Ran From Him

by Jenny Schwartz

  Ran From Him

  Jenny Schwartz

  Six years ago Cate Trapani fled emotional blackmail and a forced marriage with tycoon Daniel Garren. But now she’s back, determined to save her brother from a similar fate: his happiness sacrificed on the altar of their father’s business interests and her ex-fiancé Daniel Garren’s ambition. But Daniel isn’t the villain she remembers, and she's not the awkward, innocent girl she used to be. This time, she'll fight for what she wants. But so will Daniel—and what he wants is Cate.

  A love story in the classic category romance style, set in Perth, Australia.

  Heat rating: sensual.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Note from the Author

  Chapter One

  Norse gods, all golden vigour and ruthless assurance, are seldom seen in Australian airports.

  When Cate Trapani saw this one, she tripped over her own feet.

  No, no, no. She leaned against a wall and closed her eyes. She was too tired, too vulnerable to face Daniel Garren. Please, let him be a figment of my imagination. A product of worry and exhaustion.

  A burst of masculine laughter sent a shiver down her spine. She recognised that lazy, confident sound. Once she had thought it held indulgence, even affection. Now she knew better.

  She opened her eyes and studied Daniel. It was six years since she’d last seen him.

  But six years make little difference between twenty six and thirty two. Then he’d been a man arrogant in his abilities, and that arrogance had proved entirely justified. Single-handed he had taken his family’s mining company from near-collapse to billion dollar status.

  The bright lighting of Perth Airport turned his golden fairness to dazzling brilliance. His appearance proclaimed him a descendant of Viking marauders. He towered above the stewardess walking beside him.

  Despite her evident sophistication, the elegant Thai woman looked dazzled.

  “Oh, lord.” Cate wasn’t dazzled. She despaired.

  Daniel strode along, vibrantly alive and enjoying life, while she felt like something the cat had dragged in. Dragged in and rejected.

  Couldn’t fate have allowed her to reappear in his life as something more than a sleep-addled, disoriented traveller?

  True, Daniel’s expensive suit was also rumpled from a long flight, but on him it looked sexy. He’d discarded his tie, and the open neck of his white shirt showed a strong, tanned throat.

  Cate pulled at her striped shirt, worn loose over creased and crumpled tan trousers. Even her shoulder length black hair had slipped out of its usual tidy plait and fell about her face. She tried to tuck it behind her ears before giving up.

  Why do I care?

  Yes, he was going to see her. She could hardly abandon her luggage just to avoid him. But what was the worst that could happen? He’d simply congratulate himself on a lucky escape—if he recognised her at all!

  She had changed a lot in six years. Maybe he wouldn’t recognise the woman she’d become.

  If he did…she forced herself to think beyond a panicky emotional response born of old memories. She wasn’t powerless these days. If he did recognise her, maybe she could spin that to her advantage.

  After all, even without her dad’s incredibly out-dated notions of a dowry, Daniel had rescued his family’s finances—and he’d done so without adding the burden of a wife barely out of the schoolroom.

  So she’d done him a favour in running away from their wedding. Would it be stretching things to say he owed her?

  Probably.

  But looking as she did right now, if he recognised her, he’d have to admit his good luck in avoiding a forced marriage to a messy, limp noodle! Oh rats. She was so tired even her metaphors were muddled. She rubbed her eyes. Think, woman.

  Daniel was logical. Confronted with her looking like a disaster, he’d be grateful she wasn’t part of his life, and then, he’d see why he had to stand with her against her dad’s latest meddling.

  Not that she was in danger this time. No, she’d cut ties with her dad. Matt Trapani couldn’t shape her life any more—although sometimes she ached with the need to talk to him. Her mum had died when Cate was twelve, so Cate had been super-close to her dad. But he’d made his position clear. In defying his wishes, she’d ceased to be his daughter.

  Only her brother Rob hadn’t cut Cate from his life, which was why she’d do anything to ensure his happiness.

  And here was her chance!

  Six years ago, Daniel had escaped being wedded to a Trapani. Surely he would help his sister to do the same now?

  Unless—

  Cate’s head bumped the wall as she jerked back, literally, physically jolted by a shocking thought. She hated being cynical, but life had taught her suspicion and distrust—and the man strolling through the airport, head inclined to listen to the beautiful woman beside him, had played his part in those painful lessons.

  Daniel wouldn’t be above meddling in his sister’s life. He’d always had a big-brother-knows-best relationship with scatter-brained Amie. Had he and Matt cooked up this marriage of Amie and Rob, of Garren and Trapani business interests, to replace the familial merger that Cate had scuttled by running away six years ago? After all, some of the mining companies were struggling for finance in the current business climate. Maybe Daniel needed a connection to Matt’s broader corporate portfolio, and Rob and Amie were the sacrificial goats?

  Just because you were paranoid, didn’t mean you were wrong! Cate ground her teeth. “Devious rat.” She glared at Daniel, suspicion hardening into certainty as tiredness set her slumping against the wall. Her Sicilian nonna would have known a suitable curse. “Conniving, devious rodent. Oh no!”

  He’d seen her.

