Bargain In Bronze

Natalie Anderson
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any
resemblance to actual eents, locales, or persons, liing or dead, is coincidental.
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&or ,oraya and Nicola, the best buds a gal could eer hae. 9eres to champagne in ;ellington<<<
!hapter /ne
No one could concentrate on dicing a million dried apricots in a place like this. )ibby 9arris sure couldnt. Instead
she gazed around the immaculate kitchen and laughed=again. ,he was here because he loed her muesli so much
hed begged her to come to his home and make him some specially. !ould the day get any better>
&rankly, after the last three weeks, shed take all the ?oy from this she could. (en if no one else eer knew=
een if she neer made another batch again=at least she was helping someone one last time. And not ?ust anyone
either.
,he glanced at Apricot 4ountain and decided it would still be there in a few minutes=a @uick peek about
wouldnt offend, right>
,he all but skipped as she gae in to the urge to eAplore. The neAt room gae isual confirmation that it was
indeed his apartment. 4ost others would use it as a liing room, but here it was stripped bare of carpet. /n top of
the long, polished floorboards sat three rowing machines, a weights machine, a treadmill, a stationary bike, and a
few other scary bits of e@uipment that she didnt recognize but was sure would be pure torture to use. 9e could
charge money at the door and offer it as a priate training facility. If he succeeded in his goal at the 3ames, people
would pay s@uillions ?ust to see him=hed be the most wanted, highestBpaid speaker on the after dinner circuit. But
he wasnt in it for the money, she understood that. And looking at this apartment, it was obious he didnt need
the money.
The floor to ceiling windows offered an amazing iew oer the park. ,he crossed the floor and opened one of
them, stepping out onto the narrow railed balcony=recent eents had cemented a need for her to hae an
alternate escape route. The warm air breezed oer her skin and she heard the gentle Cpop popD of tennis balls
bouncing off rackets.
)ondon in summer=strawberries, 'imms, strolls in the park=for that halfBsecond she forgot her troubles and
lied in the light, happy moment.
Beyond the park, the ultimate goal was isible. That wide ribbon of water cured through the city, flanked on
either bank by beautiful buildings, both old and new. And adorning the scene eerywhere were the signs, the
bunting, the symbols of anticipation. ,porting glory would be ?ust up the rier. ,he breathed in deep, gazing out in
adoration at the iew. Brilliant, searByourBeyeballs sunlight glinted off the windows of the buildings that stretched
for miles. It was beautiful and no matter what her future held, she loed this city.
C;ho are you>D
)ibby ?umped, spinning so fast she nearly ended up oer the balcony. ,he @uickly regained her balance,
stepping into the room and staring in the direction of the booming, male oice. Blinded by the dazzling sunlight,
she couldnt see him clearly. But she knew from the size of silhouette, the guy striding towards her wasnt national
lightweight rowing faorite, Tom Barnes.
,he dragged a breath into crunched lungs. C;ho are you>D
CNo, that was my @uestion.D 9e kept walking, heayBfooted, assured. CIm supposed to be here.D
C,o am I.D ,he lifted her chin, defiantly sending out some attitude despite her mad blinking as she tried to
restore sight.
CIf youre legit, whats with the knife>D 9e came to a halt, sarcasm incarnate.
,tartled, )ibby clenched her fist=and felt the handle. /43, shed forgotten she had the small knife with her.
9ow embarrassing. And he thought she was going to= what=threaten him> No way. 9ad he not noticed she was
about a @uarter of his size>
CEou shouldnt carry a weapon, especially as shakily as that. Eoull only be oerpowered and hae it used against
you.D 9e lectured like he was addressing a bunch of school kids before they hit an afterBprom party.
The unwanted adice tweaked her neres but she also relaAed. 9e could hardly be a threat with that paternalistic
tone. ;ell, she was no child, and while she might not hae muscles, she had a mouth. C;hat makes you think you
could get it off me>D
C,ize and strength,D he answered easily, still a giant shadow, his features indeterminate because of the black
spots dancing in front of her as her eyes took too long to ad?ust to the relatie dimness of the room.
C4aybe I hae speed,D she countered with fauA confidence. C4aybe I grew up in a circus troupe and Im an
amazing knife thrower. 4aybe you should be really worried right now because I hae incredibly accurate aim.D
CId say that would be incredible.D 4ore than a hint of laughter lightened his response. CTell you what, I promise
not to hurt you, if you promise not to hurt me. Feal>D
)ibby didnt hae much choice=as @uick as her mouth could be, her brain wasnt giing her any more ammo.
C;hat is it youre after, anyway>D he asked. CThe most aluable thing in here is the rowing machine on the left,
but I cant see you lifting that easily.D
,he supposed she might look like a burglar in her skinny black ?eans, slimBfit black tee, black canas sneakers,
and tight, efficient ponytail that kept her hair out of her face and away from her food prep.
CEoure in my home,D he said firmly. C;hy>D
,he shook her head. CThis isnt your place.D
CNo>D he asked unbelieingly. CThen whose is it>D
CTom Barnes.D
&inally, after her fieBhundredth blink, full Technicolor was restored.
/h hell. ,he knew who he was. ,hed seen his picture in the paper when Tom had won the (uropean champs
only a few months ago. Thered been a picture of Tom with his siblings=the pretty, petite younger sister and the
older brother. The drop dead gorgeous older brother that )ibby and her workmates had all taken a second, third,
and fourth look at. -owing star Tom Barnes might be cute and heroic, but his big brother was all hunk and most
definitely wicked looking.
:ack Barnes. ,he een remembered his name.
Eeah, her retinas burned more now than when shed been sunBstruck mere seconds ago. 9e was the most
gorgeous thing outside of airBbrushed mens underwear ad fakery. 9is coloring was sharp=dark hair and piercing
blue eyes compared to the boyish Toms light brown tones and warm hazel eyes. :ack was taller, harder, sharper
featured, and the cynical suspicion in his eyes ?ust added to that aura of edge. And right now, with his brows
pulled together and his narrowed gaze rieted on her, he simply looked dangerous.
C9e inited me here,D she said in a breathy rush. Tom had been so enthusiastic when shed said yes, hed
pumped a fist in the air. It didnt seem like his brother was about to do the same.
CI can imagine he did,D :ack Barnes answered with a dry drawl. CBut I cant imagine hed want you to walk
around the place with a knife drawn. Foesnt seem like his style.D
9eat swarmed from her belly to eery eAtremity. It was hardly a knife, and to be busted snooping> By him of all
gorgeous people> CIm working in the kitchen. I ?ust came in here to=D
CNose around.D
CI thought I heard a noise,D she inented, running her hand down the side of her ?eans. C4ust hae been you.D
CEoure @uite good at making up stories.D 9e took a leisurely step closer but something in his stance still spelled
aggression. CAre you a reporter> /ne prepared to do anything for a scoop>D
CNo=D
C9ow did you get in>D
C;ith a key. I=D
CAnd the alarm code.D
CEes, I=D
CTom gae them to you>D
,he gae up on speech and simply nodded. It was impossible to answer in more detail gien the way he kept
rapping out the @uestions. 9e was worse than the hideous insurance agent shed dealt with=letting her hae
nothing but CyesD or CnoD options.
9is eApression hardened, along with eery muscle in his body. The air crackled around him. CEoure meeting
him here> Are you=D
CIm ?ust preparing the muesli for him, then Im leaing the key on the table and walking out.D ,he talked long
and loud and right oer the top of him.
There was a pause. 9ad she finally silenced him>
9e blinked. CEoure preparing the what for him>D
C4uesli.D
C4uesli>D he repeated.
CEes,D she answered loftily, pleased shed thrown him. CI make the muesli he likes.D
:ack Barnes threw back his head and laughed. ;atching him, )ibbys pulse zipped to a punishing pace. ;hat
with the shock of being frightened by a stranger, followed by the surprise of him being so completely stunning, it
was a wonder her heart hadnt stopped all together. ;eak hearts were in the family=both literally and emotionally
=but )ibby was determined to take care of hers. ,he mentally counted backward from ten and told herself he
really wasnt that gorgeous and she wasnt going to pay any attention to the gleam in his eyes and the
infectiousness of that low, rumbling laugh. ,he heard another mangled repeat of CmuesliD in that offensie,
disbelieing tone. -olling her eyes, she waited for him to get oer it.
CAre you the team dietician>D 9e finally sobered enough to speak, but he still wore half of a grin.
If only hed stayed all cynical iceBman. 9im smiling made it hard for her brain to retain operational status. ,he
shook her head.
CFidnt think so.D Now his smile anished. C;hats your name>D
C)ibby 9arris.D ,he pulled it together and answered firmly. CAnd yours>D ,he wasnt going to gie him an ego
trip by admitting she already knew who he was.
C:ack Barnes. Im Toms older brother and this is my apartment.D
/f course it was. )ibby shrank inside, hopelessly fighting the heat inading her face. ,he must look like a cherry
tomato. CBut Tom lies here.D
C;hen hes in town, yes.D 9is answer was shorn of any lingering amusement.
;hy hadnt Tom eAplained it was his big, bad brothers apartment he was sending her to> And why had she so
cheekily looked around>
But it was too late now, all she could do was get the ?ob done and leae. And okay maybe she ought to
apologize for snooping. But she really didnt want to=the guy seemed to feel superior enough already. C;ell, if
you dont mind, I need to get back to what I was doing.D
9ead held high, she walked across the floor=carefully leaing a fourBfoot firebreak between them. 9e turned
and walked behind her. Now she felt so selfBconscious it was a wonder she didnt fall oer her own feet. It was too
unfair of him to be that hot in his faded ?eans and white TBshirt. And did he hae to watch her so super close all
the time=like she was some worldBthreatening irus on a microscope slide>
CActually, )ibby 9arris,D he murmured with toeBcurling, intimate softness. CIm afraid I do mind.D
!hapter Two
:ack Barnes slowly followed his unwanted guest into the kitchen, reluctant amusement fighting bitter
disappointment. 9er glossy, dark hair hung in a long ponytail and her figure would be girlishly slim if it werent for
the glorious cures rounding out her TBshirt. 9e could see eAactly why Tom had inited her oer to Cmake muesli.D
5nbelieable.
C,orry 4r. Barnes, but your brother asked me to do something for him and Im not leaing here until Ie done
it.D
Also unbelieable was the cuteness of her defiant smile as she took up position behind the countertop, already
working that ridiculously small knife on the chopping board.
9e cursed under his breath. 9is brother had always been impetuous and frankly, too obsessie. 9e couldnt
blame him in this case though. :ack absolutely understood the attraction. &or the first time in their lies, he was
hot for the woman his brother wanted.
Too bad for both of them. Because :ack wasnt going to stand by and watch Tom derail again=not this month.
9e had to get rid of her. But she had bags scattered oer the bench between them=rolled oats, hazelnuts, a tall
bottle of maple syrupG Eeah, her whole healthy eating act was cute and she was so luscious, Tom would probably
eat cardboard and crushed bricks to earn her faor.
Nowadays :ack no longer noticed what Tom ate. The guy was healthy and fit and had been in training so long
he knew eAactly what he could and couldnt hae. 9e was on some superstrict plan and :ack trusted his brother to
manage that on his own. 9e trusted him on other things less=like women.
9is brows lifted as he read the price sticker on the back of the bottle of maple syrup. In the early days their food
bills had been astronomical and it had been a huge struggle to make all the payments. &ortunately, the scrimpB
andBsae days were gone, though :ack was still sensible. To this day he had a fund going so his younger brother
and sister would neer know what it was to worry about how the neAt grocery bill was going to be paid.
C;hats so special about your muesli>D Apart from the outrageous price of that syrup.
,he deftly sliced through three of the dark dried apricots. C4aybe you need to ask Tom.D
Famn good idea. 9ed be asking Tom a few other pertinent @uestions as well. -ight on time his phone chimed=
Tom.
C:ack, Ie got a woman coming.D Tom said the second :ack answered. CFont let her leae.D
C)ibby 9arris,D :ack confirmed. 'retty name, een prettier face. As for her cocoaBcolored eyes and her stopBtheB
traffic curesG
C,hes there already> Brilliant.D Tom spoke @uickly, clearly distracted. C,hes absolutely amazing.D
:acks temper spiked=it was eAactly as hed suspected.
CFont let her leae before I get back,D Tom said=practically breathless.
Actually now :ack would make doubly sure she was gone before Tom returned. 9is kid brother had gotten back
from a training camp only this morning=what the hell was he thinking>
CIts really, really important :ack. 5nderstand>D
9e understood all right. Tom had the bit between his teeth=the raging lust. And :ack couldnt blame him. ,he
was beautiful. Not Toms usual bikiniBbabe, party dia type=maybe his kid brother had finally grown up some. But
it still wasnt the right time. !ouldnt he wait this one last month>
&rom the desperation in Toms oice :ack knew there was no way Tom was waiting or that hed asked her here
?ust for muesli. 9is brother was about to go oerBboard again mere weeks out from the biggest eent of his career.
;ell, :ack wasnt going to let it happen. Not this time.
CIll sort it for you,D :ack smiled as he spoke, hoping Tom wouldnt hear the anger riding inside.
C&antastic.D
:ack rang off, een more annoyed by the audible relief in Toms answer. 9e scowled at the mess of ingredients
on the bench and then across to the woman whod no doubt heard most of that conersation. C,eems your muesli
is really important.D 9e grimaced. 3ien the mess already, he supposed he should let her make it=seemed she
was halfway there already. But then she could leae. C9ow long does it take to make>D
CA couple of hours. I need to toast some things separately and then combine them.D ,he banged the knife down
rapidly=machineBgun style.
CEou need to do it more @uickly than that.D :ack knew Tom had gone straight into another training session and
would be at least three hours but he wasnt taking any chances.
C;hy>D 4ore chopping, een faster.
:ack decided to be honest. CI dont want you here when Tom gets back.D
9er eyes widened and the knife hoered aboe the allBbutBpulped fruit.
CI dont want you distracting him,D he clarified.
CFistract=D she broke off and cleared her throat. CI wouldnt distract him.D
:ack kept looking at her and waited for the penny to drop. ,he was smart, it didnt take long.
CBut I wouldnt. ImG ImG Im not his type,D she choked, color flooding her face=her astonishment both isual
and audible. CThats not whyGD she trailed off.
,he knew Toms type> ;hich meant she knew more than a bit about Tom=about his CdistractionD a couple of
years ago> Eeah, she wasnt as innocent as she was making out. The embarrassed look was pretty /scarBworthy
though.
C4aybe hes matured,D :ack murmured.
C/kay.D ,he abandoned the chopping altogether and pointed the small knife in his direction. CEou think hes
Hmatured and yet you think hes chasing me only weeks out from the biggest race of his life>D ,he shook her head.
CThat doesnt make sense.D
It was Toms taste in women that had matured, but definitely not his ability to control himself when he fell in
loe. Tom fell hard, that was his problem. And the bigger problem for :ack was that he could totally understand
why in this case.
C;hats in this for you>D :ack asked. ;hat did she want from Tom> C9e cant endorse your product, you know.
9es sub?ect to all kinds of clauses in his contract. &orbidden to do anything in terms of new sponsorship deals until
after the games.D
CThats not why Im here.D ,he clipped the words the way she sliced the apricots=@uickly.
C,o why>D ;as she genuinely interested in Tom> /r would she be interested in any guy who might help out her
business> Eeah, :ack was wary and he didnt want any more pressure put on Tom than was necessary. 9is brother
didnt need to be hurt the way he had been before.
,he poured the bag of hazelnuts onto a tray. It made a hell of a din for two seconds. ,he picked up the tray and
slid it in the oen, banging the door shut before whirling to face him. CBecause he asked me to.D
C,o youre doing it out of the goodness of your heart>D
CEou dont think thats possible>D 9er brown eyes fiAed on him. But it wasnt only defensie anger he saw in
them, there was also accusation=like she was assessing and finding him wanting. C!ant someone help another out
=?ust as a friendly faor=without there being some kind of ulterior motie>D
CIts possible,D he answered bluntly. CBut unlikely. Theres always more to it.D As his business had gotten
increasingly successful, hed discoered there was often something more to what appeared to be simple re@uests.
Eeah, hed become cynical.
CNot in this case. Tom wants my muesli, Im making it for him. And okay yes, hes paid me to make it. (nd of
story.D
C,o if hes paid=if this is something you produce, why cant he buy it from a shop> ;hy do you hae to make it
here>D
9er gaze dropped, as did her shoulders=so slightly. CIm not making any for the shops at the moment.D
CBut you do>D
C/f course I do,D she said lifting her chin, her spirit=and olume=returning. CThats how hes had my muesli
before. 9es bought it.D ,he tightened her grip on her knife and went back to decimating apricots.
C9ow did he know how to track you down if there isnt any in stores now>D :ack needed to know how long this
had been going on.
CEou should get a ?ob with 4I1,D she snapped. C;hy dont you call him back and ask him> 9es the one who
tracked me down. 9e called me. 9e asked me. 9es the one whos paid me already. Not because hes interested in
me, or I in him, or because I want anything else from him. 9e ordered, paid and here I am.D ,he shrugged her
shoulders, looking at him like he was a crazed conspiracy theorist.
And :ack almost belieed eery word=all eAcept the Tom wasnt interested bit. ,he was beyond cute by any
guys standards, but the timing for Tom sucked. It was out of the @uestion for him to start seeing her now. As for
:ack=well, he wasnt encroaching. 9e picked up the bottle of bronze li@uid, deciding to change the topic while he
internally processed. C;hy not honey>D
9er eApression lightened as she glanced at it. C4aple has a more subtle flaor. 4ore delicate.D
C4ore refined>D
CNo, more natural.D
CIts sure as hell more eApensie.D
CActually, some honey is as eApensie. But youre right, pure maple isnt cheap.D
9e held it up and looked and let the sunlight hit it. CBeautiful color though.D
CAnd a beautiful flaor.D ,he poured the oats into another tray. C,o I can get on with this now>D
:ack gritted his teeth. C!an you be done in an hour>D
!hapter Three
)ibby looked at the guy whod been so determined to gie her a hard time these last twenty minutes. 9e honestly
thought shed CdistractD Tom> ;hat a ?oke. Tom hadnt een looked her in the eyes when hed come to see her=
haing first contacted her through her website. At first she hadnt belieed his email was for real. ,hed demanded
to meet him and shed demanded upfront payment=though that had been because of her cash flow problems. But
hed been happy to pay then and there. In fact hed been so manic about the muesli and so obiously uninterested
in her, shed almost been offended. ,he was hardly modelBmaterial but she occasionally scored a second look.
Now :ack, unlike his brother, had done nothing but gaze right at her, and frankly, it turned her insides upside
down. Not that :ack seemed in any way aware of her other than as some bizarre threat to Tom. ,he had the
impossible desire to make him pay a different kind of attention to her=and ?ust because something might be
impossible, didnt mean she wouldnt try.
CThe best things need time to get eAactly right,D she said. C!reating something that tastes eA@uisite cannot be a
rushed process.D And yes, she deliberately infused a frisson of tease in her tone.
C(A@uisite>D he mocked. C/ats are what you feed horses.D
CAnd international athletes,D she pointed out smugly.
C4uesli is not a real meal.D
/h he so wasnt going to win that argument. C;hen eaten with milk its a complete protein that will gie you a
sustained energy release for hours.D
C,ustained energy>D 9e eyed her wickedly. C&or hours you say>D
CAbsolutely,D she held her cool. CItll make you all (nergizer Bunny.D
Boldly she met his gaze=refusing to wither under his relentless scrutiny=though her toes were curling tight in
her shoes and she was clamping down on the lush melting sensation deep in her belly.
9is brows lifted slightly and the corners of his mouth twisted into a smirk. CFo you mind my staying to watch>D
/f course she did. ,he was far too aware of him watching her eery moe and making her fatBfingered and
clumsy. And hot. CNot at all.D
CI guess if I learn how to make it, then he can always hae your muesli.D
It took a little more than a few stirs with a spoon and a half hour in the oen to make her muesli, but she held
back her eyeBroll. CEoud make it for him>D
CIs that so unbelieable>D
,he gestured at the kitchen with its beautiful stainless steel appliances that shone with showroom perfection=
untouched newness. CIsnt this the first time this oen has been used>D
The first thing shed done when shed gotten there was peek in the pantry. ,urprisingly ,partan, there were no
baking ingredients and only a couple of cans of tomatoes. There was nothing in the fridge other than some milk, a
packet of smoked salmon and some yoghurt. ,hed figured Tom must eat out or hae meals deliered. 9e
probably didnt hae time to make the stuff himself or was on some special diet or something. But now she knew it
was :acks place=and a guy as strong as he looked had to eat. 4aybe they both had food deliered.
9e grinned. CEoure right. I ?ust had it refurbished. But I can and do cook. Eoud be surprised what Im capable
of doing with my hands.D
A tingle shot down her spine.
