Love Islands: Swept Away. Natalie Anderson

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      The corner of his mouth lifted. ‘Only because you seem to thrive on arguments.’

      Her mouth curved in answer. ‘Be warned, I never stop until I get my way.’

      His eyes dropped to her mouth, and a heated channel forged between them. Her breath shallowed, her heart racing as she read the look loud and clear.

      Desire thickened in her veins, her core throbbing until she yearned to squeeze her thighs together to alleviate the ache.

      ‘Perhaps I will let you win on occasion,’ he murmured, his voice husky and deep. When his gaze dropped to linger on her breasts, a light tremble went through her.

      She was thinking it was wise to move away before she did something foolish, like rise on tiptoe and taste his mouth, when a knock sounded on the door.

      ‘Yes?’ he answered, his eyes still on her.

      Emily entered with Lucca, who smiled broadly when he saw her. ‘Lucca wants to go for a swim. I wanted to check with you that it was all right to take him,’ Emily said.

      Romeo eyed Maisie with one brow quirked.

      She lifted her chin. ‘I’ll take him,’ she answered. When his eyes narrowed, she sighed. ‘We’ll both take him?’ she amended.

      The corner of his mouth twitched. ‘Grazie,’ he murmured.

      Maisie nodded. ‘Okay. I’ll go and change.’

      Romeo strode forward and caught Lucca up in his arms. ‘We’ll meet you by the pool.’

      In her room, Maisie fingered her sensible one-piece suit, replaying the conversation with Romeo in her mind. He’d been surprised that she’d returned to look for him, more than surprised, in fact. Stunned. That she would want to do the right thing.

      Again she found herself wondering just how damaging his relationship with his mother had been. He’d called her a whore in the car. Had he meant that literally? She shuddered. Why else would a child call his mother by such a derogatory term?

      It was clear that Romeo Brunetti had huge skeletons in his closet. And she was treading on dangerous ground in being so interested in uncovering them. That he’d taken such drastic steps to disconnect himself from her after their single night together should warn her that he didn’t want any entanglements that didn’t involve his son. She would do well to remember that. Along with remembering that theirs would in no way be a physical merger. No matter how heatedly he looked at her. No matter how much her blood thrilled to insane sexual possibilities each time he was within touching distance.

      There would come a time when she’d have to walk away with her son after all this was done.

      She would be better off if she made sure to walk away with her heart intact.

      * * *

      Romeo noticed her cooler demeanour the moment she came down the terrace steps and walked through the leafy archway dividing the extensive barbecue and entertainment area from the pool. And it had nothing to do with the military-issue swimming suit she wore, or the tight knot she’d pulled her hair into at the top of her head.

      Her gaze, when it skated over him, was wary. As if between the time they’d spoken in his study and her changing, she’d withdrawn into herself.

      Had she somehow guessed at his true intention towards his son when this problem with Lorenzo was over?

      No, there was no way she could know. He quashed the voice in his head that prompted him to recall Maisie’s uncanny intuitiveness. She’d known just how to delve beneath his skin and burrow to the heart of his need that night five years ago.

      She’d given him passion and compassion in abundance, two emotions that had been seriously lacking in his life up till then. She’d made him believe and hope, for a few blissful hours, until dawn and reality had come crashing in. For a while he’d resented her for those feelings. Until he’d realised the fault wasn’t hers. It was him, daring to believe in mirages and miracles.

      He watched her drop her sunglasses on the table and walk to the edge of the pool, her smile guarded as she observed Lucca’s antics. For the first time in his life, Romeo experienced the need to enquire as to a woman’s feelings. The unsettled feelings that had slashed through him in the car returned and grew as he watched her swim to the other end of the pool and stay there.

      Normally, when the women he dated began exhibiting contrary attitudes, it was a prelude to them asking for more. Of his time. Of a commitment. It was the reason he’d drastically reduced his dating span from a few weeks to the odd weekend.

      He had nothing more to offer a woman besides a good time in bed and a very generous parting gift come Monday morning.

      So what did Maisie’s attitude mean?

      She had his ring on her finger. Albeit temporarily, and for the sake of their son. But she also had him here, far from civilisation should they choose, and as exclusive as resorts came. And if and when she chose to alter the terms of their non-physical relationship to a physical one, he was more than willing to negotiate.

      So what was wrong?

      ‘Faster, faster!’ Lucca urged as he rode on Romeo’s back. ‘Mummy, let’s race.’ He held out his arms to his mother. Maisie smiled and swam towards them, but she still avoided Romeo’s gaze. And kept a conspicuous distance between them as they splashed from one end of the pool to the other.

      Eventually, he took a tired and protesting Lucca out of the water. Maisie followed them out and dried him, before taking him indoors. When she returned and perched on her lounger with that same air of withdrawal, he narrowed his eyes.

      ‘I don’t like mixed signals,’ he snapped.

      Her head jerked towards him. ‘What?’

      ‘You were fine when you left the study. Something has obviously happened between then and now. What is it?’

      ‘Nothing. I just took a little time to think, that’s all.’

      Something tightened in his chest, but he forced out the question. ‘And what did thinking produce?’

      She flashed a bright, false smile. ‘I concluded that you’re right. Lucca and I have never had a holiday. This will be good for him...for all of us. As long as I can find something to keep me busy at times, I won’t stand in your way about the small things.’

      He heard the words and processed them as the half-truth they were. Then sat back and formulated how to get the full truth out of her.

       CHAPTER EIGHT

      ‘WE’RE HEADING OUT to choose a venue for a duck pond. You said you’d join us.’ Romeo used a tone that made it clear his request wasn’t up for debate. His annoyance the past few days had grown into a simmering anger. Albeit that anger was directed more at himself for the unaccustomed feeling of caring so much.

      But some of it was directed at the woman who raised her head from her video conversation СКАЧАТЬ