Nick no longer had a reason to keep Liza at his side twenty-four hours a day; she was safe for the moment. He could take part in the para-skiing competition, so why wasn’t he thrilled?
‘I was only joking,’ Liza said placatingly, breaking the rather tense silence and wondering what had happened to change his mood from the eager lover of an hour ago, to the stern-faced man in front of her.
‘It wasn’t funny; you don’t know Carl,’ Nick said bluntly, ‘and if you have any sense you will forget you ever heard his name.’ Liza was not out of the woods yet, as far as the criminal investigation went and she might still be questioned, and the less she knew about anything or anyone the better… ‘Understand.’
No, Liza did not understand. But she reached out to him, one small hand catching his arm, the other she placed on his chest and lifted her brilliant eyes to his darkly handsome face. ‘I understand you seem a bit uptight, and you need to relax,’ she said softly. But the light in her eyes faded as he flinched and drew back from her.
‘Don’t waste your time—we’ve run out of condoms,’ he informed her with a bluntness that shocked Liza to the core. ‘I’ll get some at the lodge later.’
Dazedly she looked at him; he was so cool and matter-of-fact she was painfully reminded of exactly what Nick wanted from their affair: sex; he had never pretended otherwise. Of course, he was right to take precautions, she knew, but she bitterly resented the implication that just because she touched him it had to lead to sex.
‘You do surprise me, Nick.’ It had taken a few moments but now she was back in control and she was coldly angry. ‘I would have thought a man like you would have an inexhaustible supply,’ she said sarcastically, and watched his head jerk back.
‘A man like me?’ he said with a raised brow. ‘I believe in protecting my lover and myself, but can your past lovers say the same?’
His insinuation was like a red rag to a bull. He was frightened of catching something off her! ‘You’ve got a nerve. I bet you have a little black book that would rival the Encyclopaedia Britannica,’ she shot back.
‘Oh, Liza, come on, you were no virgin and I don’t care how many lovers you have had. But if you are on the Pill I am perfectly happy to forget about the condoms.’ And he had the audacity to smile, like a man who thought he should be thanked for being so generous.
‘I am not on the Pill, and I have only ever had one other lover.’ She was incensed by his callous comment about ‘lovers’ in the plural.
‘And who was that?’ Nick asked cynically. ‘Henry Brown?’
‘No way—are you crazy? He is my boss and he is married.’ She was insulted that he could even think she would sleep with a married man, and she could not understand how a comment about a telephone call had led to a discussion on her sex life or previous lack of one.
‘Then who?’ Nick asked, relief flooding through him at her denial; the thought of Liza with Brown had been anathema to him.
‘Not that it is any of your business, but it was my fiancé,’ she told him and then wondered, was she really so besotted with Nick she actually saw his interest in her past love life as a sign of real interest in her?
‘You were engaged; for how long?’ Nick looked at her in astonishment. He had never heard that bit of information from his mother, he was sure.
‘Three days,’ Liza admitted drily. ‘The first time we made love it was a disaster, so we didn’t do it again. In fact, I thought I was frigid.’ She saw the expression of amazement on his face, and blushed.
‘You are joking!’ he exclaimed and laughed out loud.
Of course, to a man with his sexual history she must sound like an idiot, and quite suddenly she was furious. ‘Very funny, ha ha! But no, I am not joking. In fact, I should be thanking you for showing me I am not frigid. At least now when we part I will have no fear of dating dozens of men.’ And with that broadside she busied herself clearing the dishes to the sink.
Nick believed her; he had thought the first time they made love she was a little shy, shocked by her own response, and he was secretly delighted that he was the one to teach her the wonder of sex. But she was a fast learner, and he was damned if he wanted her trying out her new-found sexual prowess on anyone but himself. The thought brought him up cold.
