It probably would have been easier just to march her out of the house, but he was curious and a little distraction was exactly what he needed right now.
“Uhh…” She ran her tongue along her lower lip and his pulse jumped in response.
Got you. “Re-thinking that call?” he asked, leaning against the wall.
Fire and brimstone flashed in her eyes. “I don’t suppose the emergency number is 911 here, is it?”
“No. It’s triple 0.”
Pause.
“I’ll scream,” she threatened. “And I’m really loud.”
“I have no doubt.” He cocked his head. “Who do you think owns this house?”
“Annabel Alessio.”
Ah. So she knew his big sister; that was an interesting twist. “I’m Damian Alessio, Annabel’s brother. I really do own this house.”
The furrow of her brows was far more attractive than it should have been. “She said it would be empty.”
“But she mentioned me?”
The woman nodded. “How do I know you’re not lying about being her brother?”
He pulled the wallet out of his back pocket and handed his license over along with the family photo he kept close to him at all times. The picture was old, but his sister’s crazy curly hair and signature chunky reading glasses would be easily recognizable.
The woman’s shrewd eyes took their time, scanning the details and making an assessment. But her shoulders relaxed into a more neutral position and she handed his phone back to him.
“Well…this is awkward,” she said.
His eyes skimmed over her bare shoulders, taking in the press of her collarbones against pale skin and the hint of a shadow between her breasts. A quiet hum of attraction vibrated in his blood. His whole body buzzed with energy as he zeroed in on the sweet curve of her lips and the flush of pink across her cheeks.
When was the last time you had a woman alone in your presence? It’s basic physiology, nothing to get all Freudian about.
“We should talk about organizing some alternative accommodation for you,” he said, trying to get his head straight. Having someone so tempting around the house was not a good idea. He needed to think with his head…the one on his shoulders.
Her mouth shot open as if she wanted to respond but she snapped it shut a millisecond later. It was quite likely his sister had invited her to make use of the house, but it was still his house. Well, his and Annabel’s anyway.
And he’d mustered up the courage to come here after an entire decade of avoiding this place like the plague, no way in hell was he going to give it up now. Not when he felt like the walls were crumbling around him. It didn’t matter that she was a stranger, no one saw him like that. Ever.
He wouldn’t put her out on her ear, though, he wasn’t that much of a bastard. He’d put a few calls in and organize a hotel for her. Hell, he’d cover the cost for her troubles.
But there was one thing for sure, there was no way he was leaving.
CHAPTER TWO
She’d been traveling for a year and in that time she’d stayed in hostels, slept on couches and had met new people left, right and center. But she’d never had an introduction quite like this.
The way he looked at her like he was the wolf and she was Little Red Riding Hood was creating a vicious swirl of excitement inside her. Oh, he’d done a great job of keeping the emotion from his face. But nothing could mask the fiery hunger in his eyes.
Her pulse raced, which was a perfectly normal reaction considering she’d faced sudden death at the jaws of a terrifying animal.
It had nothing—absolutely nothing—to do with Annabel’s brother and his huge, dark eyes. Nor his deep, olive skin and the muscles that defined his magazine-perfect physique. And it especially had nothing to do with the little trail of dark hair that went down from his belly button into the waistband of his shorts like a pathway to sexual nirvana.
God, didn’t the guy own a T-shirt?
“What did you say your name was again? Daniel?” She knew his name, but stalling seemed like a good idea since her brain had yet to move on from his naked torso.
“Damian,” he replied, opening a cupboard near her head and plucking out a mug.
“I’m Neve.”
He made himself a coffee and gestured for her to drink the one she’d made earlier. “I would usually say ‘it’s nice to meet you’ but I’m not sure that works given the circumstances.”
Was it her imagination or was there a smile tugging at his lips?
The Hound of Hell had made its way back into the kitchen and had dropped down at Damian’s feet. Neve shuffled back, trying to put as much distance between them as she could in the modestly sized kitchen. It was impossible to relax around something that looked as though it could snap your leg in half.
“Yes, well it certainly would have been a more pleasant introduction if someone had kept their teeth to themselves.” She looked pointedly at the dog and it cocked its head as if to say who, little old me? “I didn’t think I’d need armor for a beach vacation.”
“Tilly was just protecting me, weren’t you girl?” He scratched the animal behind the ears and a long pink tongue lolled out of her mouth. “See, she’s a big softie.”
Neve scrunched up her nose. “Let’s see if you’re still saying that when she attacks me in my sleep.”
“Not likely to happen since Tilly will be staying here with me.” His voice had that marble-like edge to it, smooth and cool but unmistakably hard.
If he was anything like his sister then he wouldn’t force her to leave, surely. She didn’t have anywhere else to stay and she’d been travelling for hours. Besides, this was a house built for a family. There was plenty of room for the two of them.
The idea of staying alone now seemed even more daunting than it had when she’d arrived. Which was stupid. Sure, she was a social butterfly by nature—and she was about as extroverted as people came—but she was also a grown woman. She should be able to handle being alone.
