Читать книгу The Platinum Collection: An Australian Conquest: The Incorrigible Playboy / His Most Exquisite Conquest / His Bought Mistress - Emma Darcy, Emma Darcy - Страница 16

CHAPTER NINE

HARRY clenched his hands into fists as he strode back down to the lower deck. The urge to fight was still coursing through him. He’d barely reined it in to bid Elizabeth a fairly civilised goodnight. He certainly didn’t feel civilised.

Okay, he’d jumped the gun with her but she’d been right there with him. Not one other woman he’d been with had ever pulled back when both of them were fired up to have sex. Being rejected like that was an absolute first, though he probably should have been prepared for it. Elizabeth Flippence had made an art form of rejecting him over the past two years.

What were her damned rules? No mixing business with pleasure? She would have mixed it with Mickey so that didn’t wash. Did she have to have a wedding ring on her finger before she’d have sex? Where was she coming from to have that kind of attitude in this day and age? A thirty-year-old virgin? Harry didn’t believe it. Not with her looks.

Clearly he needed to know more about her, form another plan of attack because she was not going to get away from him. He didn’t understand why she dug so deeply under his skin, what made her so compellingly desirable, but the buzz was there and he couldn’t get rid of it. What caused him even more frustration was knowing she felt the same buzz around him.

It was a maddening situation.

He lifted the bottle of champagne out of the ice bucket, stepped over to the edge of the deck and poured the remaining contents onto the sand. The only thing worse than flat champagne was the flat aftermath of flattened desire. He popped the emptied bottle back in the bucket and started the long walk down the beach to the wharf where his yacht was docked.

He thought of his own birthday—thirty-three last month. Mickey had thrown him a party. They always did that for each other because their parents had and neither of them could quite let go of that golden past, though they had sold the marvellous family property on the hill overlooking Cairns because it wasn’t the same—couldn’t be—without their mother and father there.

He remembered the great tennis parties and pool parties his mother had organised. His and Mickey’s school friends had loved coming to their place—always so much fun to be had. The fishing trips with his father had been great, too. He’d had the best childhood, best teen years, a really happy life until that black day when his father’s plane went down.

This resort had still been on the drawing board then. His father had been excited about building it, showing him and Mickey the plans, talking about how he would market it. After the funeral Harry had wanted this project, wanted to be physically busy, creating something, bringing his father’s vision to reality. He’d lived here, worked here until it was done, organising everything for it to be a successful enterprise.

Mickey had thrown himself into managing the franchises, needing to be busy, too, both of them wanting to feel their parents would be proud of them. It had seemed the best way to handle their grief, filling the huge hole of loss with hard absorbing work. Neither of them had been interested in managing girlfriends during that dark period, not wanting any emotional demands on them from people who had no understanding of what was driving them. The occasional night out, some casual sex...that had been enough.

Over the years neither he nor Mickey had fallen into any deep and meaningful relationships. Somehow there was always something missing, something that didn’t gel, something that put them off. Occasionally they chatted about their various failures to really connect with one woman or another. It always came back to how happy their parents had been together, complementing each other, and ultimately that was what they wanted in a life partner. In the meantime they floated, docking for a while with whatever woman they felt attracted to.

Harry wondered if Lucy would last with Mickey, then chewed over his own problem of even getting a start with Elizabeth.

Why was giving in to a perfectly natural attraction such a problem to her? Why not pursue it, find out if it could lead to a really satisfying relationship? Was she so hung up on her unrequited love for Mickey that she didn’t want to admit that something else could be better?

Whatever...he’d get to the bottom of her resistance and smash it, one way or another.

By the next morning Harry had cooled down enough to realise he should give Elizabeth more time to come to terms with the changes in her life. He had rushed her last night. Today he would be very civilised. Though not necessarily according to her rules.

