Carole Mortimer Romance Collection

IF JULIET had been in the right frame of mind to enjoy it, the drive down the west coast of the island to Liam’s villa would have been very pleasant; the views were magnificent. But she needed extreme concentration to make the drive at all, unaccustomed as she was to driving on the right-hand side of the road, and her thoughts were far from troublefree too.

She felt like a puppet having its strings pulled— by Liam Carlyle. What could have been so important that he’d had to leave the hotel this morning before their meeting? Diana Gilbraith hadn’t seemed to have the answer to that one—or if she had she wasn’t telling. And the other woman had left too now, to go south and take a plane home to her family in England.

It was all very unexpected, and Juliet couldn’t say she was exactly pleased at the thought of going to Liam’s villa. She hadn’t even realised, during all her effort to see him, that he had a villa on the island.

The man was as elusive as a chameleon!

And she had to try and do business with him. Try being the operative word; Juliet had a feeling that it was going to be more difficult than she had ever imagined. And she didn’t at all like the feeling that she was being played with.

It seemed a long drive to Liam’s villa, although in actual miles it probably wasn’t that far. But she had no real idea of where she was going, and continually referred to the map Diana Gilbraith had given her, keeping a keen eye on the X that indicated where the actual villa was. It appeared to be just outside a village on the west coast of the island, and as she approached the village after lunch she kept an eye out for a sign that would indicate the villa, the name of which she couldn’t have pronounced if she had tried to ask anyone.

Damn Liam Carlyle! She felt totally out of her depth—in a place she didn’t know, a country whose language she couldn’t understand, let alone speak!

She had actually driven through the village before she realised that she must have missed the villa completely. She had been so fascinated by the terraced village perched on the side of the hill, and the orange and lemon trees growing beside the houses on those terraces, that she had driven out the other side of the village before she knew what she was doing.

She was hot, tired and extremely irritable by the time she had reversed and driven back, finding the villa with no problem this time, although she was slightly put off by the rough track that seemed to lead down to it. Surely this couldn’t be the right place? After the luxury she had just come from, this villa appeared to be rustic to say the least.

But the name appeared to be right, and even if it was the wrong villa perhaps the owner would be able to direct her to the right place.

If the owner had been at home! Several rings on the doorbell elicited no response, further increasing Juliet’s irritability. Despite appearances this had to be the right place, she decided, and she had no intention of running all over the island looking for Liam. The damned man had booked her out of her hotel—OK, he had paid her bill in the process, but it was still a damned cheek!—and so she intended just camping out on his doorstep until he turned up!

If he turned up…There was always the possibility that he hadn’t come here at all, that he literally had got her running all over the island for nothing. He

‘Come and have a swim; you look very hot and uncomfortable,’ drawled an all too familiar voice.

Juliet spun round at once, colour warming her cheeks as she looked at Liam, standing at the side of the villa watching her, a towel secured about his waist, his torso completely bare, the dark blond hair there glistening in the sunshine. He looked tall and virile and slightly dangerous, like a predator about to pounce.

And she knew she looked hot and uncomfortable; she felt it too!

‘I’ve been looking for this damned villa for almost an hour,’ she exaggerated in her agitation. ‘It’s not exactly on the main road.’ And that wasn’t an exaggeration; she had driven almost half a mile down the track before the villa had even come into view!

‘It’s not meant to be,’ Liam dismissed mockingly. ‘It would hardly be a retreat if everyone could find it.’

She knew he had a point, but at the moment she was too disgruntled to admit it. ‘Well, anyway, I’m here,’ she snapped, eyes flashing.

‘So I can see.’ Liam’s gaze moved over her slowly.

She looked a mess; she knew she did; the pale green sundress she had changed into for the drive was now creased and clinging to her in the heat of the afternoon sun; her hair, which she left secured, was once again escaping in silky tendrils about her face and neck. But if she looked a mess it was this man’s fault. She was also hungry; she had eaten very little before leaving the hotel earlier, and hadn’t stopped for lunch on the way here either. All in all, she was not in a good humour!

‘We have some business to discuss,’ she bit out tensely, aware that her head was starting to pound too, probably from the tension of the drive in the hot sunshine.

‘Not until you’ve relaxed a bit—possibly had some lunch?’ he added enquiringly. ‘And then taken a swim to cool down.’

