A Spanish Inheritance. Susan Stephens

suggested she didn’t want to either, at this late stage.

      ‘If you intend to live in his house…employ his workers…make your home in the village where he was born—’

      ‘Surely the approach I take where that is concerned is up to me?’

      ‘OK,’ Ramon agreed. ‘Perhaps it is too soon to revisit the past. But there’s a lot to talk about besides that, and it won’t hurt you to have lunch with me. You survived dinner—’

      ‘Barely,’ she reminded him quickly. And before she could stop it the hint of a smile warmed her eyes.

      But Ramon appeared not to notice and only hummed a brief note of agreement before grabbing her arm to steer her across the street. ‘I’m glad that’s settled,’ she heard him murmur as they wove their way through some ambling tourists.

      His self-assurance jolted Annalisa out of her complacency. ‘No!’ she said, almost causing a pile-up as she stopped dead in her tracks.

      ‘What’s wrong now?’

      Could a voice seduce you? she wondered, trying desperately to ground herself in the day-to-day bustle of the city street. ‘I’m not sure we should.’

      ‘Should what?’

      His molten gaze was like liquid heat. It seemed to steal into every part of her. ‘Be together when Margarita—’ She felt her throat dry, attempted to swallow and gave up.

      ‘This is work,’ Ramon broke in impatiently. ‘We’ve just had a business meeting. I need to eat. You need to eat.’ He stared at her intently, as if daring her to argue.

      She was being ridiculous. This was business—for both of them, Annalisa reminded herself, firming up her glance. And if she wanted to avoid making a fool of herself for a second time in twenty-four hours she should accept his invitation for what it was and stop running scared.

      ‘This will just be a quick lunch with no champagne. Deal?’ he demanded.

      Taking her silence for assent, Ramon opened the door of his black Porsche and stood aside as he waited for her to climb in.

      Mashing her lips together, Annalisa forced her feet to move. Right now running scared seemed not just the sensible option, but the only option. Then Ramon slammed the door and it was too late. She watched him stalk around to the driver’s side. Confidence like his was…irresistible, she realised apprehensively.

      Slipping the key into the ignition, he gunned the performance machine into life. ‘That meeting has given me a real appetite.’

      Me too, Annalisa agreed silently, acknowledging the powerful aura of the man beside her, an aura that had nowhere to go but around her, in the luxurious but compact interior.

      ‘Would you like the roof down instead of air-conditioning?’ he asked, turning to look at her.