‘You have sisters?’ How had he not known this?
‘One sister.’ Her voice was tight. ‘Rosa. She’s a photographer. Travels around being all bohemian and socially conscious and doing exactly what she wants whenever she wants.’
Leo blinked, taken aback by the anger in Anna’s voice—the anger and the hurt. ‘You don’t get on, then?’ He’d always dreamed of a sibling growing up, of someone to share the burden of being a di Marquez. He adored Valentina, but they hadn’t been raised together, their relationship unknown to anyone outside their immediate family—and Anna. Leo didn’t know why he had blurted out the information to her. Not that it mattered; she hadn’t believed him anyway.
‘We’re very different. Right now Rosa is on a beach somewhere in South America being artistic and free while I have taken leave from my job—my respected and important job—to help out. But when Rosa does finally waltz up, my mother will treat her like the prodigal daughter. A calf is probably being fatted right now.’ The anger had faded. Now Anna just sounded sad. ‘I haven’t spoken to her in three years. Not since my grandfather’s funeral. Much as I could do with her help, I have to admit I’m dreading her actually being here.’
Leo took a swig of the beer then pushed the bottle over to her. ‘What happened?’
Taking the bottle with a faint smile, Anna set it before her, her fingers pulling at the label. ‘We’ve always seen the world differently, never been close. Things just came to a head when I was invited to spend a semester at Harvard as a visiting teacher. Rosa was in England for a few weeks following the funeral and I asked her to stay on in Oxford while I was away It was only for a few months. Dad had—has—some heart problems. They were talking about the possibility of surgery. But she said she had her own commitments. That he was an adult. That he had to slow down and take responsibility for himself.’
‘What did you do?’
‘What could I do? I couldn’t leave him. I said stuff, she said stuff, she left, we don’t speak. That’s it. Nothing exciting.’
‘He’s better now? You’re here after all.’
‘I text him every night to remind him to take his pills.’ She shook her head. ‘Maybe Rosa is right. Maybe I do have some kind of martyr complex. Look at me. Twenty-eight and I’m spending my leave working—unpaid and unthanked—for my mother. I spend my few leisure hours as my father’s PA and carer. It’s months since I went on a date, years really. I barely see my friends, spend most of my evenings working.’ Her voice was so quiet he could barely hear her, her eyes fixed on the sea. He wondered if she had forgotten his very existence. ‘Sometimes I wonder if this is it. This will be my life. In one way I’m so lucky, have achieved so much so young and yet even that doesn’t feel right. It wouldn’t matter if the new book was going well. At least I could be the academic wunderkind.’
Now she just looked defeated, her face almost grey, and Leo remembered how he’d felt when he first saw her. How he’d wondered what it would take to make her have fun, take that tired look off her face, make those blue eyes light up with laughter.
He’d also wondered what it would take to make those blue eyes light up with lust, how her face would look softened with desire. His blood began to thunder in his veins even as he shook the thought from his mind. Hands off, remember? Not his type—and he most definitely wasn’t hers.
‘Don’t you think that maybe you expect too much from yourself? Life isn’t about working from the moment you get up. It’s not just the achievements that count...’
‘It’s not just about partying either. Not everyone has a title and a trust fund. Not everyone values those. There’s more to life than casinos and boats and selfies, Leo. I couldn’t bear to live such a shallow existence.’
* * *
As soon as she said the words Anna wanted to recall them. After all, Leo had given up a week to help her, had shown no sign of being the playboy the papers made him out to be. And even if he was, her anger wasn’t with him, it was with her sister for blithely walking away, her mother for expecting her to take up the reins once more, with her father who sat at home, so wrapped up in his life he barely noticed what she had given up—what she had lost. With herself for allowing herself to be cast as the sensible, reliable one again and again. But she knew all too well what happened if she didn’t step up—everything crumbled.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said.
Leo sat back and raised his hands in mock surrender. ‘No need to apologise, Dr Gray.’
