A Night of Scandal

by Sarah Morgan

  ‘You don’t need a phone.’

  ‘You’re afraid I’m going to tell someone about Annabelle or Carrie, but I swear I’m not going to mention their names to anyone. I don’t even know who they are!’

  It was possible to feel cold, he discovered, even when the sun was pounding down from high in the sky. ‘I want you to forget you ever heard those names.’

  ‘Fine, I’ll forget I ever heard them. But once in a while it would be good for you to just trust someone. It must be incredibly lonely living a life where you think everyone is out to get you.’ She pushed aside the snorkelling gear and sat down on the deck with a thump. ‘I’ve never snorkelled. I’ll probably drown.’

  ‘You’ll love it.’

  ‘What if I inhale water?’

  ‘I’ll give you mouth-to-mouth.’ Wishing he’d never allowed his mind to go in that direction, Nathaniel sprang onto the boat. ‘Let’s go.’

  Under sail, the catamaran sped through the water, swift and smooth, responding well to the light winds. The water sparkled in the sunlight and shoals of colourful fish darted beneath them.

  Katie stretched her legs out on the seat and tilted her face up to the sun.

  Wondering whether he’d made a mistake bringing her, Nathaniel pushed the tiller away from him and sailed towards the wind, breathing deeply as the salty air touched his face. The position gave him a perfect view of her long slim legs, so he shifted slightly.

  They sailed for several hours, past numerous deserted islands, and finally attached themselves to a mooring buoy so that they could snorkel around the reef.

  Ignoring him, Katie stripped off her shorts and T-shirt to reveal a tiny red polka-dot bikini.

  It was the first time she’d worn a bikini in front of him and he was starting to wish she’d stuck to drab, conceal-everything clothes. Sweat prickled the back of his neck.

  Wishing he’d given her a wetsuit, he helped fit her mask and then they slid into the water.

  ‘How deep is it here? On second thought, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.’ She held on to his arm tightly and looked around her. ‘Is anything in this water going to want to eat me for lunch?’

  Just him. Wondering if she’d even noticed he was aroused, Nathaniel showed her how to clear her mask and snorkel of water, trying to put some distance between them.

  A shoal of parrot fish darted beneath them, playing hide and seek through fronds of tropical sea grass, and she gave a gasp of delight and dragged the snorkel out of her mouth. ‘They’re beautiful. Can we take a closer look?’

  It took only moments for him to realise that she was an excellent swimmer, her kick smooth and graceful as she slid through the water with the elegance of a sea creature. Seriously distracted, Nathaniel decided that if he didn’t concentrate he was going to drown.

  Finally he gestured to the surface and they slid upwards through the sun-dappled water and emerged to hot sunshine.

  Katie removed the snorkel from her mouth, laughing and gasping for air. ‘That was fantastic!’ Something over his shoulder caught her eye and she frowned. ‘Nathaniel …’

  He turned his head and saw that another boat had anchored only metres away from theirs. ‘Relax. They don’t know who we are.’

  ‘You mean they have no idea I’m the famous costume designer? Thank goodness for that. If there’s one thing I hate it’s signing autographs in the water.’ Giggling at her own joke, Katie watched the other boat. ‘Looks like quite a party. Better keep your mask on.’

  ‘Do you want to dive again?’

  ‘What sort of a question is that? I want to do this for the rest of my life.’ Without waiting for him, she ducked under the water and Nathaniel followed, surprised by how much he was enjoying himself.

  They snorkelled for several hours, exploring different parts of the reef, careful not to touch or disturb any of the marine wildlife. Each time they surfaced she burst into a torrent of chat, telling him what she’d seen and asking question after question.

  It was impossible not to make comparisons with the last woman he’d taken sailing who had spent her time lying on the deck topping up her suntan and protecting her hair. The mere suggestion that she might join him in the water had been greeted by unadulterated horror. Katie’s hair hung over her shoulders in thick wet ropes but she didn’t seem remotely selfconscious. Enraptured by what was going on beneath the surface of the water, she even seemed to have lost the awkwardness she felt around him.

