The fact that Alejandro was sitting alone at the dining table, calmly reading a newspaper, when she got downstairs for breakfast did nothing to improve her mood!
Alejandro looked up as he sensed Brynne quietly entering the room, his mouth tightening as she avoided meeting his gaze to go over to the side dresser and pour herself some juice.
‘Where’s Michael?’ she asked as she came to sit at the table opposite him.
‘He went down to the orchard with Maria to pick some fresh oranges,’ Alejandro dismissed, carefully folding his newspaper to place it on the table beside him. ‘Is juice all you are having for breakfast?’ He frowned.
Brynne shrugged dismissively. ‘I’m not hungry.’
‘How are you feeling this morning?’ he probed softly.
She raised her chin, her blue eyes bright with challenge. ‘How should I be feeling?’
He shrugged his broad shoulders. ‘I merely wondered if your back was still painful…?’
‘Oh.’ Her gaze once again avoided his. ‘It’s much better this morning, thank you.’
She didn’t look better, Alejandro noted, seeing that her face was pale and that there were dark shadows beneath her eyes.
He nodded abruptly. ‘That is good. I have some business to attend to in Palma today,’ he said curtly. ‘Will you and Michael be able to amuse yourselves by the pool? With the appropriately applied suntan lotion, of course,’ he added ruefully.
‘Of course,’ Brynne echoed dryly. ‘If Michael gets bored I can always take him for a walk to Banyalbufar. Maria says its only just up the coast and—’
‘I would rather you did not walk anywhere today,’ Alejandro cut in.
‘I’m sure the walk will do Raul and Rafael good,’ Brynne finished mockingly. ‘From their unhealthy pallor they obviously don’t get out in the sun enough!’
‘But you have,’ Alejandro spoke firmly. ‘And to go out walking when you are already burnt is not wise.’
Brynne gave him a scathing glance. ‘I think I’m old enough to know not to make the same mistake twice!’
Alejandro gave her a searching look. Were they still talking about yesterday’s sunburn? Or something else…?
From her guarded response to his earlier enquiry as to how she was feeling this morning he would say it was something else!
Her skin had felt wonderful to the touch last night as he had carefully applied the soothing lotion to her shoulders and the curve of her spine, and he was experienced enough to know that Brynne had enjoyed the caress of his hands. But if she feared he would suggest repeating the process then she was mistaken.
He had paid for his own unsatisfied arousal with a sleepless night, and did not intend repeating the experience!
‘I suggest you ask Maria to put some after-sun on your back before you go outside,’ he snapped dismissively, throwing his napkin down on the table to stand up. ‘I am not sure what time I will get back, so do not—’
‘Oh, please don’t hurry back on our account,’ Brynne assured him derisively, relieved to know that he would probably be out most of the day. ‘Michael and I are quite used to entertaining ourselves.’
Alejandro looked down at her coldly before turning on his heel and striding from the room.
Brynne heaved a deep sigh of relief as she relaxed the tension from her shoulders. Painful shoulders, as it happened, with the skin on her back bright red this morning and slightly itchy. No doubt it would start to peel in a couple of days, and then instead of having the appearance of a lobster she would look like a snake shedding its skin. Very attractive!
Although if Alejandro was looking for attractive, he didn’t have to look any further than Antonia Roig!
A fact Brynne was made very aware of later that morning when a red sports car roared down the driveway with Antonia sitting behind the wheel as she parked the car beside the villa with an assurance that spoke of familiarity.
Brynne’s heart sank as she watched the other woman run her hands through her tumbled dark curls and replenish the red gloss to her lips before sliding out from behind the wheel, the white sundress she wore suiting her smoothly olive complexion and emphasizing the voluptuous curves of her body.
In contrast, Brynne felt at a complete disadvantage, having pulled on a loose white shirt over her bikini after taking a dip with Michael in the pool, her wet hair now slicked back from a face completely bare of make-up.
She stood up as Antonia walked over gracefully on white, high-heeled, designer mules. ‘I’m afraid Alejandro isn’t here at the moment, Miss Roig,’ she began politely.
