by Maggie Cox
‘That was when I trusted and loved you,’ she burst out irritably, pulling free of Rodrigo’s loose hold on her—suddenly terrified of the need that made her want to surrender to his arms and give him everything. ‘And I don’t any more. Now I’m much more careful about who I give my affection to.’
‘Is that your way of telling me you’ve found someone else?’
‘Are you joking?’ she answered scathingly. ‘After the way my brother behaved as well, I don’t think I’ll ever trust another man again.’
‘Not now, perhaps…But when enough time has passed you might learn that not all men are so despicable.’ Tenderly Rodrigo smoothed back her hair, standing his ground as Jenny’s body stiffened with tension
‘If I ever make the mistake of trusting a man again, then I deserve everything I get!’
‘Yet you did trust me again.’ His tone was gentle but firm. ‘You trusted me to take care of you while you were ill.’
‘I didn’t have much choice, did I?’
‘Do you want to vent your anger at me Jenny? Is that it?’
‘All I want is my bath,’ she said weakly. Frighteningly, she sensed that the full flood of grief and pain over what had happened between them hovered dangerously close now that she’d opened the lid on it again. It must be because she was sick she reasoned. Usually she managed to contain her hurt and rage much better.
‘Then that’s exactly what you shall have.’ Reaching up to the shelf for the crystal bottle labelled ‘English Rose,’ Rodrigo gave her an unperturbed smile. After liberally applying it to the splashing hot water, he returned the bottle to the shelf. ‘I’ll leave you to get into the tub by yourself, but if you need me I’ll be just outside the door,’ he told her.
‘Thanks,’ she murmured. And as soon as the closed door was a barrier between them she dropped down onto the loo seat and allowed herself to listen to the sound of her heart breaking again…
That was when I trusted and loved you, she’d said. He could drive himself mad with regret and pain because she’d never say she loved and trusted him again. And it wasn’t easy for Rodrigo to leave Jenny to cry. He’d sensed the hurt she normally held in strict check had just catapulted to the surface and spilled over. Every heaving sob was like a knife slicing through his heart, and it disturbed him to discover that he could be so affected by this woman’s tears.
Why had it not been that way before? The more she had cried, the more he had been furious with what he saw as typically female behaviour employed to manipulate his emotions. He sat in the rattan chair and dropped his head in his hands. Listening to Jenny’s distress was nothing less than pure torture.
A few moments later, the sound of her crying ceased. Resisting the strongest urge to knock on the door and ask if she felt better, he heard the relieved groan she released as she settled herself back into the hot water. About five minutes later, lost in his own thoughts, Rodrigo jolted when he heard her call out his name. He was at the door in a second.
‘What is it? Are you okay?’
‘Can you—can you come in?’
Surprised, he didn’t hesitate. Such a picture she made, lying there amidst the fragrant pink bubbles, her big blue eyes staring back at him like a crestfallen child’s, that Rodrigo’s heart slammed hard against his ribs.
‘Do you want me to scrub your back?’ he joked, although the idea of sliding his hands over that gleaming wet satin skin was definitely no cause for amusement. Even as he stood looking down at her his body throbbed with equal measures of pleasure and pain.
‘Could you help me wash my hair?’ Jenny asked softly, her expression clearly nervous in case he should refuse.
‘Of course…Where is your shampoo?’
‘Here.’ She handed him a tube-shaped bottle.
Dropping to his knees behind her, Rodrigo breathed her in, stealing a vital couple of moments to contain the lava-flow of desire that rocked through him and stay clear-headed enough to do the job in hand. But every sense he had was already saturated with her essence, even before he touched her.
Applying some shampoo to her already dampened hair, he could hardly attest to breathing as he began to move his palms slowly over her scalp. Nobody had ever told him that washing a woman’s hair could be so immensely satisfying and erotic. Over one satinysmooth shoulder he glimpsed the delicate swell of her breast, disappearing provocatively down into a sea of pink foam.
‘Rodrigo?’
