Miss Prim's Greek Island Fling Read online

  But pale, vulnerable and afraid? No.

  ‘That bastard really did a number on you, didn’t he, Squirt?’

  Her head reared back and he could’ve bitten his tongue out. ‘Not quite as big a number as that mountain did on you, from all reports.’

  She glanced pointedly at his shoulder and with a start he realised he’d been massaging it. He waved her words away. ‘A temporary setback.’

  She pushed out her chin. ‘Ditto.’

  The fire had receded from her eyes and this time it was he who had to suffer beneath their merciless ice-blue scrutiny. And that was when he realised that all she wore was a pair of thin cotton pyjama bottoms and a singlet top that moulded itself to her form. His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth.

  The problem with Audra was that she was exactly the kind of woman he went after. If he had a type it was the buttoned-up, repressed librarian type, and normally Audra embodied that to a tee. But at the moment she was about as far from that as you could get. She was all blonde sleep-tousled temptation and his skin prickled with an awareness that was both familiar and unfamiliar.

  He had to remind himself that a guy didn’t mess with his best friend’s sister.

  ‘Did the police hurt you?’

  ‘Absolutely not.’ He was admitting nothing.

  She cocked an eyebrow. ‘Finn, it’s obvious you’re in pain.’

  He shrugged and then wished he hadn’t when pain blazed through his shoulder. ‘The cast only came off yesterday.’

  Her gaze moved to his left arm. ‘And instead of resting it, no doubt as your doctors suggested, you jumped on the first plane for Athens, caught the last ferry to Kyanós, grabbed a late dinner in the village and trekked the eight kilometres to the villa.’

  ‘Bingo.’ He’d relished the fresh air and the freedom. For the first two kilometres.

  ‘While carrying a rucksack.’

  Eight weeks ago he’d have been able to carry twice the weight for ten kilometres without breaking a sweat.

  She picked up his glass of half-finished Scotch and strode into the kitchen. As she reached up into a kitchen cupboard her singlet hiked up to expose a band of perfect pale skin that had his gut clenching. She pulled out a packet of aspirin and sent it flying in a perfect arc towards him—he barely needed to move to catch it. And then she lifted his glass to her lips and drained it and stars burst behind his eyelids. It was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen.

  She filled it with tap water and set it in front of him. ‘Take two.’

  He did as she ordered because it was easier than arguing with her. And because he hurt all over and it seemed too much trouble to find the heavy-duty painkillers his doctor had prescribed for him and which were currently rolling around in the bottom of his backpack somewhere.

  ‘Which room do you usually use?’

  ‘The one at the top of the stairs.’

  ‘You’re out of luck, buddy.’ She stuck out a hip, and he gulped down more water. ‘That’s the one I’m using.’

  He feigned outrage. ‘But that one has the best view!’ Which was a lie. All the upstairs bedrooms had spectacular views.

  She smirked. ‘I know. First in and all that.’

  He choked down a laugh. That was one of the things he’d always liked about Audra. She’d play along with him...all in the name of one-upmanship, of course.

  ‘Right, which bedroom do you want? There are another three upstairs to choose from.’ She strode around and lifted his bag. She grunted and had to use both hands. ‘Yeah, right—light as a feather.’

  He glanced at her arms. While the rucksack wasn’t exactly light, it wasn’t that heavy. She’d never been a weakling. She’d lost condition. He tried to recall the last time he’d seen her.

  ‘Earth to Finn.’

  He started. ‘I’ll take the one on the ground floor.’ The one behind the kitchen. The only bedroom in the house that didn’t have a sea view. The bedroom furthest away from Audra’s. They wouldn’t even have to share a bathroom if he stayed down here. Which would be for the best.

  He glanced at that singlet top and nodded. Definitely for the best.

  Especially when her eyes softened with spring-rain warmth. ‘Damn, Finn. Do you still hurt that much?’

  He realised then that she thought he didn’t want to tackle the stairs.

  ‘I—’ He pulled in a breath. He didn’t want to tackle the stairs. He’d overdone it today. He didn’t want her to keep looking at him like that either, though. ‘It’s nothing a good night’s sleep won’t fix.’

