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‘He cheated on his wife. Mistake number one. Never cheat; never lie. He left my mother pregnant and alone, and never once checked to see that we were comfortable. And we weren’t.’

He cleared his throat again. They were almost at the blanket and he slowed a little.

‘I was twenty when I made my first million. If she’d managed to live a few more years I could have given her comfort and security...’

Tilly’s stomach churned. ‘I think... I think she wanted you to be happy and smart and brave, and you are. I think you were the greatest gift in her life.’

His smile was perfunctory. He nodded towards the carpet and she moved to sit on it, but her eyes stayed glued to his face.

‘I really am sorry for what you’ve gone through.’

He shrugged. ‘I do not think your childhood has been a walk in the park either,’ he said pragmatically.

She thought of Cressida, and then she thought of Art, and it confused her. Art adored Cressida. Tilly knew he did. But he didn’t understand her. And Cressida was not the kind of daughter the businessman knew how to work with. She was beautiful, and she was smart, but she was smart with people and things—not numbers and contracts.

Cressida Wyndham was never going to step into Art’s shoes and start running the family business. She didn’t want to. She wanted to live her own life and to live a darned good life, too, with all the luxuries that most people could only dream of.

But that wasn’t exactly Cressida’s fault. She was a product of her upbringing.

Speaking to Rio, and reflecting on Cressida, could only make Tilly recognise her luck in having been born into the Morgan family. Sure, Jack was a bit anxiety-inducing—especially with his recent interest in gambling—but essentially things for the Morgans were simple. They loved each other and they were there for each other.

That was family for Tilly.

‘I don’t think I have any right to complain,’ she said softly, settling herself onto the rug and staring out at the ocean.

It was angry and churning, and the sun was a fluorescent orange as it tunnelled through the woolly clouds.

‘Why not?’

Tilly put herself in Cressida’s shoes, but they were pinching now—leaving blisters she knew she didn’t want to deal with.

‘Because I had everything growing up.’ She smiled at him as he sat beside her, glad when he put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. ‘My family life is idyllic compared to yours,’ she said seriously. ‘No offence.’

He stroked her hair. ‘None taken.’

She turned to face him, feeling safe and complete in the circle of his arms. ‘Why did you do this?’

His eyes linked to hers before flicking back to the storm-ravaged ocean. ‘I have never known a woman like you before.’

She saved that little admission for revelling in later.

‘Most of the women I have slept with have been good for only one purpose.’

Jealousy was a fever inside her. ‘I see,’ she responded crisply.

‘I have not wanted to know what moved their hearts and minds.’ He ran his fingers over her shoulder, sending goosebumps of fire and ice through her soul. ‘With you, I want to know everything and I want to see everything. The sun setting after a storm like this? I want to share it with you and only you. I want to feel your thoughts as we watch it together. Cara, I do not know I could ever watch a sunset without knowing you would see it with me.’

CHAPTER TEN

THE SOUND OF a motor broke through their solitude. Tilly spun in the water, her eyes scanning the horizon, a frown nudging across her face when she saw a boat coming close to shore. It took her a moment to recognise it as the speedboat that had first brought her to the island, almost a week earlier.

‘Rafaelo,’ Rio murmured beside her, standing in the water and striding towards the shore.

He was more beautiful than any person had a right to be. Broad-shouldered, strong, tanned. She stared after him as he emerged from the crystalline ocean, droplets running down his back, and her stomach swooned, as if she was on a rollercoaster that had gained speed and was heading into its deep descent.

She watched as Rio moved to the boat and stood, one hand on his hip, his chest shamelessly ridged, his expression relaxed as he spoke to the old man. He threw his head back and laughed, then pointed towards Tilly and laughed again.

They were too far away for her to hear what they were discussing, but when Rafaelo pointed at the generator she got the gist.

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