occupied?’
‘I’d be delighted to,’ Selina agreed.
‘Forget it,’ Rion commanded, and frowned.
The moment he had seen Selina walk into the room he had sensed something different about her. Gone were the blue and yellow dresses she habitually wore, with their gently curved necklines so neatly styled to skim her figure. Instead she was wearing tailored white pants that clung to her hips and thighs and a skimpy green top, and she was wearing make-up for the first time since coming on board.
His frown deepened. She looked stunning, with the creamy curves of her breasts revealed by the silk top and her hair flowing in soft waves over her shoulders, and bore little resemblance to the Orphan Annie persona he had come to know and like. Was he disappointed? No. Selina was as he had thought when he’d met her again: the same as every other foxy female he had known, adopting an age-old ploy to try and arouse his jealousy by deliberately baiting him. Probably because he had been working most of the day and she had been deprived of his attention. She was flirting with Dimitri and his old friend was encouraging her for devilment, he knew. But Rion was never jealous, and no woman ever distracted him from his work, so he refused to rise to the bait.
‘When we arrive in Malta I doubt there will be enough light to allow you to travel to Gozo and dive. Plus I have invited an American couple for dinner and you will need to be prepared to meet them. Sorry, Selina—another time, perhaps.’
Selina’s eye rested on Rion. The supercilious swine wasn’t sorry at all. ‘No need to apologise—it does not matter. I get plenty of opportunities in my line of work.’ She smiled sweetly at him and resumed eating, letting the conversation flow around her.
Why she loved Rion she could not imagine. He was the most arrogant, overbearing man she had ever met—and she had met a few. Some even wealthier than Rion and, if she was being dispassionate about it, some better-looking. The Arab sheikh for one had been the most classically beautiful man she had ever seen, and surprisingly nice. He was very happily married—albeit with four wives—but had told her if he’d had a vacancy he would have married her …
The rest of the meal was a tense affair. Selina felt her nerves tighten every time she glanced up and met Rion’s dark, impenetrable gaze. She was glad when the meal was over, and refused to join the men on deck for a nightcap.
‘Goodnight,’ she said, and left.
Back in her cabin, she stripped off her clothes. Feeling vulnerable, she had put on a little make-up and dressed differently to give her confidence a boost. Now, as she removed her make-up with a cleansing wipe and walked into the en-suite bathroom, she wondered why she’d bothered. She piled her hair up and tucked it under a shower cap, then turned on the water and took a quick shower. Stepping back out, she dried herself, pulled off the shower cap and shook her hair out. She slipped on the towelling robe provided, and tied the belt loosely around her waist.
Sighing, she walked back into the bedroom—and froze. Rion was standing by the table, her phone in his hand.
‘What are you doing with that?’ she demanded, dashing across to him and grasping at her phone. ‘That is my private property and you have no right to touch it.’
‘I heard you in the shower and answered it for you,’ he said, with the arch of an ebony brow. ‘Someone called Trevor wanted you to confirm your date of arrival.’
Rion was angry. His expression was bland, but she could tell by the glitter in his eyes and the tension in his huge body.
‘I will later,’ she shot back, and shoved the phone in the pocket of her robe.
But Rion was not finished.
‘I told him I didn’t know the exact date but that you were my cruising companion for the next four days, if that helped.’
‘Oh, hell!’ she exclaimed.
As Rion reached for the belt of her robe, she batted his hand away in her agitation and glared furiously up at him.
‘What on earth did you say that for?’
‘I told him the truth. Something you seem reluctant to do. You seem nervous, Selina. Does Trevor believe he is your only lover?’ he queried cynically.
‘Don’t be ridiculous. Just tell me you did not give him your name.’
‘As it happens, no, I didn’t.’ His stormy eyes narrowed on her flushed, furious face. ‘The poor devil was so shocked you were with another man he never asked me. In fact he actually apologised for disturbing you and hung up. But why does my name matter?’ he demanded curtly.
‘Isn’t that obvious? I don’t want anyone knowing I am with you,’ she fired back. ‘Certainly not Trevor, as he happens to be Beth’s husband. I have already lied to Anna, and told Aunt Peggy and Beth I’m on a holiday cruise around the Mediterranean with hundreds of other passengers. Beth will have a million questions when she hears I am with a man. Thank God she does not know it is you. She hates you.’
‘I’m not that fond of her either,’ Rion said dryly, and reaching for her shoulders pulled her closer. ‘But you—now, that is a different matter, Selina.’ And he dipped his head and brushed her lips with his.
She shivered, intensely aware she was naked beneath the robe, and glancing up saw the gleam in his eyes. Where had his anger gone? With his white shirt open to reveal the strong column of his throat he looked dangerously sexy and very sure of himself.
‘I don’t condone lies, but I can understand your reasoning and overlook the falsehood because you are a woman and can’t help yourself. A beautiful, incredibly sensual woman …’ he said with a smile. ‘I also realise why you were so cranky at dinner. You dressed to flirt because you were feeling neglected all day.’ He was so sure of himself he didn’t try to cover his arrogance.
‘You are unbelievable.’ Selina stared at Rion in a kind of fascinated horror. His reasoning was so wrong it was almost funny. She wondered what he would say if she told him the truth—that she still loved him and her behaviour had been a defence mechanism to hide the fact.
‘What did you want me to do after your little act?’ The smile left his face. ‘Change my schedule? Demand to know who the Arab sheikh was? You know me, Selina. Who I am … what I do. And what I never do is jealousy.’
‘You could have fooled me,’ she shot back furiously. ‘Answering my phone with your macho posturing—you have put me in the impossible position where I will have to lie to Beth yet again and invent a man friend. Sometimes you make me sick, Rion. Do you ever think of anyone but yourself?’
‘Well, I am thinking of you right now,’ he drawled mockingly, his hand moving from her shoulder around the nape of her neck.
Selina lost it. She pummelled him on the chest. ‘Sex is not thinking of another person,’ she flung at him, her amber eyes flaring wildly. ‘For you it is simply what you want and get with no thought for anyone else.’ She saw the blaze of fury in his night-black eyes and didn’t care. ‘Well, tough—it is not on the agenda tonight.’ She was shaking with temper and staggered back a few steps, moisture hazing her vision, her emotions haywire. ‘Get out, Rion. Just get out …’
Rion saw the shimmer of tears in Selina’s eyes and the black anger he felt at her tirade faded a little. She was upset, emotional, and he was useless at dealing with emotional women. He didn’t do emotions.
‘Don’t worry, I’m going. A hysterical woman and knowing I am your dirty little secret is a bit of a turn off. I’ll see you in the morning,’ he said bluntly and left, closing the door behind him.
‘THIS is ridiculous, Rion. I don’t like shopping and I don’t need a new dress. I’d rather stay on board.’
It