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‘Well, let’s hope that’s one kiss that the paparazzi didn’t manage to catch on camera.’ Lightening the atmosphere with a cheeky wink, she walked onto the sand.
‘I’ll be right here, madam,’ Emilio called after her, adjusting the tiny radio he wore in his ear. ‘You know how to call me.’
‘Thanks. But no one has access to this beach. I’ll be fine. Go inside and relax. It’s too hot to stand out here.’
Her pale-blue sun dress swinging around her bare calves, Holly walked to the furthest end of the beautiful curving beach and plopped herself down on the sand.
For a while she just stared out to sea. Then she opened the bag Pietro had sent, but discovered she wasn’t hungry.
Finally she opened her book.
‘You’re holding that book upside down. And you should be wearing a hat.’ Casper stood there, tall and powerful, the width of his shoulders shading her from the sun. ‘You’ll burn.’
Holly dropped the book onto the sand. ‘Please go away. I want to be alone.’ What she didn’t want was to feel this immediate rush of pleasure that always filled her whenever he was near.
‘You hate being on your own,’ he responded instantly. ‘You are the most sociable person I have ever met.’
Holly brushed the sand from the book, her fingers shaking. ‘That depends on the company.’
His arrogant, dark head jerked back as though she’d hit him again, but instead of retaliating he settled himself on the sand next to her, the unusual tension in his shoulders suggesting that he was less than sure of his welcome.
‘You’re extremely angry with me, and I can’t blame you for that.’ He studied her for a moment and then reached gently for her hand and curled her slender fingers into a fist. ‘You can hit me again if you like.’
‘It didn’t make me feel any better.’ She pulled her hand away from his, hating herself for feeling a thrill of excitement instead of indifference. ‘And I’d be grateful if you’d stop looking at me like that.’
‘How am I looking at you?’
‘You’re sizing up the situation so that you can decide which of your slick diplomatic skills are required to talk me round.’
‘I wish it were that easy.’ Casper lifted one broad shoulder in a resigned gesture. ‘Unfortunately for me, I have no previous experience of handling a situation like this.’
‘Which is?’
‘Grovelling.’ A gleam of self-mockery glinting in his sexy eyes, he reached for her hand again, this time locking it firmly in his. ‘I was wrong about you. The baby is mine. I know that now.’
Holly closed her eyes tightly, swamped by a rush of emotions so powerful that she couldn’t breathe.
He believed her. He trusted her.
Finally, he trusted her.
And then she realised that something wasn’t quite right about his sudden confession and her eyes flew open. ‘Wait a minute.’ She snatched her hand away from his because she couldn’t keep her mind focused when he was touching her. ‘The last time I saw you, you were accusing me of having an affair with Eddie—when did you suddenly become rational?’
Dark streaks of colour highlighted his aristocratic bone structure, and Casper spread his hands in a gesture of conciliation. ‘I believe you, Holly. That’s all that matters.’
‘No.’ Holly scrambled to her feet, knowing that she only stood a chance of thinking clearly if he wasn’t within touching distance. ‘No, it isn’t. You went to the doctor, didn’t you?’
A muscle flickered in his bronzed cheek. ‘Yes.’
Holly wrapped her arms around her waist and gave a painful laugh. ‘So you placed your trust in medical science, not me.’
‘Holly…’
‘So they’ve told you that you’re capable of fathering a child. That’s good. But it still doesn’t tell you that this child is yours, does it?’
His stunning dark eyes narrowed warily, as if he sensed a trick question. ‘I have no doubt that the baby is mine.’ He drew in a long breath, his shimmering gaze fixed on her face, assessing her reaction. ‘I have no doubt that you have been telling me the truth all along.’
‘Really? What makes you so confident that I didn’t have sex with the whole rugby team once I’d finished with you?’ Her voice rising, Holly winced as the baby planted another kick against her ribs, and glared as Casper lifted a hand in what was obviously intended to be a conciliatory gesture.