  When they finally climbed back onto the boat, her smile was as bright as the sun. ‘That was the best thing I’ve ever done.’ Her happiness was so infectious that Nathaniel found himself smiling back.

  The dark mood that had gripped him since the night he’d walked off the stage had lifted. Realising that she was the one responsible for the lightness inside him, Nathaniel frowned.

  He couldn’t ever remember enjoying himself with a woman so much.

  Dragging his eyes from that smile, he reminded himself that the last thing he needed in his life was a woman who believed in happy endings.

  He’d stopped believing in happy endings when he was nine years old.

  Sipping her drink, Katie stared at the platinum-white sand of the distant beach. Her limbs ached and her skin stung from the combination of sun and sea water but she’d never felt happier. She’d even stopped sucking in her stomach.

  Her gaze slid to Nathaniel, who was neatly looping a rope.

  The chemistry between them had boosted her confidence.

  And he wanted their relationship to go all the way. If he’d had his way they would have spent last night together.

  He was Hollywood’s hottest leading man, voted Sexiest Man by no fewer than ten leading women’s magazines. Women screamed when he arrived at premieres.

  And she’d said no.

  Was she mad?

  Raucous laughter from the nearby boat cut through her thoughts.

  Katie glanced over her shoulder and saw two of the girls flirting with the men at the front of the boat. Missing the peace and wishing they hadn’t chosen this part of the ocean for their sail, she was about to look away when movement caught her eye. Putting down her drink, she squinted into the sunshine. ‘Nathaniel, that child is standing on the rail and she’s not wearing a life jacket.’

  As Nathaniel turned his head, the toddler leaned over a little too far and plopped helplessly into the deep water.

  Katie shot to her feet in horror. She cupped her hands either side of her mouth and yelled, ‘Hey!’ at the top of her voice, but the distance and the music drowned out the sound and the adults on the boat were too busy partying to notice that the toddler had fallen in. ‘Ben, turn the boat! Do something! We need to—’

  There was a splash from beside her and droplets of water showered her as Nathaniel plunged into the sea in a smooth dive.

  Still in shock, Katie stared as he powered through the water. It was an astonishing display of athleticism and if it hadn’t been for the urgency of the moment she would have stopped and watched in awe. Instead she was frantic. ‘Ben—’

  ‘I know …’ Ben was pulling up the anchor and Katie stood, agitated, helpless and wanting to help.

  ‘What can I do?’

  ‘Sit down and watch for Nathaniel. He’s a strong swimmer. If anyone can get to the child, he can.’ Ben started the engine and turned the boat. ‘I daren’t get too close because of the propeller. Can you see him?’

  ‘No. He’s diving down exactly where the toddler fell in, but it’s so deep, Ben.’ Katie’s palms were slippery on the side of the boat. Panic weakened her limbs. ‘I’m going in too. I might be able to help.’

  Ben didn’t try to stop her and Katie plunged into the water after Nathaniel.

  He still hadn’t surfaced and it seemed impossible to her that he could have held his breath for all that time.

  Under the water Katie realised that she should have grabbed the mask so that she could see more clearly. She kicked her legs and dived as deep as she could
but her lungs were already bursting for air and she could see nothing. The mysterious underwater world that had captivated them earlier had now formed a deadly trap.

  Heart pounding, her chest aching, she was about to surface when she saw Nathaniel a few metres away, manoeuvring something wedged under a large boulder. She saw a white arm and a leg and realised with a flash of panic that the child had somehow become wedged under the rock. The burning in her chest was so intense that she had no choice but to surface and breathe. How Nathaniel could have stayed under for so long, she had no idea.

  The group on the nearby boat still hadn’t noticed the absence of the toddler, their music and laughter drowning out everything around them.

  Nathaniel surfaced next to her and dragged in a lungful of air. His dark hair was plastered to his head, his sodden lashes framing eyes blazing with determination. Almost immediately he dived under the water again.

