‘Sit down, Danny. I’ve got a business proposition for you.’

A business proposition? What did that mean? What could she possibly offer Tiago Santos that he didn’t have already?

Tiago came right to it. ‘I’ve got a problem—you have too. You need a job,’ he said, before she had chance to comment. ‘And you need a job that pays a lot more than your work here, if you’re to have any chance of starting up your own place.’

‘Of course I do. But I’m realistic.’ Her laugh was short and sounded false.

‘And the type of stables you envisage running would cost a fortune in start-up money?’ Tiago guessed.

‘I would have to start small,’ she admitted.

‘What if I said you didn’t have to do that? What if I said you could do anything you wanted to?’

She was briefly elated, but then common sense kicked in. ‘And what would I have to do for this—beyond training horses and hopefully making a profit eventually?’

Establishing a reputation would take years. There would be no quick or easy profits in the type of venture Tiago was suggesting.

Tiago paused for the longest time, and then he said, ‘As the wife of Tiago Santos…’

‘Your wife?’ Her lips felt like wood as she said the words. ‘What on earth are you talking about?’

‘I need a wife, Danny. I need a wife fast.’

Welcome to the hot, sultry and successful world of Brazilian polo! Get ready to spend many

HOT BRAZILIAN NIGHTS

with Brazil’s sexiest polo champions!

Forget privilege and prestige, this is Gaucho Polo—hard, hot and unforgiving… like the men who play the game!

Off the field the Thunderbolts are notorious heartbreakers, but what happens when they meet the one person who can tame that unbridled passion?

You may have already met gorgeous team captain Gabe in Christmas Nights with the Polo Player

Now get ready to meet the rest of the team in:

In the Brazilian’s Debt

March 2015

At the Brazilian’s Command

April 2015

And look out for Lucas and Karina’s stories, coming soon!

Available from www.millsandboon.co.uk

Or visit the author’s website:

www.susanstephens.com/thunderbolt

At the Brazilian’s Command

Susan Stephens

www.millsandboon.co.uk

SUSAN STEPHENS was a professional singer before meeting her husband on the Mediterranean island of Malta. In true Mills & Boon® Modern Romance™ style they met on Monday, became engaged on Friday and married three months later. Susan enjoys entertaining, travel and going to the theatre. To relax she reads, cooks and plays the piano, and when she’s had enough of relaxing she throws herself off mountains on skis, or gallops through the countryside singing loudly.

MILLS & BOON

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For the fabulous Ms M,

travelling companion extraordinaire

Contents

Cover

Introduction

Hot Brazilian Nights

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

EPILOGUE

Extract

Copyright

PROLOGUE

THE TERMS OF his grandfather’s last will and testament had shocked everyone but Tiago Santos, to whom they had come as no surprise. To inherit he must marry. It was that simple. If he did not marry within a specific timeframe the ranch he loved in Brazil, and had built up into a world-class concern, would be handed over to a board of trustees who didn’t know one end of a horse from the other.

His grandfather had suffered from delusions of grandeur, Tiago recalled as he prepared to land the jet he had piloted from Brazil to the wedding of his best friend, Chico, in Scotland. Tiago must give up his freedom to marry in order to preserve the Santos name, which his grandfather had believed was more important than the individuals who bore that name.

‘The name Santos must not die out,’ his grandfather had stated on his deathbed. ‘It is time for you to find a wife, Tiago. If you don’t provide an heir, our family will disappear without a trace.’

‘And if I marry and we’re not lucky enough to have a child?’

‘You will adopt,’ the old man had said, as if a child could be so easily co-opted into his plan. ‘If you refuse me this you will lose everything you have worked so hard to rebuild.’

‘And the families who have lived on Fazenda Santos for generations? Would you disinherit them too?’

‘Your bleeding heart is wasted on me, Tiago. Do you think I care what happens when I’m dead? My legacy must live on. Don’t look at me like that,’ his grandfather had protested. ‘Do you think I won this land with the milk of human kindness? What’s so hard about what I’m asking you to do? You’re with a different woman every week—pick one of them. You breed horses, don’t you? Now I’m asking you to breed on a woman and get a child to bear our name. You know what will happen if you don’t. You don’t even have to keep her. Just keep the child.’

There was no way to argue with someone on his deathbed, and for that reason alone he had held his tongue. But one thing was sure: whatever it took, he would save the ranch.

CHAPTER ONE

THE FIST CAME out of nowhere and smacked her in the face. Flat on her back in the hay, reeling from shock and fighting off oblivion, she blanked for a moment and then fought like a demon. Cruel hands grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head. Before she drew her next breath a powerful thigh was rammed between her legs. Terror clawed at her throat. Pain stabbed her body. The man was kneeling on top of her. She was alone in the stables, apart from the horses, and it was dark. The band at the wedding party was playing so loudly no one would hear her scream.

No way was she going to be raped. Not if she could help it, Danny determined.

Fear and fury gave her strength. But not enough!

She couldn’t fight the man. He was too strong for her. Pressing her down with his weight, he was grunting as he freed himself, breathing heavily in anticipation of what he was going to do.

Yanking her head from side to side, she looked for something—anything—to beat him off with. If only she could free one hand—

He laughed as she strained furiously beneath him.