The other woman gave a gracious inclination of her head. ‘He is in Palma today.’
If Alejandro had already told Antonia that, then what was she doing here…?
‘Can I offer you some refreshment?’ Brynne indicated the jug of fresh orange juice Maria had brought out minutes ago for her and Michael to enjoy, not particularly wanting the other woman to stay any longer than she had to, but at the same time realizing Antonia had other ideas.
‘That would be acceptable.’ Antonia nodded before sitting down on the lounger next to Brynne’s, her eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses as she glanced over to where Michael was throwing euro coins to the bottom of the pool before diving down to collect them. ‘He is so like Alejandro, is he not.’ It was a statement rather than a question.
‘Yes.’ What else could Brynne say? The likeness between father and son was indisputable.
‘Thank you,’ Antonia said as she accepted the glass of juice before placing it down on the table untouched, her long nails still tipped in the red that matched her lipgloss. ‘Miguel is the son of your sister…?’ she prompted without so much as a polite preliminary.
Brynne’s wariness grew at this unexpected visit by the other woman. ‘My sister-in-law, actually,’ she said.
‘Your sister-in-law…?’
Brynne nodded. ‘It’s a little complicated, but, yes, Joanna was my sister-in-law.’
Anotnia’s pouting red lips tightened slightly. ‘Alejandro is very anxious that Miguel should…adapt…to his new way of life as quickly as possible,’ she declared, obviously deciding not to pursue the subject of Brynne’s specific relationship to Michael.
Brynne was starting to like this conversation less and less!
‘Yes,’ she answered noncommittally.
Antonia gave a shrug of her smoothly bare shoulders. ‘As such it would probably be better for Miguel if he were to spend more time with—people of his own kind.’
Meaning what, precisely? Brynne wondered guardedly. Did Antonia mean the people of Majorca and Spain? Or did she mean affluently rich people like her and her father, and Alejandro himself, of course? Something Brynne obviously wasn’t!
‘Alejandro hasn’t said that,’ she replied truthfully. He had made it clear he didn’t want her here, but not for that reason.
‘Alejandro is very much the caballero, you know,’ Antonia told her with an indulgent smile. ‘Always the gentleman,’ she explained for Brynne’s benefit.
Brynne knew what a ‘caballero’ was—she just didn’t particularly associate Alejandro with one!
Although perhaps that was being a little unfair. Alejandro was always aware of the social niceties expected of him, was unfailingly polite to his employees, receiving their loyalty, and possibly their affection, in return. It was only with Brynne that he seemed to have trouble maintaining that politeness!
And she certainly didn’t appreciate this woman’s implication that Brynne had to be aware she wasn’t wanted here. Or the fact that Alejandro obviously had to have discussed that subject with Antonia for the other woman to know that!
‘I’m sure that if Alejandro wishes to…change our arrangement…he will tell me so,’ she told Antonia stiffly, knowing that Alejandro had told her from the start that he didn’t want her here, but that she had chosen to ignore it. Obviously by talking to Antonia on the subject he had decided to bring in reinforcements!
‘That is a littl
e…difficult…in the circumstances, is it not?’ the other woman pointed out. ‘Besides, it is so much more…civilized…for the women to talk of these things, yes?’ she added sweetly.
Brynne’s dislike of this beautiful but venomous woman was growing by the moment. As was her anger towards Alejandro for having discussed this situation with the woman who appeared to be his mistress even if he didn’t intend her to be his wife.
‘I’m sorry, Miss Roig. I appreciate that you and Alejandro are—friends,’ she bit out tensely as she stood up, ‘but I really have no intention of discussing something so—so personal, with someone I hardly know.’ She glared down at the other woman pointedly as she willed her to leave.
Antonia stood up slowly, completely unruffled as she smoothed the white sundress down over shapely legs. ‘I was merely trying to be—kind, Miss Sullivan,’ she soothed huskily, smiling slightly. ‘As I said earlier, Alejandro is too much the gentleman to be quite so…frank…with you.’
