Sheltered by Her Top-Notch Boss Read online

  Heat washed through her from head to toe at his suggestion. ‘I’m sure you would,’ she murmured, ‘but somehow I don’t think that would be a good idea.’

  ‘A pity, that,’ he said, giving her a rueful glance. ‘I thought it was an excellent one. But if you should change your mind...’

  ‘I’m sorry, but I won’t.’ It grieved her to say it, but she’d made up her mind not to get involved with him. Her reputation was in tatters, and getting close to him would only lead to heartache in the end because they were worlds apart. He came from a family of meticulously respectable ancestors, and she simply wouldn’t fit in. Especially now, since her face had been splashed over all the papers.

  And yet he’d taken her rejection of him with good humour, as always. It was so heart-warming to have him look after her this way. He’d asked nothing of her. He was a truly wonderful man, like none she’d ever known. Who else would have taken care of her like this, without expecting something in return?

  He took her through to the sleeping quarters, each room furnished with a double bed and overhead cupboard space, and lastly he showed her what he called ‘the head’, which was where the bathroom facilities were housed. Again, these were the best quality with pearl-white porcelain fittings.

  ‘I’ll start up the motor and get us under way,’ he said, as they walked back towards the galley. ‘Then when we’re away further along the canal we’ll stop for a bite to eat. I’d suggest we stop at a pub, but with your picture being splashed over the papers, people who’ve seen you on TV might be tempted to hassle you. What do you think?’

  ‘I think you’re probably right,’ she said in a dejected tone. ‘I feel as though my life’s been turned upside down. I just don’t know why any of this is happening or who could have done it. Who would want to ruin my life, and my TV career?’

  He put his arms around her and gave her a quick hug. ‘I can’t imagine anyone who would want to do something like this. Everyone I know likes you. You’re sweet, kind and thoughtful, and you certainly don’t deserve to be pilloried this way. Neither does Lewis. It’s abominable how they’ve pointed the finger at him.’

  He released her all too soon, and Ellie struggled to bring her chaotic senses under control. She followed him up on deck.

  James untied the mooring rope and started up the motor, steering them slowly along the watercourse. He looked perfectly at ease at the wheel, completely in command. He was wearing khaki chinos and a dark T-shirt that emphasised his powerful biceps, and Ellie had a strange compulsion to run her hands over his strong arms and feel his body tauten next to hers.

  With a supreme effort of will she resisted the urge. Instead, she said quietly, ‘I rang Lewis’s wife and told her there’s no truth in the stories. She seemed thoroughly shocked by what’s happening and Lewis is doing his utmost to put her mind at rest.’

  ‘They’ve been struggling lately,’ James remarked. ‘I don’t know exactly what the problem is, but Lewis admits they’ve been arguing far more than usual. They’ve been married for about five years, and up till now things have gone well for them, or so it seemed.’

  ‘And you blame me for getting in the way?’

  He gave her a sideways look. ‘He may not have said anything, but Lewis is very susceptible to your charms. I think he’s flattered because you’re a good listener, you have a sympathetic ear, and it’s easy to see how his head might have been turned.’

  ‘But that’s all in your imagination. Surely you know that? There has never been anything going on between Lewis and me. Why would you think otherwise?’

  ‘Because Lewis is vulnerable, and it would be very easy for him to be open to temptation. It would ruin him if he succumbed, because he really does love his wife. Far better, then, for you to try to steer clear of him.’

  ‘Don’t you think Lewis and I can sort things out between us?’

  ‘Unfortunately, no. But I certainly feel more at ease knowing you’re on this boat with me, rather than getting together with Lewis to offer each other sympathy and understanding. Lewis is already in a fragile state emotionally. Having you close at hand could make any man go weak at the knees.’

  She frowned, uneasy at what he was saying. ‘Is that why you brought me here?’

  ‘I brought you here to make sure you were safe and out of reach of the press. Keeping you out of reach of Lewis is an added bonus.’

  She bit back a sharp comment. After all, she could hardly take him to task for that when he had saved her from being trapped in her own home. She didn’t want to be at odds with him, but inside she fretted at his lack of faith in her. What made him doubt her? Was it some subconscious conviction that women weren’t to be relied on? That they would somehow manage to cause hurt? A sad relic of his mother leaving him, perhaps, albeit that she’d done it unwillingly?

  Surely she was the one who was most likely to be feeling insecure in that way? Her mother had deserted her—hadn’t that led to the wild teenage years that were her undoing now?

  She sighed. ‘Shall I go below and put the kettle on? I could prepare some food if you like. I don’t know about you, but I haven’t eaten today. I lost my appetite when I saw the papers, and the rest is history.’

  ‘That’s a good idea, if you don’t mind doing that. There are cooked meats in the fridge and some bread. Help yourself to whatever you want. I expect sandwiches will be the easiest. I’ll come and give you a hand as soon as I find a place to moor the boat.’

  ‘Okay.’

  She went to the galley and looked inside the fridge and the cupboards. As he’d said, they were well stocked. There was rice, a variety of meats, peppers and vegetables, some mushrooms and onions. Pushing back the sleeves of her blouse, she washed her hands and set about making a meal. She could do better than sandwiches.

