He found her on the perfect curve of soft sand that was Turtle Cove, her yellow sundress blending with the sand, her dark hair tumbling down her back.
Remembering the way she’d looked when she’d first arrived on the island, Nathaniel felt something twist inside him. She’d lost her dull, brown feathers and now she reminded him of an exotic bird. And last night—
‘Katie …’
She didn’t turn but her shoulders grew a little stiffer. ‘I want to be by myself.’
Nathaniel would have loved to have taken that claim at face value but Ben’s voice was still ringing in his ears, and on top of that his conscience, which rarely even got out of bed in the morning, was now working overtime.
‘Look—’ his tone was impatient ‘—you have to understand that this isn’t easy for me. I don’t do relationships, not the sort you dream about anyway. I have short term, mutually convenient affairs with women who don’t want any more connection than I do. You’re different. For God’s sake, Katie—’ he dragged his hand through his hair ‘—you’d never even been with a man before.’
‘I don’t want to talk about this.’
He felt a flash of exasperation. ‘Why not? You want to talk about everything else. I know you’re upset because I didn’t stay in bed this morning—’
‘I’m upset because last night I saw the real Nathaniel, and now you’ve turned back into the movie star. I don’t know you like this.’
And that was the idea, wasn’t it?
Staring at the back of her head, Nathaniel felt as though there was a battle going on in his brain. ‘I’m not good at being the “real Nathaniel,”’ he ground out. ‘I’m not good at letting people know me.’
‘You prefer to hide behind the actor.’
‘Yes.’ The admission was easier than he’d thought it would be. ‘It’s what I’ve always done.’
She turned then and he saw the wetness on her cheeks. Guilt lanced through him, sharp as a blade. Usually when women used tears they left him unaffected. Seeing Katie’s reddened eyes made his insides clench with panic.
‘Don’t cry,’ he breathed. ‘Don’t do that ….’
‘Answer me something honestly.’ Her voice was croaky. ‘Is it Carrie? I know you said you weren’t having an affair with her, but—’
‘It isn’t Carrie.’ Just saying the name made him want to turn and run, but he fought it. He knew he ought to tell her the truth about Carrie, but he’d carried the secret for too long to part with it easily. ‘It’s nothing to do with Carrie. It’s me. This is who I am.’
She was silent and that silence was another tug on his conscience. Nathaniel scanned her face. ‘Say something. Yell at me. Tell me what I should be feeling, doing …’ He looked at her desperately. ‘It’s not like you to be silent.’
‘You don’t like it when I talk.’
‘I do.’ It came as a surprise to realise it was true. ‘Yesterday when we were on that boat, and you were saying everything that came into your head—’
‘I drove you nuts.’
‘No, I enjoyed it. A lot. I really like the way you say what you’re thinking.’
‘You never say what you’re thinking.’ Her gaze was steady. ‘And I find it impossible to tell what’s real. With you, it’s all too easy to get it wrong because you’re so good at what you do.’
He tried to find a way to tell her that the whole idea of ‘real’ scared the hell out of him. ‘Last night was real, Katie.’
‘No, it wasn’t. We had sex. I played the part of a gullible female and you played the part of the macho, virile caveman.’
‘Are you saying I hurt you?’ It was something that had worried him and he saw her cheeks redden.
‘You didn’t hurt me. Not last night.’
He’d hurt her this morning, with careless words and his own inability to let his guard down. Burying those thoughts, Nathaniel pulled her to her feet.
When she tried to resist him he tightened his hold and found her mouth with his.
‘Go away.’ She turned her head. ‘You regret last night.’
‘I don’t regret last night. At least not the part where you were naked and uninhibited. That bit was incredible. You were incredible.’ He took a breath. ‘And I’m sorry I hurt you this morning.’
‘I’m not going to say it’s OK.’
‘I don’t expect you to.’
With a sniff, she tilted her head and looked up at him. ‘So what happens now? Jacob is back, Nathaniel. You can’t change that and you can’t run from the past for ever.’
‘I’m not running. I just wasn’t in the mood for the whole family reunion thing.’
‘Surely the press must know about your father? Did you really manage to keep that quiet?’
‘It gets dug up periodically. I’m hoping that a Sapphire win will make them bury it and focus on my career rather than my personal life.’
‘That’s why you want to win a Sapphire so badly? To distract the press?’
‘It’s one reason.’ Nathaniel stood for a moment, staring towards the water. He should tell her. He should just tell her the rest of his story.
The sound of a helicopter cut through their conversation and she glanced up at the sky. ‘Looks like your ride to Rio is here.’
‘Our ride.’ He stroked his fingers through her hair. ‘You’re coming with me.’
She pulled away from him. ‘I don’t think so. I’ll be fine here.’
‘I want you with me.’ Just how much he wanted her with him shook him to the core. Jumping out of an aeroplane or scaling a sheer cliff face seemed less daunting than plunging into a relationship with Katie. ‘You’ll love Rio. It’s the most exciting city in the world. Please.’
She rubbed her foot over the sand, drawing a pattern. ‘If I came where would we stay?’
‘We’ll crash in Rafael’s penthouse.’
‘Who is Rafael?’
‘Another half-brother. As you can see, I’m plagued by half-brothers, but they do come in handy when you want somewhere exclusive and private to stay.’
‘Rafael?’ She looked dazed. ‘How many wives did your father have?’
‘Four? No, I think it might have been three, but it gets confusing because of all the mistresses. Do those count?’ Nathaniel slid his fingers through hers and they started to walk back along the beach. ‘His bedroom was busier than Hollywood Boulevard on Sapphire night.’
‘So is Rafael younger?’
‘We’re the same age. He’s the son of the woman my father slept with while my mother was expecting me.’
She stopped walking. ‘He—oh, my God. But you’re close?’
‘Close?’ Nathaniel frowned at the question. ‘I live in LA and he lives in Brazil. I have no idea how far that is. Ten thousand kilometres? More?’
‘No, I mean—’
‘Oh, you mean close as in brothers. That’s a typically Katie question.’ He didn’t know whether to be amused or exasperated that she wanted everyone to bond. ‘I