Free Guilty Passion by Laurey Bright Page A

picnic party.”
    â€œWhat do you do?” Celeste asked as they climbed the steep path through the trees.
    â€œFor a living? I’m a writer.”
    â€œWhat do you write?”
    â€œA bit of everything. I’m trying to make a living at it, which isn’t easy. I’ve had a couple of thrillers published, which have done quite nicely but not set the world on fire, and a lot of travel writing and other journalism. And a short history of Sheerwind.”
    â€œOh, I thought your name was familiar. I was reading it last night.”
    â€œHope you enjoyed it.”
    â€œI went to sleep,” she confessed. Well, she hadn’t really, but she had felt sleepy. She caught the grin he gave her over his shoulder as he led the way up the path, and said, “Sorry! But I was very tired.”
    â€œIt’s okay. Perhaps I’ll give you a copy of one of my thrillers, and see if it will keep you awake.”
    â€œI promise I’ll finish the history,” she said. “What I did read looked interesting. I hadn’t known the island was named after a ship that was wrecked here.”
    â€œWell, it was a long time ago. Last century. Wait till you get to the bit about how the survivors reacted to their situation, and the struggles for leadership. Jealousies, sexual rivalry, intrigues, murder, the lot. I defy you to fall asleep over that!”
    â€œI’ll look forward to it.”
    â€œThe research was fascinating,” Jeff said, as they reached the house, which was set into the hillside, with plenty of glass in front to make use of the view. “Come in.”

Chapter Five
    To her surprise, Celeste enjoyed herself, sipping coffee and talking with Jeff Saunders. When she said she ought to go, he took her cup and got up. “I’ll walk you back. If Ethan stops for lunch today, there’s something I want to see him about, anyway.”
    â€œHe doesn’t always?” she queried.
    â€œWe both have rather erratic working habits. We’ve been known to take a boat out and go fishing when the weather and water look promising, and have to stay up half the night afterwards to meet our deadlines.”
    â€œYou’re good friends, then.”
    â€œI guess. Ethan’s very helpful when I strike trouble with my computer, and I’ve sometimes helped him write instruction manuals for his programmes. He says it’s useful having my input because I’m practically illiterate in computer language, even though I use a word processor for my work, and some of his programmes will be used by people like me.”
    â€œI can understand a writer living in a place like this,” Celeste said. “But I would have thought Ethan would need to be nearer to a city.”
    â€œDesigning software is not just technical, you know. It involves imaginative thinking. We creative types need to be able to get away from the madding crowd and let our thoughts flow. At least, that’s the theory. Actually, of course, we just like an excuse to live in a place as beautiful as this. Ethan spends a fair amount of his time away from the island, though, just as I do. He has to contact clients, and keep up with what’s happening in his field. There was that conference in Sydney last month, for instance.”
    â€œConference?”
    â€œBig computer buffs’ convention that he went to. Didn’t he see you, then?”
    â€œNo,” Celeste said baldly. She knew nothing about that.
    â€œOh.” Jeff seemed surprised. “Well, I guess the conference schedule was pretty heavy.”
    When they reached the top of the path to Ethan’s house he was standing on the terrace, and watched them coming towards him. Jeff had not taken the path at the same pace that Ethan had the day before, but the climb was quite steep, and Celeste’s cheeks were flushed when she emerged from the trees at Jeff’s side.
    Jeff lifted a hand in casual greeting. “Hi. I