‘It sure as hell felt right until you suddenly decided it wasn’t, but I’m not into forcing any woman to have sex with me.’ He threw up the arm that had halted her rejection of any more togetherness. ‘If you hadn’t responded as you did...’
‘I didn’t mean to,’ she yelled at him, her face flaming at the truth he was flinging at her.
‘Oh, yes you did! Just for once you let that steel-trap mind of yours open enough for your instincts to take over and it was dynamite between us. Is that what scares you, Elizabeth?’
She hated how he could always hit the nail on the head with her. Yes, it scared her but she wasn’t going to admit it. She glared resentment at him. ‘I figure you’re dynamite to a lot of women, Harry, and I don’t care to be left in little pieces when you move on to your next piece of fluff.’
His hand sliced the air in savage dismissal of her argument. ‘I don’t think of you as fluff! Do you imagine I’d give this management job to someone I thought of as fluff?’
‘I’m not saying you didn’t believe I could do the work. But having a bit of sex on the side was on the plate, too, wasn’t it?’ she hurled back at him. ‘And now you’re peeved because I’ve decided not to cooperate.’
He rolled his head in exasperation. ‘Peeved does not describe what I feel right now, Elizabeth.’
There was a mountain of feeling brooding behind those words and Elizabeth instantly felt threatened by it. She scrambled off the day bed, swinging around on her feet to face down any follow-up from Harry. He hadn’t moved. He lay sprawled across the bed with his head propped up on his hand, his eyes searing hers with blistering accusation.
‘You’re shutting the gate on living life to the full,’ he said bitingly. ‘I don’t want your cooperation, Elizabeth. I want your surrender to what we could have together.’
‘That’s not the life I want,’ she retorted decisively.
‘You’re chasing dreams instead of taking on what’s real.’
‘My choice.’
‘One I can’t respect,’ he mocked.
‘I won’t stay here unless you do, Harry.’
‘Oh, I will on the surface, Elizabeth. You need have no fear of any unwelcomed advances from me. It will be strictly business tomorrow and any other day I’m here.’
She should have felt relieved, but there was an aching heaviness in her stomach, a drag of physical disappointment that was not about to be easily shifted. ‘In that case I’ll stay,’ she said flatly. Where else could she go and not be faced with Michael and Lucy? One thing she could certainly say for Harry—he had the knack of blotting them out for a while.
‘Your call.’ His mouth took on an ironic twist as he added, ‘And do feel free to call on me if you decide to change your mind and explore a different kind of life to the one you’ve planned so rigidly.’
She took a deep breath to ease the tightness in her chest and said, ‘Well, I’m glad we have that sorted.’
‘Yes, you’re a regular sorting machine, Elizabeth, everything slotted into its proper place,’ he drawled as he rolled off the other side of the day bed and faced her across it. ‘One day you might find there’s pleasure in improper activities.’
‘Not today,’ she said through gritted teeth, determined not to be taunted into doing anything reckless and stupid.
‘No, not today,’ he agreed mockingly. ‘I take it you’re about to say goodnight?’
‘Yes.’
‘I’ll fetch your cake. I wouldn’t want you to go without comfort food in the lonely darkness of the night.’
The cake.
She had completely forgotten it.
Wanted to forget it now but she couldn’t, not with the chef having made it especially for her. She would have to eat some of it, too, show appreciation.
Harry strode down the steps to the table that had been set for them. At his orders. She was sure of that. Hoping to sweeten her up to the point where he would slide into making a move on her. Her stomach curdled at how easy she had made it for him, and how quickly she had been caught up in the dynamic sexuality he could put out at will.
Her thighs were aquiver from having been in such intimate contact with him and her breasts were still in a state of arousal. He had excited her—almost to the point of no return—and he could probably do it again if she let him. Would he keep his word—strictly business from now on unless she gave him the green light?
He picked up the cake platter. Elizabeth realised she hadn’t even moved from where she’d scrambled off the day bed. If Harry saw her still standing beside it he might think she regretted her decision. She jerked into walking, rounding the bed and heading up towards the administration office.
Harry had given her the door key after he had locked up before dinner. She dug it out of her shorts pocket, anxious to have the door open and be standing right there, ready to receive the cake from him so he had no reason to come in with it. Being alone with him in any enclosed space right now would severely stretch nerves that were already wildly agitated at having to be face to face with him, just for a few moments.
It surprised her to see guests laughing and chatting in the open bar lounge as she passed by. It had seemed so private on the lower decks. What if any of these people had strolled down to the beach while she and Harry... It didn’t bear thinking about. Reckless, shameless...her face flamed at how very nearly she had succumbed to almost a public sex act.
Anger simmered as she unlocked the door, opened it and turned to take the cake platter from Harry, who had virtually caught up with her. ‘Did you realise there were still people up and about when you swept me off to that bed?’ she demanded accusingly.
‘So what?’ He arched his eyebrows at her as though she was mad.
‘Oh, you don’t care about anything, do you?’ she cried in exasperation and tried to snatch the platter from him.
He held on to it, forcing her to meet his gaze, a blast of hot resentment burning over her own. ‘On the contrary, I care about a lot of things, Elizabeth. As to your quite unnecessary embarrassment at the thought of being observed in flagrante, this happens to be a tropical island where people drop their inhibitions and feel free to have sex wherever and whenever they want it. Using that bed under the stars for some natural pleasure in the privacy of the night would not offend anyone.’
‘I’m not a guest. I’m staff,’ she argued furiously.
His chin jutted with arrogant authority. ‘This island is mine. I can make any rules I like for whomever I like.’
‘I live by my own rules, Harry,’ she flared at him. ‘Now let me have the cake and let’s say goodnight.’
He released the platter and stepped back, nodding mockingly as he said, ‘Goodnight, Elizabeth.’
Then he strode away, back towards the beach, not giving her the chance to say another word.
She