She knew that laugh.

Carlos Pintos!

Everything had happened in a matter of seconds, blinding her to all but the most primal sense of survival, or she would have recognised her brutal ex. It sickened her to know that Pintos must have tracked her down to this remote village in the Highlands of Scotland. Were there no lengths he wouldn’t go to, to punish her for leaving him?

Coming here to Scotland, she’d been running home—running away from Pintos—running for her life. But no longer, Danny determined fiercely. She had escaped her brutal lover, and had no intention of giving way to him now. This was over.

As hate and fear collided inside her an anger so fierce it gave her renewed strength surged inside her. Bringing her knee up, she tried to catch him in the groin. But Pintos was too quick for her, and he laughed as he back-handed her across the face.

She recovered to find him braced on his forearms, preparing for his first lunge.

‘Boring then—boring now,’ Pintos sneered as a guttural sound of terror exploded from her throat. ‘Why don’t you admit you want me and give in?’

Never.

The only thing that made it through her frozen mind was that if ‘boring’ meant refusing the type of relationship Pinto had demanded, then, yes, she was boring.

‘Well?’ he sing-songed, sending her stomach into heaving spasms as he licked her face.

It had only been after she’d been going out with him for a while that Danny had discovered that Carlos Pintos, a big noise on the polo circuit, was a violent bully. He was always charming in public, and she had been guilty of falling under his spell, but he became increasingly vicious when they were alone. He must have used that same charm to get through security at the wedding.

Exclaiming with revulsion, she whipped her face away from his slavering tongue, knowing she had only one chance. With his weight advantage Pintos was over-confident, and he was taunting her by drawing this out. Gathering her remaining strength, she snapped up and rammed her head into his face.

With a yowl he reeled back, clutching his nose, blood pouring through his fingers. She lurched away, but the deep hay slowed her progress as she scuttled crab-like across the stable. Grabbing hold of the hay net on the wall, she hauled herself up and hit the bolt on the stable door. Barging through, head down, legs heavy and as weak as jelly, she lumbered forward, setting her sights on an exit that had never seemed further away.

* * *

Having escaped the wedding party, Tiago was taking a brisk stroll around the home fields of the vast Highland estate. As heir to a ranch in Brazil the size of a small country, casting a professional eye over farmland was second nature to him. His public face was that of an international polo player at the top of his game, but his private world was the wild pampas of Brazil, where he bred horses—a place where men were worthy of the name and women didn’t simper. The press called him a playboy, but he much preferred being outside in a challenging landscape like this to the cloying warmth of the crowded house.

Quickening his stride, he headed around the side of the house to the stables. His friend Chico had done well, marrying the heiress of this estate, though Chico had his own slice of Brazil to add to the pot, so it was a good marriage bargain all round. Chico intended to breed horses here as well as in Brazil—priceless ponies that might have been said to be the best in the world if Tiago’s hadn’t been better. He and Chico had often talked about expanding into the European market, and he could tell that this land had been primed and was ready for animals to raise their young in the spring.

Which was more than could be said for him, Tiago reflected dryly. Fulfilling his grandfather’s demand that he find a wife was still a work in progress. He liked his freedom too much to settle down. The press referred to his Thunderbolts polo team as a pack of rampaging barbarians. He gave the tag new meaning—though the public liked to think of him rampaging with a glass of Krug in his hand and a beautiful woman on his arm.

He relaxed as he came closer to the stables, where he would be as happy chatting to a horse as making small talk in the ballroom. The courtyard in front of the block was dimly lit, in contrast to the chandeliers set party-bright inside the grand old house.

He was halfway across the yard when the door to the stable block burst open and a small female, dressed in some flouncy creation, tumbled out.

‘What the—?’

Instead of reacting graciously as he ran to save her she screamed some obscenity at him and, grabbing hold of his lapels, roared at him like a tigress before angrily attempting to thrust him away. When this failed to make any impact she stepped back and, holding herself defensively, glared at him through furious eyes.

For a moment he didn’t recognise her, but then...

‘Danny?’

He knew the girl. She was the bride’s best friend, and a bridesmaid at the wedding. He’d first met her at Chico’s ranch in Brazil, where both the bride—Lizzie—and Danny had been studying horse-training under the heel of an acknowledged master of terrorising students: his friend and teammate Chico Fernandez.

‘What has happened here?’ he demanded as she continued to glare at him. She was panting as if she’d run a mile. Then he saw her face was badly bruised. ‘Deus, Danny!’

Moving past her, he stared into the darkened stable block. Nothing seemed to be out of place, so he turned back to her.

‘Danny, it’s Tiago from Brazil. Don’t you recognise me? You’re safe now.’

Battered and bruised she might be, but her eyes blazed at this last comment.

‘Safe with you?’ she derided.

Fair enough. If she believed his press, she probably should run for her life.

But she didn’t run. Danny stayed to confront him. She’d always had guts, he remembered, and had never been afraid to take him on when they’d met at Chico’s ranch. But what had happened here?

‘Why are you out here on your own?’ And where the hell was Security? he wondered, glancing around.

‘What’s it to you?’ As she spoke she touched the red bruise on her cheek.

‘Quiet, chica... You need help with this.’

