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‘No.’ The word emerged as a husky plea.
‘You must rest it.’
So much for taking control. Graciano issued the command and she felt her body immediately obeying. The touch of ice against her skin was an unwelcome change—she wanted Graciano’s hands back. The realisation terrified her.
She had to get a grip.
‘Why don’t you tell me about the event you want me to organise?’
He stood, turning his back to her, walking towards the window, silent for several beats of time, so she asked, quietly, ‘Graciano?’
‘It’s business,’ he said, quickly. ‘To mark a merger. Nothing too big—around one hundred people. Food, drinks, music. You know the sort of thing.’
She frowned. The details were a little scant for an event that was only a month away. ‘Are you imagining people will stay on the island?’
‘I haven’t imagined anything.’ He turned to face her, his eyes hooded, revealing nothing. ‘That’s why I bought you.’
‘My services,’ she corrected, mouth parched.
He dipped his head once in what she took as a nod. ‘I’d like to see some concepts from you by Wednesday. I’ll let you know which I like, and then you can get organising.’
‘You have a lot of confidence in my abilities.’
‘Why do you say that?’
‘To be able to organise something suitable for your purposes in two days...’
‘I do have confidence in your abilities,’ he said after a moment. ‘Your reputation precedes you.’
Pleasure zinged across her spine. ‘How do you know about my reputation?’
‘The charity auction,’ he said with a casual shrug. ‘The guests at my table spoke highly of you.’
‘I see.’ So he hadn’t kept tabs on her.
Ofcoursehe hadn’t, and for that, she should have been immeasurably glad. If he’d doneanylooking into her over the years, he’d have known about Annie. And knowing about Annie would have led to him seeing a picture of her, and then it would have been impossible to ignore the connection.
A frown marred her beautiful face at the thought of that. She’dwantedhim to know about Annie, at first. But then, years had passed and it had been impossible to imagine Annie as anyone’s but hers, to imagine her life expanding to include Graciano. He deserved to be in Annie’s life, but he’d made that impossible. This was his fault, not Alicia’s. But that didn’t mean the situation wasn’t fraught. It didn’t mean she could continue to ignore their connection now that they were here, on his beautiful island, and the opportunity to confide in him was ever present.
But what if that was the wrong choice for Annie? After all, what did she know about the man Graciano had become? Not enough to embroil him in Annie’s life without a little thought and planning, without doing some...research. She owed her daughter that much. The thought of spending a week with Graciano had terrified her, but maybe it was an opportunity. To get to know the man he’d grown into, and ascertain what role he could play in Annie’s life. As for the buzzing she felt whenever he came close to touching her, she’d simply have to ignore it.
Alicia stared at the window, eyes intent on a single tree while she forced her breathing back to slow and rhythmic.
‘You are renowned for the events you manage.’
For ten years, she’d been almost able to push the thought of Graciano’s paternity from her mind, but now, it was staring her in the face, an obligation she could no longer outrun. Her reply emerged a little strained. ‘Thank you.’
‘I was not flattering you, so much as stating a fact. I grew my business by capitalising on people’s strengths. I need an event organised in a hurry. You’re capable of making it brilliant.’
‘And so you paid five hundred thousand pounds,’ she said with a shake of her head. ‘That doesn’t make sense. Any number of event companies would have—’
‘None were available on short notice.’
So he’d tried booking elsewhere? That deflated her contentment a little.
‘Why is it short notice?’
‘The merger talks are moving more quickly than anticipated. The contracts will be signed this week and the legalities should complete within a fortnight or so.’
