He studied her once more, his gaze moving slowly over her as though he couldn’t quite tear himself away. His glance lingered for a moment or two on the burnished chestnut hair falling in silky waves below her shoulders, and then his gaze wandered over her slender figure, leaving a trail of heat in its wake.
Colour rose in her cheeks. ‘I suppose that would be all right.’
‘I’m glad.’ He moved a little closer to her and all her senses erupted and began to clamour for attention. Warning bells sounded dimly in her head, but she ignored them. After all, what could be the harm in talking to him? ‘I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,’ he said, ‘but I couldn’t help overhearing that you might be suffering from jet lag. Have you come far? Are you here for a holiday?’
‘Not a holiday, no … though I’ll admit I wouldn’t mind a few days soaking up the sun and exploring the island. I’m usually a hard worker, always on the go, but I have to say, as soon as I arrived here something made me want to give up on the idea of doing anything strenuous. Everyone’s so laid back … the pace is so relaxed.’ She smiled. ‘From the little I’ve seen, it’s beautiful here … very different from London, where I’ve been living.’
‘It is.’ He sent her a quizzical look. ‘So, if you’re not here for a holiday …?’
She shook her head, causing her silky chestnut curls to ripple and settle once more over her bare shoulders. ‘I managed to organise some temporary work—I’ll be over here for three months, working as a doctor in the paediatric emergency unit at the hospital. It isn’t a full-time position, so I might need to look for something else to keep me going, but it was too good an opportunity to miss.’ There would be some on-call work outside the hospital, as she understood it, and that suited her perfectly.
She shrugged lightly and his glance flicked to the creamy softness of her skin. ‘It … uh … it suited me to leave the UK right now,’ she went on. ‘I wanted to gain a bit more experience before I decide what specialty I want to follow.’
He raised a dark brow. ‘You’ve travelled a long way to do that.’
‘Yes, that’s true.’ Her mouth moved awkwardly. ‘Actually, I have family over here—my father has a stake in a rum distillery on the island. We haven’t seen a lot of each other over the years and I thought this would give me a chance to spend some time with him.’
He frowned. ‘And your mother? Is she not living here?’
She pulled in a quick breath before answering him. ‘No. My parents haven’t been together for quite some time. My mother died back in the UK a couple of years ago.’
‘I’m sorry.’ Again there was that deep Spanish inflection. His eyes darkened with compassion. ‘That must have been hard for you.’
She nodded and sought to change the subject before her emotions got the better of her. Her feelings about her mother’s death were still quite raw, and as for her father—their relationship was difficult, and somehow she had to sort out a way for them to get along better.
‘And you?’ she asked. ‘Do you live here on Saint Helene, or are you just visiting?’ She picked up her glass and began to sip the rum punch he’d poured for her. Perhaps it was all in her mind, but it seemed as though the kick from the alcohol was giving her confidence.
‘Oh, I live here,’ he said, his mouth curving. ‘My family made their home here several generations ago. Originally they were Spanish, but with a good deal of intermingling over the decades we’ve been left with a Spanish-American heritage.’
‘Ah … that would explain your accent. I couldn’t quite work it out at first. It’s faint, but definitely there.’ No matter how hard she tried to convince herself she was immune to any kind of male charm, his voice held a sexy, vibrant timbre that made her insides quiver. It was disturbing the way she responded to him, to say the least.
He inclined his head briefly, still holding Jessie’s gaze. She was mesmerised by those dark eyes, finding it hard to break away from the intoxicating heat glinting in their depths, until a sound broke the spell and she became aware of Ben walking towards them. She didn’t know whether to feel glad or let down by the interruption.
‘Sorry I’ve been gone for so long,’ Ben said, concentrating on placing a tray, laden with food, down on the table. ‘I was caught up, talking to a friend from the distillery.’
‘That’s okay.’ She put down her glass. ‘I’ve had someone to keep me company.’
Ben straightened and for the first time looked properly at the man standing beside her. He drew in a quick breath. ‘Dr Benitez …’ He seemed stunned. ‘I … We weren’t expecting you back here for a few days. I thought your business would keep you in Florida until the end of the week.’
‘I managed to complete it ahead of schedule.’ The doctor’s handsome sculpted features were rigid as he looked at Ben and it dawned on Jessie that something wasn’t quite right here.
So this was her brother’s new employer? ‘You already know each other,’ she said, looking from one to the other.
Ben was still caught in the searchlight of that unflinching stare. ‘We do.’ He gave himself a shake and made an effort to pull himself together. ‘Jessie, I should introduce you … This is Dr Benitez—like I said, I’ve been doing some work for him this last couple of weeks.’
Jessie nodded and looked back at the doctor. ‘Ben told me about the renovations he’s been doing for you.’ Her green eyes widened. ‘Am I right in thinking this is your house?’
He nodded. ‘You are.’
‘Ah.’ She faltered momentarily, feeling like an unwitting intruder. ‘Ben told me he and his friends have been working here. It’s such a lovely house—what I’ve seen of it so far, anyway. Which isn’t a great deal,’ she added hastily. ‘Just the living room and kitchen and the terrace.’ She didn’t want him to think she’d been inspecting every nook and cranny in his absence.
‘I’ll be more than glad to show you the rest,’ he said. His gaze was intense, heat flaring in the depths of his eyes, and her heart gave a small, involuntary leap.
‘Thank you, Dr Benitez, I’d like that.’
His expression softened briefly as he looked at her. ‘José … you must call me José, chica.’
‘José.’ She lowered her gaze for a second or two, a little overwhelmed by his full-on manner towards her.
‘Good.’
He turned to look at Ben, and she was dismayed to see that his demeanour changed. He was entirely different in his dealings with Ben. He seemed almost hostile towards him and straight away her system went on red alert. She had to get to the root of what was wrong. ‘Do you and Ben have a problem with one another?’ she asked.
‘I’m afraid it would seem so.’ He ran his hand lightly over her elbow, sending tremors of tingling sensation to run along the length of her arm. ‘Perhaps you would like to go back to the party for a few minutes?’ he suggested softly. ‘I need to talk to Ben in private for a moment.’
Jessie shook her head. ‘I don’t think so. You can say what needs to be said in front of me. I want to know what’s going on.’ She looked at Ben for confirmation and her brother nodded slowly, awkwardly.
‘I am sorry for that,’ José said. He stiffened, and turned an icy stare on Ben. ‘I want to know why he thought it would be all right to hold a party in my house while I was away.’ He sent her an oblique, smoky glance. ‘The only point in his favour is that he brought along with him the most beautiful girl in all of Saint Helene.’
‘Oh …’ She was too bewildered by