  Without another word, she strode to the room behind the kitchen and lifted his bag up onto the desk in there. So he wouldn’t have to lift it himself later. Her thoughtfulness touched him. She could be prickly, and she could be mouthy, but she’d never been unkind.

  Which was the reason, if he ever ran into Thomas Farquhar, he’d wring the mongrel’s neck.

  ‘Do you need anything else?’

  The beds in Rupert’s villa were always made up. He employed a cleaner to come in once a week so that the Russel siblings or any close friends could land here and fall into bed with a minimum of fuss. But even if the bed hadn’t been made pride would’ve forbidden him from asking her to make it...or to help him make it.

  He fell into a chair and slanted her a grin—cocky, assured and full of teasing to hide his pain as he pulled his hiking boots off. ‘Well, now, Squirt...’ He lifted a foot in her direction. ‘I could use some help getting my socks off. And then maybe my jeans.’

  As anticipated, her eyes went wide and her cheeks went pink. Without another word, she whirled around and strode from the room.

  At that precise moment his phone started to ring. He glanced at the caller ID and grimaced. ‘Rupert, mate. Sorry about—’

  The phone was summarily taken from him and Finn blinked when Audra lifted it to her ear. Up this close she smelled of coconut and peaches. His mouth watered. Dinner suddenly seemed like hours ago.

  ‘Rupe, Finn looks like death. He needs to rest. He’ll call you in the morning and you can give him an ear-bashing then.’ She turned the phone off before handing it back to him. ‘Goodnight, Finn.’

  She was halfway through the kitchen before he managed to call back a goodnight of his own. He stood in the doorway and waited until he heard her ascending the stairs before closing his door and dialling Rupert’s number.

  ‘Before you launch into a tirade and tell me what an idiot I am, let me apologise. I’m calling myself far worse names than you ever will. I’d have not scared Audra for the world. I was going to call you in the morning to let you know I was here.’ He’d had no notion Audra would be here. It was a little early in the season for any of the Russels to head for the island.

  Rupert’s long sigh came down the phone, and it made Finn’s gut churn. ‘What are you doing in Kyanós?’ his friend finally asked. ‘I thought you were in Nice.’

  ‘The, uh, cast came off yesterday.’

  ‘And you couldn’t blow off steam on the French Riviera?’

  He scrubbed a hand down his face. ‘There’s a woman I’m trying to avoid and—’

  ‘You don’t need to say any more. I get the picture.’

  Actually, Rupert was wrong. This time. It wasn’t a romantic liaison he’d tired of and was fleeing. But he kept his mouth shut. He deserved Rupert’s derision. ‘If you want me to leave, I’ll clear out at first light.’

  His heart gave a sick kick at the long pause on the other end of the phone. Rupert was considering it! Rupert was the one person who’d shown faith in him when everyone else had written him off, and now—

  ‘Of course I don’t want you to leave.’

  He closed his eyes and let out a long, slow breath.

  ‘But...’

  His eyes crashed open. His heart started to thud. ‘But?’

  ‘Don’t go letting Audra fall in love with you. She’s fragile at the moment, Finn...vulnerable.’

  He stiffened. ‘Whoa, Rupe! I’ve no designs on your little sister.’

  ‘She’s exactly your type.’

  ‘Except she’s your sister.’ He made a decision then and there to leave in the morning. He didn’t want Rupert worrying about this. It was completely unnecessary. He needed to lie low for a few weeks and Kyanós had seemed like the perfect solution, but not at the expense of either Rupert’s or Audra’s peace of mind.

  ‘That said, I’m glad you’re there.’

  Finn stilled.

  ‘I’m worried about her being on her own. I’ve been trying to juggle my timetable, but the earliest I can get away is in a fortnight.’

  Finn pursed his lips. ‘You want me to keep an eye on her?’

  Again there was a long pause. ‘She needs a bit of fun. She needs to let her hair down.’

  ‘This is Audra we’re talking about.’ She was the most buttoned-up person he knew.

  ‘You’re good at fun.’

