Because every time he’d closed his eyes all he’d been able to envisage was an image of her, standing in her long red evening dress, looking crumpled but sexily dishevelled, and he’d wondered what it would have been like to go and pick her up and bring her into his bedroom—
‘Well,’ she said stiffly now, her faux brightness gone, ‘we didn’t have to do this today. You know, if you’re too tired, you can always drop me off at the airport and I can get a flight home. That way you can get as much rest as you need.’
His mouth quirked. ‘Not a chance. And I didn’t say I was tired. I don’t sleep much, as a general rule.’
She was practically bristling beside him now.
He continued, ‘So, tell me about these ambitions of yours...the ones you mentioned last night when you were assuring me that a woman’s life doesn’t have to revolve around a man.’
She crossed her arms and stared straight ahead. ‘I don’t think that’s any business of yours.’
‘Maybe not,’ he agreed, glancing across at her, his eye instantly caught by the lush curve of her mouth. ‘But humour me?’
* * *
Damn the man, Lia thought churlishly. She’d bet money he was just trying to rile her. And her sense of complacency had gone out of the window as soon as he’d revealed that he’d taken a shower during the night.
It had been hard enough to maintain a cool front as soon as she’d walked into the kitchen and seen him sprawled in a chair, wearing faded worn jeans and a dark polo shirt, with bare feet.
His hair had still been wet and he’d looked at her over his coffee cup and said, ‘You should have joined me for a swim in the sea this morning. It was magnificent.’
Instantly Lia had been bombarded with an image of their wet bodies entwined as waves crashed around them.
r /> She’d forced a sunny smile and sat down, helping herself to coffee and ignoring his comment. ‘It’s almost hard to believe we were in New York this time yesterday, isn’t it?’
Until now she’d kept up her valiant façade.
‘Tell me about these ambitions of yours...’
Lia thought about his question for a long moment. This was exactly what she’d reassured herself she’d do last night—keep him at a distance. Get on a plane and go home. And yet...there was something inside her that felt as if it wanted to break free.
It might be the sun-drenched exotic surroundings and the sense of being out of her comfort zone, thanks to having been literally transported to another country. Or it might be the effort it was taking to resist this man’s natural charm. Or, more dangerously, it might be the desire to reveal herself. Somehow along the way his opinion had come to matter to her—just a tiny bit.
She sighed volubly and Ben said cajolingly from beside her, ‘It’s another thirty minutes to Salvador...’
Treacherously, she felt resistance give way inside her. Angry with herself for giving in she said almost accusingly, ‘If you must know, I studied Architectural Engineering at university.’
It was almost worth saying that to see the way his head snapped around.
Lia smiled sweetly. ‘Didn’t expect that, did you?’
Ben had the grace to look slightly sheepish and he said, ‘When I met with your father at your house a few years ago he said you were on a skiing trip...’
Lia rolled her eyes. ‘I’ve never skied in my life. I was in college. My father never liked to admit to anyone—or himself—that his daughter had ambitions and wanted a career. He preferred people to think I was a harmless socialite.’
Ben’s jaw clenched and Lia saw his hands tighten on the steering wheel.
‘I have to confess that I did assume you were part of a certain social set...’
Something tightened in Lia’s chest. ‘I guess that’s understandable. Most people aren’t interested in my qualifications.’
He glanced at her before looking back at the road. Lia was glad his eyes were covered. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to see what was in them.
‘So, what do you plan to do with your degree?’
She hesitated for a moment, and then said, ‘I have a specific interest in crisis zones—in being the first on the ground to help with the rebuild.’
‘Hence your interest in the charity whose benefit we were attending? They’re renowned for the work they do in desperate situations.’