to say exasperatedly.
He shook his head. ‘I saw how close the two of you were just now, and I'm sure Zack didn't waste his time alone with you last night.’
‘You know Maxine left straight after you did?’ Her eyes were wide.
‘Yes,’ he nodded grimly. ‘She came to my room in the hope of having a slanging match; I refused to assist her. Surely you've realised my marriage is falling apart, Holly?’
‘I'm sure that if the two of you talked—–’
‘We would get nowhere,’ he finished firmly. ‘Maxine is no longer the type of wife I need, and we both know it. It's only a question of time before we separate for good.’
‘I—I'm sorry,’ she said in a pained voice, knowing how much this irrevocable breakdown must be hurting him. ‘If there's anything I can do—–’
‘Stay with me, Holly.’ His expression was intent, one of his hands coming out to grasp hers firmly. ‘Stay with me,’ he repeated softly. ‘I need you.’
She didn't know how to answer him, wasn't able to, as she saw a slight movement out of the corner of her eye, suddenly seeing Zack Benedict as he strolled casually through the garden. The french doors from this room opened out into the garden, and they were open now. How much of the conversation had Zack Benedict heard? If he had heard any of it at all he must find it very amusing, each brother now having warned her about the other. Although it looked as if his warning about James wasn't altogether unwarranted. The question was, what was she going to do about it!
‘I'll be your secretary for as long as you want me to,’ she was deliberately naïve. ‘You know I enjoy working here.’
‘That wasn't quite what I meant,’ James scowled his impatience. ‘I want—–’
‘Sorry to interrupt you, James,’ Zack spoke in a voice that said he wasn't sorry at all, as he walked in from the sunlit garden, ‘but I just thought I should let you know that I'm driving Maxine into town for an hour; she needs to buy some things she forgot in London. I didn't interrupt you—working, did I?’ He raised blond brows at Holly's hand still clasped in his brother's.
Holly removed her hand with a guilty blush, knowing by the mockery in the dark green eyes that he had chosen to misunderstand the situation. He had no reason to condemn her on so little, not when he was so obviously more than a brother-in-law to the beautiful Maxine! She noticed the green eyes narrow slightly, almost as if he had been able to read her thoughts. Well, she didn't care if he had, she had been doing nothing wrong when he came into the room.
‘Maxine is up, then?’ James didn't bother to answer his brother's question, asking one of his own.
‘Well, I could hardly be taking her into town if she weren't,’ Zack baited.
James's scowl deepened. ‘Why doesn't she drive herself? You aren't a taxi service.’
‘It just so happens that I offered to drive her,’ the other man told him sharply. ‘It is her first day here,’ he added abruptly. ‘I thought she could do with the company. Unless you …?’
‘No,’ James rasped. ‘Holly and I have some work to do.’
Mocking green eyes raked over her assessingly, almost as if Zack Benedict were accusing her of something. It wasn't too difficult to imagine what, not after what he had seen and heard! How could she possibly claim her innocence after this?
He nodded slightly. ‘I'll leave you to it, then. Don't work too hard.’ He left the same way he had entered, leaving an awkward silence behind him.
Holly didn't know whether to be grateful or angry at his interruption, knowing by his attitude that he had chosen to misunderstand what he had heard.
‘Where were we?’ asked James with impatience.
‘We were going to do some work on the book,’ she said briskly, wanting to divert his attention away from what they had really been discussing. She stood up. ‘I have the research notes you wanted in my desk, I'll go and get them.’
‘Holly—–’
‘Yes?’ She turned at the door, willing him not to tell her again how much he needed her.
He seemed to hesitate, then he nodded. ‘Go and get the notes,’ he said gruffly.
She escaped the room with relief, leaning back against the door for several seconds, then moving quickly to her office as she realised James would become concerned with the passing of time.
She had unlocked her desk and taken the papers out of the drawer when her office door opened without warning. Zack Benedict entered the room, closing the door to lean back against it, his arms folded in front of his chest.
Holly straightened at the blatant mockery in his face. ‘What can I do for you, Mr Benedict?’ she enquired coolly.
‘You can tell me what you intend to do now that it appears my brother thinks he's in love with you too.’ His eyes were as hard as the emeralds they resembled.
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