C!an I try some of the maple syrup>D he asked slowly.
There was definite tease now. ,he bit back a pleased smile=and then she noticed the smell.
C/h no<D ,he raced to the oen. CNo, no.D
Famn.
CIts ?ust a few nuts,D he said easily. CIt doesnt really matter that much, does it>D
/f course it mattered because those nuts cost a fortune and she couldnt charge Tom for her own mistake=and
she couldnt afford more of the wretched things. And in :acks brand new oen> ,he opened the oen door and
tendrils of smoke wafted out. The smell intensified. That bitter, singed odor of burned nuts=shed neer forget it.
And now, standing before the open oen, she remembered the rest=the acrid, eyeBwatering smell of burning
plastic, walls, tables, chairsG
:ack pushed past her with a cloth. 9e lifted the tray of charred nuts out and @uickly slammed the oen door. 9e
turned to face her, smoking tray in hand=his eApression @uestioning.
,he blinked, pulling herself together. CEou dont hae smoke alarms installed>D ;hat kind of an idiot didnt hae
smoke alarms> They should be going like crazy now.
CThats what you were waiting for>D 9e asked in disbelief. C;ere you going to let them burn longer to test out
my sprinkler system too>D 9e looked at her like she was loco.
And in that second the alarm started= shrieking=right aboe her head. ,he was stupidly relieed. ,he watched
as :ack waed a teaBtowel madly aboe them, clearing the air to stop the earBbleeding noise.
9er hammering heart began to settle. Two weeks ago shed been under suspicion for something terrible=but
she hadnt started it. /f course she hadnt. 9er landlord had been wholly dodgy, and thered been no working
alarm.
C3ood to know it works,D she said blandly to :ack whod ceased the semaphore act and was watching her with
his eApression one giant @uestion mark.
,he turned away and frowned at the bench with the halfBmade muesli. ,he was hardly about to share the details
of the fire with him. CI dont hae more hazelnuts with me. It wont taste the same.D
9e snorted. CIt wont matter. Tom can always toast his own.D
Thus spoke a man who did not understand gourmet muesli. CI think he has other things to do with his time,D
she said pointedly.
And she had to suck up the mistake. ,hed promised Tom and shed delier as best she could. ,he found a fresh
tray and prepped the other nuts and oats=measuring enough of the maple syrup to gie it the flaor that was so
sensational.
,he carefully folded the miAture oer and oer again before putting it in the oen. Then she leaned against the
countertop and glared at the oen. ,o not going to glance oer at :ack. Not going to. Not een once.
C,o=D
CFont talk to me,D she interrupted him. CIm not ruining the rest of it.D
9e didnt talk, but he did look=she knew from her peripheral ision. )ibby had to make a superhuman effort not
to gie in to the urge and look directly back at him. And despite her many mental pleas, he didnt leae the
kitchen. Fid he still think she was there to lift his most precious possessions> /r did he now think she might set
fire to the place> /h the irony.
C;hy couldnt you make this at your place and ?ust drop it off to him>D 9e ignored her CsilenceD edict.
CI dont hae an oen in my home.D It was a tiny bedsit=only two gas rings, a bar fridge, and a toaster in the
cupboard that was the kitchen.
CEou dont hae an oen>D
Fid he hae to sound like he didnt beliee anything that came out her mouth>
CIts a ery small home.D 5nlike this posh place.
C,o where were you producing the muesli for stores>D
It was the in@uisition again. CI rented a commercial kitchen.D The fire had gutted the facility three weeks ago.
Three weeks of absolute hell, but she had no desire to offload all the agony on to him.
,he turned and started to clean up=still keeping a watchful eye on the tray in the oen.
CAnd this is what you do for a liing>D
,he really wished she could say yes. Instead she shook her head. CI hae a day ?ob.D
9e nodded as if hed figured that one already. C4ust be hard to make a profit when your core ingredients are so
eApensie. Eour target market must be small.D
,he rebelled at the implied Citll neer workD comment=shed heard it enough from others. Those who thought
healthy food shouldnt cost so much. (specially not breakfast food.
CAnd your heart is in cereal>D
C(Aactly.D It was all about her heart. This was her way of helping health, and it was her baby=a safe outlet for
her passion.
Because she wasnt getting passion elsewhere. Fefinitely not from any tall, dark, musclierBthanBanything man.
But unfortunately her body had decided that it wouldnt mind a little sensual thrill, and his proAimity was a ma?or
problem.
&inally=thank heaens=the stuff was ready. ,he pulled the tray from the oen then fanned it to cool the muesli
as @uickly as possible. ,he wanted to get out of there A,A'. But she couldnt resist glancing up. 9er gaze collided
again with his. The way her heart skipped when she looked at him> ,he all but drowned in his eyes as he focused
on her. Not good. )ibby had no intention of getting inoled with any guy, certainly not one as magnetic as he.
,he was looking after her heart. 'hysically and emotionally=and emotionally meant no entanglements.
C/nce this is cool ?ust put it in here.D ,he waed the container at him. ,o ready to leae now.
C,o now Tom has his muesli,D :ack gae her a small=sarcastic=clap.
CI hope he en?oys it.D ,he threw him one last defiant glare and grabbed her bag. But she couldnt help worrying
about her product. CI hope he doesnt mind about the hazelnuts.D
C9ell lie.D :ack stood and followed her down the hall to the door. CIm sorry you hae to leae before he gets
back,D he said facetiously.
CThats fine.D )ibby felt the urge to needle him one last time so she put on her foAiest smile. C9e has my number
if he needs any more.D
CI think youe left him with plenty.D 9is arm brushed against hers as he reached forward to open the door.
To her immense discomfort he accompanied her down the stairs. 'robably ensuring she truly did acate the
premises. But she could feel him so close, ?ust a half step behind her. (lectricity arced=?olting her=and she
walked faster to the bottom. ,he glanced back and saw hed matched her pace. 9e was right there, tall, dark=and
yes, too gorgeous for any girls good. ,he reached for the door. 9e was standing close beside her and watching
her een more closely.
C9ell be sorry he wasnt here to say thank you himself,D he said softly. C,o Ill hae to do it for him.D
(Aactly how was he going to thank her> Because from that look in his eye she was thinking that he was going
toG toG
No, surely not. But his smile was so deilish and he was so damn handsome, she ended up so flustered she
yanked on the door and tried to go through it all at the same time.
All that happened was she smacked her head so hard on the thick wood the sound of the whack ibrated for the
neAt twenty seconds.
C/ww.D ,he closed her eyes tight against the intense pain. A wae of giddiness threatened to drown her
consciousness. 9ell that hurt.
C)ibby>D
,he clamped a hand to her head and wanted to eaporate. As if it wasnt bad enough to be caught snooping
around someones priate home, shed burned half the things she was meant to make and now shed ?ust about
knocked herself out. And it was his home=4r. 9ollywood handsome personified. 4ortified wasnt the word.
C)et me look at it.D
9umiliated, anger flared. CEou keep distracting me,D she growled.
Fespite the ringing in her ears she heard the chuckle beneath his breath. C)et me see.D
9is hand came firmly oer hers and he peeled her fingers away from her forehead. ,he looked into his face for
his reaction=another big frown.
CIs it bleeding>D she asked.
CI think you should come back upstairs.D
,he shook her head but instantly stopped the moement as her ision swam. CNo.D
C)ibby=D
CNo, its fine.D ,he needed to get out of here, away from him and this whole embarrassing episode.
CIts not that bad, but its definitely not fine,D he said calmly. C!ome on. 5pstairs.D
No, she was leaing now.
9e bent his knees, ducking his chin to capture her complete attention with his. 9is blue eyes bored into hers.
,he couldnt tear away. 9is eyes really were a deep blue, almost nay. ,he watched him draw nearer, his blue
irises thinning to a wide ring around their black, hot center. 4esmerized, she froze, completely forgetting the
ringing pain in her head. Instead she was stunned by the return of that wild, impossible thought, as she watched
him draw nearer and nearer. 9is lips cured into the most wicked smile and she ?ust waited because she was
certain the guy was about to kiss her. And shed definitely had a knock on her head because now she wanted him
to, so ery much. And shed be kissing him right back, right about=
CI cant let you walk out of here looking like youe ?ust been beaten up. 4y reputation would suffer.D 9e spoke
low and slow and with such a smile, she melted.
,he bet he had a one hell of a reputation. Thoroughly desered too if that look was anything to go by. But by
the time shed een processed that thought she realized she was halfway up the stairs again already=his arm firm
around her waist as he guided her, almost lifting her up each stair.
The throbbing in her head was nothing compared to the impact of the contact. The man was a wall of muscle=
so strong and scarily comforting. ,he tried to straighten and not lean so hard against him. But his arm tightened
and she gae in, letting him take half her weight.
4aybe she was concussed because time slipped and she was back at the top of the stairs and outside his
apartment already. ,he felt giddy, her legs wobblier than a kittens. 9e didnt say anything as he looked down at
her=his hold still firm. ,he met that brilliant blue with an embarrassingly mesmerized stare. 9er heart beat so fast
it was a wonder it didnt fly from her chest like a startled bird. ,he only had to angle in a little more and shed be
flush against his body. 9is delightfully big, hot body. But suddenly that warmth was gone. 9ed stepped back=
keeping a light hand on her arm now as he opened his door.
C;e need to get you fiAed up,D he said.
The bathroom was ?ust as magnificent as his kitchen. &eeling like a twoByear old and wishing she could hae the
tantrum to go with it, )ibby sat on the countertop while he rummaged in a &irst Aid boA for whateer he needed to
perform this apparently massie operation.
9e looked up from the boA and laughed at the eApression on her face. CFont worry, it wont hurt.D
The smell of the antiseptic actually soothed her. It wasnt that horrid hospital grade stuff that burned your
nostrils, but the far more comforting scent that brought back memories of being a kid with a scraped knee and her
mother scooping her up to gie her reassurance. ,he closed her eyes, hiding the silly tears that sprang up at the
wisp of memory. And also hiding from that too handsome face intently concentrating on the ?ob. But with her eyes
closed she was more aware of his touch.
CEoure gentle,D she muttered. Then flinched=she hadnt meant to say that aloud<
9e put a hand on her shoulder to keep her still but she could hear the smile in his oice as he answered. CIe
had some practice playing the medic.D
CTom.D
CAnd my little sister.D
,he knew the story=the whole nation did. Toms amazing battle against cancer as a child and his subse@uent
rise to become a champion in such a grueling sport. And the family tragedy=hed been raised by his elder brother
=:ack, after their parents had died in an accident when Tom was a teenager. No wonder :ack was so protectie of
him.
CIm giing you a ride home,D he broke in on her thoughts.
CThats not necessary.D ,he stared at his shirt, refusing to look up into his face, so embarrassed. 9ad the guy
known shed thought he was going to kiss her> 9ow much shed wanted him to kiss her>
CIts totally necessary. Eou could hae a concussion.D
CIt was a tiny knock.D
CThats left you with a massie egg on your head.D
3reat. 9ere she was with 4r. 9andsome and she was 4s. BlackBandBBlue.
CEou shouldnt be on your own tonight,D he added @uietly. CEou lie alone in that small home of yours>D
,he felt her blush rise again. Eeah, now she was reading hidden @uestions where there were none. CIm fine.D
C;hat about family> &riends> A boyfriend>D
/kay, so now the @uestion was eAplicit. ,he carefully shook her head.
CIs there no one who can stay with you>D
,he didnt answer.
It wasnt the cotton wool he used to carefully treat her wound this time, but his lips. &or a big guy he could do a
tiny kiss beautifully. ,he closed her eyes. Bad idea=it empowered eery other sense. It was as if shed been
in?ected with some kind of super strength sensitiity serum in a random past alien abduction and it had this second
been actiated. ;ith one touch.
The sharpest sensorial hit came from the heat emanating from him. That warmth was so initing, so was his
solidity=both physical and intangible=as if his purpose was to be relied on. ,hed neer had the desire to be
swept off her feet, @uite the opposite. But :ack was so muscular, so much physically stronger than her. ,he
yearned to curl closer=was drawn to his heady contradiction of restrained power and gentle touch.
,he inclined her head, wanting his kiss to continue=to go further. But he brushed her bruise with the lightest
sweep of cotton wool again and spoke ery softly. C4aybe Id better stay with you.D
!hapter &our
:ack snapped his mouth shut, mortified hed done that and then said that aloud. 5nfettered desire had slipped
those words free from him, but 4s. Bruised Beauty here was the woman his kid brother wanted. :ack couldnt
encroach on Toms territory=een if Tom couldnt hae her right now. (en if she denied any interest in him. (en
if she was playing along with :acks lapse into flirtation. ;hat kind of brother was he to be hitting on her> A ?erk.
Not any kind of brother at all. 9e needed to get his personal= inappropriate=urges under control. All hed had to
do was get her out of the way until after the eent and Tom was free to play with her. ,howed how long it had
been since hed had any fun, if he was propositioning a woman so out of bounds. 4aybe hed better go out tonight
and find someone pretty and willing and free. 'lay the game for once. 9ell, it was Tom whod told him that a while
back. :ack had scoffed, but apparently Tom was right. 9ed neer been struck with this kind of instant lust=to see
a woman and want her within seconds> The uncontrollable sensation was discomforting.
But he remained motionless=too close to her=immobile not ?ust because of his burgeoning guilt, but because
of her response. 9er eyes had widened instantly, dilating, signaling reciprocal interest like a neon flare. 9er color
continued to deepen in both her eyes and cheeks. 9er mouth parted=?ust enough to show how lush and soft her
lips looked when freed from firm restraint.
:ack stared at those lips for too long. 9e imagined touching them with his finger, with his tongue, with his own
lipsG. 9e imagined what theyd feel like moing oer his body=his chest, his abs, his co=
9e slammed his thoughts to a stop, wrenched his gaze away and forced his feet to moe a pace back before his
body betrayed him completely. As it was he had to think horrible, cold, ardorBfreezing thoughts to calm him=
Toms hurt, Toms anger.
5nforgiable.
CI hae a friend I can call.D ,he broke the silence with a cool oice.
Fid she mean a male friend> It wasnt his business to ask. It was Toms business. 9e flicked the @uickest of
glances back to her=but she trapped his focus again with her tilted chin and straight back and determined dignity
despite the blush that had stained eery inch of her smooth skin.
C,o you wont be alone>D he asked, his oice husky.
9er chin lifted. 9e recognized the sparkle in her eyes already, the gleam as she @uickly thought up some answer.
9e was smiling before she een spoke.
CI lie neAt to ,erge from the circus=the ;orlds ,trongest 4an.D
,he dared him to laugh, dared him to disbeliee.
CThats good to know,D he murmured.
G
The drie took foreer. The traffic moed less than a meter a minute. And there was no such thing as a @uiet
,unday in )ondon. ;hile some lay laughing and sunbathing in the parks, others ran or strolled or rollerbladed. It
seemed eeryone shopped. The eAcitement was palpable=the energy building as the worlds biggest sporting
eent was merely days from beginning. But all that anticipation was nothing compared to the energy humming in
the car.
,he could see his muscles bunching as he sat unnaturally still, as if he were holding himself in check, gripping
the steering wheel as if there were nothing but potholes ahead.
At last they got to the small block where her bedsit was. 9e parked right out front and eAited the car.
CI can walk,D she backed away from him as he followed her. ,he didnt want him helping her up the stairs again,
thanks. ,he didnt want him anywhere near her body for fear shed reeal ?ust how hot she thought he was. It was
embarrassing.
CIm sure you can, but Im seeing you all the way,D he said calmly.
All the way> )ibby clamped down the crazy thoughts, knowing damn well he hadnt meant that as any kind of
double entendre. 9er hormones heard it though. All calm deserted her as he followed a half pace behind, all the
way along the corridor and up the stairs to her tiny unit.
;hat was with the chialry now> &irst he accused her of being a thief and a woman with designs on his brother.
Then he followed that up with a few moments of flirting that hed subse@uently snatched away.
;hy had he pulled back> 9is eApression, his stance, his intensity had told her hed wanted to kiss her. ,he didnt
think her radar was that off. But when shed moed=that tiny inoluntary moe forward, okay yes, to inite=hed
changed his mind and pulled away faster than a hundred meter sprinter out of the blocks. &rankly, after the
nightmare of the last few weeks she could hae done with a kiss.
The man was a tease. ;asnt being that good looking enough for him> Fid the arrogant ?erk hae to hae all
women under the sun want him so obiously> 9is ego was clearly raenous.
A tease wasnt nice. 9er eABboyfriend had accused her of playing him, of being a tease. ,hed neer meant for
him to get so serious. 9urting him had been hideous, but it had been better to do it sooner rather than later when
it would hae been so much worse. 4arriage wasnt for her. ,he was neer running the risk of hurting her husband
the way her mothers death hurt her father. /r of being hurt herself. Not when she wasnt sure her heart wouldnt
let her down the way her parents hearts had. Nor would she eApose a child to that risk. 4arriage wasnt in her plan
for a ery real reason.
Now :ack was truly a tease. But shed made the muesli and shed neer see him again in her life. Totally fine by
her=and her hormones.
CThanks so much,D she said, allowing her words to oerflow with sarcasm as she unlocked her door. No way on
this earth was she initing him in.
C3oodbye )ibby. Thank you.D
And now he was being all polite> ,he summoned her selfBcontrol and resisted the urge to turn to watch him
leae. No, shed forgotten about his Total 9andsomeness already.
G
,o hed dropped her off and could now forget all about her, right> No problem. (Acept if she did end up with Tom,
:ack reckoned hed take that yearBlong oerseas trip hed delayed for so long. ;alking back into apartment, the
lingering smell hit him. Eeah, thered be no forgetting yet. The burnt hazelnut bitterness had long gone and what
remained was the subtle scent of maple. That syrup inspired many tantalizing thoughts. But the sight of his brother
scattered eery one of them.
Tom was in the kitchen, clearly haing ?ust showered, using a soup ladle to spoon cereal from the cooling tray
into a salad bowl. 3ood grief.
C9ow was it>D :ack turned on the coffee machine, deliberately delaying mention of )ibby.
C3ood,D Tom muttered out of the corner of his mouth as he munched. C3ame on.D
:ack smothered a grin. Tom was a champion=double sculls rowing, lightweight diision. In these final few
weeks of training he was ramping up not ?ust the physical fitness, but the mental strength. 9e had to presere the
unshakable belief that he could do it. No distractions allowed.
:ack fleAed his shoulders to ease the tension that had been coiling there the last couple of hours. The pressure
on his kid brother was immense. The country had gold hopes for the rowers, for Tom and his partner in particular.
And here he was in pa?amas eating muesli. If the nation could see him nowG
C;heres )ibby>D Tom asked through a mouthful of milky oats.
C3one.D
CEou scared her away>D Tom swallowed with difficulty gien the frown he had on. C;hat about my muesli>D
CEoure eating it, arent you>D :ack leaned back against the counter, trying to eAude a relaAed air. C,he didnt
need to hang around.D
Tom chewed, not looking impressed. CBut theres something missing.D
/h he had to be kidding. But Toms face was registering confused thought.
C9azelnuts.D :ack told him, not belieing that theyd make that much difference.
CEeah,D Tom chewed some more. CIt needs the hazelnuts. Famn.D
:ack watched Tom attack the contents of the giant bowl as if the faster he ate it the better itd get.
C;hat happened to the hazelnuts> There really arent any>D 9e searched with his spoon like a leprechaun hoping
to find the gold at the end of the rainbow. C;e need to get her back.D
Because of some missing nuts> It wasnt ?ust nuts that were missing. Tom seemed to hae lost a few brain cells
in training camp too.
:ack watched Toms increasingly manic shoeling with growing concern. CThis is really about muesli>D
C/f course its about muesli,D Tom snapped. C;hat else would it be about>D A frown grew as he looked at :acks
raised brows. CEou thought I was after her>D 9e ?abbed his spoon towards :acks chest. C)ike Ie got time for
that>D
:ack rubbed his ?aw with the back of his hand, hiding his inoluntary smile and straightening away from the
bench as a burst of adrenalin surged through his muscles.
Tom took in the last spoonful of the hazelnutBdeoid cereal and chewed. ,lowly a sly look replaced his indignant
frown. CActually, she is a bit of a babe,D he muttered. CI didnt notice so much at the time because I was ?ust so
damn happy to get more muesli.D 9e swallowed and his grin went impish. CBut you thought she was a babe.D
C(Aplain the muesli.D :ack growled impatiently, ignoring Toms perception. It really was ?ust the food his brother
was interested in> No way.
Now Toms eApression turned sheepish and he ladled another heap of cereal into his salad bowl and added a
splash of skim milk. CEoure going to think Im an idiot.D
CNothing new there,D :ack said blandly. CTell me.D
Tom sighed. CIe been eating it the last year or so. (ery morning for breakfast. And snacks. 3o through bags
of the stuff.D Tom hesitated.