‘From you?’ she demanded. And then she shrieked. ‘Watch out!’ and, giving him one hell of a push, she alerted him to the shadowy form looming behind them.

Shielding her with his body, he countered the attack and knocked the man out cold.

Carlos Pintos!

He loathed the man. Pintos gave polo a bad name. A cheat on the field of play, as well as in life, he was also Danny’s ex—who had brutalised her, by all accounts, he remembered now. Toeing the inert figure with the tip of his boot, he reassured himself that Pintos wasn’t going anywhere before calling Chico on his phone.

A few terse words later, he turned back to Danny.

‘Don’t,’ she said, holding up her hands as if to ward him off.

They’d had many a run-in during Danny’s time in Brazil, but theirs had always been a good-natured battleground, where he teased and she flirted. It had never gone any further than that.

‘Thank you would suffice,’ he commented mildly. ‘And please let me assure you that I have absolutely no intention of touching you.’

He was assessing her injuries as he spoke. Judging them superficial, he considered the subject closed—though the police would have to be alerted, and he would wait until he was sure Pintos was safely under lock and key.

‘Thank you,’ Danny muttered, frowning as she stared up at him from beneath her eyelashes.

Straightening his suit jacket, he brushed his hair back and then asked bluntly, ‘Did he touch you?’

‘What do you think?’

‘I can see the obvious bruises, but I think you know what I mean.’

Grimly, she shook her head. ‘He didn’t do what you’re thinking. You men all think the same.’

She was upset, but he wouldn’t stand for that. ‘Don’t tar me with the same brush as Pintos. And you still haven’t told me why you’re out here on your own.’

‘I was in the stable block checking out the horses,’ she explained grudgingly.

He didn’t believe her for a minute. Chico had staff to do that, and even Danny wasn’t so closely welded to her job.

‘I’ve lived here all my life,’ she murmured, ‘and I’ve always felt safe here. Nothing like this has ever happened before. And if you must know,’ she added, flashing a glance up at him, ‘I wanted to be alone. I wanted to think...away from the noise of the party.’

‘I can understand you wanting some quiet time,’ he agreed—he’d felt the same. ‘But times change, Danny.’

‘Yes,’ she said ruefully. ‘Everything changes. But I’m still here.’

He guessed she would miss her friend Lizzie now she had married Chico, and perhaps Danny’s scholarship to train horses in Brazil hadn’t been the golden ticket she’d hoped for. ‘It takes time to establish a career—especially a career with horses.’

‘And money,’ she said. ‘Lots of money that I just don’t have. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that I can’t have everything in life.’

‘You’re wrong. Look at me.’

She smiled at his arrogance, but he knew that self-confidence was the first step towards building any successful career. If he hadn’t believed in himself, who would have?

‘It’s possible for you to do this too,’ he said, and when she started to argue, he added, ‘I admit I was in the right place at the right time, but I worked all the hours under the sun for that luck—as you do. I always had a vision of what my future would hold. You have the same. So go for it, Danny,’ he advised. ‘Don’t hold back.’

If there was one thing he couldn’t tolerate it was bullies, and he hated seeing what Pintos had done to this woman—stripping away Danny’s spirit and leaving only the doubt underneath. He found himself willing his strength into her.

He’d never been in this position with a woman before; communicating with women on a serious level had never been necessary. His life was full of women, and he had never wanted this type of interaction with one of them. But to keep Danny steady after her ordeal, he continued on with his theme.

‘When we first met on Chico’s ranch in Brazil you wanted your own horse-training establishment. Am I right?’

‘Yes,’ she agreed, but she was shaking her head. ‘I was idealistic then. I hadn’t thought through all the pitfalls ahead of me.’

‘And you think it’s been easy for me?’

His face was close. Her scent bewitched him. He was pleased when her flickering gaze steadied on his, telling him she was calming down.

“I worked hard and never gave up my dream. And neither must you, Danny. Never...never give up your dream.’

Her gaze strayed to Pintos.

‘Don’t look at him. Look at me.’

He was relieved when she did so.

‘Thank you.’ Her eyes were wide and wounded. ‘Thank you for reminding me what I want out of life, and that he has no part in it.’

‘Don’t thank me. You’re strong. You’ll get over this.’ He glanced at the creep on the floor. ‘He won’t be bothering you again. I promise you that.’

‘I’m all right—really,’ she insisted, with a smile that didn’t make it to her eyes.

She didn’t want his pity. He could understand that. Danny wasn’t the type to make a fuss. She didn’t cry, or cling to him. She’d been one of the boys in Brazil, only caring for her horses and for her best friend—today’s bride, Lizzie. She had always lifted everyone’s spirits on Chico’s ranch.

He glanced again at Pintos in disgust. The creep had been so eager to recapture Danny he had forgotten to do up his flies. ‘I’ll stay with you until Security arrives,’ he reassured her, seeing she was still frightened of the man. ‘I’ll hand Pintos over to them and then I’ll take you back to the house.’

‘There’s no need for that,’ she insisted, shaking her head as she hugged herself defensively.

‘There’s every need,’ he argued. ‘You shouldn’t be on your own tonight. And you should get checked over.’

She shook her head slowly, as if she were reliving events. ‘I can’t believe I let this happen.’

