It was her father who answered. ‘Listen, darling, all that’s going on is that Gray arranged this surprise for you. Now, if he tells you, it won’t be a surprise. So why don’t you stop worrying about nothing and enjoy the journey?’ he advised her.
‘That’s all very well, but I’m not sure that I like surprises,’ she argued, momentarily diverted, and everyone laughed, including the driver.
‘That one will never fly, sweetheart. We all know there’s nothing you love more than springing a surprise on your nearest and dearest,’ Gray pointed out mockingly. ‘This time, the surprise is on you.’
There was nothing she could say to that. It was, after all, true. Sighing heavily, she made an attempt to concentrate on the passing scenery, and it was as she was doing so that she felt Gray take her hand and thread her fingers through his. She looked round at him questioningly.
‘The thought of flying makes me nervous,’ he told her, and her eyebrows rose incredulously.
‘I happen to know that you have your own pilot’s licence,’ she countered dryly.
He grinned faintly. ‘OK, the truth is I needed an excuse to hold your hand.’
‘You’ve never needed an excuse to do anything in your entire life,’ she pointed out, but didn’t take her hand away. It felt good. Right. She probably held his hand all the time these days, and one day it would all come back to her.
Gray looked at her, a strange light in his eyes. ‘Haven’t I? You’d be surprised.’
She looked at him questioningly, waiting for more, but that was all he said. She puzzled over what might unsettle his supreme confidence, but couldn’t come up with anything, and in the end had to let it go.
The airport was small and the plane they were using a private one, so it took no time at all to pass through the checks. Shelby hugged her father at the departure gate.
‘Please don’t worry. I’ll be fine,’ she reassured him.
‘I know you will, darling. Gray’s a good man.’
She glanced round at Gray, who was standing just outside, carrying their luggage, which had been in the boot of the car. ‘I guess that’s why I love him so much,’ she agreed softly, and saw the stunned expression that settled on her father’s face. It was then that she realised she had spoken a little too loudly. Her secret was out.
‘Shelby?’ Oscar exclaimed, and she hastily stood on tip toe to kiss his cheek.
‘Oh, Lord. I didn’t mean to say that! It’s a secret. Please, please, please don’t tell him I said so because I don’t think I’ve ever told him,’ she pleaded, then gave him a crooked smile and hurried to join Gray.
Oscar Greer stood watching her in somewhat of a daze. Then he smiled, and the smile slowly broadened into a grin. He laughed, shaking his head in wonder and wry amusement. His gaze fell on Gray and his merriment deepened. Well, well, well, he thought, rubbing his hands together in glee. Who would have thought it? This couldn’t have worked out better if he’d planned it himself.
Oblivious to it all, the two sources of his amusement were concentrating on each other.
‘Everything OK?’ Gray asked her as they walked towards a gleaming white jet.
‘He’s worried, but he knows I’ll be fine,’ she answered him distractedly, her attention on the aircraft. ‘A Lear jet? You can’t be serious!’
‘Ever been on one?’ he asked, and she shook her head, virtually speechless.
‘I wish!’
That roguish smile twinkled down at her. ‘Then you’re in for the flight of your life,’ he declared, helping her to mount the steps into the luxury jet. ‘Sit anywhere you like. I’ll just stow the luggage away.’
Shelby took a seat by the window and Gray had just joined her when the pilot walked through from the cockpit. He retracted the steps and locked the door before speaking to them.
Good morning, Mr Compton. Mr Ross sends his compliments. You’ll find refreshments in the galley, and the rest room is just beyond that. We’ll be taking off in a few minutes, and I hope you enjoy the flight.’ With a respectful nod he went on his way and disappeared forward.
Shelby took an appreciative look around the luxurious interior. ‘How do you know somebody who would lend you his Lear jet?’
Gray shrugged lightly. ‘I got him out of a jam once and he’s returning the favour.’
She was impressed. ‘It must have been some jam!’ she exclaimed ironically.
Gray merely smiled, and as the engines started at that moment, Shelby promptly forgot all about the mysterious Mr Ross. Having buckled herself in, she reached across and slipped her hand into Gray’s. When he looked a question, her lips twitched.