/h hell, :ack rubbed the back of his neck. 9e could see the issue already. CEou think its got superpowers or
something>D
Tom actually nodded. CIe neer lost a race since I started eating it.D 9e held up a hand. CI know, I knowG but
you know. Its a talisman.D
CTom thats ridiculous,D :ack half laughed. CIts muesli.D
CI know. But it works. It really does. And Im haing it for breakfast. I hae to hae it. And it needs the
hazelnuts. And Im not changing anything in the neAt few weeks.D
Neer deiate from a winning routine. If it aint brokeGand all that.
:ack silently studied his eliteBathlete brother. 9e knew the focus and determination re@uired. 9e also understood
the element of ritual=heck, hed een had a lucky pair of socks back in the day when hed competed. /f course he
didnt want anything to throw Toms focus and selfBbelief off in these last few weeks=but muesli of all things> CFid
you tell her about your fiAation>D
CNo. But she understood that I really wanted it and she was happy to make me some specially. And you sent her
away.D Tom accused gloomily. CIs this all she left>D
C4mmm,D :ack thought rapidly. Because before he made promises, he needed to check out )ibbys story and be
doubly sure about Toms motiation. Because :ack wasnt ?ust a big brother, hed been mother, father, and friend
rolled into one for Tom=hed do eerything he could to help, and protect, his brother. And he neer wanted to be
tempted into disloyalty again. The moment this morning had been bad enough. C;hy did she hae to make it
here>D
C,hes not in production at the moment. 9er premises arent aailable. Thats why its not in stock in the shops.D
CBut you gae a complete stranger a key and the pin number for the alarm.D ,urely that was because Tom was
keen=on her more than her product>
CI checked her out,D Tom defended himself. CBut you only need to look at her to know shes reliable,D Tom said.
CAnd shes an amazing cook.D
:ack winced, he hadnt accepted her integrity at face alue.
Toms sheepishness turned defiant and he frowned at the tray again. CIm going to need more than this. And it
needs the hazelnuts. Its not right. It has to be right.D
:ack heard the edge in Toms oice and he recognized the other signs=the pacing, the frown, the singular
purposeG 9is brother was absolutely obsessie. It was his greatest strength. It was also his biggest weakness. And
it was clear here that the obsession wasnt )ibby, but her muesli. 4adness. Thank goodness.
CI hae to get more.D Tom labored the point. CI go through a lot.D
No kidding. 9ed probably been keeping her in business singleBhandedly.
CThis isnt good enough,D Tom declared, turning away from the bench decisiely. CIm going to call her.D
CIll call her,D :ack interrupted, able to be eery bit as determined as his kid brother. CEou relaA and go take a
nap or something and Ill arrange it.D
CEou will>D Tom stopped his march across the kitchen. C'lus hazelnuts>D
CAbsolutely. 9azelnuts and all.D :ack said. C)eae it to me.D
Tom looked stupidly delighted.
:ack shook his head, chuckling as he walked to his office. It was insane but a hell of a relief. ,o now he had to
figure out how to s@uare it with the luscious tornado that had torn through the apartment this morning. ,he wasnt
going to be thrilled to see him again. ,he hadnt appreciated his approach in taking her all the way to her door. But
he had a younger sister, he didnt ?ust drop a girl and leae her to fend for herself=especially a wounded one.
9e snorted. ;ho was he kiddingGhed had no brotherly thoughts towards )ibby. 9ed wanted to see where she
lied=eAactly where she lied. 9ed wanted a lot more than that too, eAcept filial loyalty had restrained him. But he
knew that in pulling back hed stung her pride. 9ed hae to make it up to her.
9e went into his office, the maple scent following him. ,he hadnt ?ust inaded his home, but his workspace too.
9ad she made it in here when shed been snooping> If she had, what had she thought of it>
;hile he had business head@uarters now with staff and the obligatory assistant, he preferred to work from home
much of the time. In the early days hed had to, and running your own company wasnt a .B1 kind of ?ob. It made
sense to hae eerything he needed set up right at hand. 9e touched the trackpad and his computer screen flared
to life. It took less than ten seconds to find her company online. The website was slick with crisp colors and a
simple but effectie logo. Impressie ?ob title too= mueslician. But the single line on the homepage saying that
production had temporarily been suspended got his attention in a more serious way.
;hy>
;as it the cost> :ack had seeral business interests and knew how to find information. 9e plugged in a search
and it was less than fie minutes later when he had his answer.
&ire.
No wonder she hadnt liked the smell of burning food and had lectured him on the smoke alarms. The
commercial kitchen she used had been gutted only a few weeks ago. ,o was she hunting for alternatie premises
now>
There were seeral methods of encouraging someone to do something you wanted them to. :ack Barnes was
more of a carrot than a stick man. And hed ?ust thought of the best carrot for one )ibby 9arris.
!hapter &ie
,omeone was pounding on her door and )ibby=currently lying face down on her bed=wasnt in the mood.
C)ibby> Its :ack Barnes.D
The mattress s@ueaked as she sprang to all fours. ,he ?umped right off the bed and glanced at her watch. Three
hours since shed shut the door in his face and shed forgotten him, right>
Neer.
,he opened the door and her heart flipped. ,hed thought her imagination had embroidered his fitBfactor, but he
was een more handsome than her memory reckoned. ,he drew in a sharp breath, aiming to restore order to her
arresting ital organ, but it didnt work. Time for easie action.
,he stepped outside to the landing and closed her door behind her. 9e wasnt getting an initation in.
C;hat can I do for you>D she asked, determined to be perfectly polite and neer again let him know how much
he got to her.
9e smiled, looking so friendly and charming compared to when hed first seen her this morning. CToms missing
the hazelnuts.D 9is shoulders lifted in a helpless gesture. CFo you think you can help out>D
9e had to be kidding. CEoud like me to come and make more>D
CEes, please.D 9is smile widened, so gorgeous that )ibby was rendered incapable of speech.
CAre you going to make me groel>D he asked with a soft tease after a long minute.
CIts an appealing idea.D )ibby admitted frankly.
C/kay Ill groel,D he stepped closer to her. C4y brother is young and obsessie and right now the two things
hes obsessed about are rowing and your muesli. 9e doesnt think he can do the former without the latter.D
)ibby blinked and took a step back. ,hed known Tom was a fan gien hed hunted her down, but that he was
obsessed by her muesli> C9e thinks it helps his form>D
:ack nodded. CIts the thing thats going to get him gold.D
3ood grief. C,o I need to do this for 8ueen and country, is that right>D
CAbsolutely.D
)ibby stared in silence, half spellbound by :acks iid blue eyes. ,he didnt beliee him, but he was looking
incredibly intense. And gorgeous.
CIe got a deal for you,D he tempted @uietly.
C;hat>D ,he tried to keep her cool on, but couldnt help her curiosity.
CAnd a reward.D
C;hat kind of reward>D
C!ome down to the car and find out.D
,he lifted her brows. CEoure not going to kidnap me. Im good at ?uB?itsu.D
CIm guessing you learned that at the circus too.D
CThats right,D she answered loftily, following him down the concrete stairwell.
The farBtooBflashy conertible was parked right out front again=like he owned the place. 9e popped the trunk
and stood beside it.
,he stared at the openBtopped boA hed placed in the middle of it. C9ow many bottles did you buy>D
CI wasnt sure which sort you liked so I got all of them. Three of all of them actually. All organic of course.D
,he stared at the bottles of bronze=delicious=syrup. There was a lot of money in the trunk and there was
madness in his action.
CEoue lost your production premises.D 9e didnt ask, he stated.
,he nodded.
C&ire>D
9ad he spent the last three hours snooping on her> CEoue been doing some homework.D
CEeah,D he unashamedly admitted. C9ae you found somewhere new yet>D he picked up one of the bottles and
held it out to her.
CNo,D she said firmly, carefully ensuring their fingers didnt brush as she took the bottle from him.
C;ere you ?ust going to gie up>D
CIm still waiting on the insurance payment,D she said slowly, holding the bottle to the light. CThey wouldnt pay
out until the cause of the fire had been confirmed and een though it has been theyre still dragging.D
CAnd theye inestigated it>D
CThey inestigated me,D she answered harshly, glancing at him. Fidnt he know this already> 9adnt he done his
research properly>
9is eyes narrowed. CIt was an electrical fault.D
,o he did know. CEes, my dodgy landlord hadnt done the repairs properly.D But before that had been
discoered, shed been grilled for days=by arson inestigators, police and her landlord. It had been hideous.
C,o your payment should come through any day.D
C(en so, Im struggling to find another commercial kitchen I can use at the right times to fit in with my day
?ob.D
CIs that because of the fire again>D
C'ossibly.D ,he flipped the bottle in her hands, focusing on the label.
CI hae a place you can use.D
/h she wasnt going into his house eer again. CAs ?awBdropping as your kitchen is, its not a commercial one.D
CI know. I hae access to another=you may hae noticed the bakery a couple of doors along from my building>
Eou can use it to make your muesli at night. ,o long as you leae it pristine and ready for them in the morning.D
,he almost dropped the bottle she was so surprised. C/f course I would.D Too eAcited at the thought of haing a
space to hide her enthusiasm behind a fauA CcoolD.
CIt has certification of course.D
C,o do I.D
9e took the bottle from her hands and replaced it with one of the other brands. C,o you can get into production
again.D
,he didnt look at the new bottle, only at him. C;hy are you doing this>D
CBecause Tom beliees your muesli has superpowers and he wants more. ;ith hazelnuts. And hes almost eaten
the lot you left him this morning.D
CEoure kidding.D
:ack shook his head.
C9e cant possibly hae eaten it all.D ,hed used a mountain of apricots, and a continent of oats.
CAlmost.D
C,o youre doing this for Tom>D
C4ostly. Im doing it for you too. Eou can get it back into stores again. 3et your company back up and running.D
C;hy do you want to do that for me>D 9er heart skittered dangerously.
CBecause I want you to help Tom,D he laughed. CBut theres one condition.D
C;hats that>D
CI dont want you to see Tom.D
CEoure kidding.D ,he gaped.
9e shook his head. C,tay away from Tom and you can use the kitchen.D
C;hat do you think I am> ,ome kind of cradleBsnatcher>D
Amusement burst from him=his laugh, the ibrancy of his eyes, the ease of his body. 4uch more relaAed than
hed been this morning made him een more attractie. C9ow old are you>D
CIts rude to ask a lady her age.D ,he studied the bottle so shed stop staring stalker fashion at him.
CI guess Ie got bad manners then.D 9e carelessly shrugged. C9ow old>D
CTwentyBfour.D
CThats hardly a cougar gap between you and Tom.D
,he knew she shouldnt ask, knew it had no releance to this conersation, knew it was taking things a step
towards the intimate. But she couldnt stop the words from tumbling from her mouth. C9ow old are you>D
CTwentyBnine.D
CEou act older.D
9is gaze sharpened. C9ow old do I act>D
C)ike a middleBaged, strict father. ,tuck in his ways.D
CNo youthful impulsieness>D he asked wryly.
CNone,D she declared. CAnd Im not interested in Tom. 9es cute but hes=D
C!ute>D :ack laughed. CEoure calling my eliteBathlete baby brother cute>D
C9e is cute. Iind of like a toy action figure. 2ery admirable too. But hes not the man for me. No one is the man
for me.D
CIs that right>D
,hed been wrong in reading his stance as relaAed. 9e moed so fast she didnt een see it all=she was ?ust in
his arms all of a sudden. 9er body pressed to his=the maple bottle a small hard lump between them. 9er mouth
parted on an instinctie gasp, but it wasnt breath that filled her. It was :ack. Not a bruising, dominating inasion,
but a simple kiss, then another. &irm brushes of hot lips=until she opened up more, lifted her chin higher. 9e had
one hand on the small of her back, one hand lower, cupping her butt, slowly pressing her closer to him the deeper
the kiss grew. 9is tongue flicked into her mouth=a tease before withdrawing. ,tirred, she did the same, taking this
moment of bliss for herself. Their tongues tangled, then took turns to eAplore. ,he kissed him eery bit as
ferently=lush and wet. ,ensation swished through her like a tumbling waterfall. 9is muscular, broad body held
hers, his hands still rocking her in small moements=closer, eer closer in time with the caresses of his tongue
and lips and it wasnt ?ust the glass bottle that was digging hard into her now. ,he yearned not to rock but to
thrust=hard. The ache opened in her womb, need knifing into her. 9eat that could only be doused by him=deep
inside.
9er hands gripped the maple bottle so hard it was a wonder it didnt shatter and slice her palms. ,he was so
close to initing him in. In seconds this had become insane.
,he ?erked back, out of his arms. 9is breathing was irregular, but was nothing on her embarrassing panting.
C5m, umGD 3reat. Iissed into confusion. /nly one thought dominated her brain and it wasnt one to be uttered
aloud. 4ore. C5mGD
CEoure good with words,D he teased=so cocky.
'leased with himself, wasnt he>
CEes.D )ibby clawed back her sensibility. CIm a copywriter during the day,D she said primly.
9is mouth twitched. CNo wonder your website reads so well.D
9ed looked at it when he was researching what had happened to her business> CEou are the suspicious sort
arent you>D
CI prefer to think of it as curious. :ust like you,D he answered calmly. CAnd in a way its a compliment.D
CEou thinking I was some kind of scheming witch wasnt a compliment,D she fired at him, needing to regain
some distance.
C/kay.D 9e laughed. CIts not that youre a scheming witch. Its that youre so beguiling, any guy with the good
fortune to be in your presence wouldnt hae a hope of concentrating on anything he was supposed to.D
C/h thats good and groelly,D she breathed.
C&lattery works,D he said smoothly.
CEou think>D
CEou know, you were right about me. That kiss wasnt impulsie. Ie been plotting it for hours now.D
,he licked her lips, swallowing to buy a moment and settle the reaction to those words. Because her reaction
was too much. ,he really needed to get a grip. C,o this is the real reason youre offering me the deal>D
CIt could be part of it. Im serious about not distracting Tom though.D
CAre you hard of hearing>D she said tartly. C9ow many times do I hae to tell you Im not interested in Tom>D
CI understand that, but youre still a distraction to him. Eoure a distraction to me. To any male in the icinity.D
/h.
CIm sorry I wasnt as welcoming as I could hae been,D he added.
In what way was he thinking of welcoming her now> 9ell, she couldnt let that happen. Not when shed been so
sidelined by ?ust a kiss. CApologies work,D she nodded. ,he did want to help Tom, right>
C,o its a deal>D :ack moed in closer.
CI hae one condition,D she said swiftly.
C;hats that>D
CNo more kissing.D
9is ?aw dropped. CEoure kidding.D
CIm not.D ,hed hae laughed, but it wasnt that funny. ,hed thought she might like a moment of hedonism=
some sensual touch to proide a few seconds of respite, especially after the horror of the fire. ;hat an idiot. In
:acks arms ?ust then> That had been more than hedonistic. That had been heaen. And it wasnt happening again.
A few more kisses like that and shed be on the slippery slope to infatuation=and from there it might be only a
skip from lust to loe with a guy like him. Not ?ust blessed with looks but with loyalty and kindness. 9is attitude
towards his brother enriched his already eAtreme attractieness. ,he refused to fall for him but ?udging from that
one kiss, it would be easy. )oe wasnt in her future. Not after haing seen it destroy her father.
9e looked amazed and then the dreaded frown reappeared. CI thought you said you didnt hae a boyfriend>D
CI dont.D ,he rolled her eyes. CIm single. But thats how I want to stay.D
It had been so painful getting out of her preious relationship when it had gotten too serious=she didnt want
anything like that again.
9e relaAed. CEou can be single and still kiss a bit.D
Eeah, there was that too=he had player tendencies. Eou didnt get to be as good at kissing as he was without
serious eAperience behind you. No doubt he had multiple women lining up for miles. And )ibby wasnt a casual
fling kind of girl. ,hed been threeBmonthsBmaA, but een that had turned out to be too long. ,o shed decided she
was best off without and focusing on her business.
CNo kisses.D Then she frowned as an unsatisfactory though occurred to her. CIs your offer conditional on my
being aailable for kisses>D
CNow whos the one being uncomplimentary>D 9e challenged. CIm not a ?erk. And Ie neer coerced or needed
to pay for it.D
No. ,hed neer really thought he would. 9er chin lifted. CThen youre fine with my condition.D
,lowly he nodded. C,o its a bargain>D
,he raised the bronze bottle in her hands=blocking him from coming close again. CAbsolutely.D
!hapter ,iA
Three nights later :ack hoered in the bakery, waiting for 9er -oyal 9azelnuts to show up. 9ed been trying not to
think about her=but the rampant erotic dreams that surged eery time he closed his eyes had made that
impossible. 9e decided hed embellished her cute factor=she wasnt that hot, hed ?ust been without too long.
9e glanced out the window and simultaneously smiled and frowned. The frown claimed dominance after a
moment. ,he was in ?eans again=absolutely hotter than he remembered=but she was wheeling a giant suitcase
behind her and the pack on her back dragged her down, the straps cutting into her fineBboned shoulders. ;ith her
flushed cheeks and strained features, she looked hot and bothered. Ironic gien thats how she made him feel. But
had she ?ust lugged all this on the Tube> Irritated, he stepped out and took the suitcase handle from her.
CEou should hae told me you had all this, Id hae picked you up.D 9e hauled it inside. No wonder she looked
fed up, the bag was heaier than an /lympic Cclean and ?erkD barbell.
CIt wouldnt fit in your car anyway.D ,he eased the pack off her back and rolled her shoulders.
CIt would fit in my other car.D
C;ell, Ie got it here now,D she clipped, carefully looking around the kitchen.
CEoull be getting more ingredients soon though, right>D
,he nodded.
CThen either hae it deliered or Ill collect it.D
,he finally met his eyes=firing him a look that spoke olumes. 9e met it with an e@ually unwaering one. 9e
wouldnt apologize for being sensible. ;ould it hurt her to accept some ery minor assistance>
C/kay.D ,he turned and looked around the kitchen again. CIs there no one else here>D
C;ho else would be here>D
CThe bakery owner> ,houldnt I meetGD she trailed off.
CNo need for that,D he shoed his hands in his pockets. CI own the place.D
CThe bakery>D
CThe building.D
CEou own the whole building>D ,he looked horrified.
9e decided not to tell her he owned the two on either side of this one as well. CFont worry, I hae a really good
maintenance team.D
9er color ripened. CEoure going to be here eery night to open up for me>D
CAnd lock up.D
CAm I not to be trusted with a key>D
CNot at this stage.D
C(en though youe done all your snooping and know eerything about me>D
CIt was a @uick 3oogle search,D he answered easily. And he didnt know nearly enough. CEou didnt do one on
me>D
CNo.D ,he said it like shed neer think of it.
C-eally>D
CFoes that bruise your ego>D 9er eyes kindled=enhancing that smooth skin and freshBeyed look=the picture of
itality. 4aybe there was something in the muesli after all.
9e sensed her holding back a laugh and only ?ust suppressed his own. CIll lie.D
9er smile burst forth and she unzipped her suitcase. It was immaculately packed=plastic bags neatly arranged
like a ?igBsaw puzzle to maAimize use of eery inch of space. It took fie minutes for her to take out what she
needed.
/nly then did she glance at him again=her smile dying. CAre you staying>D
C/f course.D 9e went back to his spot at the bench where he had his i'ad and phone out.
CIm not going to set fire to the place if thats what youre worried about.D
That wasnt why he was staying. CIs that what they implied>D
,he nodded.
CIt must hae been horrible being under suspicion.D
CNot as bad as being there.D
CEou were there when the fire started>D 3oose bumps rippled oer his skin.
CI got out, obiously, but I lost lots of things. And there was a lot of toasted muesli,D she @uipped.
CIts not funny.D No wonder shed frozen in the face of the burned nuts the other day. And flipped about the
alarm. C;ere you hurt at all>D
CNo. But I lost my computer.D ,he looked rueful. C9ow to learn the Halways back your stuff up lesson the hard
way.D
CEou lost important data>D
C'hotos.D
CNo,D he groaned in sympathy. C!an you get copies>D
C&or some. Not all.D
9e heard the desolate note=shed lost precious things, memories> ,orry for bringing it up, he sought a way to
lighten it. C9ae you got a replacement computer yet>D
C,oon.D
C,o thats why you didnt 3oogle me,D he ?oked to bring her smile back.
CEeah,D she went along with it. CAnd you werent worth breaking the Hno personal Internet use rule at work for.
,o no cyber stalking for me.D ,he scrubbed her hands and got out seeral chopping boards and that stupidly small
knife. The dried apricot dicing began.
C;hy cut by hand>D 9e pointed out the industrial food processor.
CIts better chopped by hand. /ne too many presses of the pulse button of that machine would make it pulp
rather than biteBsize pieces.D
CBut it takes so much time.D
CI hae time.D
-eally> ;hen she worked full time and ran her business on the side> CThen how do you fit in time for=D 9e
broke off, temporarily blinded by the dangerous glitter in her eyes.
