to meet the boat. The sooner I get back to the hospital and see how Philip is doing, the better.’
‘I won’t be signing anything until I’m satisfied that everything is in order. Give me the papers and I’ll look over them tonight. Then we’ll see what the morning brings.’
Dry-mouthed, Rose stood up. Gene’s enigmatic comment had left her feeling as though she’d just plunged down a flight of hard-edged stone steps. ‘Are you suggesting that there might be a possibility you won’t sign?’
As he got to his feet his expression was tight-lipped and serious. ‘Make no mistake. I want the property. That desire hasn’t changed. But it’s a policy of mine never to sign anything until I’m sure.’
‘You mean you got me to come all the way out here in the belief that you were going to buy, but now you’re not sure? Is this some kind of warped game you’re playing?’ She shook her head in despair. ‘I should have known as soon as I saw you that you weren’t to be trusted, but it seems I never learn...’
He moved closer. So close that Rose could see the gentle indentations in his otherwise smooth skin where the dark stubble of his beard had started to grow. His warm breath drifted over her face and made her teeth clench.
‘What do you mean by that? Has someone let you down, Rose? Was it an ex-boyfriend, perhaps? If that’s true, then I’m sorry. But this isn’t a game I’m playing...it’s the way I do business. I set out my intentions, believe without a doubt that what I want is going to be mine, and then I take some time to enjoy the realisation before I finally take the prize.’
She swallowed hard as he reached out and laid his palm against her cheek. It was clear that he wasn’t just referring to his purchase of the antiques shop building.
Rose felt alternately hot and cold. Did he think that she’d fall into bed with him because she’d so willingly returned his kiss? He’d caught her off guard—that was all.
It was her cue to firmly lift his hand away and engineer some distance between them. Folding her arms over her sweater, she glanced out at the scene before her. Although the storm was still evident, somehow it seemed less ferocious. Sounding more like a subdued grizzly bear now, rather than a rampaging tiger, the thunder continued to rumble but the lightning was definitely lessening. Electrical flashes of cobalt pierced the sky here and there, but they were starting to suggest a once rampaging force now spent and retreating, and she was more than a little relieved.
However, Rose was still anxious that she might not be going home with the business sold and the funds deposited into Philip’s bank account after all. A sleepless night was definitely on the horizon, because it wasn’t going to be easy to wait until the morning for Gene’s decision.
She was quickly learning that the man was a bit of a wild card...a law unto himself. That was a challenge. If for any reason he should change his mind about buying, what could she do but walk away in defeat? The situation might grieve her, but she hardly had the power to make him reconsider, did she? And he didn’t look to be the type of man who would be swayed by any sense of compassion.
Rose was dreading taking such demoralising news back to Philip. What if it caused his health to deteriorate even more? The only thing she could do now was stay as calm as possible and not let her host see how perturbed she was.
‘Well, there’s not much more to say, then, is there? I’ll go and get the purchase documents and give them to you to look over.’ Glancing down at the pretty platinum wristwatch her father had given her for her twenty-first birthday, she added, ‘After that I think I’ll say goodnight.’
Turning towards the door, she was stopped in her tracks by Gene’s intimate gravel-voiced reply.
‘If we have any more lightning during the night and you’re feeling scared my room is just down the hall from yours. I’m a very light sleeper, so don’t hesitate to knock and come in, will you?’
Clenching her fists down by her sides, Rose prayed for the strength not to succumb to the pure unadulterated temptation the hard-chiselled specimen of masculinity before her exuded with a mere glance...let alone the sexy bass voice that reeled her in like a fish on a hook...
‘I’m sure I’ll be fine,’ she said airily. ‘I’ll simply use that technique you told me about and remember that my fears are just illusions.’
She swore she heard Gene chuckle in amusement as she walked to the door and went out...
* * *
He had another restless night. It wasn’t so easy to fall asleep when he knew that Rose slept just a short walk away from him, down the corridor in one of his guestrooms. Somehow Gene couldn’t shake the memory of that inflammatory kiss he’d stolen from her. All night it tempted and mocked him, until the fervent hope of a repeat performance finally lured him into sleep with its promise. But then he dreamt of holding Rose in his arms and making passionate love to her, and he woke at sunrise with his body coated in perspiration and heavy with desire.
Why hadn’t she come to him in the night as he’d hoped? The storm had returned round three a.m. and the lightning had once again been spectacular. Surely she couldn’t have slept through such a display? Had stubborn pride stopped her from seeking his reassurance?
Even though he admired her tenacity, he had to find out for himself how she’d fared. Quickly showering and dressing, he glanced at the property sale documents he’d examined minutely into the early hours and took them with him into the living room. There was no sign that his guest had been there.
His stomach clenching with nervous excitement at the thought of seeing her, he left the papers he’d been studying on the coffee table then returned to the room he’d allocated to Rose. He rapped sharply on the door. She didn’t answer straight away and Gene was immediately concerned.
He was about to knock again when the door opened.
‘Morning...’ she murmured. Paler than usual, and distinctly bleary-eyed, her appearance suggested that she too had had trouble sleeping. Her black hair was prettily tousled but her skin looked as smooth and delicious as a peach. She was still in her nightwear—a short white satin affair, with spaghetti straps—and one of the straps had drifted down over a slim shoulder.
Gene took a moment to assemble his emotions. Once again he felt concerned and protective. It was so unlike his usual response at seeing a woman he desired that it honestly perturbed him.
‘Good morning,’ he greeted her. ‘Don’t tell me you didn’t see and hear the lightning last night because I won’t believe you.’
Groaning, she was already shaking her head and tunnelling her fingers through her hair. ‘I’m not going to lie. I didn’t sleep a wink. I wouldn’t say no to some coffee if you’re making it?’
‘Never mind the coffee—why didn’t you knock on my door like I told you to?’
Even as he asked the question Gene stepped over the door’s threshold and, with no intention other than to reassure her, wound his arms round her impossibly slim waist. The act was his undoing. The combination of the silky satin nightdress and the warm, shapely body beneath his hands aroused him more than he’d ever been aroused before...to the point where he couldn’t help but act on sheer primal instinct.
‘I would have held you close all night...protected you...’ he murmured.
In between each word of the huskily voiced affirmation he touched his lips to Rose’s hair then, hearing her gasp softly, he tipped up her chin and touched them to her mouth. The irresistible fusion was hot, sultry...and almost beyond controllable...
Rose glanced up into his eyes, the flat of her hand resting lightly against his chest. But this time there was no suggestion that she wanted him to leave.
‘I—I can’t seem to think straight when I’m around you,’ she confessed. ‘I didn’t come to you last night because I was afraid of what might happen.’
‘What