Stranded for One Scandalous Week - Natalie Anderson Page 0,4

and his gaze grew pointed.

‘You’ll have that,’ she muttered, hoping to assure him despite the sudden racing of her pulse. ‘You won’t even know I’m here.’

His mouth tightened, then curved into a slow, deliberate smile that yet again didn’t quite reach his eyes. ‘Won’t I? When you’re naked in my bath and sleeping in my bed?’

She stared, sure he’d worded that deliberately to put those inappropriate images in her mind and unsettle her all over again. ‘I’ll switch to another room, of course.’

She tried to breathe away the blush she felt beating across her face and trained her own gaze a little lower. It wasn’t the wisest move. He had the most perfect cheekbones; they were like blades, angling towards the arrogant set of his chin and his full mouth. And she really shouldn’t look at his mouth. The full sensuality of it made her think of hunger and kisses. She forced her focus back up to his eyes. They were intent upon her, but within their heated gaze there was more than unhappiness growing. There was misery. Why?

‘Delay your work for a week,’ he said abruptly. ‘Head home for a holiday. Full pay, of course.’

She instantly forgot her curiosity. Head home? To where exactly? She stared, unable to think of a reply as her anger built. Why did he need this enormous house all to himself? Why this one, when he had all those others? Aside from being a whizzy finance billionaire in his own right, she knew he was the heir to the Castle Holdings luxury apartment empire in Australia. His father had amassed a huge amount of property over there—where Ash Castle was supposed to be living right now.

But the man standing before her was obviously used to getting everything his way. To ‘full paying’ away any annoying inconveniences. And, not so deep beneath her surface, she smarted from the sting of his rejection. It was stupid, especially given the fact that she was well used to rejection.

For once in his life Ash Castle wasn’t getting everything he wanted. At least, not tonight. He’d arrived on a whim and it was too bad for him that she was already here—under contract and with nowhere else to go.

‘I don’t need a holiday,’ she said stiffly. ‘I need to do my job. Which means I need to stay here.’

‘Until tomorrow.’ He nodded. ‘Then you can go home for a week.’

She gritted her teeth. ‘Unfortunately, I’m between residences at present.’ She hated having to inform him of the deeply personal fact.

‘Between residences?’ he echoed bluntly, his gaze sharpening. ‘You mean you’re homeless?’

She tensed even more. ‘As I spend my time going from contract to contract, I’ve no need to set up a permanent residence.’

It was a lie. Very few jobs were live-in and the only reason she’d got this contract was because she’d been able to leap on a plane at short notice. Sonja, the manager of the archival company she worked for, had been going to do it but her early pregnancy had been reassessed as high risk and she’d asked Merle to step in at the last minute.

Unsurprisingly, Ash Castle stared disbelievingly, making her feel as if yet more mortifying explanation was necessary. She’d spoken more in the last five minutes than she had all week and her voice was still rusty.

‘Archivists don’t get paid incredibly well,’ she muttered.

‘You amaze me.’ That untamed gleam glinted in his eyes and his lips twitched.

An odd little fire in her ignited. There was no need for him to be facetious.

‘Plenty of incredibly important jobs are low-paid.’ Her heart thudded at her daring. Merle didn’t stand up to anyone. Certainly not a man like this. Her grandmother would’ve torn strips off her if she’d seen her even look at him.

‘Is archival work incredibly important? I wasn’t aware.’

She had the feeling there were a lot of important things he was unaware of.

He was watching her closely and his sudden smile was both irreverent and tantalising. ‘Do you think there are things you can teach me?’

With that soft-spoken drawl he revealed himself completely. Jaded. Experienced. Cynical. Incorrigible. Everything she wasn’t. But yes, she could teach him some things. Manners, for a start.

‘It’s not my job to teach you anything,’ she said with a bravery she was far from feeling. ‘You’re a grown man and I’m sure you’ll be able to figure things out for yourself. Eventually.’

For the merest moment Merle basked while he stared at her, his mouth slightly ajar. She ought to be