His Bride in Paradise

by Joanna Neil

  She glanced around. From here, by the deep, broad window, she could look out over the ocean, and closer to home there was what seemed to be a small kitchen garden just beyond the veranda. The light outside was fading now, but solar lamps sent a golden glow over a variety of vegetables and a small grove of trees laden with plump, ripe oranges.

  She turned her attention back to the kitchen. ‘You have a beautiful home,’ she said. The kitchen was full of state-of-the-art equipment, along with a tiled island bar and glass shelving that housed colourful ceramics and delicately sculpted vases.

  ‘Thanks.’ He smiled. ‘I must admit I’m pleased with it. When I moved here I wanted a house where I would be able to relax and shrug off the cares of the day, and this seemed to be the perfect place in an idyllic setting…a small piece of paradise, if you like. I sit out on the deck of an evening and watch the waves breaking on the shore. It’s very relaxing, especially if you like to watch wildlife, as I do. You sometimes see herons and egrets around here, and there might even be a golden plover that appears from time to time.’

  ‘It sounds idyllic.’

  ‘It is.’ He slid the pizza into the hot oven and came over to the table, picking up a jug of iced juice. ‘Would you like a drink? I can get you something stronger if you prefer.’

  ‘Thanks…orange juice will be fine.’ She made a face. ‘I’m not used to this heat. I seem to have been thirsty ever since I arrived here.’

  His mouth curved. ‘You get used to it after a while. I have air-conditioning, but sometimes I prefer to throw open all the doors and windows and let the sea air in.’

  ‘Yes, I can understand that. I think I would, too.’ She sipped the cold juice, pausing to rest the glass momentarily against her throat to cool her heated skin. His glance followed her movements, but his eyes were dark and unreadable.

  ‘So, you and Ross must be working together on his new film, I suppose?’ he commented. He poured himself a glass of juice and took a long swallow, looking at her over the rim. ‘He and I haven’t talked much about the casting, but I can see why he must have wanted to bring you over here. I imagine you’re very photogenic. And I guess you must have auditioned well.’

  ‘Um…that’s not exactly what happened,’ she murmured. She frowned. He obviously had the wrong idea, if he was assuming she was an actress. ‘I’m really not expecting to have anything to do with the filming as such.’

  ‘Ah…that’s interesting.’ He shot her an assessing glance. ‘Still, he must think a lot of you, to have brought you over here and set you up in the family home. After all, you can’t have known each other very long.’

  Alyssa put down her glass, her mouth firming into a straight line. ‘Um…I don’t know, but…I think you must have the wrong idea. I get the impression that you’ve put two and two together and made five.’

  ‘Have I?’ His mouth tilted in disbelief. ‘I may have some of the facts wrong, but in essence I know my brother pretty well, and this wouldn’t be the first time he’s fallen for a young woman and gone out of his way to throw the world at her feet.’ There was a gleam in his eyes. ‘Unfortunately for him, this time he wasn’t expecting me to turn up out of the blue. I can see how that might make things a bit difficult.’

  She stood up. ‘You know, on second thoughts, I don’t think this arrangement is going to work out after all. I think I’ll go with my original plan and find somewhere else to stay.’

  She started to move away from the table, but he caught hold of her, his fingers curving around her bare arm. ‘Please don’t do that, Alyssa, it’s really not a good idea.’

  ‘Maybe so, but that’s my worry, not yours.’

  She tried to pull away from him, but he simply drew her closer to him, so that her soft curves brushed against his long body. ‘I’m afraid it’s very much my problem,’ he said, ‘since my brother has seen fit to install you under my roof.’

  ‘You make me sound as though I’m a package to be parcelled up by your brother and shipped wherever the fancy takes him,’ she said in a terse voice. ‘That’s not only insulting, it’s downright chauvinistic. Where have you been living these last thirty or so years? It’s obvious to me that your mind-set is stuck somewhere in the last century.’

