Page 40 of The Tycoon's Shock Heir

‘Do you have anything with you? Anything you need back at your hotel?’

She shook her head. ‘I wasn’t planning on staying any longer than necessary. This is all I have.’

‘Doesn’t matter. If you think of something David will sort it. OK—you ready for this? Because you’d better get used to it.’

He put his arm around her shoulders and steered them both out. She didn’t raise her head above the trail of steps and gravel paths, the perfect lawns and flowerbeds, all the way down to the tiny beach and jetty where a sleek white motorboat was waiting.

He jumped aboard and the little boat bobbed with his weight.

‘Take your shoes off,’ he said as he held out his arm to help her aboard.

She stared at the slippery jetty, at its ridged surface, and then at the inky water and the huge gap between solid land and the boat.

‘Come on,’ he said, ‘before we attract a crowd.’

He stretched his hand out a little further but she faltered.

‘I’m a bit nervous of water. I can’t swim properly.’ It was a fact she hated to say out loud, but a fact nonetheless.

‘That’s totally OK,’ he said, and she noticed with relief the lack of censure in his voice. ‘You’ll be completely safe—just do what I tell you. Take your shoes off first. Heels are dangerous on boats. Throw them to me and then put your arms out. That’s it,’ he said as she followed his instructions.

His strong hands gripped her arms, then her waist, and then, as she stared up into his face, she gingerly stepped into the boat. It moved slightly, but his body was like a rock and she found herself holding on to it with both arms, just for a moment, but long enough to feel an echo of that hunger.

He lifted a life jacket and helped her into it, his fingers swift and deft, face focused. Then he unfastened the rope and sat down, pulling her by the hand to sit beside him. The engine fired up and they began to nose their way through the bay between the other boats, berthed like huge chess pieces on a watery board.

Suddenly they reached clear water and picked up speed. As the boat bumped along on the waves and out to the sea, spray landed on her bare arms and face and the wind whipped at her hair. She looked at him but he stared stubbornly ahead, eyes fixed on the horizon.

‘Where exactly are we going?’ she asked, as they rounded the bay and a huge white yacht came into view.

He nodded. ‘On that—where I’m pretty sure we won’t be disturbed.’

They pulled alongside and waited as the water impatiently slapped the sides of the boat and her sensitive nose picked up the scent of salty ocean mingled with fuel. As the rope was pulled tight, men appeared from nowhere—all of them poised, it seemed, to help her on board.

‘OK, I’ve got this,’ barked Matteo, and they melted away. ‘Ruby?’

She slid her hands into his as he helped her aboard with what seemed suddenly like something close to gentleness. Then they walked up through one deck into another and right into the prow of the ship, where tiny lights were draped around the wooden railings and a single table was set for dinner for two.

‘Oh!’ she gasped. ‘Is this for us?’

Maids appeared with vases of white roses and domed silver platters.

‘For you,’ he said, pulling out her chair as if it was no big deal. ‘And just one more thing...’

He reached out and pressed a button and the roof retracted, opening them up to the starry sky above. The ship’s mast stretched high, and from the top fluttered a little flag. The distant sounds of the party rumbled behind them and all around a warming breeze stirred the trails of bunting that clung prettily to the ropes.

It was the most romantic scene she’d ever witnessed. She had been prepared for denial, a fight, maybe even a pay-off, but she hadn’t been prepared for kindness or consideration or—romance?

Maybe it was Matteo’s way of softening her up, lulling her into giving in to his will. She sat straight in her seat. She wasn’t going to make any of this easy for him.

‘OK. We’re here now, and we’ve got a lot to talk about, but I suggest we take this slowly,’ he said, easing his large frame into the seat opposite with the grace that, even now, she found irresistibly alluring. ‘I don’t want to rush into talking about things that are bigger than anything we’ve ever had to deal with before. We’re going to take a little time to get to know one another again—you know, build up some trust. You OK with that?’

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