Mediterranean Mavericks: Greeks. Кейт Хьюит

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      That it took for ever to get there. That was something he hadn’t told her and it was just as well as it had allowed her no opportunity to spend three days angsting over the ordeal of sitting next to him on a plane for a seemingly never-ending period of time. Rose had had enough angst on her plate just worrying about what she was going to buy to take with her.

      Then there was the whole question of what exactly she was supposed to do once she got there. She might be a whizz at computers and, yes, facts, figures and financial projections were things she could handle without too much difficulty. And reporting back on her hotel, chatting to the manager, with whom she had developed a pleasant rapport, about the nuts and bolts of city chic, was within her spec…but looking at land in a country she had barely heard of and could only vaguely point to on a map?

      ‘Okay. Spit it out.’

      ‘What?’

      ‘There’s something on your mind. Spit it out.’

      Nick snapped shut his laptop computer, sat back and gave her his full, undivided attention.

      ‘I don’t know what you mean.’

      ‘I mean you’ve barely spoken since we took off four hours ago, you’ve been stuck on the same page of your book for the past hour and if you chew your lip any more we’ll have to see if there are any paramedics on the plane. Tell me you’re not worrying about what the hot weather is going to do to your hair.’

      ‘Hardly. I stopped worrying about what my hair did years ago.’

      ‘Relax. Enjoy the flight, as our air steward would say.’ He glanced around him and then shot her a lazy, amused smile. ‘Is first class all it’s cracked up to be?’

      Rose had had to stop herself from fidgeting with gadgets and demonstrating just how impressionable she was when it came to long-haul travel. ‘And the rest,’ she confessed. ‘And I am very appreciative…well…for this and for…everything else…’

      Nick frowned. This wasn’t what he wanted to hear. Gratitude wasn’t what this woman was all about. Stubborn, feisty, mutinous and often highly aggravating, yes. But grateful…no. Over the past three days, Nick had found himself looking forward to this trip. The man who had crossed the Atlantic a million times and more, who had platinum frequent-flyer cards from just about every major airline, who could afford to go anywhere in the world on a whim if he so desired, and in the company of pretty much any woman he wanted…and he had been looking forward to a business trip with a woman who made his teeth snap together in sheer frustration quite a bit of the time.

      He had never been one to spend hours soul-searching, but his illogical reaction did make him conclude that his life was full of yes-men, people who would jump if he looked in their direction and silently mouthed the order.

      ‘I don’t want your thanks and gratitude,’ he grated, and Rose gave him a startled glance.

      ‘Fine,’ Rose snapped back.

      ‘So tell me what’s wrong.’

      ‘I’m not sure I’m up to what I’m supposed to do when we get to Borneo,’ she admitted in a sulky voice. ‘I work with computers. I don’t know the first thing about building sites and conveyancing.’

      ‘You won’t have to. My Malaysian counterpart is very competent. You won’t be shoved into a position where you have to make technical decisions that are beyond your scope.’

      ‘So why am I here, in that case?’

      Ah. Now, this was back to normal. Rose clambering onto her argumentative bandwagon, although her tone of voice couldn’t have been more polite. He was, he had discovered, beginning to know her.

      ‘There’s more to a hotel than foundations and planning permission. Let’s just say that you’re here to provide the female touch.’

      ‘Which is what exactly?’

      ‘You argue too much.’

      ‘Only with you.’ Their eyes tangled and Rose looked away hurriedly.

      ‘I’ll take that as a compliment. It’s nice to know that I can fire you up.’

      Rose ground her teeth together and Nick let out a loud laugh that drew stares from the passengers sitting closest to them. ‘Think about the things that impressed you most about the hotel in London, think about how they could be incorporated into a small hotel sitting in the equatorial belt. It’s going to need an almighty leap of the imagination, but you know what I want…’ I want you. The thought weaved a path in his head and he greeted it without surprise. Maybe he had known all along that she was more than just a challenge or a novelty or a refreshing break from the type of women he usually enjoyed. He wanted her. Not just her mind, but her body. Nick lowered his eyes.

      Every inch of him gave the impression of a man totally absorbed by what his companion was saying. She certainly seemed to have taken on board everything he had told her in the past about his plans, even things he had mentioned in passing. Now, enthused, she was eagerly discussing them and he made sure to contribute, but the flicker of his eyes was on her mouth, soft and pink, and her breasts, shadowy outlines under her cotton pinstriped shirt as she leant towards him, her hands articulating what she was saying. Something about sunken baths and a rainforest decor that would bring the environment right into the hotel.

      ‘I did think about buying a guidebook,’ she finished, ‘but I wanted to be assaulted by the place without any preconceived ideas.’

      ‘Yes. Good idea.’ Nick smiled, setting her at ease. ‘Right…now let’s compare some of those preliminary costings…’

      How could she ever have thought that a life devoid of change and adventure was a good one?

      Here she was, sitting in the first-class compartment of a plane that would deliver her first to Kuala Lumpur and then onward to Kota Kinabalu, the state capital of Sabah, places she had never heard of in her life before. And, yes, it was exciting.

      She looked at Nick surreptitiously from under her lashes and felt that familiar illicit thrill. He was sleeping, his body half inclined away from her so that all she could glimpse was his profile and the gentle rise and fall of his chest.

      The seats in first class could be extended to full body length and, although she was as reclined as he was and the cabin was in darkness, she was finding it difficult to sleep.

      For the first time, she could sort of understand how Tony and Flora had been affected by wanderlust. The unknown wasn’t scary, as she had imagined. Or rather, she amended to herself, it was scary, but it was also full of possibilities.

      The strongest possibility now was that she would remain wide awake for the remainder of the trip and then be fit for nothing when they eventually landed.

      But she slept.

      And СКАЧАТЬ