  He laughed. It wasn’t what she was expecting, and anger and frustration rose up in her like mercury shooting up a gauge on a blazing hot day. ‘You’d better let me go right now,’ she said, ‘or I swear you won’t like the consequences.’ When he didn’t release her, she started to bring her knee up, ready to deliver a crippling blow, and he swiftly turned her round so that his arms encased her from behind. Frustratingly, she was locked into his embrace, her spine resting against his taut, masculine frame.

  ‘Of course I’ll let you go,’ he murmured, ‘if you promise me that you won’t try to leave before morning. I apologise if I’ve been jumping to conclusions. I’ve been assuming that Ross is behaving in his usual hedonistic manner, but I have to admit you’re very different from what I might have expected. You’re not at all like his usual choice of women.’

  ‘Is that so?’ She was rigid in his arms, still seething with indignation.

  ‘I didn’t mean to offend you,’ he said. ‘Honestly. I’m trying to explain. Look at it from my point of view. I had no idea that he was bringing anyone home. He usually tells me. So why didn’t he do that if everything was open and above board? For all he knew, I might have arranged for a friend to stay here while I was away. That’s why we always tell each other about our plans.’

  ‘Perhaps he acted on impulse and meant to tell you later.’ Her body relaxed a fraction.

  ‘Yes, I suppose that could be it.’ He nodded, and his cheek lightly brushed hers. His hold on her eased a little, and it seemed to Alyssa’s heightened senses that it became much more like a caress. She felt his warm breath fall softly on the back of her neck, and his arm brushed the rounded swell of her breast as he held her to him. It was unintentional, she was sure, but the heated contact ricocheted through her body, bringing with it a shocking, bone-melting response. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply. How could she be reacting this way? She didn’t even know him. It was unthinkable.

  Clearly there was something wrong with her. Jetlag, probably. She needed to break free from him, but the warmth of those encircling arms and the gentleness of that embrace had taken her completely by surprise. It seemed like such a long time since anyone had held her in such an intimate way and, worryingly, she was discovering that she liked it.

  ‘I’ll find somewhere else to stay first thing in the morning,’ she said.

  Slowly, almost reluctantly, he released her. ‘You don’t need to do that. You’re Ross’s guest, and therefore mine, too. I wouldn’t dream of having you go elsewhere. Please stay. I’d like you to stay.’

  ‘I’ll think about it.’ She dithered for a moment. She wanted to walk out of the room, but as she stood there, undecided, she glanced towards the oven, conscious of the appetising smell of melting cheese and sizzling herbs and tomato permeating the air. She hadn’t realised until now how hungry she was…her last meal had been virtually a snack on the plane journey over here.

  He looked at her, his head tilted on one side, a faint smile playing around his mouth. ‘You’re hungry,’ he said. ‘It’s no wonder you’re feeling a little fractious. Sit down and we’ll eat. Things always seem better on a full stomach.’

  Annoyed by her own weakness, she did as he suggested and went back to the chair. Maybe he was right, and circumstances had combined to throw her off balance. A long plane journey, a change of surroundings and the appearance of the proverbial tall, dark stranger had certainly knocked her for six. Her heart was racing as though she’d run a marathon, and the world seemed to be spinning around her ever so slightly. She felt decidedly odd.

  There was a noise from across the room and they both turned as the kitchen door opened and Ross came in.

  ‘What on earth…? Connor, what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in Fl
orida?’ He was tall, like his brother, with dark hair and the same angular jaw, but Ross had more homely, lived-in features, and generally there was a happy-go-lucky, almost boyish air about him. ‘You said you’d be away for several months.’

  ‘I did, but there was a change of plan. It turns out I’m going to be working here, on the island, for the most part.’

  ‘So you’ll be staying here.’ It was a matter-of-fact statement. Then Ross added, ‘I’ve arranged for Alyssa to have the ground-floor apartment. I’d no idea you would be coming back so soon.’

  Connor nodded. ‘Yes, she told me. That’s okay. That arrangement can still stand. It just means that you’ll have to stay at your place near the film studio. That won’t be a problem for you, will it?’

  Ross’s grey-blue eyes narrowed. ‘I guess not.’ He looked at his brother as though he suspected him of some devious ploy.

  ‘Good. So now that’s all sorted, perhaps we can sit down together and enjoy a meal.’

