Two's Company

by Carole Mortimer

  She had tried what had amounted almost to camping out in Edward Carlyle's head office in England, the luxurious suite of offices from where he supposedly ran the hotel chain. But it had transpired that he spent little time there, preferring to be actually in the hotels themselves to ensure their efficient running.

  And no wonder, if this hotel complex was anything to go by; in the six days Juliet had been here she had quickly realised how easy it would be to become used to the attentive luxury of a place like this! There was everything one could possibly need here to ensure every comfort. Except Edward Carlyle himself!

  Unfortunately the property business was still a difficult thing to be in, and William had only just managed to salvage the company three years before when the market had collapsed around a lot of people's ears. Things were starting to pick up again now for anyone who had actually survived that collapse, but, even so, decisions still had to be made very carefully. And without Edward Carlyle's agreement Juliet couldn't make any at all…

  She turned over on the bed with a pained groan. She had to find Edward Carlyle. She just had to. Two more days and she would go back to England and start her search for him all over again. While there was still time she wasn't about to give up. She couldn't! She owed it to William not to...

  She hadn't even been aware of dozing off, but she knew that she must have been asleep for some time when she rolled over on the bed to see the bright sunshine blazing through the doors that led out to the balcony of this first-floor suite. A quick glance at her watch revealed that it was after eleven o'clock. Almost lunchtime, and she hadn't even had breakfast yet!

  As usual, there was a buffet lunch being set out in one of the gardens when Juliet ventured downstairs almost an hour later, having showered and changed into a cotton sundress of a bright red colour that somehow managed not to clash with the blaze of her now confined hair, a tortoiseshell slide loosely securing its curling length at her nape. It had been strange, a week ago in England, packing all her summer things to bring away with her; in early November in England it was already cold and wintry.

  The man, Liam, was the last person she wanted to see as she approached one of the tables placed about the garden near the buffet. He was seated at another table a short distance away, watching her with narrowed blue eyes, still wearing the faded denims but having put on a short-sleeved shirt of the same sky-blue colour as his eyes. His hair looked even more golden in the bright midday sun, his skin tanned a dark bronze.

  No doubt, like a lot of the other guests here, he spent a great deal of time sitting around in the sun doing nothing but improving his tan, Juliet thought disgruntledly as she put her laden plate down on the table and sat down abruptly, carefully avoiding looking across at Liam as she did so.

  She no longer felt hungry as she looked down at the salad and fruit on her plate. What was she doing here? This wasn't her sort of place at all; these weren't her sort of people either. God, it was all such a waste of time, and—

  'I should eat that if I were you,' murmured a familiar voice from above her. 'You look as if a puff of wind might blow you away!' Liam added grimly.

  Juliet had looked up at him at the first sound of his voice, and her face became flushed with irritation now as she heard his last comment. 'I would hardly have selected the food if I didn't intend eating it,' she bit out tautly, deliberately picking up her fork at his taunt to stab at a piece of melon and put it pointedly in her mouth, meeting his gaze challengingly once she had done so.

  'Fruit and salad…' He was shaking his head as he lowered his lean length into the seat next to her. 'It's hardly going to pile on the pounds, is it?'

  She swallowed the piece of melon, almost choking on it as she realised she had forgotten to chew it. 'I don't want to "pile on the pounds", thank you!' she finally managed to snap.

  Liam sat forward, his elbows resting on the table beside her, the hair on his tanned arms a golden blond too. 'It may be fashionable to be thin, Juliet,' he said softly, 'but most men prefer a woman they can actually hold on to.'

  She gasped at his familiarity; didn't this man know how to take a hint? It must be perfectly obvious to him by now that she didn't appreciate his intrusive company. God, she had told him bluntly enough that she wasn't in the market to be picked up. But maybe that fact alone was a challenge to him, she wearily acknowledged; he looked like the sort of man who would relish any sort of challenge offered to him!

