A splash of colour drew her eye and she glanced towards the bed, her eyes widening as she saw the beautiful silk dress laid carefully on the cover.

Faith stepped towards it, puzzled. Had Raul left this for her? And then she saw the diamond necklace, draped almost casually across the bodice, the stones sparkling and glittering like shards of ice.

She was so stunned that it took her a few moments to notice the card. Her fingers shaking, she opened the envelope and read the dark, bold scrawl: Every woman deserves to be given a silk dress and diamonds at least once in her life. Enjoy. R.

Completely out of her depth, Faith stood for a moment, her eyes on the dress. Tormented by indecision, she stepped away from the bed and then immediately stepped back again. Then she let the dressing gown slip from her shoulders, the feminine side of her completely unable to let her ignore such a gorgeous dress.

Feeling as though she was living someone else’s life, Faith fastened the dress and then tried to secure the clasp of the necklace. Strong fingers covered hers and swiftly finished the job.

Stifled by sexual awareness, she turned slowly and found herself looking into Raul’s laughing eyes.

‘So how is your day going?’ His fingers lingered at the base of her throat. ‘Do you feel properly thanked…?’

Sarah Morgan trained as a nurse, and has since worked in a variety of health-related jobs. Married to a gorgeous businessman, who still makes her knees knock, she spends most of her time trying to keep up with their two little boys, but manages to sneak off occasionally to indulge her passion for writing romance. Sarah loves outdoor life and is an enthusiastic skier and walker. Whatever she is doing, her head is always full of new characters, and she is addicted to happy endings.

Sarah also writes for Medical™ Romance!

THE VÁSQUEZ MISTRESS

BY

SARAH MORGAN

www.millsandboon.co.uk

THE VÁSQUEZ MISTRESS

CHAPTER ONE

SHE sat straight as a warrior on the horse, her hair gleaming like liquid gold under the baking Argentine sun.

When he’d first noticed her in the distance his reaction had been one of irritation, partly because the horse had been galloping hard in the ferocious heat, but mostly because he’d been seeking solitude, not company. And if there was one thing that the Argentine pampas offered in abundance it was the opportunity for solitude.

Endless grassland stretched far into the distance, the horizon so perfectly straight and flat that it might have been drawn with a ruler.

Irritation had turned to concern as horse and rider had drawn closer and he’d recognised the animal she was riding.

He felt a flash of anger towards whomever had allowed her to take that particular horse out alone and made a mental note to find the culprit. And then anger faded to slow, simmering masculine appraisal as he scanned the delicate lines of her features.

He had spent his life surrounded by exceptionally beautiful women, all of them more groomed than this girl, and yet he couldn’t drag his eyes away from her face. She was fair-skinned and delicate, her body a mouth-watering combination of slender limbs and perfect curves. It was as if she’d been created by the gods and thrown onto Earth for the simple purpose of tempting man.

Her creamy skin and flushed cheeks gave her an air of innocence and he gave a wry smile, surprised that he was even capable of recognising that particular quality given how rarely he’d met with it before.

In fact his cynicism was so deep-rooted that his first thought when he’d noticed her on the horizon had been to assume that she’d somehow tracked him down and followed him. But he’d dismissed that possibility instantly, knowing that her presence could only be coincidence.

A happy coincidence, he thought idly, his eyes resting on her soft mouth. A very happy coincidence indeed.

The horse flattened his ears, arched his back and gave a ferocious buck that should have unseated her.

Faith gritted her teeth and managed to stay glued to the saddle. ‘You really are in a horrible mood today, Fuego. It’s no wonder everyone is afraid of you,’ she muttered. ‘I’m not falling off here. We’re miles from home. Wherever you go, I go and the sooner you realise that the better for both of us.’

The heat was stifling and she reached for her bottle of water and then froze as she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head, the breath jamming in her throat as she saw a man watching her.

She’d been concentrating so hard on not falling off the horse, that she hadn’t noticed him.

But she noticed him now.

He was the most staggeringly handsome man she’d ever met and since she’d arrived in Argentina, she’d met quite a few. His body was lean and hard, his shoulders broad and powerful but what really disrupted the steady rhythm of her heart was the sheer raw sexuality that surrounded him like a forcefield.

‘You’re staring, signorina.’ His deep, male voice trickled through her veins like a drug and her limbs weakened.

Her horse, sensing a lack of concentration on her part, chose that moment to give another determined buck and Faith flew into the air and landed on her bottom in the dust.

‘For crying out loud!’ Pain shot through her and she sat for a moment, working out whether anything was broken. ‘That horse needs a psychiatrist.’

A pair of strong male hands closed around her waist and lifted her easily to her feet. ‘He needs a male rider.’ His eyes blazed fiercely into hers and she felt her heart stumble and trip.

‘There’s nothing wrong with my riding. It’s your fault for jumping out on me with no warning…’ Her voice tailed off because the sudden narrowing of his beautiful, sexy eyes drove all thoughts from her head.

‘I assumed you’d seen me. The Argentine grassland hardly offers a large number of hiding places.’

‘I was concentrating on my horse.’

‘You were riding too fast.’

‘Tell that to the horse, not me. I suppose that’s why they called him Fuego—my Spanish isn’t great, but I know it means “fire”.’ Faith dragged her gaze away from his handsome face in the hope that not looking at him might help her slow the crazy beating of her heart. ‘I didn’t choose the pace. With that particular horse, you always get more than you bargain for.’ What was the matter with her? She felt light- headed and dizzy and her body felt alarmingly lethargic.

It was the heat, she told herself quickly. Just the relentless, baking heat that turned the entire landscape into a throbbing, sultry outdoor sauna.

‘You are staying at the Estancia La Lucia?’ He glanced behind him even though the elegant colonial house was over an hour away. ‘You shouldn’t be riding alone. What happened to the rest of your party? You should have a groom with you.’

‘Oh, please.’ Baking hot from the relentless sunshine and aching from her fall, Faith shot him a warning look. ‘I’m just not in the mood for all that macho Argentine-man thing. Not right now.’

He lifted an eyebrow in silent mockery. ‘Argentine-man thing?’

‘You know what I mean.’ She rubbed at the dirt on her breeches. ‘The mega-macho approach. The “sling a woman over your shoulder” method of communication.’

‘Interesting description.’ His eyes laughed into hers. ‘This is South America, cariño. Men know how to be men.’

‘I’d noticed. Ever since I stepped off the aeroplane I’ve been surrounded by so much testosterone that it’s driving me mad.’

‘Welcome to Argentina.’ There was gentle mockery in his sexy, accented drawl and suddenly she felt impossibly awkward and shy and her reaction to him infuriated her because she’d always thought of herself as a confident person.

‘Do you work here?’

His hesitation was so brief she decided that she must have imagined it. ‘Yes.’

‘Lucky you.’ She assumed he must be one of the gauchos, the cowboys who worked with the nine-hundred head of cattle that grazed this land. Dragging her eyes away from his, she wondered why this particular man was having such an effect on her. Yes, he was good-looking but so were many of the men she’d met since she’d arrived in South America.

But there was something about him…

‘Your English is amazing.’

‘That’s because I sometimes talk to women before I throw them over my shoulder.’ He studied her for a long disturbing moment, a powerful, confident male totally at home in his surroundings. Then his gaze dropped to her mouth and lingered there, as if he were making up his mind about something. The heat went from oppressive to unbearable and the chemistry between them was so shockingly intense that she actually felt herself sway towards him in anticipation.

