‘Oh, hell!’ she exclaimed.
As Rion reached for the belt of her robe, she batted his hand away in her agitation and glared furiously up at him.
‘What on earth did you say that for?’
‘I told him the truth. Something you seem reluctant to do. You seem nervous, Selina. Does Trevor believe he is your only lover?’ he queried cynically.
‘Don’t be ridiculous. Just tell me you did not give him your name.’
‘As it happens, no, I didn’t.’ His stormy eyes narrowed on her flushed, furious face. ‘The poor devil was so shocked you were with another man he never asked me. In fact he actually apologised for disturbing you and hung up. But why does my name matter?’ he demanded curtly.
‘Isn’t that obvious? I don’t want anyone knowing I am with you,’ she fired back. ‘Certainly not Trevor, as he happens to be Beth’s husband. I have already lied to Anna, and told Aunt Peggy and Beth I’m on a holiday cruise around the Mediterranean with hundreds of other passengers. Beth will have a million questions when she hears I am with a man. Thank God she does not know it is you. She hates you.’
‘I’m not that fond of her either,’ Rion said dryly, and reaching for her shoulders pulled her closer. ‘But you—now, that is a different matter, Selina.’ And he dipped his head and brushed her lips with his.
She shivered, intensely aware she was naked beneath the robe, and glancing up saw the gleam in his eyes. Where had his anger gone? With his white shirt open to reveal the strong column of his throat he looked dangerously sexy and very sure of himself.
‘I don’t condone lies, but I can understand your reasoning and overlook the falsehood because you are a woman and can’t help yourself. A beautiful, incredibly sensual woman …’ he said with a smile. ‘I also realise why you were so cranky at dinner. You dressed to flirt because you were feeling neglected all day.’ He was so sure of himself he didn’t try to cover his arrogance.
‘You are unbelievable.’ Selina stared at Rion in a kind of fascinated horror. His reasoning was so wrong it was almost funny. She wondered what he would say if she told him the truth—that she still loved him and her behaviour had been a defence mechanism to hide the fact.
‘What did you want me to do after your little act?’ The smile left his face. ‘Change my schedule? Demand to know who the Arab sheikh was? You know me, Selina. Who I am … what I do. And what I never do is jealousy.’
‘You could have fooled me,’ she shot back furiously. ‘Answering my phone with your macho posturing—you have put me in the impossible position where I will have to lie to Beth yet again and invent a man friend. Sometimes you make me sick, Rion. Do you ever think of anyone but yourself?’
‘Well, I am thinking of you right now,’ he drawled mockingly, his hand moving from her shoulder around the nape of her neck.
Selina lost it. She pummelled him on the chest. ‘Sex is not thinking of another person,’ she flung at him, her amber eyes flaring wildly. ‘For you it is simply what you want and get with no thought for anyone else.’ She saw the blaze of fury in his night-black eyes and didn’t care. ‘Well, tough—it is not on the agenda tonight.’ She was shaking with temper and staggered back a few steps, moisture hazing her vision, her emotions haywire. ‘Get out, Rion. Just get out …’
Rion saw the shimmer of tears in Selina’s eyes and the black anger he felt at her tirade faded a little. She was upset, emotional, and he was useless at dealing with emotional women. He didn’t do emotions.
‘Don’t worry, I’m going. A hysterical woman and knowing I am your dirty little secret is a bit of a turn off. I’ll see you in the morning,’ he said bluntly and left, closing the door behind him.
CHAPTER NINE
‘THIS is ridiculous, Rion. I don’t like shopping and I don’t need a new dress. I’d rather stay on board.’
It was three-thirty in the afternoon; the yacht was docked in the Grand Harbour of Malta. Rion was wearing an immaculate silver-grey suit, white shirt and striped tie, every magnificent inch of him screaming dynamic, wealthy and powerful male. Selina, wearing her white linen pants and a shirt, was glaring defiantly up at him.
‘I beg to differ. Nice as they are, the only three dresses you appear to possess—the yellow, blue and black—are not suitable for the dinner party tonight. Justin and his wife will expect the best. You need something glamorous—and not black. Spend what you like, and get shoes, jewellery—whatever it takes. Now, get in the car, or I will be late for my meeting. The chauffeur will drop me off, then ferry you around the shops and return you to the yacht.’
‘Right—fine.’ She leapt into the backseat of the car, insulted.
She was still smarting from last night, and the telephone call she’d received from Beth at dawn this morning had not helped. Beth had wanted to know who the man was. Trevor had told her he sounded quite commanding and jealous, and Beth had asked for the whole story of her holiday romance and if he was a keeper …
Lying to her friend, she’d told her it was another passenger—a widower who was holidaying on his own, with whom she had struck up a friendship, just a friendship, and was enjoying his company. Whether Beth had believed her or not she wasn’t sure, but she’d changed the subject to work and ended the call.
Rion slid in beside her, his arm along the back of the seat, his thigh brushing Selina’s, making her body instantly aware of him. And that infuriated her even more. She would spend his money and enjoy doing it, she decided. She could donate the lot to charity, she thought, when they got to Greece in two more days.
All of a sudden the thought was not so satisfying …
Rion wanted glamorous—and, taking a last look at her reflection in the mirror, Seli
na grinned. The hairdresser had done wonders, and glamour was what he was getting—in spades. She left the cabin.
The silk crepe dress in midnight-blue had cost a fortune, as had the shoes that she had teamed with it—so much that her conscience had got the better of her and she had refrained from buying the jewellery Rion had casually suggested.
Rion heard Dimitri gasp and turned his head. He did a double take as Selina walked towards him.