Читать книгу The Platinum Collection - Эбби Грин, Maisey Yates - Страница 60

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

ELIZABETH managed the administration office on her own throughout her second week on Finn Island. She didn’t feel lonely. There were daily meetings with Sarah and Jack Pickard and Daniel Marven. Apart from them, many of the guests dropped by to chat about what they’d done or what they planned to do while they were here. Quite a few were much-travelled tourists from other countries, who couldn’t resist comparing this place to other getaways they had enjoyed, always favourably, which Elizabeth thought was a feather in Harry’s cap.

He’d carried through his vision for this resort with an attention to detail that was every bit as meticulous as Michael’s in his side of the business. In that respect he was just as solid as his brother. In fact, he really had none of the characteristics of a playboy who cared little for anything except indulging himself with passing pleasures.

He called her each day to check on how she was doing and they had quite long conversations that always left her smiling. Contact with him didn’t make her tense anymore. They discussed many things with an ease that she thoroughly enjoyed. Even the flirtatious remarks that she’d once hated, once left her steaming with anger, now made her laugh and spread a delicious warmth through her body.

It continually amazed her how much her life had changed in such a short amount of time. Giving up the Michael dream that had been gnawing at her for so long and giving in to the attraction Harry had always exerted on her...it was as though a whole lot of inner conflict had been lifted from her. She had set aside worries about the future, letting herself be a happy butterfly. When serious issues had to be faced, she would face them. But that wasn’t yet.

Emails from Lucy were full of dizzy pleasure with her love affair with Michael. According to her sister, he was everything wonderful. Still early days, Elizabeth thought, but hoped the relationship would become what both of them were looking for to complement their lives. And who knew...maybe Harry might turn out to be the right partner for her?

He returned to the island on Saturday morning, strolling into the office, a wide grin on his face, eyes sparkling with pleasure at seeing her again. Her heart jumped. Her feet jumped. She was out of her chair, wanting to skip around the desk and hurl herself at him, driven by a wild eagerness to revel in all the sexual excitement his physical presence instantly aroused in her. Only a sense of decorum held her back. Or rather a very basic female instinct to have him demonstrate his desire for her first.

Her smile, however, was an open invitation to take up where he’d left off last weekend. ‘Hi!’ she said in a breathy rush.

He strode forward, dumped the attaché case he was carrying on the desk and swept her into his embrace. ‘Can’t wait another minute,’ he said and kissed her with a hunger that ignited the same hunger in her.

It was great to feel so wanted.

What made the physical sizzle between them even better was the respect he subsequently showed for her opinion. He’d brought the résumés of the most likely prospects for the position of manager with him and wanted her input on them before deciding on interviews. This sharing on a business level made Elizabeth feel like a real partner, not just for sharing a bed.

They talked about the possibilities for most of the day, weighing up the pros and cons, deciding on who would best deal with the situation. There seemed to be a wonderful, vibrant harmony flowing between them, making their lovemaking that night extra special. It wasn’t until Harry chose to query her choices that the pleasurable flow was broken.

They were lying face to face, their legs still intimately locked together. Harry softly stroked the feathery bangs off her forehead, looking deeply into her eyes. ‘I’d really like you to stay on here, Ellie,’ he said. ‘It’s not too late to change your mind.’

Her chest instantly grew tight. It was difficult to resist the seductive pressure of his words when she wanted to cling onto the sweet sense of everything being perfect. ‘I can’t, Harry,’ she blurted out.

He frowned at her quick reply. ‘You’ve been happy here this past week. I’ve heard it in your voice every time I’ve called. And today you’ve been so relaxed, confident. Why not reconsider?’

‘It’s better that you get someone else,’ she argued.

‘But I like feeling you’re part of my world, Ellie. It’s been great this week, sharing it with you.’

She sucked in a deep breath, needing to hold firm against the persuasive pull of a future that might mean sharing his world forever. It was too soon to know, her mind screamed, too soon to commit to the possibility. She reached up and stroked his cheek, her eyes pleading for understanding.

