Swept Away!: Accidentally Expecting! / Salzano's Captive Bride / Hawaiian Sunset, Dream Proposal

‘I’m feeling a little tired,’ she said as soon as she decently could. ‘You won’t mind if I go to bed?’

‘I’m tired too, after the flight,’ Evie said, and the party began to break up.

Ferne escaped upstairs, unable to meet Dante’s eyes. Once in her room, she plunged into an icy-cold shower. That would soon put her right.

It did, to the extent that it cooled down her flesh, but her mind remained as disturbed as before. She was accustomed to thinking of herself as calm and collected. Even in the throes of passion for Sandor she’d felt in command—something which their grande finale had surely proved.

But Dante had upset that unruffled composure, making her wonder if it was really such a virtue. Had she perhaps become a trifle smug? If so, he was rescuing her from that danger, surprising her again and again.

He insisted on haunting her mind, despite her stern orders for him to depart. But that was Dante: awkward. When she stepped out of the shower and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, he seemed to be there, eyeing her nakedness longingly, making her regret that she hadn’t allowed him to see her, because he would have liked her so much.

She pulled on her nightdress and in her mind’s eye his face fell.

‘Get out!’ she told him. ‘Go away and leave me alone.’

He obeyed, but not without a final glance over his shoulder.

There was a soft knock at her door.

‘Who is it?’

‘It’s me,’ said Dante.

She nearly said, ‘Are you back already?’ but stopped herself in time.

‘What do you want?’

‘Can I come in? There’s something I need to talk about.’

She stood back to let him in, first making sure that her robe was securely fastened. Even so, she felt as though her garments were transparent.

He was still in shirt and trousers, but now the shirt had been torn open at the throat, showing several inches of his chest. It was an attractive chest, she had to admit that, but now she was trying to be cautious. In his arms tonight she’d almost lost her head. There had been a moment in the grass when she would have done anything he wanted, because he could make her want it too.

She was sure he knew it. This was one clever, manipulative man, and she must never let herself forget that.

‘What did you want to talk about?’ she asked demurely.

‘Us,’ he said at once. ‘And what you’re doing to me. I don’t think I can stand it much longer.’

Now she was glad she’d taken the cold shower, for her body had regained its equilibrium and her mind was able to view him rationally.

‘If you can’t stand being with me, it was hardly wise of you to come here,’ she pointed out.

‘I didn’t say that,’ he replied, imitating her tone of reasoned argument. ‘It’s the “so near and yet so far” aspect that’s shredding my nerves. It should be one or the other, and I thought we might discuss it sensibly and come to a rational decision.’

The bland innocence of his face might have fooled anyone less alive to his tricks than Ferne. But by now she was back in command.

‘I quite agree,’ she said seriously. ‘One or the other. And, since I’ll be gone fairly soon, I think it we should opt for the second choice.’

‘Pardon?’

‘It would be wise for you to leave my room.’

He nodded. ‘It would be wise, wouldn’t it? If I were a wise man I’d flee and never look back. But I was never wise.’

‘Then this would be a good time to start.’

He slid an arm around her waist.

‘I know I shouldn’t have come,’ he murmured. ‘But I had to. You were so wonderful tonight. I watched you and knew I had to dance with you—and then I danced with you and knew I had to hold you in my arms and kiss you and love you…’

He drew her close as he spoke in a grip that was gentle and implacable together.

‘That’s going a little too far, surely?’ she asked lightly.

‘But I want to go too far with you. How could I want anything else when you’re so beautiful and you fire me up? I want to go too far and then further—’

‘Hush,’ she said suddenly. ‘I thought I heard a noise in the corridor. Could anyone have seen you?’

‘Not a soul. Don’t worry, I’ll be as quiet as a mouse.’

‘You, a mouse?’ she jeered softly. ‘Who do you think you’re fooling? Dante, I like you a lot, I really do, but I am not some daft little bimbo to be overcome by your charm. Don’t forget, I’ve been seduced by an expert.’

‘Are you suggesting I’m not an expert?’ he asked in outrage.

‘Well, you’re not doing brilliantly right now.’

He gave a sigh and a rueful look, much like a schoolboy caught playing truant. She almost capitulated there and then, but thankfully managed to hold firm.

‘It was worth a try, wasn’t it?’ she teased.

‘I don’t know what you mean.’

‘Like hell you don’t! You came in here saying to yourself, “Go on, give it a whirl. She might say yes, she might say no, she might slap my face. Let’s find out”.’

His sheepish expression confirmed her suspicions.

‘Well, I found out, didn’t I?’ he said. ‘But at least I didn’t get my face slapped.’

‘That’s the next stage. Now, depart while we’re still friends.’

‘Friends? Is that really all you—?’

‘Go!’

He went. Hastily.

As an attractive woman working in the entertainment business, Ferne had had a fair amount of experience in saying no to over-enthusiastic gentlemen, and she’d discovered that you could tell a lot about a man by how he behaved at the next meeting, assuming there was one. Some behaved well, some badly, some pretended that nothing had happened.