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She had to accept the truth of this accusation. Had she never lost her head because she jumped to conclusions he would not have lost his head in his turn. She sighed. 'I know I behaved very foolishly, but I was feeling nervous. The house is so isolated, and I was strung up after the wedding...'
'I realise that now,' he said gently.
'I'm sorry it happened,' she said.
'We both made fools of ourselves,' 'Paul murmured. 'Your mistake was more forgivable than mine, I realise.' He shot her a sidelong glance. 'Did I frighten you very much?'
Her lids lowered to hide the expression of her eyes. 'You were rather overpowering.'
He gave a harsh crack of laughter. 'Delightful English understatement! I take note of the implied irony.'
A smile twitched reluctantly at her lips.
Paul put out a slim brown hand. 'Pax?'
She slowly laid her fingers on top of his. 'Yes. Pax.'
'And we're friends again?'
'Were we friends?"she asked drily."
'Oh, Leonie,' he murmured reproachfully. 'Let us at least be friends! Surely we can be friends?'
His blue glance made her laugh. 'You think you're irresistible, don't you, Paul?'
He grinned lazily. 'Is that your considered opinion?'
'My considered opinion is that you're very spoilt,' she told him. 'Too much money, too many women ...'
His blue eyes teased. 'You resent the women?'
She flushed. 'Your life is your own affair.' And she remembered angrily how she had surrendered last night and how he had said that he was Only teaching her a lesson, showing her that she was no different from all the other women in his life, that he could take her if he wished and she would be a willing victim. Beneath her calm exterior burned a desire for revenge on him for the shame he had inflicted on her. Never again, she vowed to herself, would he win that particular battle. She would die rather than lose her head again over him.
They sat eating their food in the shade for a while, then Paul rose, stretching his long limbs. 'Time we moved on, I'm afraid. Up here the sun becomes unbearable once noon is past. We must get back down to the house.'
The climb down was just as exhausting. Several times her feet slid from under her, and Paul's strong right arm came into service to catch and hold her. Each time she felt her heart stop at his touch, and each time she hated herself for her weakness.
They reached the house under the full glare of the afternoon sun. Heat bounced back from the rocks, dazzling her eyes. The sun hung overhead like a great brass coin. Pain throbbed at the back of her neck and she longed for the darkness and shade of the house.
'In Greece we find it most sensible to have a siesta in the afternoon,' he told her. 'Why don't you go upstairs and take a nap?'
'What a delightful idea,' she groaned, rubbing the back of her neck with one hand. 'Headache?' he said.
'Mmm ...' she nodded, wincing with pain.
He came behind her and drew her head back with his hands. She stiffened, but relaxed as he began gently massaging the back of her neck, his long slender fingers deftly manipulating her muscles, unlocking them from their painful rigidity. She felt the iron grip of the pain unfold link by link, the throbbing in her head decrease and the red glare behind her eyes die slowly away. A deep sigh wrenched at her. 'Oh, that's lovely ...'
'I'm glad you like it, he whispered against her hair, his fingers still moving, but now with an intimate caressing movement which sent a wave of warm weakness down her spine.
She hurriedly stepped away from him. 'Thank you. her tone was stiff. 'My headache has gone now. I'll go up and take that nap.'
He watched her slender body move towards the stairs. Leonie glanced back once.. and caught a strangely serious look on his handsome face.
The shutters were up over the little windows in the bedroom. The room was dark and slightly stuffy, but much cooler than the sun-ravaged hillside.
She lay down on the bed and closed her eyes. A few moments later Paul materialised beside her with a cup of tea. He grinned as he put it down beside her. 'I thought this would make you feel more at home!'
She was touched. 'Oh, thank you! That's wonderful! Just what I need!'