‘I have to go. I want to watch the first slalom race,’ Nick said brusquely. ‘So if you want a lift to the lodge you’d better hurry up.’ He looked at his watch. ‘I’ll give you five minutes, but you can stay here for the day if you like, have a rest.’
‘What did you say?’ Liza spun around, blue eyes blazing. Stay here…if she liked… When had he ever cared what she wanted? Liza thought mutinously. She searched his strikingly handsome features for some reassurance, but his face was expressionless.
Not meeting her eyes, he strode out through the door, shouting over his shoulder, ‘Five minutes.’
Swerving to miss a young child, Liza ended the run on her back. That was it, she had had enough and, struggling upright, she headed for the lodge. Nick had parted company with her as soon as they arrived on the slopes, with a brief comment that he wanted to tackle something different. On her own for the first time in a week, she was very quickly bored, going up and down the same route.
She stacked her skis against the wall, and after changing out of her ski suit she headed for the viewing terrace; maybe she could pick out Nick. She was surprised at the amount of people that were around; still, she managed to get one of the telescopes and scanned all the ski runs, but couldn’t see Nick.
She heard a commotion behind her and turned around. Funny, all the other telescopes had been turned around, and then she saw what was causing the excitement. ‘Oh, my God! What are they doing?’ she asked, and the man next to her answered.
‘Ah, you mean the crazy para-skiing.’ And he swiftly adjusted her telescope for her towards the high mountain range behind the ski runs. ‘Look up there, señorita. They leap off the peak and they are lucky not to break their necks.’ He shook his head and laughed. ‘Extreme sports.’ He shrugged. ‘Plain loco.’
Focusing on the mountain, Liza let out a horrified gasp as she spotted the distinctive figure of Nick dressed in black, and as she watched he took off, a black parachute with the red emblem of the Timanfaye devil emblazoned across sailing above him. He soared and dipped down the mountainside, his great body twisting and turning as he skimmed rocky outcrops and jumped off cliffs with a total disregard for life and limb.
All the colour drained from her face, her heart leapt into her throat as his body flew through the air, and she expected any second he would be smashed against a cliff. She watched until his distinctive chute finally vanished behind another mountain.
Turning away, her legs trembling, she went inside and straight down to the bar, ordered a large Scotch, and, crossing to a quiet corner, she slumped down into an armchair and drank the whisky down in one go.
Her heart was pounding like a drum in her chest, and she felt sick. Sick with fear, not for herself, but for Nick. A vivid mental picture of his magnificent body broken and bloody on the white snow flashed in her mind, and she groaned. Oh, God, why did he do such things? What made a sane man risk his life over and over again in the name of fun? She wouldn’t call it a sport, it was sheer reckless, macho bravado, and she hated the very thought of Nick even contemplating taking part, never mind actually doing it.
Liza’s teeth clenched, rage sweeping through every cell in her body. She would kill him when she got her hands on him, if he had not killed himself first…
The sheer stupidity of her angry reaction hit her, and with it came the knowledge that she had been trying to deny all week, that she was falling in love with him…
No, that way lay heartbreak, as sure as night followed day. She had been terrified watching Nick this afternoon, sick to her stomach. She could imagine the agony all too easily of loving such a man. Wondering every time he took part in such events if he would ever come back.
She already had a taste of
the pain, wondering now if he was safe, and she hated it. She had thought she was in love once with Bob, and that had been a disaster. No way was she going down the same route again. Rising to her feet, Liza ran her hands through her glorious hair, her face pale but determined as she walked towards the exit.
Now she knew why Nick had been edgy this morning. He must have been high on adrenaline, tension stretched to breaking point as he thought of the event ahead. No wonder he had not really wanted her to come with him. He had not even told her what he was going to do…
Dinner was a raucous affair. Liza sat quietly at Nick’s side as he and his friends discussed every twist and turn of their monumental folly as far as Liza was concerned.
Much later in the dark comfort of the big bed, Nick made love to her with a wild, hungry passion. He moved inside her, and groaned something she could not hear, his eyes blazing in a face that was tense and drawn in a rictus of desire.
