Half Moon Bay Read Online Free PDF Page B

unwelcome visitors.’
    Nick gave a half laugh.
    The breeze sliding in off the water seeped through her now and she crossed her arms against the chill, conscious of his gaze wandering over her again.
    ‘Hope he doesn’t greet all your visitors like that, then. I can see why a woman like you might appreciate some protection out here.’ The words were a low rumble with an undercurrent Ellie couldn’t mistake for anything other than humour.
    ‘I think we’re done, Mr Lawson. Don’t waste your time visiting again. Tom will no doubt know where to contact you if he wants to.’ And it’s unlikely he’s going to cut short his holiday to do business with a corrupt developer , she thought.
    He dug in the front pocket of his backpack and held out a business card. ‘Give him my regards. Tell him I’m sorry I missed him. I’ll be in touch.’
    In the instant she took the card, she felt a jolt of awareness, a tangible pulse that made her hand jerk away from his touch. Ridiculous. It was just static electricity, very common at this time of year.
    ‘I’ll do that.’ Her tone clearly implied the opposite, but Nicholas didn’t rise to the bait.
    ‘Thanks, Ms Wilding.’
    She raised one eyebrow. ‘Who?’
    ‘You must be Tom’s daughter, the photographer. You look like him. A prettier version, sexy, even.’ His laugh was a smoky rumble as he spun on his heel.
    ‘Don’t presume to know anything about me, Mr Lawson.’
    He hefted his pack and strode away, power in the length of his stride.
    Ellie watched him leave, her back straight and her heart thudding in her chest. His face was arresting. She could see those dark good looks in a black-and-white print, set amongst some ancient ruins on a sun-drenched Greek Island – a warrior girded for battle, a gladiator entering the colosseum, the crowd baying for blood . . .
    Foolish girl , she chided herself. That particular model would be way too disturbing through the lens of a camera. And he’s the enemy.
    But he had one hell of a smile, she had to admit.
    Nick slammed the car door. Damn it. He should have done some more research before he blundered in. The last time he’d checked on Ellie Wilding’s whereabouts, she was hiding her pain in some godforsaken African dictatorship, beaming back images of poverty and corruption. Now, barely dressed in running clothes, with damp hair curling round her face, she was disturbingly familiar.
    He acknowledged that the trauma of war had left some of his memories locked in his innermost mind, but not that one. He shook his head in disbelief. He didn’t need her presence here to complicate things and re-awaken those memories. How could he ever forget the steely reserve in Ellie that had helped her through what was surely the most traumatic twenty-four hours of her life?
    He stabbed the key into the ignition. Now was not the time to have to deal with two-year-old cover-ups and mistakes that still haunted him. At least she hadn’t recognised him. There’d been nothing but amused challenge in those navy blue eyes. And why would she remember him? He’d met her twice on that tragic day in Afghanistan. Both times he was seething, grim with grief and covered in the grime of war.
    Now here she was again. A worthy adversary who wasn’t going to lie down and see her community ripped off. She was more beautiful, more sexy, with her feisty defiance, than she had been in the middle of hell in Afghanistan.
    The anger left him as quickly as it had come.
    If he’d known that he’d find her here in the seaside backwater of Half Moon Bay, would he still have accepted the undercover assignment?
    He sighed. Yes, of course he would have. It was a matter of principle. He would just have to keep his unruly emotions under tight control. After all, twenty-four hours, two years ago, was not the basis for a friendship, even. Especially when Ellie had never heard the whole story of Nina’s shooting.
    The thought stopped him. Was that why she was here? Did