“So who do you think could have leaked the information that you were moving to Medinos to the press?”
She moved on to the carry-on case, which posed a problem. She was going to need a trolley after all.
“You don’t have to worry about the luggage. I’ll carry it for you.”
Anger flowed through her at the implication that she could have sold the story. “I prefer to manage on my own.”
“You don’t have to, since I’m here to pick you up.” With efficient movements, Zane unhooked the laptop and used the straps to neatly attach the carry-on case to the large suitcase.
Lilah reclaimed her laptop. “I don’t get it. You didn’t come around or call, and now—”
“I called. Your phone didn’t seem to be working.”
She tried to get her tired brain around the astounding fact that Zane hadn’t abandoned her, entirely. Although, there was nothing loverlike about his demeanor now. A lightbulb went on in her head. “Don’t tell me you thought I could have leaked the story because I’m angling to be Lucas’s mistress?”
“Or to break Lucas and Carla up.”
For a vibrating moment she struggled against the desire to empty what was left of her coffee down his front. Instead, she set her laptop down and, stepping close, ran her finger down Zane’s chest, pausing over the steady thud of his heart. “Why would I, when as you so eloquently put it, I’ve already got the real thing?”
Heat flared in his gaze. His fingers closed around her wrist, trapping her palm against the wall of his chest. “Past tense, Lilah. You were the one who walked out.”
Shock reverberated through her that he could possibly have wanted her to stay. “I didn’t think you were … serious.”
His gaze was unnervingly steady. “One-night stands are not exactly my thing.”
The heat from his chest burned into her palm. “So all those stories in the press about you and who knows how many gorgeous women are untrue?”
His free hand curled around her nape. He reeled her in a little closer. “Mostly.”
Honest, but still dangerous. Distantly, she registered that this was what she had so badly wanted from Zane two days ago. He had finally come after her and in true pirate fashion was seemingly intent on dragging her back to bed. “So, in theory then, the press could have lied about me.”
He leaned forward; his lips feathered her jaw sending a hot tingle of sensation through her. “It’s possible.”
“I’m not interested in breaking Lucas and Carla up.”
“Good, because I have a proposition for you.” He bit down gently on her lobe. “Two days on an island paradise. You and me.”
Sensation shimmered through her, briefly blanking her mind. So that was what it was like, she thought a little breathlessly. She had read that the earlobe was an erogenous zone. Now, finally, she could attest to that fact.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The idea of an exciting interlude with Zane before she started work and became once more embroiled in her search for a stable, trustworthy husband, was unbearably seductive. There were no good reasons to go, only bad ones. “Yes.”
She caught the quick flash of his grin before his mouth closed on hers, and for long seconds she forgot to breathe.
Ten minutes later, Lilah found herself installed in the rear seat of a limousine, Zane beside her and the familiar figure of Spiros behind the wheel. A short drive later and they pulled into a picturesque marina.
She examined the ranks of gleaming superyachts, launches and sailboats tied up to a neat series of jetties. “This doesn’t look like the Atraeus Resort.”
“It’s a nice day. I thought you might enjoy the boat ride.”
Spiros opened her door, distracting her. When she turned back to Zane, the seat next to her was empty. Zane was already out of the limousine, his jacket off and draped over one shoulder. Following suit, she climbed out, wincing at the dazzling brightness of sunlight reflecting off white boats. Finding her sunglasses, she slid them onto the bridge of her nose.
By that time, Spiros, who she had noticed had not met her gaze once during the last few minutes, had her cases out of the trunk. Zane was already halfway down the jetty and untying ropes. The boat trip to the resort seemed to be a fait accompli, so Lilah followed in Spiros’s wake, determined to enjoy the sunny day and the spectacular sea views.
By the time she reached the sleek white yacht, her cases were already stowed. Zane extended his hand and helped her climb aboard.
Almost instantly the engine hummed to life. Spiros walked along the jetty, released the last rope and tossed it over the stern. Lilah couldn’t help noticing that he seemed to be in a hurry. When he didn’t climb aboard she frowned. “Isn’t Spiros coming?”
“Not on this trip.” With deft skill, Zane maneuvered the yacht out of its berth.
Minutes later, they cleared the marina and the boat picked up speed, wallowing slightly in the chop. Feeling faintly queasy with the motion, Lilah sat down and tried to enjoy the scenery.
Twenty minutes later, her unease turned to suspicion. Instead of hugging the coastline they seemed to be heading for open sea. The coastline of Medinos had receded, and the island of Ambrus loomed ahead.
Dragging strands of hair out of her eyes, she pushed to her feet, gripping the back of her seat to stay upright. “This is not the way to the resort.”
“I’m taking you to Ambrus.”
“There’s nothing on Ambrus.”
His gaze rested briefly on hers. “That’s not strictly true. There’s an unfinished resort on the northern headland.”
The yacht rounded a point and sailed into calmer water. Lilah stared at the curve of the beach ahead and the tumbled wreckage of the old pearl facility, which had been destroyed in the Second World War. It was, literally, a bombsite. In a flash, Spiros’s odd behavior and his hurried exit made sense. Zane had planned this. She gestured at the looming beach. “I didn’t agree to that. You said two days. Paradise.”
Zane throttled back on the engine. “Maybe I wasn’t talking about the scenery.”
An instant flashback to the heated few minutes on Zane’s couch made her blush. “I didn’t exactly find paradise in your hotel room.”
“There wasn’t time. If you’ll recall, you ran out on me.”
Her jaw firmed. When she had landed on Medinos her life had been firmly under control. Somehow in the space of an hour everything had gone to hell in a handbasket again. “I’m booked in at the Atraeus Resort. That’s where I’m staying for the next few weeks.”
“You agreed. Two days.” His jaw tightened. “Or did you want another media furor when Lucas arrives tomorrow?”
She stared at the tough line of his jaw. The dazzling few moments in the customs interview room when she’d been weak enough to allow him to kiss her replayed in her mind. That had been her first mistake. “I assumed you were taking me to my suite at the Atraeus Resort.”
“I apologize for the deception,” he said bluntly, although there was no hint of apology in his gaze. “I’ll take you to Medinos in two days’ time. Once Lucas leaves.”
She stared at the deserted stretch of coastline then back at the distant view of Medinos. She had wanted out of the media circus and she had wanted peace and quiet. It looked like now she was getting both, with a vengeance. “Is there power, an internet connection?”
“There’s a generator. No internet.”
“Then