as Luke returned his gaze to her, seemingly oblivious to the wall full of museum-quality silk tapestries and the occasional priceless vase.
‘How’s Po?’ she asked.
‘Busy, I hope. Because when he’s not he’s prodigiously good at finding trouble.’
‘And your brother?’
‘Also busy.’
And that was the extent of Madeline’s small talk. Common ground extinguished. Dangerous new territory stretching out before them. She wondered if Luke knew what he was doing in pursuing the lightning attraction that sparked between them. Madeline certainly didn’t.
She’d always preferred not to play with lightning.
‘Would you like a drink?’ Madeline moved towards a high-topped bench in the corner. The bar was behind it, cleverly concealed by panelling that slid aside to reveal the drinks selection on hand. Hospitality was important in this part of the world and the subtleties of what was offered and how were endless. William had taught her that. Pity he hadn’t taught her what to offer a golden-eyed warrior who didn’t necessarily like her but who wanted her with an intensity that left her breathless. ‘Yun’s just gone to get a tray of nibbles for us.’
‘You didn’t have to go to any trouble,’ he murmured.
‘It wasn’t any trouble. Yun enjoys putting her culinary talents to use.’ Madeline offered up what she hoped was a serene smile. ‘She’s done every cooking course known to man, and she’ll scold me if I haven’t poured you a glass of something before she gets back.’
‘With the antelope.’
‘Let’s hope not.’ Madeline opened the bar fridge and peered at the contents. ‘What would you like?’
‘Just a beer.’
Madeline pulled a bottle of Tiger Bitter from the shelf and reached for the bottle opener. Pointless asking what year Luke had been born, really. His zodiac sign was a foregone conclusion. She retrieved a cold beer glass from the fridge and poured for him, before starting in on the fixings for a gin and tonic for herself. Staple fare in this part of the world—any time and anywhere.
‘So what brought you to Singapore?’ asked Luke as she found a lime and sliced into it with a paring knife. A quarter for his beer if he wanted one. Definitely a slice for her gin. And running alongside the busy work, small talk between strangers that should have been easy enough to answer but wasn’t.
‘I came here looking for my brother,’ she said finally. ‘He was travelling around South East Asia. Singapore had been his starting point, so it became mine as well.’
‘Did you find him?’
‘Eventually.’ Madeline had no inclination to explain her extended crawl through the dark belly of humanity in search of Remy. ‘He’s dead now.’ There’d been no saving him.
‘I’m sorry.’ Luke’s clear gaze rested thoughtfully on her. ‘Is that why you try and help children like Po?’
‘Maybe.’ Madeline shrugged. ‘Probably. I saw a lot of things in my search for my brother—a lot of things I would fix if I could.’
‘Is that why you married money? So you could fix the things you’d seen?’
‘Still judging me, Luke Bennett?’ Always, he seemed to circle back to the question of why she had married William.
‘No.’ And with a wry smile, ‘Maybe. Maybe I’m just trying to get to know you a little better.’
Maybe she could give him the benefit of the doubt. ‘My brother and I were orphans,’ she told him. ‘Wards of the State of New South Wales. Remy craved oblivion and found it. I craved security, stability, and wealth.’
‘And found it,’ said Luke.
Madeline nodded. ‘Yes. Does knowing my background make my choice of marriage partner any more palatable to you?’
‘I don’t know.’ Luke smiled bleakly and looked around the room.
Madeline looked too, trying to see her home through his eyes. An eclectic mix of the comfortable, the best, and a smattering of old and distinguished money in the form of sculptures and paintings. Madeline didn’t deliberately flaunt the Delacourte wealth at her disposal, but she did enjoy it. No apologies.
‘Nice place,’ he said.
‘Thank you.’ She studied him a while longer. ‘Money doesn’t mean much to you, does it?’
He shrugged. ‘I have enough. I’ve no need for more.’ His eyes grew dark as his gaze met hers. ‘You going to judge me wanting again, Maddy?’
‘Because you don’t crave wealth?’ she said lightly. ‘No. Each to their own.’
So different, she and Luke Bennett. Maybe even too different. The man was reckless, where Madeline craved control. Addicted to danger, whereas she was addicted to security. As for him being unaware of the impact he had on a woman when he exploded into her life … she hadn’t quite decided if he knew how truly potent he was or not. But judge him wanting? That she could not do. ‘We really don’t have much in common, do we?’ she said.
‘Not so far.’ Luke put his drink down carefully on the coaster she’d provided. He leaned forward, elbows on the bar, closer, and closer still, until his lips were almost upon hers. ‘But we might dig up something eventually,’ he murmured, and Madeline’s gaze dropped helplessly to his lips. ‘That’s what first dates are for.’
‘And second kisses?’ she whispered. ‘What are they for?’
‘They’re to see if we remembered the first kiss wrong.’ His lips brushed hers, slow and savouring before returning to offer up just that little bit more. Desire unfurled deep within her. She hadn’t remembered their first kiss wrong.
He pulled back slowly and drew his bottom lip into his mouth as if committing the taste of her to memory.
‘What are your feelings on standardising and enforcing international deep-sea-fishing quotas?’ he murmured.
‘I’m all for it,’ she said. ‘Although the enforcement bit could prove tricky.’
‘I agree,’ he said. ‘Common ground at last.’
Not to mention uncommon heat in their kisses.
Yun chose that moment to enter the room with a tray of bite-sized spring rolls and a chilli dip. Smiling wryly, Madeline pulled back and turned her attention to the diminutive housekeeper.
‘It’s plenty hot,’ warned Yun, with a sour sideways glance in Luke’s direction. ‘Fire is useful weapon against hunting Tiger. Bullets also,’ she muttered, and disappeared.
‘She’s very loyal,’ said Madeline.
‘Not quite the word I had in mind,’ murmured Luke, eyeing the finger food cautiously.
Madeline picked up a roll, dipped it into the dressing, popped it into her mouth and bit down through the flaky pastry to the mince mix beyond. So far, divine. But the bite of chilli was there, and growing ever stronger. It stopped short of a conflagration, but only just. ‘They’re very exciting,’ she said hoarsely. ‘You’ll probably enjoy them.’
‘What about the ones with the little squiggle on the side?’ asked Luke.
Not a squiggle, thought Madeline, looking closely at the spring rolls, but a snake. ‘Those are for me.’
He took one of those, dipped it in the sauce and made short work of it thereafter. ‘They’re good,’ he said, reaching for another, this time without the snake motif on the side. This one made him smile. ‘They’re very good.’
‘We should probably go soon,’ she offered weakly. She didn’t know what embarrassed her more: Yun’s dubious hospitality or