  Connor took the pizza from the oven, and Alyssa said quietly, ‘Is there anything I can do to help? I could set the table for you, if you like.’

  ‘Thanks. That would be great. There’s a bowl of salad in the fridge. You could put that out, too, if you would.’

  ‘Okay.’

  They worked together, while Ross went to freshen up. ‘So, if you’re not involved with the filming, what will you be doing all day while Ross is at work?’ Connor asked. ‘Is this meant to be a holiday for you, or a sightseeing trip, or something like that?’

  Alyssa smiled. ‘It’s nothing like that. I’m going to be working as a medic on the film set. Apparently, the company Ross usually calls on to provide that service is tied up with other projects right now, so when he found out that I was looking for work, he asked me if I’d like to take it on.’

  Connor’s dark brows lifted. ‘You’re a nurse?’

  She shook her head. ‘I’m a doctor. I’ve worked in the same line as you, accident and emergency, so I should be able to deal with any problems that arise if stunts go wrong, and so on.’ She smiled. ‘Though, hopefully, that won’t happen. Mostly, it’ll be a case of handing out headache and sunburn medication, I expect.’

  ‘So now you’ve managed to surprise me all over again.’ Connor stared at her for a moment or two, before starting to slice the pizza into triangular wedges. ‘Now I understand what you meant when you told your friend that there would be nothing much to do but enjoy the sunshine and the surf and thank your lucky stars.’

  She frowned, sending him a fleeting glance. ‘You heard me talking to Carys on the phone?’

  He nodded. ‘I didn’t know it was Carys, but I heard some of the conversation you were having. I came out onto the deck and I couldn’t help but hear what you were saying.’ He paused as he checked the filter on the coffee pot.

  ‘The only part that bothered me was when you added that you’d take money and all the trappings over love any time.’ His gaze meshed with hers. ‘I don’t know what your plans are, but perhaps I should warn you to tread carefully there. I wouldn’t want to see my brother hurt. He has his faults, but he’s family and I care about him very much.’

  Once again this evening she felt hot colour rise in her cheeks. No wonder he’d been so edgy with her from the beginning. He’d heard what she said and had drawn his own conclusions.

  ‘It was just a joke,’ she said. ‘The sort of throw-away remark we all make from time to time. It didn’t mean anything.’

  ‘Maybe so.’ He acknowledged that with a wry smile, but she noticed the warmth didn’t reach his dark eyes. ‘But the warning stands…I’ve always looked out for my brother, and I see no reason to stop doing that.’

  ‘Even though he’s a grown man who owns a successful film company? Don’t you trust him to make his own decisions?’

  ‘Of course I do…to a certain extent. But Ross is a fool where women are concerned. He’s made a few mistakes over the years that have cost him dearly. I don’t want to see that happen again.’

  ‘And I’m obviously the scarlet woman whose talons cut deep?’ She sent him a scornful look.

  ‘You’ve come all the way from the UK to be with him.’ His mouth twisted. ‘I don’t blame you for that. Who would turn down the chance of living a life of luxury on this beautiful island? But I’m inclined to be cautious all the same.’

  Clearly he wasn’t going to believe she was on the level. Alyssa opened her mouth to make an answering retort, but Ross came back into the kitchen just then, and she concentrated instead on carefully laying out the cutlery on the table.

  ‘I’m starving,’ Ross said, eyeing the food with a ravenous eye. ‘This looks good.’

  She smiled at him, handing him a plate, and took her seat at the table. She didn’t need to say anything more to Connor. They simply looked at one another, and that glance spoke volumes. They both knew exactly where they stood. He didn’t trust her an inch and for her part she was ultra-wary of him. The battle lines were drawn.

  CHAPTER TWO

  ‘ARE we all clear for this shot?’ Ross was talking to the cameraman, making sure that every detail was covered. They were standing just a few yards away from Alyssa, and she could hear every word that was being said. It was fascinating, she’d discovered, to watch a film being put together. In principle, Ross was the producer, but she’d learned that he also had a hand in directing the films.

