His Bride in Paradise

‘Yes, I can understand that. I think I would, too.’ She sipped the cold juice, pausing to rest the glass momentarily against her throat to cool her heated skin. His glance followed her movements, but his eyes were dark and unreadable.

‘So, you and Ross must be working together on his new film, I suppose?’ he commented. He poured himself a glass of juice and took a long swallow, looking at her over the rim. ‘He and I haven’t talked much about the casting, but I can see why he must have wanted to bring you over here. I imagine you’re very photogenic. And I guess you must have auditioned well.’

‘Um … that’s not exactly what happened,’ she murmured. She frowned. He obviously had the wrong idea, if he was assuming she was an actress. ‘I’m really not expecting to have anything to do with the filming as such.’

‘Ah … that’s interesting.’ He shot her an assessing glance. ‘Still, he must think a lot of you, to have brought you over here and set you up in the family home. After all, you can’t have known each other very long.’

Alyssa put down her glass, her mouth firming into a straight line. ‘Um … I don’t know, but … I think you must have the wrong idea. I get the impression that you’ve put two and two together and made five.’

‘Have I?’ His mouth tilted in disbelief. ‘I may have some of the facts wrong, but in essence I know my brother pretty well, and this wouldn’t be the first time he’s fallen for a young woman and gone out of his way to throw the world at her feet.’ There was a gleam in his eyes. ‘Unfortunately for him, this time he wasn’t expecting me to turn up out of the blue. I can see how that might make things a bit difficult.’

She stood up. ‘You know, on second thoughts, I don’t think this arrangement is going to work out after all. I think I’ll go with my original plan and find somewhere else to stay.’

She started to move away from the table, but he caught hold of her, his fingers curving around her bare arm. ‘Please don’t do that, Alyssa, it’s really not a good idea.’

‘Maybe so, but that’s my worry, not yours.’

She tried to pull away from him, but he simply drew her closer to him, so that her soft curves brushed against his long body. ‘I’m afraid it’s very much my problem,’ he said, ‘since my brother has seen fit to install you under my roof.’

‘You make me sound as though I’m a package to be parcelled up by your brother and shipped wherever the fancy takes him,’ she said in a terse voice. ‘That’s not only insulting, it’s downright chauvinistic. Where have you been living these last thirty or so years? It’s obvious to me that your mind-set is stuck somewhere in the last century.’

He laughed. It wasn’t what she was expecting, and anger and frustration rose up in her like mercury shooting up a gauge on a blazing hot day. ‘You’d better let me go right now,’ she said, ‘or I swear you won’t like the consequences.’ When he didn’t release her, she started to bring her knee up, ready to deliver a crippling blow, and he swiftly turned her round so that his arms encased her from behind. Frustratingly, she was locked into his embrace, her spine resting against his taut, masculine frame.

‘Of course I’ll let you go,’ he murmured, ‘if you promise me that you won’t try to leave before morning. I apologise if I’ve been jumping to conclusions. I’ve been assuming that Ross is behaving in his usual hedonistic manner, but I have to admit you’re very different from what I might have expected. You’re not at all like his usual choice of women.’

‘Is that so?’ She was rigid in his arms, still seething with indignation.

‘I didn’t mean to offend you,’ he said. ‘Honestly. I’m trying to explain. Look at it from my point of view. I had no idea that he was bringing anyone home. He usually tells me. So why didn’t he do that if everything was open and above board? For all he knew, I might have arranged for a friend to stay here while I was away. That’s why we always tell each other about our plans.’

‘Perhaps he acted on impulse and meant to tell you later.’ Her body relaxed a fraction.

‘Yes, I suppose that could be it.’ He nodded, and his cheek lightly brushed hers. His hold on her eased a little, and it seemed to Alyssa’s heightened senses that it became much more like a caress. She felt his warm breath fall softly on the back of her neck, and his arm brushed the rounded swell of her breast as he held her to him. It was unintentional, she was sure, but the heated contact ricocheted through her body, bringing with it a shocking, bone-melting response. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply. How could she be reacting this way? She didn’t even know him. It was unthinkable.

Clearly there was something wrong with her. Jetlag, probably. She needed to break free from him, but the warmth of those encircling arms and the gentleness of that embrace had taken her completely by surprise. It seemed like such a long time since anyone had held her in such an intimate way and, worryingly, she was discovering that she liked it.

‘I’ll find somewhere else to stay first thing in the morning,’ she said.

Slowly, almost reluctantly, he released her. ‘You don’t need to do that. You’re Ross’s guest, and therefore mine, too. I wouldn’t dream of having you go elsewhere. Please stay. I’d like you to stay.’

‘I’ll think about it.’ She dithered for a moment. She wanted to walk out of the room, but as she stood there, undecided, she glanced towards the oven, conscious of the appetising smell of melting cheese and sizzling herbs and tomato permeating the air. She hadn’t realised until now how hungry she was … her last meal had been virtually a snack on the plane journey over here.

