Rebel's Bargain

‘Orsino?’

He shifted behind her as if the chair was no longer comfortable.

‘It’s a rehabilitation centre.’

‘For …?’ This was like drawing a tooth.

‘For people who’ve been injured by landmines.’

Poppy put the laptop down and swung around.

He ignored her while he scrawled another note in large capitals.

‘And?’

Finally the pen stopped and he looked up, his face unreadable.

‘Why are you going through these reports?’

He shrugged those mouth-wateringly broad shoulders but this time Poppy kept her eyes on his face, sensing this was significant.

‘You know my expeditions raise money for charity.’

‘I do.’ Her heart had been in her mouth more than once as she’d watched him succeed at some daredevil stunt, filmed from a distance and broadcast on television. ‘But what’s that got to do with this—’ she waved her hand ‘—administration?’

She didn’t need to spell it out. He wasn’t a desk jockey. He was action man, always on the move, always with new conquests to make.

‘Careful administration is what keeps these enterprises ticking over. Without oversight they could face disaster. This way we know the money is going where it’s needed.’

‘We?’

He sat back and rubbed his eyes. Poppy’s chest tightened in sympathy. Perhaps she should back off, but she sensed if she didn’t pursue this now she’d never learn more. Those impenetrable steel walls would slam down, shutting her out.

She didn’t stop to question why she needed to pry his secret loose.

‘The board that manages them.’

‘You’re on a management board?’

‘Several of them.’ His lips twisted in a wry grimace. ‘Unbelievable, huh?’

Poppy stared at the man she’d once thought she knew. Strong, determined, energetic, focused to the point of single-mindedness, a man who made things happen instead of sitting on the sidelines.

‘Not at all. I can see that you’d be a valuable addition.’

His eyes widened and his dark brows shot up.

‘How did you get involved?’

Orsino sat back, his gaze sliding towards the gathering darkness outside. Obviously this wasn’t something he often spoke about. The fact that he shared with her created a warm jiggle in the pit of her stomach.

‘I did a favour for a friend. He wanted a companion to paddle across the Timor Sea.’ Orsino paused, his mouth flattening. ‘I had time on my hands and agreed.’

Poppy frowned. ‘Paddle? As in canoes? That’s harebrained.’

‘It seemed like a good idea at the time.’ Orsino’s lips curved up in a smile that bared his teeth and flashed her a look she couldn’t interpret.

‘That was my first visit to Timor-Leste, one of the world’s poorest countries. But the people couldn’t have been friendlier.’ He shrugged. ‘I stayed and got involved supporting a little hospital that’s understaffed and underfunded and does the most fantastic job.

‘I promised myself then that instead of just pursuing thrills, each of my trips would raise money for local people in need. The press was already following me and I’d done a couple of awareness-raising stunts for larger charities, but there was something about getting personally involved that appealed. As if I could make a difference.’

His head jerked up and his eyes met hers. ‘A god complex, maybe?’

Poppy shook her head, reeling as the import of his words sank in.

All those death-defying adventures of Orsino’s were planned specifically with the idea of raising funds?

The room dipped and spun. She’d assumed Orsino had simply done what he always had, finding new challenges for purely personal enjoyment. That the charity angle was a later addition—a happy coincidence. Of course it hadn’t been. Why hadn’t she realised?

How often had he risked his life for others?

She cleared her throat. ‘That’s a far cry from moving onto a management board.’

Orsino waved his hand. ‘Some places had the need but not the on-the-ground help, so I set about discovering how to get that started.’

Poppy stared. ‘You started your own charities?’

‘I prefer the word enterprises. The emphasis is on local people finding long-term solutions for themselves, with a bit of assistance.’ When she didn’t respond he spread his hands wide. ‘It wasn’t me alone. I was connected with people who knew what they were doing. I was just a cog in the wheel.’

She looked down at the complex sheets before her.

‘Some wheel. There must be scores of enterprises here.’ No wonder he had a full-time secretary.