  Well, she had said it, and she meant it; she had much more important things to do here than become the plaything of a man like Liam. 'I really don't care what "most men prefer",' she told him with sweet venom. 'Now, if you wouldn't mind, I would like to eat my lunch in peace.' She looked at him pointedly.

  'Don't mind me.' He relaxed back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest to watch her with narrowed blue eyes.

  That was hardly what she had meant and he knew it! What was she supposed to do now? Because she had no intention of eating her lunch with this man sitting there watching her every move.

  'You—' She broke off, looking past him to the table where he had been sitting minutes earlier.

  A woman was now sitting at the table, looking across at the two of them enquiringly—a beautiful woman who looked to be in her mid-thirties, her blonde hair short but perfectly styled, make-up expertly applied. And she was obviously waiting for Liam… He hadn't wasted much time since his arrival here; breakfast with Juliet, lunch with this other woman! And the other woman, with her slightly voluptuous figure, looked exactly the sort of woman a man could hold on to!

  Juliet turned back to Liam. 'I believe your luncheon guest has just arrived,' she informed him directly.

  He turned to glance casually over at his table, lifting his hand to the woman in an acknowledging salute, before turning back to Juliet. 'Perhaps I'll see you later,' he said huskily as he stood up to leave.

  Not if she saw him first! Avoiding this persistent man was going to make these last two days of her stay even more of a trial than the previous six had been. But maybe not, she thought with a grimace as she saw the way the beautiful blonde woman looked up and smiled at him as he joined her at the table; he looked as if he might have his time filled quite adequately by her. Thank God!

  Men, especially of the type she guessed Liam to be, were not something she wanted in her life. She didn't want any man in her life!

  Except Edward Carlyle. She desperately needed to have him in her life, in the life of Carlyle Properties—otherwise there wasn't going to be a company at all.

  That thought put her totally off eating any more of her lunch, and she put the fork down, the food untouched—except for that piece of melon she had so defiantly eaten when Liam had been sitting with her.

  She wanted to leave, having totally lost her appetite, but she was very conscious of the fact that if she did so Liam would no doubt watch her going.

  What difference did it make if Liam watched her leave? she irritably admonished herself, standing up determinedly; it was none of his business whether or not she ate her lunch!

  She walked past the table where he sat with the attractive blonde woman, her head held high. Deep in conversation with his luncheon companion, he didn't even glance her way.

  And Juliet was even more annoyed with herself for even thinking that he would have noticed her departure!

  There was something so very beautiful about Majorca in the evening. The sunset brought into focus all the beauty of the orange-pink stonework of the buildings that were prevalent on this lovely island, of the hotel itself as Juliet walked along the sea-shore towards it on her way to dinner, bathed in the pink glow of sunset.

  If only she could be like the other carefree holiday-makers here just wanting to enjoy themselves. But it seemed like years since she had been carefree. If she ever had been!

  There had been years of being in foster care and then several more years of being out in the world on her own. Before meeting Simon…

  At the thought of him she brought he
r thoughts to an abrupt halt. She hadn't thought of him for years; refused to think of him. It was all too painful…

  Then why was she thinking of him now? She frowned. She knew why. That man, Liam, in some way reminded her of Simon. Oh, not in his manner; Liam was much more self-assured and powerful than Simon had ever been. Simon had been so weak. But their colouring was the same; Simon had been blond as Liam, with the same deep blue eyes. He had been almost as tall as the other man too.

  Maybe that was one of the reasons why Liam had evoked such a strong response within her; she could usually handle any advances made to her without feeling as if she was running away! But Liam had made her feel defensive from the first. And now she knew the reason why. He reminded her of Simon, the man she had once loved so deeply…

  And, having realised that, Juliet found it was not conducive to her peace of mind that Liam was the first person she saw when she entered the hotel dining-room half an hour later. He was seated alone at a table near a window that overlooked the tranquil bay of this beautiful resort in the north of the island, his luncheon companion noticeably absent. And he looked devastatingly attractive in a white dinner-jacket and snowy white shirt with a white bow-tie, his blond hair brushed back from his face, his eyes deeply blue against his tan.