‘You didn’t let this happen, Danny,’ he said firmly. ‘You’ve done nothing wrong.’

She glanced at him then, as if seeking reassurance. ‘Maybe I should take it as a sign that my time here’s done.’

‘Then don’t stay,’ he said with a shrug. ‘But just promise me you won’t make any hasty decisions while you’re upset.’

‘Upset?’ she scoffed. ‘I’m over it.’

He doubted that. ‘Good, but please sleep on it, and see how you feel in the morning. Maybe you’ll feel differently then.’

‘Or maybe I’ll think Clean page, new story.’

‘That’s also a possibility,’ he conceded.

‘But I can’t run away,’ she said softly, almost to herself. ‘I can’t run away from Carlos or from anything else.’

‘You don’t have to,’ he reassured her. ‘Change doesn’t always involve running away. Think carefully before you make any life-changing decisions. And don’t go wandering around on your own in the dark in future.’

‘Why?’ Her eyes cleared suddenly and she repaid him with a piercing look. ‘Because you won’t be around to save me?’

He met that stare and held it. ‘That’s right. I won’t.’

* * *

Danny’s feelings were in an uproar. Yes, she was shocked by what had happened in the stable, but standing next to Tiago Santos was incredible, and unreal, and incredibly unsettling even without having Carlos Pintos at her feet. She had been violently attracted to Tiago in Brazil. From the very first moment she had felt a connection between them, and it was still there.

Which only proved what a hopeless judge of men she was, Danny reflected. Tiago was a notorious playboy, and when they’d first met she had treated him as such—teasing him, yes, because that was in her nature, but keeping a safe distance from him, all the same. And now Tiago was handing out life advice. Was he the best person to do that?

Surprisingly, tonight she would say yes—because tonight he was talking to her as Lizzie would, and his concern for her appeared to be genuine.

‘Security’s here,’ he announced as two guards ran up. ‘We’ll go back to the house as soon as we’ve spoken to the police.’

‘I don’t need a chaperon, Tiago,’ she stressed.

‘That’s good, because I’m not for hire.’

‘Why don’t you go back to the party?’ she suggested, having no inclination to jump from the frying pan into the fire. ‘I feel really bad, keeping you here.’

‘You’re not keeping me,’ he insisted. ‘We’ll go back together. I have to know you’re safe.’

‘How much harm do you think can come to me between here and the front door?’

Tiago’s answer was to stare at her in a way that told her he wouldn’t be dissuaded, and in spite of his all too colourful reputation she had to admit she did feel safe with him. And she had to get over her schoolgirl crush fast, Danny cautioned herself. Tiago Santos was not for her.

‘Just a few more minutes,’ he said, staring at her with concern.

She smiled back at him, recognising that soothing, husky, faintly accented tone as the same voice he’d used to soothe his ponies in Brazil.

‘You don’t have to come back to the party, Danny. I’ll make your excuses for you.’

‘No, you won’t,’ she argued firmly.

Tiago raised a cynical brow over eyes that were dark and piercing. He was such a good-looking man it was impossible to remain immune to him. And he could read her like a book. He always had been able to.

The course she’d taken in Brazil had been so hard, and Tiago was a hugely successful polo international. She had always tried that little bit harder when he’d come to watch her working in the training ring. Her pride was holding her up now. He knew how shaken she was, but she didn’t want him to think her weak.

As the seconds ticked by she longed for the sanctuary of her room. This situation was unreal, and she wanted nothing more than to strip off and stand beneath a shower, scrubbing every inch of her body clean. She had to get rid of Carlos’s touch, and then hopefully forget she had ever been so stupid as to take up with a man like him in the first place.

She glanced at Tiago as he gave instructions to the security guards, thinking how different he was. Tiago’s command of the situation was reassuring. He was everything the sorry excuse for a man at their feet was not.

Did the fates see any humour in the situation? she wondered. Tiago Santos, the world’s most notorious playboy, was no playboy but a protector—strong and caring. He might look dangerous, but his character was different from the way it was described in his press.

‘Where do you think you’re going?’ he called after her as she started back to the house.

‘We’ve spoken to the police. Pintos has gone—’

‘I’m heading your way, remember?’ he said, catching up with her. ‘Go straight up to your room and I’ll tell Lizzie what’s happened.’

‘No, you won’t. Lizzie’s been upset enough tonight. She must have noticed I’m missing. She will have seen the lights of the police cars. This is her day, not mine. Let’s not spoil it for her,’ she said, desperate not to ruin Lizzie’s day. ‘Just tell her the fuss is over and there’s nothing for her to worry about. Say I went to check on the horses and lost track of time. Tell her I tripped in the mud and had to clean myself up—I’ve gone upstairs to change my clothes and I’ll be back at the party soon.’

‘I’ll do what I can,’ Tiago promised. ‘But I won’t lie to her. Danny, you can’t pretend nothing’s happened,’ he insisted when she scowled at him.

‘That’s not what I asked you to do. What?’ she demanded impatiently, when Tiago continued to stare at her.

A faint smile touched his mouth. ‘You might not be able to keep it a secret.’

‘Why not?’

‘You won’t win any beauty contests tonight.’

She touched her face and groaned, remembering the bruises. She’d forgotten about them.

