settled them in place. How far had she strayed from her businesslike brief now? ‘You must tell me how much I owe you.’
‘Nothing as yet.’
‘But I have to pay my debts.’
‘And I wouldn’t have it any other way, señorita,’ Diego assured her with a grin.
As he released the brake and eased into the evening traffic he couldn’t remember enjoying himself so much for a long time. He couldn’t bear injustice. Especially where Maxie was concerned, Diego realised, resting his chin on his arm when they got snarled up in traffic. He flexed his leg, which now felt better than ever. Who deserved spoiling more than Maxie? If it hadn’t been for that Parrish shadow hanging over them…
‘Problem?’ she said when he frowned.
He relaxed back in his seat. ‘Traffic.’
He was a simple man. All he asked was to be match-fit and for people to be honest with him. Trust was paramount to him. After the investment disaster trust mattered to him even more. Thinking back to the trust Nacho had placed in him, he realised he only associated with people he could rely on these days.
And Maxie?
He grimaced as he shifted position. Could he trust her? Who was Maxie Parrish? Who did he know who didn’t talk about their family? What was she hiding? Maxie’s explanation that he’d grown up in a crowd didn’t wash. Surely everyone was proud of their family, even if they had one parent and no siblings. What was the difference? Family was family.
‘You are preoccupied,’ she remarked.
They had stopped in more traffic, which had given the old guilt plenty of time to wash over him. The more he enjoyed himself with Maxie, the more he remembered the friend who was dead—the friend who should be out with a girl now, having fun. The friend who should be laughing and loving instead of rotting in his grave—a grave Diego had helped to put him in. Peter Parrish had also played a part in it. No wonder he was preoccupied.
They drew to a halt outside his apartment, where men were already unloading their shopping parcels from a van.
‘The driver must have broken every speed restriction in the book,’ Maxie commented as they watched the stack of boxes wobbling their way to the entrance.
Lighten up, he told himself fiercely, realising he was grinding his jaw. ‘Do you want me to report them for speeding?’
She laughed. When they had first met Maxie hadn’t smiled, and neither had he. Her head had seemed to be occupied solely by business, while he had shut himself away like a dangerous animal. They’d both changed quite a lot since then. Wasn’t this better?
‘What?’ she said.
He was staring at her, Diego realised. He wasn’t about to tell Maxie where his thoughts had been. Whatever had happened in the past, maybe it was time to live a little. He gave an easy shrug. ‘I was just thinking I’m looking forward to tonight.’
‘Me too,’ she said lightly.
But he couldn’t remember ever wanting to spend an evening with a woman quite so much.
* * *
She had only opened a fraction of the packages stacked neatly in the dressing room of her suite. It looked as if Christmas and her birthday had come together times ten.
‘I’ve got an idea,’ she said later, when they were sipping coffee in Diego’s office where she had made a start on her work.
‘Tell me,’ he prompted.
The coffee cup hovering a hair’s breadth from Diego’s sexy lips held her up for a moment. ‘We tell the stores we’ve visited today about your charity and choose a few of the things from the selection of clothes delivered we think might sell well. It’s such a high-profile charity, and with the Acosta name attached…’
‘It would be excellent publicity for all involved? I hope you’re right.’
‘I am,’ Maxie said confidently.
‘Then go with it. How do you propose to sell the items? An auction?’
‘A Dutch auction,’ Maxie explained, growing in enthusiasm. ‘I’ve run one before and it was a huge success. The donated goods are displayed and people put sealed bids on anything that takes their fancy. I think we could raise a lot of money—’
‘You’re full of good ideas,’ Diego interrupted, ‘but when are you going to fit this one in?’
‘I’ll get everything sorted out before we leave for the estancia. That’s what phones are for—and the internet,’ she mocked as she glanced at his desk.
Having made a point of telling her she could work from anywhere, he could hardly disagree. ‘Good to know you won’t be slacking while you’re here.’
‘Oh, don’t worry. I won’t be.’
‘I was joking, Maxie. There’s only one other person I know who’s as dedicated to their work as you.’ It was his turn to glance at the desk, where six monitor screens were winking.
‘We make a good pair—I mean…’
‘I know what you mean,’ he assured her as her cheeks fired up. ‘Well,’ he said, standing up and stretching, ‘I’m going to get ready.’
‘You haven’t said where we’re going yet.’
‘Just wear that dress from the market—it’s the prettiest, isn’t it?’
‘I’m surprised you noticed.’
‘I notice everything.’
Was he joking now? she wondered as Diego’s smile made more than her cheeks heat up.
* * *
She waited for him in the kitchen. This was just another research opportunity, right? Perhaps if she told herself that enough she would believe it…
Nope. That didn’t work. Her heart didn’t believe it and neither did her body. And when Diego walked into the kitchen her bedazzled eyes didn’t believe it either. Just for a change he looked amazing. Close-fitting jeans and a tight-fitting top with desert boots was all it took to do that. It was the way the clothes clung to Diego’s powerful frame, Maxie decided, that made him so sexy.
‘Are you ready?’ he prompted, dipping his head to stare into her eyes.
‘Absolutely,’ she confirmed, hoping she sounded more businesslike than she felt.
And then her phone rang.
‘England?’ Diego murmured as she covered the mouthpiece.
‘Work,’ she said. Of course it wasn’t work. She hated lying to Diego as much as she hated staring into her father’s heart-wrenchingly blank eyes, but no one was going to find Peter Parrish through her.
Her father was ranting again. Moving out of earshot, she tried to soothe him. ‘I’m sure it will be all right. Have you taken your medicine today?’ She was whispering and trying to act as if this was a business call. ‘I see,’ she said, practically swooning with relief when a nurse rescued the phone and was able to assure her that everything was in hand.
‘Are you ready to go now?’ Diego asked as she ended the call.
‘Yes.’
‘Come on, then.’
She glanced up to find Diego smiling faintly, but his eyes betrayed the calculation behind them. That shadow crossed her path again, and she had to reassure herself quickly that this evening was just research for work—and, anyway, what could she possibly do to upset Diego?
* * *
She heard the music first—or rather the drum beat. Rhythmical and deep, it was unashamedly primal and had drawn people