A Spanish Engagement Read Online Free PDF Page A

her.
    What was his game? she wondered. Why had he not told her who he was yesterday? Was he just stringing her along before telling her that in actual fact he wouldn’t be requiring her advertising services? Surely if he was really interested in her ideas he would have told her so on the plane yesterday and then introduced himself?
    As Manuel paused to lead the way through into the next cellar Carrie pulled together the presence of mind to ask some pertinent questions, but all the while she was conscious of the fact that Max was taking in her every move, her every word. For a moment she found herself wishing she had worn something more attractive today. Her dark blue business suit was smart but there was nothing alluring about it…
    Not that she wanted to attract him, of course. This was purely business.
    As they stepped back outside into the blinding glare of the sunshine Carrie missed her step and Max reached quickly to catch hold of her arm. For an instant she was held close beside him. And in that moment she wondered what it would be like to make love with him, to have those strong hands caress her naked body…
    The thought made desire race through her body like molten lava.
    ‘Are you okay?’ he asked gently.
    ‘Yes…thank you.’ She moved away from him abruptly, horrified by the direction her thoughts had taken. Sheknew nothing about the man…They walked down into the vineyard. After the cool of the cellars the heat of the sun felt even more intense, but maybe that was partly due to the thoughts that had been racing around in her mind, Carrie thought wryly.
    A member of staff came to talk to Manuel and Carrie found herself alone with Max. She glanced over at him uncertainly, feeling unaccountably shy.
    ‘Why didn’t you tell me who you were when we were talking on the plane yesterday?’
    He shrugged, not in the slightest bit perturbed by the question. ‘I thought it might have influenced what you had to say.’
    ‘Well, of course it would.’ Her blue eyes snapped with sudden fire. ‘You had an unfair advantage over me!’
    ‘Maybe I did.’ He smiled. ‘And I enjoyed it.’
    There was a husky undertone to his voice that made her blood race. Resolutely she tried to ignore the effect he was having on her. ‘This isn’t a game, you know. This contract is important to me.’
    ‘I know, I saw that for myself yesterday.’
    ‘But you still didn’t tell me who you were,’ she persisted, her eyes narrowed. ‘And that stunt you played, ordering Santos wine on the plane and asking for my opinion… I suppose if I had said I didn’t like it I wouldn’t be standing here now. I’d have just been told on the phone this morning that my services were not required.’
    ‘I would never have said that to you.’ Max said the words in a low undertone, a flicker of teasing warmth in his dark eyes now. ‘I can assure you I would still have invited you up here to have lunch with me, no matter what your opinion of the Santos wine.’
    Carrie wasn’t quite sure how to take that. Was she imagining the personal undercurrent to the words or did he simply mean that he would still have done businesswith her? She looked away from him and fell silent. It was strange how easily he could disconcert her. She was normally a confident person, especially in her business affairs. Yet around him she felt totally out of her depth.
    Desperately she tried to think of something to say that would take the conversation back strictly to business. But nothing came to mind.
    She noticed that the grapes were full and ripe on the vines, their skins gleaming a deep, luscious purple. ‘So when will you be harvesting the grapes?’ she asked lightly. ‘They look very good—in fact good enough to eat.’
    ‘They are. We’ll be starting to pick them soon.’ He reached out and took one off the vine. ‘Would you like to try one?’
    She nodded and thought that he would hand it to her; instead he reached closer and placed the grape against