‘Yes?’ His voice sounded as if it scraped over gravel, he was so aroused.
‘I’m sorry I acted like such an idiot just now. Perhaps we can call a truce?’
‘I’m not at war with you, Jenny. I never was.’
‘What do you mean?’
Jenny turned her head to glance at him, and he painfully observed the tiny collection of moisture bubbles clinging to the delicate furrow above her top lip. He yearned to lick away every one.
‘I’ve never thought of you as my enemy…that’s all.’
‘So you want us to be friends? Is that what you’re saying?’
‘Dios! I know you are ill, but I don’t want you to delude yourself that it’s friendship I’m interested in! Pass me that jug so I can rinse your hair, would you?’ He clicked his fingers, scarcely able to contain his impatience and—it had to be admitted—his annoyance. Suddenly he was in no mood for playing games. Not when it was all but killing him to wash her hair.
‘Are you mad at me for asking you to do this?’ When Rodrigo had finished rinsing, Jenny hurriedly scraped her fingers through her damp shoulder-length locks to move them out of her face, her gaze anxiously tracking him as he stood up and moved round the tub to survey her.
‘No. I’m not mad at you at all. But don’t fool yourself that all I want to do is take care of you while you’re ill. Trust me…I’m not as selfless or gallant as you may imagine. Neither am I made of stone.’
‘Oh.’
‘Is that all you can say?’
‘Rodrigo, I didn’t ask you to stay and take care of me. Are you saying that I should sleep with you as some kind of thank-you?’
‘Dios!’
His handsome face looked so thunderous that Jenny shrank back as far as she could in the tub, her heart beating hard.
‘That you even dare make such a crass remark is beyond belief. Admitting that I desire you does not mean I’m suggesting you give me your body for services rendered! I know perfectly well that you’re not immune or unaware of the attraction flaring between us again. I was merely being honest about my intention.’
‘And that is?’
He curled his lip in a sardonic smile, then folded his arms across his chest. His action drew Jenny’s heated gaze to the ripple of toned hard muscle in his bronzed biceps and taut torso, and she felt the hot sting of arousal burning in the tips of her breasts.
‘I am definitely going to make love to you very soon, Jenny,’ he drawled. ‘I will, of course, wait until you are fully recovered, but make no mistake that it will happen. Now…Do you need my help getting out of that tub?’
‘No!’ she answered quickly, disconcerted to see him nod with a little mocking smile.
‘Okay, then. If you think you can manage on your own then I’ll go downstairs and prepare some breakfast for us. You are hungry this morning, yes?’
Hungry? Suddenly the word had all kinds of dangerous connotations for Jenny.
Chapter Six
CURLED up on the living room couch with a cosy woollen blanket, Jenny watched Rodrigo rise from where he’d been stoking the burning logs in the woodstove, then smooth his long artistic hands down his jeans. Although she was still feeling frustratingly tired and achy, it was impossible not to notice how strong, well made and fit he was. He might work in the hotel trade on the business side of things, but he wasn’t a man who shied away from hard physical work either.
Earlier, she’d glanced out of the kitchen window to see just how hard he’d been working in the stormtossed garden. It looked as if it had been given a ser
ious face-lift. Even the fallen tree had been moved to lie safely against the fence, and without its temporary tarpaulin Lily’s beloved greenhouse appeared intact and sturdy as ever.
‘You’ll be wanting to head off soon, now that I’m feeling better.’ Suddenly, the thoughts that had been buzzing round inside Jenny’s head were out in the open.
Remaining quiet, Rodrigo strode across to lay his palm against her forehead. A hot current of awareness hummed right down to the very edges of her toes.
‘You are still a little warm.’ He frowned, his ebony gaze sweeping over her like an arresting searchlight.
‘Yes, but I really am feeling so much better.’
‘But hardly well enough to get back to work and run Lily’s business efficiently. Today is Friday…I’ll stay until Monday at least, to make sure you are well on your way back to being fighting fit before I go.’
‘You don’t have to.’
