Captivated by Her Innocence

Anna’s jaw tightened. ‘I’ll do it.’

Angel’s smile flashed. She was already fishing a mobile phone from her pocket. ‘Are you sure?’

‘Totally.’

Angel made a call on her mobile.

‘Hi, Hamish. Yes. Bring Jas up.’ She looked at the bag on Anna’s bed. ‘Good, you’re packed,’ she approved. ‘You travel light, but no problem—we can stop on the way and pick up some more things. What size are you—six, eight?’

Anna blinked. ‘Your daughter is here? You expect me to come now?’

Angel looked surprised by the question. ‘Anna, I’m catching my flight at midnight and—’

‘You must have been very sure I’d say yes.’

The woman gave an airy shrug. ‘I’m by nature an optimistic person.’

Anna gave the sleek, stylish brunette a long searching look. Before she could challenge Angel, the door burst open and a small dark-haired figure burst in. Jas Urquart had a shy version of her mother’s smile and a front tooth missing. She was the embodiment of heartbreakingly adorable.

CHAPTER FOUR

HAD SHE BEEN down this corridor before? Anna looked around, trying to decide if the tapestry on the wall looked familiar. She shook her head in defeat; she didn’t have a clue. She kicked herself for not paying more attention.

Instead of looking for landmarks, Anna had been listening to Jasmine’s stream of chatter as the lively little girl had skipped along beside her, relaying some gruesome history, or possibly fantasy—the child clearly had a very lively imagination—of the castle that was her home.

The childish confidences had been liberally littered with her uncle’s name. Based on her experience, Anna would have thought he would feature as an ogre in a child’s life, but no, it was clear that for Jas at least he was something of a hero, endowed, if she was to be believed, with superhuman skills.

Oh, well, I’m sure he’d be the first to agree, Anna thought as her stomach muscles reacted to the image that floated into her head. Eyes as hard and cold as polished steel, a mouth that was cruel. A mouth that was...

She lifted a hand to one warm cheek and, sucking in air through flared nostrils, attempted to banish the image.

‘You’ve done what?’

Had she conjured Cesare up from her fevered imagination? This place was huge—how was it that she couldn’t avoid him, ever?

‘I thought we agreed.’ He was heading towards her, arguing furiously with Angel.

Shaking free of the frozen horror that had nailed her to the spot, Anna stepped back into the shadows. It wasn’t just the three sets of stone steps she had jogged up and down that made her heart pound in her chest as she shamelessly eavesdropped...short of covering her ears, what choice did she have?

When she responded, Angel’s voice did not suggest she was intimidated by the outrage in her brother’s voice; she sounded faintly amused. But mingled with the amusement was a hint of steely determination. Anna’s admiration for her employer went even higher. It took someone with guts to stand up to Cesare Urquart.

‘You talked, I listened and then I asked Anna Henderson to stay until term starts. She can tutor Jas and help her catch up with the work she missed, and be there to care for her when I’m away.’

‘There must be an alternative. I’ll speak to the agency.’

‘Sure, and they’ll send some girl who’ll spend more time flirting with you than taking care of Jas. It’s not your fault you’re eye candy, darling brother, but Anna is perfect. She doesn’t like you.

‘This woman—’

‘Look, Cesare, before you start you have a problem with Anna. I don’t. I know that Paul can do no wrong in your eyes and that’s fine, you can be in his debt for ever if you like, but he’s human and people make mistakes. Just look at me.’

‘This woman is nothing like you.’

‘No. she didn’t get pregnant. It’s daft to assume that it was all her fault. You want to know what I think?’

‘No.’

‘Fine,’ came the easy reply. ‘I have to be away for the next month. It’s not perfect, I know, but then, well, bottom line is, there’s nothing I can do about it, and with Anna—’

‘You don’t have to work.’

‘And you don’t have to be a serial seducer but you are. Sorry, but I’m not about to sponge off my big brother.’

‘There is no question of sponging, Angel.’ Anna could hear the irritation in his voice. She gave a contemptuous grimace. The man had the sensitivity of a brick. He should be admiring his sister for wanting to be independent, not knocking her. ‘This is about Jasmine, not your pride.’

‘Don’t try and emotionally blackmail me. This isn’t about me, is it? This woman really has got under your skin, hasn’t she?’

Have I? Anna thought from her hiding place.

‘But you’re right, this is about what’s best for Jas. I’m sorry if you don’t like it but she stays, and for God’s sake be nice to her.’

His response was a deep mumble that Anna didn’t catch. She shouldn’t be eavesdropping! She felt a belated stab of guilt. She ought to reveal herself, she knew she should, it was the right thing to do. You are a coward, Anna Henderson, she told herself in disgust as she stayed where she was.

‘You’re just going to have to suck it up, big brother.’

There followed another angry exchange, this time in Italian, before Anna heard a female laugh followed by the sound of heels vanishing in the opposite direction. The other, heavier, footsteps got closer...oh, help!

Anna was faced with the choice to hide in the shadows and hope he didn’t see her or reveal herself.

* * *

Had Anna got under his skin? The lines bracketing his sensual mouth deepened as, ebony brows drawn into a scowling straight line above his masterful nose, Cesare turned the words over in his head. It was true. The redhead had got under his skin.

An image of her soft mouth and extraordinary luminous sky-blue eyes floated into his head. His lips tightened as he banished it, aware as he did so that it was not likely to stay banished. For a man who took his self-control pretty much for granted, this knowledge was an added irritant. He had only encountered the woman a mere twenty-four hours ago and in that time she had rarely been out of his thoughts. Take last night, for example. He shook his head slightly, dislodging the images, none innocent and all involving that lush mouth! She was going to be living under his roof so he needed to keep his imagination and his libido on a tight rein.

He recognised that the most irritating part of the situation was that his sister had made her argument pretty well, somehow giving the woman victim status, which was laughable. As for the implication that he was somehow prejudiced? He might be forced to accept the situation but he was not about to accept this skewed view, though he could see why it suited his sister. From her point of view this was an ideal solution to her short-term problem. Great for Angel, not so great for him bumping into a woman whom he despised and desired with equal force.

It was an admission, a weakness, he would never have needed to acknowledge if she and her red hair had simply left, but she hadn’t and pretending a situation didn’t exist was no defence. Face the problem and then deal with it.

Angel might trust her with Jasmine but he gave Miss Henderson two weeks tops before she stepped out of line, and when she did he’d be there.

Anna took a deep breath and stepped out in front of Cesare.

‘S-sorry if I shouldn’t be here but I think I got a bit turned around on the third staircase.’ Her shaky laugh was met with stony silence.

Cesare felt a jolt of shock as the woman that he had mentally been cursing emerged from the shadows. Against the stone wall her face was a pale oval, the hair that had been a subject of unwilling fascination for him yesterday today hung loose and untamed, the rippling, richly coloured Pre-Raphaelite waves falling down her narrow back. Gone also was the professional suit, replaced today by a pair of faded jeans that clung to the slight feminine curve of her hips. Tucked into the belt cinched across her hips, the blue striped top echoed the cobalt colour of her eyes.