Sweet Seduction

by Jennifer St George

  At that moment both children clearly decided enough was enough – they started howling.

  ‘You’d be doing me the most enormous favour.’ His beautiful eyes pleaded with her. ‘You seem to have a calming influence on Rupert. He’s been missing his mum.’

  How could she say no? She was out of options. And she just didn’t want to stand on the footpath and watch Gabe drive away.

  ‘Where are you staying?’ she asked tentatively.

  ‘I’ve rented a little apartment in Nervi. It’s just down the coast. Less touristy than Portofino. It’s only two bedrooms, but you can share with Amelia, and Rupert can come in with me.’

  Again, he offered her the front seat. She bit her lip. The decision seemed like a crossroads. Safe choices dominated all decisions in her life. No risks. Nothing unexpected. When she’d left her life in Australia, she’d made a commitment to change, be different, be – well, she wasn’t sure. But the question of whether or not to step into a stranger’s car would never have been considered in her past life.

  Before she could change her mind, she settled herself into the front seat. Her heart thudded a little harder, but the thrill of adventure overrode any sense of concern.

  ‘Okay?’ Gabe asked as he held the door.

  ‘Yup.’

  He closed her door and climbed in the back. She noticed he cuddled the kids as best he could while providing the driver with directions. He obviously adored the children. She looked away. So different from her own family. Her parents considered affection an indulgence not worthy of the upper classes. Children – well, child in their case – were certainly important. A male heir was critical. Though a daughter was almost useless, at least she could be a bargaining tool in a business deal.

  She swallowed hard. The betrayal cut so deeply, she wondered if she’d ever recover. She flexed her left hand. The band of white around her ring finger was now barely discernible. Her engagement ring sat in a little crystal dish on her dressing table at home.

  She looked out the window. As the city of Genoa whizzed by, she realised she’d taken another huge leap into the unknown.

  Gabe opened the door to his apartment and snapped on the lights. His body ached as though he’d lived a lifetime in just one day.

  ‘My room’s through here.’ He nodded towards a doorway. ‘If you could just take Rupert in there, I’ll put Amelia to bed.’

  A few minutes later he returned and found Charlie standing in the middle of the living room. He stopped short. Damn, she was beautiful. Long, honey-blonde hair. Tall and toned. Open, friendly face. Just as he’d always imagined a typical Aussie girl. But there was more. A touch of sadness.

  She smiled when she saw him, then looked down at the carpet and shuffled her feet. Clearly she didn’t know what to do next. So endearing. By now, any other woman would be listing her acting credits.

  ‘Why don’t we have a shower?’

  Her eyes widened.

  ‘Not together,’ he said quickly, laughing.

  ‘Oh.’ Her cheeks flashed red, but she smiled. ‘Sorry. I thought I’d—’

  ‘Relax, Charlie. It’s been a tough day. Have a shower and you’ll feel better.’ He pointed to a side door. ‘You take that one. There should be a spare towel in there.’

  Gabe turned and headed for his room. He needed a cold shower to counter the mental image of stepping under a warm spray with Charlie.

  ‘Ah, Gabe,’ Charlie called.

  ‘Hmm,’ he said, poking his head out the bedroom door.

  ‘Any chance I could borrow a shirt?’ She pulled at her top. ‘Everything’s still a little sandy.’

  ‘Sure.’ Walking to his chest of drawers, he rummaged through his clothes. He pulled out a T-shirt. He quite liked the idea of Charlie wearing his clothes. Back in the living room, he held it up.

  ‘Okay?’

  ‘Perfect. Thanks.’

  Charlie’s shorts hugged the curves of her bottom as she crossed the room to the bedroom. Her tanned legs went on forever.

  ‘See you in five,’ he called.

  He quickly ducked into the bathroom. The time couldn’t go quickly enough as far as he was concerned.

  Ten minutes later, Charlie came back into the living room. The T-shirt hung down to just below her bottom but she’d kept her shorts on. She’d washed her hair, which reached nearly to her waist in lush golden strands. She looked incredible. His eyes lingered a little too long.

  ‘Right,’ he said, quickly pushing up from his chair. ‘We need a drink. What would you like?’

  He walked into the kitchen. She followed.

  ‘I don’t know. What have you got?’