‘Do you have anything you can put on them?’ Tiago asked with concern.

‘I’m sure there’ll be something in the house.’

‘Maybe I should call a doctor for you?’

‘A doctor won’t come out at this time of night—and why would we trouble one? Thank you for your concern—seriously, Tiago—but it’s only a bruise, and bruises fade.’

‘And you don’t have to be strong all the time,’ he fired back.

‘What’s it to you?’ Biting back tears, and hating herself for the weakness, she confronted him in the way they had squared up to each other on so many occasions on the ranch in Brazil.

It was a terrible mistake to stare into Tiago’s eyes. Her awareness of him only grew. But she couldn’t allow him to patronise or pity her, if only because it was so dangerous to wonder, even for a second, how it might feel to have a man like Tiago Santos care for her.

The first thing she had to do was get over tonight. Bruises would fade, but the disappointment she felt in herself for not progressing her career as she would have liked, for not moving away from her home town, and most of all for getting mixed up with a man like Carlos Pintos, would take a lot longer.

‘I should thank you properly,’ she said, remembering her manners belatedly. If nothing else, Tiago had been her saviour tonight.

He shrugged it off. ‘No medals, Danny. They’d only spoil my suit.’

He could always make her smile. The playboy was still in him, beneath that white knight’s shining armour. She must never allow herself to forget that Tiago Santos possessed a glittering charm that had led many women astray. She must never be guilty of romanticising that charm, because there was another man underneath it.

Brutal tattoos showed beneath the crisp white cuffs of Tiago’s immaculate dress shirt, and a gold earring glinted in what light there was. This was not some safe, mild-mannered man—a white knight racing to rescue the damsel in distress—but Tiago Santos: the most infamous barbarian of them all.

CHAPTER TWO

ANNIE, THE HOUSEKEEPER at Rottingdean, was waiting for them at the front door.

‘Chico told me what happened,’ Danny heard Annie inform Tiago discreetly as the housekeeper ushered her away. She saw him nod briefly.

‘Before you go,’ he called after her. ‘Here’s my card. If you need anything...’

‘Your card?’ She smiled at the incongruity of a barbarian carrying a card, but took it and studied it before looking up. ‘I won’t need anything, but thank you again for tonight.’

Tiago ground his jaw. He wasn’t used to being on the receiving end of a rain check, she guessed as he turned to rejoin the party.

She scrubbed down in the shower, turning her face up with relief to the cleansing stream. So what excuse did she have for being in the stables on her own at night, in the middle of Lizzie’s wedding party?

She’d been having a moment, Danny concluded. She had needed some quiet time to contemplate her life going forward now her best friend was married. The stables was where she had always sought sanctuary, even as a child. The horses were so quiet and mild they had always been a relief—a release from her troubled home life—and tonight had seemed a good time for her to re-evaluate in that quiet place.

The last thing she had expected was for a nightmare like Carlos Pintos to reappear. Thankfully, he would be locked away for a very long time now. The police had told her this. It turned out he was a wanted man, who had stalked and attacked several women.

So all she had to worry about now was Tiago Santos.

Oh, good, Danny reflected wryly, wondering if she would ever get Tiago out of her head. While he was close by she could think of nothing else.

But where was she going with this? Shouldn’t she toughen up and forget about men? Wasn’t that safer? She would have to if she was ever going to give herself the chance of a career. And what was she waiting for as far as that was concerned? She had a prestigious diploma from Chico’s training school in Brazil, as well as a lifetime of experience with horses. It was time to make that count. It was time to start planning for the day when she had her own equine establishment.

With an impatient laugh she turned the shower to ice. Maybe that would wash some sense into her. She was a few hundred thousand pounds short of the start-up cash for her own place, with very little prospect of getting hold of such huge amounts of money.

‘Danny?’ Annie was calling from behind the door.

‘Yes?’

‘There’s someone here to see you, hen.’

The familiar Scottish endearment made Danny smile. ‘Just give me a minute and I’ll grab a towel—’

It would be Lizzie. She would play down what had happened. She would change the subject and make Lizzie laugh. It was her best friend’s wedding day, when everything had to be perfect. And it would be if Danny had anything to do with it.

‘I can tell him you’d rather not see anyone if you’d prefer that, hen?’

Him?

‘He’s very concerned about you...’ Annie waited, and then, receiving no reply, added, ‘I think you should at least see him to reassure him that you’re okay...’

Danny’s heart went crazy. She was actually trembling. There was only one man who knew what had happened in the stable. And she had just vowed to cut him out of her life.

‘I’ve brought you a clean dress. I’ll just leave it on the bed, shall I?’ Annie suggested. A few more seconds passed and then the housekeeper called out with concern, ‘Are you okay in there, Danny?’

‘Yes. I’m fine.’ She put her resolute face on. ‘I’m just coming... Could you ask him to give me a few minutes?’

‘Will do, hen.’

And now there was silence. Was Tiago standing outside the door, or had he gone downstairs to wait for her? She stood listening, naked and dripping water everywhere, with the towel hanging limply from her hand. Wasn’t it better to face him, talk to him, reassure him as Annie had suggested? Then she could finally put an end to this horrible episode. Tiago must understand that she was very grateful to him but that she didn’t need his help going forward.

