Then surprisingly reappeared an hour later, face still set in stone. ‘We agreed to one question. We’ve strayed far from that. My leeway-giving is at an end.’ Those terse words preceded him into the kitchen where he started to pull pots and pans from cupboards.
Less than twenty minutes later, the scent of roasting meat and vegetables filled the air. Her growling stomach reminded her that they’d both barely touched their last meal.
Feeling churlish for not helping, Lotte finally staggered upright from the sofa she’d fallen into after his departure, felt his sharp gaze when she swayed on her feet, then he returned to dishing out their food when she managed to steady herself.
In silence, she laid out cutlery and silverware, just as he brought two heaping plates to the table and pulled out a chair.
‘Sit,’ he instructed gruffly. ‘And this time, we will both eat something. I don’t want you weakened or falling ill from not eating enough,’ he groused, his hard gaze daring her to argue.
She told herself she was too depleted to baulk at the order.
She sat, picked up her fork and tasted the hearty stew, then swore not to inflate his ego by groaning at how good it was. But she managed a mumbled ‘thank you’ as she demolished the bowl of food.
She was finishing the last bite when she looked up to see his gaze locked on hers. ‘What?’
‘Wilden’s whereabouts are accounted for. He’s been in Australia since he finished university. He’s also engaged to marry.’
Why that sharpened his gaze on her face and probed for a long moment, she refused to question, instead settling for a shrug. ‘Told you he was harmless.’
His eyes turned molten. ‘No man who’s met and interacted with you for more than a minute can be termed harmless.’
Something delightful but deeply apprehensive snagged deep in her heart. And she wasn’t sure she could conjure up a better description of what this man made her feel. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘You leave a distinct impression. One that lasts a considerable time.’
She was searching his face, breath held, when he jerked to his feet, sweeping up their empty plates.
Lotte stood too, feeling too jittery to remain still. ‘Let me. You cooked, it’s only right that I clean up.’
For a tense moment, he stilled. Then he nodded brusquely. ‘I’ll be in my office,’ he said. Then walked away.
Left to her own devices with no phone and far too many thoughts, Lotte explored every corner of the cabin Valenti wasn’t occupying. To her surprise, she uncovered a small shelf of books tucked into the hallway cupboard. Then was further stunned when she discovered it held some of her favourites.
Plucking one, she returned to the living room, pulled a blanket over her lower body and forced herself into the characters’ lives, growing increasingly vexed when the process proved frustratingly strenuous.
She wasn’t entirely sure when she nodded off. But when she jerked awake, Valenti was sitting in the armchair adjacent to her, the book she’d been reading in his hand. Recalling the raunchy paragraphs she’d skimmed just before she nodded off, heat flowed into her face.
‘My library is fully stocked, if you want more reading material,’ he said, setting the book aside.
Her eyes widened. She’d expected a return to the chilly standoff between them. Not a reversion to the brooding and aloof man she was used to. Lotte wasn’t sure which she preferred.
‘Thanks,’ she returned just as evenly as she could manage. ‘But I would like my phone back,’ she added.
The flash of his earlier chill showed through, then his austere demeanour slotted back into place. ‘You can have it, but you know there’s no internet service here so what’s the point?’
‘That’s not entirely true, is it? How else are you working in your office and making calls without a connection?’
A mirthless smile quirked the corner of his lips. ‘You’re suggesting I hand over valuable resources so you can stayabreast of how many followers you’ve gained in the last two days?’
‘Not at all. But I would like to make use ofmyvaluable resources and make proper use of my surroundings.’
His steady gaze hummed across her senses. ‘Explain.’
‘Content filming, Valenti. Heard of that?’
Another twitch of his lips. Without answering, he rose fluidly to his feet, disappeared towards his office and returned a minute later. ‘Will this work?’
Thishappened to be a gleaming state-of-the-art camera, the kind she’d only admired from afar because it cost tens of thousands of dollars. Money better expended usefully elsewhere.
