The Ruthless Billionaire’s Redemption. Sandra Marton

am none of those,’ Danielle said curtly. ‘I’m not Val’s, I’m not from a farm, and I’m not a little girl. And I’ll thank you to keep all three in mind. I—’ She broke off as a white shape stepped delicately into the road. ‘Lee!’ Her voice rose in horror. ‘Look out—there’s a goat!’

      Lee stepped down hard on the brakes. The acrid stench of burning rubber and the squeal of the tyres grabbing for purchase on the road surface filled the air. The car skidded across the narrow road, coming to rest on the dirt shoulder.

      Danielle stared out of the window and her stomach rose into her throat as a stone, dislodged by the tyres, clattered down the steep hillside behind them. Picking up speed, it rolled towards the edge of the cliff and plunged over the side on its way to the valley floor, hundreds of feet below.

      Silence filled the car, and then Lee was beside her, his fingers brushing lightly against her breasts as he unbuckled her seat belt.

      ‘Danielle.’ His arm closed around her and he drew her towards him. ‘Danielle. Are you OK?’

      She nodded. ‘Yes,’ she whispered, ‘I’m fine. I just—I just…’

      He put his finger under her chin and tilted her face up to his. ‘Are you sure? No bumps? No bruises?’

      She shook her head as his hand skimmed lightly over her cheeks and her temples, then moved into her hair.

      ‘No. Honestly, I didn’t bang against anything. I…’ She swallowed. His arm was still around her, holding her close to him. The silence seemed to grow louder. The scent of wild flowers filled the narrow space, making her dizzy. There was another scent mixing with the flowers—Lee’s scent, a heady combination of sun and sweat and maleness.

      ‘Danielle.’

      He whispered her name. The sound of it made a slow pulse begin to beat deep within her.

      ‘Please,’ she said. His arm tightened around her; his dark head bent towards hers. ‘Lee…’ She swallowed. ‘The goat—is he all right? Did we hit him?’

      He looked at her for a long moment, and then he began to smile. ‘You see?’ he said softly, his blue eyes sweeping over her face. ‘I was right. You are a farm girl; you’re more worried about the goat than you are about me.’

      ‘What do you mean? I…’

      His eyes fell to her mouth. ‘You’ve yet to ask me if I’m all right.’

      ‘Haven’t I? I’m sorry. But I thought—I mean, you seem fine.’

      Why did he have to keep looking at her mouth that way? It was—it was like a kiss; she could almost feel his lips moving against hers, she could almost taste his honeyed sweetness, the nectar of the flowers.

      Lee smiled. ‘I am fine,’ he said, touching his finger to her lips, lightly tracing their outline. ‘And so’s the goat. He’s probably around that curve, telling all his friends in Ste Agathe about his close brush with death.’

      It seemed hard to breathe, harder still to concentrate on anything but the feel of his hand.

      ‘Is—is Ste Agathe nearby?’

      ‘Mmm.’

      ‘Then we—we can get out and walk. We can…’

      Lee cupped her face in his hand. ‘Is that what you want to do?’ he said softly.

      Danielle’s head was spinning. What did she want? she thought desperately. An hour or two ago, she’d have said she wanted to reach St Agathe and never have to lay eyes on Lee Bradford again. And that was how she’d felt again, just before the accident.

      Now, as he held her in his arms, she wasn’t quite so certain.

      Lee murmured her name again and she raised her eyes to his. In the close confines of the car, they might have been the only people in the universe. He was going to kiss her. She knew he was, just as she knew she could stop him. He’d told her as much; all she had to do was tell him she wanted to get out of the car. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t. She—

      With bone-jarring suddenness, the door was wrenched open. Danielle blinked as if awakening from a dream and looked past Lee’s shoulder.

      Her breath caught. Valerie was staring into the car, her face twisted with an emotion so ugly that it turned Danielle’s blood cold.

      ‘Val?’ she said softly. Her cousin stared at her in silence. Danielle lifted her hands and put them against Lee’s chest. ‘Val,’ she said again.

      Lee let go of her slowly and turned towards the open door. Danielle watched as Valerie stared at him, and then the terrible expression fell away from her face and she reached towards him.