Husband By Contract. HELEN BROOKS

      ‘I find that hard to believe.’ Her voice wasn’t as tart as she would have liked it to be, those few seconds of being held close enough to breathe in the delicious smell of him and to feel that big, powerful body having started a reaction in her traitorous limbs she could well have done without.

      She watched him take a long, hard pull of air before straightening slowly and turning to face her, his eyes hooded now and his face cold. ‘I will order another tray to be sent up and this time you will eat,’ he said slowly. ‘You understand? Dinner will not be until eight and I do not want you feeling faint; you are too thin as it is.’

      ‘Too thin?’ She bitterly resented the criticism and glared at him, her blue eyes sparking. He preferred Maria’s rounded curves, did he? Full-blown voluptuousness? Well, that was just too bad. ‘My weight is perfectly adequate for my height, actually,’ she said tightly, ‘and I haven’t had any complaints so far.’

      Why she added that last bit she didn’t know but he certainly didn’t like it, she thought with great satisfaction as the ebony eyes iced over and his mouth thinned. How dared he? How dared he compare her with that woman?

      ‘Is that so?’ His voice was silky-soft but with a dangerous edge that warned her she had better say no more. ‘And what exactly does that mean, mia piccola?’ The old endearment was chilling. ‘Would you care to elaborate on that enigmatic statement?’