Page 58 of Suddenly Tempted
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
Claudia pouted as she perched on the side of the bed. She laid her manicured fingers on his hand and he pulled it away, gasping as the pain burned out from his broken arm. He looked down and saw it was plastered from his wrist to his shoulder.
“Careful, dear,” she said, reaching for him again, more insistently this time. “You don’t want to make it worse.”
“Claudia,” Devlin hissed, his voice as cold and hard as steel. “I asked you a question. What are you doing here?”
“Is that any way to talk to your beloved?” she asked, planting a kiss on his cheek, her lips leaving an icy imprint.
“Mywhat?” Devlin snorted. “You have to be kidding, right?”
He looked past her to the door, wishing that a doctor would come in. He opened his mouth to call for security, but Claudia leaned in and placed a finger on his lips. He shook her away.
“You’re being unfair,” she said, fluttering her lashes, her eyes huge. “I saw the news, and I was worried about you. As soon as I heard you were missing in the Alps, I flew here to join the search. That’s a lot for me to do, Devlin. I was working on a luxury shoot, which I had to drop to look for you.”
Devlin found that hard to believe. Claudia had never had to look for anything in her life. Born to a wealthy Italian banking family, if she’d ever lost something she’d just bought another one. It’s what she had done to Devlin, too. The moment they had broken up, she’d found herself another billionaire. So why was she here, sitting on his hospital bed as though she belonged there?
“Claudia, we’re not together,” he said, but she batted away his suggestion.
“Let’s not argue about little details,” she purred, stroking his cheek. “Mypetite amour. I hated the thought of you being out there alone.”
“I wasn’t alone,” Devlin growled. Claudia’s expression hardened.
“So I heard,” she said. “You were out there with some secretary. Some poor, frumpy nobody. I can’t imagine what that must have been like, stuck in a cabin with her. No wonder they had to sedate you.”
Devlin’s anger roared like an engine.
“She’s not a nobody. Her name is Darcy, and she saved my life.”
Claudia smiled. Her fingers tightly gripping his as Devlin struggled up in bed, still shivering.
“I have no idea what you want with me. Another story to sell?” he growled. “Well whatever it is, you can’t have it. I told you I never wanted to see you again. Now leave.”
“Poor Devlin,” she said, putting a hand to his forehead. “The doctors tell me you have a fever. You aren’t thinking straight.” She leaned in, that cold smile still on her face. “The truth is, I’m bored. Hunter and I didn’t work out. And because I left that shoot, I’m out of work, too, which is your fault may I add. I need us to be back together. And what better chance for you to declare your love for me again than now, when you’re front-page news.”
“What are you talking about?” demanded Devlin. “That will never, ever happen, Claudia.”
“Oh, come now,” Claudia kidded. “We had fun, didn’t we?”
There was a gentle knock at the door and it swung open to reveal an older man in a doctor’s coat, his grey-blond hair tied back in a long ponytail.
“Good morning,” he said, flicking on the light. “Nice to see you’re awake, Mr Storm. How are you feeling?”
Claudia stood up, flashing another smile at Devlin.
“The poor man is burning up,” she said. “I really should let him rest.Ciao, my beloved. I will see you soon.”
She nodded to the doctor and left the room. It was only when she’d gone that Devlin remembered to breathe. The brief exchange with Claudia had left him even more shaken than the last three days in the wilderness. He felt his heart thrashing in his chest. What was she playing at? He’d always known she was an opportunist, and a predator, too, but this was low even for her.
“Let’s check that fever,” said the doctor, prodding a thermometer into Devlin’s ear and waiting for it to beep before removing it. “Good, good. Your temperature is within the normal range — looks like you’re on the mend. How’s the arm?”
Devlin looked at the cast covering his arm. It still ached, but there must have been some heavy-duty painkillers in his system because everything felt a little fuzzy.
“It was broken in two places,” the doctor said. “It’s a good job you had the sense to splint it and then strap it up, otherwise it never would have healed. You could have lost it, Mr Storm. You’re a lucky man.”
“It wasn’t my idea to splint it,” he said. “It was Darcy’s. Do you know where she is? Darcy Wainwright?”
“The young woman you were stranded with?” the doctor asked. “I’m afraid I don’t know. She was never brought here. I think she was taken to the local hospital for treatment.”