9e got the no kisses rule, but did that mean personal talk was a no go area too> CEour commitment to the
circus,D he finished slyly. CInife throwing and stuff with strong ,erge.D
,he almost smiled. CIe retired from the circus.D
9ad she now> ,erge too> 9e reached forward and snaffled one of the dried apricots. It didnt look like a normal
orange apricot to him, but was a much darker color. C;hys that> Eou get hurt by the knife or the strong guy>D
C;hy think I was hurt>D ,he chopped faster, louder. C4aybe its ?ust that Im too busy.D
CTaking all the time to dice dried apricots by hand> Thats not too busy, thats eAtreme aoidance.D
CIts dedication to making the best product I can.D
It was aoidance. ;hy did she hae knifeBedged barriers up when shed been as into that kiss as he had> The
incandescent reaction between them was only going to worsen the more they saw each other. It was stronger
already=he couldnt beliee it wasnt the same for her. And he planned to do something about it. ,oon.
9e didnt hae time to put into a relationship. It wasnt fair on a girlfriend. And frankly, he knew loss=intimately
=and he didnt want any more of that. Ieeping an eye on Tom and Anne was more than enough. But what he
hadnt had=in too long=was a little fun. There hadnt been time. 9ed abandoned his degree and gotten on with
work, taking oer the family art and anti@ues store. Then hed bought his first building and refurbished it,
spearheading the reitalization of that block and beginning his commercial property portfolio. 9ed worked crazy
hours. Through half the night while his siblings slept, rousing Tom to go to training in the early hours before
snatching a couple of hours sleep before getting his sister up and on track for school. It wasnt a time he wanted to
reisit. 9ed been so tired. But he still worked hard, caught in the habit=and the drie to achiee security for his
family still pushed him. ,o thered only been oneBnighters, the briefest of flings, and nothing in recent months.
Now )ibby 9arris had him thinking about fun. All the time.
C9ow much can you make in a night>D he asked.
CA couple of batches. (nough for Tom.D
C;hat about to fulfill your orders at the organic supermarkets>D
CThats going to take a little longer.D
3ood. 9e wanted more time. CEou cant gie up the day ?ob>D 9e grabbed another apricot. C!opywriting>D
,he nodded. ,he was definitely aoiding looking at him. C)ocal council.D
CNo wonder youre good at telling tales in tight situations,D he teased.
It drew a smile from her. CThe tales I get to tell at work arent nearly as eAciting. Its puff pieces on litter
collection or something.D
C,o you inent to make them more entertaining>D 9e laughed. CI bet you come up with some crazy stuff.D
C4ost boarding school girls hae good imaginations,D she said mock primly. C,ometimes its the only way to
surie.D
Boarding school girl> 9e glanced at her and for once their gaze met, meshed=clashed.
9eat unmistakably flared, the charged silence thickened. But then she turned away. 9e was sure she wanted
him. But didnt want to want him.
:ack pulled up a stool and sat, flicking through his emails on his i'ad. 9e was confident enough in himself=in
that kiss=to know it wasnt him, but something within her making her skittish. 9e was going to hae to take it
easy, but keep up the tease until she couldnt resist it any longer. 9e was sure it would happenGsure he wasnt
alone in feeling this pull. All good things came to those who waited, right> And hed be waiting right here.
G
The second night he arried before her. ;earing ?eans and tee again=the casual outfit emphasizing his flat abs,
long legs, and a butt meant for grabbing. )ibby inwardly groaned. ,pending four hours in his presence last night
had been hard enough. ,hed tried not to look at him too much but it was difficult when he kept chatting and
laughing and being the ultimate in charming. ,hed hardly slept. -emembering his smile, his gentle teasing.
(ery interaction sharpened her attraction like long strokes of a knife on steel=the pull tightened her neres and
pushed her towards succumbing to the heat. ,he sighed, trying to push out the tension and gather her selfBcontrol.
,he didnt want to hae to walk away from this opportunity with the kitchen. ,he wanted to do something with her
life=to help someone, lots of people ideally. ,he wanted to gie something to society. Because she wouldnt fall in
loe. ,he wouldnt hae a family. ,hed make a difference in another way. 9elping Tom would be something.
3etting her product back on the sheles would be something more. It was a healthy option. 'eople might benefit
and that would be wonderful.
But :ack made her think about other things=intimacies and personal pleasures that shed denied herself for a
long time. ,he didnt want to open up that part of herself to someone so oerpowering.
CIf youre going to insist on staying here while I work, the least you can do is make yourself useful,D she said
firmly, deciding to take control of the situation tonight. Thered be no swapping secrets or life stories=or worse,
flirting.
CI hae my own work to do, thanks,D he held up his i'ad.
CFo you hae to do it here>D ;hy couldnt he leae her to get on with it and come back to lock up at a fiAed
time>
CEeah. I do.D 4r. 5ncompromising.
Because he still didnt trust her>
CFoes my being here bother you>D
,he swallowed. C/f course not. I ?ust thought if you hae work to doGD
CI can do what I need to here.D
,he shouldnt hae started this conersation=it was going nowhere anyway. 9e ?ust being all immoable man.
Famn. Because ?ust looking at him had her coming oer hot.
CEou dont hae a business partner>D he asked once she was underway.
CNo,D she said. C4y uni friends loe my muesli but they think Im mad for putting so much into it.D
CAny sort of success re@uires sacrifice at some leel,D he said. CIs that why youe no boyfriend>D
,he looked at him, trying to stay cool. C'ossibly.D
CThere must be an endless @ueue though.D
CTheres no need for the flattery.D ,he tried to shut the topic down. CIm making enough muesli to last Tom ten
years.D
CBut there must be.D 9e ignored her and insisted.
,he picked up a cloth and wiped some spilled syrup from the bench. CNo, there was only the one.D
C/ne>D
CAt uniersity. I finally got out of the all girls boarding school and found some freedom.D
CI thought the all girls boarding schools were where it was all at.D
CIts not like those bad moies you know. Theyre ?ust a male fantasy.D
CTell me more.D 9e came round to her side of the counter.
CTheres nothing to tell.D ,he wiped the top more igorously. ,he didnt need him standing so close=she could
smell the soap hed used. ,he could sense his heat=and she could remember his strength.
It made her weak.
C/f course there is. ;hy did you break up with him>D
CIt was getting too serious.D 3ood, remember the mess it had been. -emind yourself you dont want a fling.
C9e was getting too serious>D
,he stopped wiping. CEes.D
C,erious how> 9e wanted to marry you>D
,he nodded.
C,o he proposed and you broke up with him>D
;hy did he look so surprised> C;e wanted different things,D she said firmly. CIt was for the best.D
C,o you dont want serious>D
CNo.D
C;hy not> 4ost women are searching the world for serious arent they>D
CNot eeryone, no.D
9is eyes narrowed. CThis isnt one of your tall tales>D
9ow totally insulting. C;hy is it that men hae sole dibs on ?ust wanting fun> /n not wanting commitment>D
9e ignored her sarcastic tone and weighed the @uestion seriously. CI think most men who dont want
commitment hae serious reasons for not wanting it.D
,he folded her arms across her chest. C,uch as>D
C&ear. Bad eAperience. ,o they dont want to be hurt or betrayed again.D
)ibbys curiosity soared. 9ad anyone betrayed him> ,he couldnt imagine any woman being so stupid. C4aybe
its ?ust that they can get it easily from any number of women so why should they ?ust settle for one>D That was
way more likely in his case.
CI dont think there are many men who actually want that for long. !asual isnt all its cracked up to be.D
That shocked her=he was a no commitment guy wasnt he> C;hat is it that stops you from the cBword>D
CInconenience,D he answered bluntly. CThis isnt the right time in my life. Ie still got too much else I need to
do for my business and for the family I hae.D
,hed been right. C,o its not that some woman once minced your heart with her stilettos>D
9e chuckled. CNo. There hasnt been a girlfriend who meant that much to me.D
/h. ,he frowned. The guy was twentyBnine and hed neer had a serious girlfriend>
,he pulled the muesli from the oen=perfectly toasted. ,he stirred the hazelnuts through=picking up a spare
that had fallen on the bench and tossing it up to catch it in her mouth.
C;hat other circus skills you got>D :ack purred. CTrapeze>D
,he glanced at him standing so close and so determinedly tempting that an imp took oer her mouth. CEou want
to know if I can do the splits three ways>D
CI=D The stunned look he threw her was so worth it.
,he smirked, but the blush fired her cheeks at the same time.
CIm thinking maybe youre more clown than contortionist,D he muttered.
Amusement bubbled. It had been surprisingly easy to fluster him.
9e spun, pinning her back against the counter=putting one hand either side of her so she couldnt escape. 9e
leaned towards her=his chest a tantalizing millimeter from her own. 9er nipples screamed in need.
CIf youre going to wind me up, you better be prepared for payback.D
,he hardly heard him she was so distracted, watching his mouth and remembering the softBbutBfirm touch hed
used on her.
CEoure going to wind me up>D &act was he already had. 9er breathlessness pretty much gae it away.
CTight,D he promised. /r perhaps it was more of a threat.
(ither way )ibby was bowled. ,he rested her weight against the counter as heat eAploded deep in her belly. 9er
muscles clenched, ready to grip, while other parts melted. ;ith ?ust one word>
,he breathed slow and deep trying to contain her eAtreme seAual response. But she couldnt. Instead she tried to
minimize the meaning of it. ,hed been without seA for a while=a long, long while. And from the tips of his black
eyelashes to his long, muscular legs, :ack was gorgeous. 'ure, prime male=eery inch of him screamed stellar
seA.
9e didnt want a relationship. Too inconenient. )ibby wasnt the kind of girl to think she could change a man.
Besides, she wouldnt want to. Because she was keeping herself safe=no relationships. Nothing that could lead to
marriage and kids. At least there was no fear of that with :ack.
There was ?ust their incredible chemistry.
9er reaction to that kiss the other day> 4aybe she neednt hae been so spooked. It must hae been so intense
since it had been a while. It wasnt anything other than seA.
,o, could she handle a fling> /r was she really going to spend the rest of her life celibate>
At this moment that didnt sound like any fun.
Their eyes met=a long, hot moment passed. )ibby didnt want to moe.
C9ae you had dinner>D 9e pressed his hips against hers.
,weet mercy, CdinnerD felt like it might be a seenBcourse feast. ,he shook her head, heart pounding. 9ell, shed
neer been so turned on in her life.
CNor hae I,D he said.
CIs that an initation or an obseration>D she asked huskily.
9e thrust eer so slightly against her. C;ould you like to hae dinner with me>D
CIm not sure therell be anything open.D Time had flown past midnight.
Amusement lit his eyes. CIts )ondon. Theres always something open. ;e can go to the 3reek place down the
road,D he murmured. CBut you look tired and hungry and possibly not up for crowds.D
That was true. ,he smiled suddenly. C;e can always hae some muesli.D
9e mock shuddered. CI cant get past the school porridge eAperience.D
CEou need to widen your eAperience.D ,he firmly pushed him away. To her disappointment he didnt resist. ,he
pulled out a couple of bowls from a cupboard and tried to calm her body. But it was too late=far too late.
C4uesli is not an ade@uate meal replacement,D he said watching her ladle some into the bowls.
C;hy dont you stop fighting it and ?ust gie it a go>D ,he poured some milk on top.
9is head whipped up, an amused gleam brightening his eyes. 9is smile widened. CEou should take your own
adice.D 9e lifted his spoon and took a giant mouthful.
)ibby gripped her bowl, trying to cool her searing lust. ,he could contain this, right>
9e munched and swallowed. ,topped. 9e looked up and gae her an accusing glare. CIts good.D
CEoure surprised> Font you trust your brothers taste>D ,miling, she had a mouthful of muesli herself.
CIts been @uestionable in the past,D he said dryly.
CEoue not tried it when you hae bags of it up there>D
CTom guards it like a goblin does his gold.D 9e loaded another massie mouthful.
,he laughed. CIt must be interesting haing an athlete like that in the family.D
9e nodded and swallowed. CIt makes life interesting.D
CEour parents would hae been ery proud.D
CThey would hae.D 9e shot her a look oer his bowl. CI thought you said you didnt 3oogle me.D
CI didnt.D ,he rolled her eyes as she chewed.
CBut you know.D
9is intensity li@uefied her defenses. C(erybody knows the story of Tom Barnes,D she said honestly. C9e had
cancer as a child. 9is parents were killed in a car crash and his halfBbrother=you=raised him and his sister. Tom
went on to train and has soared through the rowing ranks to claim champion status. All he needs to cap it now is
/lympic glory.D
:ack grimaced. CTheye used him as a '- front, but all its done is add more pressure at his end.D
,he could only imagine. CThere was always going to be huge pressure anyway,D she pointed out. But his
concern touched her. CEoure still the protectie brother.D
CIts a hard habit to break.D 9e acknowledged. CI dont want him to burn out or go off the deep end again.D 9e
eyed her. CEou know about that too>D
,he carefully washed out her bowl. CThat he had his heart broken by his first serious girlfriend and went a bit
wild on the party scene>D
C4mmm.D :ack munched as he nodded.
)ibby rinsed the other utensils and miAing bowl shed used. CFo you think hes ulnerable to doing that again>D
Tom had seemed pretty singleBminded to her.
9e thought about it. C4aybe not. 9e nearly lost it all, and that gae him a wakeBup call.D
CAnd now he has you to keep all the iAen temptresses away from himGD 9er oice trailed off as he stepped
behind her, slowly reaching past to put his bowl beneath the running tap. ,he could feel him pressing against her
back=all of him.
CThat really was good,D he admitted in a soft whisper that tickled her ear=and tormented her neres.
C;orth giing it a shot,D she agreed, her throat so dry it was a wonder the words were audible.
,he turned off the tap and took the bowl from his hand and stacked it with the others. ,hed been right about
the muesli. But maybe :ack was right too. ,hed only be here for a few more days until she found a commercial
kitchen she could rent. ,hed neer hae to see him again. ,he could walk away. ,hed done it before=from a far
more inoled relationship.
,o why miss out> ,he liked seA and seA with :ack would be dynamite. The kiss alone told her that. And once
done, it was done=thered be no more wondering. No more dayBdreaming. No more distraction. A safe,
uncomplicated option.
9e stood still. ,he knew he was waiting for a word or sign. Not pushing it=understanding her dilemma and
leaing it up to her.
But what decision was it> There was no decision. 9e was simply irresistible.
,he turned and took his teeBshirt in her fist to keep him close. C-emember what I said about no kisses>D
CEes.D 9is gaze shot straight to her mouth.
C&orget it.D ,he rose onto tiptoe and pressed her lips to his.
!hapter ,een
Iisses. ,o many kisses=hot and wet. ;ith eery lush stroke of his tongue inside her mouth she melted. 9is hands
cupped her face, caressed her neck. 9is fingers worked into her hair, freeing it from its ponytail. )ibby rose higher
on her toes, straining to hae him closer. 9is lips traeled down her neck. ,he inclined her head, offering skin,
wanting his touch so much.
9e grew bolder=sliding hands beneath her TBshirt, cupping her breasts, teasing her taut nipples, making them
harden more. It wasnt enough for her. ,he wanted rid of her bra=couldnt her clothes ?ust eaporate>
C;e cant do this here,D he said, casting a rigid look around the steel kitchen.
9ell, thats right, they were in a kitchen=a bakery where people arried at three in the morning to start on the
bread.
CI dont normally do this,D she panted=suddenly ?erked back into reality. ,he didnt want complicated. ,he didnt
want heartbreak. But she did want him.
CTonight you do,D he replied. CBut not here. 4y place. !omfort, space, priacy.D 9e suddenly turned away from
her, flinging the rinsed dishes into the dishwasher with supersonic speed.
)ibby couldnt help smiling. C;hat about Tom> I thought you didnt want me to see him>D
C9es not there, hes back at training camp for the last part of his preparations.D :ack was wiping down the
counter already.
C,o hows he getting my muesli>D
:ack rinsed the cleaning cloth, stowed it and glanced around the sparkling kitchen with a satisfied grunt. CIm
couriering it to him.D
/h. Theyd hae his place to themseles. No interruptions, no distractions. /nly priacy=perfect for seA=full
on, hard, frantic, glorious seA. ,he could do that for one night, right> :ust because she didnt want foreer, didnt
mean she couldnt hae this now.
C!ome with me.D 9is words dropped into her ear sending a shier of anticipation=eAcitement arrowed to her
belly, her whole body s@ueezed in glee as she leaned into his heat. 9e took her hand and led her from the kitchen.
(ery fie paces along the footpath=each moment she was about to speak=he stopped and kissed her, his tongue
skillfully sweeping away any rising caution.
&inally in his apartment, they kissed their way to his room. 9e fingered the hem of her TBshirt, teasing it up=
she lifted her arms to help. 9is fingers worked at her back, and in a second her bra was undone. 9e slid the straps
down her arms until the satin and lace fell to the floor. ,tanding there bareBbreasted=warm summer air
whispering oer her skin, she looked at him.
C)ibby.D 9e appeared to hae frozen.
CI hae to warn you, its been a while,D she blurted.
9e gently bent and kissed her neck, his chuckle muffled against her skin. CEou think I didnt know that>D
C,mart Alec.D ,he mock swiped him, but at the last minute softened her blow to caress his cheek. But then she
added seriously. CI dont want to disappoint you.D
9e pulled her close so she could feel eAactly how aroused he was. CTheres no way youd eer disappoint. Its
been a while for me too.D
CNow youre the one telling tall tales,D she chided.
CIm not,D he answered seriously. CIe been ery busy at work.D
,he gazed up at him, reading the hot sincerity in his eyes. And she smiled.
,he stepped back, undoing her ?eans and shimmying them down=along with her knickers. ,he didnt want to
be shy. ,he didnt want to waste a second with silly worries. ,he wanted to indulge, to reel and celebrate this only
time she had him.
C;hat do you want me to do>D he asked, sounding like hed suddenly come down with laryngitis.
CI want to see you naked.D ,hed been imagining it for days.
9e whipped his TBshirt oer his head. ,he stared. /h man, her imagination was officially useless=he was way
more incredible than shed dreamed. 9er legs turned to goo. ,he sat on the bed, watching as he swiftly discarded
his ?eans and boAers. 9e was so fine, so built, with a dusting of hair arrowing to his literally outstanding hardBon,
and not an ounce of fat anywhere. All muscled male.
All mine.
)ibbys blood flowed like @uicksiler, spirited and fast along her eins. It pooled in her lower belly=the nucleus
of her need and where she needed him to be.
CEou hae an amazing body,D she said in frank awe. ,hed neer seen anyone so sculpted. And she went to the
gym, she saw fit fre@uently. ,he swallowed=with difficulty. Because he was broad too=broad shouldered, bigB
muscled, endowed. 9is palms spread wide oer her narrow shoulders, making her feel ery feminine. ,he moed
her fingers in feline fashion oer him, skimming a nail oer his defined abs, tracing the taut grooes of muscle
beneath skin.
9e drew in a deep shuddering breath.
(yes wide, she looked up at him as she swept her hands lower still. CEou okay>D
CEoure ery good,D he murmured huskily, pressing his hot body against her hands.
C&latterer.D ,he shook her head. CIts ?ust that I want you like crazy.D
And it was abundantly clear he wanted her as much.
CThank goodness,D 9is fingertips traced her collarbones. CEoue been killing me these last couple of days.D
CEoull hae relief soon enough,D she sent him a gleaming look beneath her lashes. CAnd well both feel better.D
,he glided her hands oer his muscled arms. 9e let her take her eAploration slow=seated in front of him,
drinking in his physical beauty.
CFid you row too>D she asked, lifting her hands to sweep them across his ridged abs and up to his broad chest.
9e nodded.
CNot lightweight diision.D ,he moed her sweeping circles lower again. 9er temperature sizzled.
9e smiled and shook his head.
CAnd you obiously use all those torture machines in the liing room.D 9e was ma?estic=so built.
C5h huh.D 9e gently ran his fingers underneath her chin, stroking the ulnerable skin down her neck.
,he tilted her head to gie him more freedom. ,hed not known how sensual such a simple touch could be=
especially from such a big guy. CEoure the one whos good,D she sucked in a breath.
9is hands lowered, cupping her breasts and gently pushing them together. CNot that good.D
C'roe it,D she whispered.
9e moed, pulled open a drawer from the low bedside cabinet, rummaging for protection. ,he laughed as he
struggled to get the boA free of its plastic wrapper=secretly thrilled to see his haste.
9e glanced at her. C/h sure, you go ahead and relaA while you still can.D
C;hat are you implying>D
CThat in about a minute,D he paused as he tore the foil with his teeth. CEoure going to be wound tighter than a
gymnasts leotard.D
9e rolled on the rubber with a grimace and stood, feet planted wide on the floor in front of where she still sat
on his bed.