  A commotion from the other boat told her that the toddler’s absence had finally been discovered and there was a pounding of feet and shrieks as they realised what had happened. They hung over the side, yelling the little girl’s name and Katie felt hot tears scald her eyes, horrified by how quickly paradise had turned to hell.

  She kept watching, hoping.

  And then Nathaniel finally surfaced, the limp toddler in his arms.

  ‘Ben—’ The strain was visible as he swept his hand over his face to clear the water. ‘Take her. Get her on a flat surface.’

  Ben reached down and took the child in his large hands, laying her on the floor of the boat, and Nathaniel immediately put his hands on the side of the boat and levered himself out of the water in a smooth, fluid motion.

  Envying his athletic ability, Katie struggled back into the boat. Nathaniel was performing mouth-to-mouth and chest compressions with grim focus. He seemed oblivious to the screams and sobs coming from the occupants of the other boat. It was as if this was one challenge he was determined not to lose. ‘Come on, baby girl—’ he turned his head to listen to her chest ‘—breathe for me, sweetheart. Breathe …’

  Moved by the tenderness in his voice, Katie dropped to her knees next to him. ‘Nathaniel—’

  The toddler coughed and vomited weakly and Nathaniel immediately rolled her on her side into the recovery position, his hands gentle and confident.

  ‘That’s a good girl. You’ll be all right, now. You’re going to be fine ….’

  Weak with relief, Katie looked at him expecting to see similar emotion reflected in his face but instead saw a man who was clearly traumatised.

  Underneath the bronzed good looks, his face was ashen.

  Realising just how much the rescue must have taken out of him, she put her hand on his arm.

  ‘You did it,’ she croaked, wondering if he realised what he’d achieved. ‘Nathaniel, you saved her. You were so brave. And determined. If it hadn’t been for you—’ Unashamed to discover that she was crying, Katie was about to say something else when the little girl wriggled weakly onto all fours, still choking and coughing.

  ‘Want Mummy …’

  Nathaniel rubbed the child’s back gently, his strong hands soothing as he comforted the toddler. ‘You’re going to be fine, angel.’ But there were dark shadows in his eyes that Katie didn’t understand.

  Shouldn’t he be celebrating?

  There were shouts from the water and lots of splashing as two of the adults from the other boat swam the short distance towards Nathaniel’s boat. ‘Nina? Is she alive?’

  In a single decisive movement, Nathaniel rose and vanished into the saloon.

  By the time the couple boarded the boat there was no sign of him.

  ‘Oh, thank God, thank God …’ The couple scooped up the toddler and thanked Ben profusely.

  He accepted their thanks calmly, suggested they take the child to be checked by the doctor who worked on the island and pointed out that the little girl should have been wearing a life jacket.

  Katie wanted to yell that they were thanking the wrong person but she understood that Nathaniel hadn’t wanted to be recognised and the couple were too relieved to have their child safe to show too much interest in the identity of the rescuer.

  She sat, numb, as Ben skilfully moved the two boats alongside so that the rapidly recovering toddler could be transferred with the minimum of fuss.

  Now that it was over, Katie found that she was shaking and shivering like a leaf in a storm. She grabbed a dry towel from the deck and wrapped it around herself but the shivering wouldn’t stop. The sun shone high overhead, and yet she felt cold. Really cold.

  If she felt like this, how was Nathaniel feeling?

  Nathaniel leaned over the toilet, retching violently. The horror of it gripped him like a physical force. He’d taken refuge in the cabin, not because of the risk of being recognised, but because he’d been afraid he was going to humiliate himself right there in the middle of the boat.

  Water. A drowning child. Sick panic.

  Wasn’t it ever going to go away?

  Lifting his head, he looked in the mirror. Staring back at him was a face so deathly pale he would have made a corpse look healthy. And as for his eyes—he gave a humourless laugh—if the eyes were windows to the soul, then he was definitely in trouble.

  Not wanting to see what was through those windows, he closed his eyes, but immediately saw the child flailing, helpless in the water. Drowning, her lungs screaming for air as she sank in her watery grave.

