honest with him. I even told him you were gay.’
‘And?’
‘He still rejected me. Said he was no good for me.’
‘What?’
‘He told me my father asked him to protect me from the scoundrels of this world, of which he rates himself the gold-medal winner.’
‘For crying out loud, can’t the man see that his not sleeping with you all these years makes him one of the good guys?’
‘Obviously not.’
‘This calls for even sneakier action. Now, tonight I suggest you—’
‘Stop, Derek,’ she broke in. ‘Just stop.’
‘You’re giving up,’ he said, disappointment in his voice.
‘No, I’m moving on. And so is Nick. He’s already told me he can’t wait to leave here.’
‘That’s because he can’t trust himself around you. You’ve got him on the ropes, sweetie, and he’s running for cover.’
‘Then let him run. It’s over, Derek.’
‘How can it be over when it hasn’t even begun?’
‘Could we just leave this conversation and eat?’
Derek shrugged, then fell to devouring some prawns.
Sarah was doing her best to force some food down her throat when Nick returned to the table. Her hand tightened around her fork whilst he removed Chloe’s chair, along with her plate, before pulling out his own chair and reseating himself.
‘Sorry about that, Sarah,’ he muttered as he shook out his serviette. ‘Thank you for standing up for me.’
‘That’s all right. Chloe shouldn’t have said what she did.’
‘No, she shouldn’t have. But I can understand why she did. Jealousy can make you do … stupid things.’
‘Yes, I know. I’m truly sorry for this whole charade today, Nick.’
‘I wasn’t talking about you, Sarah. I was talking about myself.’
Her head turned and their eyes connected.
‘You were jealous, weren’t you?’ she whispered.
‘We’re not going to go there again, Sarah,’ he warned her abruptly. ‘Do I make myself clear?’
If his harsh voice wasn’t sufficiently convincing, his cold eyes were.
‘Crystal clear,’ she said.
‘Good. Now let’s forget about everything that has happened today so far and enjoy our Christmas lunch.’
Sarah sat there in stunned silence when Nick tucked into his food with apparent relish. She was even more amazed when he started up a very lively conversation with the man on his immediate right.
Was he just pretending, or hadn’t he been genuinely upset by the events of the day? Chloe had been his girlfriend for the last six months and she’d just been dismissed in an instant.
Hadn’t he cared about her at all?
Obviously not.
Maybe Nick was right. Maybe he was a scoundrel.
Sarah slid her eyes to her right, where she surreptitiously watched him eat half a dozen oysters; watched him lift each oyster shell to his lips, tip his head back, then slide the tasty morsel down his throat, after which. he would lick his lips with relish.
Sarah finally found herself echoing this action with her own tongue, moving it over her suddenly parched lips, her heartbeat quickening when his head turned her way.
He stared at her wet lips for a long moment, before his mouth pulled back into a twisted smile. ‘You just can’t stop, can you?’
‘Stop what?’ she choked out.
‘The tempting. No, don’t bother to deny it. Or defend yourself. Everything you’ve done today has been leading to this moment. Very well. You’ve won. Though I doubt you’ll see it as a win by tomorrow morning.’
‘What do you mean?’
Again, that cold, cryptic smile. ‘I did warn you. If you insist on playing with the devil, then you have to be prepared to take the consequences.’
CHAPTER TEN
THE rest of the afternoon was endless, an eternity of wondering and worrying exactly what Nick meant by his provocative yet threatening words.
Several times Sarah tried to draw him into further clarification but he would have none of it, always turning the conversation away from the subject, or turning away from her altogether. After the lunch was over he deserted her to play the role of host, mingling with all his guests and making sure they had a good time. Coffee was served around the pool, with a few of the guests changing afterwards for a swim. Unfortunately Nick joined them, the sight of him in his brief black costume not doing Sarah’s agitated state of mind any good.
It was around this time that Derek received a call on his cellphone from his mother, saying that his father had had a change of heart and wanted him to come home for Christmas after all. A delighted Derek called a taxi straight away and rushed off, leaving Sarah pleased for him, but even more lonely and agitated herself. In desperation, she left the party and escaped to the privacy of her bedroom.
But there was no peace for her there. She could still hear the gaiety downstairs through the French doors, the sounds tormenting her. What kind of man was Nick to say what he’d said to her and then ignore her? Finally, she could not bear her solitude any longer and made her way out onto the balcony, where she had a perfect view of the pool below … and Nick.
He saw her watching him, she knew. But he still ignored her, choosing instead to put his head down and swim, up and down, up and down. He must have swum for a good fifteen minutes straight before he stopped abruptly at one end and hauled himself out of the pool. Grabbing a towel, he draped it around his dripping shoulders before throwing her a savage glance, then striding up the terrace steps and disappearing under the roof created by the canvas blinds.
Every female nerve-ending in Sarah’s body went on high alert. He was coming upstairs. To change? Or for something else?
She gripped the wrought-iron railing of the balcony, hot blood rushing around her veins at the possibility that it was her he was coming for; that he was about to put his teasing words into action. It didn’t seem possible that he would do such a thing with the house still full of guests. But he’d said he was a scoundrel, hadn’t he?
Sarah did not hear him enter her bedroom. But she felt his presence in every pore of her body. She whirled to find him standing in the doorway that led out onto the balcony. The towel was no longer draped around his shoulders. His legs were set solidly apart, his hands balled into fists by his sides.
Sarah had seen him dressed in nothing but his swimming costume many times, but never in her bedroom, and never with that look on his face.
She shivered under the impact of the dark passion emanating from his coal-black eyes.
‘Come here,’ he commanded, his voice low and harsh.
Shock—and a sudden wave of fear—held her motionless.
He stunned her further by stripping down to total nudity, leaving her to confront the physical evidence of his desire.
Now, that she’d never seen before, and a dark excitement sent her head spinning and her pulse racing.
‘Come here,’ he repeated in gravelly tones.
She moved across the balcony like some robot, her mouth dry, her heart thudding loudly behind her ribs. When she was close enough he reached up to cup