‘I’m not rejecting you, Harry. I just need to be where Lucy is. Being on this island in a permanent position is too far away.’

He heaved a sigh, his mouth turning into a wry grimace. ‘You have to be there for her.’

‘Yes.’

‘Well, I guess I’ll just have to invade your world in Cairns.’

She relaxed at his acceptance of her decision, smiling as she said, ‘I hope you do.’

* * *

Harry told himself to be content with her apparent willingness to continue their relationship once she was back in Cairns. Separating herself from both Mickey and himself professionally had niggled at him. She’d been so elusive in the past, he wasn’t absolutely confident that he’d won her over into moving forward with him.

They’d certainly gone beyond a one-night stand and he no longer thought this was a rebound situation. The connection between them was too good to doubt it. Still, the fact that she was severing the work connection... Harry shook it out of his mind. There was no point in letting it throw a cold shadow over the warmth of their intimacy tonight.

He had her where he wanted her.

It was enough for now.

The call-tune on his mobile phone woke him to the dim light of dawn.

Elizabeth stirred, as well, asking, ‘Who’d be wanting to contact you at this hour?’

‘Don’t know,’ he muttered, hoping it wasn’t bad trouble of some sort as he rolled out of bed and retrieved the mobile from his shorts pocket. He quickly flipped it open, held it up to his ear and spoke a terse, ‘Yes?’

‘Harry Finn?’ asked a male voice he didn’t recognise.

‘Yes. Who’s speaking?’

‘This is Constable Colin Parker. I’m calling from the Cairns Base Hospital. I’m sorry to say your brother, Michael Finn, was involved in a serious car accident earlier this morning....’

Harry’s heart stopped. Shock and fear jammed his mind for a moment, fear spearing through to force out the words, ‘How serious?’

‘Your brother and two teenagers are in intensive care. I can’t say exactly what injuries were sustained but I’m told they are extensive. Two other teenagers...’

‘He’s not dead.’ Relief poured through Harry. Although there was no guarantee Mickey would pull through, at least he had a chance, not like their parents.

‘Who?’ Elizabeth cried, alarmed by what she’d heard.

It instantly recalled the high probability that Lucy had been with Mickey—a Saturday night—out on the town. ‘Was my brother alone in his car?’

Elizabeth clapped her hands to her face, her eyes wide with horror, a gasp of shock leaving her mouth open.

‘Yes, he was. No passengers.’

‘Lucy wasn’t with him,’ he swiftly assured her. ‘Thank you for letting me know, Constable. I’ll get to the hospital as soon as I can.’

He grabbed his clothes and headed straight for the bathroom, his mind racing over which would be the fastest way to the mainland. Calling for a helicopter, getting the pilot out of bed and to the airfield—no, he couldn’t bear waiting around. Best to take the yacht back to Cairns at full throttle, be on the move. He could easily summon a car to meet him at the marina, drive him straight to the hospital, no time wasted.

You hang on, Mickey, he fiercely willed his brother.

Elizabeth had wrapped a robe around her and was pacing the bedroom floor when he emerged from the bathroom. ‘How bad is it?’ she shot at him, anguish in her eyes.

It made Harry think she still cared a hell of a lot for his brother, which put another savage twist in his heart.

Her hands lifted in urgent plea. ‘Lucy will want to know.’

Anguish for her sister or herself? He shook his head. He didn’t have time to sort this out. ‘He’s in intensive care. That’s all the cop could tell me,’ he answered. ‘I have to go now, Elizabeth. Will you hold on here until...until...’ He couldn’t bring himself to voice whatever was going to happen.

‘Of course I will,’ she cried. ‘I’ll do anything you want me to do. Just call me. I’ll stand by as long as you need me.’

Yes, Harry thought. The one who had always carried the load. Always would. The anchor.

He walked over to her, scooped her into a tight embrace, needing a brief blast of warmth to take some of the chill out of his bones. He rubbed his cheek over her silky hair and kissed the top of her head. ‘Thank you. I’ll be in touch,’ he murmured, then set her aside to go to his brother.

