Mills & Boon Stars Collection: Sinful Proposals. Cathy Williams

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СКАЧАТЬ on both sides of the world, Sunny had thought. You could be lonely even if you had loads of money because loneliness was very fair and even-handed when it decided to pay a visit. No distinctions were ever made.

      Eric came to collect her promptly at ten, always on time, and she allowed herself a sigh of pure anticipation at spending the day out, doing something other than working or household chores. Plus Amy was overjoyed to have the flat to herself for the day.

      ‘I’m going to show him that I can be a domestic goddess,’ she had confided.

      ‘Brilliant idea.’

      ‘Something Thai,’ Amy had said vaguely. ‘A salad or something. Don’t worry. I’ll be gone by the time you get home...’

      Sunny had wondered whether some sort of Thai salad was going to work with her friend’s latest big love interest but who was she to say anything? She had images in her head of a guy who was inappropriate on so many levels that it made her feel dizzy when she thought about it.

      But today she would just relax and enjoy herself because she had one more week and then she’d be gone.

      She’d miss Flora.

      In her own way, Flora was as fragile as she had been at that age and Sunny felt a pang when she thought about saying goodbye and walking away, leaving her in the capable hands of another nanny.

      It was already baking hot by the time the driver pulled into the long drive that led up to the house. She expected to find Stefano there, had braced herself for some polite conversation but she was greeted at the door by the housekeeper, who came, it would seem, to clean on the weekends.

      ‘We could do something exciting and fun,’ she suggested to Flora, racking her brain to think of what might fit the bill. ‘Perhaps a zoo...or a park...maybe the movies...or something...’

      ‘I disapprove of zoos,’ Flora ruled out that option immediately and Sunny grinned.

      ‘Or we could just...have lunch somewhere nice and then come back here...’

      ‘And swim!’

      ‘I’ll have to stay in the shallow end...’

      ‘Why?’

      ‘Because I... I never actually learned how to swim...’

      ‘I’ll teach you!’

      With a project in hand, Flora was happy to rush through the various fun things Sunny felt she should be doing. The zoo, which would have meant trekking back into London, was fortunately ruled out and instead they went to a nearby beauty spot for a picnic. There was a huge lake, acres of woodland and many, many people also out enjoying the area with their kids and their dogs.

      Flora talked about New Zealand, about what she had done there and about the open spaces and natural beauty. Her mother rarely featured in these accounts, except in passing, and her father not at all. Had he been over to see her at all? Sunny wondered. Or had he washed his hands of his own child the second he had obtained a divorce? Strangely, although he was a workaholic and although, as far as Sunny was concerned, he needed to take way more interest in his daughter, she didn’t see him as the sort of guy who would ever walk away from responsibility.

      Walking around the lake, she realised that speculating about Stefano Gunn was becoming a full-time occupation. When she wasn’t thinking about work she was thinking about him and having told herself that there was no way she would allow herself to be curious about him or his circumstances, she still was.

      Eric, fortunately, was there to save them the huge walk back in blistering sunshine and it was a little after two by the time Sunny had stripped down to the modest black bikini she had brought with her.

      She had always wanted to know how to swim. Indeed, she had started a few swimming lessons less than a year ago but time had been in short supply and she had stopped them. The fact was that her life had just been too disordered, too unpredictable for something as constant as swimming lessons and when she had earned her scholarship to the boarding school she had made sure to steer clear of the enormous swimming pool. With few close friends, no one had questioned her reluctance to go swimming and, as it was a voluntary after-school activity, there had been no awkward or embarrassing confessions about her lack of know-how.

      But this glittering turquoise pool in the calm peace of the countryside was irresistible.

      She stayed at the shallow end and watched a different Flora prance around, diving and flipping and swimming underwater like a little darting fish.

      Instructions were given, with Flora stepping into the role of stern swimming teacher.

      Little by little, Sunny relaxed and began enjoying the weightless feeling of being in the water. It was a very big pool and she tentatively edged away from the shallow end, growing in confidence as she remembered some of the instructions from her brief foray into swimming lessons months before.

      Don’t panic and swallow lungfuls of water while trying to scrabble and touch ground...

      Brilliant, sensible advice.

      Except...

      How was she to know that Stefano wouldn’t do as he had promised? Wouldn’t stay out of the house until at least nine in the evening? In other words, how could she have guessed that, daringly halfway across the pool, trying her luck with paddling from one side to the other, she would look up and see him? Standing right there? Looking right back down at her?

      All the brilliant, sensible advice flew straight out of her head. She panicked. She gulped down water and panicked more, scrabbling to touch ground but, in her confusion, sinking and flailing.

      Flora was the first to dive in, slicing through the water and grasping her under her arms.

      Convinced that she was on the verge of drowning, Sunny still wanted to yell to her that she was way too young to be trying a rescue mission on an adult.

      But she didn’t have to because Stefano wasn’t far behind his daughter and then bigger, stronger arms were around her, firmly gripping her ribcage and pulling her with consummate ease to the side of the pool, where he heaved her out with no trouble at all.

      ‘Good job, Flora,’ she heard him say, to which Flora muttered something in reply, but when Sunny opened her eyes and looked at her she was blushing as she turned away for a towel, which she brought to her.

      Humiliation washed over her in waves. She could barely look at him and, when she did, he was leaning over her with a concerned expression.

      He was soaking wet. He’d kicked his shoes off before diving into the pool but he was dripping.

      Sunny squeezed her eyes tightly shut and prayed that she had somehow imagined the whole horrible episode but when she opened them he was even closer to her, kneeling with his big hand propping up her head.

      The spluttering was thankfully done but shock was setting in.

      ‘We need to get you upstairs.’ He’d taken the towel from Flora and sat her up so that he could wrap the towel around her as best he could.

      ‘No,’ Sunny pleaded. ‘I’m fine.’ She was trembling violently even though she was doing her best not to.

      ‘Flora—’ СКАЧАТЬ