  ‘Let’s start off by letting the audience see the coral reef in the distance,’ Ross said quietly, ‘and the sheer drop to the sea. Then we can gradually move to the background of the pine forest and sweep down to a view of the lake, so that we see the sun shining on the surface.’

  The cameraman nodded, and Ross went on, ‘Lastly, I want you to bring in the bridge over the main road and try to give us an impression of the sheer height and majesty of it all. We’ll tie all that in with atmospheric music and build up to a crescendo.’

  ‘Okay. And that’s where we cut to the car chase?’

  ‘That’s right. As soon as that comes to an end, we’ll go straight into the stunt scene.’

  ‘You want the lorry to come into the picture from the east? I’ll need a clear signal for that.’

  ‘Yes. I’ll let you know as soon as the driver starts up the engine.’

  ‘Okay.’

  Alyssa watched all the activity around her with interest. The actors who would be needed for the next scene were standing around, chatting to one another, languid in the heat of the sun as they waited to be called. Everyone wanted to see how the stunt would go. The technicians had planned it down to the last detail, and there had been several rehearsals, but now it was time for the real thing, and the stuntman, Alex, was in position on the bridge, a lone, dark figure against the protective rail.

  Ross came over to her. He was in prime form, bubbling with energy and totally enthusiastic about the way things were going. ‘I’m going to be tied up with this for the next hour or so,’ he told her, ‘but I thought we might have lunch later at the new restaurant that’s opened up in town…Benvenuto. It’s down by the marina. They do some great dishes there. I think you’ll like it.’

  ‘Sounds great. I’ll look forward to it.’ Alyssa smiled at him and on the spur of the moment he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her soundly on the lips.

  ‘Me, too.’

  ‘Oh.’ She was startled by the fervour that went into that kiss. ‘What was that for?’

  He grinned. ‘I really appreciate what you’ve done here for us these last few weeks. Everyone says you’ve been brilliant, helping with everything from toothache to blistered toes. And I love the way you’ve looked over the script and offered advice on the medical stuff. Even if they’re just a minor part of the film, it’s important we get the hospital scenes right. And in the restaurant, when the man keels over, we needed to know how a doctor would respond.’

  ‘Let’s hope that won’t be necessary at the restaurant today.’ She laughed. ‘It’ll be great to sit and enjoy a meal i
n peace and quiet after all the goings-on on set.’

  ‘Yeah, too right.’ He gave her a final hug before letting her go. Then he hurried over to the lorry driver to give some final instructions.

  ‘Going by the looks of things, it seems you and Ross are getting closer every day.’ There was an edge to Connor’s voice, and Alyssa looked at him in surprise as he came to stand beside her. His jaw was faintly clenched as though he was holding himself in restraint. He was wearing stone-coloured trousers and a casual, open-necked shirt, and he looked cool in the heat of the day.

  ‘Hello, Connor,’ she greeted him in a light tone, trying to counteract his disapproval. ‘I wasn’t expecting to see you here. I imagined you would be at work.’ In fact, she’d seen very little of him these last few weeks, considering that they shared the same house, but she guessed he started work early at the hospital and he often came home late. Occasionally, he’d gone over to Florida to oversee his other project. Perhaps he’d been going out of an evening, too, once his shift ended.

  As to his comment about her and Ross…she simply wasn’t going to answer him. He was obviously hung up on the situation, so why make matters worse? It bothered her, though, that he had seen that kiss. How would she ever be able to convince him that there was nothing going on between her and his brother after that?

  ‘It’s my day off,’ he said, ‘so I thought I’d come and see how things were going here. Apparently the filming’s on schedule so far.’ His dark gaze moved over her. ‘And I wondered how you were getting on. Has it been the quiet, relaxing time you expected?’

  ‘Not exactly,’ she murmured. ‘But, then, I’ve been making something of an effort to get to grips with the job from the start.’

  ‘Yes, so I heard.’ A glimmer of respect flickered in the depths of his eyes. ‘Ross has been singing your praises for days now. Apparently, you’ve made yourself known to everyone on set and managed to get a medical history from each one of them. He’s very impressed with the way you’ve been handling things.’