not care about my reputation, sweetheart, but I do. And I’m not letting you go anywhere on your own.’
She tilted her chin in defiance. ‘That sounds awfully like an order to me.’
‘At least that’s something you’ve got right. Because if that’s what it takes to make you see sense, then it’s an order.’ His eyes bored into her. ‘What’s the matter, Little Princess? Not used to somebody else telling you what to do?’
She stared at the door behind him, as if planning to make a rush for it. ‘If you must know, I’ve spent my whole life being told what I can and can’t do and this is the first time I’ve ever been able to decide things on my terms. So please don’t trouble yourself with concerns about my personal safety, Rafe. I can have some Isolaverdian bodyguards sent out here to look after me.’
‘And how long is that going to take?’ he demanded. ‘Even if your rarefied palace protection people knew how to cope with life in the bush, which I doubt. The situation could dissolve into complete farce with people suffering from heatstroke or getting spooked by some animal they’ve never seen before, or worse. Is that what you want?’
Sophie bit her lip. She didn’t know what she wanted. Well, in a stupid way she did. She wanted to rewind time so that she was back in his arms. She wanted to feel like a normal woman again. And that was never going to happen.
‘I don’t know,’ she admitted, hating the sudden break in her voice.
Rafe stiffened as he steeled himself against that unexpected trace of vulnerability. Because it was all an act, he reminded himself grimly. Everything about her was false. And until her playboy fiancé had jumped ship, she’d presumably been given everything she wanted, no matter how much she might protest otherwise. Well, she was about to learn that around here he was the one who called the shots.
‘You’re going to have to come with me,’ he said, an idea slowly forming in his head. ‘And perhaps we can each do one another a favour at the same time.’
‘Come where?’ She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. ‘And what kind of a favour?’
Rafe stared down at the bulging rucksack as it occurred to him that this—like all bad situations—could be turned into an advantage. Couldn’t the unbearable prospect of having to face Sharla again be diluted by taking Sophie to his nephew’s christening? Because the presence of a beautiful princess would easily trump the fact that one of the world’s most famous supermodels was going to be there.
Haunting him with what she’d done. Or, rather, what she had failed to do.
‘To England,’ he said. ‘I have a family christening I can’t get out of. This is the first time the Carters have been together in a long time and I’m not looking forward to it.’
‘Why not?’
‘Why is none of your business,’ he snapped. ‘Let’s just say that family reunions have never been my thing. But since there’s safety in numbers, you can be my plus one. You get safe passage out of here, and I get someone who can deflect some of the attention away from me.’
‘But I don’t want to go to England for a family christening—and I certainly don’t want to be your “plus one”.’
‘No? Then what else are you going to do?’
Sophie fished around for a suitable answer but with a sinking heart realised her options were limited. They always were. She didn’t want to go home—not right now, when the people of her country would still look at her with sympathy in their eyes. Yet anywhere else would only emphasise her lone status—especially around Christmas time. Wouldn’t travelling with Rafe stop the press from getting too close, while she decided what she was going to do next? Hadn’t she proved that she could cope with hard work and be resourceful? She was young and fit and there was a great big world out there. Why shouldn’t she use this opportunity to decide how best to embrace her new life?
She met the steely gleam of his eyes, thinking about the harsh things he’d said to her. She didn’t like him very much but something told her she’d be safe with him. Not because they shared a special connection because of what had happened last night, but because he was strong and powerful. A man like this could protect you, she thought wistfully. And he could make you want him, even if you knew that wanting him was the last thing you needed.
She could do nothing to stop the ripple of sexual awareness which had started spreading over her body but she did her best not to think about it. His offer made perfect sense but she could only accept it if she took it at face value. She would go along for the ride, but no further. She mustn’t start yearning for things Rafe Carter was never going to give her. Because even though he’d taken her to heaven and back last night, this morning his eyes were cold and unwelcoming.
He doesn’t much like you either, she thought.
And even though his opinion didn’t matter, wasn’t it funny how something like that could hurt?
FORTY THOUSAND FEET above the South China Sea and wanting to break the hours of interminable silence, Sophie turned towards the brooding figure who was seated beside her. ‘I’m surprised you don’t have bodyguards.’
Rafe looked up from the papers he’d been reading, his eyes narrowing, clearly irritated at having been interrupted from the work which had consumed his attention since they’d first boarded the aircraft. ‘Why the hell should I have bodyguards?’
Sophie waved a hand to encompass all the luxurious fittings of his private jet. ‘Why not? You travel like a royal. You’re rich as Croesus. Aren’t you worried that somebody might kidnap you and spirit away your vast fortune?’
His grey eyes glittered. ‘I have a black belt in both karate and judo,’ he said silkily. ‘I’d like to see somebody try.’
Sophie absorbed this as he picked up his papers again and she stared at the white clouds billowing outside the aircraft window. Her comparison hadn’t been made lightly. Their journey from Poonbarra had been so smooth that at times it had felt like being part of a royal convoy again. Yet she’d been sad at having to say goodbye to the Outback station where everyone had just accepted her as she was. To them she was an ordinary woman who’d learnt how to cook and mop floors and use a dishwasher. She had been dreading the moment of confessing her identity to Andy and the other men, knowing it would change everything. But she had been wrong, because they’d acted as if it meant nothing. They’d gruffly told her they wished she weren’t going. And hadn’t tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as the car had left Poonbarra for ever, her feeling as though she was leaving behind a peace and a freedom she would never know again?
They had flown in a light aircraft to Brisbane airport, where Rafe’s private jet had been fuelled and ready to go. He’d made her telephone her brother and tell him that she was flying to England under his protection. And although Myron had been angry, his relief at being able to speak to her after so long, and knowing she was ‘in safe hands’, was almost palpable. And now they were flying towards the UK and it felt unreal. It was unreal. She was going to England to meet the family of a man who clearly couldn’t stand her—and she didn’t have a clue what she was going to do afterwards.
Her heart sank. Everything had been fine until he’d turned up at Poonbarra. She’d thought she’d have another couple of months before she needed to make any major decisions about her future, but Rafe Carter’s seduction had changed everything. Should she ask him about flights to Isolaverde once the ceremony was over? She stared at his proud, carved profile. Maybe not right now. Why not prepare herself for what lay ahead instead?
She cleared her throat. ‘Maybe you should tell me something about your family.’
He looked up, his face not particularly friendly. ‘Like what?’
‘A few facts would help. Who’s going to be at this Christening.