CIs this what you wanted>D 9e asked, a wicked look in his eye.
CIts the first item ticked off, yes.D ,eeing him naked had been een more thrilling than shed imagined. ;ould
eery thing else surpass her fantasy too> ,he was certain of it.
CAnd the neAt>D
There was really only one other thing she could think of now. ,he told him. Two words=raunchy, crude and
blunt in their meaning.
9e laughed as he stepped closer, bending to tease. C3oing to do more than that.D
CNo, ?ust do that now.D Now, now, now. ,he didnt need foreplay, she was ready. ,he wanted him inside her=
that huge, powerful body driing in her, rapid and relentless until she went mad.
9e put a fist either side of her and leaned forward. Instinctiely she lay back, wriggling on the soft coerings,
encouraging him to lie right oer her=to mount her now.
But he remained ?ust out of reach, too far away. CEoure going to come first.D
;hy> ,he was almost there now and she suspected the second he entered her shed lose it. C;hat about you>D
CIts ineitable,D he laughed, lifting a hand from the bed and sweeping firmly down her thigh. CI need to be sure
youre taken care of because this first time may not be as sustained as Id like.D
CNo>D 9er body rippled beneath that one stroke, her nipples tightening to the point of pain. CI thought you
rowers were good with endurance.D
C(ightyBodd hours of anticipation,D he said. CIm like a loosened !hampagne cork, embarrassingly ready to fire.D
9e drew a deep breath as he slowly looked down her length. 9is muscles isibly clenched. But then he smiled.
C;ill you let me go down on you>D he asked oh so politely.
C5mGD ,he lifted her hand and pretended to study her nails. CI guess that would be okay.D
9e chuckled and rewarded her by leaning closer and kissing her mouth=letting her know eAactly what he was
going to do to the rest of her. ,he moaned as that one kiss sucked her under his spell again. 9is mouth was the
seAiest thing. ,he curled both hands into his hair=holding him close, arching upwards to get closer to his heat.
No, she didnt need the oral seA actually, she ?ust needed him. ,he pushed her legs wider, wanting him to thrust
between them. ,he wanted eerything now.
9e put his hands under her arms, literally hauling her into position in the middle of the bed=all while still
kissing her. ,o the guy could be bossy but with one hell of a sweetener. 9e reached aboe her, grabbed a couple
of pillows and lifted her hips to shoe them beneath her. Now her hips were raised, while her torso stretched back,
leaing her so eAposed to him.
CEou like your women on a platter>D she teased. But she was amazed at how unselfconscious she felt. The way
he looked at her, like she was the most beautiful thing, like hed neer wanted anything as much, made her feel so
treasured. ,o seAy. And, this once, she was going with it.
C4aAimizing pleasure,D he replied, running his palm oer her stomach, his gaze sweeping oer the bared secrets
of her body.
:ust that one stroke sent flickers of fire along her nere endings. ,he arched uncontrollably, thrusting her
breasts up, wanting his mouth nearer, eerywhere.
/kay so she did want the oral seA. ,he did want that tongue eerywhere.
9e kissed and nibbled his way down her neck, oer her chest to one breast, then the other. 9is fingers subtly
teased in tandem with his lips, igniting eery inch of her skin=below her belly button, then lower still.
&or a big guy, he had a delicate= tormenting=touch. The mans tongue teased, flicking light and @uick across
her entrance. 9is fingers strummed her=faster, faster still. But he didnt penetrate her. Fesperate for that, she
groaned. 9er hips pumped as he lapped. 9er groan became words=blatant, hot demands. ,he spread her arms
wide on the bed beneath her, fingers eAtended as the tension within her burned intolerably. 9e moed, lying
across her thighs to stop her from curling them around him and pulling him in. 9is greater weight and strength
rendered her captie, yet he was tender. Tender. But wicked.
9is attentions consumed her. ;ith one hand he rubbed her, still deliciously but maddeningly licking. 9is other
hand swept up the side of her body=cupping her breast, rubbing her nipple, sending shiers of delight back to her
belly and outwards again=to her scalp and her toes and eery bit in between. 9e took her soft flesh in his hand,
owning her until she was begging for more, begging him not to stop. ,preadBeagled=rigid=beneath him she cried
out, her head thrashing as she neared the peak. A second of silence and then she screamed as sensation slammed,
hitting her in entirety. ,he shuddered, conulsing. As the spasms of intense pleasure wracked her, she instinctiely
tried to wrench back from his continued caresses. But his strength was too great=she panted, fast and short as he
kept up his @uick, relentless touches. 9er eyes widened, she stared at him for one moment of heightened clarity
before her head fell back on the bed, her eyes closing as she rode the crest into another orgasm een more
oerpowering than the first.
CEou okay>D 4inutes later he asked, breaking through the sound of her stillBrapid breathing.
C4ore than okay.D ,he slowly opened her eyes.
9e was on all fours aboe her, his arms either side of her head, his eyes warm, his smile pleased. CEoure
amazing.D
C)ucky.D ,he tentatiely tried to fleA, her body one warm mass of luscious languor. CThank you.D ,he looked
down his tight body and saw the fast rise and fall of his chest, the sharpness in his eyes. CI feel bad for you
though.D
CIll get my turn.D
CNow,D she reached up, winding her arms round his neck and drawing him close for a kiss. ,he flicked her
tongue into his hot mouth=mimicking the lush strokes hed ?ust tormented her with.
Incredibly, a feeling of power surged back into her, galanizing her muscles=the pure energy of desire.
-echarged, she arched, running her hands down his back to his butt and pulling so hed lie on her. 9e resisted for
a second, spreading her legs further with strong hands first and then settling between her thighs. ,he almost
purred with the pleasure of feeling his weight upon her, of feeling his hard length push at her slick entrance.
,he rocked to hurry him, loing how the pillows beneath her hips droe her core closer to his. 9e put his fisted
hands to either side of her, pressing down into the mattress while his arms remained straight so he arched aboe
her=his pelis pushed against hers. ,he deoured the iew of his magnificent bared torso, her gaze drifting lower
to see how close they were to being ?oined.
C)ibby.D
At his strained whisper she immediately looked back up to his face=reading the rigid restraint there=and then
watched the unbearable pleasure as slowly he moed into her.
,he moaned as a sensational feeling of fullness=completion=engulfed her, inch by inch. As shed suspected,
ecstasy came instantly. ,he trembled, succumbing to bursts of bliss, while he continued to stoke the inferno. 9e
pulled back and then pressed close again=harder, to the hilt=and paused. Felight locked in.
CAs amazing as that was before,D she breathed in the eA@uisite rush. CNothing but nothing beats this.D
,o damn good.
9e breathed in and out harshly through his nostrils, pausing, like a reined in stallion, rearing.
C'lease,D she murmured with a small, satisfied purr. ,he wanted him out of control in his desire for her=as she
was for him.
9e growled, a short, rough sound and then moed. ,he met him, slow thrust for slow thrust. (ery moement
sent pleasure rippling through her. 9is arms spread wider, the sheet caught in his fists as he sought traction. ,he
too clung, her hands curled round his biceps, feeling the tension beneath her fingertips.
9e moed in slow, sweeping, circular motions, watching her close, a small smile on his lips. 9is gaze dipped to
her breasts and that smile faltered=his nostrils thinned as he breathed in deeply again. 9is muscles tautened as he
looked, dark heat flaring in his eyes, color slashing across his cheekbones as he ground deeper into her with those
delicious moements. ,he understood the pleasure he found in haing her spread before him=beneath him=
accepting his inasion. ,he reeled in it too, feeling seAy, desirable, riding the heat, the sweat, the energy. Theyd
left this world and gone to another of their own=a higher, hotter, paradise.
9is hard plank of a body worked into hers, yet he was so warm and fluid in his moements and so tender in his
smile. It was slow, addictie torture and she groaned as the tension caught her again, winding her tighter, eer
tighter.
9is biceps bunched as he braced aboe her. Their rhythm increased. 9e was all she could see. There was
nothing else in her head but him, the way he looked right now, the way he felt.
'assion built. ,he shiered as the feer took hold, faltered as small sliers of ecstasy surged through herGtiny
precursors to her neAt release. ,he called out in increasingly @uick, breathy moans, closing her eyes as the intensity
became too much. 9er body clamped and locked, seeking the final hit that would send her oer the edge.
9e moed to meet her moaned demands=thrusting faster. 9er eyes snapped open=wide=as she watched his
muscles pump as he plunged through the fierce, rigid hold of her body. The friction so intense, so pleasurable, so
damn good. 9is face locked in the grip of determination, of fire, a growl escaping through gritted teeth. But she
smiled as the sensations con@uered her consciousness. 9er eyes flicked shut again as she sank into ecstasy. 9er
moan became a shout as sheer, sharp pleasure surged in spasm after spasm, blissful contractions shiering
outwards from her core. In the height of the storm his fingers dug into her hips as he pushed her closer still,
grinding into her with fast, wild force. 9is abs slammed against her stomach, his chest crushed hers as he dropped
from his dominant position and simply embraced her as a deep moan was wrenched from him.
,he looped her arms around him, her hands smoothing his sweatBslicked back. ,he held him, uncaring of how
hot she was, how she could hardly breathe, could hardly hear for his rapid, rough panting in her ear. (ery so
often shed shier again=her body locked in aftershocks. 5ntil the tension slowly ebbed and that languorous
warmth slid along her eins.
C,o,D she said breathlessly, trying to find a way back down to earth. CThat wasnt sustained>D
9is laugh was combined with a pained groan. C4ust hae been your performance enhancing muesli.D
!hapter (ight
:ack stared out the bakery window as he waited, still in a daze ten hours after shed left his bed. Fespite their
intimate marathon, hed hardly slept. Instead hed wound his arms around her and held her until shed woken=too
early. ,hed @uickly kissed him and thanked him for a loely night and left. ;hat an idiot hed been to make his
moe on a weeknight when she had to be at her local council copywriting ?ob the neAt morning. 9e laughed
=stupid=een if it had been the weekend, shed be up early wanting to resurrect her cereal business.
But it was the cereal that was his way back in.
9e sat at the counter when she turned up=not touching her, simply getting on with his work. ,he smiled,
clearly determined not to let any awkwardness build between them. ,he thought she could be like a pal now> )ike
a buddy> 9e didnt think so. But he said nothing. 9e knew the chemistry wasnt anywhere near burned out=hell,
with her flushed cheeks and her tight nipples and her restlessness, it was obious.
,o he sat like he had the other nights and got on with his work. To his immense satisfaction eery time he
glanced up he caught her looking at him. ,o he stood and got himself some water from the fridge. Turning back
he nabbed her snatching a look at his butt. Eeah, he had a number of nail marks proing how much she liked that
part of him. 9e stood socially unacceptably near to her at the counter=watching her work. 9ed see how long she
could hold out for.
C;heres your younger sister>D ,he asked eentually, her oice a little shrill. 9er cheeks were getting redder by
the minute.
CAt uniersity, thank goodness.D 9e didnt step away, not when he saw the way she couldnt help the downward
flicker of her gaze oer his body. 9e liked being this close=near enough to touch in a heartbeat.
CIs she into rowing too>D
C,he wasnt, for a long time. But now shes a coA,D 9e wickedly emphasized the word, knowing from the @uick
touch of her tongue to her lips what she was thinking of. CIt seems to be in the blood.D
CIt must hae been hard for you.D ,he sent him another @uick glance from beneath her cautious lashes.
9e bit the inside of his lip. 'eople were curious=of course they were. 4ostly he brushed it off, but with )ibby he
had an urge to be honest. CIt wasnt as hard as many other people hae it. I was able to generate cash to get the
business underway. And they were good kids. ;ell, as good as could be eApected.D 9e frowned.
)ibby raised her brows. CFid they gie you a hard time>D
CBeing the standBin parent means you get the brunt of rebellion and resentment.D
CEou shoulde been out sowing your wild oats.D ,he sent him a look from under her lashes. CEou still should
be.D
:ack tensed. Tom had said that recently, Anne too in her own way. But hed figured that had been because the
two of them wanted him off their backs. Now he wondered if they were right. 9ed gotten in the habit of bearing
responsibility and working so hard to make sure they had all they needed and to build the business. But stupidly,
hearing it from )ibby flicked his pride=his past hadnt been completely boring.
CI did okay,D he said. CIt wasnt all a desert in that time.D
But none of those random hookBups had gien him the kind of eAperience hed had with )ibby last night.
CNo girlfriend could put up with the sullen teen sister or my work hours.D 9e couldnt help eAplaining. 9e hadnt
had time to manage a relationship. Then hed gotten used to the hours. /nce his business interests took off, they
increased more. 9e still didnt hae the time for anything serious. &ortunately )ibby didnt want anything longB
term. They could en?oy this moment by moment=hae a few laughs together oer an oatBstrewn counter.
CI dont beliee you,D )ibby said, measuring almonds. CThere would hae been girls lining up round the block to
gie you the kind of support you needed.D
9e laughed. CThats a sweet thing to say but its not true.D
CIts true.D
,he was wrong. CI spent most of my time with building contractors, engineers and inspectors. Its a reality that
most of those people are not female. It comes down to sheer opportunity.D
CIs that what I was last night>D 9er eyes glinted. C,heer opportunity>D
It only took a moment to get his hands around her waist. 9e lifted her up onto the countertop. C;hat you are,D
he said roughly, pushing her knees apart so he could press close and kiss her eerywhere. CIs temptation.D
,he shook her head, taking his hand and bringing it to her breast, sighing in surrender when he tightened his
fingers around the taut nipple. CThats what you are.D
9e kissed her, boldly inading her mouth the second their lips connected. ,he opened instantly=her low moan
making him een harder. None of the passion had been assuaged last night. In fact it was worse, knowing how hot
it would be. Famn. 9e lifted her off the bench and into his arms. C4y place.D
CEes.D
C;hat are you doing>D 9e asked the neAt night. Bags of ingredients spilled all oer the counter in a mess. ;here
was her usual Ceerything ?ust soD approach>
C3rainstorming.D
C;hat>D
,he chuckled. CIm trying to come up with new combination ideas.D
9e looked at the counter now straining under the weight of some of the oddest looking fruit hed seen. CThere
are combinations and theres ?ust plain weird. Thats in the weird category.D 9e pointed to a yellow spikeBcoered
fruit.
CEoure afraid to try something new>D ,he shook her head. C,o conseratie, :ack.D
CI can try new,D he countered wickedly. CI can be ery inentie.D
,he used her wooden spoon to fend him off. CEoure not distracting me. I do need to grainstorm.D
CIt might help with your creatiity,D he reasoned idly. C'lus, it will help you work up an appetite for your tasting
sessions.D
C)ater.D ,he fluttered her fingers round the handle of the wooden spoon=a thoughtful look in her eye. CThis is
?ust, you knowGD
CA fling.D 9e nodded. C/f course.D
Because neither of them had the time nor need for anything more.
9e sat on a stool and watched her play with the weird ingredients. ,he asked him about his day and he found
himself talking through the plans for his newest property. ,omehow that led him to talk to her about the troubles
Tom had those few years ago when he fell in loe and was crushed enough oer the breakup to fall into a party
crowd and almost lose his place on his rowing s@uad. And she listened and smiled and didnt offer any platitudes,
which he was grateful for.
C;hat about muesli bars>D he asked, turning the conersation to her work=finding he was more and more
interested in it. 9e was een thinking on it during the day, turning oer ideas and ways in which he might be able
to help.
C&ull of sugar and fat.D
CThe health thing is that important to you>D he asked. CIts not that youre on a food trend or wanting to cater to
such an eAclusie corner of the market>D
9er eyes narrowed. CI wish it wasnt eAclusie. I wish there was a way to make it cheaper so more people could
benefit from a healthier breakfast, not some sugar and salt laden cereal.D
CEou really want to make a difference>D
C/f course,D she looked up from her contemplation of the assorted ingredients. CFont you> 9eart health
matters.D
C;hy does it matter so much to you>D It wasnt personal, right> ,he didnt hae any scars=he knew because
hed licked eery inch of her body. But there must be a scar somewhere, because he saw her face fall.
&or a long moment he didnt think shed say anything, but then with a soft sigh and a ery small oice, she told
him.
C4y mother died of a heart condition when she was thirtyBfie.D
9is blood froze. C/h )ibby, Im sorry.D
CIt gets worse,D she added, suddenly more spirited and een faking a smile. C4y father died of a heart attack less
than two months later.D
,he might hae been trying to lightly ?oke it off, but failed miserably. 9e put his arms around her, ignoring the
bowl she held. ,he leant forward and rested her forehead on his chest for a moment. 9e liked it.
CI think it was a broken heart in some ways.D ,he was back to the whisper. CBut in others it was simply poor
health. I didnt know at the time but his blood pressure was bad, his cholesterol, his stressGD she trailed off. CIt
was one of those ones you read about in the paper. -easonably fit guy in his early forties goes for a run and
doesnt come back.D
C;here were you>D
C;ith him.D
9e swore beneath his breath.
CId encouraged him,D she said. C9ed withdrawn so much after 4um died. I thought some fresh air would be
good. That it would be good for him to get a little fitter.D ,he stopped talking.
9orror rendered him speechless=the poor girl had to carry that with her> 9is heart tore.
(en though she remained standing in his arms he could feel her withdrawing=as if she regretted what shed
told him, as if she didnt want to dele any deeper into wounds that had left far more than skinBpuckering scars.
C;ere you angry with him for leaing you>D he asked @uietly.
,he was still for a long moment. And then nodded, a sharp ?erk of her head. C;ith both of them.D
CI was angry with my mother,D he said painfully. 5sually he resisted thinking about that time in his life, and
almost neer talked about it. But he wanted to reach )ibby now=to let her know he almost understood. C)ike she
could help getting cancer>D 9e halfBmocked his own deastation. CBut I was so angry.D
CAnd then your father remarried.D
CEeah, but that wasnt a betrayal,D he said, reassuring. C,he was loely. ,he was great to me. There was no
wicked stepmother nightmare. ,he and Fad were happy and it was good to see that when hed been so sad. But
then Tom got sick.D And that had been a whole other nightmare. 9e breathed in, aiming to lighten the pressure in
his chest. CEou dont hae brothers or sisters>D
,he shook her head.
CAnd there wasnt really a circus troupe>D
CActually there was.D ,he suddenly smiled, finally looking up at him. The bruised edge in her eyes smote his
heart all oer again.
CI went to boarding school after they died, and in the holidays Id stay with my aunt in a seaside town in Feon.
(ery summer the circus came and I spent eery day down there. I used to sit in school and dream of running
away to the circus. But I neer did learn to throw knies.D
CEou couldnt lie with your aunt>D he asked.
C,he was older, neer had children and didnt really want them. ,he felt boarding school was best. In some
ways I guess it was.D ,he paused. CEou didnt send Anne and Tom to boarding school.D
C;e needed to be together,D he said softly. CTheyd been through enough. I was paranoid about Tom haing a
relapse and Anne was young.D
CI wish Id had a brother like you.D
C)ibby,D he pulled her closer and let his hands go beyond polite boundaries. CIm really glad Im not your
brother.D
)aughing, she tilted her chin for his kiss.
G
CEou know you dont hae to stay here each night,D )ibby said three nights later. CEou still dont trust me>D
CIts not safe for you to be here alone after hours.D 9e didnt een look up from his infernal emailing as he
spoke.
C;hy, what am I going to do>D
CIts a ,aturday night, drunk ?erks walk past eery other minute=they spot you>D he shook his head. CI wouldnt
leae any woman alone in here any night of the week.D
,o it wasnt about spending time with her> It was ?ust for her safety> Any womans safety> ,he sucked in a
small breath. 3ood to know. ,he swallowed and braced herself for his reaction to her news. CIe had a letter from
my insurance company.D
9e looked up then. CAnd>D
C!heck attached.D
CThats great.D 9is whole face lit up.
CIll be able to rent new premises and increase production.D )ibby forced a smile. ,he was pleased about it.
-eally pleased. ,hed been alidated and indicated. And she wouldnt hae to use this bakery after hours for much
longer.
CThats fantastic news.D :ack looked at her and then back to his i'ad. CEoull be rebuilding the business in no
time.D
,o there she had it. 9e wasnt bothered about her time here coming to an end soon. ;ell, good. Because neither
was she.
,he looked at where he sat opposite, still working on his damn i'ad. /ther than when he was inclined to play
with her, he always sat fully focused on whateer it was he was checking. All of a sudden it really ticked her off.
CFo you eer not work>D
9e glanced up and looked at her blankly. C;hat do you mean>D
C)ike when did you last hae a holiday>D
C;hen did you>D he countered. CI think the pot is calling the kettle here.D
CThats only because Im starting up. I still know how to hae fun.D
CEoure spinning stories again.D 9e put the i'ad on the bench. C;hen was the last time you went to a concert or
a play or a football game> ;hen did you last go clubbing> ;hen did you last go to the pub on a &riday night with
your workmates> ;hen did you last hae fun>D
,he met his amused eyes and flicked her brows. 9is eApression matched her wickedness in a heartbeat.
