Every time Stefano looked at her she felt weak. Just touching his hand had made her jump out of her skin.
Did every woman feel like this? No wonder she’d been warned. But all the warnings hadn’t helped. She still … burned.
Annabelle covered her face with her hands. She had to calm down. Get ahold of herself. Everywhere she traveled, from Chile to Chelsea, men of every age and social rank had thought her single status and apparent freedom was a license to make a play for her. A farmer in South Africa had once tried endlessly to entice her into his bed, but every single time she had refused his endeavors. She’d laughed when the overweight, middle-aged man had pouted like a child when he’d realized that she wasn’t going to take him up on his offer. To assuage the man’s hurt feelings, Annabelle had ultimately bought him a short whiskey in the bar of the hotel she was staying in before sending him on his way.
The South African farmer hadn’t been a bad sort, really. At least he’d been obvious and clear about his intentions. She preferred that straightforward attitude over the slimy, underhanded things that rich tycoons had tried, such as when an American billionaire had set up a fake “photography session” on his private island in the Caribbean. Or when a married duke had invited her to a party in the Highlands, and she’d arrived at his castle to discover his party was only for two. All of them clearly thought Annabelle, with her independent status and liberated career, was fair game and an easy lay.
Of course, Patrick’s ugly lies about her, so many years ago, was probably a big reason for that.
Perhaps it would have been better if she hadn’t ever gone to London to study photography. After her father’s death, she’d buried herself at Wolfe Manor for years, hiding there like a ghost until she was almost twenty-two. If she’d stayed there, she wouldn’t have to fight so hard now in the outside world.
But she couldn’t believe that. She looked down at the camera bag in her arms. Taking pictures—whether of raucous revelers after a football match in London or of hunters pursuing deer in Africa—was the only time Annabelle felt alive. Working brought her peace. And more than peace: contentment. Even joy.
She didn’t want to give that up. She wouldn’t. Not for all the harassing men in the world.
“You want this by the fireplace?”
Annabelle looked up with an intake of breath to see Stefano striding into her room, barely visible beneath all the photography equipment covering his shoulders and arms.
“Yes, thank you,” she said, rising unsteadily to her feet.
He set down the cameras, the umbrellas and scrims, the battery packs and studio lights, her laptop and sleek portable printer, stacking them in a well-organized arrangement into the sitting area of her bedroom. It completely filled the corner between the white fireplace and the old sofa.
Turning back to her, Stefano lifted a dark eyebrow.
“Care to see if I’ve broken anything?”
“Um,” she said incoherently, biting her lip. Staring at the equipment, she looked up at him in amazement. “You carried all of it? In a single trip?”
“It’s more efficient that way, don’t you think?”
“How on earth did you manage it?”
He shrugged. “Perhaps I’m not as clumsy as you thought.”
“I never thought you were—”
His dark gaze went through her, and her throat closed. She forgot what she’d been saying.
Stefano’s sensual lips curved into a smile. “I’ll go put your truck away now. Dinner’s at eight in the dining hall. By the way, meals are casual here.” His dark eyes seemed to twinkle as he looked over her designer suit. “If you think you can manage that.”
Without waiting for a reply, he turned on the worn heel of his black leather boot. It took several seconds for her to come to her senses.
“I can do casual!” she yelled after him indignantly, but he was already gone.
She exhaled, staring at the closed door. Stefano Cortez was like no other man she’d met. Beyond his masculine beauty and deviltongued charm, he had a physical strength and power that amazed her.
He’d carried all her gear. In one trip.
Usually, it took Annabelle—even with Marie’s help—four or five trips. And yet he’d carried it all on his back with ease, and then stacked it all efficiently. Looking through the equipment, she saw it was all perfectly in order. She opened the extra cases with her cameras inside, pristine and safe. She took a deep breath, trying to make her heart grow calm and her warm cheeks return to their usual cool state.
She was attracted to him, yes. But it was worse than that. She almost … liked him. And that frightened her most of all.
Annabelle exhaled.
Work. That thought calmed her as nothing else could. She glanced at her watch. She had most of the afternoon, and would make good use of it.
Not bothering to change out of her gray skirt suit, she grabbed an extra camera and put it into her bag. Going downstairs, she went out the front door.