Innocent Virgin, Wild Surrender

‘Did I say you were in the way?’ he demanded. ‘You—intrigue me, that’s all. Put it down to simple curiosity, if you like, but I don’t think you’re being entirely honest about your reasons for being here.’

What did he know?

Rachel sucked in a breath. ‘Are you calling me a liar, Mr Brody?’

‘Don’t put words in my mouth, Ms Claiborne. There’s an expression I’ve heard that seems relevant. I think you’re being economical with the truth.’

Rachel turned away and started walking again. She could feel his eyes boring into the back of her head, but she forced herself to put one foot in front of the other.

‘I must say, you don’t pull your punches, Mr Brody,’ she threw back over her shoulder. ‘And here was I, thinking you’d enjoyed my company.’

‘Whether or not I enjoy your company has nothing to do with it,’ he retorted, overtaking her. He stepped in front of her. ‘And for God’s sake stop calling me Mr Brody.’

Rachel made an effort to appear composed. But it was difficult with approximately two hundred pounds of frustrated male more or less in her face.

‘All right. Matt,’ she said with assumed lightness. ‘You don’t have to humour me. I’m not what you expected and I suspect you don’t like me very much.’

He blew out a breath. ‘Now, where the hell did that come from?’ His eyes darkened. ‘But you’re right. You’re not what I expected.’

Rachel felt a twinge of disappointment. But why should he be any different from other men? And, more importantly, why did it matter? He was her mother’s problem, not hers.

‘I think we should go back,’ she said, concentrating on the unbuttoned neckline of his body shirt. Which wasn’t the most sensible place to look, bearing in mind the dark hair that was clearly visible in the opening. But at least it kept her gaze away from his. ‘It’s been very—enjoyable, but all good things must—’

‘You know, that’s part of the problem,’ he said, ignoring her suggestion completely. His voice had thickened to a sensual drawl. ‘You’re not like any woman I’ve known before.’

‘And I’m sure you’ve known many,’ Rachel retorted before she could stop herself. But, heavens, what was she supposed to say?

‘Some,’ he agreed, his eyes darkening with a predatory gleam, and Rachel couldn’t help herself. She started backing away. But he came after her. ‘Does that bother you, Ms Claiborne? The fact that I don’t want to like you but I do?’

Rachel’s jaw dropped. ‘Are you coming on to me, Mr—Matt? Because I think I should warn you, I do know how to defend myself.’

‘Oh, for heaven’s sake!’ With a muffled oath, Matt strode past her. ‘Listen to yourself, will you?’ His long legs opened a yawning space between them. ‘Get your rucksack. We’re going back.’

‘It’s a backpack,’ muttered Rachel barely audibly as she hurried after him.

They’d walked a surprisingly long way, and she had to jog back to where her bag was lying before practically running to reach the place where they’d left the Jeep.

She was still muttering to herself as she struggled to climb the dunes, getting frustrated when the sand persisted in sliding away beneath her feet. She’d watched Matt navigate them without any apparent effort, and it was infuriating to see him standing at the top, watching her make an absolute idiot of herself.

‘You might have helped me,’ she panted when she got to the top, but Matt only lifted both hands, palms towards her.

‘What? And be accused of taking advantage of one of my guests?’ he mocked. ‘And besides, why should I deprive myself of such an amusing exhibition?’

Rachel’s lips pursed. ‘Moron!’

Matt shrugged. ‘Bimbo!’

Rachel gasped. ‘I’m not a bimbo!’

‘And I’m not a moron, Ms Claiborne. I suggest you get in the vehicle and I’ll take you back to the hotel.’

Rachel wrenched open the door of the Jeep and did as he suggested. For his part, Matt pulled what she saw were the damp pair of boxers out of his pocket and tossed them into the back of the car. Then he climbed in beside her, the waistband of his shorts dipping revealingly at the back, reminding her, if any reminder was necessary, that he was naked under them.

They seemed to get back to the hotel far more quickly than Rachel had expected. In no time at all, Matt was drawing up outside the Tamarisk’s gates.

Rachel thrust open her door and jumped out, turning to make some perfunctory offer of thanks. But Matt just said, ‘Enjoy your day,’ and drove away without giving her time to speak.

Rachel’s mouth compressed frustratedly, but there was nothing she could do. He’d gone, and with him any chance of asking him about her mother. Although whether she’d have actually had the nerve to do that was anyone’s guess.

Reaching her room, she found the message light on her phone was flashing. Lifting the receiver, she connected with Reception and then said, ‘I believe you have a message for me.’

As she waited for the girl to reply, it crossed her mind that it could be her mother. If Matt had mentioned her arrival to her, she might have decided to get in touch.

‘Ms Claiborne?’

The girl was speaking again, and Rachel answered in the positive. ‘I’m here.’

‘I have here a note that says your father called at nine o’clock this morning,’ the receptionist intoned leisurely. ‘He asked if you’d ring him as soon as you came in.’

Of course. It had to be her father, thought Rachel grumpily. He’d probably expected her to phone him last night, although bearing in mind the time change that had surely not been on the cards.

‘Okay. Thank you,’ she said now, and put down the receiver. She needed a few moments to compose what she was going to say before she made the call.

Eventually, though, she dialled for an outside line and punched in the numbers of her parents’ home. For years they’d all lived in a comfortable house in Chingford, but when Rachel had moved into an apartment of her own her parents had sold the house and bought an apartment themselves.

‘Hello?’

Her father’s voice was surprisingly welcome. Despite the argument they’d had about her coming here, he was still her best friend in the entire world. She loved her mother. There was no doubt about that. But the aloofness she’d always detected in her mother’s attitude towards her had made any real closeness between them difficult.

‘Hey, Dad.’ Rachel tried to sound upbeat. ‘Sorry I was out when you called.’

‘Where were you?’

Instead of making some reassuring comment, Ralph Claiborne was immediately on the offensive.

‘I—I took a tour of the island,’ Rachel finally replied, a little defensively. ‘I was going to ring you as soon as I got back.’

‘Hmmph!’ Her father didn’t sound mollified. ‘So, what’s happening? Have you spoken to your mother yet?’

‘Are you kidding?’ Rachel was indignant. ‘We’re not talking Camberwick Green here, Dad. This may be a fairly small island, but I should think its population runs into tens of thousands.’

‘Does it?’

‘Yes.’ Rachel sighed. ‘You’re going to have to give me some leeway, Dad. I can’t be making a report to you every single day.’