Brynne gave a scornful smile. ‘That hasn’t been my experience so far!’ she dismissed impatiently. ‘Now, if you wouldn’t mind? Michael and I are going for a walk this morning.’
The other woman gave her a considering look. ‘You must be careful of too much sun, Miss Sullivan,’ she advised lightly. ‘A golden tan is acceptable, but with your fair colouring you are sure to burn.’
Exactly when had Alejandro spoken to this woman about her? After he had left her bedroom last night? Or had it been first thing this morning?
Well, if he thought telling his girlfriend to come and have a little ‘woman to woman’ chat with her was going to persuade Brynne into leaving here, then he was going to be sadly disappointed.
It was more likely to have the opposite effect!
CHAPTER EIGHT
‘HOW dare you ask that—that—woman to come here and tell me you want me to leave?’
Alejandro had spent a long day in Palma, locked in further negotiations with Felipe Roig, tired of the cat-and-mouse game Felipe seemed to be having with him as he gave the older man the warning that he might withdraw from the possible deal himself if it wasn’t soon settled to his satisfaction. A warning Felipe had obviously taken seriously enough to waste a day of Alejandro’s time!
Alejandro would rather have come home once it had become obvious that no deal would be reached today, but the older man had insisted that the two of them had to go out to an early dinner in order to show that they were still friends. As Alejandro still had every intention of buying the tract of land Felipe had for sale, he didn’t intend being anything else until he had Felipe’s signature on a contract.
But having finally returned to the villa at nine-thirty that evening, he had gone to the pool-house to change into black swimming trunks before diving straight into the refreshing water and swimming half a dozen lengths of the pool before he had felt his temper start to cool. Another argument with Brynne was the last thing he felt in the mood for…
He rested his arms on the edge of the pool as he looked up at her, taking a few seconds to appreciate how sexily attractive she looked in the sky-blue linen dress with her feet bare beneath tanned legs. Her hair was loose about her shoulders and her face beautiful in spite of the angry glitter he could see in her eyes and that becoming flush to her cheeks.
It was an angry beauty he was becoming all too used to where this particular woman was concerned!
‘I have no idea what you are talking about, Brynne—and, quite frankly, at this moment I do not think I want to know.’ He sighed, holding up a silencing hand. ‘I am tired and dusty from my frustrating day in Palma, so if you can wait a few minutes before continuing this tirade, then I would like a glass of cool wine first…’ He levered himself quickly out of the water.
Brynne’s breath instantly caught in her throat at the sight of all that bare male beauty. Alejandro’s skin was dark olive all over, his legs long, his shoulders broad, chest muscled, stomach flat…
She averted her gaze but couldn’t resist looking back again as Alejandro strolled over to the pool bar to take a cooled bottle of wine from the refrigerator there, deftly removing the cork before placing two glasses on top of the bar.
God, he really was the most gorgeous—
‘Would you like some?’ He held up the bottle invitingly.
Why not? She wasn’t tired and dusty, but she could definitely do with something to soothe her frayed nerves. Waiting for Alejandro to come back to the villa had been tediously long, and on top of that her irritation had grown when he hadn’t got back in time to say goodnight to Michael, but she’d had no intention of going to bed herself until after she had spoken to him.
Finding herself in the company of an almost naked Alejandro—those black swimming trunks resting low on lean hips almost didn’t count!—was making her senses dance with an altogether different emotion, the dark hair slicked back from those arrogantly handsome features making her mouth go dry.
‘Thank you,’ she accepted stiltedly as she took the glass of wine he held out to her. ‘You—’
‘At least let me have one drink before you start again!’ Alejandro drawled as he sat down tiredly on one of the loungers, unconcerned by the wetness of his hair and body as he took several sips of the wine before looking up at her enquiringly. ‘You may now continue,’ he invited mockingly.
Brynne gave him a quelling glance. ‘I’m glad you find all of this funny, Alejandro,’ she dismissed in disgust, desperately trying to rekindle her earlier anger, but finding it increasing difficult in the company of this compellingly handsome man.