  ‘Let’s see.’ He opened the fridge. ‘Prosecco, prosecco . . .’ He leaned further into the fridge. ‘Or prosecco.’

  ‘Italian champagne?’ She pretended to consider for a moment. ‘Sounds perfect.’

  He grabbed the bottle and a couple of glasses and led the way to the terrace.

  ‘This must be stunning in the day time,’ she said, leaning on the balcony railing and looking out to sea.

  He looked at the beach and the darkness beyond. The air smelled of salt and seaweed. He shivered. After what had happened today, trips to the beach would be off the menu for a while.

  ‘Yeah. I guess.’

  ‘You don’t like the view?’

  He put the glasses on the table and gestured for Charlie to sit.

  ‘Sure – but the kids . . . you know . . .’He pulled the wrapping from the top of the bottle. ‘It’s the first time I’ve looked after them on my own. I knew it’d be tough, but . . .’

  ‘Harder than you thought?’

  ‘You have no idea,’ he said, easing the cork from the neck of the bottle. ‘Or maybe you do?’ He looked at her expectantly. He knew nothing about this woman.

  The cork flew into the moonlight. He poured two glasses and handed one to her.

  ‘What a day,’ he said, taking a seat and putting his feet up on the railing.

  ‘Yeah. A shocker.’

  ‘Sorry to ruin it for you.’

  ‘No, no. It’s been the highlight of my holiday so far.’

  He looked over at her. She sat tall in her chair, her eyes fixed out to sea.

  ‘I mean . . .’ She’d obviously let the words slip unintentionally.

  ‘You don’t like Italy?’ He knew he probably shouldn’t pry, but was going to anyway. After all, he’d just invited a stranger to stay the night.

  ‘It’s not that. I love it. It’s just, um, I probably made a rash decision coming over here.’

  ‘You needed to get away?’

  ‘Yeah. Something like that.’

  He waited for her to elaborate. She didn’t. A woman with secrets. A warning sounded in his head.

  ‘Well, now you’re here, you should make the most of it.’

  She simply nodded.

  A shadow of sadness creased her face. A crazy plan sprang into his mind. Maybe it was the moonlight? The prosecco? The way she traced her fingers repeatedly through her long hair? No, it was that he owed her, big time.

  ‘Why don’t you stay with us until we leave on Friday?’

  She looked at him, eyes wide. He’d certainly caught her attention.

  ‘Look, Charlie, after all you’ve done for us today, I’m going to make sure the next five days are the best. I owe you.’

  ‘No. I couldn’t impose.’

  ‘I insist. In fact, I’ll listen to no argument.’

  ‘Gabe, I couldn’t. You’re on a family holiday.’

  He looked off into the distance, sipped his prosecco and pretended to ignore her protests.

  She let out an exasperated breath. ‘Do you really want to share a bed with Rupert for the next few days?’

  The mention of sharing a bed brought his eyes back to her face.

  He hadn’t meant to hold her for so long on the beach, but somehow he hadn’t wanted to let her go. She’d acted selflessly, without a thought for her own safety, then had spent h
ours looking after a small child she didn’t know. Most of the women who crossed his path would have been too busy looking around to see if they were being noticed. Watching her now, he couldn’t help sliding his gaze appreciatively over her body. Fortunately she didn’t seem to notice as she sat forward in her chair.

  ‘You don’t want some stranger hanging around,’ she said.

  ‘No, I don’t.’

  He leaned over the table and dropped a quick kiss on her soft lips.

  ‘So, now we’re not strangers.’

  The kiss had been designed to put Charlie at ease, break down the barriers. But from the moment his lips touched hers, Gabe wanted her. He pulled away quickly. He’d brought her home to shelter her, not seduce her. But being with a woman who wanted nothing from him was intoxicating. Perhaps he should just tell her who he was and then he’d be on familiar ground. She’d want to be in his next TV show and he’d put all his usual defences in place.

  He sat down and glanced over at her. She smiled and his heart beat a little faster. No, a little bit of anonymity would do no harm at all.

  Charlie lay in Rupert’s single bed listening to Amelia’s steady breathing. The morning sun streamed through the shutters.

  That overwhelming sense of emptiness had gone. She closed her eyes and smiled. Gone.