‘Flying makes you nervous, remember?’
Blue eyes gleamed back at her. ‘So it does,’ he responded, and tightened his grip.
Shelby felt her heart swell, and turned her attention to the world flashing by outside with a sigh of satisfaction. Now, if only she could get her memory back, life would be just about perfect.
CHAPTER EIGHT
THEY arrived at their final destination in the late afternoon. All Shelby knew was that they were in Scotland, and from the airport where they had landed Gray had driven them west in a hired Range Rover. The scenery was breathtaking and constantly changing as they travelled up the coast, then headed inland until finally he drew them to a halt before a house set on a hillside overlooking a loch.
A smiling woman came out of the house to meet them as they climbed out of the car.
‘Mrs Menzies?’ Gray queried, walking forward to shake hands.
‘Aye. And you’ll be Mr and Mrs Compton,’ she confirmed in the lilting, softly spoken manner of the locals. Shelby shook hands, deciding there was no point in correcting the woman’s error about their married state. ‘Now, here are the keys. I’ve made up the bed for you and set the water heater. By the time you go to bed, there will be plenty of hot water. You’ll find food in the refrigerator and logs for the fire are down in the cellar. It can get a wee bit chilly at night up here. If you need me for anything, you’ll find me at the farm on the other side of the loch there.’ She pointed to a collection of buildings in the near distance.
‘Thank you, Mrs Menzies. You’ve been very kind,’ Gray responded, taking the keys.
‘You and your wife enjoy your stay, now,’ Mrs Menzies declared with another friendly smile, then picked up a bicycle which had been hidden by the wall and rode off on it.
Shelby watched until the woman was out of sight, then took a good deep breath of the fresh scented air. ‘This is fantastic. How on earth did you find it?’
‘Through a friend of a friend,’ he answered vaguely.
‘I never knew you had so many friends!’ she declared, eyes dancing. ‘Look at all those colours in the heather. Oh, I wish I had my sketch pad with me. I need to get this down on paper!’ she exclaimed, receiving a sensory bombardment every way she looked.
Gray cast her a curious look out of those blue eyes. ‘You paint?’
‘One of the few things I inherited from my mother. I’m not a Turner or a Constable, but I get by,’ she confirmed, sighing happily. ‘You couldn’t have chosen a better spot, I love it!’
‘I don’t want to dampen your enthusiasm, but we didn’t pack any painting gear. We should be able to pick up a pad and some watercolours in the nearest town, though. Will that do?’
Shelby rubbed her hands together, enthused by the prospect of painting the myriad views. ‘I can’t wait.’ Turning to him with a excited smile, she slipped her arms around his neck and sighed. ‘Thank you for bringing me here,’ she said huskily and, in a spontaneous gesture, raised herself on tiptoe to kiss him.
There was a fraction of a second when Gray didn’t respond, but just when she was beginning to wonder at his reluctance his arms snaked round her, drawing her close. He took her simple thank you kiss and returned it with a searching one of his own. His teeth nipped at her lips, then his tongue soothed them with a silken glide. When she gasped at the tingle of pleasure, he took th
e opportunity to gain entry to the warm cavern of her mouth, searching out the sensitive spots with his tongue, urging her to meet him halfway, which she did with a sigh of satisfaction.
For mindless minutes they stood locked in each other’s arms, their kiss slowly but surely growing in passion until the need for air caused Shelby to break the contact. ‘Wow!’ she exclaimed with a husky laugh. ‘What was that for?’
Gray’s eyes only slowly lost their heated gleam. ‘It’s been a long dry spell between kisses, and I couldn’t resist it any longer,’ he confessed wryly and she smiled tenderly, her hand cupping his cheek.
‘I’m glad you didn’t. We must have had a lot of practice,’ she teased, and something flickered across his face too quickly for her to interpret.
‘Well, you know what they say, Red. Practice makes perfect,’ he joked back as he gently ran his hands up and down her back.
‘Mmm. In that case I’ll definitely be finding out how perfect you are later,’ she flirted, only to frown when his hands stopped their gentle stroking. ‘What? What is it?’