She desperately wanted him to kiss her and the strength of that need shocked her because she’d been pushing men away since the day she’d arrived at Buenos Aires. She was here to work, study and learn, not to meet a man. But suddenly her lips were tingling with anticipation and she found herself trapped by the lazy, knowing expression in his dangerously attractive eyes. It was as if he was savouring the moment and she knew that he’d read her thoughts. Her sense of anticipation exploded into an all-consuming sexual excitement that she’d never before experienced.

She waited breathlessly, knowing that she was poised on the brink of something wickedly exciting and sensing that this man was going to change her life for ever.

But instead of kissing her he gave a slow, expressive smile and turned his attention to her horse. ‘Your horse needs a drink.’

Released from the force of his gaze, Faith felt her entire body go limp and her face flood with colour. ‘My horse needs a lot of things.’

What had happened just then?

Had she imagined the connection between them? Had it all been in her head?

Her eyes slid to his broad shoulders and the long, lean length of his strong legs as he led her horse to the river.

No, she hadn’t imagined it. But this was no teenage boy eager for a quick grope and instant satisfaction; she was dealing with someone else entirely. He was all man, from the glossy black hair and darkened jaw to the powerful muscle that hardened his unmistakably male physique. He was cool, sophisticated and experienced and her stomach curled inside her because he carried himself with such confidence and she knew, she just knew, that he was playing with her.

Feeling as though the temperature had just shot up by a hundred degrees, Faith glared at his broad back and then bit her lip, wishing she could get rid of the agonising sizzle that was burning inside her.

Angry with herself and with him, she lifted her chin and strolled towards him, determined not to let him see how much he’d affected her.

‘I need to be getting back.’ She took Fuego’s reins and vaulted into the saddle, taking some satisfaction from the way the man’s eyes lingered on her slim thighs.

She hadn’t imagined the chemistry. The searing attraction was’nt all on her side.

‘Wait.’ He closed a hand over Fuego’s reins, preventing the horse from moving. ‘You say that you work at the estancia. In what capacity? Do you work in the guest quarters?’

‘You’re showing your prejudices again.’ Agonisingly aware of him, she rubbed a hand over the horse’s neck to focus herself. ‘All the Argentine men I’ve met so far seem to think that a woman’s place is in the—’ She stopped herself just in time, but he lifted an eyebrow, his eyes gleaming with wicked humour.

‘You were saying? We Argentine men think a woman’s place is in the…?’

He was so desperately attractive that for a moment she couldn’t speak and she certainly didn’t want to finish her sentence. It would draw the conversation towards an extremely dangerous area that she knew was best avoided. ‘Kitchen,’ she said lamely. ‘Kitchen.’

His smile deepened. ‘Kitchen? If that’s what you think then you obviously haven’t yet deciphered the workings of the average male mind here in South America.’

That smile connected straight to her nerve endings and she was infuriated with herself for being so susceptible to his charm and masculinity.

‘The average male mind is of absolutely no interest to me,’ she said sweetly, ‘unless the mind belongs to a horse.’

‘Is that what brought you to Argentina? Our horses?’

Faith glanced around her, at the endless sweep of grassland that surrounded them. ‘I came because I read about Raul Vásquez.’

The man stilled. ‘You travelled thousands of miles to meet Raul Vásquez?’ There was a coolness to his tone that had been absent before. ‘You are hoping to catch yourself a billionaire, perhaps?’

Faith gazed at him in astonishment and then burst out laughing. ‘No, of course not. Don’t be ridiculous. Billionaire polo-patrons aren’t exactly my style, and anyway, I’ve never even met the man. He’s off in the States at the moment, negotiating some high-flying deal or other and he employs thousands of people. I don’t expect our paths are ever going to cross.’

He studied her with disturbing intensity. ‘And that would disappoint you?’

‘You misunderstand me. I’m not interested in the man, but I am interested in his polo estancia. That’s why I’m here. Raul Vásquez breeds horses and trains them and his vet facilities are the best in the world. I read a paper in a journal written by Eduardo, his chief vet. I contacted him. Landing a job here is my dream come true.’

‘Eduardo employed you?’ That statement was greeted by incredulous silence. ‘You’re a vet?’

‘Yes, I’m a vet.’ Watching the frank astonishment in his eyes, Faith gritted her teeth. ‘Welcome to the twenty-first century. Women do become vets, you know. Some of us can even walk and talk at the same time, although news of that accomplishment clearly hasn’t yet reached South America.’

‘I’m aware that some women become vets,’ he said smoothly, ‘But this is a busy, commercial stud-farm, not some small-animal practice in the city.’

‘I wasn’t interested in a small-animal practice. For me it’s always been about horses.’

His gaze slid to her arms and lingered. ‘I don’t doubt your commitment or your enthusiasm, but sometimes physical strength is required, especially out here in the pampas where we deal with powerful stallions and hormonal mares.’

Her heart rate suddenly doubled. ‘Here we go again. You think it’s all about muscle, aggression and domination, but what you need to realise is that there’s more to horsemanship than brute strength. And Raul Vásquez understands that. He has some revolutionary training methods.’

‘I’m fully aware of his training methods. Answer me one question…’ His tone was soft and deadly and his gaze returned to her face. ‘Who was in charge when you were galloping across the pampas with the wind in your hair? You or the horse?’

‘Oh, the horse,’ Faith admitted, her eyes sparkling with humour. ‘But brute force wouldn’t have changed that fact.’

‘He needs to be ridden by a man. A man with sufficient skill and strength to control him.’

Faith came back at him instantly. ‘He needs to be understood. If you want to change behaviour, then you have to first try and understand the reason behind that behaviour. Horses do things for a reason, just like humans.’

She’d spent her life studying and all her spare time around horses. No man had ever captured her attention.

Until now.

His confidence and sophistication tied her in knots and she felt horribly self-conscious and more than a little confused by her own reaction.

She would never in a million years have described herself as shy, but suddenly she was agonisingly aware of her own naivety when it came to men like him.

‘I’d better be going. I have to ride back and…’ Her voice tailed off and she wondered whether he was going to stop her.

But he didn’t.

He let his hand drop from Fuego’s bridle and stepped away. ‘Ride carefully,’ he said softly and she gave a puzzled smile because she’d been so, so sure that he was going to stop her or at least suggest that they meet again.

And she’d wanted him to.

She’d really wanted him to.

The Vásquez Polo Cup was an important annual part of the Argentine polo circuit and it was the most glittering, glamorous affair Faith had ever attended.

She was only there in her official capacity as a vet of course, but she couldn’t help glancing towards the spectators who were gathering in the stands. ‘How come the women are all so stunning?’ she wondered out loud. ‘And how do they achieve such straight hair? In this heat my hair just curls.’

‘You are looking at the elite of Buenos Aires,’ Eduardo replied, breaking off to shout instructions to one of the grooms before turning his attention back to Faith. ‘They would have spent the whole of the day preparing in the hope that they catch the boss’s eye.’

‘The boss?’ Faith glanced around her. ‘Raul Vásquez? He’s playing today isn’t he? Is he here?’

‘Not yet.’

‘But the game is due to start in five minutes.’ She couldn’t take her eyes off the women in the stands, her attention caught by the glint of diamonds against designer silk. They were like a flock of exotic birds. ‘They’re very dressed up considering they’re spending their afternoon around horses.’

‘This is polo,’ Eduardo drawled. ‘The most glamorous game in the world. Everyone dresses up.’

The men thundered onto the field on lithe, agile horses and Faith tried not to be overwhelmed by the sheer glamour of the spectacle.

She’d just stooped to examine a horse’s fetlock when she heard the noise of a helicopter in the air.

