Page 76 of 2 Books in One Bundle

You know already what you’re going to give him.

Isla put the camera down, her heart thudding. Oh, yes, she knew.

Another night, she decided. He’d wanted her to give him the gift of herself, so she would.

Orion was seated at the table by the time she’d finished dressing and come downstairs in search of breakfast. And once again his presence brought her up short, making her catch her breath.

He didn’t smile at her this morning and he wasn’t sitting with his usual casual posture. He looked tense, his face set in hard lines. ‘Sit,’ he ordered, his deep voice rough sounding. ‘I want to give you today’s present.’

Instinctive irritation at the sharp command prickled over her, but since he didn’t look like he’d slept well, she swallowed her annoyance and did as she was told. They’d had such a lovely day yesterday and she didn’t want to ruin the morning with an argument.

‘You look like you slept as well as I did,’ she observed as she sat down.

He ignored her. It looked like he’d been there a while. An empty plate with a knife and fork arranged neatly on it had been pushed away, a half-drunk cup of coffee at his elbow. ‘My present to you today will be skating on the lake,’ he said shortly.

He’d mentioned that as one of the excursions he’d planned a day or so ago, and then it had sounded fun. Looking at his hard expression now, she wasn’t so certain.

‘Are you sure?’ She kept her voice very neutral. ‘You don’t seem as if you want to go anywhere let alone skating on the lake.’

‘I’m sure.’ He sat back in his chair, his expression still hard. A muscle flicked in his strong jaw, the amber of his eyes darkening, all the bright gold in them gone. He looked as intimidating and ruthless as he ever had.

Was that all because of her? Because he wanted her? Or were there other things at play here? Yesterday, in the helicopter, she’d made that casual comment about his problems and his expression had shuttered in much the same way. Why? Was it because he did have problems and he’d resented her mentioning them? Or was it for another reason? And why did it matter to her?

‘Is this about yesterday?’ she asked carefully. ‘About what you told me in the hallway last night?’

‘No,’ he said coldly. ‘Not everything is about you, Isla.’

Heat crept into her cheeks, a flicker of hurt going through her. She ignored it. ‘That’s not what I meant. I just wanted to know why you’re sitting at the breakfast table looking like you want to break rocks with your teeth.’

‘It’s nothing.’

‘Like it was nothing up in the helicopter yesterday?’

‘Are you really that interested in my moods? I thought you were more interested in your favourite artists.’ There was a hint of bitterness in the words, the way there had been yesterday, and he was radiating frustrated anger. She could feel it pushing at her from across the table like the heat from the lava flow the day before.

‘Are you sulking because I wouldn’t sleep with you?’ she couldn’t help asking, even though she knew confronting him was hardly likely to improve his mood. ‘Is that what this is about?’

For a second he looked so fierce she thought he was going to lose his temper, and it made her own anger rise, pulling at the chains she kept on it. She found herself staring at him almost hoping he would lose it, because she wanted to know what would happen if he did.

He was so controlled, so very in command of himself, and he would have seemed cold if not for that burning intensity in his eyes. There was fire at the heart of him, she realised suddenly. Fire that he couldn’t let out for some reason.

Her heart raced and the strangest anticipation gripped her. And she was back on that volcanic field of yesterday once again, standing on the edge of a lava flow, looking up at the active volcano in terrified wonder as yet more lava flowed down its side.

Yet Orion didn’t explode. Instead, he said. ‘Give me my gift, Isla.’

It wasn’t an answer, but it was most certainly a demand, and while it wasn’t at all wise, Isla suddenly wanted very much to see what it would look like if Mt Orion North erupted.

‘If you’re going to sulk like a giant baby,’ she said coolly. ‘You’ll have to wait for your gift. Skating first and then if you’re very lucky I might give you something.’

Orion was in a foul temper. She was right, he hadn’t slept well. He’d been up half the night, tortured by his desire for a woman he’d decided he wouldn’t touch until she said he could. His vow infuriated him. The way it mattered to him infuriated him.

Sheinfuriated him and he didn’t know why.

Sex was nothing. He could deny himself till the cows came home and it had never bothered him before, and yet now he wanted her so badly it felt as if he couldn’t breathe.

After hours of no sleep, he’d eventually had to get up and go into the lodge’s gym to work out some of his frustration on the treadmill and then the rowing machine. A sauna had then eased the tension from his muscles, but of course, the moment she’d walked into the dining area, that tension had returned, even worse than it had the night before. And he was no closer to figuring out exactly why, hence the foul temper.

Then for her to stare at him coolly over the breakfast table and call him a giant baby... His temper roiled, pushing against his control.

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