‘We shouldn’t forget you were in an accident mere days ago and only got out of hospital today. You don’t want to rush things,’ he advised her, stepping back so that her arms fell to her sides.
Not surprisingly, she looked at him oddly. He had initiated this, so why was he pulling back? ‘The doctor said I was in perfect health, except for the odd bruise or two. I’m not an invalid.’
Gray’s response was to ruffle her hair. ‘I know you’re not, sweetheart, but it still hasn’t been long.’
Shelby wasn’t at all happy with that answer or the action. ‘Don’t you want to make love to me?’ she demanded to know, going straight to the heart of the matter, and Gray uttered a dry laugh as he shook his head.
‘Hell, Red, you have no idea! I want to do that so damned much it hurts,’ he told her gruffly, and there was such a powerful look of desire in his eyes that she really couldn’t doubt his answer.
Moving closer, she placed her palms on his chest and fluttered him a come-hither look. ‘In that case there’s nothing stopping you,’ she declared alluringly.
Groaning, Gray placed his hands over hers, lest they threaten to stray enticingly. ‘I only have so much control here, and you’re enough to tempt a saint. Give me a break, Red. I’m trying to do what’s right, which is give you time,’ he added reasonably.
Her tongue peeped out to moisten her lips, causing him to catch his breath, which set her nerves jumping again. ‘Thanks, but I don’t want it,’ she insisted and he closed his eyes for a moment.
‘You’ve got it anyway.’
She stared at him in silence and with a lurch of her heart she thought she might have the real answer. ‘There’s something wrong with this relationship, isn’t there? Something you’re not telling me. That’s why you’re holding back,’ she accused tightly, her heart starting to thump anxiously in her chest. Oh, God, could she have loved him and lost him all in the space of the weeks she couldn’t remember? Was he just being kind until she did remember?
Gray looked at her for a long moment, then dragged a hand through his hair. ‘There’s nothing wrong between us, Red. Our relationship is as… strong as it ever was.’
As far as Shelby was concerned, he could be saying what she needed to hear rather than the truth. She had no way of knowing, and had never felt so vulnerable in her life. ‘Is it? How do I know you’re telling me the truth?’ Her eyes were a little wild now and she was disastrously close to tears.
Swiftly taking her by the shoulders, Gray looked her squarely in the eye. ‘Listen to me, Red. This is why I want to give you time, because your emotions are still recovering from the shock. Think. You have to know I wouldn’t lie to you.’
Shelby held his gaze, reading the message he was trying to send her. She had to believe he wouldn’t lie or she was lost. She was overreacting, and it was all due to the accident—as he had told her.
Slumping against him, she rested her head on his chest and sighed. ‘I’m sorry. It’s just…not remembering us makes me nervous. Of course I believe you, Gray,’ she said and felt his chest rise as he drew in air in a ragged sigh of his own.
‘Thank you for that,’ Gray responded gently, slipping an arm across her shoulders and starting them walking towards the house. ‘Listen, darling, we’re both a bit strained after all that’s happened. That’s why we’re here. We need to relax and take things easy. How about we start with a hot cup of tea?’
Tea sounded just about perfect right then. ‘Let’s do a deal. I’ll make us some tea whilst you bring the luggage in. How’s that?’ Shelby offered, raising her head to twinkle a smile up at him.
Laughing, Gray handed her the keys. ‘I should have known you’d get out of the hard work somehow. Milk, no sugar,’ he enlarged helpfully. Catching her chin in his hand, he held her steady whilst he dropped a kiss on her lips. ‘Just a little something on account,’ he grinned, then turned on his heel and headed back to the car.
Left to her own devices, Shelby went exploring. The house itself was old, but the interior had been improved to suit modern day needs. She found the kitchen easily enough, and set the kettle on to boil whilst she reconnoitred the rest of the ground floor. The sitting room was the cosiest she had ever seen, set about with rugs and comforters and deep-cushioned chairs and a settee just made to curl up in. On the upper floor there were four bedrooms, but only one ready for use. The main bedroom had an en suite bathroom and a spectacular view over the loch. As soon as she saw it, Shelby couldn’t imagine sleeping anywhere else.