Securing the towel tightly around her, she firmed her jaw.

* * *

She was keeping him waiting. No woman had ever kept him waiting before. He had to remind himself that tonight Danny was a special case. She’d had a shock and he was supposed to be playing the role of understanding friend. At least that was how the bride had described him when he had passed on Danny’s message. Chico had already told Lizzie what had happened, so obviously the bride was full of concern for her friend.

‘Be gentle with her, Tiago’.

What the hell do you think I’m going to be with her? he had thought.

‘Just do this one thing for me,’ Lizzie had begged him with her hand on his arm.

‘I will,’ he had promised, finding a smile to reassure the bride. And he’d kept his word.

In his hand there was nothing more threatening than horse liniment to speed up the healing of Danny’s bruises. Was that gentlemanly enough?

* * *

Danny looked at the dress Annie had left on the bed with dismay. It was the type of dress she’d seen in magazines, but it was hardly appropriate for someone whose life revolved around horses. It was lovely, and maybe any other night she would have loved to try it on. If she was honest, she would love to wear it—but not tonight, when she was feeling about as confident as a cockroach with a foot hovering over it.

The dress was bright red silk, and the type of dress to get you noticed, darted in such a way that it showed off the figure. It was a perfect dress for a wedding party, for dancing, for having fun. It was Lizzie’s dress. She recognised it immediately and smiled, thinking of her friend picking it out for her to wear.

So what was she going to do? Tiago was waiting outside. Lizzie was waiting downstairs. She didn’t want Tiago thinking she was weak, and she didn’t want to worry her friend.

She put on the dress and left her hair loose. Slipping her feet into Lizzie’s silver sandals—they were almost the same size—she checked herself over in the mirror. She tipped her chin up and sighed. The bruises didn’t look too bad now, but they were still noticeable even though she had covered them with make-up. But there would be atmospheric lighting downstairs for the dancing. No one would notice, she hoped. She was definitely going to pull this off.

* * *

He could hear Danny moving around inside the room. Why the hell didn’t she open the door? He rested his head against the wall, and then pulled away again. He thought about walking straight in, and then remembered he was playing the role of a gentleman tonight.

‘Nearly ready,’ she called out brightly, as if the evening had held nothing more for her than a garden party and a chance meeting between old friends. ‘Sorry to keep you waiting!’

I bet, he thought.

She swung the door wide and for once he was speechless. A transformation had been wrought and for a moment he wasn’t sure he approved. He’d seen Danny in breeches and a shirt often enough as she sat astride a horse. He’d seen her in a fancy bridesmaid’s dress, demure and contained—and then bedraggled, muddy and bruised later, which had brought out his protective instinct. But this red clinging number—far too short, far too revealing...

‘You can’t be thinking of going down to the party dressed like that?’

The words were out of his mouth before he could stop himself. The irony wasn’t lost on him. Danny was dressed as he expected a woman on his arm to dress—but this was Danny.

And, seeing the way she was staring at him now, he braced himself for the backlash he knew was on its way.

‘I most certainly am going down in this dress,’ she told him, her gaze steely. ‘It’s all I’ve got to wear—other than a bathrobe. Or I could make Lizzie think I’m in a really bad way and upset her even more than I have already by staying up here in my room all night?’

He slanted a smile, guessing none of those options would appeal.

‘If you’d rather not be seen with me—’

‘I brought you this,’ he interrupted.

‘What is it?’ she asked suspiciously, thrown as she stared at the tube he held in his hand.

‘I use it on the horses when they get bruises. It works miracles.’

She angled her chin to give him an assessing stare. ‘Does it smell?’

A muscle in his jaw flexed as she brought the tube to her nose. ‘I must admit I hadn’t thought about that.’

‘Perhaps I should?’ she said with the suggestion of a smile. ‘For the sake of the other guests, if nothing else?’

He raised a brow, forced now to curb his own smile. Having taken in the hourglass figure, the glorious hair hanging loose almost to her waist, and the tiny feet with pink shell-like nails enclosed in a pair of high-heeled silver sandals, he was appreciating Danny’s indomitable spirit as he never had before. The fact that she could be so together after such an ordeal was hugely to her credit.

‘Thank you, Tiago,’ she said briskly, before he could process these thoughts. ‘It seems I have a lot to thank you for tonight. And I do...sincerely,’ she added, holding his gaze steadily for a good few seconds.

It was time enough for his groin to tighten. ‘You’re certain you’re all right now?’ He had to remind himself that his thoughts where Danny was concerned weren’t appropriate.

‘I will be when I get back to the party,’ she assured him, glancing at the door. ‘I’m keen to get everything back to normal for Lizzie as soon as I can. I’ll just leave this here, if that’s all right with you?’ She flashed him a glance as she put the cream down on the table. ‘I’ll put it on tonight, when there’s no one else around to smell it.’

He was unreasonably glad to discover she would be on her own tonight. ‘Shall we?’ he said, offering his arm.

‘Why not?’ she replied walking past him.

* * *

She walked ahead of Tiago, and all the way down the stairs she felt the heat of his stare on her back. The fact that they were both so aware of each other was exciting, but also dangerous, and she had no intention of allowing Tiago Santos to see just how much his presence rattled her, or that the sight of him close up was all it took to unnerve her.

