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Lucinda helped herself to aubergine and peppers in a sweet and sour sauce and smoked mahi mahi served with crispy potato and onion. She slowly sipped pineapple juice before finally admitting she could eat no more.
Zane’s appetite was healthy too and there wasn’t much food left by the time they had finished. He leaned back in his chair. ‘I suggest we rest now before taking a dip in the pool.’
Lucinda shook her head, the thought of swimming with Zane, seeing him half naked, filling her with dread. She could imagine a hard body, smooth golden skin, firm stomach, long legs and everything else that went with it. ‘I’m here to work,’ she reminded him firmly. ‘You rest if you want to but I need to wander around again and familiarise myself with each of the rooms in turn before I can even begin to think about design.’
Zane put a hand over hers where it rested on the table. ‘There’s plenty of time for that. Today you can relax. Today I would appreciate your company.’ And he meant it. The touch of his hand was firm, his smoky eyes narrowed and warning.
A heat that had nothing to do with the climate swept through her and Lucinda wanted to pull her hand free. But of course she couldn’t do that; she couldn’t give away the fact that his touch sent shivers of apprehension rushing through her limbs. So she looked him squarely in the eye and said, ‘It’s not what I’m getting paid for.’
‘What are you, a workaholic?’ he asked harshly, letting his hand drop back to his side. ‘Don’t you believe in a little pleasure?’
‘I thought you wanted the job done as quickly as possible,’ asserted Lucinda. Pleasure was the last thing she wanted. Pleasure in her surroundings, yes, in the warmth of the sun, in the glorious blue skies, but not in Zane Alexander’s company. He was too discomfiting by far. ‘And I can’t believe that you’re willing to waste time like this. If anyone’s a workaholic it’s you.’
‘I agree,’ he said with a shrug, ‘but there’s a time and place for everything. I declare today an official holiday. Lucinda Oliver, you are not allowed to work.’
She couldn’t help smiling. This was a side to Zane that she hadn’t seen before. Relaxed, cheerful, teasing. And she couldn’t deny that she liked it. ‘In that case I think I’d like to change into something more relaxing,’ she announced and headed indoors.
She chose a gypsy skirt and a cool camisole top and as she had popped in a bikini at the last minute—just in case—she donned that as well and rejoined Zane on the sun deck.
He had moved to a reclining chair and still wore the black shirt and trousers. Lucinda had half expected him to change too, and she had listened carefully while in her room but heard no movement next door. For the moment he appeared to be a different man but she did not altogether trust him and knew that she still needed to be on her guard.
Zane patted the reclining chair he had placed near to his and reluctantly Lucinda slid on to it. It felt intimate, far too cosy for comfort. She lay back and closed her eyes but he was impossible to ignore. She could hear his breathing, she could smell the faint tang of his cologne, and knew that he was looking at her.
When the silence ran into minutes Lucinda could stand it no longer. She shot open her eyes, ready to lambaste him, or at the very least to jump to her feet and return indoors. To her amazement his lids were closed and when she looked closer she could see by his deepened breathing that he was asleep.
He had undone the buttons on his shirt and as expected his skin was firm and bronzed and she had the irrational urge to touch. Her eyes skimmed over the rest of him, over the hard flatness of his stomach and the long length of his legs. He was an extremely sexy man, even fully clothed, and it was going to be hard denying the fact.
‘Like what you see?’
Lucinda hadn’t noticed Zane open his eyes and swift heat shot through her, though she did her best to appear undisturbed. ‘You have a good physique. Do you work out?’
He nodded. ‘I have a gym in my London home.’
‘And was a swimming pool a requisite here?’
‘Of course.’
‘Do you have other homes?’ There was a lot about Zane that she didn’t know. Not that it was any business of hers, but sitting here in his relaxed company it didn’t feel like an intrusion of privacy.
He nodded. ‘LA, Australia, the south of France.’
Lucinda shook her head. ‘How can you warrant them?’
Zane’s lips tugged wryly up at the corners. ‘What else do I have to spend my money on?’
Your women friends, she felt tempted to say, but wisely kept her own counsel. ‘Why have you never married?’ she asked instead. ‘Or is that a stupid question? I guess you’re too busy making money.’