He had breakfast on the yacht, suspecting that Elizabeth would avoid having breakfast with him in the restaurant. Undoubtedly Miss Efficiency had set her bedside alarm clock for an early hour to be up and about before any of the guests, opening the office and at her desk, ready to deal with anything that came her way. She would certainly have used the convenience of a call to the restaurant to have her breakfast delivered.

As expected, she was at her desk when Harry strolled into the administration office. He beamed a warmly approving smile at her and put a bright lilt in his voice. ‘Good morning, Elizabeth.’

It forced her attention away from the computer. She pasted a tight smile on her face and returned his greeting. Her big brown eyes had no shine. They were guarded, watchful. Harry knew her brick wall was up and there would be no easy door through it. The urge to at least put a chink in her defensive armour was irresistible.

He hitched himself onto the corner of the desk, viewing her with curious interest. ‘Are you a virgin, Elizabeth?’

That livened up her face, her eyes widening in incredulity and shooting sparks of outrage as she completely lost control of her voice, shrilling, ‘What?’ at him.

‘It’s a simple question,’ Harry said reasonably. ‘Are you a virgin, yes or no?’

‘You have no right to ask me that!’ she spluttered.

He shrugged. ‘Why is it a problem?’

Anger shot to the surface. ‘It’s none of your business!’

‘I guess the answer is yes since you’re so sensitive about it,’ he tossed at her affably.

‘I am not sensitive about it!’

‘Looks that way to me.’

She glared at him, and if her eyes had been knives they would have stabbed him in a million painful places. Harry found it wonderfully exhilarating. He’d definitely got under her skin again, regardless of how firmly she had decided to keep him out.

Her jaw tightened and he knew she was gritting her teeth as she struggled to bring herself under control. Finally she gnashed out the words ‘It’s just none of your business, Harry. It is totally irrelevant to this job and I’ll thank you to remember that.’

‘Bravo!’ he said admiringly.

It confused her. ‘Bravo what?’

He grinned at her. ‘The rule book rules. Almost forgot it there for a moment, didn’t you?’

She huffed to release some of the tension he’d raised, viewing him balefully. ‘I’d appreciate it if you didn’t forget it.’

‘I do apologise for the transgression.’ He made a wry grimace. ‘Curiosity slipped through my usual sense of discretion. However, it does give me a better understanding of you now that I know you’re a virgin. Head stuffed with romantic dreams...’

‘I am not a virgin!’ tripped out of her mouth before she could stop the wave of exasperation he’d whipped up.

He arched his eyebrows in surprise. ‘You’re not?’

She closed her eyes. Her mouth shut into a tight thin line. Quite clearly she hated herself for biting at his bait. Harry revelled in her discomfort. Serve her right for the discomfort she’d given him last night. And it was great to have that problem box ticked off. No virginity barrier.

Another big huff. Her eyes opened into hard, piercing slits. Shards of ice came off her tongue. ‘Can we please get down to work now?’

‘Jumping to it,’ he said obligingly, hitching himself off the desk and rounding it to view the computer screen. ‘Any bookings come in this morning?’

‘Yes.’ She swung her chair around to face the computer and started working the mouse. ‘I think I’ve dealt with them correctly. If you’ll check what I’ve done...?’

For the next half hour Harry kept strictly to business, giving Elizabeth no reason to complain about his behaviour. She had a good understanding of what was required of administration. Supply issues still had to be addressed but that could wait until later. She was so uptight he decided to give her a break, let her relax for a while.

‘Before the heat of the day sets in, I’m going to call Jack Pickard to take you around the resort, show you the practical aspects of how it runs. You need to be familiar with all of it,’ he said, reaching for the telephone. ‘I’ll stand in for you here.’

‘Okay,’ she answered levelly, but the relief he sensed coming from her told him exactly what she was thinking.

Escape.

Escape from the pressure of having to keep denying what was undeniable...the constant sizzle of sexual chemistry between them.

Harry told himself he could wait.

Sooner or later it would come to a head and boil over.

Then he would have her.