However, it was impossible to deny the anxiety swirling in her stomach at the thought of being alone with her thoughts.
“I don’t want anything to do with you.”
The memory made her gut churn. No, having a few holiday companions—even if one of them was a scary ass dog—would be better than reliving the moment her mother shut her out forever.
“Well, we’re going to make a happy little trio then, aren’t we?” Neve followed him out to the living area and sat beside him on the couch. She forced a bright smile onto her face. “Don’t worry, I don’t take up much space.”
His dark brow quirked into such a perfect arch that even The Rock would have been jealous.
“Look, your sister asked me to house sit and I gave up my accommodation.” Okay so Annabel hadn’t exactly been desperate to find a house sitter, but she had invited her and that was pretty much the same thing. And Neve had given up her booking for a small bed and breakfast cottage, that wasn’t a lie. “I don’t have anywhere else to go and—”
“I’ll find you somewhere.” He waved his hand as if to brush off her concern and Neve noticed that he hadn’t shifted his position on the couch to give her more space.
Now her thigh pressed against his, skin to skin, and the light dusting of dark hair on his leg tickled her. A frisson of attraction ran up her spine.
“I was about to say I don’t want to go anywhere else. This looks like a perfectly nice place to spend Christmas and I intend to enjoy it.” She offered up her most charming smile. “It’ll be fun.”
“This is my house.” The possessiveness in his voice sent a tingle of awareness through her.
“I was under the impression your sister owned it…you know, since she gave me the pin code to get in.”
He drew a deep breath, his broad, muscular chest expanding. For a moment her mind wondered what it would be like to trace that happy trail with her tongue, all the way down to—
“We both own it,” he admitted. “It belon
gs to the family.”
“She also said you hadn’t been here in years. How is it that I’m so lucky you decided to show up now?”
The muscles in his jaw worked as if he was grinding his teeth and he raked a hand through his slightly overlong, almost-black hair, but eventually he scooted over on the couch to give her space.
A small victory, but she’d take it.
“I can get my assistant to organize you a hotel room in the city,” he said completely ignoring her question.
“Why are you so afraid of having a house guest?” Neve wriggled back against the couch, crossing one leg over the other and tapping her foot to an imaginary beat. “Honestly, I’ll stay out of your way. This place is huge, you won’t even know I’m here.”
Her words developed a slight edge to them, which wasn’t like her at all. But Neve had a chip on her shoulder at the moment and she was done with being pushed around. Done with being cast aside like an annoyance and most definitely done with people telling her to leave.
This was the last thing he needed right now and her refusal to leave was only dredging up all kinds of reminders about how he’d totally lost control over his life. He took on the biggest, nastiest corporations for a living and had a record unparalleled by any other lawyer in Melbourne. Yet he couldn’t convince this little pixie to leave the house he owned.
What the hell was happening to him?
He tamped down his irritation. “I understand this is inconvenient for you.”
Her face remained impassive as she picked at the hem of her shorts and he forced himself not to linger on her slender thighs. His mouth ran dry as his imagination wandered, filling in the blanks with images of his hands smoothing over her trim hips, tracing the gently curved undersides of her breasts.
This is not why you came here. You’re looking for answers and this is not the time to be distracted!
“I don’t want your understanding,” she replied. “I just want to stay.”
“I get that. But I’ll give you a great room in the city, one with a view of the river—”
“You mean your assistant will give me a room with a view of the river.” Her lips pursed.
He ignored the jibe. “Anything you like, it’s yours. But I can’t have you here.”
He didn’t want anyone around when he finally imploded. Ordinarily, he was able to keep his emotions in check. But ever since he’d lost the case at work his temper had been balancing on a knife’s edge. Not only did he not want anyone to witness him in such a strung-out state, he certainly didn’t want it getting back to Annabel via one of her friends. His sister had been put through enough of his crap already.
“Isn’t this place big enough for two people?” She looked around, her eyes sweeping over the living and dining area. “I got the impression this is a family home. I’ll be quiet as a mouse, I promise.”
“It was a family home but it isn’t anymore.” Grief ripped through his chest. He hadn’t felt that dark beast roaring so loud for quite a while, but being back here had kicked up all the memories he’d worked so hard to lock away. “My parents are dead.”
“Annabel did mention that.” Her lashes lowered. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“It’s the first time I’ve been back since…” His chest constricted. “You can’t stay.”
Truthfully, he felt like a royal prick kicking her out. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve and he was giving the Grinch a run for his money. But he felt like his world was about to implode and he couldn’t let anyone else see him like that. He wouldn’t.
The last time he’d let his emotions get the better of him he’d terrified the crap out of his sister by putting his fist through a wall, breaking a few bones and bloodying up his hand. Since then he’d gotten better control over his feelings, but who knew what might happen when they came crashing down on him again? It would be better if no one else was around to witness it.
“You know, I flew all the way from Thailand this morning and then I drove over two hours from the airport.” She frowned. “And now you’re kicking me out? That’s really low.”
Talk about rubbing salt into the wound. “I can organize someone to drive you back to the city.”