  Juliet looked quickly away from him because he seemed to sense her gaze on him and turned in the direction of the doorway she had just walked through. Probably he had been expecting the beautiful blonde from lunch; he was obviously waiting for someone, as his table was set for two people. And the other woman would probably want to make a grand entrance when she did arrive— unlike Juliet, who just wanted to reach her table as quickly as possible, away from that piercing blue gaze which she could feel was watching her every move now.

  The black dress she wore was plain but stylish, fitting neatly to the smooth contours of her body, showing the extent of her shapely legs beneath its knee-length hem. Her hair, the long red curls wilder than usual from the slight breeze that had blown up this afternoon, was loosely confined at her nape with a black slide this time, her make-up light, her lip-gloss a light peach colour.

  She had checked her appearance before she'd left her suite, and knew she looked elegantly attractive rather than showily sexy—the way she had always liked to look when she had acted as William's hostess during business dinners. It was a style of dress that made her feel comfortable. But not so with Liam watching her so intently!

  She kept her gaze on the back of the maitre d' as he took her to her table, looking to neither left nor right of the elegant candlelit dining-room as she did so, not wanting even inadvertently to meet the gaze of the man Liam.

  'Good evening, Juliet.'

  She looked up at the sound of his voice, her eyes widening as she realised that the maitre d' had left after showing her to the table Liam occupied. Liam was standing now as he looked down at her with amused blue eyes.

  She shook her head, colour darkening her cheeks. 'There seems to have been some sort of mistake…' She looked about her self-consciously.

  'No mistake, Juliet,' he assured her smoothly, coming around the table to pull back the chair that was placed opposite his.

  She frowned up at him, making no move to sit in the chair. 'But I don't want to have dinner with you,' she blurted out bluntly.

  'Oh, I think you do, Juliet,' he murmured derisively, that amusement still in his dark blue eyes.

  She looked up at him indignantly. 'I most certainly do not!' she snapped. 'What happened to your companion from lunch? Didn't it work out?' she scorned with obvious sarcasm. Really, this man was extremely arrogant to have assumed that she would be willing to have dinner with him, even going so far as to tell the maitre d'—obviously, because the other man had shown her to this table without hesitation! —that she would be joining him. Well, she had no intention of doing so!

  The amusement gone from his eyes now, his gaze narrowed. 'Sit down, Juliet,' he told her softly, but nevertheless in a voice that brooked no further argument.

  No doubt he was uncomfortable with the attention—albeit discreetly—that was being directed their way from the other diners in the room because of her obvious reluctance to join him at his table. Probably this had never happened to him before, Juliet realised disgustedly.

  Her gaze was steady as she looked up at him, grey eyes cool and calm. 'I told you, I don't want to have dinner with you,' she said evenly, her voice lowered.

  Liam straightened, his expression grim now. 'And if you remember I said that you do,' he returned challengingly.

  Her eyes widened now. He really was the most…! 'Maybe this arrogant approach works with some women,' she snapped indignantly, 'but it certainly isn't going to work with me! Now, if you'll excuse me…?' She looked at him pointedly as he stood firmly in the way of her walking away from the table.

  'Certainly.' He stepped back. 'But I was under the impression,' he added softly as she turned away, 'that you wanted to talk to me.'

  Juliet turned back dazedly. 'I can't imagine how you ever gained that impression,' she said incredulously. 'Other than bluntly telling you I don't care whether I ever set eyes on you again, I've done everything I could to show you that I'm not interested in whatever you have in mind. You really do have the most monumental arrogance, Mr…Liam!' Her eyes flashed her anger as she glared up at him.