‘Not the right answer,’ he informed her tersely, his eyes flashing almost silver. ‘I’ve simply never met anyone I want to spend the rest of my life with.’
‘Let me guess,’ she dared to say. ‘Most girls are only ever interested in the state of your bank balance?’
‘Something like that,’ he agreed.
‘Are you resigned to staying a bachelor?’
‘It doesn’t worry me, though it does worry my mother,’ he admitted. ‘My parents live in Australia and my mother is for ever nagging me to get married. She wants more grandchildren.’ He smiled ruefully. ‘Here am I almost telling you my life story and I know nothing about you. Except that you don’t have a boyfriend. Which I find extremely odd because you’re a very attractive lady.’
As he spoke he looked at her appreciatively, just as she had looked at him earlier. Only he did it blatantly, not caring that she watched. Every part of her responded! Nerves tingled; hormones leapt into life; nipples tautened and strained against her soft cotton top—and he missed nothing.
‘So—tell me about yourself,’ he said, his eyes finally moving up to her face, narrowing sharply when he observed the tip of her tongue moistening her lips.
Lucinda hoped that he didn’t take it as a sign of encouragement. Her mouth had gone nervously dry and the butterflies in her stomach intensified. Heaven knew how much she wanted to dislike this man, so why didn’t she? What was it about him that caused every one of her senses to go into overdrive?
‘There’s not much to tell,’ she answered, alarmed to hear how husky her voice sounded. Damn the man! Why was he confusing her like this? Or, more importantly, why was she allowing it? Why was she letting him affect her?
Because he was one hell of a sexy man, that was the answer. She couldn’t help herself. She didn’t want to like him but was constantly pulled towards him in a cycle that would be difficult to break.
Zane probably took it for granted that most women, if not all, would fall at his feet. He could bed any woman he liked. But she didn’t have to be one of them! Without any shadow of doubt she would need to be on her guard at all times.
‘Your mother’s remarried. What happened to your father?’
‘He died,’ she answered bluntly, trying to hide the pain that still shot through her whenever she spoke about him.
‘I’m sorry. How did that happen?’
‘He’d been ill a long time. It was inevitable,’ she told him, while knowing that he didn’t really care.
‘I’m genuinely interested,’ he assured her, reading her expression. ‘I’m interested in people. I like to find out what motivates them. I already know that you don’t like your stepfather.’ Lucinda frowned and sat up just a little bit straighter. ‘I didn’t tell you that.’
‘No, but you gave the impression.’
‘Actually, it’s true.’ Her shoulders relaxed a little. ‘I hate him, and the feeling’s mutual—except that he doesn’t let my mother know it. And I hate my mother for marrying him simply for his money,’ she added bitterly.
‘She did that?’
‘It’s what many women do,’ she retorted, her eyes shooting sparks of angry fire. ‘Not that I have any intention of falling into that same trap! I’ll make my own money, thank you.’
Zane pursed his lips and nodded his head. ‘Wise woman! We’re two of a kind, you and I.’
Lucinda frowned. She knew what he meant but she didn’t like being lumped into the same category. She would never spend her money on lavish houses all over the world, not if she had a thousand million in the bank. Such extravagances didn’t appeal. The fact that people did it, and needed the likes of her to improve their interiors, was a different matter altogether.
‘So—tell me about your father,’ he said encouragingly. ‘How old were you when he died?’
Lucinda pursed her lips and her eyes grew sad. ‘Fifteen. I was heartbroken. He’d spent most of his life in and out of hospitals; we didn’t have any money, but he more than made up for it. There was always love and laughter in our house. I was so happy. What I didn’t know was that my mother gradually resented the fact that we were poor.
‘After my father died she met Goldberg, a very wealthy property developer. She shamelessly threw herself at him and within a few months they were married. We moved from our tiny rented property into his palatial mansion. He paid for my higher education; I appreciate that, but he will never replace my father. He was the most wonderful man.’
Tears misted her eyes and instantly Zane leaned forward and gathered her into his arms, dabbing her eyes with his handkerchief, murmuring words of reassurance. At first Lucinda didn’t resist; she actually felt comforted by his action, but then the reality of the situation hit her.