  His lips twisted. He ought to be. He’d spent a lifetime perfecting it. ‘You want me to make sure she has a proper holiday?’

  ‘Minus the holiday romance. Women like you, Finn...they fall for you.’

  ‘Pot and kettle,’ he grunted back. ‘But you’re worrying for nothing. Audra has more sense than that.’ She had always disapproved of him and what she saw as his irresponsible and daredevil lifestyle.

  What had happened eight weeks ago proved her point. What if the next time he did kill himself? The thought made his mouth dry and his gut churn. His body was recovering but his mind... There were days when he was a maelstrom of confusion, questioning the choices he was making. He gritted his teeth. It’d pass. After such a close brush with mortality it had to be normal to question one’s life. Needless to say, he wasn’t bringing anyone into that mess at the moment, especially not one who was his best friend’s little sister.

  ‘If she had more sense she’d have not fallen for Farquhar.’

  Finn’s hands fisted. ‘Tell me the guy is toast.’

  ‘I’m working on it.’

  Good.

  ‘I’ve tried to shield her from the worst of the media furore, but...’

  ‘But she has eyes in her head. She can read the headlines for herself.’ And those headlines had been everywhere. It’d been smart of Rupert to pack Audra off to the island.

  ‘Exactly.’ Rupert paused again. ‘None of the Russels have any sense when it comes to love. If we did, Audra wouldn’t have been taken in like she was.’

  And she was paying for it now. He recalled her pallor, the dark circles beneath her eyes...the effort it’d taken her to lift his backpack. He could help with some of that—get her out into the sun, challenge her to swimming contests...and maybe even get her to run with him. He could make sure she ate three square meals a day.

  ‘If I’d had more sense I’d have not fallen for Brooke Manning.’

  ‘Everyone makes a bad romantic decision at least once in their lives, Rupe.’

  He realised he sounded as if he were downplaying what had happened to his friend, and he didn’t want to do that. Rupert hadn’t looked at women in the same way after Brooke. Finn wasn’t sure what had happened between them. He’d been certain they were heading for matrimony, babies and white picket fences. But it had all imploded, and Rupert hadn’t been the same since. ‘But you’re right—not everyone gets their heart shredded.’ He rubbed a hand across his chest. ‘Has Farquhar shredded her heart?’

  ‘I don’t know.’

  Even if he hadn’t, he’d stolen company secrets from the Russel Corporation while posing as her attentive and very loving boyfriend. That wasn’t something a woman like Audra would be able to shrug off as just a bad experience.

  Poor Squirt.

  He only realised he’d said that out loud when Rupert said with a voice as dry as a good single malt, ‘Take a look, Finn. I think you’ll find Squirt is all grown up.’

  He didn’t need to look. The less looking he did, the better. A girl like Audra deserved more than what a guy like him could give her—things like stability, peace of mind, and someone she could depend on.

  ‘It’d be great if you could take her mind off things—make her laugh and have some fun. I just don’t want her falling for you. She’s bruised and battered enough.’

  ‘You’ve nothing to worry about on that score, Rupe, I promise you. I’ve no intention of hurting Audra. Ever.’

  ‘She’s special, Finn.’

  That made him smile. ‘All of the Russel siblings are special.’

  ‘She’s more selfless than the rest of us put together.’

  Finn blinked. ‘That’s a big call.’

  ‘It’s the truth.’

  He hauled in a breath and let it out slowly. ‘I’ll see what I can do.’

  ‘Thanks, Finn, I knew I could count on you.’

  * * *

  Audra pressed her ringing phone to her ear at exactly eight twenty-three the next morning. She knew the exact time because she was wondering when Finn would emerge. She’d started clock-watching—a sure sign of worry. Not that she had any intention of letting Rupert know she was worried. ‘Hey, Rupe.’

  He called to check on her every couple of days, which only fed her guilt. Last night’s false alarm sent an extra surge of guilt slugging through her now. ‘Sorry about last night’s fuss. I take it the police rang to let you know what happened.’

  ‘They did. And you’ve nothing to apologise for. Wasn’t your fault. In fact, I’m proud of the way you handled the situation.’

