Christien was so pained that he almost winced. Who was this jerk?
‘Sean…er, this is Christien.’
Neither man extended a hand. Each awarded the other a stiff but studiously casual nod.
Tabby tried not to notice that Christien made Sean look small, skinny and in need of a good shave.
‘I’ll sort the bed out…no problem,’ the Englishman asserted, and started to whistle quietly.
‘May I talk to you downstairs?’ Christien murmured to Tabby.
Worrying at her lower lip, Tabby led the way, her slim back rigid.
‘Is the whistling handyman going to be living here too?’ Christien enquired flatly.
Tabby tensed. ‘I don’t think that’s any of your business—’
‘So I can just take care of him by going back up there and breaking his neck now, can I?’ Christien incised.
Tabby paled in disbelief.
‘I’m being straight. I don’t want any other guy anywhere near you. Who is he?’
Tabby focused on scorching dark golden eyes and her mouth ran dry. ‘You don’t have the right—’
Christien swung back to the stairs. ‘I’ll go ask him—’
‘No!’ Tabby snapped in horror. ‘He’s a friend of my aunt’s and lives locally…For goodness’ sake, I only met him today!’
As far as Christien was concerned at that moment, nothing that he himself had done or said since he entered the cottage seemed to have had the smallest intellectual input from his brain. But her admission that her visitor was only an acquaintance cooled the white-hot, irrational anger that he was fighting to restrain.
Tabby walked right out to the silver Ferrari parked at the side of the cottage. ‘I want you to leave…and I don’t want you to come back—’
‘Don’t lie to me—’
Her small hands closed into tight, hurting fists of self-control as she fought her own weak inclinations with all her might. ‘I won’t sell this place, I’m staying…that’s all you need to know—’
‘So that we can both lie awake on the hot nights?’ By the simple dint of moving forward, Christien cornered her against the wing of the car and backed her into contact with the sun-warmed metal. ‘Tell me now,’ he instructed in a raw-edged undertone.
‘No…’ Almost mesmerised by the smouldering heat of his golden eyes, Tabby stared back at him, pupils dilated, body humming with wild, hot, wicked awareness.
‘Say it like you mean it,’ Christien urged in a ragged undertone, leaning forward even as she leant back.
The front door slammed with a loud thud that made both of them leap back from each other in sudden mutual discomfiture.
Sean Wendell angled an apologetic grimace at Tabby. ‘Sorry…the wind caught it!’
‘He’s a smart ass,’ Christien growled with barely restrained menace.
Her colour high, Tabby walked away without another word. She didn’t dare look back at him, not when just turning her back on him had demanded almost superhuman will-power.
As the Ferrari drove off Sean rolled his eyes. ‘Watching you two together is certainly an education—’
‘Watching me with…Christien?’ Tabby frowned. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen an attraction that powerful.’ Sean remarked in wry fascination. ‘I’ve just come out of a long-term relationship and now I know what was missing…the bonfire factor…stand back, feel the heat!’
Taken aback by th