His Bride in Paradise

A white ibis caught her attention in the distance, wandering along the shoreline, dipping his long red bill into the shallows in search of any tasty morsels that might have been washed up by the sea. She watched him for a moment or two.

‘We see those birds quite often around here,’ a male voice said, catching her completely unawares. The deep, resonant tones smoothed over her, making her swivel around in startled surprise.

The man moved from the shelter of the open sitting-room door and came to stand just a couple of feet away from her. He leaned negligently against the rail, making himself completely at home.

‘Who—who are you …? What are you doing here?’ She stared at him, shocked, wide-eyed, a little afraid and uncertain as to what to do. She was completely alone out here. He was at least six feet tall, long limbed, broad shouldered, definitely a force to be reckoned with.

She quickly thought through her options. The neighbours were too distant to hear if she were to shout out, and for an instant she floundered, before self-preservation took hold. Maybe he was a neighbour, and she was simply jumping to conclusions. Just because he was standing on Ross’s veranda, it didn’t have to mean he was some kind of would-be felon … did it?

‘I was originally planning on helping myself to a cool drink and something to eat,’ he answered with a faint shrug. ‘I thought the place was empty, but then I heard a woman’s voice and thought maybe I’d better find out who was here.’

His glance travelled over her, gliding along the creamy slope of her bare shoulders, moving down across the brief white towel that clung to her curves and coming to linger for a while on the golden expanse of her shapely legs. His gaze shifted downwards. Her feet were bare, her toenails painted a delicate shade of pink, and there were tiny gemstones embedded in the pearly nail varnish. A faint smile touched his mouth. ‘I certainly hadn’t expected to find anyone quite so lovely here to greet me.’

Alyssa felt warm colour invade her cheeks and her fingers tightened on the towel, clutching it to her breasts. He seemed to be quite at ease here, yet he still hadn’t explained who he was.

‘Well, whoever you are, you shouldn’t be here,’ she said. What kind of person would have the gall to calmly walk in and help himself to a drink? Ross had insisted she would have the place to herself. Her green eyes flashed a warning. ‘You’d better go before I call the police.’

Belatedly, she remembered that she’d left her phone on the bedside table. Could she sidle back into the room and dial the number without alerting him to her actions? Hardly. Still, a bit of bravado wouldn’t come amiss, would it?

He’d made no attempt to move. ‘I can’t think why you’re still standing there,’ she said in a terse voice. ‘I meant what I said.’

‘Yes, I realise that … I just don’t think it’s a very good idea.’

‘Of course you don’t. You wouldn’t, would you? Even so …’ She took a couple of steps backwards into the bedroom, not taking her eyes off him for a second. The smooth, Italian-tiled floor was cool beneath her feet, soothing to her ragged nerves. Her heart was pounding, her pulse thumping out an erratic beat.

He didn’t look the least bit put out. He was dressed in cool, expensive-looking chinos and a loose cotton shirt. His hair was dark, the perfect styling framing an angular face, but it was his eyes that held her most of all … They were narrowed on her now, grey, like the sea on a stormy night, and compelling, a hint of something unknown glimmering in their depths as he studied her.

Slowly, he pushed himself away from the rail and began to move towards her, and her insides lurched in fearful acknowledgement. Instinctively, she recognised that this was a man who knew what he wanted and who was used to getting his own way. He wasn’t going anywhere, and it certainly didn’t look as though he intended to heed her warning.

She felt behind her for the mobile phone on the bedside table.

‘As I said, I really wouldn’t advise you do that,’ he murmured, his gaze following her actions. ‘You might find yourself having to explain to them what exactly you’re doing in my house.’

Her jaw dropped a fraction. ‘Your house?’ She frowned, then shot him a steely glance. ‘No … no, that can’t be right. You’re the intruder, not me. I’ll tell them so.’

There was a glint in his dark eyes. ‘Okay, let’s get this straight—I’m Connor Blakeley, and this has actually been my home for a number of years. My brother lives here too, from time to time, but it’s a fact that it’s my name on the deeds of the property.’ He studied her. ‘So, would you like to tell me who you are and what you’re doing here?’ His mouth moved in a wry smile. ‘Or perhaps I can hazard a guess. This is bound to be something to do with Ross. You must be his latest girlfriend.’

She stiffened. He made it sound as though there had been a stream of them. Deciding to ignore his comment, she shook her head so that her bright curls tumbled about her shoulders. This man had to be an imposter, surely? Doubts were beginning to creep in, but she said cautiously, ‘Connor’s away for the next six months. Ross told me so. His brother’s in Florida, helping to organise a new medical emergency unit over there.’

He nodded briefly. ‘That was true. Unfortunately an urgent situation occurred right here in the Bahamas, and I was asked to come back and take over the accident and emergency department at the hospital. So I’ll be working here and at the same time I’ll be keeping an eye on the Florida unit from a distance.’

Her indrawn breath was sharp and audible. What he said sounded plausible enough. Could it be that she’d made a mistake in doubting him? He did look a bit like Ross, now she came to think of it.

Carefully, she replaced the phone on the table and straightened up. Now what was she to do? Her cheeks burned with colour. How could she have ended up in such a humiliating situation? Hadn’t she put up with enough of those back in England? This was meant to have been a fresh start, and now it looked as though her expectations of spending a relaxed, trouble-free few months out here were being rapidly consigned to the rubbish bin.

