The Ultimate Risk. Chantelle Shaw

with a feverish passion that had thrilled her, and caressed her with gentle, probing fingers until she had been so aroused that when he had finally entered her there had been no discomfort, just a wonderful sense of completeness—as if she had been waiting all her life for this moment and this man.

      The bathwater had cooled, and Gina shivered as she sat up abruptly and reached for a towel. She had not only give Lanzo her virginity that day, she had given him her heart—naïvely not realising that for him sex was simply a pleasurable experience that meant nothing to him. Now she was older and wiser, and she understood that desire and love were not inextricably entwined.

      She would not be so careless with her heart again, she thought as she stared at her smudged reflection in the steamed-up mirror. In fact, since her marriage to Simon had proved to be such a mistake, she had lost all confidence in her judgement and wondered if she would ever fall in love again.

      But she was not an over-awed eighteen-year-old with a head full of unrealistic expectations, she reminded herself. She knew Lanzo had desired her tonight, and she could not deny her fierce attraction to him. She could not allow her experiences with Simon to ruin the rest of her life, and perhaps a passionate fling with a drop-dead sexy playboy was just what she needed to restore her self-confidence after her divorce? she mused.

      But much later that night, when sleep still eluded her, she acknowledged that only a fool played with fire and did not expect to get burned.

      CHAPTER THREE

      THE Queen of the East was a sixty-metre-long luxury yacht owned by a wealthy Arab sheikh, and was currently moored in St Peter Port off the island of Guernsey. The yacht was certainly impressive, Lanzo thought as he steered his powerboat alongside, shrugged out of his waterproof jacket and prepared to climb aboard.

      ‘I’m glad you could make it, my friend,’ Sheikh Rashid bin Zayad Hussain greeted him. ‘Your business call was successful, I hope?’

      ‘Yes, thank you. But I apologise once again for my lateness,’ Lanzo murmured, accepting a glass of champagne from a waiter and glancing around at the other guests who were milling about the yacht’s breathtakingly opulent salon. ‘The refit is superb, Rashid.’

      ‘I admit I am impressed with the quality of workmanship and attention to detail by Nautica World. The company is small, but Richard Melton has certainly delivered. That is him over there.’ The Sheikh dipped his head slightly. ‘A pleasant fellow—married with two small children, I believe. He has built his company up from nothing, which is no mean feat in these economic times.’

      Lanzo followed the Sheikh’s gaze and stiffened with shock. He had been unable to dismiss Gina from his mind for the past twenty-four hours, which had made a mockery of his decision not to contact her again. He desired her, but it was more than that. He was intrigued by her, and curious to discover why she was so different from the girl he had once known.

      ‘Is the woman with Melton his wife?’ he demanded tersely.

      ‘The beautiful brunette in the white dress?’ Sheikh Hussain looked over at the Englishman, whose hand was resting lightly on his female companion’s slender waist. ‘No. He simply introduced her as a friend when they came on board. I have met Mrs Melton once, and I understand that she is expecting another child.’ To the Sheikh’s mind there was only one explanation as to the identity of the mystery woman. ‘It would seem that Richard Melton’s good taste extends to his choice of mistress,’ he murmured.

      Lanzo’s jaw hardened as he stared at Gina and her male companion. Last night he had puzzled over why she had seemed so wary of him, and had felt concerned that she had been hurt by an event or a person in her past. But now, as he noted her designer dress and the exquisite pearl necklace around her throat, he was sure he had imagined the air of mystery about her, and cynically wondered if she rejected him in favour of a married lover.

      ‘So, what do you think of the yacht?’

      Gina glanced at her brother-in-law and grimaced. ‘It’s stunning, but a bit over the top for my liking,’ she replied honestly. ‘There’s a lot of gold. Do you know that even the taps in the bathroom are gold-plated? Well, of course you know—your company was responsible for the refit. I suppose the important thing is that Sheikh Hussain likes it.’

      Richard grinned. ‘He loves it—which is why he’s throwing a party to show it off. Even better, several of his friends here tonight also own yachts and are interested in having them refitted, which is good news for Nautica World.’ He paused. ‘Thanks for accompanying me tonight, Gina. The party is a fantastic opportunity to drum up new business. Usually Sarah comes with me, but she’s finding the last few weeks of this pregnancy exhausting, and I know she was grateful you agreed to take her place.’

      ‘I’m happy to help,’ Gina said easily. Her smile faded as she thought of her stepsister. ‘Sarah does seem a bit fed up—but I suppose three pregnancies in four years is a lot to cope with.’

      ‘To be perfectly honest, this last baby was a bit of a mistake,’ Richard admitted ruefully. ‘I only have to look at Sarah and she falls pregnant,’ he joked.

      Lucky Sarah, Gina thought wistfully. Her stepsister had no idea what it was like to be unable to conceive, to have your hopes dashed every month, and to feel a pang of longing every time you saw a newborn baby.

      She knew her family would have been surprised to learn that she and Simon had tried for over a year to have a child. ‘Oh, Gina is a career woman,’ they’d explained, whenever the question of babies was mentioned by other relatives. She had never spoken about her infertility; she felt enough of a failure as it was, without her family’s well meaning sympathy. And so now she smiled at her brother-in-law and bit back the comment that she would give anything to be happily married with two adorable children and a third on the way.

      Richard glanced across the salon. ‘You see that man over there?’ he murmured. ‘He’s one of Sheikh Hussain’s cousins, and he owns a forty-foot motor cruiser. I think I’ll go and have a chat with him.’

      Gina laughed. ‘I hope you can convince him that he needs Nautica World’s services.’ She was very fond of her brother-in-law. Richard worked hard, and certainly deserved to be successful.

      ‘You look stunning tonight, cara.’

      The familiar, sexy drawl caused Gina to spin round, and her heart missed a beat when her eyes clashed with Lanzo’s glinting green gaze. Once again his appearance had taken her by surprise, and she had no time to disguise her reaction to him, colour flaring in her cheeks as she acknowledged how incredibly handsome he looked in a black dinner jacket and a snowy white shirt that contrasted with his darkly tanned skin.

      ‘If I’m not mistaken, your dress is a couture creation. Business must be booming if your boyfriend can afford to buy you pearls and designer clothes, as well as supporting his children and a pregnant wife,’ he drawled.

      Gina stared at him, puzzled by his words and the flare of contempt in his eyes. ‘I don’t have a boyfriend—married or otherwise,’ she told him shortly.

      ‘You’re saying that you are not Richard Melton’s mistress?’

      Shock rendered her speechless for twenty seconds. ‘No! I mean, yes. That’s exactly what I’m saying.’ Twin spots of angry colour flared on Gina’s cheeks. ‘Of course I’m not Richard’s mistress.’ Her fingers strayed unwittingly to the rope of perfect white pearls around her neck. ‘Why on earth would you think that?’

      Lanzo’s eyes narrowed. ‘Sheikh Hussain has met Melton’s wife. Why else would he parade you on his arm if you are not lovers?’

      ‘He’s my brother-in-law,’ she explained angrily. ‘Richard is married to my stepsister. Sarah is expecting a baby in a few weeks, and she was too tired to attend the party tonight, so I came with Richard instead.’

      She thought of all the newspaper stories she had read over the years about Lanzo’s numerous affairs with glamorous mistresses. The Sheikh was