Kept by the Spanish Billionaire(16)

He frowned and pushed the intrusive thoughts out of his mind, focusing one hundred per cent on his work and only looking up when she padded into the room, fully dressed although barefoot.

‘What on earth are you doing?’ Amy asked, surprised to find him in front of a laptop computer, never mind the complicated rows of numbers he seemed to be staring at.

Rafael quickly snapped it shut. James knew that she had spent the night in the guest house, had chuckled too much for Rafael’s liking about it as a matter of fact, but had reluctantly conceded that it would be best all round if she wasn’t informed of his real identity.

‘She’s under the impression that I’m the gardener,’ Rafael told his brother and then proceeded to wait while James roared with laughter down the end of the line, prompting Rafael to ask just what was so inconceivable about the misconception.#p#分页标题#e#

‘The thought of you being happy with mowing lawns,’ James finished with a grin in his voice. ‘Maybe if you were test-driving the lawnmower you had invented having started up the company that would eventually take over every other lawnmowing business in the universe…’

‘You make me sound like a megalomaniac,’ Rafael said irritably.

‘Well, one of us has to be and it certainly won’t be me,’ James told him amicably.

‘Anyway,’ Rafael said, wrapping up the conversation, ‘if she knows who I am, then I shall have no choice but to put in an appearance.’

‘And I don’t need you being a fly in my ointment, big brother, so I’m happy to keep it under wraps. Anyway, she’ll do you good.’

‘I very much doubt that,’ Rafael said curtly. ‘The woman has a screw loose.’ He had a sudden vision of her clinging onto the branch of the tree for dear life and almost grinned at the thought. ‘I don’t generally have much interest in madwomen.’

‘Right…well…tell her we’ll see her later…’

And later, he now thought, couldn’t come quickly enough. He looked at her and had to admit to himself that she looked a great deal better in the freshly cleaned clothes and not covered with dirt and grime.

‘Well?’ Amy prompted, strolling over so that she could position herself behind him and attempt to open up the lid of the computer that he had snapped shut over his shoulder. Rafael gripped both her wrists and tugged her gently so that she very nearly lost her footing and fell against him.

Amy felt her heart stop then quicken until she was feeling a little faint. Something about the broad hardness of his back against her chest and the feel of his fingers circling her wrists…

Having spent a lifetime being totally at ease in the company of the opposite sex, Amy now felt strangely and disconcertingly awkward and exposed as he brought her around to face him, still holding onto her.

‘Ever heard of personal space?’ Rafael asked. Her wrists felt like twigs between his fingers. He had never felt anyone as delicate as her before. He released her and folded his arms behind his head.

‘Sorry…I’m just so accustomed…to…’ She fell silent and rubbed her wrists, unconsciously taking a couple of steps backwards then laughing at herself for acting like a fool.

‘To…?’ He stood up and headed towards the kitchen and Amy fell in behind him.

There. It somehow seemed a lot safer talking to a back. ‘To a big family. Three brothers.’ Amy laughed as she regained her composure, although she was still rubbing her wrists as if trying to disperse the sudden heat she had felt there. ‘And a pretty small house. I guess the personal space thing wasn’t really in evidence a lot…so…I’m sorry…’

‘Apology accepted. Now, what would you like for breakfast?’ He pulled open the fridge and Amy’s mouth dropped open. She had expected a carton of milk edging towards its sell by date, maybe an egg or two, a few cans of beer and a block of cheese. Instead she was presented with an abundance of edible delights. Smoked salmon shared shelf space with what looked like some pretty expensive pâtè, a dozen eggs were neatly housed above the shelf with some white wine, there was salad, bright green and fresh, and a variety of different cheeses. As a caterer, she was used to rapid visual scans of cupboards and fridges and she had never seen a better, or more expensively stocked one in a very long time.

She reached in and extracted the packet of duck pâtè.

‘Help yourself,’ Rafael said dryly.#p#分页标题#e#

‘Fantastic assortment,’ Amy breathed. To hell with personal space, she had to have a closer look at the yummy contents of his refrigerator. ‘Sorry to be nosy…’ She peered in and would have investigated further had he not smartly shut the door on her enquiring face.