Rescued by the Brooding Tycoon Read Online Free PDF

look of dismay with grim satisfaction.
    ‘You’d better remind yourself of my face,’ he said, ‘so that you’ll know who to abandon.’
    She couldn’t speak. Only her expression betrayed her horror and embarrassment.
    He should then have turned on his heel and departed without giving her a chance to reply. But Phantom had to spoil it. Recognising his new friend, he rose from where he was nestled beneath Harriet’s seat and reared up, barking with delight.
    ‘Phantom, no!’ she cried.
    ‘Leave him,’ Darius told her, rubbing Phantom’s head. ‘You daft mutt! Is this how you get your fun? Luckily, I’m in casuals tonight. Now, get down, there’s a good fellow.’
    After Harriet’s dire warnings, his relaxed tone took everyone by surprise and he noticed that puzzled frowns were directed at her. Fine. If she wanted battle, she could have it. He nodded to them all and departed.
    When he reached the road he heard footsteps hurrying behind him and turned, half fearing another canine embrace. But it was her.
    ‘That thing about leaving you in the sea—it was just a silly joke. Of course we’d never leave anyone to drown.’
    ‘Not anyone,’ he echoed. ‘Meaning not even a monster like me.’
    ‘Look—’
    ‘Don’t give it another thought. The chance of my ever needing to rely on you is non-existent—as you’ll discover.’
    ‘Oh, really!’ she said, cross again. ‘Let’s hope you’re right. You never know what life has in store next, do you? Let’s make sure.’
    Grabbing him, she yanked him under a street lamp and studied his face, frowning.
    ‘You look different from last time,’ she said. ‘It must be the darkness. OK, I’ve got you fixed. Hey, what are you doing?’
    ‘The same to you as you did to me,’ he said, holding her with one hand while the other lifted her chin to give him the best view of her face.
    Harriet resisted the temptation to fight him off, suspecting that he would enjoy that too much. Plus she guessed he wouldn’t be easy to fight. There was an unyielding strength in his grasp that could reduce her to nothing. So she stayed completely still, outwardly calm but inwardly smouldering.
    If only he would stop smiling like that, as though something about her both amused and pleased him. There was a gleam in his eyes that almost made her want to respond. Almost. If she was that foolish. She drew a long breath, trying not to tremble.
    At last he nodded, saying in a thoughtful voice, ‘Hmm. Yes, I think I’ll remember you—if I try really hard.’
    ‘Cheek!’ she exploded.
    He released her. ‘All right, you can go now.’
    Darius walked away without looking back. He didn’t need to. He knew she was looking daggers at him.
    At home in Giant’s Beacon, he sat in darkness at the window of his room with a drink, trying to understand what had so disturbed him that night. It wasn’t the hostility, something he was used to. Nor was it really the laughter, which had annoyed him, but only briefly. It was something about Harriet—something…
    He exhaled a long breath as the answer came to him. She’d spoken of seeing him on the beach, ‘standing there like a king come into his birthright.’
    That hadn’t been her first reaction. She’d even said she’d liked him, but only briefly, until she’d discovered who he was. Then she’d seen only arrogance and harshness, a conqueror taking possession.
    But wasn’t that partly his own choice? For years he’d assumed various masks—cool, unperturbed, cunning, superior or charming when the occasion warranted it. Some had been passed on to him by a father whose skill in manipulation was second to none. Others he’d created for himself.
    Only one person had seen a different side of him—loving, passionate. For twelve years he’d enjoyed what he’d thought of as a happy marriage, until his wife had left him for another man. Since then he’d tried to keep the vulnerable face well hidden, but evidently he should try harder.
    He