The Dare Collection September 2019. Stefanie London

eyes widened. ‘Do you indeed? Impressive.’

      ‘I thought so.’ Ash’s arm tightened around my waist, the muscles under my hand flexing yet again. ‘At least, she impressed the hell out of me.’

      There was an element of certainty in the words that made me blush like a fool. As if he was telling the truth.

      Delaney clearly saw my reaction because he smiled. ‘I can see that. So...forgive me for asking, but what are your plans together? I like to know these things,’ he added, clearly for my benefit, ‘because Evans here is wanting to buy some islands of mine that have sentimental value. I wanted them to go to someone who is family-minded. I hope you understand.’

      ‘Of course I understand.’ I gave Ash what I hoped was an adoring glance. ‘So, our plans? Well, at the moment I’m considering moving to London permanently.’

      Something I didn’t recognise glinted in Ash’s blue eyes. ‘Perhaps I want to move to Sydney, pretty thing. Did you ever think of that?’

      The use of his silly pet name in public jolted me, the teasing note in his deep voice making me blush harder, the blood flowing hotter in my veins. ‘No, I didn’t.’ I tried to pull myself together, flicking him a look from beneath my lashes. ‘But you know I don’t mind where we live as long as I’m with you.’

      His gaze flared in a way that I was becoming familiar with, his competitive instinct rousing. ‘As long as there’s a bed, right?’

      I could feel my cheeks get hot, but I wasn’t going to let him win so easily. ‘I wasn’t aware we needed a bed.’

      There were flames in his eyes now, one corner of his hard mouth curving in acknowledgement.

      Delaney cleared his throat. ‘Well, please don’t let me interrupt,’ he said, sounding amused. ‘But I think you might be pleased to hear this news, Evans.’

      ‘What news?’ Ash didn’t look at him, his gaze on mine.

      The rest of the bar was beginning to fall away, the only thing in it the man sitting in front of me, staring at me with open hunger.

      And I could feel myself beginning to respond, the ache between my thighs intensifying.

      ‘I’m going to sell you the islands,’ Delaney said.

      ‘Good.’ The curve of Ash’s mouth deepened.

      ‘It wasn’t a hard decision in the end,’ Delaney went on. ‘Not after Dumont withdrew his offer.’

      Ash froze, the fire in his eyes dousing instantly. Then he turned his head sharply in Delaney’s direction. ‘Say that again,’ he ordered, his voice rough.

      If Delaney was surprised at the change in Ash’s mood he didn’t show it. ‘Your half-brother called me a couple of days ago to tell me he was withdrawing the offer. Mainly because he knew you were keen on the property and he wanted to clear the field for you.’ Delaney smiled. ‘He said he owed you, which is such a generous gesture given how much he wanted to purchase them as well. But I thought, well, if that’s not family-minded, what is? And given that, plus your lovely Ellie here—’ he gestured at me ‘—I don’t think I could sell the islands to a better person.’

      Ash had gone statue-still, tension gathering around him like a storm cloud. I could feel it crawling over me, too, tightening my muscles and making me catch my breath.

      And I understood. The whole reason he’d come to Dubai, with me, was to steal those islands out from under Dumont. And now Dumont had just denied him. He’d conceded the fight.

      The warrior in Ash would hate that.

      Sure enough his blue eyes blazed like gas flames in his face, his scars vivid white against his olive skin. He didn’t just look angry. He looked furious.

      But... I got the sense that something else was going on here.

      His thigh under mine was like iron so I squeezed it, wanting to give him some kind of reassurance. But he stood, a sharp, jerky motion, then without a word he turned and strode away, leaving me sitting there with Delaney, both of us staring after him in shock.

      ‘What’s happened?’ Delaney turned to me, frowning. ‘I thought he’d be pleased.’

      I shot to my feet, the urge to go after him, to find out what was wrong and whether he was okay, filling me. I should probably have stayed to smooth things over with Delaney, but I couldn’t. If Ash was a bear with a sore paw, then someone had just stomped on that paw, making him roar.

      And I didn’t like that. I didn’t like it at all.

      ‘Sorry,’ I muttered. ‘I’ll just...uh...go see what the problem is.’

      Before Delaney could speak, I picked up my emerald green skirts and rushed after Ash.

       CHAPTER SIXTEEN

       Ash

      I STRODE THROUGH the ostentatious, overblown nonsense of the hotel, paying no attention to the people scattering in my path, fury pounding in my blood, feeling absolutely fucking feral.

      I’d thought I’d won this petty little fight with Dumont. I’d thought I’d got one over on him, stolen those fucking islands out from under him, made life a little bit harder for him.

      But no, apparently not.

      Apparently he was the one who’d got one over on me. Because by simply handing those islands over to me, he’d won.

      He owed me, so Delaney had said.

      Over the years, he’d tried to pay me back the money he’d lost, but I hadn’t accepted it. Because he’d thought it was just about the money and it wasn’t. It was about the years of working hard, the long hours of all the various jobs I’d had in order to save that money. And my mother, the long hours she’d put in to earn her nest egg.

      The nest egg she’d lost because of me.

      Dumont couldn’t give me those hours back. He couldn’t give me back my mother’s broken trust, either.

       It’s not just about Dumont, though, is it? You don’t deserve any of this and you never have.

      My jaw ached, the pounding fury propelling me down another gleaming white marble corridor and up some stairs.

      No, fuck that. Of course I deserved it. I’d worked for everything I had. Fucking everything. My whole business was literally based on the blood I’d shed. My blood.

      I’d fought for it and I’d been expecting to fight for this too. Except he’d denied me. It wasn’t the money he owed me, it was the fucking battle.

      I strode down yet another corridor, not knowing where I was going. I had to walk off this rage because I wasn’t fit for any kind of polite company right now.

      The corridor was full of doors and I opened one at random, entering a lavishly appointed suite that had a huge canopied bed pushed against one wall, French doors opposite leading out to a balcony with lots of white marble fretwork.

      The parquet floor was covered with silk rugs and cushions, curtains of brightly patterned fabric billowing in the breeze coming through the open French doors. Another door led off the bedroom, probably into a bathroom.

      Obviously I’d stumbled into some of the Billionaires Club intimate suites.

      I turned around, intending to stride out again, only to come face-to-face with a flushed Ellie.

      She was standing in the doorway, one fist holding a bunch of green fabric out of the way, breathing hard, as if she’d been running to catch up with me.

      ‘What are you doing here?’ I snapped before she could speak, furious that