Giorganni's Proposal

'Hot.' His lips twisted in a sneer. 'I can believe that.'

'Dex, come on. The girl was with me, and she was perfectly safe,' Bob intervened.

Dex turned to look at Bob. 'I hope so, for your sake.' Then, as if realising where he was, seeing the curious glances of the other guests, Dex straightened his shoulders, his dark face expressionless. 'The boat is leaving in five minutes, Bob. Be on it.' Looking back at Beth, he added bluntly, 'As Paul's representative, you stay by me until we've said goodnight to all the guests.'

Smarting at his angry comments, she raised defiant eyes to his. 'I am not a child to be ordered around.' Dex had virtually ignored her all day except to tell her what to do: 'Get in the car' 'Get in the photograph.' He hadn't even asked her to dance, she thought, burning with resentment.

'Then stop acting like one and do as you're told,' Dex drawled hardily.

'No, thank you. I'd rather leave now. I can get the boat—it won't take me a minute to pack.'

One hand snaked out and closed like a manacle around her wrist. 'You are not going anywhere. Paul left you in my charge and you will leave as arranged tomorrow. I will personally escort you off the island. Understand?'

Beth understood all too well. He couldn't wait to get rid of her. Her brave notion of accepting the wedding invitation and stunning Dex with her sophisticated attitude was just that—a notion.

'All right,' she snapped. 'You can let go of my hand.' And, sticking a smile on her face, she did as he had commanded.

She stood stiffly beside him and accepted the flowing tributes, the smiles and handshakes, with the best grace she could muster. All the time intensely conscious of the dark, brooding man standing beside her.

'Thank heavens for that,' she murmured under her breath as the last guest departed. Glancing around the huge reception hall, it crossed her mind that perhaps she should help to clean up, but the caterers were buzzing around clearing everything with remarkable efficiency. She wasn't needed, and her bed beckoned.

'My sentiments exactly,' Dex drawled, and took her arm as she stepped forward. 'How about a nightcap?'

She glanced at him quickly over her shoulder. He had loosened his bow tie and unfastened the first few buttons of his shirt. He was so devilishly attractive; her heart lurched at the sight of him.

'I don't think so. I've had enough.' And she was not just talking about drink. It had suddenly hit her that once the caterers departed she would be virtually alone in the house with Dex, and it did nothing for her peace of mind.

CHAPTER TEN

Dex's black head inclined towards her. 'As you wish. I will show you to your room.'

'No way,' she said bluntly, placing her hand on his chest to ward him off. She raised her eyes to his. 'I do not need a repeat of last night. Go have your drink.' The heavy pounding of his heart beneath her hand found an echo in her own body, and she trembled from head to toe.

'It is not a drink I need,' Dex said thickly, his eyes glittering down into hers. 'I need to once more strip that seductive suit from you.' With one long finger he traced a line from her collarbone down the vee of her jacket to slide along the soft curve of her breast. 'And lose myself in your body. Unlike you, I can never have enough,' he drawled, his deep, husky voice playing on her oversensitive nerves.

Beth was struck dumb. She stared up at him, her fingers shaking on his chest, her nipples hardening against the fine fabric of her top in shameful arousal. She was mesmerised by the smouldering desire in his silver eyes. For a long moment she simply stared, torn between the desire to know once more the pleasure of his possession and the certain knowledge that she meant little or nothing to him.

Would it be so wrong? she asked herself. To have one more night in his arms? She loved him even though he didn't deserve her love, didn't want it.

A loud crash brought her back to her senses with a jolt. One of the caterers had dropped a tray of glasses. Beth quickly snatched her hand back from his chest and, spinning on her heel, dashed upstairs. She only paused for breath when she was safely in her bedroom with the door locked behind her.

Thank God for a clumsy waiter! Another second and she would have slid her arms around Dex and been hi

s for the taking, Beth bleakly admitted to herself. Stripping off her clothes, she showered and slipped on her white cotton nightie. She was exhausted, but too agitated too sleep, her body aching with frustration. Disgusted with herself, she methodically set about packing her weekend case. She was leaving in the morning and it would save time. She left out her blue jeans, a cashmere sweater and her navy jacket.

Finally, with nothing left to do, she got into bed. But sleep was elusive. She relived the events of the past two days in her head.

Her harmless walk with Paul and Dex's violent reaction had been terrifying. But had it only been on behalf of his sister, or could he possibly have been a little bit jealous of Beth herself? The thought brought solace to her bruised heart. And then later, in this room, Dex had reminded her she hadn't called him when he'd tried to blackmail her. She suddenly realised Dex had still not known Paul was her godfather, so at any time in the past two weeks he could have got Mike fired from his job, and yet he had not done it. Which proved Dex was not all bad. . .

Today he had hardly spoken to her, and yet he had warned her off Bob quite emphatically. Dex no longer had any need to pretend he liked her, so why warn her about Bob? Unless he was jealous. She was clutching at straws, she knew. But then again, Bob was convinced Dex did like her. He had told her in the garden Dex was a hard man to know, and that if she cared anything at all for him it was up to her to make the effort.

Bob's revelation about Dex's ex-wife went a long way to explain Dex's paranoid reaction when he'd thought Beth was going out with Paul, his constant assumption that Beth wanted an older man. Even on their picnic in the New Forest he had hinted as much.

And tonight, when he had asked her to have a drink with him and then quite deliberately tried to. . . She felt the heat rise in her face and she turned to lie flat on her back. She heard again in her mind his deep velvet voice declare he could not get enough and swallowed hard. If only he knew. . . She was quite desperate for him. But the difference between them was that Dex wanted her, but she loved him.

What kind of love was it, though, she asked herself, if she didn't dare admit it? She had been quite prepared to swallow her pride for Mike, her stepbrother. Surely she could do at least as much for the man she loved. Dex had once said he liked her honesty. Tomorrow she would be honest and tell Dex how she felt. After all, what was the worst that could happen? He could laugh in her face and tell her to get lost. But after tomorrow she was unlikely to see him again anyway. She had nothing to lose. . .

A banging on the door woke Beth. She groaned and rolled over.