In answer to that comment, he merely raised an eyebrow.
‘By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask you…Have we had any enquiries about bookings over the last few days?’
‘Sí…we have.’
‘And?’ Jenny’s hands twisted anxiously in the folds of the woollen blanket.
‘And I made the required reservations, of course. They were both for the end of the month, when your friend returns from Australia. A married couple from Jersey and a single woman from Edinburgh. All the details are in the reservations book.’
‘She’ll be pleased about that. Thanks for seeing to things. You’ve been working hard in the garden too, I noticed. I can’t let you do all this for nothing.’
‘We have already put that subject to bed, have we not?’
‘Okay…I’ll drop it. But as soon as I feel able I’ll cook you something nice.’
Cozette chose that particular moment to stroll into the room and make a beeline for Jenny’s lap.
She grinned in delight as she stroked her hand over the deliciously soft striped fur. ‘Cozette, my angel! How have you been, baby? Have you missed me?’ The cat rubbed its face against Jenny’s arm, then settled into the blanket against her middle to purr contentedly.
‘Little traitor.’ Rodrigo grinned, dropping easily down to his haunches to fondly pet the animal.
‘A traitor…Why?’
‘Because since you’ve been ill she’s behaved like I am the sun, moon and stars—playing up to me, wanting me to pamper and pet her whenever she gets the chance…just as if she lives for nobody’s attention but mine. Now she’s with you I see that she was merely toying with my affections, like the typically mercenary little female she is!’
‘All females aren’t mercenary, Rodrigo.’ Imbuing her tone with a teacher-like scold, Jenny bravely met his mocking glance. Almost instantly the humour in his eyes vanished, leaving her with the strangest sensation that she was falling through space—plummeting at frightening speed—with no sense or idea of when or if she would land safely on earth again. A gasp caught and died in her throat as he reached for her hand to place it firmly against his rough-velvet cheek.
‘I find myself intensely jealous of the attention that you’re paying Cozette, querida…I’m wondering if you have any left to spare for me.’ Moving her palm to his lips, he pressed a warm kiss into the centre.
‘I expect you’ve been missing the routine and demands of your work.’ Keeping her voice deliberately light, so that he wouldn’t see how affected she was, Jenny retrieved her hand to lay it over Cozette again. She prayed Rodrigo wouldn’t see that it was trembling. ‘Your friends are probably missing you too. I feel slightly guilty that I’ve monopolised your time because of this stupid illness.’
‘So you expect never to get ill? You are infallible?’
‘I didn’t mean that. All I meant was that it was inconvenient.’
‘You know my lifestyle. I travel too much to be concerned with friends.’
Shrugging, Rodrigo rose to his feet, briefly rubbing his hands together.
‘You don’t always have to isolate yourself from people, Rodrigo.’
‘I am perfectly happy with the way things are.’
‘Really?’ It hurt Jenny to hear that.
‘I find it works better for me if I keep a little distance.’
‘But still…don’t you get a bit lonely, doing all that travelling and never really being close to anyone?’
‘My work is my life. You of all people know that. Now, I’ve got some phone calls to make that have been backing up. Are you okay by yourself for a while?’
‘Yes, I’m fine.’ Her heart thudding heavily, because Rodrigo suddenly seemed to be clearly illustrating his preference for a little distance, Jenny sighed.
‘At least you have Cozette for company, no?’
‘I told you—I’m fine. I don’t need a babysitter…Just go and make your phone calls and forget about me.’
‘I’ll make my phone calls…but I won’t forget about you, Jenny Wren.’
Because he’d taken the wind out of her sails, Jenny glared at him. ‘Just go!’
‘Okay, okay, I’m going.’ Having the audacity to chuckle at her petulant tone, he held up his hands in a gesture of surrender and backed slowly out of the room.