She lifted her chin, determined to pull herself together. It was a setback, that was all. Somehow she would sort this out and find herself another place to stay. She just had to hope that the cost wouldn’t be way beyond her means. It had only been Ross’s conviction that she could stay in this house rent-free that had persuaded her she could afford to come out here in the first place.

‘I’m really sorry,’ she said. ‘I’d no idea … I wasn’t expecting anyone else to be here tonight.’ She hesitated, drawing in a calming breath. ‘I’m Alyssa Morgan. Your brother invited me to stay here.’

‘Was he planning on staying here with you?’

She frowned. ‘Not with me, exactly. He said he would take the upper-floor accommodation, and I could have the downstairs apartment.’ She looked across the room to where her suitcases stood against the louvred doors of the wardrobe. She hadn’t even had time to unpack. ‘But, of course, it’s all changed now. I’ll get my things together and find somewhere else to stay.’

‘At this time of the evening?’ He raised a dark brow. ‘Even supposing you could find anywhere at such short notice, I couldn’t let you do that. I’ve a feeling that an attractive young woman alone in the city would be far too great a temptation for some of our, shall we say, less civilised, male citizens?’

She straightened her shoulders. ‘I can take care of myself.’

His glance moved over her. ‘Really?’

His obvious disbelief stung. She felt his dark gaze linger on her slender curves, and she hugged the towel to herself in a defensive gesture. With so much pale golden skin on display she felt she was at a distinct disadvantage. ‘Anyway, I should get dressed,’ she said, with as much dignity as she could muster. ‘If you wouldn’t mind …?’

He nodded. ‘Of course.’ He started to walk across the room but stopped by the door to look back and say, ‘You seem a bit flushed. Perhaps I could get you an iced drink and maybe something to eat? Or have you already had supper?’

Her eyes widened. She wasn’t expecting such generosity, given the circumstances, and it only made her feel worse, after the way she’d spoken to him. ‘No … um … I haven’t had time … I only arrived here a short time ago, and I was feeling hot and dusty after the flight and so on, so I decided to have a shower before I did anything else. Ross and I were going to have supper when …’ She broke off, then added, ‘He had to go to a meeting.’

‘Hmm.’ Connor was frowning as he looked at the suitcases. ‘I take it from your accent that you’re English. Is that right? Did you and Ross meet over in the UK? I know he was over there scouting for talent for his latest film project.’

‘Yes, we did.’ Connor was American-English, she knew, as his father had been born in the United States and his mother was from London. ‘We … uh … have a mutual friend over in Florida … my cousin, Carys … and she suggested he look me up.’

‘Oh, yes. I know Carys.’ He made a faint smile as he studied her. ‘I expect Ross was glad he took the time to follow up on that.’ He started to turn back towards the door. ‘Well, maybe I’ll make a start on preparing some food and then Ross can join us when he gets here.’

‘I … Yes, that would be good. Thank you.’ Her head was reeling. How on earth would Ross react on finding that his brother was here? One way or another, he was in for something of a shock.

Connor left the room and Alyssa pulled in a deep breath. It wasn’t the best way for her to have met Connor, was it? She’d heard quite a bit about him from Ross, and her overall impression was that Ross was a little in awe of his older brother. Now that she’d met him, she could certainly understand why. There was that quality about him, something that suggested he would always be in complete control of any situation, that nothing would faze him. Everything about him underlined that. He was supple and lithe, his body honed with latent energy, and a calm, inherent sense of authority oozed from every pore.

She dressed quickly, choosing a pale blue cotton dress with narrow straps, cool enough for the warmth of the evening. It wasn’t much in the way of a defence, but at least being fully dressed made her feel more in command of herself.

A few minutes later she walked into the kitchen and found Connor busy at the table, adding tomato paste and grated cheese to a large pizza base. He looked up as she entered the room. ‘You look fresh and cool,’ he murmured. ‘That colour suits you.’

‘Thank you.’

‘Sit down,’ he said, waving her to a chair by the pale oak table. ‘Would you like mushrooms with this? And peppers?’

‘Yes, please.’ She nodded, watching as he deftly cut and sliced mushrooms and then sprinkled them over the cheese.

She glanced around. From here, by the deep, broad window, she could look out over the ocean, and closer to home there was what seemed to be a small kitchen garden just beyond the veranda. The light outside was fading now, but solar lamps sent a golden glow over a variety of vegetables and a small grove of trees laden with plump, ripe oranges.

She turned her attention back to the kitchen. ‘You have a beautiful home,’ she said. The kitchen was full of state-of-the-art equipment, along with a tiled island bar and glass shelving that housed colourful ceramics and delicately sculpted vases.

‘Thanks.’ He smiled. ‘I must admit I’m pleased with it. When I moved here I wanted a house where I would be able to relax and shrug off the cares of the day, and this seemed to be the perfect place in an idyllic setting … a small piece of paradise, if you like. I sit out on the deck of an evening and watch the waves breaking on the shore. It’s very relaxing, especially if you like to watch wildlife, as I do. You sometimes see herons and egrets around here, and there might even be a golden plover that appears from time to time.’

‘It sounds idyllic.’

‘It is.’ He slid the pizza into the hot oven and came over to the table, picking up a jug of iced juice. ‘Would you like a drink? I can get you something stronger if you prefer.’

‘Thanks … orange juice will be fine.’ She made a face. ‘I’m not used to this heat. I seem to have been thirsty ever since I arrived here.’

His mouth curved. ‘You get used to it after a while. I have air-conditioning, but sometimes I prefer to throw open all the doors and windows and let the sea air in.’