‘Here he comes,’ Eduardo murmured, glancing upwards and narrowing his eyes against the glare of the sun. ‘Match starts in two minutes. He’s cutting it fine as usual.’

Faith was too busy with the pony to pay any attention to the helicopter landing. ‘He isn’t fit.’

Eduardo frowned. ‘He’s the fittest man I’ve ever met.’

‘Not the boss, this pony!’ Faith stared at him in exasperation. ‘Does everyone here only think about Raul Vásquez?’

There was a sudden roar from the crowd and Faith realised that the game had started. She glanced over her shoulder, watching as horses and riders thundered down the pitch.

Before arriving in Argentina she’d never been to a polo match and the speed and danger of the game still left her breathless.

She turned to one of the grooms. ‘Which one is Raul Vásquez?’

‘The one taking all the risks,’ he muttered and Faith’s eyes narrowed as she turned her attention to the game.

From this distance it was impossible to distinguish anyone’s features under the protective helmet, but one man stood out from all the others. Lithe and muscular, he controlled his horse with one hand while he leaned out of the saddle to hook the ball, apparently indifferent to the danger inherent in such a manoeuvre.

Watching in disbelief, Faith braced herself for him to crash to the ground with disastrous consequences. He had to fall, surely? But with a mixture of sheer muscle-strength and athleticism, he stayed with the horse, swung his mallet with lethal accuracy and hit the ball through the posts.

The crowd erupted in ecstasy and Faith suddenly realised that she’d been holding her breath.

‘The tension of this game is unbelievable,’ she muttered and the groom grinned at her.

‘It is very aggressive, yes. But the horses love it.’

Turning her attention back to her job, Faith worked her way down the pony lines, checking each animal and talking to the grooms, and at half time one of the grooms tapped her on the shoulder. ‘Time to stomp the divets. It’s tradition. Everyone joins in.’

Spectators and players strolled onto the pitch and started treading in the lumps of turf that had been dislodged by the horses’ hooves. It was a social occasion, with much laughter and conversation, a chance for the audience to mingle with the players.

Faith stretched out her foot to push down a lump of grass but a large black boot was there before her and she glanced up into the laughing eyes of the man she’d been watching on the polo field.

Raul Vásquez.

The man from the river.

For a moment she just stared. Then she swallowed and her tongue seemed to tie itself into knots. ‘I didn’t know. You didn’t introduce yourself.’

‘I didn’t want to,’ he drawled softly and hot colour flooded her cheeks because he was just so, so attractive and although they were surrounded by beautiful, glamorous women, he was looking at her.

‘You should have told me who you were!’

‘Why? You might have behaved differently and I wouldn’t have wanted that.’ His smile was sexy, distracting and impossibly intimate.

‘How did I behave?’

He stamped down another piece of turf and his leg brushed against hers in a deliberate movement. ‘You were delightfully natural.’

She glanced around her at the poise and confidence of the women around her. ‘You mean I don’t spend all day being pampered. Why are you talking to me?’

‘Because you fascinate me.’

‘You prefer your women with no make-up and covered in dust?’

He laughed. ‘I’m interested in the person, not the package.’

‘Oh please!’ She stared up at his impossibly handsome face. ‘Are you seriously telling me that you would look twice at a woman who wasn’t stunning?’

‘No, I’m not telling you that.’ His eyes didn’t leave hers and she felt as if the air had been knocked out of her lungs.

‘You’re saying that—you’re implying that—’

‘Yes.’ His tone was amused. ‘I am. And you’re not usually short of a sharp reply. What’s the matter? Hasn’t anyone paid you a compliment before?’

The chemistry between them crackled and sizzled like a high-voltage cable and she was conscious of what seemed like hundreds of eyes looking at her. ‘Everyone is staring.’

‘And that matters because…?’

‘Well, you might be used to being the centre of attention, but I’m not.’ Not knowing what to say and frustrated with herself for being so gauche, she glared at him. ‘It doesn’t matter who you are, I still think you’re macho and sexist.’

He threw his head back and laughed. ‘You’re absolutely right, cariño. I am macho and sexist. And I want to spend some time with you. Come to the Beach House.’

The Beach House was his private residence, a beautiful architect-designed villa that faced the Atlantic coast and opened onto a perfect stretch of sand. And it was strictly out of bounds to the staff.

What exactly was he suggesting?

But one glance at his wicked dark eyes told her exactly what he was suggesting and the colour rushed into her cheeks like fire.

Unsettled by how much she wanted to say yes, Faith stepped away, conscious that all the women on the pitch were watching her enviously. How on earth was she supposed to say no to a man like him? Worried that part of her didn’t even want to say no, she spoke quickly before she could be tempted into doing something she just knew she’d regret. ‘No. But thanks.’

‘I wasn’t asking you a question.’

She was suddenly so aware of him that her entire body was burning inside. ‘You were giving me an order?’

His gaze was lazily amused. ‘A strongly worded request.’

She could hardly breathe. ‘I have a job to do. I’m working until ten.’

‘I’ll arrange for you to have the evening off.’

Just like that.

The power of a billionaire, Faith thought helplessly. ‘No. That wouldn’t be fair on the others.’ She was swamped with disappointment and suddenly wondered what she would have said if she hadn’t been working. Would she have gone with him? Her insides fluttered with nerves. ‘I’m afraid we’re going to have to postpone my Cinderella moment for another occasion. It’s Eduardo’s night off and we have a mare due to foal any minute. I can’t leave the yard.’

The humour died in his eyes and her words were met by a tense silence. ‘One of the mares is due to foal?’ Easy seduction was replaced by sharp efficiency. ‘Which one?’

‘Velocity.’

He inhaled sharply and ran a hand over the back of his neck. ‘If she is foaling then Eduardo should be here.’ His cool declaration punctured her bubble of happiness.

‘Well, thanks for that vote of confidence. Nice to know you trust me.’

‘It isn’t personal.’

She gave a short laugh. ‘You mean you’d feel like this about any woman?’

His eyes narrowed dangerously. ‘Velocity is my most valuable mare. This is an enormous responsibility,’ he said softly, and she lifted her chin and looked him straight in the eye.

‘I can handle responsibility. I don’t spend my days straightening my hair and applying my make-up. I’ve trained for seven years so that I can meet the responsibility head-on.’ Suddenly she felt angry and frustrated. Maybe she’d been wrong to think she could pursue her career in this part of South America. It was an uphill battle to get anyone to take her seriously. ‘I can handle the work. What I can’t handle is dealing with men who don’t think women are capable of having a career.’ She was so upset she was afraid she might burst into tears. And that would undermine her credibility even further. ‘If you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.’

Trying not to think about Raul Vásquez, she worked in the stables until ten. Then she went to check on the mare, Velocity, one more time before returning to her room in the staff quarters.

A single glance was sufficient for her to see that the mare was in difficulty.

The groom was in the corner of the stall, his hands shaking as he fumbled with his mobile phone. ‘I can’t get hold of Eduardo. He isn’t answering.’

‘You should have called me, not Eduardo.’ Faith dropped to her knees beside the horse. Cursing herself for relying on them to let her know how the mare was progressing, she reached for her stethoscope.

The groom was sweating. ‘You better not touch that horse. She’s the boss’s favourite mare. If anything happens to her…’ He broke off, panic in his eyes. ‘We need to get hold of Eduardo somehow. If anything happens to the animal, Raul Vásquez will hit the roof. I’ll lose my job.’

Faith gritted her teeth. None of the Argentine grooms had faith in her.

‘At the moment I don’t care about the boss’s temper or your promotion prospects, but I do care about the horse and you need to do as I tell you.’ Keeping her voice calm so it didn’t disturb the animal, Faith gave him a string of instructions but he just stood there, staring at the horse with terrified eyes.