‘It’s just so hard to know what the right thing to do is. I mean, should I leave Dad alone to take his pills or not, like Rosa would say? Or leave Mama to flounder here alone?’ Anna twisted her fingers together. ‘They say opposites attract, but what no one mentions is what happens afterwards. What it’s like living in a house where two people are so incompatible. My father likes everything in its place, he likes rules and routines and plans.’
‘And notebooks?’ Leo cast a meaningful glance at Anna’s current notebook placed, as ever, within easy reach.
‘And notebooks,’ she agreed, unable not to answer his knowing smile with one of her own. ‘Whereas Mama, well, you’ve met Sancia...’
He nodded, amusement dancing in his dark eyes. Anna didn’t want to notice how good it felt when all his attention was on her, that direct gaze filled with warm approbation and something else, something hotter. Something that made her want to sit up, wish her hair weren’t messily tied back, wish that she were wearing something other than a paint-splattered T-shirt and cut-off old shorts.
‘I’d have thought that the law of averages should have meant that Rosa and I would have ended up somewhere in the middle,’ Anna continued, reaching for the beer and taking a sip of the light, slightly bitter liquid. ‘But although neither of us are quite as extreme, we definitely ended up on one side or the other.’ She glanced back across, her whole body tingling as she saw he was still looking at her with the same unnerving intensity. Laughing a little nervously, she ducked her head down to avoid meeting his gaze head-on. ‘Anyway, that’s ancient history.’
But she could still feel his gaze burning into her, hotter than the afternoon sun. ‘Let me get this straight. So you have no Sancia in you at all?’
‘Not a drop.’
‘You’re never spontaneous?’
‘Never. At least,’ she amended, as thoughts of her student folly, her intense crush on Sebastian, and the nearly catastrophic consequences flashed through her mind, leaving a wave of hot shame in its wake, ‘I have been, but it didn’t end well.’ Which was the understatement of the year.
He sat back, eyes alight with mischief. Anna tried to ignore the churn low down in her abdomen, mixed with an anticipation she didn’t want to admit to. After all, there was nothing to anticipate.
‘I’m all for making a plan every now and then, Anna.’
Her stomach tumbled as he drew out her name, his accent caressing each syllable, adding a slight stress on the first. ‘Aaan-na.’
‘That’s good to hear.’
‘But,’ he continued as if she hadn’t spoken, ‘spontaneity is what gives life its spice, don’t you agree?’
‘I’m English.’ No way was she going to let him see the swirl of excitement the dark caress of his voice invoked in her, let him see how the thrill of the unknown possibilities spiralled through her. What was wrong with her? She didn’t do spontaneous, remember, especially not with playboys.
Leo raised his eyebrows. ‘English. And?’
‘We’re not an island known for our spice,’ Anna said, ruthlessly pushing away thoughts of steaming curry, fresh falafel, her favourite tapas bar. ‘Nice, plain food, that’s the English way. Preferably boiled.’ Nothing like a stereotype to win an argument.
‘Ah, but you’re half Spanish,’ Leo reminded her. ‘Heat runs through your veins no matter how much you may try to dampen it.’
He spoke truer tha
n he could have known. Heat did flare up at his words, flickering through her veins and along her arteries as if he had lit a fuse. Anna swallowed, dragging her eyes away from Leo’s hypnotic gaze, down the contour of his throat, only to stutter to a stop as she reached the bronze breadth of his chest. Did the man never put a shirt on?
‘I thought we already established that I’m a clone of my father.’
His voice dropped, low and suggestive. ‘I don’t believe that, Anna. And I don’t think you do either.’
Where was the quick response, her smart put-down? She’d belonged to a debating team throughout university, for goodness’ sake, she ate overconfident undergraduates for breakfast and still had space for elevenses, but for once Anna was utterly lost for words. Lost and floundering. She was hyper-aware of her surroundings, of the sun beating down relentlessly, the tart scent of lemons, the tang of salt drifting in on the sea breeze. Hyper-aware of colour; of the gleaming white of the freshly painted bungalow, the faded green of the shutters and low tiled roof, such a contrast to the lush greens of the overgrown trees and bushes surrounding her, the clear turquoise of the sea, fringed by the creamy yellow crescent of sand.
