‘So you came.’ Nick turned around and rested sardonic eyes on her. ‘What for, Liza?’ and stopped. He had thought he wanted his pound of flesh, but as he saw her standing before him, her beautiful face pale, and her brilliant blue eyes skittering nervously around the room, glancing anywhere but at him, all he wanted to do was to reassure her. It was the same protective instinct he had in spades around her coming back with a vengeance.
‘Because I want…’ she almost said ‘you’, but stopped herself in time ‘…to apologise properly for all the terrible things I said to you.’ The sight of him, black hair ruffled as though he had been running his hand through it, and his shirt unbuttoned to the waist, revealing the dark line of body hair vanishing beneath his low-slung trousers, captivated her senses, and she fought to remember the speech she had prepared.
She jerked her head back up to his face. ‘I also want to thank you for rescuing me from a very nasty situation.’ Concentrate on his face, she told herself, but when her eyes met his she had difficulty remembering what she was going to say. ‘I…I…’ she stammered, stunned by the smouldering gleam in his gaze, but, lifting her chin, she continued courageously, ‘I know you probably did it more for the friendship between our mothers than for me.’ She had worked that out in the long hours of soul-searching before coming here. ‘But I really did not know there were diamonds in the package Henry Brown asked me to deliver, and that is the honest truth. If I am guilty of anything, it is being so gullible as to do what Brown told me. A free holiday—I can’t believe I fell for it.’ She shook her head. ‘All I can say in my defence is I had only ever worked for Mr Stubbs before, and he is a real gentleman. I naively thought Henry Brown was basically the same.’
How dumb did that make her, she
thought, looking at Nick. He was her champion, her hero, and she needed to let him know his action in protecting her had not been misplaced. But, more, she needed him to believe her… She felt her hands perspiring and nervously rubbed the damp palms over her hips as she waited for his response.
Nick looked into her wary blue eyes. He was a proud man, but he wasn’t a stupid one… Liza had come to him… Neither was he blind; his eyes darkened as he traced the action of her hands down her slender hips, pulling the fine fabric tight over her luscious body, and moved slowly back up to her face, missing no delectable detail on the way.
It was what he loved about her, her courage in facing him, with the same impulsive fervour she had always had, and he would not have her any other way.
‘Take a seat, Liza. Relax.’
Liza breathed a little easier and sat down in the nearest armchair beside the fire and watched as Nick strolled to a cabinet against the wall and opened it.
‘Would you like a drink? A nightcap?’ he offered.
‘Is that wise?’ Liza felt bound to say.
‘I have rarely been wise around you,’ Nick said quietly, and, filling two glasses with amber liquid, he walked over to her and handed her one, before lowering his long length into the chair opposite and lifting the crystal glass to his mouth.
Liza eyed him warily, and tentatively took a sip of her drink before placing it on the table. She leaned forward. ‘I want to explain,’ she said earnestly, trying once again for her speech. ‘I really had no idea Henry Brown was a thief, Nick, and when you brought me here…I actually thought it was for your mother’s benefit. But I want you to know, I’m not a complete idiot. I did suspect there was something wrong. And all I can say is after I got back to London and Mr Stubbs told me the full story I was mortified.’ She took another drink of the brandy, to give her the courage to go on, and looked back at Nick.
‘I now know not only did you save me from a possible prison sentence, you also probably saved my life, when you had no real reason to trust me. So I want to thank you from…’ the bottom of my heart, she had been going to say but never got the chance.
‘Stop right there, Liza,’ Nick cut in, his dark eyes capturing hers. ‘First I don’t think I ever really believed you were a thief, Liza. When your name appeared on a report from a security agency of mine that was investigating the diamond theft, my immediate reaction was to fly to Lanzarote and question you for myself.’ Nick told her honestly, ‘I admit, I did it in a slightly devious way, but that was because I had to protect the interests of Carl Dalk, and, though you didn’t know it, you had information that was vital to solving the case.’
‘You’re right. I never knew.’
‘I know.’ Nick rose to his feet and moved to stand in front of her, looking down into her beautiful, slightly pink face. He should not have given her the brandy on top of the wine she had already drunk, and, reaching for her hand, he pulled her to her feet.
‘I brought you back to Spain with me to keep you out of harm’s way, and also because I wanted you. I also know, when I was driving you up to the cabin, I have never been more terrified in my life for your safety, nor more certain you were absolutely innocent.’ Liza was still reeling from his casual admission I wanted you when he continued. ‘We both made mistakes, so what say we call a truce, forget about the criminal case altogether and see where we go from here?’
‘A truce.’ Liza swallowed hard; it couldn’t be that easy. ‘Yes. OK.’
‘Sealed with a kiss,’ Nick prompted. His arm went round her back and arched her body to meet his as his lips met hers in a burning open-mouthed kiss. Nick made a husky sound, almost a groan, and Liza quivered helplessly under the insistent pressure of his savagely hungry mouth. She closed her eyes, and reached for him, her hands curving around his broad shoulders. She could not deny the need, the desire scorching through her, didn’t want to, as she silently admitted what she had been trying to deny for months—she loved him…
‘Dios, Liza,’ Nick muttered, his palm cupping her breast, a thumb stroking her nipple through the fine fabric of her dress, and a low moan of pleasure escaped her. ‘Have you any idea what you do to me?’ he queried softly, his hand sliding down her thigh and urging her against his strong, hard body, making her achingly aware of just how much he wanted her.
Black eyes gleaming with sensual amusement held hers. ‘Do you think you are brave enough to get over two mothers in the house, or are you going to make me wait until we can get away for a night or two?’ Nick drawled hardly.
As the import of his words sank in Liza felt the shock drain the heat from her body. She stiffened and pulled back. ‘Wait.’ She placed her hand against his chest, pushing him away.
Nick was doing it again—apology accepted, OK, let’s go to bed. No mention of a future, no mention of love. Twice he had seduced her into his bed and she was not falling for it a third time. She was worth more than that.
She had spent weeks getting up the nerve to face him, and tonight over dinner he had virtually ignored her. But still she had got up the courage to face him in his room, at his request, because she thought she had hurt his pride and owed him a proper apology. He might have saved her life, but that did not mean he could use her.
‘You aren’t really going to make me wait.’ Nick reached for her, and she slapped his hand away.
‘Liza.’ Nick’s dark eyes clashed with hers. ‘What’s going on here?’
‘Nothing. I came to apologise and I have.’ She saw the incredulous look on his face, the flash of fury in his eyes, but she refused to be intimidated. ‘Thanks for your offer, but no.’
‘But you want me; your body doesn’t lie and you know how good we are together,’ Nick growled, flicking a glance at the taut outline of her nipples against the fabric of her dress. He wasn’t mistaken—a moment ago she had melted in his arms, so what had gone wrong?
‘Maybe, but I find I want more from a relationship than just hot sex, and you’re not the type,’ Liza said flatly, ‘but I’m sure we can remain friends for the sake of our mothers.’ She looked up and for a second she thought she saw a look of pain in his night-black eyes.