Elizabeth was not going to leave him any day soon.

Mickey might.

* * *

Elizabeth’s heart bled for him as she watched him make a fast exit from her apartment. To have his parents killed in an accident and now to have his brother on the danger list from another accident...it was a wickedly unkind twist of fate.

When she had thought Lucy could be involved, too... The huge relief at hearing she wasn’t made her feel guilty for being spared what Harry was going through—totally gutted with fear and anxiety. It was no empty promise that she would do anything to help. If she had the power to make everything better for him, she would. He was a good man.

So was Michael.

And Lucy would want to know that the man she loved was in hospital, possibly fighting for his life.

Where was her sister? Why hadn’t she been with Michael? Had there been a bust-up between them? Questions fired through Elizabeth’s mind as she used her mobile phone to make contact with her. The call tone went on for a long nerve-tearing time before it was finally cut off by Lucy’s voice, sounding groggy with sleep.

Of course, it was still very early in the morning—Sunday morning—but time didn’t matter. ‘Wake up, Lucy!’ she said sharply. ‘There’s been an accident.’

‘What? Is that you, Ellie?’

‘Yes. Michael was injured in a car accident early this morning. He was badly hurt.’

‘Michael...oh, no...no...’ It was a wail of anguished protest. ‘Oh, God! It’s my fault!’

‘How is it your fault?’

‘I ate something at dinner last night that upset me. He brought me home. I was vomiting and had dreadful diarrhoea. He left me to find an all-night pharmacy, get me some medicine. I was so drained I must have drifted off to sleep. He should have come back but he’s not here and... Oh, God! He went out for me, Ellie!’

‘Stop that, Lucy! You didn’t cause the accident and getting hysterical won’t help Michael,’ she said vehemently, needing to cut off the futile guilt trip. ‘I take it everything was still good between you last night?’

‘Yes...yes...he was so caring when I was sick. Oh, Ellie! I’ll die if I lose him.’

‘Then you’d better do whatever you can to make him want to live. Are you still sick? Can you get to the hospital? He’s in an intensive care unit.’

‘I’ll get there.’ Gritty determination was in her voice, hysteria gone.

‘Harry was with me on the island. He’s on his way. Be kind to him, Lucy. Remember he and Michael lost their parents in an accident. I have to stay here. Harry’s counting on me to take care of business but I think he’ll need someone there, too.’

‘I understand. You love him but you can’t be with him.’

Love? That was typical Lucy. Elizabeth cared about the man and she certainly loved aspects of him, but she mentally shied from putting a boots-and-all love tag on her feelings for Harry. However, right at this moment it was easier to just let her sister think what she wanted to think.

‘I need to know what’s happening, Lucy. Please...will you keep me informed?’

‘Sure! I’ll call you with news as soon as I have it. Moving now. Over and out. Okay?’

‘Okay.’

Elizabeth took a long deep breath, trying to settle some of her inner agitation. There was no more she could do about the situation, yet the need for some kind of action was twitching through her nerves. The office didn’t have to be opened for hours yet. It was too early for anyone on the island to require her for anything.

She showered and dressed, then walked down to the beach, dropping onto a deckchair to simply sit and watch the sunrise, wanting to feel some peace with a world that had just changed again. Nature kept rolling on, regardless of what happened to human beings. While it could be ugly, too—cyclones, floods, droughts—this morning it had a beautiful tranquillity that soothed the turmoil in her soul.

The sea was a glittering expanse of shimmering wavelets. The sky slowly turned into a pastel panorama of pinks and lemons. The sun crept up over the horizon, shooting beams of light into the tinted clouds. It was a lovely dawning of a new day—another day that she was alive.

Life was precious.

More than ever Elizabeth felt a pressing need to make the most of it.

This past week with Harry had been good.

She’d felt happy with him.

Love was a big step from there but her mind and heart were opening up to the chance that Harry Finn might be the man who could and would share her life in all the ways she’d dreamed of.