* * *

Elizabeth took an instant liking to Jack Pickard. She probably would have liked anyone who took her away from Harry this morning but Sarah’s husband was a chirpy kind of guy, nattering cheerfully about the island and his maintenance job—easy, relaxing company. He was short and wiry and his weather-beaten face had deep crow’s-feet at the corners of his eyes from smiling a lot. His hair looked wiry, too, a mass of unruly curls going an iron-grey.

‘Show you one of the vacant villas first.’ He grinned at her. ‘Before the new guests fly in this morning.’

‘Do they all come by helicopter?’ Elizabeth asked.

‘Uh-uh. Most come by motor launch. We meet them at the jetty and drive them around to administration. Those that fly in land on the back beach and take the wooden walkway that leads here.’

Wooden walkways led everywhere, with flights of steps wherever they were needed. The one they took to the vacant villa ran through rainforest, the lovely green canopy of foliage above it shading them from the direct heat of the sun. On either side of them were masses of tropical vegetation—palms, vines, bamboo, hibiscus, native flowers.

The villa was situated on a hillside overlooking the bay leading into the main beach. Its front porch had a lovely view and the breeze wafting in from the sea made it a very inviting place to sit in the deckchairs provided. Jack opened a sliding glass door and gestured for her to step inside.

The structure was split-level. Elizabeth entered a spacious living room—a comfortable lounge setting with coffee table facing a television set and CD player, a writing desk and chair, a counter along one wall containing a sink and a bar fridge. Above the counter were cupboards containing a selection of glasses for every kind of drink, bottles of spirits, plus tea and coffee-making facilities, a jar of home-made cookies and a selection of crackers to go with the cheese platter in the fridge, which also held a box of Belgian chocolates, fruit juice, beer, champagne, wine and plenty of drink mixers.

Up a few steps from the living area was a mezzanine bedroom containing a huge king-size bed, lots of pillows, plenty of cupboard space, bedside tables with lamps in the shape of dolphins. All the decor had a sea-and-beach theme, most of the furnishings in white and turquoise, knick-knacky things constructed from driftwood and coral and shells. White walls and polished floorboards completed the clean, airy look.

‘There’s an extensive library of books, CDs and games in the bar-lounge adjacent to the restaurant,’ Jack told her. ‘Guests can help themselves to whatever they like. You, too, Elizabeth.’

She smiled at him. ‘That’s good to know.’

Should fill in some lonely hours, she thought, once Harry was gone and she could get him out of her mind. That virgin question still had her seething, as though that was the only possible reason for not getting her pants off for him. In hindsight, she probably should have said she was, put him right off his game. On the other hand, he might have fancied himself as teacher, giving her a first experience in sex. It was impossible to pin down anything with Harry. He could slide this way or that way at the blink of an eye. Which made him so infuriating and frustrating and...

Elizabeth clamped down on those feelings, forcing herself to focus on what she was seeing here. The bathroom was positively decadent, a shower for two, a spa bath, the walls tiled in a wavy white with turquoise feature tiles and turquoise towels. The long vanity bench held two wash basins and a pretty collection of shells. Everything in the villa was clearly designed to give guests pleasure.

‘This is all fantastic,’ she commented to Jack.

He nodded agreement. ‘Sarah and I reckon Harry did a great job of it.’

‘Harry? Surely he had an interior decorator fitting out the villas.’

‘Oh, he had a professional finding the stuff he wanted, but how the villas are all decked out was his idea. His dad had an architect design how they’re built. It was his vision in the first place, but after he died, Harry took on the whole project and saw it through to completion. Did a great job of marketing it, too.’

This information did not fit her view of Harry Finn as a playboy. It was disconcerting until she remembered that admirable work and talent had no relevance to how he dealt with women.

She and Jack moved on. He showed her the gym, which contained most of the popular work-out equipment, introducing her to staff she hadn’t met yet. A large shed near the beach where the helicopter landed contained a desalination plant that ultimately provided fresh water for the resort. The power generator was also housed there.

