The Complete Red-Hot Collection. Kelly Hunter

not a jaded cynic,’ Willa said. ‘Or you wouldn’t care so deeply.’

      Kate felt a little prickle of tears—and that just underscored how wrung-out she was, because she never let her emotions show in public. She blinked the tears away, smiling determinedly.

      ‘Whatever I am, I sure need this!’ she said, picking up her glass and half draining it. ‘And now—a fun topic of conversation, please.’

      Amy laughed. ‘Well, you’re just in time to hear Willa tell us about her most romantic moment with Rob. Will that do?’

      ‘That will do very, very nicely!’ Kate said. ‘But first…’ She drained the rest of her Manhattan and signalled to a passing server for another round of drinks for all four of them. ‘Better! Okay, Willa darling, spill it!’

      ‘I’m not sure you guys will think it’s romantic, but…oh, God, it is!’

      ‘Don’t make us beg!’ Amy said.

      ‘Well… Rob recommended me to a chief financial officer…’

      ‘And…?’ Amy urged.

      ‘For a vitamin distribution company.’

      ‘And…?’ Jessica prompted.

      Willa sucked her mojito through a straw. ‘Rob told him I was super-bright!’

      ‘And so you are, my darling,’ Kate said.

      ‘And…and brilliant!’

      ‘Nice,’ Jessica added.

      ‘And that I knew about foreign-owned entities, so maybe I could help find a creative solution to a problem the company was having.’

      Kate laughed. ‘Okaaaay… That’s not exactly floating my boat just yet, but I’m hoping something juicy is coming up.’

      Willa beamed around at them, glowing with love. ‘The CFO said they’d had a dozen accountants try to find a solution and fail. He said Rob had assured him I would be able to help. And I did! And I got paid!’ She sighed, all satisfaction, and sucked up another mouthful of mojito. ‘Isn’t that romantic?’

      Kate, Amy and Jessica stared at her, and then Amy burst out laughing.

      One by one the others started laughing too.

      ‘Hey, it’s not funny,’ Willa protested, but she had a smile lurking too.

      Jessica said, ‘Well, it’s not exactly rose petals strewn over the bedcovers.’

      Amy looked at Jessica. ‘Seriously? That’s your romantic fantasy? I would never have picked it, Miss I-can-play-basketball-and-change-a-car-tyre-when-the-game’s-over.’

      ‘Well, I can change a car tyre,’ Jessica said. ‘But I’d like a rose-petal-strewn-bed for afterwards. With candlelight. And being hand-fed ripe strawberries in the midst of it all. Lovely.’ She raised her eyebrows at Amy. ‘Why? What’s yours, Miss Personality-plus?’

      ‘Easy. A defender,’ Amy said definitely. ‘Someone who will ride in like a medieval knight on a destrier, catch me up and save me from…from…’ She stopped, smiled a little sheepishly. ‘Well, from danger,’ she finished, then sighed. ‘That’s romance.’

      All three looked expectantly at Kate.

      ‘Oh, no,’ she said.

      ‘Come on,’ Amy begged.

      Jessica sniggered. ‘I’ll bet it has something to do with Big Burt the handy vibrator.’

      Kate felt herself blush—and then blushed harder when three jaws dropped simultaneously as the girls took in her colour change.

      ‘No way!’ Amy said.

      ‘Not…not exactly,’ Kate said, and then she threw in the metaphorical towel. ‘Okay, you asked for it. It does happen to involve Burt. Not Big Burt, but his namesake. Burt Lancaster. And Deborah Kerr. And, no, Jessica, that does not mean I want to be in a three-way with Burt and Deborah, who are, in fact, both deceased. And, no, I never wanted to have sex with Burt Lancaster when he was alive either.’

      ‘So what does it mean?’

      ‘It means—Oh, dear, this is kind of embarrassing! Okay, it’s all about my obsession with From Here to Eternity, which I really need to outgrow. And you have got to watch that movie, Jessica! It should be mandatory viewing for all women.’

      ‘Okay—it’s on the download list!’ Jessica said promptly.

      Kate ran a finger around the rim of her empty glass. ‘When you get to the scene at the beach their passion is just so…so strong… And there’s nothing they can do about it except acknowledge it and know that it’s going to happen. They’ve been swimming, and they’re at the shore, and she’s lying on the sand, and then he’s there with her, and she’s in his arms. And he’s kissing her like he can’t help himself, with the waves breaking over them… And when she runs for drier ground he follows her, and drops to his knees, and basically…basically falls on her—like he’s so damned hungry for everything about her… Well, whew!’ She waved a hand in front of her heated face. ‘That is some scene.’

      Jessica was, likewise, fanning herself. ‘It beats Willa’s chief financial officer and my rose petals, that’s for sure. And it gives Amy’s destrier a nudge too.’

      Kate laughed. ‘Well, suffice to say if a man kisses me like that in the surf I’m his. From here to eternity.’

      There was a moment of respectful silence.

      And then Willa smiled. ‘There’s one thing I need to add to my own account,’ she said, all smug. ‘When Rob spoke to that vitamin-company CFO he said…’ Pause. Blink. ‘He said…’ She paused again, went all dreamy-eyed. ‘He said he’d trust me with his life.’

      ‘Oh…’ said Amy.

      ‘Oh…’ said Jessica.

      ‘Oh,’ said Kate. Deep breath. ‘In that case, you win.’

      Willa was glowing. ‘Yes, I do, don’t I?’ she asked, delighted.

      ‘I wonder what Chantal would say?’ Amy mused. ‘About her most romantic moment, I mean.’

      Willa pondered that, eyes half closed. ‘It would be something to do with dancing. The romance of swaying against a man, having him hold you close, showing you just by the way he looked at you that you were his…’

      Four sighs as their fresh round of drinks was deposited—and then four dreamy sips.

      ‘So Chantal’s in your camp, Willa. She’s already had her moment,’ Amy said. ‘With Brodie, I mean, at Weeping Reef. Because that’s what happened, right? The dance, the look that everyone could see?’

      ‘It was sizzling,’ Willa said.

      Amy drained her glass. ‘No wonder poor Scott got bent out of shape.’

      Kate felt the blood drain from her face. What? What? ‘Scott?’ she said, and thanked all the saints in heaven that her voice had come out halfway normal.

      ‘Oh, yeah—you don’t know the story,’ Willa said, sounding sad. ‘Scott and Chantal were an item at Weeping Reef. The item. Until Brodie came on the scene. Actually, they were an item even after Brodie arrived. Chantal and Brodie didn’t seem to like each other—except that they did, if you know what I mean, and just didn’t recognise it. I think I was the only one who saw what was happening. Scott certainly didn’t, and he was blindsided. Chantal was dancing with Brodie—which was no big deal. She loves dancing. Lives for it. But she could never get Scott onto the dance floor, and he never had a problem with her dancing with other men. But that night it was…more. Like a…a flash.