The Maverick Millionaire

‘We’ll hang them over the chairs. They might be dry enough to get back into by the time we get rescued from here.’

‘How long do you reckon that’ll be?’

Ellie had the glass cover off the lamp now. She struck a match and held it to a wick. ‘We had a lot of info coming in about the cyclone while we were in the air. The worst of it won’t hit until early tomorrow, but it should blow through within about twelve hours.’

The flame caught and Ellie eased the glass cover back into place. She fiddled with an attachment to the base, pumping it gently, and suddenly the light increased to a glow that seemed like a spotlight focused on her. As she looked up and caught his gaze, a hint of a smile made her lips curve. ‘It’s going to get worse before it gets better, I’m afraid.’

Jake’s mouth felt suddenly dry.

Even the hint of a smile transformed Ellie’s face. Made it come alive.

She was an extraordinarily beautiful woman. He could actually feel something slamming shut in his chest. Or his head maybe.

Don’t go there. Don’t get sucked in. Even if she doesn’t know who you are, it’s not worth the risk.

Remember what happened last time.

But Ellie stretched to hang the lamp from its hook and the unbuttoned sleeves of her oversize shirt fell back to expose slim, olive-brown arms. Long, clever fingers made another adjustment to the base of the lamp.

Jake couldn’t drag his gaze free.

Yeah...it probably was going to get worse before it got better.

But he could deal with it.

He had to.

CHAPTER FOUR (#ulink_85e0826c-68e1-501d-a27b-01f35fdeae11)

THE KEROSENE LAMP hissed and swayed gently in the draughts that were a soft echo of the fierce storm outside. The glow of light strengthened as day became night and shadows danced in the corners of the room as the light moved—a dark partner to the bright flicker of the flames in the open fireplace.

The room was warm enough for the wet clothing draped over the spindle-back chairs to be steaming gently and one end of the table was covered with a collection of items that had come from the pockets of Ellie’s flight suit, like a bunch of keys, ruined ballpoint pens and an equally wet and useless mobile phone. Most importantly, there was a two-way radio that had been securely enclosed in a waterproof pouch.

Jake had been disappointed that they couldn’t use it to listen and hear updates on the weather, but Ellie was more concerned about whether it was in working order. It didn’t seem to be transmitting.

‘Medic One to base—do you receive?’

A crackle of static and a beeping noise came from the device, but there was no answering voice. Ellie gave up after a few tries.

‘We may be out of range or it could be atmospheric conditions. I’ll turn it on in the morning and we might get communication about our rescue.’

The radio sat on the edge of the table now—a symbol of surviving this ordeal.

Except, for the moment, it didn’t seem to be that much of an ordeal. They were safe and finally warm. And Ellie had discovered a store of tinned food in the bottom of a cupboard.

‘Chilli baked beans, cheesy spaghetti, Irish stew, peas or tomatoes.’ She held up each can to show Jake. ‘As my guest, you get to choose. What do you fancy?’

‘They all sound good. I don’t think I’ve ever been this hungry in my life.’

‘Hmm...’ Ellie had almost forgotten what it felt like to really smile. ‘That’s not a bad idea. I’ll see if I’ve got a pot that’s big enough.’

The result of mixing the contents of all the chosen cans together was remarkably tasty. Or maybe she was just as hungry as Jake. Whatever the reason, sitting cross-legged in front of the fire, spooning the food from a bowl, Ellie decided that it was probably one of the most memorable meals she would ever eat.

‘There’s more in the pot if you’re still hungry,’ she told Jake.

‘Maybe we should save it for tomorrow.’

‘There’s still more cans. My mother must have stocked up big time on their last trip.’

‘When was that?’

‘Six years ago. I didn’t come on that trip because I was in the middle of my helicopter training.’ Ellie stared into the fire. ‘Who knew it would save my life?’

‘How d’you mean?’

‘Their yacht ran into trouble on the way home. Both my parents drowned.’

‘Oh...I’m sorry.’

Ellie could see Jake put his plate down suddenly, as if his appetite had deserted him. She kicked herself mentally.

‘No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to remind you of...’ Her voice trailed into silence. He didn’t want to talk about Ben, did he? She didn’t need to glance sideways at his bent head to remind her of that walled-off private area. It was none of her business, anyway.

But she heard Jake take a deep breath a moment later. And then he shook his head as he got to his feet. He shoved his hair behind his ears.

‘You wouldn’t have a rubber band or a piece of string or something, would you? My hair’s going to drive me nuts if I don’t tie it back.’

Ellie blinked. ‘I can find something.’ She couldn’t help a personal question. ‘Why do you wear it so long if it annoys you?’

‘Not my choice. It’s temporary. You could say it’s a—a work thing.’

‘Ohh...’ Ellie was bemused. ‘What are you—a male model?’

Jake’s breath came out in a snort. ‘Something like that.’

Ellie could well believe it. She’d seen that body. The dark wavy hair that almost brushed his shoulders would probably be wildly exciting for a lot of women, too, but the beard? No...it wouldn’t do it for her.

She almost changed her mind as Jake used his fingers to rake his hair back properly from his face. Even with the beard hiding half his face, she had trouble dragging her gaze away from him.

‘What? Have I got spaghetti on my face or something?’

‘No...you just look...I don’t know...different.’

Different but oddly familiar. Or was that simply a warning signal that something unconscious was recognising the magnetic pull this man seemed to have? Ellie turned away with a decisive enough head movement to make her aware of the heavy weight of her own hair. The loose bits had long since dried, but the braid was still wet.

‘Here. Have this...’ She pulled the elastic band from the end of her braid. ‘I need to get my hair dry and it’ll take all night if I leave it tied up.’

So Jake bound his hair back in a ponytail and Ellie unravelled hers and let it fall over her back with the ends brushing the wooden boards of the floor. Now it was Jake’s turn to stare, apparently. She could feel the intensity of his gaze from where he was sitting on the sofa behind her.