,he shouldnt do this. ,he should definitely end it now. ,hed meant to after that first night. But when a guy this
gorgeous tempted> And when she knew how amazing it was> And when it would only be for another day or twoG
And it wasnt ?ust for her. 9ed had such a lot to deal with=the responsibility of two siblings, the finances, the
company. Then there was the loss hed suffered. Twice oer=first his mother, then his father and stepmother. ,he
knew eAactly how much that hurt. 9ow reluctant he probably was to be ulnerable to that kind of pain again.
(mpathy flooded her. ,o did the desire to see him laugh. ,he couldnt help but want to gie him some fun.
:ust once more. ,he mentally stuffed away the worried whisper in her soul and lifted the bottle of maple syrup
from the bench. CI know what you really want me to do with this.D ,he shimmied up to him.
CEou think you do, huh>D 9e reached out and ran a finger down her arm, encircling her wrist.
,he nodded. C8uite certain of it.D
9e kept a firm hold on her wrist and took the bottle from her with his other hand. CBut do you know what I
want to do with the maple syrup>D
9e led her home=to the shower, stripping himself then her and flicking the taps so it was steaming in no time.
Biting her lip, )ibby stood before him as he drizzled the runny syrup oer her breasts. But any desire to laugh
disappeared the second he stroked his fingers through the slick stickiness. 9ae mercy, whod hae thought the
sensation could be so enhanced> 9er knees weakened, her lungs struggled to draw in enough oAygen in the sultry
atmosphere.
CThis is a terrible waste of high priced maple syrup,D she muttered.
CIts not a waste.D
,he @uiered as he caressed and then kissed. CI might discoer it has skin re?uenating properties.D
CEou could eApand your business,D he licked=so sublimely. C)uAury skincare with maple syrup as the secret
ingredient.D
C(ither that or a mapleBflaored lubricant,D she panted.
C&rom cereal to seABaids,D he chuckled, reaching for the shower nozzle. C/ne womans leap in business.D
9e spun her away from him and then drew her down, kneeling behind her at the same time and encouraging
her to use him as her CchairD. ,he slid onto him=wet and ready to ride. 9e groaned delightedly against the back of
her neck as she bowed her head, closing her eyes in ecstasy. 9e held the nozzle, raining water on her shoulders
and breasts as they moed=slick and fast and so carnal. Then he changed the direction of the waterfall, pointing
the ?et of water between her legs and thrusting een harder into her. The pressure of the warm water enhanced
eery sensation. 9is other hand cupped and slid oer her mapleBsticky breasts. /h, he could be ery inentie.
All )ibby could do was cry out, @uier and come.
!hapter Nine
CEoue neer been rowing>D
9e made it sound like she was as depried as a child whod neer had an ice cream on a summers day.
CNo.D
It was a glorious ,unday morning=absolute iceBcream weather=and shed found his suggestion they stroll
along the Thames rier walk irresistible. :ust today. /ne more day.
)ondon was tourist dense ordinarily, but this morning it was like one giant fairground. 9ordes of people were
out and about and bunting was strung eerywhere. Brightly colored tourist kiosks had popped up, adding to the
efferescent, energetic atmosphere. The city was alie and humming.
C!ome on. Ill take you to the club, we can go double sculls.D
CEoure kidding.D
CNo. Itll be fun.D
)ibby didnt think rowing looked all that much fun=it looked like damn hard work. Eou had to hae megaB
muscles and more stamina than anyone. CEou used to compete>D she asked as she walked alongside him.
CBack in the day.D 9e nodded.
C;hy didnt you keep going>D
A wry smile tweaked his lips. CThere were other things I needed to do.D
CEou had to look after the other two.D )ibbys heart pulled.
CI did, but dont go thinking there was any great selfBsacrifice or anything.D 9e sent her a laughing look. CThe
fact is I wasnt as passionate about it as Tom is. I neer had the same kind of drie to succeed in it as he did.D
But he had the same drie to succeed in another area=in getting the financial security for his family. 9ed gone
from young man to father and breadwinner to his siblings oernight. )ibby had no doubt that he was eery bit as
drien as Tom. 9e might not hae the medals but what hed achieed was eery bit as much of an /lympian effort.
C,o you dont wish it was you>D she asked @uietly.
C,ure, part of me has that /lympic fantasy=most people do, right>D he admitted. CNo matter how improbable it
might be. Its like the lottery fantasy. ;e all dream of winning. But I know the sacrifices Toms made. I made
sacrifices too, but I hae the reward already. I see Tom now healthy and happy. I see Anne off at uniersity and
studying her passion. Toms gien up so much for his sport but he may not get the reward. I hope for his sake he
does. 9e deseres it.D 9e stopped outside a building. C!ome on.D
The second they walked into the clubrooms at least fie fitBlooking rowers bounded oer.
C:ack<D
)ibby watched as they laughed and caught up and discussed who they thought were Toms rials in the
upcoming competition.
CIm going to take )ibby on the water,D :ack said eentually, taking her hand. CIts her first time.D
Three of the guys moed immediately=hauling out a boat from the shed and carrying it down to the water for
them. ,he watched the awestruck, soBeagerBtoBhelp teens with wry amusement, understanding how they felt. No
doubt :ack could hae been a champion rower too, but what impressed her more was the obious respect and
loyalty he inspired in the club members. (erybody liked :ack Barnes=including her. ,he stumbled as she walked
down=as it hit her heart. ,he more than liked him.
CEoure going to hae to do all the work you realize.D ,he managed to tease as she stood on the ?etty, feeling
colder by the second. CAs always.D
CEou do your thing.D 9e cured an arm around her and guided her to the boat. CAnd you know it. But yes,
youre pretty much ?ust a passenger today.D
CEoure not going to wear one of those highBtech, skinBclinging outfits>D she asked, trying to stick to lightB
hearted tease.
CI will if you will.D 9e mocked up a leery look with an eyebrow lift and a lasciious grin.
,he resisted the urge to reach up on tiptoe and nip his lips with her teeth=hed always gazump her in the
playful stakes. ,he took off her shoes as directed and then studied the boat. It seemed crazy narrow to her while
the rier was wide and flowed fast.
CEou can trust me.D 9is amusement was een more obious now as he held the boat steady for her to step into.
CI know.D And she did. 9e was a good guy. That suspicious, arrogant attitude hed had that first day was merely
a mask, symptomatic of his protectie nature. ,he knew hed do anything for anyone=@uite the knight. Trouble
was, she ached inside for more, and that could neer be. ,he didnt want to hurt or be hurt and she couldnt trust
that her body wouldnt let her down. ,he sat in the small, hard seat and watched as he sorted out her oar. ,he
twisted round and saw he had two for himself.
C;ont this make us go round in circles>D
CEours is more for decoration,D he laughed. C:ust en?oy the ride.D
;ell that wasnt going to be hard.
9e rowed strongly, the boat swiftly glided through the water and in no time they were away from the club. ,he
was glad he was behind her and couldnt see how much she was acting the princess=her one oar was totally for
show as it rested across her legs and out of the water. 9e took her up rier. ,he didnt know which bank to look at,
with the monumental buildings on each side either steeped in history or architectural greatness. (entually he
stopped rowing and let the boat begin to float back with the current.
CI hae something for you,D he said.
The something was tossed oer her shoulder and into her lap. ,he picked it up and looked at it. CEoure trusting
me with a key for the bakery>D she asked, her blood frozen despite the strength of the morning sun.
CIts not for the bakery.D 9is reply was low. CAnd you already know the alarm code.D
9er heart=and brain=stuttered. 9ed gien her a key to his home> C:ack=D
CAnd theres someone I want you to meet,D he said with more olume, apparently ignoring her audible panic.
,he put her hands to her face. 9er cheeks were at deep fat fryer temperature but the rest of her had iced oer.
;hy had he gien her a key to his house> That was far too serious for either of them. And while there was a
corner of her heart trying to dance for ?oy, the rest of it seized in fear.
C9er names :emma.D 9e continued speaking. C,hes an enabler=you know, introduces people to people. 'eople
who might want to inest in startBups or accountants who can help deelop business plans and stuff. Ie dealt with
her in the past and she was interested in what youre doing.D
,tartBups> As in like her cereal business> C;hy do you want to set this up>D she croaked.
CI think you could make a real success of your muesli. Eou hae an amazing product.D
CI thought oats were for horses>D ,he ?oked weakly. CAnd dont you think its too eApensie to be anything more
than for a tiny niche market> That theres no real way of making it iable>D
CI think it could work. 4eet with :emma=shes ery good at what she does.D
No. CThats really nice of you :ack, butGD
CIts nothing.D
,he heard the faint edge=but she couldnt act pleased or laugh this off. ,he couldnt take any of what he was
offering.
CIm only arranging a meeting. Its not like Im offering to inest millions in your company,D he broke the long
silence. C/r is that what you want>D
CNo.D
The charged word hung between them=final.
CEou know I cant help myself.D 9is tone changed, like he was now ?oking. CI help out Tom and Anne all the
time. (en when they dont want me to. Its the curse of the elder brother.D
All )ibby could hear now were the panicked thoughts spinning in her head. ,he didnt want his protectieness=
didnt want to think about what it might mean. ,he didnt want to know what he felt for her=neer wanted to
know if it was more. Because she couldnt do more.
And now she couldnt escape this conersation unless she died in the water. ,he smothered a hysterical laugh,
if she did that shed end up with Thames belly. ,omehow she had to eAtricate herself from something that had
grown painfully beautiful, too @uickly.
The trouble wasnt only him. ,he felt too much. If she took his assistance now, shed always associate her
company with him. ,hed always be in his debt and hed always be in her mind.
Truth> ,he feared hed be there always already. ,hed neer be able to look at maple syrup again without
thinking of him. But she couldnt let this happen=if she said yes, it would always hae an association with him and
it would be too painful to hold on to if it reminded her of him. It was her passion, her baby=her only one because
shed neer hae real babies. ,he couldnt risk it.
C)ibby.D
,he didnt turn to face him, but she heard eerything in the way he said her name=the frustration, resignation,
the dawning realization. 9e knew what she was going to do. 9e knew and she knew.
CIts not you,D she said. ,o, so sorry.
C/h come on.D 9is laugh was brief and laced with bitterness. CI thought you were more imaginatie than that.D
CIts the truth. Its me. I cant do this.D ,he twisted in her seat and put the key down between them.
C;hat is this>D
CThis was a light fling thats gone on a little long.D ,he swallowed. CI dont want anything that goes on.D
CEou were still haing fun last night,D he argued. CAll thats happened since is Ie offered help. Is that my
mistake>D
CIf this goes on it would become too inoled and too messy.D ,he turned away from him, unable to bear the
intent scrutiny of his sharp, blue eyes.
CAnd you cant do anything messy> )ibby, the maple syrup is messy.D
CFont.D ,he gripped her oar and curled up her legs, hunching oer her knees. ,he didnt care that she was
rocking the boat. ,he ?ust needed to hold in her heart. C:ack, please.D
,ilence.
C9ere, I got these. Eou might as well hae them.D
Another something was tossed oer her shoulder. ,he looked down and drew the card from the enelope.
Tickets to a circus coming to town neAt month.
NeAt month was too long. Another month of making loe and laughing and growing closer and falling deeper,
deeper, deeper>
9er heart hurt already but it would hurt more in another month. It would be unbearable siA months after that.
But this wasnt only about her heart. This was about his. And if he cared for her=een a smidgeon as much as she
cared for him=then he was in trouble. ,he wanted to spare him trouble. ,he wanted him to be free. To go and
hae fun. And maybe one day to make a family with someone else. ,hed fooled with a guy who=for all his
playfulness=was actually sincere and full of heart.
CInife throwing might be dangerous for us to be around together,D he said sharply.
C'lease try to understand.D
C5nderstand what>D
CThat I cant do a serious relationship,D she said fiercely. CI told you that at the start. I cant get close to anyone.
I wont.D
C;hy>D
,he twisted in her seat and glared at him. C;hy do you think>D
9e clamped his ?aw shut and eyeballed her. ,he glared right back at him=she wasnt giing way. ,hed been
strong for so long, and she refused to weaken. ,he knew what was right for her. And she absolutely knew what
was right for him=and that wasnt her.
The blades splashed and the boat began to surge through the water. The warmth and beauty of the morning
broken.
CEoure a coward,D he spoke through his teeth, his muscles rippling.
CIm as protectie as you are.D ,he couldnt let anyone get too close. ,he had to protect those she loed.
9e shook his head, his eApression grim as he powerfully pulled the blades. CEoure going to lie your life not
taking any chances>D
CNot a relationship, neer commitment, certainly no family of my own.D ,he was neer haing children=neer
letting them suffer through what shed suffered through. And shed neer loe the way her father had loed=too
deeply to surie the loss of it. ,he had to lie more lightly than that.
,he looked at him but he was too angry to look back at her. 9e lowered his gaze and focused on rowing them
back to the club. 9e could hae @ualified for the /lympics himself with the speed with which he did it.
)ibby got out the boat without looking at him. It was the right thing to do=better a little hurt now than
deastation later.
CIm sorry,D she choked as she passed him.
4ore sorry than she could eApress.
G
Nine days. Nine days was all it had taken to flip his life upside down. :ack stalked back to his apartment, stunned
with how @uickly eerything had fallen apart. The leaden feeling in his chest didnt lighten when he saw the black
cab parked outside.
C9ow long you got>D he patted Toms shoulder.
C/nly the night.D Tom grinned, clearly happy about it.
C9ae you got like thirty pounds of )ibbys muesli in here>D :ack growled as he hefted the case up the stairs.
;aiting at the top, Tom looked uncomfortable.
:ack wasnt in the mood to be mucked around. CTom, whats going on>D
CI eAaggerated about how much I needed.D
CEou mean youe brought most of the muesli I couriered to you back home again> ;hy say you needed more>D
CBecause it was obious you liked her. I wanted you to hae some fun.D
;ith a grumpy humph :ack barged through his door, chucked the bag to the floor and stomped into the liing
room. 9e aoided the machines=instead he slumped into the one sofa at the back of the room.
Tom slowly followed him. :ack glanced at him and away again. 9e wasnt in the mood for company and if his
little brother wasnt careful, he might get snappy.
CFo you know what I learned from you, :ack>D Tom gingerly sat on the hard seat of the lateral pullBdown
machine.
:ack didnt answer. 9e really wasnt in the mood.
CNeer to gie up.D Tom leaned forward. CEou neer gae up :ack. Eou neer let me gie up. Eoue fought so
hard for so long.D
No, :ack hadnt taught him that. That resilience and determination had been forged within Tom years before.
CEou learned that yourself, when you got through the cancer.D
CI didnt get through the cancer on my own.D Tom argued fierce enough to make :ack bristle. CEou helped me.
-emember you used to sit there and read me stories when I was feeling sick> Eou took me to training with you. I
used to sit on the embankment and watch you rowing on the rier and I wanted to be ?ust like you. Thats what
got me started rowing. I looked up to you. Eou were my hero.D
Now :ack sat determinedly rigid. 9e didnt feel like much of a hero. ,ometimes he felt like hed he hadnt been
there enough for Tom and Anne and that when he had been around, hed been too hard on them. But hed tried=
as hed tried with )ibby. But it hadnt worked.
CAfter 4um and Fad died you ?ust took complete control,D Tom continued. C;hen I screwed up and it all went
to my head and I got in with that party crowd a couple of years ago, you were there for me. Eou neer gae up on
me. Eou neer gae up on Anne. Eoue neer stopped fighting for us and for what we needed. ,o dont you dare
stop fighting for what you need.D
:ack looked at the man whod once been the scrawny kid that hed piggyBbacked around. 9ell, hed always be his
baby brother. 9e couldnt trust that his oice would work.
Tom stood. CEou might be older than me, but Im allowed to lecture you sometimes too.D
Tom was right of course. :ack didnt gie up. 9ed neer gien up. ;hat had he been thinking these last thirty
minutes> ;hy the hell had he ?ust walked away>
Because he hadnt been thinking. 9ed been feeling. And all hed been feeling was hurt. ,hed re?ected him. And
why was that> Because she was afraid> /r because she didnt feel the same way he did>
,he knew why hed gien her the key, why hed made that offer. Because he cared about her. It wasnt ?ust a
desire to help a friend. It was the same way hed do anything to help his brother and his sister. Because he loed
them. And he loed her=not brotherly.
9ell. !ould it happen that @uick> -eally> /r was it ?ust lust making him crossBeyed> But while hed had the best
seA eer with her, he also adored her passion for her product, her humor, her @uick lip, and her generosity and
desire to help TomG eerything about her won :acks heart.
9is neres skittered. 4aybe she ?ust wasnt that into him> But shed laughed at his lame ?okes, shed eaten him
up with her eyes and body=warm and lush and welcoming. It felt good=a natural, right fit. 9e couldnt beliee
that only he felt that between them.
,he was running scared. ;ell, he was scared too=more than hed eer been in his life. Not een when hed
wondered how the hell he was going to care for his kid siblings had he been this scared. But he was wrong to walk
away from the fight.
G
A pain pierced between )ibbys ribs like someone had stabbed her with a knife. But it wasnt ?ust the pain that
bothered her, it was the poison of fear. It worsened with eery step she took=so she stopped taking steps. ,he
stood with both hands gripping the railing and watched the rowers on the rier. ,he could hear the calls from the
coAes, could see the effort the men and women put into each pull of the oars. Throngs of people in shorts and
pretty floral dresses passed her on the bridge, ice creams in hand. ,he had no idea how long she stood there, in
the middle of the bridge that oerlooked the club, unable to walk to either end.
CAnswer me something. That guy, your eA who asked you to marry him. Fid you loe him>D
,he ?erked round so @uick it hurt. :ack. :ack back and looking fierce and proud and determined and so ery hot.
CIs the reason you said no because you really loed him and couldnt cope with the idea of losing him>D
)ibbys eyes filled. CIf Id really loed him, I could neer hae said no. I could neer hae walked away.D
9e reached for the railing, gripping it hard as he looked at the muddy water churning beneath the bridge.
CIm scared, :ack,D she said @uickly. CBut I cant walk away from here.D &rom you.
CEoure a ery strong person,D he answered. CEou hae circus skills.D
,he shook her head. CBut you hae dealt with enough,D she said ehemently. C;hat if my heart breaks in middle
age like Fads did> /r what if I hae a child and he or she has 4ums condition> Thats not fair on anyone.D
CI know how cruel fate can be,D he answered. CAnd I know that you hae to fight on. I know that you hae to
find happiness in the little things. Take pleasure in the loely eery day you hae it.D 9is fingers curled tighter until
his knuckles were as white as hers. CFont waste a day, )ibby. Font waste a single day.D
,he let go of the bridge. C:ack=D
CI know loss,D he interrupted in a low oice. CI know what it is to surie and to ?ust surie. And thats not
enough. Not for you. And its not enough for me either. These last few days Ie had more fun than Ie had in
years. And I dont mean in bed. Ie been working so hard for so long, and youe gien me balance. It comes
from relationships )ibby=you cant hide from them. Eoue got to take them on, put your head down and charge.
Eou heal my heart. Isnt that making the kind of difference you wanted> Because who knows how long any of us
hae> ;e dont. Thats why Im not wasting any more minutes away from you.D
,omehow shed moed. 9ed been speaking so softly, compelling her closer. And now she was near enough to
feel his initing heat. ,he gazed into his eyes and the brae promise in them. &inally he lifted a hand and touched
her hair=so gently.
CI found out something in my 3oogle snooping you know,D he breathed een more @uietly.
C;hats that>D
CThat )ibby is short for )iberty.D
C/h,D she groaned. ,he hated her full name.
But he smiled, a halfBlaugh rumbling, his eApression warm and kind and willing her to take him on. C)iberty. ,et
your heart free. )oe me.D
It was knocking in her chest right now, eery thump hurting. It didnt want to be constrained. But if she gae it
to him, hed capture it foreer=and wouldnt that be een more of a risk> &or both of them>
C!an you handle this>D he whispered.
It was hard to breathe, hard to think. ,he could only feel. But now pleasure and eAcitement and anticipation
pummeled her fear into submission because he was smiling at her and offering so much with his arms spread
wide. ,he wanted=and she wanted this brae, strong, honest man. And she couldnt walk away.
C)ets ?ust take itGeach day.D ,he half sobbed and took that last step into his embrace.
9is arms wrapped around her, bringing her home. 9is lips brushed her forehead for the briefest of seconds as
they had that first day when shed bumped it. Then he lifted her face to his and kissed her. ,he didnt open her
eyes again for a long, long time. But when she did she saw he had the satisfied look of a successful man whod
won what he wanted. 9er heart soared as he whispered his promise.