‘If that mare dies—’

‘It will be my responsibility,’ Faith said coldly and then she sighed. ‘Oh for goodness’ sake, just get out. If you can’t work with me, fine, but I need you to find someone who can. I need help and I need it now.’

‘I will help you.’ Raul Vásquez stood in the doorway of the box and the groom shrank into the shadows, too intimidated to even defend himself.

Faith was too worried about the mare to feel intimidated. With barely a glance in his direction, she told Raul what she wanted him to do and he immediately dropped to his haunches next to the mare and spoke to her softly in Spanish.

Faith had no idea what he said but his words had an immediate effect on the frightened animal and finally she was able to concentrate, which was just as well because it was the most difficult foaling she’d ever attended.

Finally the mare heaved a sigh and the foal slipped out onto the straw.

‘Clever girl,’ Faith breathed quietly and glanced up, suddenly aware that Raul was watching her intently.

‘I think you are the clever girl,’ he murmured quietly, a thoughtful expression in his dark eyes as he scanned her face with disturbing intensity. ‘I underestimated you and for that I apologise.’

The atmosphere in the box was charged with tension and for a moment they just stared at each other. Then she suddenly realised that he was wearing a dinner jacket. ‘I’m sorry I interrupted your evening,’ she said stiffly, hating herself for caring that he’d clearly found another woman with whom to spend his evening.

It could have been her.

Remembering the sleek, beautifully groomed women who had vied for his attention during the polo match, Faith wondered which of them had caught his attention. Then she gave herself a mental shake. It could never have been her. Men as rich, successful and handsome as Raul Vásquez wanted trophy women, not career women.

Descending back to earth with a bump, she gave a tired smile. ‘Your mare is going to be fine, Raul, but I’ll stay with her tonight just to make sure. Thanks for your help. It made all the difference.’

‘You are planning to sleep in my horse’s stall?’ At some point he had undone his top button and she caught a glimpse of bronzed male skin and a hint of curling dark hair.

‘Yes.’ Faith looked away quickly. He was impossibly masculine. ‘That way if anything happens, I’ll be here.’

He frowned sharply. ‘You have been working since six this morning.’

‘I’ll take tomorrow off. I don’t want to leave until I’m sure she’s all right.’ Her attention was back on the mare and her foal. ‘You should understand that. From what I’ve heard, you’re the original workaholic.’

‘That is different.’

‘Because you’re a man and I’m a woman? Don’t start that again, Raul.’ Suddenly exhausted, she just wanted him to leave so that she could stop dreaming. ‘I won’t leave halfway through a job. And you were obviously in the middle of dinner or something, so perhaps you’d better go back to the woman in question in case she gives up on you.’

There was a long silence. ‘You hide behind your job, don’t you?’ Raul asserted. ‘Why is that?’

‘I don’t hide. But I love my job, if that’s what you’re asking.’ She glanced at him briefly and then looked away again, her heart thumping and her mind spinning fairy-tales.

‘This thing between us—’ his voice was soft ‘—it frightens you, doesn’t it?’

She was too honest to pretend she didn’t know what he was talking about. ‘Yes, it frightens me. Because it’s not real. The mere idea of you and I is—’ She waved a hand. ‘It’s crazy. I mean, we couldn’t be more different. You’re used to women who spend all day making themselves beautiful. I’m a working girl. I love my career and I definitely don’t want a relationship.’

‘If you don’t want a relationship, then you are my perfect woman,’ he drawled softly. ‘What about fun, cariño? Do you object to having fun?’

The colour poured into her cheeks. ‘Raul—’

‘Why are you blushing? When it comes to your job you are supremely confident, but whenever we are alone…’ He stroked a leisurely finger down her cheek. ‘Why is it that you are so confident with my horses and so shy with me?’

‘Blame it on the testosterone again. I’m not used to macho men.’ She tried to make a joke, but he wasn’t smiling. Instead his gaze was curiously intent.

‘You are very inexperienced, aren’t you?’

‘I’ve had boyfriends,’ she muttered defensively and a smile played around his firm mouth.

‘But what about men, cariño? Men are a whole new experience for you, isn’t that right?’

She gazed at him, her heart pounding and her mouth dry. ‘What does “cariño” mean?’

His smile widened and he strolled towards the door. ‘I’ll teach you tomorrow,’ he answered softly. ‘Along with the facts of life. Finish your job and get some rest. You’re going to need it.’

CHAPTER TWO

SHE spent the night with the mare and emerged from the box to find Raul Vásquez in conversation with Eduardo.

Raul turned his head and looked at her and the look of blatant masculine appreciation in his dark eyes made her stomach flip. ‘You are now officially off duty and you’re coming with me.’ He took her hand firmly in his, said something in Spanish to Eduardo and led her towards the helicopter pad at the far side of the polo fields.

‘I was going to bed,’ she mumbled and he flashed her a smile of such devastating charisma that for a moment she was blinded.

‘That can be arranged.’

She didn’t know whether to laugh or gasp with shock. ‘I really don’t do this sort of thing—’

‘What sort of thing?’ His eyes teased her and she glanced at the sleek lines of the black helicopter and then back over her shoulder towards the safety of the estancia.

‘I don’t fly off into the sunset with men I don’t know.’

‘You can spend your day sleeping in your room and then you can eat dinner with the grooms, if that is what you would prefer.’ He paused and his gaze drifted to her mouth. ‘Or you can have dinner with me.’

She licked her lips. ‘Where?’

‘Somewhere we can talk without disturbance.’ He opened the door of the helicopter and she scrambled inside, wondering what on earth she was doing.

This wasn’t her life.

She didn’t climb into helicopters with dangerous billionaires.

While she was wrestling with self-doubt and nerves, Raul settled himself in the seat next to her and flicked several switches with swift, confident fingers.

Faith stared at him. ‘You’re flying it?’

‘I’m a control freak,’ he confessed in a dry tone. ‘I prefer to be in the driving seat and anyway, for what I have in mind, I don’t need an audience.’

His words sent a shiver of anticipation through her body. ‘I don’t know why you’re doing this. And I don’t know why I’m doing this either.’ She licked her lips. ‘I don’t own a silk dress or diamonds.’

‘Then we’ll have to do something about that.’ He turned towards her and there was laughter in his wicked dark eyes. ‘Relax.’ His voice was surprisingly gentle. ‘You’re going to have a nice time. This is my thank-you for saving my horse and my apology for not having more faith in you. You were impressive.’

His praise was as surprising as it was welcome. ‘Your groom didn’t think so. Perhaps you could have a word with him.’

‘That won’t be necessary. He no longer works for me.’

‘You fired him?’ She was shocked. ‘Isn’t that a little extreme?’

‘You asked for his help. He didn’t give it.’

Faith felt a flash of guilt. ‘I didn’t mean to get him fired. Shouldn’t you give him another chance?’

‘I gave him one chance. I employed him.’ His smile didn’t falter but there was something in his eyes that hinted at a more ruthless side of him. The side that had made him a billionaire by the time he was thirty.

Sensing that the subject was best dropped, Faith glanced around her. ‘Where are we going?’

‘You’ll find out.’ Without answering her question, he turned his attention back to the controls and the helicopter lifted into the air.

Terror soon turned to exhilaration as they swooped above the pampas. ‘The view is amazing from up here,’ she breathed, her eyes fixed on the landscape beneath her.

They flew over grassland, interspersed with lagoons and wetlands. Occasionally Faith saw cattle being herded by men on horseback, but this was a vast landscape and the sheer size of it took her breath away.