  He was? Her shoulders went back.

  ‘Not everyone would’ve thought that quickly on their feet. You did good.’

  ‘Thanks, I... I’m relieved it was just Finn.’ She flashed to the lines of strain that had bracketed Finn’s mouth last night. ‘Do you know how long he plans to stay?’

  ‘No idea. Do you mind him being there? I can ask him to leave.’

  ‘No, no—don’t do that.’ She already owed Rupert and the rest of her family too much. She didn’t want to cause any further fuss. ‘He wasn’t looking too crash hot last night. I think he needs to take it easy for a bit.’

  ‘You could be right, Squirt, and I hate to ask this of you...’

  ‘Ask away.’ She marvelled how her brother’s Squirt could sound so different from Finn’s. When Finn called her Squirt it made her tingle all over.

  ‘No, forget about it. It doesn’t matter. You’ve enough on your plate.’

  She had nothing on her plate at the moment and they both knew it. ‘Tell me what you were going to say,’ she ordered in her best boardroom voice. ‘I insist. You know you’ll get no peace now until you do.’

  His low chuckle was her reward. Good. She wanted him to stop worrying about her.

  ‘Okay, it’s just... I’m a bit worried about him.’

  She sat back. ‘About Finn?’ It made a change from Rupert worrying about her.

  ‘He’s never had to take it easy in his life. Going slow is an alien concept to him.’

  He could say that again.

  ‘He nearly died up there on that mountain.’

  Her heart clenched. ‘Died? I mean, I knew he’d banged himself up pretty bad, but... I had no idea.’

  ‘Typical Finn, he’s tried to downplay it. While the medical team could patch the broken arm and ribs easily enough, along with the dislocated shoulder and wrenched knee, his ruptured spleen and the internal bleeding nearly did him in.’

  She closed her eyes and swallowed. ‘You want me to make sure he takes it easy while he’s here?’

  ‘That’s probably an impossible task.’

  ‘Nothing’s impossible,’ she said with a confidence she had no right to. After all her brother’s support these last few weeks—his lack of blame—she could certainly do this one thing for him. ‘Consider it done.’

  ‘And, Audra...?’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘Don’t go falling in love with him.’

  She shot to her feet, her back ramrod straight. ‘I make one mistake and—’

  ‘This has nothing to do with what happened with Farquhar. It’s just that women seem to like Finn. A lot. They fall at his feet in embarrassing numbers.’

  She snorted and took her seat again. ‘That’s because he’s pretty.’ She preferred a man with a bit more substance.

  You thought Thomas had substance.

  She pushed the thought away.

  ‘He’s in Kyanós partly because he’s trying to avoid some woman in Nice.’

  Good to know.

  ‘If he hurts you, Squirt, I’ll no longer consider him a friend.’

  She straightened from her slouch, air whistling between her teeth. Rupert and Finn were best friends, and had been ever since they’d attended their international boarding school in Geneva as fresh-faced twelve-year-olds.

  She made herself swallow. ‘I’ve no intention of doing anything so daft.’ She’d never do anything to ruin her brother’s most important friendship.

  ‘Finn has a brilliant mind, he’s built a successful company and is an amazing guy, but...’

  ‘But what?’ She frowned, when her brother remained silent. ‘What are you worried about?’

  ‘His past holds him back.’

  By his past she guessed he meant Finn’s parents’ high-octane lifestyle, followed by their untimely deaths. It had to have had an impact on Finn, had to have left scars and wounds that would never heal.

  ‘I worry he could end up like his father.’

  She had to swallow the bile that rose through her.

  ‘I’m not sure he’ll ever settle down.’

  She’d worked that much out for herself. And she wasn’t a masochist. Men like Finn were pretty to look at, but you didn’t build a life around them.

  Women had flings with men like Finn...and she suspected they enjoyed every moment of them. A squirrel of curiosity wriggled through her, but she ruthlessly cut it off. One disastrous romantic liaison was enough for the year. She wasn’t adding another one to the tally. She suppressed a shudder. The very thought made her want to crawl back into bed and pull the covers over her head.