  'The name is Carlyle, Juliet,' he told her softly. 'Edward William Carlyle,' he added pointedly. 'Are you still of the opinion that you don't care whether you ever set eyes on me again?' He coolly returned her gaze, his brows raised mockingly.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Juliet didn't have to be asked to sit down again; she almost fell into the waiting chair, all the time looking up at the man she now knew to be Edward Carlyle, the man she had come here to see.

  He was Edward Carlyle. Edward William Carlyle, that middle name obviously where the Liam part came from. Good God, she still couldn't believe it. He had been this close to her all day and she hadn't even known it.

  But he had known exactly who she was, she suddenly realised as she watched him resume his seat in the chair opposite her. And he had been playing some sort of cat-and-mouse game with her all day…

  And he still was, she slowly acknowledged as he met her gaze coolly across the width of the table that stood between them. He looked perfectly relaxed as he rested the lean length of his body back in the chair.

  Juliet drew in a slow, controlling breath. She had found Edward Carlyle at last or rather he had found her! She mustn't let her feelings of resentment at his subterfuge override her need to speak with him. But she did feel resentful; there was no doubt about it. He had known all along exactly who she was, she was sure of that now, but he had chosen not to let her know who he was until he had been ready to do so. Which appeared to be now.

  'You're right,' she nodded, amazed at how calm she sounded considering that she still felt slightly dazed by the fact that she had already had at least two other opportunities today to speak to Edward Carlyle, and hadn't even been aware of it. 'I do want to speak to you. I—'

  'Shall we order dinner first?' he suggested lightly as the waiter appeared at their table.

  The last thing she felt like doing now was eating; in fact, she felt as if food might actually choke her. 'I haven't had a chance to look at the menu yet,' she said awkwardly.

  Liam—Edward Carlyle—gave her a considering look. 'Would you like me to order for you?' he offered distantly. 'I can recommend the salmon and the pork.'

  He should be able to—he owned the damned hotel! God! Ordinarily she would have told him what he could do—what any man could do!—with his arrogance in suggesting that he order her food for her, but there was nothing ordinary about this meeting, and quite frankly she didn't feel up to choosing anything for herself. 'Fine,' she accepted abruptly, closing her unread menu before turning to stare sightlessly out of the window while he spoke to the waiter.

  This wasn't at all how she had envisaged meeting Edward Carlyle; sh
e had thought it would be on a business footing, not the two of them sitting here in evening clothes about to eat a meal together. Especially when, until a few minutes ago, one of them had been at a complete disadvantage in not knowing exactly whom she was speaking to!

  He didn't look anything like William, his father having been dark-haired, with astute grey eyes and softer features than his son's. She could be forgiven for not having made any connection between the two men. But that didn't alter the fact that she was now sitting opposite Edward Carlyle at the meeting she had wanted for the last two months— and that she felt completely at a loss as to how to even begin the conversation they needed to have!

  She drew in a ragged breath as she turned back to face him. 'Mr Carlyle—'

  'The name is still Liam,' he cut in firmly. 'No one but my father ever called me Edward. And he was "Mr Carlyle",' he added grimly.

  The friction that had existed between the two men when William had been alive was still obvious in Liam's voice. Juliet sat forward in her seat. 'We need to talk, Mr…Liam,' she amended at his frowning look. 'But I don't think these are exactly the right circumstances.' She looked pointedly around them at the rapidly filling restaurant. A pianist and a violinist were now taking up their positions across the room.

  'No,' he acknowledged abruptly as the music began to play softly in the background.

  Juliet frowned across the table at him. She was looking at him with new eyes now that she knew he wasn't just a man who had been trying to pick her up for a holiday fling. And she could see a toughness about his mouth and eyes, a power in the hard lines of his face; he didn't look as if he was going to be an easy man to talk to in any circumstances!

  'We'll have dinner, Juliet,' he told her softly. 'Then we can talk over coffee in one of the lounges.'