  ‘Hey, something smells good,’ James said, coming down the steps to the galley some time later. ‘What’s cooking?’

  ‘Chicken risotto. It seemed like the easiest thing to do. And I’ve made a fruit salad for dessert. All of a sudden I’m starving.’

  He grinned. ‘Me, too. I can’t wait to try it. Shall we eat up on deck? We may as well make the most of this lovely weather while it lasts. Before we know it, we’ll be into October and it’ll be coats and scarves at the ready, unless we’re lucky.’

  ‘Yes, okay. Shall I make us a drink to take up there?’

  ‘I’ll open a bottle of wine. You serve up and I’ll see to the drinks and carry everything up top.’

  ‘All right.’

  They sat on bench seats by the boat rail and tucked into the meal while watching ducks dip in and out of the reeds at the water’s edge. The canal had opened out here and wildlife flourished. Birds flew down to catch insects that hovered over the thistles and sedge on the banks, and a somnolent, leisurely atmosphere pervaded overall. Ellie leaned back and relaxed, watching nature at its best.

  ‘This is delicious,’ James said, savouring the different flavours of the risotto. ‘When you said you liked cooking, I didn’t know you could throw a few ingredients together and make something like this. It’s mouthwatering.’

  ‘I’m glad you think so.’

  He poured wine, chilled from the fridge, and they clinked glasses together in a toast. ‘Good health and good times,’ James said.

  Ellie echoed the toast. ‘Yes, let’s hope for those,’ she said, sipping the wine and feeling its soothing coolness slide down her throat. ‘I wonder what sort of times lie ahead. You have your future mapped out for you, I expect, as it has been through the generations. And at least I have my hospital career to rely on.’

  He was preoccupied for a moment, thinking about that, and then he said quietly, ‘Have you heard anything from your TV producer?’

  She shook her head. ‘No. But all this is bound to affect my future there. He was planning to go ahead with a new se
ries, but I dare say this will have put a spoke in that idea. He won’t want a disreputable doctor presenting the programmes.’

  ‘Surely most people will realise that you were still a teenager back then? If they knew something of your background they would understand why you behaved as you did.’ He watched the variety of expressions flit across her face. ‘Perhaps it’s time to bring all of that out into the open—talk about how you felt lost and alone, and this was your way of expressing all your teenage angst. You rebelled against the system and against the adults who had let you down. Why would people hold that against you?’

  ‘I don’t know. But someone obviously wanted it shouted to all and sundry. They must have known it would ruin my career in television.’ She frowned and sipped more wine, then looked at him pensively. ‘You’re being very understanding about all this. I would have thought that with your background and everything, with your father being a stickler for the right way of going about things, you might disapprove of me.’

  ‘I’m not my father.’

  ‘No.’ But she knew there would never be any place for her in his life. Throughout their long history, his family had been proud, deeply traditional, and conservative in outlook. They would never countenance accepting a notorious individual into their midst.

  That thought had dropped into her mind without any warning. When had it happened that she’d started to yearn for more than a casual relationship, for something meaningful and secure?

  James topped up her wineglass and ate the last of his risotto. ‘Anyway, I feel that we’re partly to blame for what happened to you and your family and I can understand why Noah felt so strongly.’

  ‘He said he regrets what he did. I don’t think he realised until now how devastating it can be to come across things that have been written about you and spread out in the papers for all to see.’

  ‘I know. He apologised to me this morning, and asked me to pass on his regrets to my father. He said he’s going to write to him.’

  ‘Will it make a difference to your father?’

  ‘Possibly. He certainly feels some responsibility for your father’s troubles since he discovered that he had been ill.’

  They started on their desserts and waved to a passing canal-boat crew, though Ellie turned her head a little and let her hair draw a curtain over her features to stop her from being recognised.

  ‘Why am I doing this?’ she said in exasperation when the boat had travelled into the distance. ‘I can’t hide for ever, can I? Sooner or later I’m going to have to face up to things, and the public.’

  ‘There’s time enough to work out how to do that,’ James said. ‘Just take it easy for now. You’ve been through a traumatic time today, and you need to come to terms with it in your own mind before you take on the world again. I’m sure we’ll think of something.’

  She smiled, letting her gaze wander over his face and explore his perfect features. She wasn’t alone. He was by her side, and he would help her to get through this. It made her stronger, simply knowing that.

  The following day they travelled further along the canal, negotiating a series of locks along the way. Each time James jumped onto the towpath and turned the key to open the sluice, while Ellie helped pull the lock gates into position to allow them through to continue their journey.

  ‘I can see why people take to this way of life,’ she said that evening as they ate supper on the deck in the moonlight. ‘There’s no hurrying, no rush to do anything. You have to take your time, and after a while, without realising it’s happened, you find the tranquillity has seeped into your bones.’

  ‘It’s certainly a good antidote to working in A and E,’ James said with a smile. ‘I’m glad you’ve taken to it. You definitely seem more relaxed now, more at ease with everything.’

  ‘It’s been perfect. I hadn’t realised how much I needed to get away—to get right away—from everything and everyone. I feel so much better now, ready to face up to things.’