‘This beach faces west,’ Jack said, pointing to the hill above it. ‘Up there are the two pavilion villas, both of them occupied today so I can’t show them to you. Their porches lead out to infinity pools that catch the sunset. Feels like there’s just you and the water and the sky. They weren’t on the original plan. Harry’s idea to build them, make them really special.’

Elizabeth nodded. ‘I noticed it cost more to stay in them.’

Jack grinned. ‘Honeymoon paradise.’

As they continued the tour, chatting as they went along, Elizabeth realised her escort was extremely well skilled—electrician, plumber, carpenter, gardener—capable of turning his hand to any maintenance work.

She couldn’t help remarking, ‘How come you never started a business of your own, Jack? You’re so well qualified.’

He grinned. ‘Hated all the paperwork the government expects you to do. Reckon I got a plum job with Harry’s dad, maintaining the property he had overlooking Cairns. Free cottage, good pay, all the fun of creating and being in a beautiful environment. Got the same deal here on the island with Harry. We’ve got a good life, Sarah and me. Can’t think of anything better.’

‘Then you’re very lucky,’ she said warmly.

‘That we are.’

A contented man, Elizabeth thought, wondering if she would ever reach the same state of contentment. Not today. And not here with Harry waiting for her back at the office. It was awful to think of how tempted she had been last night to just let herself be swept up in physical sensation. It had been a long time—almost three years since her last semiserious relationship ended—but that was no reason to engage in casual sex.

She’d never been into bed-hopping. Trying guys out on a purely physical basis did not appeal to her. She needed to feel really connected to the person before taking the next step to absolute intimacy. If Harry considered that attitude a headful of romantic dreams it was because it didn’t suit his playboy mentality. Bending her principles for him was not on, though she had to admit he was the sexiest man she had ever met, which made everything wretchedly difficult when she was alone with him.

Just one hour in the office this morning had been exhausting, having to use so much energy blocking out his physical impact on her. Of course, last night’s wild interlude had made her even more sexually aware of him. She’d been out of her mind to let him go so far with her. Now she had to cope with that memory in his eyes as well as the memories he’d stamped on her consciousness.

On the walk back to administration, Jack started talking about Harry again, how good he had been at all sports in his teens—that was easy to imagine—and what a pity it was that the untimely death of his parents had caused him to drop them. ‘Could have been a champion on any playing field,’ was Jack’s opinion.

Elizabeth could think of one sport Harry hadn’t given up.

He was a champion flirt.

She hoped he wouldn’t exercise that particular skill while she had to be with him for the rest of the day. So long as he kept to business, she should be reasonably okay. Nevertheless, it was impossible to stop her nerves twitching in agitation when Jack left her at the office door and Harry swung his chair around from the computer and smiled at her.

‘Enjoy the tour?’

She smiled back, deciding to show appreciation of all he’d done here. ‘You have created quite an extraordinary resort, Harry. I can’t think of anything that could make it better.’

‘If you do, let me know. I aim for perfection.’

Would he be the perfect lover?

Elizabeth was shocked at how that thought had slid right past her guard against the playboy. She hurled it out of her mind as she hitched herself onto the corner of the desk just as he had this morning, casually asking, ‘Anything come in that I should know about?’

‘Mickey called. He’s putting the suitcase your sister packed for you on the helicopter bringing the guests today.’ He gave her a quirky smile. ‘Should save you from having to wash out your undies tonight.’

‘That’s good,’ she said equably, determined not to be baited into being prickly.

‘Lucy says if she’s missed anything you need, send her an email,’ Harry went on. ‘She’ll bring it with her when she comes here with Mickey this weekend.’

Elizabeth sat in frozen suspension.

Her heart stopped.

Her lungs seized up.

Her mind stayed plugged on one horribly chilling thought.

Lucy...coming with Michael...to her island escape from them.

No escape at all!