  Blood rushed to her face, then receded, taking her strength with it. Her knees wobbled.

  His blue eyes widened, and the good humour dropped from his face. This was the real man, hard and compelling. “Cate?”

  She flattened her hands against the wall and pushed away from it, standing as tall as possible. Too late to think that instead of tired reflection and muddled plotting she should have made a run for it as soon as she spotted him. All she could do now was put her game face on and not reveal any weakness.

  “You look tired.”

  She deflated with a long sigh of frustration and resignation. “That’s because I am tired. You look well,” she added resentfully. She ignored the stewardess who had swivelled on one elegant foot when she noticed Daniel’s pause, and now stood beside him.

  His blue eyes lit with laughter. “Should I thank you for the compliment, or apologise?”

  Just go away. She bit back the juvenile response. For her own self-respect, she needed to show him that she’d changed; that the loving, eager-to-please girl whom no one had listened to, had matured into an independent woman, a woman capable of fighting for her brother’s happiness.

  Concern for Rob’s happiness—for his future—was the only force powerful enough to make her return to Perth. As much as she loved the city on Australia’s west coast where she’d grown up, painful memories had kept her away ever since she fled. Those memories were why she was braced for a horrible few days.

  Meantime, a key player in her memories of that bad time waited for a response. He didn’t even look impatient.

  “It was a neutral observation.” She kept her voice even. “I don’t make personal comments to strangers.”

  He didn’t like the “strangers” appellation. Dark blonde eyebro
ws twitched together.

  She waited for him to attack, to point out that a formerly engaged couple were hardly strangers.

  He surprised her. “Is Rob picking you up?”

  Beside him, the forgotten stewardess scowled at Cate, then stalked away, her narrow hips swinging.

  “No. Rob isn’t expecting me.”

  “Oho.”

  Cate shifted restlessly. “I—”

  “We’d better collect your luggage.”

  “I can manage.”

  “I’m sure you can.” Again, that unnerving scrutiny. “But I have to collect my own luggage.”

  She sighed and allowed herself to be pushed along the path of least resistance. After she had her backpack, she would shake him off. If they had to duel over their siblings’ futures, then she needed to be alert. Prepared. Not exhausted, and thrown by his sudden reappearance and how good he looked.

  It felt weird to walk beside him to the luggage carousal. They didn’t speak, so he didn’t incline his head towards her as he had with the stewardess. But she was still aware of the connection—that they walked together. Perhaps it was her tiredness or perhaps the unlikeliness of them being together, but she had a surreal sense of existing in a bubble with him. Around them the world circled, buzzing with emotional conversations as families, friends and lovers reunited.

  “Watch out!” He jerked her back against him as a bleary-eyed man swung a heavy, brass-edged case off the luggage carousal and missed her by millimetres.

  “Sorry,” the man mumbled.

  She barely noticed, absorbed instead by the sensations generated by contact with Daniel. She breathed in ocean-inspired cologne and a musky scent that was purely male. His body was as hard and strong as ever.

  “Th-thank you.” She choked out the words.

  “No problem.” He stepped away, his hands lingering a moment to steady her.

  She didn’t look around, but concentrated on the carousal. No way would she reveal her body’s irrational responsiveness to him or that she had wanted to stay in his embrace. “That’s my bag, the blue canvas backpack.”

  He brushed past her to collect it, and she shivered at the momentary contact. She watched the easy movement of his muscles as he swung first her backpack, and then his leather case, off the carousal.

  Her heightened awareness of him confused and annoyed her—and made her desperate to put distance between them. She planned to thank him for her luggage, grab a taxi, and check into a hotel for much-needed sleep. She’d been tired even before she received the news that sent her flying back to Western Australia. Now the exhaustion was in her bones.

  “The taxi drivers are on strike,” Daniel said when she embarked on her strategy of dis-engagement.

  “Wha-at?” She stuttered to a halt.

  “A stewardess was just telling me. Apparently, the strike was called suddenly. The drivers want a pay increase.”

  “Don’t we all.”

  Daniel raised an eyebrow.

  “No, I guess you don’t.” And then, unforgivably. “How times change.”

  For an instant, all expression vanished from his face.

  Cate braced for an icy backlash. Although she refused to apologise. She hadn’t asked him to butt into her life. He could have walked past and left her in the terminal. Really, why hadn’t he? She’d have loved for him to ignore her. “Strangers” she’d called them, and strangers they were. Even during their engagement.

  She’d known returning home would be hard. But this was too much. She wanted to lie down on the ground and tantrum for all that had gone wrong. The taxi drivers’ strike was the last straw. She didn’t want to call Rob for a lift. It was the middle of the night and although he was a night owl, she was in no state to tackle him about anything, let alone his future.

  “Fortunately, I left my car in long-stay parking,” Daniel said. “I’ll drive you.”

  Her mouth dropped open. After her insult, he should have walked away.

  In fact, he was walking away, but with her backpack.

  “Arrogant, manipulative male.” But what choice did she have? She ran a few steps to catch up.

  His expression showed his sardonic appreciation of her situation and capitulation. He swung her bag from one hand. “You look different.”

  “I should do. There’s a big difference between eighteen and twenty four.”