And overpowering it all she was hyper-aware of Leo di Marquez. Sitting almost insolently as he lounged on his chair, muscles gleaming under the sun’s caress, his eyes laughing, promising something she didn’t want to comprehend. Anna had felt a connection to him the day they met, unwanted, unlooked for, unknown—that was why she kept her distance. But like a greedy child she had allowed her curiosity to lead her into the gingerbread house and now she was trapped.
‘Don’t you think it’s fun to be just a little spontaneous every now and then?’ Leo continued, his voice still low, still mesmerising.
No, Anna’s mind said firmly, but her mouth didn’t get the memo. ‘What do you have in mind?’
His mouth curved triumphantly and Anna’s breath caught, her mind running with infinite possibilities, her pulse hammering, so loud she could hardly hear him for the rush of blood in her ears.
‘Nothing too scary,’ he said, his words far more reassuring than his tone. ‘What do you say to a well-earned and unscheduled break?’
‘We’re having a break.’
‘A proper break. Let’s take out La Reina Pirata—’ his voice caressed his boat’s name lovingly ‘—and see where we end up. An afternoon, an evening, out on the waves. What do you say?’
Anna reached for her notebook, as if it were a shield against his siren’s song. ‘There’s too much to do...’
‘I’m ahead of schedule.’
‘We can’t just head out with no destination!’
‘This coastline is perfectly safe if you know what you’re doing.’ He grinned wolfishly. ‘I know exactly what I’m doing.’
Anna’s stomach lurched even as her whole body tingled. She didn’t doubt it. ‘I...’ She couldn’t, she shouldn’t, she had responsibilities, remember? Lists, more lists, and spreadsheets and budgets, all needing attention.
But Rosa would. Without a backwards glance. She wouldn’t even bring a toothbrush.
Remember what happened last time you decided to act like Rosa, her conscience admonished her, but Anna didn’t want to remember. Besides, this was different. She wasn’t trying to impress anyone; she wasn’t ridiculously besotted, she was just an overworked, overtired young woman who wanted to feel, to be, her age for a short while.
‘Okay, then,’ she said, rising to her feet, enjoying the surprise flaring in Leo di Marquez’s far too dark, far too melting eyes. ‘Let’s go.’
CHAPTER FIVE
WHAT WAS SHE DOING?
Anna tried to quell the rising panic as Leo helped her into the dinghy and pushed off the jetty, rowing in sure, strong strokes towards his boat, moored just fifty yards away at the mouth of the island’s tiny natural harbour. She didn’t do spontaneous and she certainly didn’t do spontaneous with an insanely handsome man who seemed to have a hard time locating a shirt and convincing it to stay on his impressively toned body. Although, it was hard to be too irritated by the lack of shirt when rowing showcased just how effective said muscles were, obviously both use and ornament.
Looking up, Anna caught Leo’s eye and her cheeks burst into flame at his knowing look. She tore her gaze away and stared fixedly at the white crests of the small rippling waves, ignoring his snort of laughter.
It only took a few minutes to reach the side of La Reina Pirata, Leo throwing a rope to moor the dinghy alongside with practised ease. ‘After you,’ he said, gesturing at the narrow ladder on the side of the boat.
It wasn’t easy to be graceful scrambling up a ladder that was more footholds than treads. Of course Leo bounded up after her with a careless ease born of practice and a natural athleticism. ‘Welcome aboard.’
‘Thank you.’ But all she could do was gaze around, aware her mouth was hanging open in awe. ‘This is quite something.’
The deck was ridged teak, gleaming as if freshly oiled, and ran from the cockpit, through the glass enclosed galley and the open-air seating area to the open deck at the back of the boat. Inside the galley wide padded bench seats surrounded a dining table, a state-of-the-art television and sound system dominated the other side of the cabin, and next to that a small but perfectly formed kitchen. A hatch was open, steps leading down into the interior of the boat.
‘Drink?’ Leo strolled over to the full-sized fridge. ‘I have wine, beer, cava?’