Eventually a large lake came into view and Raul landed the helicopter.

‘We’re here. This is the boundary of the estancia.’ He jumped down from the helicopter and led her towards a luxurious lodge that nestled between water and trees. ‘My secret hideaway.’

Faith stopped dead, her heart bumping against her chest. ‘We’re alone here?’

He turned, his eyes on her face. ‘Does that bother you? Are you nervous?’

She swallowed. ‘Maybe. Just a little.’

‘You were alone with me on the pampas on that first day,’ he said softly, strolling back towards her and taking her face in his hands. ‘And you weren’t nervous then.’

‘That was an accidental meeting.’ The skilled brush of his fingers set her pulse racing and nerves fluttered like butterflies in her stomach. ‘I don’t do this sort of thing, Raul. I shouldn’t have come.’

‘Stop panicking. You haven’t done anything yet,’ he pointed out gently. ‘And you won’t be doing anything you don’t want to. All I ask is that you allow yourself to be spoiled. This is a thank-you for having saved my favourite horse. Treat it like a spa day.’

‘A spa day?’

His mouth hovered tantalisingly close to hers and then he stepped away and smiled. ‘I want to spoil you. And we’re not alone here. You can shout for help any time you feel the need and a hoard of staff will come running and beat me away with sticks.’

He led her up a few steps, onto a wooden deck that was suspended over the water and into a large bedroom filled with natural light. ‘This is your room. Have a rest, you deserve it. When you’re ready for a massage or whatever takes your fancy, just pick up the phone and dial zero.’

Faith blinked. Her head was full of questions but she had no chance to ask any of them because he’d left the room.

It was like being dropped into paradise.

She slept in the enormous, comfortable bed and then lay in the shade on the deck while a girl rubbed scented oils into her skin, the skilful stroke of her fingers removing all the last strands of tension from Faith’s body.

After the massage, she sat and gazed across the tranquil water of the lake while someone tended to her nails and another did her hair.

There was no sign of Raul and when she eventually walked back into her room, she wondered how she was supposed to contact him.

A splash of colour drew her eye and she glanced towards the bed, her eyes widening as she saw the beautiful silk dress laid carefully on the cover. The exquisite fabric shimmered in the late-evening light and Faith stepped towards it, puzzled. Had Raul left this for her? And then she saw the diamond necklace, draped almost casually across the bodice, the stones sparkling and glittering like shards of ice.

She was so stunned that it took her a few moments to notice the card. Her fingers shaking, she opened the envelope and read the dark, bold scrawl: Every woman deserves to be given a silk dress and diamonds at least once in her life. Enjoy. R.

Completely out of her depth, Faith stared at the dress and the necklace. It was an enormously generous gift. Obviously she couldn’t possibly accept it.

She stood for a moment, her lip caught between her teeth, her eyes on the dress. Tormented by indecision, she stepped away from the bed and then immediately stepped back again. Then she let the dressing gown slip from her shoulders, the feminine side of her completely unable to let her ignore such a gorgeous dress.

She was just going to try it on. Nothing more than that.

Just for a minute.

The silk slithered over her skin and she gave a moan of indulgence as she realised that it was a perfect fit.

How had he guessed her size?

Feeling as though she was living someone else’s life, Faith fastened the dress and then tried to secure the clasp of the necklace. Strong fingers covered hers and swiftly finished the job.

Stifled by sexual awareness, she turned slowly and found herself looking into Raul’s laughing eyes.

‘So how is your day going?’ His fingers lingered at the base of her throat. ‘Do you feel properly thanked?’

‘I can’t possibly accept any of this.’

‘Of course you can. It is nothing.’

To him, maybe, but she suspected that the necklace alone was worth more than she earned in a year. ‘I’m just trying it on, that’s all. And then I’m taking it straight off.’

‘Why would you want to do that?’

‘Because this is not my life.’

He turned her gently until she was facing the mirror. ‘So who is that, if it isn’t you?’

Faith barely recognised herself. Her hair fell past her shoulders like sleek, polished gold, the diamonds glinted against her pale skin and the dress hugged her figure. She felt like a princess. ‘Maybe I’ll wear it just for this evening.’ She almost laughed at her own weakness. ‘But then I’m giving it back.’

Acknowledging her internal battle, Raul smiled. ‘We’ll have dinner on the terrace. The view is very pretty.’

‘So do you do this often?’

He dismissed the staff with a discreet movement of his head and reached over to pour her another glass of wine. ‘Eat dinner? Yes. All the time.’

‘No, I mean—’ She glanced down at herself. ‘Play the part of the fairy godmother.’

‘It’s fun buying gifts for a woman who appreciates them.’ He watched her across the table. ‘You’re not eating. Aren’t you hungry?’

Her stomach was churning so badly that she just couldn’t touch the food. ‘No. No, I’m not. Sorry. It looks really delicious but—’

He gave a slow smile. ‘You don’t need to apologise for the fact that I’m putting you off your food. I take it as a compliment.’

‘You’re very sure of yourself.’

‘And you’re very nervous, and I can’t understand why. Don’t they have men in England?’

Not men like him. ‘I’ve been too busy working to notice men,’ she said lightly and his eyes narrowed.

‘You are very dedicated to your work. Why did you choose to become a vet?’

‘I always wanted to. My father was a vet and I grew up helping alongside him. Even when I was small, he’d involve me in some way and he always encouraged me.’

‘He is proud of you, I’m sure.’

Faith hesitated. ‘He and my mother died two years ago,’ she said quietly. ‘That’s one of the reasons I came to Argentina. I missed them so much and I knew I needed to do something different. I thought combining travel with work might be the distraction I needed.’

‘What about marriage and babies?’ His tone was casual but when she looked at him his gaze was sharp and incisive as if the answer to that question mattered to him. ‘When women think about the future it almost always contains a wedding ring.’

‘That’s a typically Argentine-male comment,’ she teased, giving up on her food and putting her fork down. ‘Be honest—you don’t think a woman can do anything except stay at home and breed, do you?’

‘It’s what most women want. Don’t you?’

‘No. Not right now. In the future? Who knows?’ She glanced towards the stillness of the lake. ‘The future feels miles away when you’re out here. I’m too young to even think about that. I have my whole career ahead of me. In another ten years or so, maybe.’ She shrugged. ‘It just isn’t what I want. I love my job.’ She watched the sunset, admiring the shimmering red glow that was reflected in the still water of the lake. ‘What about you? No wife? No babies?’

Something flickered in his dark gaze. ‘Absolutely not.’

‘You mean, you don’t want it now.’

His long strong fingers tightened ruthlessly round the wine glass. ‘I don’t want it ever. Remember that, Faith.’ There was a steeliness in his voice that made her look at him more closely but his handsome face revealed nothing.

She frowned, sensing undertones that she didn’t understand and feeling puzzled by them. ‘Why would I need to remember it?’

‘It’s just something that I like to make clear,’ he said softly, ‘early in a relationship.’

Heat rushed through her body. ‘Are we having a relationship?’

‘I don’t know,’ he replied softly, his dark eyes fixed on hers. ‘Are we?’

CHAPTER THREE

Ten months later

‘SHE just stepped in front of the taxi without looking. According to a man who witnessed the accident, she’s lucky to be alive.’

Lucky?

Lying in the hospital bed, listening to those words, Faith decided that it was better to keep her eyes closed. She didn’t feel lucky.

‘Any news on next of kin?’ The doctor spoke again and Faith felt the dull pain inside her intensify to serious agony.

No next of kin.