No man could achieve his level of success by being an angel, though she supposed he couldn’t be held responsible for the way he looked—those eyes, that mouth, the way he stood, eased onto one hip, as if life were his to survey at his leisure.

She had lived in Brazil for quite some time while she was training at Chico’s ranch, and she had come to love the Brazilian people for their warmth and exuberance. Tiago had those same qualities in abundance, though she had to remind herself of the rumours that said he was a lone wolf and dangerous.

It was almost a relief to be enveloped in the noise and exuberance of the party downstairs, where she headed straight for the top table and Lizzie.

‘Wow—you look amazing,’ Lizzie exclaimed, standing up to greet her. ‘I’m glad I picked that dress—it really suits you. Are you okay now?’ Lizzie added in a quieter tone, and then she saw the bruises. ‘Oh, Danny! Your poor face!’

‘Is it an improvement?’ Danny touched her cheek gingerly.

‘Don’t joke about it. It isn’t funny,’ Lizzie insisted. ‘Pintos is a monster. Thank God he’s locked away.’

‘Let’s not speak about him again, okay?’ Danny put her arm around Lizzie’s shoulder. ‘I don’t want anything to spoil your wedding day.’

Lizzie ignored the warning. They were both too stubborn to be curbed so easily, Danny supposed.

‘I’m just so relieved that Tiago was there to save you,’ Lizzie exclaimed, glancing round to look for the man in question. ‘Maybe he’s not as bad as they say?’

‘He’s every bit as bad,’ Danny argued as she stared at Tiago, who was talking to the groom.

‘I can’t imagine how Pintos crashed the wedding,’ Lizzie went on with concern. ‘He certainly wasn’t on my guest list. Chico said he must have been playing polo somewhere in the British Isles and made that his excuse to come to Scotland to cause trouble for you. And the security people let us down. But there’ll be no more mistakes, and Pintos won’t do anything like that again.’ Lizzie’s face softened as she stared at Danny and shook her head. ‘I feel so guilty about this.’

‘Don’t,’ Danny said firmly. ‘Pintos is evil, and I’m glad we’re all rid of him.’

Lizzie smiled with relief. ‘Thank you for coming back to the party. That took a lot of courage, Danny. I was so worried about you.’

‘You don’t need to worry about me. I can look after myself.’

‘But we’ve always looked after each other in the past, haven’t we? And I wasn’t there for you this time.’

‘Lizzie,’ Danny said in a mock-stern voice. ‘This is your wedding day.’

‘And you don’t have to put on a front for me, Danny Cameron.’

‘I’m not putting on a front. I’m letting this go. I won’t allow Carlos Pintos to colour my life, or my thinking, or anything I do.’

‘And he won’t.’ Lizzie gave her a hug. ‘But I think there’s another man who would like to...’

‘Only because you’re staring at Tiago. He thinks we’re talking about him,’ Danny pointed out, tensing as Tiago started heading their way.

She shivered as his shadow fell over them, and then was instantly annoyed with herself for reacting at all.

Tiago made a gracious bow to the bride, and then said, ‘Excuse us, Lizzie. Shall we dance?’

Danny almost looked over her shoulder, to see who he was talking to. ‘Me?’

‘Of course you,’ he said.

How could she refuse when Tiago was giving her a look she couldn’t misinterpret—a look she had to act on immediately? Chico was hovering, and she had taken up quite enough of the bride’s time.

Why make a fuss? she concluded. This was a party. It was no big deal if she had one dance with Tiago Santos.

‘Seems I have to thank you again,’ she said.

‘Why?’ He was frowning.

She couldn’t speak for a moment as Tiago drew her into his arms, swamping her with many emotions, chief amongst which was an intense awareness of him. This was more than she had expected to experience in one night. He was so much more. It was hard to breathe, or to register anything beyond Tiago’s masculinity, and it took all she’d got to concentrate long enough to answer him.

‘I’m glad you teased me away from Lizzie. I guess old habits die hard. We’ve practically been welded to each other since we were children.’

‘And then Chico came along?’ he guessed.

‘That’s right,’ she admitted, smiling wryly.

‘So you and Lizzie have been friends for a long time?’

‘Yes, but I should have taken the hint faster that Chico wanted to be with his bride—so thanks for that.’

‘Is that why you were in the stables earlier, Danny? Were you wondering how your life would go forward from now on, without Lizzie to confide in?’

‘You’re too smart,’ she said. His intuition was unsettling.

‘It’s understandable,’ he argued, drawing her into his hard-muscled frame so they could dance as one. ‘You’re bound to consider how this will change things between you, and we all need quiet times to sort out our heads. Did you come to a conclusion?’

She was coming to a few conclusions now. She wished she wasn’t wearing such a provocative dress—it was giving Tiago all the wrong signals. He was making her wonder if she had come downstairs too soon.

Her body was rioting at the touch of Tiago’s hands and the warmth of his breath on her skin. Having her hand in his was electrifying. Having him direct her movements, even in this harmless dance, was equally disturbing. She had to remind herself that dance was the lifeblood of Brazil, and that it was a means of expression that very few nations could use to such good effect. Right now Tiago and dance had combined to stunning effect.

