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‘I’ here is so scruhed

‘We are still talking about food, aren’t we?’ deadpanned Luc, and Veronica could only laugh

‘Then we’ll stop off for lunch at Gordes on the way back,’ he decided, disestion that Melanie would be expecting them back By now the routine had been established—if any work had to be done it was done in the , the heat of the afternoon was time for siesta and the various members of the family to more or less please theain in the evening for a leisurely alfresco dinner

The day before, Veronica and Luc had lunched at a cheap market stall where delicious paella had been ladled out fro cauldron, and the day before that at an elegant, terraced restaurant high above the famous red ochre cliffs of Roussillon, where every dish had been a visual, as well as culinary, feast

So today it was the little village perched on the crest of a rocky peak, stone houses and winding streets cascading down the hillside from the medieval château and church at the top In the shady courtyard of a tiny restaurant protected by vine-covered stone walls, Veronica ate chicken roasted totenderness in herbs and served on a little cake of sed herself on a luscious fig tart for dessert

Mellowed by the food and wine, she stopped inspecting his every word and expression for ulteriorwit and far-ranging conversation, ever ued by the complexities of his personality In the mature man she could see the echoes of the orphan boy that Melanie had found so disconcerting, his freewheeling es, his emotional detached Yet he also possessed a deeply sensual side to his nature hich he seemed equally at ease

Later that afternoon, Veronica was floating dreaently paddling to keep herself afloat, the sun burning hot against her closed eyelids as she continued to ponder the fascinating contradictions in Luc Ryder’s character

A loud splash invaded her drifting consciousness, destroying the serenity of the pool and causing her limbs to flail as she tried to keep herself afloat on the suddenly choppy surface of the water At first she thought itone of her forbidden ‘bohed up aher eyelashes she caught sight of apast her under the water

Instant exhilaration charged through her veins and she jackknifed upright, planting her feet firmly astride on the botto the water from her hair and face as she turned to face the invader In spite of Melanie’s open invitation she had tried to avoid co down to the pool when she knew the adultbacked off after glily endless series of laps, barely creating a ripple with his streamlined stroke

Expecting a sleek, seal-dark head to break the water after the dive, followed by a pair of lean, tawny shoulders, she felt a stab of disappointment as she saw Ross Bentley’s chiselled features bob up at the far end of the pool To her disan to swis attacking the water with race

r />Uncaring that itstairs at the near end of the pool, but before she could get there Ross circled around in front of her, one hand reaching up to grip the tiled edge of the pool and pull hi her ith his thick body, bronzed to an unlikely tan by the exclusive Melbourne sun-bed clinic Ashley had boasted they had both attended to prepare for the holiday

‘What’s your hurry?’ he said, with a s earlier—you’re not too bad, for a wo chaood head start’

He ed to incorporate some reference to his own superior attributes into alht Veronica, aware that to argue would invite noring hiret it, but she was extre, sensing that it was less to do with her than with his competitive need to assert his masculinity in front of an Alpha ance but none of his insight or critical self-awareness, and his inability to laugh at himself was a serious handicap to his charm

On the second night of her stay, Veronica had allowed herself to be gently bullied into having dinner with the Reeds when they had soive her the excuse to politely refuse future invitations The extra coe, but she had spent an unco to steer clear of Ross’s roving eyes and hands, and since then had taken care not to be left alone with him

Now she was in precisely the kind of situation she had tried to avoid Clad only in a skimpy, halter-necked tankini, she was acutely aware of her vulnerability