AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Refusing to give in to the slippery panic sliding over her skin, she ignored Basa’s outstretched arm and climbed into the boat. Soon they were moving smoothly across the water, the slow tick of the outboard engine blending with the gentle lapping of the water.
Around fifteen minutes later they reached the island. She had a fleeting impression of a curving silhouette of silvered wood and long low windows before Basa hustled her inside.
‘I gave my staff the evening off, but I’m sure there will be something in the kitchen if you’re hungry.’
When she didn’t reply he shook his head.
‘Okay, you’ve made your point, Mimi. Can we stop with all the silent treatment now? It’s not as if refusing to speak to me is going to change anything, or make me disappear. And it’s certainly not going to make our stay here particularly enjoyable.’
Their stay!
His words echoed loudly inside her head as she stared at him in disbelief, curling her toes inside her shoes to stop herself from throwing his remark back in his face—or, better still, throwing him into the lake outside.
He was making it sound as though this was some kind of mini-break, when in fact he’d forced her into coming here against her wishes. And now he had the gall to complain that she was going to ruin the enjoyment of their stay.
A pulse of anger beat over her skin as she met his gaze.
‘So you’re going to keep this up the whole time?’
He was looking down at her with barely concealed impatience, and as she glared back at him his eyes narrowed.
‘Actually, you know what? Forget it. I mean, what was I thinking? How could I even consider having a civilised conversation with someone who was raised by wolves?’
Mimi gaped at him, momentarily winded by the injustice and hypocrisy of his statement.
‘And abduction and coercion are just so civilised, I suppose,’ she snapped, her vow to remain silent forgotten in a white flash of anger that blinded her to everything but the need to wipe that dismissive sneer from his handsome face.
He stared at her, a muscle ticking in his cheek. ‘I am not doing this now. I’ll show you to your room.’
Turning, he picked up her bag. She stared at his broad back and felt her body start to shake. Funny, that. She started talking and immediately he wanted to leave.
Her heart felt like a lump of lead inside her chest. All that stuff he’d said about wanting a conversation had really been about him pulling her strings, making her dance to his tune. He didn’t care about her, or what had happened. Or about the anxiety he’d caused by dragging her out here and holding the threat of an inquisition over her head. And now he thought he could just send her to her room like some truculent child.
‘That’s right. Walk away, why don’t you?’ she snarled. ‘That’s what you do, isn’t it, when you can’t get what you want? Why don’t you pretend you’re looking for a bottle of champagne while you’re at i
t?’
He swung round, his dark eyes glittering with fury. ‘Keep your voice down.’
‘Don’t talk to me like I’m one of your staff.’
‘I’m not. But then, my staff don’t stand around screeching like a fishwife when everyone else is trying to sleep.’
‘I’m not screeching.’ She stabbed a finger in his direction. ‘You’re just so used to bullying people into doing what you want that you can’t bear me standing up for myself! Oh, and by the way, I’m not a fishwife. In fact, I’m not anyone’s wife. I’m actually very happy being single. But if I did get married it definitely wouldn’t be to an insufferable jerk like you.’
He dropped her bag onto the smooth wooden floor, and walked purposefully towards her, his gaze fixed on her face. ‘I wasn’t proposing,’ he said coldly. ‘I’m not looking for a wife right now. And when I am ready to marry, it will be to someone who understands my world. Someone who shares my values.’
She stared at him mutely. For so long, right up until that night at Fairbourne, she’d imagined herself in love with this man. But whatever had possessed her to think that he might love her back? Even before her stepfather and uncle had knocked her life off course they had been from different worlds—his old money versus her newly acquired wealth.
And of course she knew exactly what kind of wife Basa would choose. Beautiful, smart, successful in her own right... And she would also have one of those names that mattered—the kind of name that got you the best table in the restaurant.
In other words, nothing like her. Or the version of her that he and practically every other person except Alicia believed her to be.
Her hands curled into fists. ‘For the last time, I didn’t know what Charlie and Raymond were doing. It was as much a shock to me and my mum as everyone else. You might not want to believe that, but that doesn’t stop it being true, and the truth is what you said you wanted.’
His face looked as if it had turned to stone.
‘Oh, what’s the point? I need some fresh air.’