She knew her temper must show in her face, that the light sprinkling of freckles that dusted her nose would be showing in sharp contrast to the rest of her pale skin. Being a redhead, she didn’t tan; her skin merely went red and then returned to its normal pallor. Her eyes were sparkling with temper, and her mouth seemed set in a firm, angry line.

Perhaps a swim wouldn’t be a bad idea…!

‘I’ll accept your last offer,’ she snapped. ‘Then we can discuss business. And then I’ll have to organise a flight home.’

Liam put out a hand, indicating that she should precede him round to the back of the villa. The rustic, almost uncared for front of the villa in no way prepared Juliet for the back of it; there was a huge swimming-pool glistening in the sunshine, a beautiful flower-covered patio to one side, with loungers arranged amid the fragrant beauty, and a jug of iced fruit juice sitting on one of the tables. From the two glasses that sat next to the jug Juliet guessed that Liam had been expecting her any time now—or there was someone else in the villa with him.

‘Help yourself.’ He indicated the fruit juice. ‘I would offer to get it for you, but the mood you’re in you’re likely to refuse it!’ he added in an amused voice.

She was behaving childishly, she knew that, and it didn’t help that he was pointing it out to her, but she did hate this feeling of being manipulated. It wasn’t a feeling that sat well on her shoulders at all.

But to have refused the juice would have been pure madness on her part, considering how hot it was and just how thirsty she was too after her journey.

She gratefully sat down on one of the loungers, poured two glasses of juice, one for Liam and one for herself, and drank thirstily. It was delicious, and seemed to be a combination of orange and grapefruit juice.

‘Better?’ Liam sat down next to her, sipping at his own juice as he looked at her with mocking blue eyes.

‘Much,’ she nodded, looking about her appreciatively at the panoramic views down to the deep blue sea.

‘Does this “damned villa” meet with your approval?’ he drawled.

She turned sharply back to him. ‘It’s very nice,’ she bit out tautly.

‘I think so,’ he nodded, relaxing back on the lounger, the towel shifting to reveal the considerable length of his muscular legs.

Juliet looked away, feeling uncomfortable again—this time because of the presence of this half-naked man. Although Liam seemed completely unconcerned with his lack of clothing. And why shouldn’t he be? This was his home, his ‘retreat’; he could walk around completely naked if he chose to, although she was relieved that he wasn’t!

She did, however, have a slight puzzle over why he should have invited her here to his obviously very private domain in the first place; it was obviously a very private place of his, had none of the overwhelming luxury of the hotel she had just left, and seemed to be somewhere where he came to relax completely, away from all his business pressures.

And she did feel very alone with him here, apparently several miles away from other habitation…

He sat up suddenly, and Juliet made an involuntary movement backwards. Liam frowned across at her. ‘I was just going to suggest that we go for that swim now that you’ve cooled down a little…’ He studied her intently, eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

She swallowed hard, realising that she was behaving like some gauche teenager rather than the twenty-seven-year-old businesswoman she wanted Liam to think her. She just wasn’t used to being around partially clothed men, under any circumstances…

She nodded abruptly. ‘I’ll go and get my costume from the car.’

‘Does that mean I have to put one on too?’ Liam said softly.

Her eyes widened; he wasn’t wearing anything under that towel! Oh, God…! ‘I think that might be best,’ she told him tightly as she stood up. ‘In the circumstances.’

‘And what circumstances might those be?’ Liam stood up too, dangerously close to her. ‘The fact that you were my father’s mistress?’ he added scathingly.

Juliet gasped at this unexpected attack. ‘I——’

‘Because you’re completely safe with me, Juliet,’ he rasped harshly. ‘In the circumstances!’

‘I was not your father’s mistress!’ she protested incredulously.

‘Weren’t you?’ He turned away disgustedly to enter the villa through the huge open glass sliding doors.

Juliet stared after him, too stunned to move, blinking back the tears that had suddenly blinded her. It had never occurred to her, or, she was sure, to William either, that such an assumption could be made about their relationship. By anyone. William had been the father she had never known, especially after Simon’s death, and it was unthinkable that Liam should now make such an accusation.

But he had made it. Obviously believed it. And, with William dead, she had no way of proving otherwise.