  “Yes. You were barely out of the nest. A skinny little fledgling with big ideas.”

  “Not little.” She’d been five foot ten since she was sixteen.

  At well over six foot, he ignored her rebuttal. “You’ve grown some curves.”

  She glared. “Well, you haven’t grown any manners.”

  Her curves were a sore point with Cate. Less well-endowed friends couldn’t understand her attitude, but she hated the way men focused on her figure. She was a person—a bright, clever, compassionate person—not a doll.

  “Not the smoothest compliment I’ve ever paid. But you know, Cate, even tired you are stunning.”

  The casual, disinterested sincerity silenced her. Other men had said similar things, but they’d all wanted something. Her dark hair and eyes, and sun-kissed skin hadn’t been appreciated for themselves alone.

  Daniel, though, clearly didn’t care if she believed him or not. He just kept on walking.

  The automatic airport doors opened, and she folded her arms for extra warmth as they walked into the cool autumn night.

  Outside the terminal, the airport remained brightly lit. The stark lighting suited his uncompromising features. He wasn’t handsome. His square jaw was too strong for beauty and his cheekbones too broad. It didn’t matter, though. Daniel’s emphatic masculinity challenged and lured women.

  “Moths to a flame,” she murmured.

  “Pardon?”

  She unfolded an arm and pointed up at a floodlight being bombarded by suicidal moths. “They never learn.”

  He glanced at the moths and away, shifting his grip on their luggage. “Here’s the car.” Its lights flashed a welcome.

  It was a new four wheel drive, the red dust on its mudguards showing it had seen more than city streets.

  Daniel put down their bags and opened the passenger door. “Get in. You’ll be warmer.”

  She complied while he stowed their bags.

  When he climbed into the driver’s seat, he reached into the backseat and handed her a jumper. “Here. There’s no point shivering.”

  For six years Cate had guarded her independence. No one had shared with her the small moments of life, and her job as a journalist allowed scant time for courtesies. Daniel’s unfamiliar concern for her comfort startled her. It left her lost for a response.

  “Thanks.” She pulled the cream wool jumper over her head and tugged its long length down. She flapped the sleeves in wry amusement at their size difference and spoke without thinking. “I forget how much bigger you are.”

  Her breath hitched as she saw the sudden blaze in his eyes. “You look lost in my jumper.” He caught her hands and carefully rolled back the sleeves. The brush of his fingers against her wrists quickened her pulse, and she struggled to control her breathing. As he concentrated on his task, she could count every gold eyelash that brushed the soft skin beneath his eyes.

  He looked up and a small smile curved his mouth. “Warmer?”

  She was boiling.

  “Good.” He withdrew slowly to face forward in the driver’s seat.

  She clenched her hands. She wasn’t sure whether her wayward body might reach out to him. Moths to a flame, but she knew better than to follow an impulse. Heedless moths battered their wings to shreds, and died.

  He started the car and smoothly navigated his way out of the car park.

  Her heartbeat settled to a regular thud-thud-thud. She closed her eyes. With her eyes closed, she could ignore him. Maybe.

  “Cate, we’re home.”

  Home? The voice sounded familiar, but in the muzziness of sleep, Cate couldn’t place it. Where wa
s home? Her tiny Sydney flat? But she never brought a man there.

  Male fingers touched her face. “Caty?”

  “Hmm?” She turned her head, and the fingers trailed against her lips. “Mmm.” Her lips parted naturally. A finger trailed back and ran gently along her lower lip. Back and forward, tantalisingly light. It was maddening.

  She sent out an exploratory tongue tip, and the finger hesitated.

  “Not a good idea.”

  Suddenly, she was completely awake. Horrified, she stared into Daniel’s bright blue eyes.

  They crinkled at the corners as he smiled. “Do you always wake so nicely?”

  “No! No.”

  “Pity. I was having Sleeping Beauty ideas and thought I might have to kiss you awake.”

  The tremor that shook her was unmistakeable. Her body screamed, Yes!

  “No. I wake by myself.”

  “Do you, Cate? I would have thought some man would want the privilege. Early morning kisses, early morning sex.”

  She blushed, and tugged at the door handle. It opened easily and she almost fell out onto the concrete. The cold air broke the sensuous spell and dispersed the muzziness of sleep. She looked around. They were in an underground car park.

  “Where are we?” The sleeves of Daniel’s jumper had unrolled, and she pushed them angrily back to her elbows. “Which hotel is it? You could have dropped me at the front door. You don’t need to escort me inside.”

  “Ah, but I do.” He walked around the back of the four wheel drive and unloaded their luggage.

  “No.” Heavens knew what the gossips could do with a picture of Daniel Garren and Cate booking into a hotel together. “Don’t you have a home to go to?”

  He laughed.

  “So?” She pushed the sleeves of the jumper out of her way, and set her hands on her hips. “Go.”

  “Cate, we’re at my apartment.”

  Her eyes widened.

  “I decided it’s too late to try a hotel, and definitely too late to drive from hotel to hotel if they’re full. I have a spare bedroom, two in fact, which you can use. In the morning, you can sort out something for yourself.”