Come on, Brynne, she chided herself impatiently. Alejandro wasn’t the first man she had seen in a pair of bathing trunks.
No…but he was the first one to make her want to rip that last remaining garment from that leanly muscled frame so that she could gaze her fill of all of him.
She shook her head in disbelief. ‘I, on the other hand,’ she snapped waspishly, ‘as the recipient of this “woman-to-woman” so-called advice, don’t find any of this in the least funny.’
No, she obviously didn’t find it funny, Alejandro acknowledged as he saw that the shadows beneath her eyes had deepened since this morning, her mouth curved down unhappily. Whatever it was!
‘Perhaps you are not explaining yourself very well.’ He smiled ruefully, leaning back against the cushioned chair and taking another sip of his wine.
The swim had been so cool, so reviving, the wine even more so; after hours of fruitless discussion his throat had felt rough as well as dry.
It was also, he realized, frowning, good to come home and find a beautiful woman waiting for him…
‘No—you aren’t listening!’ Brynne paced restlessly beside the pool on those surprisingly pretty feet. ‘And would it have been too much trouble for you to have come home in time to say goodnight to Michael?’
Alejandro closed his eyes briefly before looking up at her. This woman still dared to meddle in things he would accept from no one else. ‘I do have a business to run—’
‘And was your business any more successful today?’ she challenged scathingly.
‘As it happens, no.’ Alejandro sat forward to replenish his wineglass, his relaxation of a few minutes ago fading as rapidly as the sun now disappearing beneath the horizon. ‘Felipe continues to be…elusive…concerning finalizing the deal.’ His expression was grim.
‘Then perhaps you should become the elusive one,’ Brynne dismissed, aware that they were once again veering off the subject—and the more time she spent in Alejandro’s almost-naked company, the less angry and more tinglingly aware of him she was becoming.
Alejandro raised dark brows. ‘I beg your pardon?’
Brynne gave a shrug. ‘That’s the way it usually works with my more disinterested students. The more I ignore them, the more they want me to take notice of them,’ she explained at Alejandro’s questioning look.
Alejandro continued to look puzzled for several moments, and then he gave a slight smile. ‘And do yo
u shout at these students in the way that you shout at me?’
Had she shouted at him? Probably, she realized with a wince.
After all, she had been waiting hours for him to come home, and the first awareness she had had of his arrival had been the sound of him swimming, without any concern, up and down the pool. Not a move that would soothe her temper!
She grimaced. ‘No, I don’t shout at them.’
Alejandro quirked dark brows. ‘Only at me?’
Well…yes.
Despite her red hair, she didn’t usually lose her temper with anyone; she was normally cheerfully calm. To shout at one of her students, at anyone, really, was to lose control of the situation, she had always thought.
Unfortunately she had lost control of the situation with Alejandro Santiago from the moment the judge had come down in his favour regarding custody of Michael.
She gave him a frustrated glance. ‘You annoy me, yes—’
‘And is that all I do to you, Brynne?’ he interrupted huskily, putting down his wineglass to get slowly to his feet.
Her eyes widened in alarm as he padded softly towards her. Like a predatory animal approaching its prey, she realized as her pulse started to race.
Alejandro stopped only inches away from where she stood rooted to the spot, not touching her—not needing to…
The sheer height and breadth of him as he stood so close to her blocked out everything but the sight and warmth of him.
‘Is it, Brynne?’ he encouraged throatily.
She swallowed hard. ‘I don’t know what you mean.’
‘Oh, yes,’ he breathed, ‘I think you know only too well.’
She could smell the all-male scent of him, making her long to touch him, to caress the hard strength of his shoulders, featherlight across his chest and down that flat, hard stomach. She wanted to reach out and pull his head down to hers even as he moulded her body against his, wanted—needed—to feel the hardness of him against her, to touch and be touched, to—
‘You feel it too, do you not?’ he murmured huskily.
‘Feel what…?’ she asked weakly.
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