  ‘That’s what I was hoping for.’ James took a long swallow of his chilled lager and offered to top up her wineglass with what was left in the bottle cooling on ice.

  ‘Thanks.’ She was in a dreamy, hazy state of bliss, at peace with herself for the first time in ages. ‘And thank you for all this, James. It’s been a great experience.’ It had been wonderful just to be with him and she wanted this time to go on and on and never end.

  She drained her glass and reluctantly got to her feet. ‘It’s late,’ she said. ‘I should go to bed. I’m wiped out—in a good way.’ She didn’t want to leave him but she was afraid to start something that might get out of hand. She cared deeply for him, was falling in love with him, but she was desperately afraid of being hurt.

  ‘Goodnight, Ellie.’

  She couldn’t be sure, in the shadows cast by the silver light of the moon, but it seemed there was a yearning, regretful glimmer in the depths of his smoke-dark eyes.

  She felt the same aching need for him as she lay restlessly on her bed, all too conscious of him in the next berth. The air was warm, and heavy with an electric tension, a vibrant, throbbing sense of unfulfilled, heady desire.

  In the morning she woke up after hearing a knock on the door and some words that she couldn’t make out through the drowsy mist of sleep. She stretched lazily, feeling slightly disorientated and with her head filled with remnants of dreams. They had been good dreams that in her semi-conscious state made her feel upbeat, as though the world was her oyster.

  Some time later she became aware of the appetising smell of frying bacon, and James was knocking on the partition door once again, saying, ‘Wake up, sleepyhead. Your breakfast is ready. You need to get yourself in here now.’

  She scrambled out of bed and hurried to splash water on her face and wake herself up. Then she threw on a short silk robe that she’d had the presence of mind to bundle into her holdall, and went in search of that wonderful smell.

  ‘Ah, there you are.’ James must have caught sight of her out of the corner of his eye as he lifted a frying pan from the hob. ‘I was thinking I’d have to come and haul you out of bed.’

  Then he looked at her properly and suddenly became still, an arrested expression in his eyes and in the silent whistle that hovered on his lips. He put down the pan he was holding. ‘On second thoughts, it’s just as well I didn’t come to get you.’ His gaze shimmered over her, lingering on the silk that clung to her curves, before drifting down along her bare legs to her carefully painted toenails. ‘That way, we’d never have got around to breakfast.’

  She laughed, and looked at the preparations he’d made. The table was set with cutlery, a rack of toast and a covered teapot alongside two cups. ‘Is there anything I can do to help?’

  ‘Uh, yeah, maybe you could cover yourself with a sack and then I might be able to concentrate better.’

  She chuckled, leaning negligently against the doorjamb. He looked pretty good himself, tall and flat stomached, strong and capable, a feast for her senses first thing in the morning. ‘Is something disturbing you?’ she enquired teasingly.

  ‘Oh, yes, I’d say so. A slinky, sensual, gorgeous creature with curves in all the right places and a mane of hair that is sinfully sexy.’ He shook his head as though freeing himself of a troublesome image and began to absently dish out golden-centred fried eggs, sliding them onto plates that had been warmed in the oven.

  Then he gave up the fight with his willpower and left everything where it was, and came over to her. ‘What the heck. I’m just a man and you’re a temptress beyond imagining. What am I to do, Ellie?’

  ‘Hmm...let’s see. You could kiss me,’ she said huskily. ‘Do you think that would solve your problem?’

  ‘I think it might go a long way.’ He didn’t need a second bidding. He took her into his arms and his whole body seemed to quiver with pent-up need, so much so that
for a fleeting second or two she wondered if she should have thought this through. She could be taking on a whole lot more than she could handle.

  Then his mouth crushed hers in a kiss that heated her blood and turned her whole body to flame, while his hands drew her up against his firm body and pressured her soft curves until it felt as though they had meshed together as one.

  ‘I need you, Ellie,’ he said raggedly. ‘I want you so much.’

  His hands sought out the smooth arc of her hips and swept upwards, seeking out the soft swell of her breasts. He cupped her gently, caressing her with exquisite expertise, bringing a low moan of contentment to her lips. His thumbs made a light, circling motion, tantalising her with sweet forays into the pleasure zone,and rousing her until she trembled with desire.

  She ran her hands over him, memorising every flat plane and velvet-covered muscle, wanting to lay her cheek against him and feel the thunderous beat of his heart.

  He kissed her again, a glorious, passionate, seeking kiss, and she responded wholeheartedly, her lips parting beneath his so that she could savour his sweet, warm possession.

  Then, like the dash of a sudden, cold shower, a hooter sounded, long and loud, and they broke apart, looking about them in time to see another canal boat gliding past.

  Ellie was breathing deeply, trying to get over the shock of the sudden separation, and James simply stared into space for a moment, caught in a strange kind of limbo.

  He braced himself and exhaled slowly. ‘Ellie...’

  ‘Perhaps it’s just as well we were disturbed,’ she said. The dreamy haze was rapidly clearing from her mind and she was coming to see that getting close to him had been a big mistake. ‘I should never have started that. It was wrong of me. Can we put it down to some sort of temporary lack of judgement?’