the scar. It wasn’t something that she’d wanted to hide—it had been her mother who had wanted her to wear the loose dresses, as if her remaining asymmetry was still an embarrassment. But Rosanna had survived those months of recovery, mostly alone, and so she knew she could endure other hardships too. If anything, she was a bit proud of it—but revealing it to someone else?
That was scarier.
He was behind her now and it mattered just that little bit too much that he was quiet. But then she felt the lightest of touches on her skin as he traced her scar.
Harlequin Presents--July 2021--Box Set 1 of 2 Page 10