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‘No,’ said Ellie quickly ‘He’s not’

‘But you were kissing him’

Nervously, Ellie’s fingers slid along the frosted surface of the wine bottle before she recovered herself enough to shove it back in the ice bucket She glanced around, terrified that anotherwas famously laid-back and didn’t have rules just for the sake of it—there was one which had been drummed into her on her very first day And that was: you didn’t get intiuests

Ever

Aardly, she shrugged ‘Was I?’ she questioned weakly

The blonde’s glacial eyes were alight with curiosity ‘You know you were,’ she said slyly ‘I was having a cigarette behind that big tree and I spotted you Then I saw hi discreet’

Briefly, Ellie closed her eyes as suddenly it all ht she’d seen from behind the tree trunk and the sense that so the and left then ‘Oh,’ she said

‘Yes, oh You do knoho he is, don’t you?’

Ellie stiffened as a pair of lake-blue eyes swaorgeous man I’ve ever seen A man who made me believe all the fairy-tale stuff I never believed before ‘Of course I do He’she’s’

‘One of the world’s richest s out with supermodels and heiresses,’ said the blonde i with you?’

Ellie drew back her shoulders The wo her at a ti emotionally vulnerable, but surely she didn’t have to stand here and take these snide insinuations—guest or no guest ‘I don’t really see how that’s relevant’

‘Don’t you? But you liked him, didn’t you?’ The blonde smiled ‘You liked him a lot’

‘I don’t kiss men I don’t like,’ said Ellie defensively, aware of the irony of her re it was over a year since she’d kissed anyone

The blonde sipped her wine ‘You do realise he has a reputation? He’s known as a man of steel, with a heart to match Actually, he’s a bit of a bastard where woot to say to that’ there was a pause as she leant forward to peer at Ellie’s nae ‘Ellie?’