This man had employed her to do a job, and he was in the same league as David Goldberg; there was no way in this world that she was going to have an affair with him. He may have been only consoling her, but that wasn’t the point. She had seen the hungry look in his eyes; she knew his reputation. If she weren’t careful she would end up in his bed.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said, straining to pull away. ‘It always gets to me when I talk about my father. If he knew what my mother had done he’d turn in his grave. He loved her so much. Love was all he had to give. And he gave it in bucketfuls.’ Tears welled again.
Zane pushed her head into his shoulder and held her there until she began to feel better. He stroked her hair, which had become free from its restraining tie. It amazed Lucinda that a man as important as Zane Alexander should have this caring side to him. It was totally unexpected.
Unless, of course, it wasn’t because he cared! Maybe he was using her distress as a way of getting through to her? Maybe he thought it would lead to other things? Even as the thought occurred to her Lucinda pushed her hands hard against his chest. ‘I’m all right now.’
‘Are you sure?’ He blocked her escape by cupping her face between warm firm hands. There was something almost primeval in his eyes as they locked with hers, a desire as old as man himself, and Lucinda felt unwanted warmth steal into her. It started in her toes and gradually worked its way through each limb until her whole body raged with fire. This was a situation she had told herself she would avoid at all costs. This was Zane the playboy in action. And already her needs were being fuelled by his closeness.
CHAPTER FOUR
ZANE knew that Lucinda was torn between letting him kiss her and doing the right thing and pushing him away. He was sorry about her father, of course he was, and when he persuaded her into his arms it hadn’t been his intention to take the situation any further. But holding her against him, feeling the warmth of her body and smelling its sweetness, had aroused all of his base instincts. He wanted her! And he wanted her now.
It took all of Lucinda’s will-power to move out of Zane’s embrace. It felt as though she was wrenching herself free of an iron clamp instead of the light touch of his hands. It really had been a big mistake coming here. She had put greed for his business before what was best for her.
‘I wish you hadn’t done that,’ she told him tightly, the words crackling out of a throat gone tremendously dry.
‘Done what?’
Did he really need her to spell it out? ‘You know what I’m talking about,’ she retorted. ‘I appreciate the use of your handkerchief but I don’t need comforting in other ways.’
‘And what way would that be?’
A steely glint appeared in his eyes and Lucinda began to wonder whether she had misjudged him. Whether it was her fertile imagination that had seen something that wasn’t there. Whatever, he looked far from pleased.
She shook her head and got up from her chair. ‘It doesn’t matter.’
‘And I say it does matter,’ he rejoined fiercely. ‘I do not like being criticised.’
‘It doesn’t count that you’re already cast as a playboy?’
‘You’ve heard the rumour?’ A faint smile curved his lips. ‘Who told you that, I wonder?’
Lucinda jutted her chin and stared hostilely. ‘Actually I’d had my suspicions, but my stepfather confirmed it.’
‘Ah!’ Enlightenment filled his eyes. ‘And you took his word as truth? A man you incidentally hate the sight of? It didn’t occur to you that he could be saying it because he didn’t want you working for me?’
It was true; David Goldberg definitely didn’t like to think that her career was taking off. He liked to think that she hadn’t the intelligence to do well for herself. Why, she had no idea. Maybe because she had always resented him! At the age of fifteen her hormones had been all over the place; she’d just lost her beloved father, her mother had all too quickly remarried and Lucinda’s resentment of the new man in their life had caused ill feelings between them, which had never gone away.
‘I don’t care whether it’s true or not,’ she told him now. ‘And I have no wish to continue this conversation.’ She sprang up from her seat and ran round to the other side of the house, where she stripped off her skirt and top and dived cleanly into the pool. She desperately needed to cool off.
She was feverishly hot and the water mercifully cold, and after a few energetic lengths her ragged nerves were calmed. She had half expected Zane to follow and was both relieved and pleased when there was no sign of him. She kept telling herself that it wasn’t going to work, staying here with him, feeling his presence, knowing that at any minute she could give in to temptation. And he was a big temptation. She could hardly believe that she was attracted to him. It was totally inconceivable.
Finally she hauled herself out of the pool, rinsed herself down beneath the huge outdoor shower and headed back towards the house. Zane appeared in front of her as if from nowhere.