  Her circumstances had changed in such a short time. From sitting alone on a beach ready to throw in the towel, to sharing champagne on a moonlit night with a sexy stranger.

  Not a stranger any more.

  She snuggled under the sheets. Well, according to the words and actions of one hot Mr Gabe – she didn’t even know his last name. Oh well, she had five wonderful days to find out more about the intriguing Gabe What’s-his-name.

  Her fingers strayed to her lips. Of course the kiss meant nothing to Gabe. He’d just been trying to put her at ease. But it had made her feel hopeful.

  No, not hopeful. Adventurous. Bold. Light-hearted. Sexy. A warm glow flowed through her. Paul had never stirred these feelings in her but Gabe had done all that with one quick kiss. However, the thought of her ex-fiancé obliterated her joy like being splashed with a bucket of icy water.

  When the son of the billionaire oil magnate began courting her, she hadn’t been interested. But then he’d shown such interest in her cooking. It was the first time anyone had taken her passion seriously. He’d encouraged her dreams and she’d been intoxicated by his attention.

  Paul had whisked her away to so many exotic locations that their courtship seemed a bit of a blur, but her parents had been thrilled. They’d paid more attention to her during the planning of the wedding than they’d ever done. And she wanted more. The idea of her marrying Paul obviously made them happy. It seemed for the first time in her life they were actually proud of her.

  But once the wedding had been organised, the attention stopped. When Charlotte called her mother to arrange shopping trips, Elizabeth always had an excuse ready. Her father had no time for lunch and was as distant as ever. And her fiancé . . . Remembering, she swallowed with difficulty.

  ‘For goodness’ sake, Charlotte, don’t be such a fool,’ her father had lectured her when she’d come to him for help. ‘So he’s unfaithful. Big deal.’ He waved his hand dismissively. ‘Do you think I’m faithful to your mother?’

  She remembered losing her capacity to think at that point. Her shock had made him laugh. She’d known her parents had a crap marriage, but this?

  ‘Think about it. I own the biggest, most profitable family-owned diamond mining business in the world. You are my only child and I have no other relatives.’

  He’d shaken his head and looked at her with disdain.

  ‘Marriage is to protect your assets and give you an heir,’ her father had informed her. ‘I thought you understood that. Why do you think we organised this marriage to Paul?’

  She’d stood in his office, her life crashing around her.

  ‘Get pregnant, have a son – two sons – and then do whatever the hell you want.’

  He’d come around his desk and put his hands on her shoulders. ‘Discreetly, of course. Don’t do anything to tarnish the family name.’

  She rolled onto her back and listened to the soothing sounds of the sea. Her thoughts strayed back to Gabe. His fleeting kiss seemed to mark the end of her old life and the beginning of something new – something exciting and untainted by the poisonous tentacles of her family. But if Gabe discovered her identity, things would change. They always did.

  She sat up. How long could she live as just Charlie, a nobody backpacker? Probably not for long. She sighed. But anonymity was addictive.

  ‘What’s wrong?’

  She flinched and looked over at the other bed in the room. Amelia was watching her intently, as only little children do.

  ‘Oh! Nothing, sweetheart. I had a bad dream.’

  ‘Me too.’

  ‘What was your dream about?’ Charlie asked, propping herself up on her elbow.

  ‘Sinking.’

  The stark statement propelled Charlie quickly out of bed and across the room. She sat next to Amelia and stroked the little girl’s soft blonde hair.

  ‘You’re okay.’

  The child lay quietly for a while.

  ‘Are you Uncle Gabe’s girlfriend now?’

  Charlie’s breath stuck halfway to her lungs.

  ‘No, no, sweetheart. We’re just friends.’ A smile crept across her face.

  Yeah, they were friends. A friend that had nothing to do with her family, the family business or the family name. A single, sexy Englishman friend.

  ‘Come on,’ she said, gently hauling Amelia out of bed. ‘Uncle Gabe says we’re off to Pisa today.’

  ‘Where that tower’s falling down?’

  ‘Well, the tower’s leaning over. It won’t fall down.’ At least, she hoped, not today.

  ‘Are you coming too?’ Amelia asked, taking her hand.

  ‘Yup.’