And she had to keep it up for a little while longer, Danny reasoned, if only because Lizzie was watching them with concern. One dance with the most dangerous man in the room. She could handle that. She wasn’t going to allow herself to be intimidated ever again—not by life, and not by Tiago.

They fitted together perfectly, considering Tiago was twice her size. He moved so well he made it easy for her. She found herself moving rhythmically with him in a way that was sexy, even suggestive, but it was just one dance, she reassured herself.

They were close enough to the top table for Lizzie to flash anxious glances their way, and she smiled back to confirm that everything was all right.

And it might have been had she not been moving closer and closer to Tiago. He didn’t force her to. His touch remained frustratingly light. But the music was compelling her to do this. It was intoxicating, and the pulse of South America was soon running through her veins. She could feel his muscles flexing as he teased all her senses at once. If she moved away he brought her back.

There weren’t many men who looked good dancing, but Tiago was one of them. Maybe because he was an athlete. His body was supple and strong. And he was Brazilian—dark and mysterious and sexy, with a passion he carried everywhere with him. She trembled as he dipped his head and his warm, minty breath brushed her face.

‘I didn’t know you were such a good dancer, Danny.’

‘Neither did I,’ she admitted.

His firm lips slanted in a sexy smile. ‘It must be because you’re dancing with me.’

She laughed at his engaging self-assurance.

‘You were such a tomboy in Brazil.’

‘I’m still a tomboy, Senhor Santos.’

‘Tiago, please,’ he murmured, in a husky whisper that raised every tiny hair on the back of her neck.

She couldn’t deny she was disappointed to learn that Tiago still thought of her as a tomboy. She was a woman—a woman with needs. She was a confused woman, still recovering from the shock of an attack, but sufficiently recovered to know how deeply this man affected her. And dance was the perfect outlet for her emotions. Dance was a means of expression when words wouldn’t come.

When the music faded and the band took a break she felt awkward suddenly, and glanced longingly towards the exit, where the double doors were open wide.

‘Have you had enough?’ Tiago asked.

She flashed a glance up at him. ‘I’m sorry—am I being so obvious?’

‘Too much too soon for you, I think,’ he said wisely.

Once again that intuition of his was a warning of how easily he could read her. Tiago was too much too soon, and always would be, Danny suspected. If she had known how it would feel to be in his arms, how she would feel, she would never have agreed to dance with him.

‘I do have one suggestion,’ he murmured.

‘Yes?’ She glanced up and felt her heart turn over.

‘Just wait a moment before you go. The DJ has taken over from the band, so have one more dance with me.’

She was just basking in the idea that Tiago enjoyed dancing with her when he spoke again.

‘That way it will give Chico enough time to make Lizzie forget everything—including you.’

Danny’s eyes flashed wide. His comment had stung. That was what happened when she dropped her guard around Tiago Santos. But he was right. She had to let her friend go and move on.

‘If you’re sure you don’t mind dancing with me?’ There were so many much prettier girls in the room.

‘I’m sure,’ Tiago confirmed with an amused look.

This was the type of thing she would have liked to discuss with Lizzie. They had both led such hectic, fractured lives as children, and had protected each other until their lives had been sewn together again by Lizzie’s grandmother and by the housekeeper, Annie, both of whom had been determined that neither child would suffer because of their less than responsible parents.

‘Shall I get you out of here?’ Tiago suggested, after a short time longer on the dance floor.

She refocused fast. ‘Sorry—was I frowning?’

‘Yes,’ he confirmed with amusement. ‘I’m disappointed you can’t concentrate on me.’

‘Maybe that’s why I’m frowning,’ she suggested with a wry smile.

‘Now I’m hurt.’

She doubted that. And she was willing to bet Tiago knew everything she was thinking. But she was starting to feel the strain of keeping up a bright and breezy front after what had happened in the stable.

‘Are you serious about getting me out of here?’

‘Absolutely,’ Tiago said, steering her towards the door.

The other couples on the dance floor quickly closed over the gap they’d left and it was as if they’d never been there, Danny thought as she glanced over her shoulder.

‘Don’t look round,’ Tiago advised. ‘Keep on walking. No one will notice we’re leaving—I’m thinking of Lizzie now—unless you draw attention to yourself.’

They wove their way through the tables with Tiago’s hand resting lightly in the small of her back. His touch was like a lightning transmitter and the force field didn’t let up—not even when he drew to a halt in the shadows beneath the staircase in the hall.

‘I’ll see you to your room,’ he said.

She shook her head decisively. ‘There’s no need for that.’

‘But I insist.’

The only explanation she could give for not putting up a better fight was that she was still in a state of shock. Why else hadn’t she resisted his suggestion?

When they reached her bedroom door and Tiago opened it for her, he stood back.

‘Goodnight, Danny.’

She held her breath as he ran one fingertip lightly down her cheek.

Why had he done that?

‘Try to get some sleep,’ he suggested gently before she could process that thought. ‘This has been quite a night for you.’

In every way, she thought, still tingling from his touch as Tiago turned away.

‘Goodnight, Tiago. And thank you...’

She watched him go, and only when his footsteps had faded and disappeared did she realise she was still holding her breath.

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