She kissed him then and he drove her higher, sensation building on sensation until she was mindless, aware only of the strength of him possessing her utterly, and she cried out his name and climaxed, and climaxed again, and felt his great body shuddering over her, before collapsing on top of her.
Nick rolled onto his back, taking her with him, and she laid her head against his chest as his pounding heart slowed beneath her cheek and returned to normal. His long arm wrapped around her waist and he squeezed gently.
‘You never cease to amaze me, Liza. I think I’ve told you that before,’ he said softly. ‘You’re a woman in a million.’ His hand gently brushed back the tumbled mass of hair from her brow. ‘I was sure you would be mad today when you discovered what I was doing, and yet it never fazed you at all. Thank you.’
Turning slightly, Liza looked up into his dark eyes, saw the warmth and, yes, affection, and she had to summon all her inner strength to say what she knew she must. ‘No need to thank me, Nick; if you want to kill yourself that is your prerogative. I am out of here next Friday and back to work.’ She felt the slight tension in his body. ‘Holiday over.’
‘Then we’d better not waste time talking.’ And she was on her back and Nick claimed her mouth with his.
Liza crouched down to remove her skis and paused for a moment. She could see the rise and dip of the mountains, the snow, dazzling to the eyes in the midday sun, and she blinked back a tear.
They were leaving for the airport in an hour, and to head back to Lanzarote. She should really have left early this morning but Nick had persuaded her to stay for one last run, convincing her that he would get her back in time for the gala dinner. Not that she needed much convincing…
‘What’s wrong?’ Nick asked, and, removing his sunglasses, he crouched down beside her. ‘Skis stuck?’
Liza looked at him, the concern in the depths of his glorious dark eyes making her heart shake. It never stopped, the hunger, the need for him, and she shook her head. ‘Nothing.’ And she rose to her feet before he could see the moisture in her eyes. ‘We’d better get changed and get going.’ It was the end of an idyllic holiday and she had vowed to herself she would not ask for more. ‘I do have to be in Lanzarote tonight.’
Nick straightened to his feet. ‘Yes,’ he agreed, tension riding him. It was nearly over but not quite.
They entered the building together, but not touching, and headed for the changing rooms. Liza stopped and tilted her head back to look up at Nick, the darkness of indoors after the dazzling light outside blinding her for a moment. ‘Where shall we meet?’
‘Upstairs on the balcony,’ Nick responded, ‘but there is no hurry; take your time getting ready,’ he told her, and, her eyes adjusting to the shadow, Liza studied his darkly handsome face. His jaw was set, his expression cold and remote. He was already withdrawing from her. She could sense it, had done all morning if she was honest. But then she had been doing the same since last week, or trying to, determined not to fall in love with him.
Involuntarily she lifted her hand to touch his cheek, but stopped, and instead she brushed back a few stray locks of hair from her face. ‘Right, OK.’ She dived into the changing room, tears blinding her.
Roughly she wiped the tears from her eyes. She was not going to cry. It had been great. She had had her holiday romance and that was enough. In a few hours she needed never see him again.
He had said to take her time, but suddenly Liza just wanted the parting over with as quickly as possible. She stripped off her ski clothes, didn’t bother with a shower, and, pulling on the denim jeans she had arrived in, she slipped on a roll-neck sweater in blue and added the denim jacket. The rest of her gear was already packed and in the Land-Rover.
Tense wasn’t the word. Nick walked out onto the balcony, and flicked on his mobile phone. He had spoken to Carl early this morning when Liza was sleeping, and knew Brown’s yacht had just berthed in the marina at Teguise. He also knew the transfer of cash and diamonds had been set for ten-thirty at a remote spot in the Timanfaya National Park. What Nick was hoping for was that whoever made the transfer would head straight back to Henry Brown and they would all be picked up.
