Alejandro's Revenge by Anne Mather

Author:Anne Mather
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2003-05-20T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

ALEJANDRO’S boat was both more and less than Abby had anticipated.

It was smaller, certainly: a forty-foot vessel, with two masts gracing its shining teak deck. There were living quarters below that were both conservative and comfortable. But it wasn’t the gleaming steel yacht Abby had expected. Like his house, it possessed charm and character instead.

They’d reached the dock by walking through a lush paradise of ferns and palms and creepers. Delicate orchids with trumpet-shaped petals had brushed her cheeks and waxy magnolias and vivid hibiscus grew in wild profusion, their scents alone heady and overpowering. Abby had been almost glad when Alejandro placed a firm hand in the small of her back to guide her over a particularly uneven patch of ground. Her head had been spinning, and it wasn’t just the intoxication of the flowers.

She’d been intensely aware of his nearness. Of how easily he had overpowered her. But she had also been aware that the tropical undergrowth might hide other exotic specimens that were less attractive. Snakes and spiders, for example, although she doubted she was in any danger here.

Nevertheless, she’d been relieved when they had stepped onto the ribbed planking of the dock and she’d been able to free herself both from Alejandro’s hold and the fears that had pursued her from the house. Yet now, when Alejandro went past her to check on the mooring lines, she found herself watching him again, admiring the tight curve of his buttocks as he bent to pull on the ropes. All his movements were lithe and sensual, she admitted. He seemed to possess a dark power she was unable to resist.

Dear Lord!

She dragged her eyes away from temptation and found herself gazing instead into two eyes staring at her from the darkness of the creek. They seemed to float just above the surface of the water, their appraisal heavy-lidded and intent.

A little squeak of alarm escaped her. She was sure it was an alligator, and she glanced in panic around the dock. Fortunately, it was built well above the water, to accommodate Alejandro’s boat, but she could easily imagine the reptile crawling up the bank towards them.

Alejandro straightened at the sound of her cry. He turned quickly towards her and she realised she was probably making a fool of herself again. The creature, whatever it was, had disappeared beneath the surface of the water, and there was no way anyone could identify it in the creek’s murky depths.

‘Is something wrong?’

Alejandro came towards her, and despite the fact that she’d calmed her fears Abby wished she dared clutch his hand. ‘It’s nothing,’ she said hurriedly, though her eyes still searched the reeds that grew in such profusion along the waterway. ‘I—’ She had to say it. ‘I thought I saw an alligator.’ The lamplight revealed his wry expression as she added, with some embarrassment, ‘But I’m sure it wasn’t. And it’s gone now, in any case.’

‘So what do you think it was?’ he asked, arching his dark brows enquiringly.

‘I don’t know.

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