  Nathaniel turned on the taps and tried to splash his face but his hands were shaking so badly most of the water landed on the floor. His stomach churned like the ocean in a storm and his body felt shaky and weak.

  Alpha Man? He gave a bitter laugh at the evidence of his own weakness.

  Under his feet, he felt the shift of the deck and realised the boat was moving.

  Ben, he thought gratefully. Thank goodness for Ben.

  He needed to get the hell off the water.

  CHAPTER SIX

  KATIE lay in the hammock, her book unopened. Beneath her, a kaleidoscope of sea life darted through clear, turquoise water but her brain was too preoccupied to enjoy her idyllic surroundings.

  The moment the boat had approached the island, Nathaniel had jumped into the sea and waded the last few metres to the shore without glance or conversation.

  Maybe it was just delayed reaction. Maybe he needed time to himself.

  If Nathaniel wanted to be alone, then there was no way she was going to force herself on him. In his position she would have been talking it through, but he was different, wasn’t he?

  Katie opened her book and stared at the first page. After she’d read the same line five times, she gave up and stared at the horizon. Images of Nathaniel diving into the water played across her brain. It wasn’t the bold rescue that stayed with her, although that in itself had been impressive. What really affected her was the look on his face. The fierce determination in his eyes was something she’d never forget.

  Remembering the mother’s frenzied, hysterical relief as she’d held her child, Katie shivered.

  Without Nathaniel it would have been so different.

  Alpha Man.

  Even she could see that with the Sapphire Award ceremony only a week away it would have been a perfect publicity opportunity. And yet he hadn’t taken it. He’d made sure the child was safe and then he’d left the scene quickly before anyone had a chance to recognise him. It didn’t make sense.

  None of it made sense.

  Katie gave up on the book and swung her legs out of the hammock. She’d just check on him, she told herself, and then she’d give him space.

  Barefoot, she walked along the terrace that circled the villa, breathing in the heavy scent of tropical plants. As she approached the terrace of the master bedroom she paused, still worried about intruding. It wasn’t as if they had a relationship. They were castaways, thrown here together by accident. They weren’t friends. They weren’t lovers.

  Lovers.

 
She shivered at the word, thinking of that first night when they’d come so close. And last night on the beach—

  Impatient with herself, Katie breathed deeply and walked onto the deck. She was doing what any human being would do in the circumstances. Offering comfort.

  She found him sprawled on the swing seat, staring out across the sea as the sun went down.

  ‘Nathaniel? You didn’t eat dinner. Do you want Ben to bring you something?’

  ‘No. I want to be on my own.’ Both words and tone were a warning to back off.

  Katie ignored the warning and sat down next to him. The decision earned her a cautionary look.

  ‘I never saw you as a risk taker.’

  ‘Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think.’

  And she didn’t know him, did she? She knew nothing about him. He let the world see the actor, never the man. ‘You were amazing today. You know how to play the hero in real life as well as in the movies.’ It still shocked her to think how quickly the day had changed. How death had lurked in those calm, clear waters.

  ‘I feel pretty shaken up, so goodness knows how you’re feeling.’ She decided to take a risk and plunged. ‘Talk to me, Nathaniel. Tell me why you’re sitting here on your own, pushing me away.’ Show yourself to me. Don’t hide ….

  The silence was thick and heavy. ‘Talking isn’t going to change the fact that she almost drowned.’

  ‘But she didn’t drown. You saved her. She’s lucky you’re such a good swimmer who loves the water so much.’

  ‘I hate the water.’ The confession was wrenched violently from somewhere deep inside him. ‘The reason I’m a good swimmer is because I hate the water.’ He turned his head and she saw such intense suffering that she sat still, immobilised by the agony reflected in those perfect features.

  It was like a veil falling down. She’d wanted him to show himself, but the reality was almost too painful to watch. In his face, she saw nothing but dark, sinister shadows. They lurked in the depths of his eyes, settled around the line of his mouth and haunted the hard angle of his jaw. Emotion. Raw and brutally real. The actor had vanished and she was looking at the man.