‘You swim like a mermaid,’ he complimented. ‘Graceful, swift and beautiful.’ A pair of dark glasses shielded his eyes but she felt his eyes studying her body in its neat white bikini. The heat returned.
‘You were watching me?’ Accusation made her voice shrill.
Zane inclined his head. ‘And very pleasant it was too. I wanted to join you but I wasn’t sure that you’d appreciate it.’
‘No, I wouldn’t have done,’ snapped Lucinda, her green eyes flashing magnificently. ‘In fact I don’t appreciate your presence here at all.’
‘That’s a pity,’ he said with a disarming smile, ‘because I was actually enjoying myself. And I think I’d enjoy myself more if you’d allow me to…’
His words ceased as his hands caught her hips and urged her against him and, before she could even draw breath to ask what the hell he thought he was doing, his mouth found hers.
It was a heart-stopping kiss that filled her body with intense pleasure. How a man she didn’t particularly like and certainly didn’t trust could do this to her she did not know. Thankfully he let her go just as abruptly. ‘I’m sorry, I just had to do that,’ he declared immediately. ‘You have no idea how tempting you looked.’
Lucinda struggled for breath. She didn’t believe his apology for one second. He’d planned this. He’d known from the moment he invited her out here that he would make a play for her. It was what he did. And she had been a fool to think otherwise.
‘Not only do you swim like a mermaid but you also looked like one as you stood there with your hair hanging loose.’ His eyes lowered and Lucinda became aware of her nipples pushing against the silky fabric of her top. It was plain white and far too revealing. In fact, she realised with instant horror, it had gone almost transparent!
Her cheeks flamed. It was a new bikini, not tried out in the water, bought more for sunbathing than anything else. She had thought it would look good against a tan. Inwardly, though, she stiffened her spine. Not for anything would she let Zane see her embarrassment. With her chin high she met his gaze. ‘Maybe I was one in a previous life.’
‘I’m surprised you don’t have a boyfriend.’
The statement was sudden and unexpected and Lucinda’s eyes widened. ‘Why do you want to know?’
‘Because it’s unusual for a woman as beautiful as you.’
Lucinda shook her head, wishing he wouldn’t keep complimenting her. She knew he was doing it so that she’d feel flattered and fall into his arms. Hadn’t he realised yet that he’d picked the wrong person?
‘I was engaged once,’ she finally admitted.
Blue eyes expressed interest. ‘And?’ he prompted when she didn’t continue.
‘I went out with him for nearly four years.’
Zane’s eyebrows rose and his interest increased. ‘That’s a long time.’
‘Too long, I guess,’ she acknowledged with a hint of irony in her voice.
‘So what happened?’
‘He dropped me for someone else. We’d actually planned the wedding. I was devastated.’ Lord, why on earth was she opening up to him? It was so out of character. And in any case Zane was the last person she wanted to tell her life story to. She couldn’t believe the effect he was having on her. First she’d let him kiss her, now she was revealing confidences. What next?
Zane saw the pain in her eyes, mistook it for unhappiness over her past and immediately pulled her into his arms.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said.
The hell he was! How could he be when he didn’t know her or Simon? It was another excuse to get close. She should never have told him. She’d actually given him some ammunition. ‘I don’t need your pity,’ she declared, struggling to free herself. ‘I’m over it now.’
Zane released her but he didn’t move away. ‘No, you’re not,’ he declared. ‘You’ve erected a barrier.’
He was right; Simon was her defence. She had only to think about the way he’d treated her to put her off any man who tried to get close. And that included the gorgeous, extremely sexy Zane Alexander.
It didn’t count that his brief kiss of a few seconds ago had aroused feelings that she had thought long since dead. And, if she were honest with herself, they were sensations that went incredibly deeper than any she had ever felt with Simon. Simon had been her one and only lover so she’d had no one to compare him with. Until now!
At this point Lucinda angrily dashed her thoughts away. They were unwanted. It didn’t matter whether Zane was the most fantastic lover of all time; she had no intention of finding out.
‘I don’t want to discuss this any more,’ she declared tightly. ‘I’m going to rest in my room for a while.’ She might even stay there until morning. She’d had enough of Zane’s company for one day.