Humming cheerfully to herself, she jogged back downstairs and retraced her steps to the kitchen. With the tea brewing in the pot, she hunted through the cupboards for something to go with it and discovered a tin of home-made shortbread. It had to have been left there by Mrs Menzies, and Shelby made a note to thank her the next time she saw her.
They drank their tea in the garden, munching on melt-in-the-mouth shortbread whilst watching the world go by on the loch below. The bustle turned to a trickle and eventually died away as the sun slowly sank in the west, and it was only the first chill of evening which finally sent them inside.
Later they dined on soup with chunks of fresh bread and a fine red wine. Gray found an old movie channel on the television and Shelby curled up beside him on the settee, her head on his shoulder, an arm tucked behind him, her hand slipping beneath his shirt.
‘This is nice.’ She sighed comfortably. ‘Do we do this often?’
‘Not often enough,’ he replied huskily, and shifted so that his arm was around her shoulders. ‘Better?’
‘Hmm, much,’ she confirmed with a tiny sigh, a flirtatious smile hovering unseen about her lips. Slowly but surely her fingers began to trace lazy circles over his skin. For a while he appeared to ignore it, but then she felt the tension start to mount in him.
‘Cut it out, Red,’ he ordered gruffly, and her lips twitched.
‘Cut what out?’ she asked innocently, ignoring his command.
‘You know what you’re doing,’ he countered, then gasped as her fingers found a particularly sensitive spot.
This time she laughed out loud. ‘I most certainly do.’
Gray’s hand found her chin and raised her head until their eyes met. ‘I give you fair warning, sweetheart. You’re messing with the wrong man,’ he growled.
Her eyes flirted with him recklessly. ‘That’s good!’
Swift as blinking, Shelby found herself lying on her back on the settee with Gray half leaning over her, his mouth twisted into a wolfish grin.
His teeth gleamed whitely as he said, ‘You’re playing a dangerous game.’
‘It’s the only type worth playing,’ Shelby flirted wickedly. She might not recall how they had come to be lovers, but flirting with him like this felt as right and comfortable as an old pair of shoes—only far more exciting.
‘You know, there are two ways this can go,’ he informed her, insinuating his hand beneath h
er T-shirt, causing her to catch her breath this time.
‘Is that so?’ she murmured breathlessly, her pulse beginning to trip faster in her ears.
His fingers glided upwards until they brushed the lower slopes of her breasts. His voice became huskily sensual. ‘I could kiss you, or…’
Her eyes widened expectantly. ‘Or…?’
‘I could simply do this,’ he went on in an altogether different tone and, before she could stop him, he began to tickle her ruthlessly.
‘No!’ Shelby exclaimed before she was overcome by tickle-induced laughter. She bucked, writhed and squirmed, all to no avail. Gray was stronger than she was and he knew just where to tickle her to undermine her best efforts at escape. One of her flailing arms caught him around the ear and, to avoid getting hit again, he buried his head in her neck. Just as it got to the point where it was hurting her to laugh, he stopped, raising his head to look down at her.
‘Had enough?’
‘H-hardly,’ she puffed. ‘I’m just getting my second wind!’
Laughing, Gray rested his weight on his elbows and looked at her admiringly. ‘I’ll say this for you, Shelby Greer. You’re a real terrier when it comes to defending yourself.’
Shelby was beginning to get her breath back now. ‘That had better be a compliment.’
The look in his eyes softened. ‘It was.’
She let out a sighing breath. ‘I wanted you to kiss me,’ she told him with a faint pout and he smoothed it out with the brush of his thumb, sending a tingling throughout her body.
‘I know,’ he replied softly. ‘To tell you the truth, Red. I could keep on kissing you from now until for ever and never get tired of it. That isn’t the problem.’
‘Then what is the problem?’ she asked him, her heart melting.
Removing his thumb, he replaced it with his lips, gently rubbing, nipping and teasing with teeth and tongue. ‘If I get started, I won’t want to stop.’
Her Tycoon Protector Page 14