"Is that why you’re so keen to employ people from disadvantaged backgrounds?" Dave asked."Absolutely. They sometimes just need someone to believe in them." She tapped her hand on the table for emphasis. "To give them a fighting chance. My mother didn’t have anyone in her life who believed in her potential.""What was your father like?"A flash of anger lit her grey-green gaze and her mouth tightened. "He was a brute and a bully but my mother got completely taken in by him because he promised to give her a better life. He said all the charming things she wanted to hear but they were empty promises. She thought because he called her “babe” that he actually loved her. But when he started to show his true colours, she didn’t have the strength or self-esteem to stand up to him. The worst part was she drank and used drugs to escape his behaviour but in doing so became more like him."She released a ragged sigh and looked back at the candle flickering on the table, a hot flare of anger stil

Over the next couple of days, Lea was left in no doubt about Dave’s skill as a tour guide. He organised a tour of Haleakala National Park, located on Maui’s inactive volcano, as well as visits to the Seven Sacred Pools of the Oheo Ravine and Makahika and Waimoko waterfalls. The lush rainforests with their towering, tumbling waterfalls were breathtaking, and Dave organised a private helicopter tour of the summit of the volcano, which gave stunning views over the crater and the whole island. He was sensitive without being patronising over the walks they took through the rainforest, and he always had a steadying hand at the ready if she gave any hint of losing her footing.In the evenings, they dined out at various restaurants, chatting over the day’s sights, and then returned to the villa and retired to their separate quarters. It was clear Dave was doing everything he could to ensure their relationship remained platonic, but every now and again, when he touched her as he helped her out

At his behest, Lea tried on outfit after outfit. Half the time Dave was on the phone, delivering terse commands to his assistant, but the whole time his attention seemed to be on her. It bothered her that she got a thrill out of his obvious interest, and she had to resist a shameful urge to preen and pose. It was becoming harder and harder for her to view their marriage as just a job, since he was personalising everything. An hour after their arrival, a package was delivered to him.Lea made her final appearance in an opulent, full-length turquoise silk evening gown.One glance at her and the exquisite pain of rampant sexual arousal assailed Dave in a tidal wave. The fabric cupping her breasts was too fine to conceal her nipples, which protruded like ripe cherries. Expelling his breath in a slow hiss of restraint, he sprang upright and signalled her.Lea swore to herself before that there was no way she was wearing anything above her knee, but for Dave, she was being brave with hersel

Lea gave a small nod, her gaze still focused on their joined hands. For years, she had heard everyone refer to it as an accident. A chance thing, a driver error that had gone horribly wrong. Her memory might have been patchy for months after the crash, but one thing she had always known was that it hadn’t been a simple driver error. “It wasn’t an accident.” She brought her gaze back to his, her voice tighter, her throat tighter. “It was a deliberate car crash.”Dave’s hand stilled on hers, his eyes widening in alarm. “What do you mean?” His tone was hollowed out, echoing with shock.“My father wanted to kill us all. He drove the car into the tree because my mother told him she wanted to leave him.”“Oh, Lea, I'm so sorry." Dave’s hand gripped hers as if he were trying to anchor her to him. To stop her from being swept away by a tide of distressing memories. ‘I can’t imagine the panic, fear, and pain you must have gone through. What a cowardly act. A disgustingly cowardly act.’ His voi

Of course, she loved him. Lea wasn’t sure when it had started. It had been a gradual awakening, a slow burn of interest and attraction that had morphed into a persistent and powerful emotion.Dave laid her down on the bed and came down beside her. He slowly undid the buttons on the front of her pyjama jacket, the feel of his fingers against her bare skin making her shiver in anticipation. He peeled the silky jacket from her shoulders, and his breath audibly hitched. ‘You’re so perfect, so beautiful…’ he said, his hand cupping her right breast and his touch sending tingles shooting through her body.Perfect? That was a word Lea wasn’t used to associating with herself. Neither was the word beautiful, but right then she felt like a beautiful woman. A beautiful, desirable woman who was embracing her sexual power for the first time.She explored the toned muscles of his chest, her fingers finding his hard, flat male nipples. His chest was lightly dusted with dark hair that narrowed down to