She’d lost everything and it was hard to know whether her injuries were more severe on the outside or the inside.

‘None. She had no identification on her when she was brought in—they assume someone must have stolen her bag. Her dress was expensive, though,’ the nurse murmured enviously. ‘Some flashy designer label I couldn’t afford in a month of Sundays. Take it from me, she’s either got a good job or a very rich and generous boyfriend.’

‘Well, we can’t discharge her until we know she has a home to go to. It’s very inconvenient because she’s blocking a bed.’ The doctor sounded impatient. ‘Someone should have missed her by now.’

Only if someone cared, Faith thought bleakly. In her case, no one did.

‘Faith? Are you awake?’

Resigning herself to the fact that they wouldn’t go away until she’d spoken, Faith reluctantly opened her eyes and the doctor gave a wintry smile.

‘How are we today?’ He spoke in the faintly patronising tone that he obviously reserved for patients.

‘I’m fine.’ No point in telling the truth. ‘Much better.’

‘I expect you’re longing to go home.’

Home? Where was home? For the past year it had been Argentina and she’d thought…

Faith turned her head away, realising with a sickening lurch of horror that she was going to cry. The misery had been bubbling up inside her for days and suddenly it felt almost too enormous to hold back.

With a huge effort of will, she tried to focus her mind on something neutral. She wasn’t going to think about Argentina, she wasn’t going to think about the fact that she didn’t have a job or a home any more, but most of all she wasn’t going to think about…

She gave a tortured groan and curled into a foetal position, her thoughts so agonising that she just wanted to remove them from her head.

‘Are you in pain?’ The doctor leaned towards her, frowning. ‘I can give you something for it.’

Not for this type of pain. Faith squeezed her eyes tightly shut. ‘It’s all a hideous mess.’

‘Your head? It’s nothing that time won’t heal. Your hair will cover the scar.’

‘Not my head,’ Faith muttered. ‘My life.’

‘She’s obviously worrying about her head—how’s the wound, nurse? Everything healing?’

Realising that no one was remotely interested in how she really felt, Faith kept her eyes closed, wishing they’d go away and leave her alone.

‘Last time I saw it everything was healing beautifully,’ the nurse said briskly. ‘It will be a very neat scar.’

On the outside, maybe, Faith thought to herself. But on the inside it was a deep, ugly gash that would never heal.

Clearly oblivious to the true extent of his patient’s trauma, the doctor gave a nod of approval. ‘You’ve made a remarkable recovery considering the condition you were in two weeks ago. We need to start talking about discharging you.’ He cleared his throat and glanced at the chart again. ‘You need to go home to family or friends. You can’t be on your own at the moment.’

Faith’s lips were so dry she could hardly speak. ‘I’ll be fine on my own.’

Just saying the words intensified the sick throbbing in her head.

How had she ended up at this point?

The doctor gave an impatient sigh. ‘You haven’t given us details of your next of kin. There must be someone. Or do you think it’s possible that you are suffering some degree of memory loss after all?’

Faith opened her eyes. ‘My parents died nearly three years ago and I’m an only child,’ she said wearily, wondering how many times she had to repeat herself. ‘And my memory is fine.’ Unfortunately. Given the nature of her memories, she would have paid a great deal for a serious bout of amnesia. Nothing too dramatic. As long as she lost all knowledge of the last couple of months, she’d be happy.

She wanted the whole nightmare erased from her head for ever.

But in her case it wasn’t forgetting that was the problem, it was remembering.

She remembered everything and the memories tortured her.

All she wanted to do was cover herself with the duvet and just sob and sob and the fact that she felt like that was terrifying because it was so unlike her.

Where was her energy and drive? What had happened to her natural inclination to fight problems with grit and determination?

She’d always been resilient. Life could be tough, she knew that.

But although she’d always known that life could be tough, she’d had no idea it could be quite this tough.

Panicked by how truly awful she felt, she rolled onto her back and stared up at the cracked ceiling—but somehow the cracks looked like the curve of a beach and soon the images in her head were of a laughing, naked woman and a spectacularly handsome man.

She gave a groan of denial and covered her face with her hands. It didn’t matter what she did or where she looked, the memories were everywhere. She felt drained and empty, lacking the physical or emotional energy to drag herself out of the dark pit of despair that was sucking her down and down.

In the bed opposite, an old lady rambled and muttered, confused and disorientated by her surroundings. ‘Doctor, doctor!’

Muttering something under his breath to the nurse, the doctor turned. ‘Yes, Mrs Hitchin?’ His manner and tone were a study of exaggerated politeness. ‘What can I do for you?’

‘You can marry me, that’s what you can do!’ The old lady’s tone was sharp. ‘No more messing me around! Do what you promised to do and stop running away from your responsibilities.’

The nurse covered her mouth with her hand to conceal the laugh and the doctor’s face turned a deep shade of beetroot.

‘You’re in hospital, Mrs Hitchin!’ He raised his voice and separated each syllable, as if he were speaking to a very slow child. ‘And I’m a doctor!’

‘Well, I’m glad you finally made something of yourself.’ The old lady waggled a finger at Faith. ‘Don’t believe a word he says to you. Men are all the same. They want all the fun and none of the responsibility.’

Faith gave a choked laugh. ‘I could have done with that advice a few months ago, Mrs Hitchin.’ Then perhaps she wouldn’t have made such a complete and utter wreck of her life.

Another nurse hurried into the room, her cheeks flushed and her eyes glowing. Excitement radiated from her like a forcefield and she had the look of a woman just bursting with serious gossip.

Her eyes slid to Faith and her expression changed to one of awe and fascination. ‘I know you think your memory is fine, Faith,’ she said sympathetically. ‘But I’m afraid we now have evidence that you are suffering from amnesia.’

Faith gritted her teeth. ‘My memory is fine.’

‘Really? Then why can’t you remember that you’re married? You’re married to a billionaire,’ the nurse said faintly. ‘And he’s standing outside right now waiting to claim you. I mean, he’s gorgeous, sexy—’

‘Nurse!’ Dr Arnold interrupted her with a scowl and the nurse blushed.

‘All I’m trying to say,’ she muttered, ‘is that he just isn’t the sort of man any woman would ever forget. If she really doesn’t remember him, then she definitely has amnesia.’

Simmering with impatience, Raul glanced at the Rolex on his wrist, oblivious to the fact that the force of his presence had brought the entire hospital ward to a standstill. Like a thoroughbred racehorse at the starting gate, he radiated coiled, suppressed energy, as confident and unselfconscious in this environment as he was in every other, his powerful legs planted firmly apart, his intelligent dark eyes fixed on the room straight ahead of him.

Female members of staff suddenly found reasons to hover around the central nurses’ station, distracted by the unexpected presence of such a striking man.

Raul didn’t notice.

He was entirely focused on the task in hand and this brief, unexpected delay in reaching his final objective was a thorn of irritation under his richly bronzed skin.

A lesser man might have spent the time worrying that the information he’d received might be wrong, that it wasn’t her. Raul had no such concerns. He only employed the best. His security team had been hand-picked and the possibility that they might have made a mistake didn’t enter his head.

Barely containing his impatience, he stood still for a full thirty seconds—which was twenty-five seconds longer than he’d ever waited for anything in his life before—and then took matters into his own hands and strode purposefully across the corridor and into the six-bedded side ward.

The doctor greeted his sudden entrance with a murmur of disapproval that Raul ignored. His gaze swept the room and came to rest on the slender figure of the woman lying in the bed by the window.

The anger that had been building inside him erupted with lethal force and he ran his hand over the back of his neck in order to stop himself from punching something. And then he took a closer look at the solitary figure staring up at the ceiling and the anger died, only to be replaced by a surge of very different emotions.

