Free Scarlet Lady by Sara Wood

constantly on her guard. The holiday she'd planned would be ruined till he'd gone and she could behave normally again. They'd be together till she found Vincente St Honore. Could she face that?
    The air between them crackled with an electric charge as she met the full force of his grey, velvety eyes. Her legs were weakening and she sat down quickly on the bed before he noticed. She didn't know what to do. AH she could feel was a thrill mounting in intensity as she teetered on the edge of danger.
     

CHAPTER FOUR
    G INNY took a deep breath. She had to jump into the fire one way or the other. If she made every effort to find Vincente, she'd be rid of Leo quickly and then she'd be out of danger.
    Something deliciously wicked lurched in her stomach at the thought of spending time with Leo. Still lovesick! She'd got it bad, she mused ruefully.
    'The whole idea of your staying here fills me with horror,' she said with icy disdain—and perhaps a smattering of truth. For this new, contemptuous Leo to see her grovel, to see deep inside her and realise that she was obsessed by him would be humiliating in the extreme.
    She lifted a pale, proud face to his. 'But since you're obviously set on defending your family honour—and willing to resort to malicious methods to do so—I have to agree. You don't leave me much choice. But I don't like your blackmail and I don't like your reasons. It'll be unpleasant having you around. I'd been looking forward to a relaxing time here.' She tossed her head and a swirl of white-blonde hair shone like shot silk in the sunlight streaming into the room. 'You'll ruin my stay!' she said resentfully. 'And, while we're about it, let's establish some ground rules for your behaviour.'
    'Such as?' he murmured smoothly.
    'Such as don't get any ideas about intimacy!' she said grimly. 'No sex! Understand?'
    'Intimacy? With you?' He wrinkled his aristocratic nose. 'My dear Ginny, I daren't risk it. I don't know where you've been.'
    As she dropped her jaw in amazement, he gave her a mocking smile.
    'I know who you've been with, though. The papers have carried rather a lot of photographs of you with different escorts,' he purred, but there was an undercurrent of anger in his voice. 'Rakes and roues to a man. Don't insult my intelligence by pretending you haven't partied the last two years away—and don't insult your own beauty by pretending those men went out with you in order to chat about the state of the economy.'
    The shutters came down over her eyes. Those parties had filled her time and the emptiness left by knowing that Leo had gone. They'd given her a false sense of fun. One thing she hadn't been able to cope with had been the silence of her own company. Whenever she'd been alone she'd had to face her unhappiness. Partying and dating had kept her from confronting that demon too often and had helped to stop her from cracking up.
    The men she'd dated she had done so on the understanding that they took her home and left her unmolested. They hadn't refused because they'd been keen to have the publicity. She smiled wryly.
    'I've partied a little,' she said in an offhand manner.
    His mouth thinned in disdain. 'A lot!'
    Ginny frowned. 'How do you know?'
    'Contacts,' he said tersely.
    'Spies,' she suggested, her expression frosty.
    Leo looked haughty. 'I'm relieved that this is only a temporary arrangement and I can get back to people who have deeper values than you,' he muttered. 'I'd better get my bags moved in. Where's the phone?'
    'There isn't one. No TV, radio or piped Muzak. This is solitude, Leo, an inaccessible hideaway.'
    'Suits me. No sex, no TV. What will you do of an evening?' he asked insultingly.
    'I hope most of the time I'll be talking to my father over a Planter's Punch,' she said shortly.
    He made a face. 'I can't say I hope your wishes will come true. St Honore has too vile a reputation to be anyone's father. He isn't yours, that's for sure.'
    'How could you possibly know?' she asked, shaken by