C(ery day.D
A preview of SEDUCTION IN SILVER, the second novella in the LIRTIN! TO "IN trilo#$%
!hapter /ne
Nina Breslin gripped the long strap of her handbag, determined not to gie herself away. As it was, her abs were
tauter than ,upermans and the heels of her nude summer pumps clipped along the concrete at an accelerated
pace. Though that could be eAplained away by necessary haste, right> ,he had a train to catch.
9e shouldnt be there. 5ntil now, shed only seen him in front of his building weekdays and well before the
commuter rush. But today was ,unday, midJmorning. And it wasnt his usual corporate casual chinos but inkBblue
?eans that encased his long legs= loingly. (en more arresting was the formBfitting gray, longBsleeed tee that
skimmed his flat abs and disappeared into those lowBslung, leatherBbelted ?eans. Thats why she had to grip her
bag strap so hard, because the tee reealed what his more formal shirts hadnt=his ripped strength. The breadth
of his shoulders and the cures of his biceps, triceps, and those other muscles she didnt know the names of were
clearly discernible. Not tooBmuchBproteinBpowder bulky=they were in proportion to his long limbs and he clearly
worked them. Eeah, his physical blessings=and he had plenty=were honed to maA their potential. 9e looked like
the statue of an ancient 3reek athlete come to life.
But while his tall, striking presence commanded attention, he didnt offer the same courtesy in return. Instead,
he stood aloof, neer directly engaging with those so irresistibly drawn to admire his masculine perfection=i.e.,
eeryone. 9e epitomized the arrogance she aoided outside of work. ,he had to deal with his kind all day.
Intelligent, successful men who had it all=whod go blow stupid amounts of money on champagne in lap bars at
lunchtime. But with his aura of untouchability, this one took it to a whole other leel. ;ithout words or moement,
he kept that remote distance=emphasizing his place in an upper echelon. No doubt he had eAtreme success in it all
=looks, wealth, work, and of course, seA.
But she wasnt giing him the satisfaction of knowing he had yet another female fanning herself in the corner as
she watched him. And she was most definitely not succumbing to the urge to run her hand through her hair,
despite the awareness tingling oer her scalp.
,hed read the body language book only yesterday during the few @uiet spells at work. 9eay on diagrams, it
hadnt taken long to read through the Cwinning sales techni@uesD section that was supposed to help up her
commission during her last week before hiding out on the !ontinent. But of course, shed flipped to the Ccourtship
and matingD signals section straight after, because sometimes a girl needed to be armed with info of the CIs he into
youD ariety=especially when ones perception was as far remoed from reality as hers was. ,o now she knew why
she had the urge to preen, but she wasnt going to succumb to it. Itd be a waste of energy, anyway. &or two
weeks, shed passed him eery morning on her way to the Baker ,treet Tube station and hed not once glanced her
way.
,he was stupidly pi@ued by that=another nail in her selfBconfidence coffin. 9e wasnt her type=truly=but een
so, part of her wanted him to notice. ,he pushed feminine hormones and pride aside. ,he wasnt lifting her hand
to her hair and eAposing her breasts to his gaze in the process. It was merely an animal reaction=as was the way
her nipples had tightened. ,uch a strong seAual attraction to a remote stranger was that Craiding foreignerD thing=
the desire to mate with an outsider so as to widen the gene pool and presere the species. 5tterly caeBgirl of her.
5hBhuh. ,hed lost it.
&ortunately, hed be gone in a second. (ery day he stood on the path for a few stunning moments before a
gleaming black car pulled up and paused only long enough for him to get in before gliding away. No miAing with
the plebes on public transport for him.
Nina eApected the smooth engine would pass her in two seconds. (Acept as she watched behind her big
sunglasses, the guy stopped on the paement, glancing impassiely down the street toward her. And then he
turned and actually started to walk.
;hile billboard perfection when standing still, when moing he eAuded graceful, mesmerizing, power. )ike a
dangerous animal thatd be inincible should he decide to pounce=the kind who only had to fiA you in his sights to
hae you immobile and in thrall.
Nina didnt hae time to be immobile, but she was enthralled. ,he followed=pressing her lips together to stop
the smile. 9e was going on the Tube> -eally> By the time she got into the station he was taking a ticket from the
machine. A second later he was through the turnstiles and striding down the escalator.
Nina swiped her weekly pass and went past the tiles with their distinctie ,herlock 9olmes silhouette=her smile
widened. That she lied in )ondon> That she was going to &rance and 3ermany and beyond> ,he still had to pinch
herself to beliee it.
The roaring sound grew louder as the escalator descended. ,he knew what it meant=a train had ?ust pulled in.
9er heels clattered as she walked faster. As she got to the platform, she glanced at the board to check the
destination. Already the recorded message to stand clear of the door was playing. Famn, it was her train=:ubilee
line=and it was going to be ten minutes until the neAt.
,he ran. ,he couldnt be late, she was solo at work today and een though it was ,unday there was money to be
made and eery penny would help her (uroBtrip last a few days longer. The mechanism whooshed, signaling the
doors were about to close, but she was three meters out. Too far to run or ?ump and flying wasnt one of her
abilities.
CNooo,D Nina groaned, still running een though she knew it was useless.
Through the window, the crowd on the carriage didnt notice her=staring up, down, away from anyone elses
eyes, already in the insular, determinedly isolated poses that only public transport could induce. Nina stared,
wishing she were one of them.
,he stopped as the doors slid closed. Because there he was, right inside the doorway of the nearest carriage.
9ow typical hed hae made it=no doubt all doors remained open for him. Nina glared at the edge of the platform,
muttering bad words beneath her breath. As she did, the doors made that lurching, screechy sound the way they
did when something blocked them. Then she heard them slide again= open. 9er ?aw dropped when she saw the
obstacle in the way of the door was a broad shoulder=his broad shoulder.
,he didnt muck around. ,he leapt the two steps to get on board. A second later it was a driers oice=not a
recorded message=tetchily reminding passengers to please stand clear of the doors . The gorgeous guy
straightened up, no longer making the barrier that had helped her.
,urprised=and thrilled=at his gesture, she smiled at him. CThank=D
9er oice died. ,o did her brain. ,he totally forgot what shed been saying because she saw hed taken his
sunglasses off. All she could do was stare as a different thrill shiered down her spine and sent her heart
drumming into oerdrie. ,hed imagined his eyes would be a gorgeous brown=glossy and dark and chocolaty.
They werent. They were blue. Brighter than a kingfishers wing, yet cooler than a mountain spring, because
though bright, they were pale. And right now they regarded her intensely. ,tartled at the uneApected help hed
offered, she kept staring at the uneApected lightness in his eyes.
9is lips cured, eer so slowly, and then that smile tiptoed into his eyes as well, softening the clinical, drilling
assessment. CEoure welcome.D
/h dear heaen, he was foreign. Not CboringD foreign like her. But speakBanotherBlanguage foreign=his (nglish
lilted and tilted and intrigued. 9opeless at identifying accents, Nina reckoned he could be from any land where the
4editerranean lapped. There was warmth in his words and smile and tone that made her think of olies and
tomatoes and sweet drizzling oil.
,he rapidly blinked. No need to get giddy about it=she could get a grip. ,he was off to the !ontinent in a little
oer a week and thered be gorgeous )atin types on eery street corner. 4ore attainable ones too=this guy was in
another realm.
The train raced through the tunnel and Nina grabbed the steel pole at the opposite side of the door to him.
Balance, girl. !alm down.
,he looked away, embarrassed at her gawping. But yeah, for a moment thered been a connection=when he
really saw her and she most certainly saw him=and /h my. But she wasnt going to turn puppyBeyed and it wasnt
like shed eer try to talk to him, certainly not in this crowded, @uiet carriage with eeryone eaesdropping. 9is
action in helping her had been a random act of kindness=not attraction. Nina neer attracted guys like that.
,he studied the map stuck aboe the door and followed the siler snail line showing the :ubilees route. The
train would take them through the center of )ondon and down to the ,outhside and then out east to the Focklands
=where the financial institutions were and the mall where shed worked for the last four months.
The train traeled fast. Instead of the commuter crush of weekday mornings, there was a hefty number of
tourists onboard. ,he didnt try to find a seat. Nor did he. ,hed hae this one ?ourney across from him=sharing
the same air.
Ees, she was this tragic. And it was definitely time she went abroad, found her inner funBtime girl, and had a
fling. ,he reckoned she desered to hae a few=?ust as soon as she built up some moAie. But it was hard to put
confidence back together when it had been so brutally crushed. And her confidence had neer been all that
anyway.
The train pulled into the neAt station=only a couple more until hers now. As half the occupants eAited, Nina
concentrated on the big poster across the platform adertising the new ,hakespeare eAhibition at the British
4useum. ,uper keen to see it, she planned to go on her own and take all the time she wanted, with no one
standing crossly beside her sighing with impatience. Thered be no more missing eAhibitions or shows she wanted
to see because someone elses priorities were more important. ,he could be as geeky and boring as she liked.
There were many pluses to being single, right>
But as the doors slid shut and the train moed on, Nina couldnt resist anymore and snatched a peek at the outB
ofBherBleague gorgeous foreign guy. The second she did, she froze. 9is pale blue eyes were fiAed on her=like he
wasnt noticing anything else in the world around them. /nly her. ,uddenly unable to moe, all Nina could do was
look right back. 5ntil his eyelids flickered as his focus dropped to her mouth.
9ell. ,hed licked her lips without realizing=unconsciously sending him that CIm interestedD signal. :eez, the
human body was a scary thing, giing her away when she least eApected. And now she couldnt help notice his lips
curing slightly again and that smile stealing back into his eAotic eyes.
(eryone aoided eye contact on public transport7 it was the way things were. 'eople sealed themseles into
their own impenetrable sphere, despite the closeness and sheer number of people in such a small space. That way
no one thought you were a psycho stalker. But he didnt politely look away and she couldnt. ,hed become all
zombie under the spell of her master.
,uddenly someone started singing=a single oice, female, beautiful, rising high in a bellBlike solo. But Nina
couldnt break away from him to look down the carriage. ,he guessed it was a busker=a good one. But then a
second oice ?oined in=from the opposite end of the carriage=in stunning harmony. ,he sensed moement as a
third oice rang out, the tune suddenly lifting as a whole choir ?oined in.
3ood grief, theyd locked eyes and the world had literally started singing>
9e still didnt look away from her and the dreadful thing was that while he didnt, she couldnt. The cure of his
lips deepened. 9e seemed to light up from the inside as almost the entire carriage broke into song. And then
dance. As the moements became bigger, she had to watch=for her own safetys sake=finally breaking the
connection between them.
There were about fifteen of them in sync, pulling some hardcore coordinated dance moes. A flash mob. ,he
looked around, searching for a focal point=but couldnt see one, and then couldnt help looking at him again to
clock his reaction.
9e was still watching her but smiling widely now. And there was no stopping her return smile, or the rocket
launch of her heartbeat. ,ingers danced up and down the carriage, full on energy and olume and infectious
enthusiasm. As one passed, Nina leaned to the side to gie the dancer space=but she stumbled as the train took a
slight corner at the same time. Nina gasped, bracing for an imminent face plant on the floor, sure shed be pulped
by flying, fierce feet. But a firm arm encircled her waist, pulling her back out of the highBkickers path.
&rying pan to fire<
9e pulled her to him. ,he put her hands on his chest, curling her fingers, certain her skin would be seared if she
had direct contact.
C,orry,D she breathed.
CNo problem,D he whispered back, amusement dancing in his eyes.
9e had to feel her heart pounding against him. 9e had to feel the shier that ?ust wracked her body. ,he cleared
her throat and made herself rock back on her heels. ,he could balance all by herself and put an inch or three
between them=right> Ees.
,he dropped her hands to her sides. But despite that small distance, he kept his hand on the small of her back.
&rankly, the magnetism was too strong for her to resist, so she didnt step further away.
&lustered, she couldnt look at him=she watched the show instead. The mob pulled out red and blue flags and
she realized they were /lympic supporters. ,he had no idea which tiny nation they were backing, but it was fun.
The fans seemed eery bit as athletic as any official competitors they might support=and so enthusiastic.
Then she felt the slightest stroke of his fingers on her back. Insanely sensitized, she glanced at him and he
gestured to the nowBacant seats.
-ight. /f course. 3ood idea to get out of the way of the wide arms and high legs. ,he walked @uickly and took a
seat. 9e took the one neAt to her. Nina felt fried. 9opefully, he couldnt hear how choppy her breathing had gone.
To mask it, she clapped loudly along with the few other passengers not inoled in the flash mob=though not as
much as the gang cheered themseles. At the neAt stop, the troupe didnt get off the train. Nor did she. And nor
did he.
Thank heaens for the seat, because now it wasnt ?ust her lungs acting like shed run a double marathon, her
legs had ?ellied too. 3ood thing the neAt stop was hers, or shed be at risk of complete meltdown.
A loud mechanical s@ueal stopped her heart again. A sharp ?olt screwed her already messedBup breathing. The
train slammed to a stop=midway between stations. ,tuck.
Nina breathed in deeply and released the air in a long, hopefully calmBinducing sigh. &or a second there was
total silence in the carriage. And then that lone oice soared, the second, the thirdG the choir began all oer again.
Nina watched the whole performance through=they really were good. And loud. But not @uite enough to distract
her from her absolute awareness of the hot stuff in the seat neAt to hers.
The song ended and the train still didnt moe. And now that she was seated beside him, she couldnt gawp at
his gorgeousness without being painfully obious=so she looked at the floor. The flash mob participants chattered
eAcitedly for a bit before spreading back out along the carriage. And then=?ust when Nina knew they would=they
started the show again. Being stuck between stations with singing sports fans on repeat> There was nothing to do
but laugh=and groan.
CEou dont like it>D 9e leaned close so she could hear him oer the crescendoing crowd.
Nina suppressed a shier=her skin prickling with delight at his proAimity. ,o hot. CIt was great the first time.D
,he tried to accentuate the positie.
CBut youd rather the first was the only>D
It was an effort not to giggle like an oereAcited schoolgirl, giddy because her crush was actually talking to her.
It might only be because they were stuck, but it was nice to know he wasnt as aloof as hed always appeared on
the paement. C;ell, theyre amazing, butG its pretty full in a small space.D
CI think there is going to be a lot more of this kind of thing in the neAt few weeks.D 9e awkwardly shifted his feet
as a dancer boABstepped her way down the narrow aisle.
CNot for me. Im going traeling.D ,he was escaping )ondon for the duration of the insanity. ,o many supposed
friends were coming oer from !anada, and she didnt want to see much of them. ,he had to meet up with a few
tonight, but after that, she was out of here. And that was good. That was what she wanted. 4ostly.
CEoure not staying for the 3ames>D 9e sounded amazed=like eeryone she told. CEoure going to miss out on
all this eAcitement>D 9e gestured to the singers screeching at either end of the carriage.
CI thought Id go sightsee in (urope when the rest of the world is here,D Nina answered staunchly. CI figure the
@ueues will be smaller.D ,he could find a pro to leaing right before the big eent, sure she could.
C'erhaps.D 9e cocked his head, a small frown furrowing his brow. C;hen do you go>D
CNeAt week.D
9is eyes widened and some eApression flashed on his face=disappearing too fast for her to decipher. Famn.
,he needed to read more of that body language book.
In the pause, the singers started from the top again.
C&or a moment, I thought it was going to be one of those flash mob wedding proposals,D she chuckled, wanting
to prolong the conersation for a few minutes. CBut of course, its the /lympics.D
C&lash mob proposal>D 9is brow wrinkled.
C;here the guyGD she trailed off. No. ToBFieB&or here wouldnt be the type to surf wedding websites and watch
the proposal of the week and feel somewhat deflated about his own.
9is gaze darted to her hands=her bare fingers. No. ,hed neer gotten the ring despite the onBbendedBknee
@uestion. Then she saw his attention slide further south.
;ow, he hadnt noticed her before, but now he was scoping out her legs> Nina chewed her lower lip to hide her
smile because she was scoping far more than his legs. ,itting this close she could feel the warmth of him, could
see the cords of muscle in his arms. The only imperfection she could find was a small scratch on the back of his
hand. 'ulling her focus away from him was an effort=she made herself glance at her watch.
CEoure worried youre going to be late>D
,he nodded. The fans were on the fourth rendition of their rousing song already and still the trains engine was
eerily silent.
C;ork>D he asked.
,he nodded again. CAnd you>D she asked.
CEes. But my client wont mind if Im a bit late.D
,o he was a banker. It figured. 9e had the money, the selfBassurance. ,o why not the priate car today> If he
worked at !anary ;harf, he could gie her a ride eery morning. 9er face tingled, heating at the double entendre.
/h yes, a ride=eery morning and nightG
,he cleared her throat. ,ince when was she so oneBtrack minded, thinking of nothing but seA> ;as she oer
!orey at last> It was beyond time. But the sensible bit of Nina wasnt ready to toy with another guy who was
probably ?ust as obsessed and image drien. ,he was going to trael=alone and indefinitely=finally free to do and
be what she wanted. :ust herself, no longer trying to lie up to someone elses eApectations of interesting and cool.
By herself she couldnt bore anyone else, right>
CEou dont mind working on a weekend>D he asked, managing to speak oer the fifth rendition of the supporters
song.
CNot at all,D she said with a smile. The weekend customers were more fun. It was sometimes busier than
weekdays, too, which made for fastBpassing days. CI wish I was working een later tonight, to be honest.D
C;hys that>D
CI hae to go out later and I dont want to.D ,he really didnt want to.
CIts not dinner at 'ascal Fumont, is it> Because I hae to go there tonight and I dont want to either.D 9e looked
sheepish.
;hy didnt he want to go there> CNo,D Nina laughed disbelieingly. As if shed go to dinner at a 4ichelinBstarred
celebrity haunt> Booked out almost a year in adance, shed heard the appetizers alone cost a bomb. C4ine is
merely a meet up in a pub in North )ondon.D
C;ith people you dont want to see>D
,he shot him a glance. 'erceptie, wasnt he> ,he nodded slowly. All !oreys friends whom she hadnt seen
since shed broken off their engagement. The entire time shed known them, shed been with !orey. ,hed known
them because of !orey. And most probably theyd known more than she had about the true state of their
relationship. 9umiliation central.
C!ant you come down with a sudden flu or something>D 9e read the dread in her face.
-esolutely she shook her head. CItd be too obious.D ,he wanted to show them she was oer it. That she didnt
need their sympathy or their pity=and that she could blank the bitchy laughter behind her back. !orey had been
the catch, the one eeryone wanted. And no one had been able to beliee hed picked her=least of all Nina. And
then his deceit stripped her confidence een further. But was she was supposed to be so grateful to hae him that
shed put up with anything> 9e might hae crushed her selfBbelief, but she wasnt going to be a doormat.
Eet it had hurt=so much. ,hed tried so hard to please him and she hated how naKe shed been.
Now she sat up straighter, mentally pulling it together. Theyd all be there and well into it by the time she got
home from work and changed and out again. ,hed grin and bear it for an hour or so and that would be that. ,he
was out of here=if she was away while they were all in town, then shed be fine. No matter about the 3ames.
,hed managed things on her own before and she would this time, too. ,hed trael about and proe ?ust how
much of an awesome life she could lead alone.
CEou know were both adults.D 9er train companion said idly, his accent lilting more strongly. C;e could simply
decide not to go. ;e could do something else.D
,hock tied her tongue. Temptation heated her cheeks. But surely he didnt mean what she immediately thought
of> Neer. ,he shook her head again. CI hae to go.D
C;hy>D 9e leaned in close=apparently to aoid another dancer kicking up and down the aisle.
CFignity.D
CI hae to go too.D 9e smile became more of a grimace. CFuty.D
,he swieled=abandoning any attempt to hold back from looking her fill=not when she had such a closeBup
opp. CEou cannot complain about haing to eat at that restaurant.D
Amusement flashed again before he answered wryly. CIm happy to eat there, but Id prefer a more interesting
dinner companion.D
9e was turned toward her but had gone still again, like that statue, his silery blue eyes fiAed on her.
5nbelieably intense. 9er breasts tightened, so did her lower belly. ,uddenly she couldnt hear anything aboe the
beat of the blood pumping through her body. Not een the flash mob performing their kazillionth rendition of their
anthem.
It was his commanding presence. 9is height and breadth and foreign air. And it was definitely that whisper of
soulfulness in his eyes, like they were wells of emotion=still on the surface but with hidden depthsG
Eeah, she was being ridiculous. All but drooling. ,he might as well dig out a permanent marker and scrawl CI
think youre hotD across her forehead. And his response> 9e was watching her, but wasnt he too restrained about
it> Too cool. In other words=not nearly moed to the degree she was.
C!ome on<D
,omeone grabbed Ninas hands and pulled her to her feet. /ne of the dancers=smiling wide and singing loud.
