and I could have the downstairs apartment.’ She looked across the room to where her suitcases stood against the louvred doors of the wardrobe. She hadn’t even had time to unpack. ‘But, of course, it’s all changed now. I’ll get my things together and find somewhere else to stay.’
‘At this time of the evening?’ He raised a dark brow. ‘Even supposing you could find anywhere at such short notice, I couldn’t let you do that. I’ve a feeling that an attractive young woman alone in the city would be far too great a temptation for some of our, shall we say, less civilised, male citizens?’
She straightened her shoulders. ‘I can take care of myself.’
His glance moved over her. ‘Really?’
His obvious disbelief stung. She felt his dark gaze linger on her slender curves, and she hugged the towel to herself in a defensive gesture. With so much pale golden skin on display she felt she was at a distinct disadvantage. ‘Anyway, I should get dressed,’ she said, with as much dignity as she could muster. ‘If you wouldn’t mind …?’
He nodded. ‘Of course.’ He started to walk across the room but stopped by the door to look back and say, ‘You seem a bit flushed. Perhaps I could get you an iced drink and maybe something to eat? Or have you already had supper?’
Her eyes widened. She wasn’t expecting such generosity, given the circumstances, and it only made her feel worse, after the way she’d spoken to him. ‘No … um … I haven’t had time … I only arrived here a short time ago, and I was feeling hot and dusty after the flight and so on, so I decided to have a shower before I did anything else. Ross and I were going to have supper when …’ She broke off, then added, ‘He had to go to a meeting.’
‘Hmm.’ Connor was frowning as he looked at the suitcases. ‘I take it from your accent that you’re English. Is that right? Did you and Ross meet over in the UK? I know he was over there scouting for talent for his latest film project.’
‘Yes, we did.’ Connor was American-English, she knew, as his father had been born in the United States and his mother was from London. ‘We … uh … have a mutual friend over in Florida … my cousin, Carys … and she suggested he look me up.’
‘Oh, yes. I know Carys.’ He made a faint smile as he studied her. ‘I expect Ross was glad he took the time to follow up on that.’ He started to turn back towards the door. ‘Well, maybe I’ll make a start on preparing some food and then Ross can join us when he gets here.’
‘I … Yes, that would be good. Thank you.’ Her head was reeling. How on earth would Ross react on finding that his brother was here? One way or another, he was in for something of a shock.
Connor left the room and Alyssa pulled in a deep breath. It wasn’t the best way for her to have met Connor, was it? She’d heard quite a bit about him from Ross, and her overall impression was that Ross was a little in awe of his older brother. Now that she’d met him, she could certainly understand why. There was that quality about him, something that suggested he would always be in complete control of any situation, that nothing would faze him. Everything about him underlined that. He was supple and lithe, his body honed with latent energy, and a calm, inherent sense of authority oozed from every pore.
She dressed quickly, choosing a pale blue cotton dress with narrow straps, cool enough for the warmth of the evening. It wasn’t much in the way of a defence, but at least being fully dressed made her feel more in command of herself.
A few minutes later she walked into the kitchen and found Connor busy at the table, adding tomato paste and grated cheese to a large pizza base. He looked up as she entered the room. ‘You look fresh and cool,’ he murmured. ‘That colour suits you.’
‘Thank you.’
‘Sit down,’ he said, waving her to a chair by the pale oak table. ‘Would you like mushrooms with this? And peppers?’
‘Yes, please.’ She nodded, watching as he deftly cut and sliced mushrooms and then sprinkled them over the cheese.
She glanced around. From here, by the deep, broad window, she could look out over the ocean, and closer to home there was what seemed to be a small kitchen garden just beyond the veranda. The light outside was fading now, but solar lamps sent a golden glow over a variety of vegetables and a small grove of trees laden with plump, ripe oranges.
She turned her attention back to the kitchen. ‘You have a beautiful home,’ she said. The kitchen was full of state-of-the-art equipment, along with a tiled island bar and glass shelving that housed colourful ceramics and delicately sculpted vases.
‘Thanks.’ He smiled. ‘I must admit I’m pleased with it. When I moved here I wanted a house where I would be able to relax and shrug off the cares of the day, and this seemed to be the perfect place in an idyllic setting … a small piece of paradise, if you like. I sit out on the deck of an evening and watch the waves breaking on the shore. It’s very relaxing, especially if you like to watch wildlife, as I do. You sometimes see herons and egrets around here, and there might even be a golden plover that appears from time to time.’
‘It sounds idyllic.’
‘It is.’ He slid the pizza into the hot oven and came over to the table, picking up a jug of iced juice. ‘Would you like a drink? I can get you something stronger if you prefer.’
‘Thanks … orange juice will be fine.’ She made a face. ‘I’m not used to this heat. I seem to have been thirsty ever since I arrived here.’
His mouth curved. ‘You get used to it after a while. I have air-conditioning, but sometimes I prefer to throw open all the doors and windows and let the sea air in.’
‘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
