She followed his stare down to some stone steps cut into the ground.
‘As we’re here,’ he said with matching cool, ‘I might as well show you the underground caves so you can share the info with Holly.’
‘Thanks,’ she said briefly, relieved Diego had got used to the idea of his brother’s wedding being held on the island.
‘Once we’re underground in the Green Caves you must stay close to me.’
No hardship so far. ‘Okay,’ she agreed.
‘Did you put sightseeing on your list for the guests?’
‘Yes,’ she confirmed, ignoring his offer of a steadying hand.
‘Hey!’ he exclaimed, saving her from falling when she stumbled on the steps. ‘I’m supposed to be the one who’s compromised here.’
There was no humour in his voice, or on Diego’s face as he set her back on her feet, but it was the first time he had mentioned his injury, and as steps forward went that wasn’t a bad one. ‘Thanks,’ she said casually as they carried on down the steps in what was almost comfortable silence.
The staircase ended in an underground passageway, dimly lit by some low-voltage lighting. ‘We’re under the sea,’ Diego explained when she paused to listen.
‘And the lights?’
‘Solar panels. Quite a recent addition.’
As he moved on she wondered if Diego felt more relaxed too. More importantly, she wondered if he registered her as a woman at all, or if she was merely someone he felt he had to show round for the sake of his brother? He had never looked more the pirate, with his harsh, chiselled face, but that firm, sensual mouth belonged to a more sophisticated sensualist altogether. And now erotic possibilities were flooding her mind—which was hardly helpful when she needed to be concentrating.
‘The excavation of these caves goes back centuries,’ Diego was explaining. ‘And as each new generation takes ownership more improvements are made.’
‘That sounds impressive,’ she agreed, and her gaze followed Diego’s strong, tanned hand as it moved lightly over the stone wall.
‘I like to think so,’ he said, shooting a keen glance at her.
‘After you,’ she said lightly. There wasn’t enough space in the tunnel to pass him without touching. He moved away.
They now entered a cavern the size of an aircraft hangar. Stalactites hung like weathered spears above their heads, while dripping stalagmites lined the path. She spotted a sheer drop on one side of the cave, but when she went to take a closer look Diego held her back. He was by far the bigger danger, she thought, glancing at his hand on her arm.
‘How deep is this chasm?’ she asked him on a dry throat.
‘Shall we find out?’ he suggested.
Reaching into the back pocket of his jeans, he pulled out a coin. As it spun and flashed in front of her she wondered what it would be like to have Diego on-side, to have someone special to confide in, but then the coin landed in glassy water just inches from her feet and the illusion shattered into numberless ripples.
‘The surface is so clear and still it acts like a mirror,’ Diego explained.
Creating a false impression as misleading as her own far-fetched hopes and dreams, Maxie thought wryly. But it was a great place to bring wedding guests, and she told him so. ‘Though I won’t tell anyone about the coin toss,’ she explained. ‘I think we should keep that a secret between us so it has maximum impact for the guests when they discover the secret of the caves.’
‘Do you like keeping secrets, Maxie?’
She balked at that. ‘Sometimes,’ she admitted. The caves suddenly felt oppressive. ‘Is that it?’ she prompted.
‘There’s just one more thing I think you should see.’
Her gaze lingered on his back as Diego led the way. He was such a powerful man, with only the limp to remind her that all was not well with him. If the leg had been attached to anyone else it might have been a good time to suggest trying out the massage technique that had worked so well for her mother—but not while it was attached to Diego Acosta.
The next cave contained an underground lake. A natural chimney allowed light to flood in, giving the water an unearthly glow. Diego was hunkered down at the water’s edge, where tiny albino crabs were scuttling in the shallows at his feet.
‘They are unique and vulnerable,’ he explained.
Diego’s hard face had softened. This was a side of him she hadn’t seen before. It made her even more certain that she wasn’t the only one who had allowed the past to colour her life. As she stared at the broad sweep of his shoulders and his strong, tanned neck she wanted to ask so many questions, but she was here for a fact-finding trip of the island, not him, and so she settled for, ‘I didn’t take you for a nature-lover.’
‘Oh, I love nature,’ he said, standing up to fix her with an assessing stare. ‘It’s people I have a problem with.’
Okay. She turned her attention to gathering more shots for Holly.
They held concerts in the underground theatre here, Diego explained as he led the way into the incredible facility buried deep in the bowels of the earth. ‘We invite people over from neighbouring islands.’
As you do, Maxie thought wryly. ‘How many people can the theatre seat?’ She had immediately reverted back to business mode and was taking notes.
‘Three hundred or so—more if we take the seats out.’
‘It would be perfect for a party after the wedding breakfast,’ she mused out loud, though of course it would be up to Holly to make the final decision.
She was standing too close to Diego, Maxie realised as her body thrilled a warning. Moving away, she stared down the steeply raked aisle to the unusual stone stage, with its backdrop of rough-hewn rock glowing amber beneath the lights. She took some shots, made a few more notes, and then turned to go—almost colliding with him.
&nb
sp; As she skirted past she could hear his steady breathing above the thundering of her heart and something made her ask impulsively, ‘Do you mind if I stop by to watch you training your horses?’
‘You’d find it boring, surely?’
‘No. But if I’d be in the way—’
‘You wouldn’t be in the way.’
If her heart had been thundering before, it was out of control now. ‘Are you sure?’
‘I’m sure.’
They climbed back up the steps and emerged into the light. ‘Do you still think you can ride my bike?’ Diego asked.
She stared at the big black monster, sensing there was a bigger decision to be made here than whether she could ride his bike. ‘Yes, I do,’ she said.
Diego needed someone to stand up to him. She needed to test herself. Bring it on.
CHAPTER FIVE
THE bike seemed to have grown bigger, while Maxie seemed to have shrunk. Drawing in a steadying breath, she tried not to register anything when Diego swung onto the saddle behind her—and failed miserably. Her back lit up like the Fourth of July. At least he couldn’t know how she was feeling—and at least he couldn’t see the tension on her face.
‘Just thumb the starter button, Maxie.’
There was another moment when he reached around her to guide her hands and his hard, muscular torso pressed into her back. The temptation just to close her eyes and lean against him …
‘Did you get that, Maxie?’
Diego’s tone was enough to eject her from that daydream. ‘Got it,’ she confirmed.
‘Good. You may have ridden a bike before, but I promise you you never rode a bike like this before.’
‘Like everything else on the island, I’m sure it’s extraordinary,’ she said dryly, smiling as she turned on the engine. It purred like a kitten.
‘Squeeze, don’t grab at the controls,’ Diego warned as she upped the revs. ‘You have to make love to them.’
‘I will,’ she said briskly, not wanting to think about making love in any context right now.
‘If you do exactly as I tell you,’ Diego added, ‘you’ll find the bike will respond like a—’