‘Water please,’ Anna said hastily. The boat was already going to her head; the last thing she needed was alcohol discombobulating her further.
Leo handed her a glass filled with ice, fresh fruit garnishing the drink. Even the drinks were fancy on this boat. ‘I’m just going to stow the dinghy. Have a look around, make yourself at home.’
Leo kept the boat suitably shipshape, not an item out of place, everything gleaming as if it had been recently waxed or polished and yet there was nobody else on board. Not what she would have expected of a careless playboy at all. His toys might be of the very best quality, but at least he looked after them.
The almost clinical tidiness continued as she made her way down to the lower deck. She’d expected it to be dark and a little claustrophobic but the glass-sided walls were tinted so that although outsiders couldn’t see into the cabins, the sunlight flooded through. There were three rooms, a master suite with a perfectly made king-size bed, a second double bedroom and a study equipped with a desk and not one, but three computers, a satellite phone and a printer. ‘Curiouser and curiouser,’ she murmured as she scanned the room. Why on earth did Leo need so many computers?
The sound of the engines starting stopped her in her tracks. She was really doing this. Going for a trip with no planning, no foresight, nothing on her except the clothes she stood in—the dirty, paint-splattered clothes which, she was uneasily aware, made her the grubbiest thing on the boat.
She paused, fear thundering through her veins, the urge to yell out and tell Leo to stop almost overwhelming. Anna took a deep breath, and then another. Life as she knew it wasn’t working; nothing was how she had thought it would be. Order and sense weren’t bringing her the contentment they usually did. Taking one day—one afternoon—out to try a different path wasn’t going to hurt her. And that was all this was. One afternoon. Tomorrow she would get out her lists and be Dr Anna Gray once more.
* * *
As soon as Anna reappeared on deck Leo knew something about her was different. It wasn’t just that she had loosened her dark mane from its clasp, nor that she had removed her T-shirt to expose a remarkably pretty red bikini top. It was more the way her whole being seemed more relaxed, the pinched look wiped off her face, the habitual worry gone from her eyes. This was exactly what he had intended; he just hadn’t expected the transformation to be so quick. Or for every atom in his body to stand up and take notice. Easy, she’s just a girl in a bik
ini. You’ve seen many girls in skimpier bikinis than that.
But none that looked quite as sensational as Anna.
She wandered over to stand next to him, staring at the dashboard with wide eyes. ‘Can I do anything?’
‘Have you ever driven a boat? No? Come here, then. This is the steering wheel...’
‘I have worked that one out,’ she said drily.
‘And this is the throttle here, and here is the gear control. Okay...’ He continued to talk her through how to speed the boat up, how to slow down, brake and steer the powerful vessel, enjoying standing behind her, one arm loosely around her as he guided her hand on the throttle. The warmth of her burned into him, the subtle floral scent of her hair filling his senses. ‘That’s good,’ he said, swallowing, aware just what an effect her proximity was having on him. ‘Keep her going exactly like that.’
Stepping away was both an exquisite relief and an even more exquisite torture. He wanted to keep that arm around her, to touch the smooth skin on her back, exposed now to his gaze, only the thin red strings of her bikini contrasting with her olive skin. Her waist dipped in then flared out at the denim waistband of her shorts. Was she wearing matching bikini bottoms? No, he reminded himself. This afternoon might be about having fun, but it wasn’t about having that sort of fun.
Leo swallowed. He knew there were several good reasons why, right now, he was struggling to remember them. He took another step back.
‘This is great,’ Anna called out, her face intent as she steered the boat through the sea. ‘Where am I going?’
‘Wherever you want. We can’t get lost, not around here, and the tank’s full.’
‘Seriously? Just head off with no destination in mind?’
‘Anna, that’s half the fun.’ It almost physically hurt as he backed further away, her scent continuing to tease his senses. He could still feel the imprint of her body against his. Leo swallowed hard, curling his hands into fists to stop himself reaching back out to her. He didn’t remember ever wanting to touch someone quite so badly before.
Baby Surprise for the Spanish Billionaire Page 5