Nina swayed=een though the carriage was still stationary=and looked aghast at the guy smiling in her face. They
wanted eeryone in on it> ;erent there enough of them> ;erent they making enough noise> Another of the
younger ones was behind her=stopping her from scuttling back to her seat.
9er temperature soared higher than the descant trilling of the lead fanBlady=the 4ariah !arey impersonator. But
what could she do> The words werent hard, shed heard them enough already and these guys were haing fun.
Fid it matter if she was going to look uncool and uncoordinated> !orey wasnt here now to hold her back.
Besides, she couldnt not laugh, she couldnt not sing, she couldnt not ?oin inG but no way was she doing the
ertical splits thing.
,eeral bars into it, she got fully oer the embarrassment and ?ust went with it=rocking out with her lame
house moes. 9ey, the moment was beyond redemption. ,he een got the courage to look at the gorgeous foreign
guy. Thats when she almost lost her footing. 9ed looked handsome enough standing on that street all aloof,
attracting eeryones attention like a beautifully sculpted deity. But now> ;ith him laughing like that and that heat
in his gaze=on her>
,he almost dissoled into puddle of goo on the floor. As it was, she was oozing toward him without any will of
her own.
,he put her hands on her hips, determined to reclaim some selfBcontrol and not throw herself at him. CEoure
too cool to make a fool of yourself in public>D she challenged=for once oicing the accusation she should hae
leeled so many times at !orey. C/r too uncoordinated>D
This guy tilted his head back, lazily amused as his lashes lowered oer his eyes and he looked down the length
of her legs. CIm en?oying the show far too much to moe,D he drawled.
No doubt his flirty comeback was the auto response of a man who knew how to make any and eery woman
feel good, but what did that matter> It made her feel alie for the first time in months. The tease was fun.
C'oor eAcuse,D she chided.
The carriage went @uiet as the song ended. ,he caught his eye. C/nce more with feeling,D she mouthed. ,ure
enough, a half second later, it was all on. Again.
9e laughed=and groaned=as eeryone started in the main chorus. But then he stood. ,trange, but shed
forgotten how tall he was. 9e towered, so much closer than before and she had to lift her chin to see him,
promptly forgetting the lyrics shed learned by osmosis. 9e put a hand to his chest, frowning as he opened his
mouth to ?oin in. ,he laughed. 9e actually looked selfBconscious.
,uddenly, the train thrust forward, ?erking them off their feet as it finally started again and immediately strained
for top speed. Nina fell back, ?ust managing to land in a sprawl in her seat, her butt hanging off the edge of it, her
body almost horizontal. 9e didnt hae the same luck. ,he heard the rough yelp, saw his hands spread wide as he
lost his balance and tripped oer her legs=falling between them. NeAt thing he was on his knees in front of her.
9er heart bounced out of control. ,o did her mouth.
CEou lie in my lap.D ,he mis@uoted some ,hakespeare in amusement, not really for him to hear. Because yeah,
her flirt was a lame, goofy, geekBfest that hed neer understand=but the desire was impossible to resist. Nor
could she stop the smile bursting onto her face. ;ith a guy this gorgeous on his knees at her feet, with his hands
on the armrests either side of her, his mouth inches from her thighs=it was a moment of sensual heaen.
Those startling blue eyes met hers, only now the blue was a thin ring around the swollen black pupils.
CH4y head upon your lap.D 9e corrected swiftly, his accent intensifying the intimacy of the speech.
,tunned, she uttered the neAt line automatically. CHAy, my )ord.D
CHFo you think I mean country matters>D he continued the @uote softly, his face een closer to her legs, his
words a whisper of wickedness that she read in his eyes as well.
9er body whooshed cold then hot and she sucked in a hit of burning air. That part so cunningly referred to in
their @uoted prose tightened=because yes, she had been thinking of cuntry matters. The play on words made that
most priate part clench in the desire shed been failing to fully suppress since first seeing him. ,he couldnt hold
back her delighted laugh now, either. CEou know your ,hakespeare>D
C9amlet, yes,D he confirmed, smiling as he moed to reclaim the seat beside her. CFoesnt eeryone>D
No. Not at all. ,he sat upright and tightly crossed her legs, gripping her upper thighs to still the rush of wet heat
there. CNot eeryone remembers that bit.D
CEou do.D 9e laughed again=that warm, seAy, infectious sound. CFo you hae other good @uotes memorized>D
,he turned to meet his gaze. 9is eyes gleamed like siler fire and oh boy, was she in trouble. 9e was gorgeous
enough already=but that he could hold his own in the nerdy ,hakespearean stakes>
CA few.D ,he answered audibly enough, but inside she was stunned at the flare emanating from him and
ridiculously elated at their shared ,hakespearean flirt.
/nly then the train slowed=coming into her station. ,he stoutly took the blow. /f course, this would come to
an end=only a passing meeting. /f course this was nothing.
,he stood, but as the train shuddered to a halt, she swayed and @uickly grabbed hold of the safety straps aboe
her=no doubt giing him an eyeful of her tight, turnedBon breasts. Famn instinctie body language, she might as
well hae all out preened. ,till, all she could do now was attempt a sophisticated goodbye=not try to prolong the
encounter, no, that would be desperate.
CI hope your eening goes better than you eApect.D ,he walked to the door, conscious her hips were rolling with
a hint of swagger but powerless to control it.
CThanks,D he called after her. CEou too.D
Nina smiled as she left the train, her battered ego boosted higher than it had been in months. ,he didnt turn to
see if hed gotten off too. ,ingle and staying that way, right> ,hed had a second of flirt=one shed neer hae
eApected, certainly not with him. ,hed een managed a sassy goodbye. But a contrary flicker of disappointment
snipped at her uplifted spirit, because all it had been=all it would eer be=was a moment.
G
(duardo -uiz suppressed the twitch in his muscles, forcing himself to walk slowly. Thank 3od the car hadnt come
for him today. Instead, hed had the most fun in ages with the pretty brunette with a shockingly tuneless singing
oice. 9eaen knew he needed some light relief and now she was walking right in front of him. As he tracked her
progress, heat spread though his stomach, softening the stoneBcold sensation pressing deep in his gut. (yeBcandy
didnt usually ease that familiar ache, but this particular woman had the one thing slipping from (duardos sphere
=itality.
The first time hed seen her shed been almost bouncing along the street, an efferescent smile lighting up her
whole face=relentlessly drawing an answering smile from anyone who looked. And (duardo had looked. Then
hed climbed into the car and smiled, his spirit lifting despite the heartache of his destination. But hed noticed her
artless energy had become increasingly leashed oer the past few days. That unconscious reflection of ?oy muted
by something. 5ntil today=when hed had the sheer dumb luck to be stuck on the train with her and those crazy
singers. And finally that energy had shone again=her sparkle had bubbled oer.
9e reined in his own eAplosion of energy in order to keep a few paces behind, watching the sideways rock of her
hips and the peachy ?ut of her butt beneath that slim gray skirt. The heat in his eins scalded him from the inside
out. 9is attention lowered to her legs=finally haing enough time to gie them a proper look. They were bare,
lightly summer bronzed, long and trim with narrow ankles. 9e curled his fingers, instinctiely trying to ease the
sudden itch as fantasy slugged him. 9ed wrap his hands round those ankles and pull=so her thighs would part
and shed wind those long limbs around his waist and hed be right inside that iacious fire. !ountry matters
called loud and strong.
,i, he was ogling and it was crass. It was also irresistible. 3ien where he was going now, and the dutiful
torture he had to endure tonight, (duardo needed a moment. ,o he was damn well going to en?oy it.
But after watching where she went, he lengthened his stride so he wouldnt be any later than he already was.
/ut of the shopping mall and along the eApensie dockside apartments=homes to men and women eery bit as
workaholic as he.
The eening ahead was family business and he couldnt escape it. Nor could he escape the fact that he had no
time to put into anything other than work this week, neAt week or een the neAt year. (Aactly how he liked it.
There was no room for the relationship hed foolishly inented in a flippant moment oer the phone. No room for
any kind of relationship=fictional or otherwise. 9e didnt hae the time or the heart to gie.
But that pretty !anadian was leaing=off for an adenture. Therefore not looking for a relationship=not a week
out from departure. Now temptation gnawed. The maddest of ideas tickled as urges droe his body. All he could
hear was her low laughter as shed @uoted ,hakespeares bawdy bits. 9e wanted her at his table. 9onestly> 9e
wanted her in his bed.
That was the only way his night was going to go better.
A preview of !A&'LE IN !OLD, the third novella in the LIRTIN! TO "IN trilo#$%
!hapter /ne
CIll only be a minute, sweetheart,D )eAie 'eterson called back to the whimpering dog lying in the middle of the
massie bed.
;ith a laugh, she headed down the hall to the gleaming fridge in the luAury kitchen. ,hed neer hae picked
)uke 4archetti to own such a pathetic eAcuse for a pooch. ,ure the thing was cute, but it was so not )uke. And
what kind of a name for a dog was 4ango> And how on earth could Fanis stepdaughter be afraid of a dog smaller
than the aerage cat and burdened with a snuffle instead of a bark>
Not that )eAie was going to argue with Fani. )eAie had landed in )ondon three days ago with no money, no ?ob,
and nowhere to stay. 9er best friend=and )ukes sister=had handed her 4ango and the keys to )ukes apartment.
)eAie had resisted until Fani assured her that )uke was out of town for the month and his sericed apartment was
empty. 3ien that poor 4ango had gone on a hunger strike at the kennel where )uke had dumped him, and that
Fanis fourByearBold stepdaughter was paralytically afraid of any kind of hound Leen uberBmidget hounds like
4angoM, )eAie was really doing them all a huge faor by taking care of the critter while )uke was away. That way
she could find a ?ob and a flat, and frankly, a life. Fani always had all the answers.
,o here )eAie was, in the lions den. The home of the one and only )uke 4archetti, her high school crush. 9er
firstBeer crush. Now some superstar management consultant at one of those trendy global firms that only hired
amazing graduates with eAtreme eAtracurricular success. ;hich pretty much described )uke to a tee. The guy didnt
?ust go for gold, he was gold. (en now he was off being awesome, doing something most mere mortals couldnt
eer manage=a marathon. But he wasnt ?ust running a marathon. 9e was blistering his feet to help someone else.
)eAie tried hard not to be all that impressed. ,he was determined that seen years had taken care of her crush.
,een years in which shed not seen him, other than in the family pics Fani occasionally posted on &acebook. And
)eAie absolutely did not scan each with microscopic care in case he featured in the background somewhere. But
&antasy )uke still made the occasional appearance in her dreams. ,hed tried to ban him, telling herself he wasnt
worth the brain space. /r the angst. ,hed had enough of that when she was a teen. Because )eAie knew that een
the greatest people hae some kind of weakness. And )uke 4archettis weakness was women. )ots and lots of
women. Bluntly put, he was a super mega slut who would neer settle down. In reality, 4r. 'erfect was 4r.
'layboy.
And worse> To him shed always been=and doubtless always would be=the shy New Nealand eAchange student
whod stayed with his family for siA months all those years ago. And while hed been drien in his achieements
een back then, hed also drien right oer the hearts of seeral pretty young things ?ust during her time there.
Too charming and successful for his=or anyone elses=good. The number of eABflirts must be in the thousands by
now. 9e had no clue the impact that summer in Boston had had on her. As far as )eAie was concerned, he neer
would.
As she poured some ?uice into a glass, she heard a faint noise. CIm coming, 4r. Impatience<D she called to the
dog. 9onestly, the tiny thing had a huge attachment disorder, hating to be alone for een a second.
But then she heard another noise, far too big a thud for it to be 4ango ?umping off the bed. &ear crushed her
lungs to @uarterBsize, making any kind of normal breathing impossible. ,he carefully put the glass on the bench. It
was after %$6$$ p.m. Not eAactly time for isitors. ,he hadnt left the front door open, had she> ,urely she couldnt
hae been that dumb> But she heard the thump again, and another. They were getting louder. ;as someone in
the flat>
9er heart thundering louder than a riled crowd at an All Blacks rugby game, )eAie went out into the hall.
/h f=
,hock strangled her larynA, blocking the curse from escaping. 9er eyes couldnt be seeing right, but she couldnt
een blink to check. No way. 9e was supposed to be in 9ertfordshire, not here. Fefinitely not here. 9ell no.
9ell yes. )uke 4archetti stood in the hallway, frozen a few paces away, his head cocked to one side and his face
pale=which was weird gien he had a natural bronze compleAion that shed always enied. ;as he unwell> /r was
he ?ust really shocked to see her>
C)eAie><D 9e stared. 9is mouth was still a?ar as his gaze slowly traeled down from her face to her=
/h my effing 3<
It was amazing the way her innards could shriel yet her body remain standing. Because she was wearingG
wearingG
!rap. Not that much, actually. A negligee. A smooth, silky thing shed put on in a fit of madness, deciding that
an apartment this posh needed eA@uisite lace to go with it. There were no &antasy )uke elements attached to how
sensual it had made her feel. None at all. Anyway, -eal )uke was frowning far too much, turning any remnant
&antasy )uke images to dust.
,ilently he shifted his focus, looking oer her shoulder along the hall toward the open bedroom door. That
would be right. 9e always looked beyond her. (en when she was wearing an almost sheer scrap of silk and lace
that barely coered her butt.
!ould 4other (arth gobble her in a single bite now> 'lease>
)eAie watched his eyes widen, witnessing the moment aggression kicked in. ,he glanced at his curled fingers,
looked back up to the flat line of his mouth and the een harder look in his eyes. )eAie had neer seen him so rigid
before, or his face so ineApressie. 9ot pride burned brighter, masking her mortification. ;hat was he doing back
here anyway> 9e wasnt supposed to be back for almost a month.
C;ho are you here with, )eAie>D
,he was so surprised she couldnt speak. But damn it, she was not going to regress to shy and incomprehensible
)eAie ?ust because she was in his presence again. ,he was older, bolder, and totally could control her crippling
neres. Totally.
C;ho were you talking to>D he asked.
But she was still dumbstruck and staring. )uke was also older and=impossibly=bolder. In black ?eans and a 2B
necked black tee, he looked like a pirate. 9ed filled out so fabulously. 9is wide shoulders pulled the worn shirt. It
skimmed his frame, emphasizing solid muscles and a serious lack of fat. 9is head had been all but shaed=hell,
the stubble on his chin was almost longer than that on his head. But it didnt hide his razorBedged s@uare ?aw. ,he
knew hed gotten /lympics fit with all that training=literally=but it wasnt like hed eer had any softness to him.
The only difference was that now his muscles bunched een tighter. &rankly, he was rocking a lean, mean Nay
,(A) look, but more than that, )eAie knew he had endurance and mental toughness to top it off.
-ight now he looked more than tough=he looked lethal. A siABfootBtwo block of muscle standing halfway down
the hall. In oneBtoBone mortal combat )uke would always be the winner. And in slaying any woman who crossed
his path> ;ell, )eAie was already lost.
C;ho were you talking to>D he asked again in the face of her silence.
)eAie drew a breath and told herself to shape the hell up. ,he wasnt seenteen anymore. CEour dog.D
9e looked een more shocked than he had a second ago. C4annie>D
,he could understand the desire to abbreiate the mutts name. CEeah.D
CTheres no one else here>D
CNo.D
A smile suddenly creased his face, full of tease. C,o you wear that to bed een when youre sleeping alone>D
CNot alone,D she said defiantly. ,he was so not going to blush in front of him as she had so many times in the
past, ?ust because hed been present. !ertainly not now that hed decided to turn some of the legendary charm on
her. C;ith 4ango.D
At that point her brief bit of moAie dissoled and she turned and zipped back into the kitchen, desperate to find
something to coer herself with.
,he heard a ague mutter behind her. It sounded suspiciously like C)ucky 4ango.D
In the kitchen she frantically hunted around. Idiot. ,he should hae gone to the bedroom for clothes but the
kitchen had been the nearest doorway. A dishcloth wasnt going to coer much. Then she spotted it=the apron
hanging inside the pantry. Black, huge, and perfect. ,he wound the long ties around her, hoping the swathe of
cloth coered her from all angles.
,he turned around and caught him eyeing her butt. 'erhaps not, then. This was going from worse to atrocious.
Before, she would hae bet he didnt een know she had a butt. 9e was definitely aware now. 9ere she was in
nothing but a nightie and there was skin to be seen. ,he didnt trust him. Actually she didnt really trust any guy.
4ore than once shed been the Cchallenge.D And once the challenge had been oercome, shed been thrown oer.
)uke 4archetti had been the first to do that to her.
9ed broken her silly teen heart.
Now he was in position on the opposite side of the counter, as still as hed been in the hall. But the frown was
gone and a small smile played on his lips. ,he wasnt sure she liked the flaor of that smile.
C;hy is 4ango here>D he asked. C;hy are you here>D
)eAie picked up the glass shed left on the bench and sipped, hoping the cool ?uice would calm her inner furnace.
CFani sent me. I arried in )ondon a couple of days ago. Apparently ?ust in time to rescue 4ango from his hunger
strike at the kennels.D
Now the frown reappeared. C;hy didnt she call me>D
CBecause you were too busy to be bothered with 4angos antics. Fani told me you wouldnt mind my staying
here and helping out with him.D
9e didnt answer that. C,o youe been here a couple of days already>D
CEes.D Two nights in his bed already. And okay, &antasy )uke might hae returned from the past with a
engeance in her dreams these last couple of nights. But &antasy )uke and -eality )uke were two ery different
men.
-eality )uke looked more than a little like he had feet of clay gien the way he was struggling to keep his
attention on her eyes and not stray farther south. 5nbelieable, when hed ignored her so easily in the past.
Irritated, she aimed to needle him. C;hat kind of person calls a dog 4ango>D
CA !Blist model oerly influenced by ABlist celebrities who name children after fruit,D he answered blithely.
/h lord, that would be right. An eABgirlfriend. No doubt the poor dog had been a handbag filler. And the eA had
left him with )uke> )eAie tried so hard not to laugh.
CI call him 4annie.D )uke said wryly. C9ardly butch though is he.D
C9es a kitten. And you left him alone for all this time.D
CNot alone. At a ery nice kennel. And he only lasted a little oer a week.D
C9e couldnt handle it there.D
CIts the most eApensie kennel there is. There was een a webcam so I could watch him.D
C;hich you didnt,D she pointed out.
CI didnt hae time. And they called Fani instead of me anyways.D 9e pressed both hands down on the bench.
The action made his forearms and biceps fleA. C9ad I known how great his distress was, of course Id hae come
up with some solution.D
C,o how come youre home>D )eAie briefly looked away as she finally broached the @uestion. CFani said you
were going to be away for a month.D 9er focus darted back to him. CFid you forget something>D ,he nerously
babbled as he started to watch her far too intently. CAre you going back to 9ertfordshire tonight>D
9e shook his head. CNot tonight.D
Not tonight> ,o where did that leae her then> Because as loely as )ukes apartment was, there was only one
bedroom. /nly one bed. A huge one, yes, but only the one and there was ?ust no going there. Not with him. Not
eer.
Trouble was, this was )ondon during the summer of the worlds biggest sporting eAtraaganza. ;hile there was
some accommodation in town, you had to pay kabillions for it. )eAie didnt hae kabillions.
,hed figure out something. Anything. C/h. /kay. ;ell, now that youre back to see to 4ango, Ill ?ust get my
stuff and=D
CEoure not going anywhere tonight.D
CI cant stay here now,D she puffed, instantly breathless.
C,ure you can.D )uke suddenly smiled, his entire face lighting up. C;e hae to share, thats all.D
)eAie blinked at him goldfishBstyle. 9er mind was goldfishBblank too. Because his eyes had some wicked glint
dancing in their depths. ,hare> ,hare what eAactly>
CEou can stay here.D 9e spelled it out slowly. C;ith me.D
Acknowledgments
Thanks so much to my daily email buddies Nicola 4arsh and ,oraya )ane=you two keep me sane< 9uge thanks to
)iz for being such a fabulous editor. To the coer, publicity and copyediting teams at (ntangled=thank you for
helping get the trilogy looking good O And most of all, thanks to my wonderful husband who built me the best
writing room in the world, and to my children for being such fun=I loe you.
About the Author
5,A T/FAE bestseller Natalie Anderson writes fun, frisky, feelsBgood contemporary romance for (ntangled
'ublishing and 9arle@uin 4ills P Boon. ;ith oer twenty books published, shes also been a -omantic Times
Award nominee P a finalist for the -QBE L-omantic Book of the EearM.
,he lies in !hristchurch, New Nealand with her husband, four children and what feels like a million ducks.
&ind out more at her website http6RRwww.natalieBanderson.com and be sure to sign up for her newsletter there
as she often has subscriber only eTreats<
,hes also on Twitter Sauthornataliea and &acebook6 http6RRwww.facebook.comRauthornataliea
Recent titles ($ Natalie Anderson)
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