He glanced at the Rolex on his wrist—it was almost one—and waited impatiently while the telephone rang. He prayed Carl would have the information he wanted.
He had talked Liza out of leaving this morning but he couldn’t delay her much longer. Not that it mattered now. He had never had any intention of taking her back to Lanzarote; once on board his jet, they were heading for England, a two-and-a-half-hour flight. By the time Liza realised and they landed, she wouldn’t have time to go back to the island.
Liza was still suspicious. He had sensed a wariness in her the last week and she had asked him again last night how he knew her boss when he was arranging their departure for today. He had changed the subject by making love to her, but she would not be diverted forever that way.
His lips twitched in a fleeting smile; though he would love to try. Dios! but she was good! The blunt thought made him frown. Good wasn’t the word to describe how he felt when he touched her naked body, felt the heat of her when he knelt in the delta of her thighs, the heightened sensations that made him tremble like a teenager with his first girl. Nick groaned, he ached with the need she aroused in him.
When this call was over and he had arranged to keep Liza in the clear…that was if Carl ever answered; he frowned at the continuing ringing tone. He was going to tell her the truth. His honour would not allow him to do less, and then if she was still willing they could continue their relationship with no secrets…totally open.
‘Carl here.’
‘What’s happened?’ Nick demanded. ‘Have you picked Brown up yet?’
‘Mission accomplished.’ Carl’s voice rang with triumph. ‘Would you believe Brown called at Daidolas’s when he left the yacht to go to his hotel? He couldn’t resist checking the diamonds again before they were handed over to the courier for the exchange, and we have the whole thing on video. Brown was getting far too complacent—he should have remembered third time lucky, or unlucky in his case. The courier arrived at the meeting place and we trailed him straight back to Brown at his hotel. We picked them both up along with Daidolas.’
‘Great!’ Nick exclaimed.
Liza reached the top step that led out through a double door onto the balcony when she heard Nick’s voice, and wondered who he was talking to. She froze at the mention of her boss’s name.
Totally unaware of Liza’s presence, Nick carried on. ‘So we finally got that thieving bastard Henry Brown. I hope they lock him up for years. Congratulations.’
‘With a lot of help from you, Nick. Your questioning of the girl and keeping tabs on her was brilliant. But when are you bringing her back?’
‘Keeping tabs on Liza was no hardship,’ Nick chuckled, the relief he felt that the whole thing was almost over immense. ‘But I wanted to talk to you about her.’ He hitched a hip onto the balcony rail, and let his glance roam over the view before him, searching for the right words. ‘I
know we thought Liza was involved with Brown in the theft of the diamonds when she delivered them for him. Now you have Brown under lock and key in a Spanish jail with the rest of them…’
Liza listened with mounting horror as Nick’s deep, melodious voice spelt out exactly what he thought of her. A diamond thief! She tuned out the rest—she didn’t need to hear how he was going to deliver her to jail.
Suddenly everything was crystal-clear in her shocked mind, and she had never felt so shamed and humiliated in her whole life, and she had only herself to blame.
All Nick’s questions about her job and her boss and her movements took on a sinister slant. As soon as she’d met up with Anna, Liza had been suspicious of Nick’s motives for taking her to Spain and she had been right all along about him knowing the name Henry Brown without her telling him. He had been having him followed.
But she had let herself be convinced that it was Nick’s overwhelming desire for her that had driven him to the deception. Then when she found herself at the ski-cabin instead of an airport she had fallen for his overwhelming-desire routine a second time.
What kind of sex-starved idiot did that make her, when she was stupid enough to believe his double deception? The bitter truth was all the time he had been keeping her under surveillance because he thought she was a jewel thief.
Liza felt like screaming her anguish at the mountains. She had been braving herself to say a sophisticated goodbye at the end of a holiday romance, and the lying, deceitful… The words escaped her.
At the Spaniard's Pleasure Page 15
