He shrugged and agreed. Had she but known the vast extent of his personal fortune, he wondered whether she would have been quite so considerate of his finances. He also wondered whether James’s bank balance had played any role in her infatuation. She gave the impression of being utterly transparent, but serious wealth was a harsh teacher when it came to matters of trust.#p#分页标题#e#
It was perfectly clear to him that what she felt for his step-brother was simply a mild case of infatuation and there was no chance that James would fall for her charms, at least not the James that he knew, but just in case Rafael decided that it was his duty to ensure that the unthinkable didn’t happen. He didn’t know the first thing about the woman but certainly her profession predisposed him to think that the lure of someone else’s money might be very strong indeed.
‘Oh, for goodness’ sake!’ Amy hissed to him under her breath. ‘There’s no need to look so grumpy!’
‘Do you always have to say exactly what’s on your mind the minute the thought occurs?’
‘If by that you mean am I a pretty honest person, then yes!’
‘Are you now?’ He handed over his credit card but continued to look at her so thoughtfully that Amy eventually released one long, laborious sigh.
‘Yes. Yes, I try to be.’
Rafael decided that he would come to that later. He handed over the bag with the shoes, which she immediately put on with a smile.
‘You like pretty things, don’t you?’ he mused, knowing that that in itself might well be a mark against her, but still reluctantly enjoying her obvious delight in her purchase. She was like a kid with a new toy. Having never indulged in shopping expeditions with women, he wondered whether Elizabeth would have taken similar pleasure in the purchase of a new pair of shoes, and reckoned not. For starters she wasn’t a strappy, diamante-beaded sandal kind of woman and he doubted a pair of high black shoes would arouse a similar enthusiasm.
‘Show me a woman who doesn’t,’ Amy quipped, looking up at him and grinning, even though he still looked as sombre as a judge, ‘and I’ll show you a liar.’
It was virtually impossible not to smile back at her.
‘Let’s get some lunch.’
‘Okay, but I have an idea. Let’s grab some swimsuits and head for the beach with a picnic.’ Everyone else would be doing it. Maybe on another of the beaches, but still out in the glorious sunshine, having fun, swimming. She mournfully thought how far she had travelled in the space of a few short hours. From looking forward to wearing her little turquoise bikini in an attempt to show James that she was more than just a convenient caterer, she was now making do with a perfect stranger who made no bones about letting her know that she was, by and large, a nuisance, someone who looked as though a foul temper was just part and parcel of his personality, just the sort of person she would, by nature, avoid at all costs, in fact!
She almost expected him to shoot her idea dead in the water, but to her surprise he agreed without hesitation.
‘A long lazy lunch on a beach somewhere,’ Rafael murmured, ‘sounds like a very good idea to me…’ And a very effective way of finding out just what you’re all about…
CHAPTER FOUR
IMPULSIVE by nature, Amy was accustomed to deciding on a course of action only to belatedly consider the drawbacks. A spontaneous picnic on a beach would have meant time wasted wondering what swimsuit to wear, what clothes to take to the beach, what food to buy and how to transport it. She was unprepared for the stunning efficiency with which Rafael proceeded. He gave her five minutes to fly inside the house and get whatever gear she needed, including, he told her, ample sunblock because he had no intention of driving her to the nearest emergency ward should she get sunburn.
‘Oh, charming,’ Amy muttered, but she did exactly as he had ordered. From there, the entire trip seemed to be wrapped up in under five seconds. He left the engine running while he sprinted to his house, returning in the requisite five minutes wearing swimming trunks, a baggy tee shirt and a towel slung over one shoulder. And sunglasses. Dark sunglasses that brought out his Mediterranean heritage.#p#分页标题#e#
Then onto a gorgeous little deli. She would have liked to have gone along with him and enjoyed a good, long browse at the exciting array of food, but, as if reading her mind, he told her to wait in the car for him. Typical caveman, she thought disgruntledly, probably a legacy of that macho heritage of his. It didn’t escape her notice that a fair number of women seemed to quite like that caveman look!