Emotions that he didn’t want to feel. Primitive urges that mocked his belief in his own sense of discipline and self-control.

Raul almost laughed. The weakness of man was woman, and that hadn’t changed since the beginning of time. From Eve in the Garden of Eden and Pandora with her box, for every man there was one woman who seemed to be designed for the express purpose of complicating life.

And for him, that woman was lying in front of him.

He could negotiate the most complex business deal without once losing his clarity of thinking but here, in the same room as her, a witch’s cauldron of emotions stirred to life, clouding everything.

‘Faith.’ His strong voice reverberated round the small room and her head turned, her expressive green eyes widening with horror and disbelief as she saw him.

‘No!’ Immediately she shrank under the blankets and her reaction was like a fist in his gut but the biggest shock was seeing the remains of the bruises on her face and shoulders before they vanished under the covers.

‘What happened to you?’ Two weeks before her mouth had been permanently curved into a happy smile and her blonde hair had rippled down her back. Now it was cropped short in a rough, jagged style that made her eyes look huge and her face pale and vulnerable. And there was no trace of the cheeky, teasing smile that was so much a part of her.

Kiss me, Raul, go on. You know you want to. Forget about work.

That one brief glance had been enough to show him that she’d lost weight. She’d always been fine-boned and delicate but now her skin seemed almost preternaturally pale and her jagged haircut gave her face an almost ethereal quality. When had that happened?

Why hadn’t he noticed?

Something tugged at him and he ruthlessly pushed the feeling away.

She’d brought this on herself. And on him.

The doctor cleared his throat. ‘We were forced to cut her hair when we were dealing with her injuries.’

‘Dios mío, she??s skin and bone.’ Caught broadside by emotions that he hadn’t expected, Raul directed the full force of his anger towards the doctor. ‘Don’t you feed your patients in this hospital?’

Clearly unaccustomed to such full-on confrontation, the doctor fiddled nervously with the charts he was clutching. ‘Faith suffered a head injury,’ he stuttered. ‘She was unconscious for a while. Her rapid recovery is nothing short of remarkable. We saved her life.’

‘Good,’ Raul said coldly, his eyes focusing on the doctor’s badge as he committed the name to memory. ‘Because if you hadn’t then your days of practising medicine would now be over. How was she injured?’

The nurse stepped forward swiftly, obviously hoping to smooth the situation. ‘According to witnesses, she walked in front of a car just outside the airport terminal. It was as if she wasn’t looking.’

Raul strode over to the bed, his mouth tightening as she turned her back on him and pulled the covers even higher.

That simple gesture said more than words ever could and suddenly he was gripped by the unfamiliar tentacles of guilt. He thrust them aside, reminding himself that he had no reason to feel guilty.

She’d done this to them.

He’d been up front and honest from the start. She was the one who’d chosen to play elaborate female games. And it was time she acknowledged that. ‘Look at me!’

The lump in the bed didn’t move and he gave an exasperated sigh. ‘Running from a problem solves nothing. Have you any idea how worried I’ve been?’

The anger had burned inside him day and night for the past two weeks and he’d promised himself that when he finally caught up with her he would make sure that she was left in no doubt about his feelings.

For a moment he thought she wasn’t going to respond and then the figure in the bed moved slowly and she sat up.

The words died in his throat.

There was something about her appalling fragility that prevented him from venting the full force of his wrath. She looked as vulnerable and shaky as one of his newborn foals and Raul felt something twist inside him.

He’d always thought of her as strong and vibrant, but there was no sign of the energy and enthusiasm that he’d come to expect from her.

The shapeless hospital nightdress hung from her narrow shoulders, her eyes were shaded by dark bruises and there were scratches on her shoulders and arms.

The usually irrepressible sparkle in her green eyes had been extinguished and she stared straight forward, refusing to meet his gaze.

She looked like a woman who was broken.

Apart from that one, anguished word—‘No!’—she hadn’t spoken or glanced in his direction since he’d entered the room. It was as if she was pretending that he wasn’t there.

Reflecting on the damage she’d caused, Raul felt another monumental surge in his tension levels.

Was she sorry? Did she regret what she’d done to their relationship?

He stared in brooding silence at her frozen profile. If it had been any other woman he would have walked away and left her to deal with the situation she’d created. But Faith wasn’t any other woman and something kept his feet nailed firmly to the ground.

Pandora, Eve, Faith…

Exasperated with his own display of weakness, Raul turned back to the doctor who was now eyeing him with trepidation. ‘What are her injuries?’

‘Well—er—’ The doctor cleared his throat. ‘Despite the seriousness of the accident, she has made a remarkable recovery. She experiences some headaches and a little dizziness from time to time, but the wound on her head is healing well. There is, however, the issue of her memory.’ Accustomed to relatives who were suitably submissive and respectful, he was obviously struggling to cope with Raul’s direct, forceful approach. ‘We have found it difficult to assess the extent of her amnesia.’

‘She doesn’t have amnesia.’ It had taken only one glance for Raul to know that she remembered absolutely everything that had happened between them.

The doctor looked taken aback. ‘But—she doesn’t appear to remember you.’

Raul’s mouth tightened into a grim line and he transferred his gaze to the frozen profile of the woman on the bed. ‘Oh, she remembers,’ he said softly. ‘If her memory was impaired, she wouldn’t be ignoring me. She’d be firing sparks and demanding to know why I took so long to get here. The reason she is refusing to look me in the eye is because her memory is perfectly intact and she’s suffering from a severe attack of guilty conscience, isn’t that right, cariño?’

Her head turned at that, her gaze locked with his and although she didn’t say a single word her eyes sent him straight to hell.

The past swirled and bubbled between them like a dangerous beast just waiting to swallow them whole.

Then she looked at the medical staff. ‘I don’t know who he is,’ she said, her voice remarkably steady. ‘I’ve never seen him before in my life and I don’t like the look of him. It would be quite wrong of you to release me into his care.’

Raul gave a bitter laugh. Ignoring the notices about not sitting on the bed, he settled his powerful frame only inches away from her body. ‘They have no choice but to release you into my care. I’m your only family.’ He thought her eyes grew brighter but when he looked more closely she was staring straight ahead, still studiously ignoring him.

The doctor cleared his throat. ‘You have to admit that her memory seems cloudy where you’re concerned—’

‘I’ve discovered that Faith’s memory is most adaptable,’ Raul drawled. ‘Occasionally she can forget the most important facts. Like an agreement between two people.’ His words had the desired effect and he watched with grim satisfaction as the last of the colour drained from her cheeks.

‘There was no agreement. I am not one of your business deals. I wish I’d never met you. I hate you, Raul. You are a heartless, cynical, insensitive…’ Her voice tailed off and the doctor gave a small, embarrassed cough.

‘Well—it does appear that she at least knows your name so that’s good. And—er—a little bit about your personality. She told us that she had no family—’

‘I don’t have family.’

The doctor glanced at her and then at Raul. ‘I suppose—’ He coughed nervously. ‘Well, over to you, really.’

‘That’s it? Are you just going to stand there and let him bully you?’ Faith glared at the doctor and when the man didn’t reply she made a sound of disgust. ‘You’re all spineless. I’m telling you, he’s not my family. If I was the last woman left on the planet and he was the last man, then the human race would die.’ Having drawn the battle lines, she turned her head back to Raul and her eyes locked with his in fierce combat.

Raul felt a surge of relief because for a moment he’d wondered if her lack of spirit was something to do with the head injury. But the dangerous shimmer in her eyes reassured him that her accident hadn’t done any permanent damage and despite everything that had happened between them he felt the instantaneous response of his body.

