Kept at the Argentine's Command

He tightened the nuts and shoved the hubcap back into place, replaced the old wheel in the boot, along with the tools, and slammed down the lid.

Lulu had her hand out.

‘Give me the keys,’ she said.

Alejandro knew where this was going, but it was no skin off his nose. He handed them over.

She marched around to the driver’s seat, casting him a pointed look over the roof of the car. ‘Well, get in.’

He grinned and eased his

muscled frame in beside her.

Violets. The scent was hot in his nostrils now. They flared appreciably.

She didn’t look like the girl he’d picked up this morning. Her dark curls were ruffled in a halo around a face that was reddened either from the wind or exertion or just sheer temper. Her dark eyes shone and her skirt was sadly crumpled. There was a grease stain on her top. But, with her jacket neatly folded on the back seat, she was showing off two neat little scoops of bosom above the tight neckline of her top.

He noticed that her shoes, now caked in mud, had been discarded in the passenger footwell and she had a look of fierce concentration on her face.

She looked exactly the way she had when he’d kissed her, wild and beautiful, and it sharpened his hunger for her.

She pulled out onto the road and took off.

‘You might want to watch your speed,’ he observed, unable to take his eyes off her.

‘You might want to tell me why you thought it was fine to leave me locked in a car in the middle of nowhere.’

‘You weren’t locked in, and I went to find out what we needed to know.’ He eyed her stained clothing. ‘What I can’t work out is why you put on that little show back there about not getting out of the car—’

‘None of your business.’

‘When you’re so clearly capable.’

She glanced at him, a little dumbfounded, then looked back at the road. He was glad she was concentrating on the road.

‘Yes, I am. Capable.’

‘Do you know where we’re going, querida?’

She changed gear and pushed those wild curls out of her eyes in a defiant gesture. ‘Of course I do.’

He noted the sign to Inverary as it flashed past. His gaze dropped to those twin scoops, rising and falling gently above her neckline, to the sensual pout of her lower lip above that jaunty little chin.

She looked so pleased with herself he decided not to inform her that they were going the wrong way. He was in no hurry to get to the castle, to be bored to death by talk of for ever and happy-ever-after. No… He settled back comfortably, folded his arms across his chest and pretended to close his eyes. He was going to let this run a little longer, and then, when she’d run out of steam and learned her lesson, he’d think about taking this chemistry between them to its natural conclusion.

*

Lulu peered out at the passing countryside. According to her map, shouldn’t they be approaching the motorway by now? It was growing dark, and it was raining, and she didn’t have a clue where they were.

The ribbon of road had grown narrower and it was impossible to read the signs. The headlights on the car lit up only the road ahead, making everything that lay outside it seem menacing and vaguely supernatural.

Lulu liked the countryside—in the daylight, and from the confines of a car, and preferably not stopping. But she was going to have to pull over. The fuel tank was bobbing close to empty.

She brought the car to a stop on the shoulder of the road. Then reached over and touched Alejandro’s impressive shoulder.

He felt warm and reassuringly powerful beneath her hand.

He didn’t stir.