As soon as he was gone, Jenny was appalled to find hot tears boiling up behind her eyes. Suddenly the prospect of him leaving made her stomach lurch with sadness. What was the matter with her, for goodness’ sake? She was over him, wasn’t she? What on earth was she doing, attaching herself to the idea that somewhere deep inside he perhaps still held a torch for her? They’d parted a long time ago now. Why couldn’t she just accept that and get on with her life as she’d been doing before he’d shown up?
Lifting her hand up to her face, she stared at the spot that his lips had so spine-tinglingly caressed. It throbbed like a brand. Did he still not need anyone at all…ever?
In the afternoon, after the light lunch he’d prepared for them both, Rodrigo absented himself again, leaving Jenny with a stack of DVDs to choose from to keep her entertained. It appeared she was in no mood for conversation.
Seeing definite signs of her recovery, even though her complexion was still marble-pale, he took the opportunity to return to his room to work. Yet from time to time, as he studied his paperwork and made his phone calls, he couldn’t help remembering how they’d been captured by each other’s gazes just before he’d kissed her palm. It caused a flutter of mayhem in his stomach to recall it. Irritable, but not wanting to explore why, he diverted his attention to his most pressing phone call.
It had been just as he’d thought at the site in Penzance—the building schedule had indeed fallen behind, and even more so with all the rain. Although Rodrigo had had to delay the meeting because of Jenny, he now wanted to get to the root of the hold-up. There were several things he wanted the manager to keep him up to speed with, in fact, which meant that the afternoon flew by in a long, detailed discussion until Rodrigo had thoroughly satisfied himself that all was now proceeding as it should be.
Rising from behind the antique desk in his room, he rolled his shoulders to unlock the cramps in his muscles. Sighing, he strolled across to the window. In the far distance the sun-kissed silver Atlantic lapped the sand-covered shore, the white foam rolling in and out again as it had done since time immemorial but no-less mesmerising. Narrowing his gaze, he observed the seagulls cutting cleanly across the winter blue sky that would soon turn to dusk, dipping gracefully every now and then into the ocean in avid search of their supper. An urgent need suddenly arose inside him to breathe in some of that wild sea air.
Jenny was dozing on the couch when he looked in on her and so, deciding to follow his impulse, Rodrigo drove down to the beach.
She was definitely over the worst, he assured himself, so he could risk leaving her to sleep for a while. He tucked his rich burgundy cashmere scarf deep into the neckline of his leather jacket and strode across the sand, wincing but enjoying the bracing air. On Monday, when he left this place, his
usual routine would be quickly reinstated, he reflected. Jenny would no longer need his help, so work would once again take precedence.
A sharp twist low down in his belly protested at the idea with a painful jolt. It was merely frustration, Rodrigo thought impatiently—frustration at not being able to satisfy his lustful desire for his pretty ex-wife. He knew he’d sworn that he would make love to her soon, but the more he thought about it, the more he guessed that wouldn’t be wise. Jenny still had dreams in her eyes, he realized, and if he got involved with her even briefly and then left again it would no doubt reinforce her angry belief that cruelty was indeed inherent in his character.
No…He just had to put any further thoughts of bedding her right out of his mind. Instead, as soon as his business meeting was over, he would return to London where he could hook up with a Spanish actress he knew. He occasionally took her to dinner—and more often than not to bed. She was a real Latin firecracker, and knew all kinds of stimulating ways to entertain and relax a hard-working man.
But the thought of the red-lipped fiery señorita left Rodrigo cold when he compared her charms to the warm and beguiling Jenny.
Biting back a ripe curse, he saluted an old man who was walking a terrier, then—with his head down against the strong gusting wind—retraced his steps back to the car.
‘Where did you go?’
‘I took a walk on the beach. You were sleeping when I left.’
‘I sensed you weren’t in the house when I woke up.’
‘So you missed me, then?’
‘I didn’t say that. I just didn’t want you to leave without saying goodbye.’
‘I would not have left without telling you I intended to go…nor would I have absconded without paying my bill.’
Her mouth dropping open, Jenny stared at Rodrigo in amazement. ‘You don’t think I’m going to charge you for your stay when all you’ve done since you walked in here is look after me?’