Passion. Hot, searing, blinding passion.

It was always there between them, whatever they were doing.

And that was the problem of course. Their astonishing physical compatibility had made it all too easy to overlook the truth.

They were two people who should never have been together.

Both of them had known it, but the extraordinary chemistry had bound them together when common sense should have dragged them apart.

She was entirely wrong for him. He was entirely wrong for her.

Somehow that hadn’t made a difference.

Aware that the medical staff were rooted to the spot, staring, he rose to his feet and took charge.

‘She has family,’ he said in a driven tone. ‘I’m her husband. And I’ll take over from here.’ Detaching himself from the emotional, he concentrated instead on the practical, his mind shifting into problem-solving mode as he reached into his pocket for his mobile phone.

‘Oh, here we go,’ Faith muttered. ‘Let’s just make another million while we’re hanging around.’

Having accessed a number with a decisive stab of his finger, Raul turned with a mocking smile. ‘I wouldn’t bother switching the phone on for a million, cariño. You should know that by now.’

The doctor cast them both a despairing glance. ‘The two of you clearly have some problems.’

Rising to his feet, Raul dealt the other man a glance that would have silenced a football stadium in full voice. ‘Unless you’re adding psychiatry to your list of questionable medical skills, I suggest you don’t tread where you are bound to lose your footing. She is no longer your responsibility. I’ll be removing her from this place in the next ten minutes.’ Having delivered that missile directly to its target, Raul turned his attention to the man on the end of the phone and switched to his native Spanish.

By the time he’d ended the call, the nurse had retreated and the doctor was sifting through paperwork with shaking hands, clearly worrying about his own position.

‘If you’re taking her then you’ll have to sign something. I won’t be held responsible if anything happens to her. She needs to be in hospital—’

‘Maybe. But not this one.’ With one disdainful sweep of his eyes, Raul took in the state of the ward. ‘What exactly is this place and why hasn’t it been shut down before now?’

‘Shut down?’ The doctor looked scandalised. ‘This is the oldest hospital in London. We have been treating patients in this building since the time of King Henry the Eighth!’

‘It’s a shame no one has bothered to clean the floors since his last visit,’ Raul said coldly and the old lady in the bed opposite Faith clapped her hands in delight.

‘Oh, well said! I do so love a man who is dominant and handsome. These days most men have forgotten how to be real men. If she turns you down, I’m available.’

Amused, Raul turned and flashed her a smile. ‘Gracias, I will remember that.’ His response clearly goaded Faith because she gave a strangled laugh.

‘He’s the worst of a bad bunch. If you’re looking for a man who shoulders responsibility, then don’t look at this one, Mrs Hitchin.’

‘I could look at him all day,’ Mrs Hitchin said happily, adjusting her hearing aid. ‘I think he’s gorgeous.’

‘Actually he’s a sex-mad control freak,’ Faith muttered and Raul gave a twisted smile.

‘One wonders why, with that glowing opinion of my qualities, you were so grimly determined to drag me to the altar by any means at your disposal.’

Faith lifted her chin and her beautiful eyes flashed at him. ‘I did not drag you. Since when have you ever done anything that didn’t suit you? Your life is one long selfish, self- indulgent ego trip.’

‘You put me in an impossible position!’ His tone thickened, Raul felt his tension levels soar into the stratosphere. He hadn’t intended to tackle the issue here but even without spelling it out it was there in the room with them, hovering between them.

He saw that she was shaking and his eyes scanned the pale flesh of her smooth, slender arms, his treacherous mind turning to thoughts of sex. Those arms had been entwined round his neck, curved round his body as she’d urged him on. Those eyes that now flashed in anger had softened and tempted as she’d lured him on an erotic journey from which neither of them had emerged unscathed.

What they had shared was so powerful that even now he could taste it in the air. Even now, with all that lay between them, he knew that he could turn her from spitting hell-cat to purring kitten with one skilful touch of his mouth.

Only with supreme effort of will did Raul prevent himself from reaching out and flattening her against the bed.

And she knew.

She’d always known the effect she had on him. And she’d loved to tease and prolong the agony for both of them, using those jewel-bright green eyes of hers to raise the temperature from hot to raging inferno. With sideways glances, slow smiles and the sensuous swing of her hips she’d stoked the fire of his libido, pushing and pushing until his control had finally cracked. And when it had, she’d taken him into her soft, pulsing body, her desperation matching his.

In some ways their entire relationship had been a power struggle.

And for a while she’d won.

Only she was showing no signs of celebrating her victory.

‘Just get out, Raul,’ she said, and her voice held a quiver of vulnerability that he hadn’t expected. ‘It’s over. You wanted an escape, well, I’m giving you one. Get out.’

‘It would have been a great deal better for both of us had you realised that a few months ago. As it is, your timing is unfortunate. I’m your husband, cariño, although you could be forgiven for forgetting that fact, given that we were married for all of two hours before you ran away.’

‘I didn’t run away. I’m not a child or a convict. I left because I discovered what a monumental mistake I’d made about you. I wouldn’t have married you at all if I’d known what you were like.’

Remembering the circumstances of their wedding, Raul gave a bitter laugh. ‘I think we both know that isn’t the case. Anyway, you made your bed and fortunately for you it’s a great deal more comfortable than the one you’re lying in at the moment.’

‘I’m not going with you, Raul, and you can’t make me. I’m not one of your staff.’

‘If one of my staff had behaved the way you did,’ he snapped, ‘they would no longer be working for me. Unfortunately we are now legally bound, so firing you isn’t an option. Believe me, I’ve considered it.’ His phone rang and he took the call, simmering with dark, deadly emotion, his eyes on hers as he listened and then broke the connection.

‘My plane has been refuelled, a medical team is now on board and we take off in an hour from now.’

She shrank away from him. ‘I’m not well enough to go with you. I haven’t fully recovered.’

‘Then you can complete your recovery in the sunshine by my pool,’ he returned in a cool tone and she flopped back against the pillows, looking drained and exhausted. Raul wondered grimly whether her pallor was a reflection of the effort the confrontation had required, or the fact that she was contemplating the reality of being back in a marriage that she never should have entered in the first place.

You wanted a war, my beauty, he thought bitterly, and you fired the first shot. Now live with the consequences.

CHAPTER FOUR

TWENTY-FOUR hours later, Faith was lying on a sun-lounger under the shade of a huge umbrella. In front of her lay the perfectly still waters of the most stunning pool she’d ever seen and all around her a profusion of exotic plants and trees gave her the impression of being deep in a lush rainforest.

Once they’d landed in Buenos Aires she’d expected him to take her straight back to the estancia, but instead he’d taken one look at her pale face and given instructions for them to be taken straight to the Vásquez building, his corporate headquarters in the smartest district of the vibrant South American city.

She’d swiftly discovered that his corporate headquarters was crowned by a breathtaking penthouse apartment, complete with a lush, exotic roof garden.

He’d taken her straight up to this outdoor paradise but she found herself wondering about the apartment. When did he use it? And what for?

Already aware of just how little she knew him, this further question gnawed away inside her but she forced herself not to think about it. She had other, more pressing issues demanding her attention: like the reason he’d brought her back to Argentina.

When she’d stumbled away from him on their wedding day, she hadn’t thought for a moment that he’d follow her. Why would he, when he’d made it perfectly clear that he didn’t love her?

Remembering the things that he’d said to her, she gave a shiver.

She’d been so utterly shocked by what had happened that her only thought had been to get as far away from him as possible.

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