  ‘Hooray.’ Amelia performed a little dance then dragged Charlie from the bedroom. The child’s excitement felt like a warm blanket on a cold, bleak day. It felt great to be really wanted.

  ‘Uncle Gabe! Charlie’s coming with us to Pisa,’ Amelia shouted as she pulled Charlie across the living room towards the other bedroom.

  ‘Shh, sweetheart. The boys are probably still asleep.’

  ‘Not likely.’

  Charlie turned. Gabe sat at the kitchen table playing cards with Rupert.

  Oh, no. No bra. No shorts. Just the T-shirt Gabe had loaned her, which only came to the tops of her thighs.

  Her face flashed red and she pulled at the hem of the shirt.

  ‘I’ll, um . . . I’ll just . . .’ She backed quickly into the bedroom.

  Charlotte whacked herself on the forehead. Idiot. Nice man asks you to stay and you run around virtually naked.

  She took her time getting dressed then left the sanctuary of the bedroom.

  ‘Sorry about that,’ she said. She could still feel the warmth in her cheeks.

  ‘I didn’t think Aussie girls were prudish. Don’t you spend your whole lives wandering around in bikinis, surfing and playing with kangaroos?’

  ‘I’m not prudish.’ Argh. She sounded so defensive. ‘And I don’t surf,’ she added lightly.

  Gabe regarded her quizzically.

  ‘You play with kangaroos?’ he asked with only a trace of a smile.

  The kids stared at her in awe.

  ‘Wow, do you really play with kangaroos?’ Amelia asked.

  Charlie threw Gabe a pointed look.

  ‘No, sweetheart, but I once had a pet bearded dragon. During my tomboy phase,’ she added for Gabe’s benefit.

  ‘You had a pet dragon? Sick,’ Rupert piped up.

  Gabe flicked his gaze to the ceiling. ‘Oh, the ruination of the English language.’

  ‘I thought you Brits believed we’d already ruined it.’

  ‘No. You Aussies just mangle it.’

  ‘Right! Thanks very much
,’ she said with her broadest Aussie twang.

  Gabe’s intense gaze made her nervous. Nervous and excited. She needed something to do.

  ‘How about I whip up some pancakes for breakfast?’

  ‘Yes. Yes. Pancakes!’ Rupert cried.

  ‘Mmm. CPR. Child whisperer. Cook.’ Gabe sat back in his chair. ‘What other hidden talents do you have, Ms . . .?’Gabe paused, smiled and raised his eyebrows.

  Once he knew who she was, how would he react?

  ‘Brown.’

  Brown? Why had she said Brown?

  ‘Charlie Brown. Nice,’ he remarked. ‘Where’s Snoopy?’

  Charlie frowned. Then it dawned. She rolled her eyes to the ceiling. She’d named herself after a cartoon character. One who failed at almost everything.

  ‘Sorry.’ Gabe had obviously read the expression on her face. ‘I guess you’ve heard that one before.’

  He reached across the table and shook her hand.

  ‘Gabe Grenville. Nice to meet you again, Charlie Brown.’ He smiled that killer smile.

  What have I done? She couldn’t take it back. She’d look like an idiot or crazy or both. She forced herself to calm down. After all, Gabe would be gone in a few days. Then she would put Charlie Brown to rest and take up the burden of being Charlotte Wentworth again.

  But it didn’t sit right. She had to come clean. She’d just explain that she was travelling incognito.

  ‘Gabe.’

  ‘Yes?’

  Tell him. ‘Got any maple syrup in the cupboard?’

  Chapter Three

  ‘Will this do?’ Gabe asked, pointing through a shop window. Charlie looked at the tiny shop. This was probably the only boutique in the town.

  All the mannequins were wearing brightly coloured summer outfits.

  ‘Perfect.’ She’d be happy with almost anything. ‘I’ll be quick.’

  ‘Take your time. We’ve got all day, remember.’

  As Charlie flicked through the racks, she realised she wasn’t selecting clothes suitable for backpacking – she wanted to impress Gabe. She slipped on a pair of slim-fit white Capri trousers. She eyed herself in the mirror from every angle. They looked good.

  Sexy.

  She teamed the trousers with a casual black top and surveyed herself in the mirror. For probably the first time in her life, she wasn’t decked out head-to-toe in designer labels.