“I have a rental car out front,” she said with a shake of her head.
“What if you stay tonight and then head to the city tomorrow?” he offered. It wasn’t perfect, but he could keep his shit together long enough to at least attempt to make it up to her. “How long were you planning on staying anyway?”
She shrugged and a strange expression passed over her face. “I’m flying home on New Year’s Day.”
“Let me make a few calls and I’ll see what I can do about getting you a room.”
“Sure.” She sighed and turned away from him. “Whatever.”
Her hair ran in curling tendrils down her back. Without the blaze of fire from her eyes, she seemed so small. Hell, if Tilly stood on her hind legs they’d probably be the same height.
He wondered how easily his hands would span her waist. How delicate she’d feel in his arms.
Shaking his head to dislodge the images, he made his way out to the back and put a call in to his assistant. Lena was a godsend and more loyal than he deserved. No task was too onerous—even finding accommodation the day before Christmas Eve. Within half an hour he had a message back from her with the details of a room at The Windsor. It would cost him a small fortune but he didn’t care. You couldn’t put a price on sanity and, right now, he needed to be alone.
As he walked back into the house he saw that Neve was having a staring competition with Tilly. The dog peered curiously at the newcomer.
“She won’t bite,” he said coming up beside the couch and patting his leg until Tilly ambled over for a head scratch.
It was easy to understand how people might be intimidated by her. She was big and covered in black fur everywhere except for her tan feet and legs. Plus, she had a strong protective streak and was good at getting people to give her a wide berth.
They were two peas in a pod.
But he’d trained her well and even now she would lay herself on the line for him. So Damian had his assistant and Tilly on his side…and that was about it. Especially since he’d pushed his big sister away so many times that she’d stopped trying to contact him.
“She gave me quite a fright,” Neve said.
“You gave me quite a fright.”
“Haven’t you had a woman in your house before?”
He made a low sound that was halfway between a grunt and a laugh. “Not recently.”
The last few months had been nothing but legal briefs and the four walls of his office. He’d worked tirelessly on this case, gathering evidence of the pure evil that was Bright Spark Electricity. But he’d failed his clients. They were now suffering because of his inability to keep his head in the game. Thinking about the case started boiling his blood, so he forced the thought aside and focused on his one-night-only guest.
“I’ve secured you a room in Melbourne,” he said, clearing his throat. “A suite, actually. It’s yours until New Year’s.”
“How did you manage that two days out from Christmas?”
“My assistant has magic powers.” Rather, she had incredible social connections, which came in handy since he was considerably lacking in that area.
An awkward silence settled over them. What now? Did they pretend he hadn’t strong armed her out? Or should they ignore one another until she left in the morning?
That didn’t sound too pleasant. And if she was a friend of Annabel’s then he at least owed her a meal. Besides, he wouldn’t be able to fully relax enough to start figuring out how he was going to get his life back on track until she was gone.
“How about we grab dinner?” he suggested.
“A moment ago you were desperate to make me leave and now you want to have dinner with me?” The tone of her voice was drier than desert dirt.
“You’re here for one night and you’ve very graciously accepted my
offer of a hotel room.” He ignored the slight roll of her eyes. “So the least I can do is take you to my favorite dinner spot and let you see a little of Sorrento before you go.”
“Are you sure you can handle my company for an evening?”
“Well, it’s that or you can check out the cupboards here but I’ll warn you, the options are limited.”
“How limited?” She narrowed her bluer than blue eyes at him.
“We probably wouldn’t last long in the event of a zombie apocalypse, put it that way.” He made a mental note to go to the supermarket tomorrow before it shut for Christmas.
“Fine, let’s have dinner.” She pushed up from the couch. “But you’re paying.”
CHAPTER THREE
An hour later they were on the road in Damian’s car. It had been tucked away in the garage around the side of the house, hence why she hadn’t seen it when she’d arrived.
What else did she expect from a guy who’d called in a favor to get her a five-star hotel room for a week on the brink of Christmas?
But she had to admit that the powerful air-conditioning and leather seats were much more comfortable than her rental. Even if the dashboard looked like it required an engineering degree to use.
“So,” he said, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel as they paused at an intersection. “What brings you to Australia?”
“You mean other than the wonderful seaside vacation I was promised?”
“You’re not going to let it go, are you?” He glanced at her with a rueful smile.
“Hell no. I’m going to milk it for all it’s worth.” She smirked and leaned back against her seat for a moment before she remembered that the Hound from Hell was in the back.
She was pissed that she’d failed to convince him to let her stay. But the look on his face when he’d mentioned his parents…hell. Talk about a stake through the heart. Buffy had nothing on him. Besides, she wasn’t a monster; the guy clearly had family issues and that was something she understood well.
Maybe he’d come here to sort through his issues the same way she’d been planning to. Why else would he come back to his dead parent’s house after all this time? According to Annabel, he resolutely refused to go anywhere near it. She’d done all the renovations on her own. Hence, why Annabel had assumed the house would be empty for the holidays.
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