He looked at her, his head tilted on one side, a faint smile playing around his mouth. ‘You’re hungry,’ he said. ‘It’s no wonder you’re feeling a little fractious. Sit down and we’ll eat. Things always seem better on a full stomach.’

Annoyed by her own weakness, she did as he suggested and went back to the chair. Maybe he was right, and circumstances had combined to throw her off balance. A long plane journey, a change of surroundings and the appearance of the proverbial tall, dark stranger had certainly knocked her for six. Her heart was racing as though she’d run a marathon, and the world seemed to be spinning around her ever so slightly. She felt decidedly odd.

There was a noise from across the room and they both turned as the kitchen door opened and Ross came in.

‘What on earth …? Connor, what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in Florida?’ He was tall, like his brother, with dark hair and the same angular jaw, but Ross had more homely, lived-in features, and generally there was a happy-go-lucky, almost boyish air about him. ‘You said you’d be away for several months.’

‘I did, but there was a change of plan. It turns out I’m going to be working here, on the island, for the most part.’

‘So you’ll be staying here.’ It was a matter-of-fact statement. Then Ross added, ‘I’ve arranged for Alyssa to have the ground-floor apartment. I’d no idea you would be coming back so soon.’

Connor nodded. ‘Yes, she told me. That’s okay. That arrangement can still stand. It just means that you’ll have to stay at your place near the film studio. That won’t be a problem for you, will it?’

Ross’s grey-blue eyes narrowed. ‘I guess not.’ He looked at his brother as though he suspected him of some devious ploy.

‘Good. So now that’s all sorted, perhaps we can sit down together and enjoy a meal.’

Connor took the pizza from the oven, and Alyssa said quietly, ‘Is there anything I can do to help? I could set the table for you, if you like.’

‘Thanks. That would be great. There’s a bowl of salad in the fridge. You could put that out, too, if you would.’

‘Okay.’

They worked together, while Ross went to freshen up. ‘So, if you’re not involved with the filming, what will you be doing all day while Ross is at work?’ Connor asked. ‘Is this meant to be a holiday for you, or a sightseeing trip, or something like that?’

Alyssa smiled. ‘It’s nothing like that. I’m going to be working as a medic on the film set. Apparently, the company Ross usually calls on to provide that service is tied up with other projects right now, so when he found out that I was looking for work, he asked me if I’d like to take it on.’

Connor’s dark brows lifted. ‘You’re a nurse?’

She shook her head. ‘I’m a doctor. I’ve worked in the same line as you, accident and emergency, so I should be able to deal with any problems that arise if stunts go wrong, and so on.’ She smiled. ‘Though, hopefully, that won’t happen. Mostly, it’ll be a case of handing out headache and sunburn medication, I expect.’

‘So now you’ve managed to surprise me all over again.’ Connor stared at her for a moment or two, before starting to slice the pizza into triangular wedges. ‘Now I understand what you meant when you told your friend that there would be nothing much to do but enjoy the sunshine and the surf and thank your lucky stars.’

She frowned, sending him a fleeting glance. ‘You heard me talking to Carys on the phone?’

He nodded. ‘I didn’t know it was Carys, but I heard some of the conversation you were having. I came out onto the deck and I couldn’t help but hear what you were saying.’ He paused as he checked the filter on the coffee pot.

‘The only part that bothered me was when you added that you’d take money and all the trappings over love any time.’ His gaze meshed with hers. ‘I don’t know what your plans are, but perhaps I should warn you to tread carefully there. I wouldn’t want to see my brother hurt. He has his faults, but he’s family and I care about him very much.’

Once again this evening she felt hot colour rise in her cheeks. No wonder he’d been so edgy with her from the beginning. He’d heard what she said and had drawn his own conclusions.

‘It was just a joke,’ she said. ‘The sort of throw-away remark we all make from time to time. It didn’t mean anything.’

‘Maybe so.’ He acknowledged that with a wry smile, but she noticed the warmth didn’t reach his dark eyes. ‘But the warning stands … I’ve always looked out for my brother, and I see no reason to stop doing that.’

‘Even though he’s a grown man who owns a successful film company? Don’t you trust him to make his own decisions?’

‘Of course I do … to a certain extent. But Ross is a fool where women are concerned. He’s made a few mistakes over the years that have cost him dearly. I don’t want to see that happen again.’

‘And I’m obviously the scarlet woman whose talons cut deep?’ She sent him a scornful look.

‘You’ve come all the way from the UK to be with him.’ His mouth twisted. ‘I don’t blame you for that. Who would turn down the chance of living a life of luxury on this beautiful island? But I’m inclined to be cautious all the same.’

Clearly he wasn’t going to believe she was on the level. Alyssa opened her mouth to make an answering retort, but Ross came back into the kitchen just then, and she concentrated instead on carefully laying out the cutlery on the table.

‘I’m starving,’ Ross said, eyeing the food with a ravenous eye. ‘This looks good.’