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‘Not what I was talking about. There was never any danger of the boat being flipped over, so there was no need to panic. But, like I said, that wasn’t what I wanted to talk about and I think you know that.’

Hope looked down.

She knew exactly what he was talking about. That almost moment, when he had touched her. His touch as light as a feather and as devastating as an explosion.

‘Nothing happened,’ she repeated stubbornly, lifting her eyes to meet his dark, unflinching gaze.

‘Okay, I’m fine to pretend that there wasn’t a moment there when we both felt that something could happen.’

‘But nothing did. And, Javier… Nothing ever will. Even if…’

‘Even if? I’m listening.’

‘You know what I’m trying to say,’ Hope said tightly.

‘I might but I’d quite like to hear you say it out loud. Or, if you don’t want to, I’m happy to clear the air.’ His words were greeted with silence. ‘Okay. I’ll make it easier for you. There’s something between us. We both feel it. I have no idea where it’s coming from but it’s there. When I touched you earlier…’

‘Stop!’

She turned her head away and in response, Javier stepped towards her, very gently rested his finger on her chin and tilted her face right back towards him.

Her clear green eyes were dark and angry but her cheeks were pink and her full mouth was pure invitation, saying it all. Everything she was refusing to speak out loud.

It was the first time in his life any woman had reacted to him like this, as though she’d rather be anywhere than standing in front of him.

She had no idea how that fired him up. His palate had become jaded because being challenged was a rarity. Men and women in equal measure regarded him with such awe and respect that he was always aware that they would put themselves out to accommodate him.

‘I’m not trying to make you feel uncomfortable,’ he said roughly. He shifted and raked his fingers through his hair. ‘That’s the last thing I would ever want to do. I can tell you now that if you really would rather we pretended nothing happened, then I’ll respect your decision. The topic will be dropped immediately and never raised again.’

‘I don’t know how we got here,’ Hope said with a mixture of hopelessness, frustration and genuine bewilderment.

‘What do you mean? No, before you tell me, let’s go to the kitchen and get something to eat.’

‘I’m not hungry.’

‘Yes, you are.’

He began walking towards the kitchen and Hope followed. She was a couple of steps behind as she’d half dropped her backpack to rest it next to the camera equipment on the ground.

‘You think you know it all!’ she said in an outburst when she’d caught up with him. She could feel his eyes on her as they entered the kitchen.

‘Hours in the sun…’ Javier mused, pausing to appreciate the sweep of her auburn hair tumbling around her shoulders, ‘…taking pictures non-stop. Clambering up that cliff to see what other angles you could get, then your panic attack on the boat when the sun dipped behind some clouds and the water got a little feisty. All of that would get a person’s appetite going. I’m ravenous.’

‘I didn’t have a panic attack,’ Hope denied fiercely.

‘Sit down. I’ll do…something with what’s in the fridge.’

‘Are you sure you can find your way around the kitchen?’ It was a lame attempt at a sneer, undermined by the thumping of her heart and the heat of her sexual awareness of him. ‘Because I notice that you have yet to locate the dishwasher.’

The snide remark had no effect on him whatsoever. He glanced at her with an amused grin before opening the fridge and pulling out whatever was inside, in no particular order.

Cheeses, olives, some charcuterie and a bowl of tomatoes. There was some bean salad, which Hope didn’t remember having the evening before, and lots of bread.

He dumped it all on the table, along with crockery and a couple of wine glasses.

‘You were telling me that you don’t know how we got here.’ He pulled out a chair and sat adjacent to where she had perched at the head of the table. He angled the chair so that he could look at her directly as they ate. ‘By which I’m guessing you mean to a place where we are attracted to one another, against all odds.’

‘If that’s how you want to put it.’