Free The Far Side of Paradise by Robyn Donald Page B

startled.
    ‘Then what’s your problem?’
    Taryn hesitated. Impossible to tell him that for some reason she hated the thought of being tagged as just another of his women, a holiday convenience.
    But his cool, speculative gaze demanded an answer. Gathering her wits, she snapped, ‘I’m your researcher, not arm candy.’
    His smile stopped any further words, a smile that, allied to such a powerful presence, made him a walking, breathing, potently dangerous adrenalin rush.
    ‘Candy is sweet. Your tongue is far too sharp for you to be considered anything like that.’ He took her hand. ‘If you don’t get going we’ll be late.’
    It was like brushing against an electric fence, she thought wildly. Breathing was impossible. Dumbfoundedby the wildfire intensity of her reaction to his touch, she let him turn her towards her room.
    ‘Off you go,’ he said calmly, and started her off with a movement so gentle it could hardly be called a push.
    Taryn’s body responded automatically and she got halfway to her room before her dazzled brain came to life. How dared he? Frowning, she swung around and, in her most forthright voice, said, ‘I’m not a child to be told to go to my room. And please don’t ever push me like that again.’
    His brows climbed. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said unexpectedly, adding abruptly, ‘And you don’t need to be afraid of me. I don’t hurt women.’
    The words burst out before she could stop them. ‘I’m not afraid of you! ‘
    Cool it!
She was overreacting, giving too much away, allowing him to see how strongly he affected her. After a jagged breath, she said crossly, ‘I just hate it when people stop a perfectly good rant by apologising.’
    That spellbinding smile made a brief reappearance. ‘I take your point, but you haven’t time for a really good rant right now. Later, you can let go all you like.’
    An equivocal note in his voice dried her throat. She could read nothing in the starkly handsome face, and surely he wasn’t hinting …
    He resumed, ‘You flinched when I touched you.’
    Wishing she’d ignored it, she said, ‘Not because I was afraid. I just wasn’t expecting it. And, although I’m delighted you don’t hurt women, how are you with children and animals?’
    He subjected her to a look she could barely parry. Silkily, he said, ‘Superb.’ She was choking back laughter when he added, ‘And, to reassure you, from now on I’ll only touch you after asking permission.’
    His smile, and the glinting look that accompanied it, stopped her breath again. He
was
flirting with her!
    Common sense warned her she was way out of her league—but there was no reason to let him know that.
    Rallying, she said, ‘So you’ll say, “Taryn, I want to push you out of the way of that shark. Is that all right?” And then wait for my answer?’
    ‘If that happens, I might force myself to ignore this conversation,’ he said smoothly.
    A note in his voice produced a swift wave of heat across her cheekbones. This was dangerous stuff. Put an end to it right now, she commanded herself.
    But how?
    OK, she’d pretend to take him seriously, as though his eyes weren’t gleaming with amusement and her blood wasn’t pumping a suspicious and inconvenient excitement through her veins.
    In her most prosaic tone, she said, ‘Well, that’s all right then.’ She glanced at her watch as if checking the time. ‘And if I’m to be ready on time I’d better get going.’
    And managed to force her suddenly heavy legs to move away from him.
Cold shower
was her first thought once she reached the sanctuary of her room.
    Icy water would have been good, but she had to content herself with a brisk splash in the lukewarm water available. However, by the time she’d knotted a sleek
pareu
that fell from her bare shoulders to her ankles in a smooth column of gold, her pulse had calmed down—almost.
    After a careful examination in the mirror, she gave a short nod of satisfaction. The