Zane’s smile told her that he knew exactly what she was thinking. ‘Have you ever sat outside on a tropical night and watched the stars?’ he asked quietly. ‘Have you ever listened to the chirruping of cicadas? Have you smelled the heady perfume of the flowers? Don’t miss out on it all because of a misguided sense of trust.’
Misguided? Lucinda didn’t think so. Zane was forgetting that she knew exactly the sort of uncaring person he was. He might try to romance her, to seduce her even, but once they returned to England and her job was finished she would be just as quickly forgotten. Maybe other girls were into affairs, especially with rich, handsome men, but not this one.
To her relief Zane didn’t insist on an answer. She fled to her room, showered and then flung herself down on the bed. To take her mind off Zane and his kiss, she began planning how she would decorate the room. She had brought several fabric swatches with her as well as paint samples and pages out of furniture catalogues, but it soon became clear that she would be far better going into Castries and seeing what they had to offer there. It needed something with a local flavour. The capital was sure to have a good selection of shops. She would suggest it to Zane tomorrow and hopefully he would put a car and driver at her disposal.
But all thoughts of decorating left her when a tap came on her door. Instantly she thought it was Zane and was prepared to tell him to go away, when the door was pushed tentatively open and the maid popped her head inside. ‘Excuse me, Miss Oliver. Mr Alexander has asked for you to join him,’ she announced with a wide smile.
It was easy to see that she thought the sun shone out of Zane’s eyes.
‘Tell him I’m tired and that I’m staying here,’ said Lucinda.
‘He said not to take no for an answer,’ the pretty dark-skinned girl answered, looking worried. ‘He is ready to eat.’
Lucinda groaned inwardly. ‘Very well,’ she agreed, not wishing to get the maid into trouble. ‘Tell him I’ll be along shortly.’
Her shortly amounted to half an hour and when she opened her bedroom door she was taken aback to see a thunderous Zane about to make an entrance. ‘I was just coming to fetch you,’ he growled. ‘What the hell have you been doing?’
‘Reluctantly getting myself ready,’ she answered, chin high. ‘I rather fancied an early night. You’re forgetting the time difference.’ Her tone was sharp, her eyes growing as angry as his. ‘I would have been in bed were I at home. You’re being unreasonable, Zane.’ But then wasn’t that Zane Alexander all over?
‘And you’re not?’ he grunted, his eyes roving over the coral silk blouse she had donned with a pair of matching trousers. It was loose enough to be cool and also not to show the way her nipples stood to attention under his scrutiny.
It was a long, hard look he gave her before he swung on his heel and she had no choice but to follow him through to the dining room. Someone had done their best to make it look cheerful with tastefully arranged urns of flowers but Lucinda’s professional eye was soon making changes. Like all the other rooms, it was spacious and light and it had the most wonderful views, but it was badly in need of a makeover. The furniture was old and jaded and the curtains at the windows had certainly seen better days.
Their table was placed so that they both sat looking out through the open window with its glorious view. By this time the sun had gone down and the sky was filled with stunning colours—gold and scarlet, the inkiest of blacks and the richest purples, all reflected with even more intensity in the calm waters of the Caribbean Sea. Her mood mellowed as she sat looking at it.
And when dishes of food were placed in front of them she discovered a hunger that she hadn’t suspected. Fish broth, Creole baked chicken, fresh fruit. She tasted them all. She enjoyed them all. They hardly spoke; such was the enchantment of the evening. Or was it because Zane was still angry with her that he didn’t say much? Lucinda couldn’t be sure.
Afterwards, as they sat outside on the terrace sipping wine, listening to the sounds of the night and gazing at the stars that were surely more brilliant than they ever were in England, she felt amazingly content. This was an experience that would stay with her for a long time.
Until suddenly she became aware that Zane was watching her and not the darkening sky, and although the night air was cool her skin grew moist with sudden heat. This was truly a place made for lovers—and he was looking at her as though that was his intention.
‘You’re very beautiful, Lucinda,’ he said roughly. ‘Far more beautiful than I remember.’
‘That’s because when I was babysitting Tim you were never there,’ she reminded him, unable to keep a note of censure from her voice. ‘You hardly had time to notice me.’