Page 37 of Shy Innocent In The Spotlight

‘Why are you so surprised? It makes sense to cohabit for the sake of convenience. It’s way more practical than trying to conduct a long-distance relationship.’

But whose convenience was he talking about? It certainly wouldn’t be convenient for her, not unless he was willing to commit his whole heart to her. ‘I’m not sure I’m ready for such a big step...’ she began. Not unless she was sure his feelings for her were the same as hers for him. ‘You’re probably only asking because of what happened. It scared you and you think you need to take care of me, but you don’t. I can take care of myself.’

‘Why don’t you think about it for the rest of the day?’ he suggested. ‘We don’t fly home until tomorrow. You can decide then.’ He rose from the chair and pressed a kiss to her forehead, sweeping her hair back in a tender gesture as he straightened. ‘I’m going to let you sleep while I head back and have a shower and a shave. You should be ready for discharge by the time I get back.’

‘Okay.’ She sank back against the pillows with a sigh. ‘I’ll think about it.’

Mack walked out of the hospital with a spring in his step. The convenience of having her move in with him was his primary motivation for asking her. And he was confident Elspeth would agree once she’d had time to consider it. She was young and inexperienced, so it was a big step for her, but he didn’t want their fling to end any time soon and he was sure neither did she.

He stopped off to buy her a gift on the way back to the villa to lift her spirits. Her health scare had obviously deeply unsettled her, as it had him. His gut still churned as he recalled the harrowing moment at the café when she went into anaphylaxis. Her life could have ended then and there and that didn’t bear thinking about. He couldn’t imagine losing her. She had only been in his life such a short time—a matter of days—and yet he had developed feelings for her that he had not experienced for anyone else before. They were so unfamiliar to him he didn’t know how to describe them.

All he knew was, he wanted her with him for much longer than a casual fling.

The jeweller’s assistant showed Mack a diamond and sapphire ensemble of pendant, earrings and an engagement ring. He hadn’t asked to be shown an engagement ring and wondered why the woman had brought one out. Sheesh. The French were such romantics. He glanced at the ring with its winking solitaire diamond and deep blue sapphires and then back at the middle-aged woman serving him. ‘I won’t need the ring, just the pendant and earrings.’

The older woman raised her brows over twinkly raisin-dark eyes. ‘No? Maybe monsieur will come back for it another time?’

Mack gave a stiff smile. ‘C’est impossible.’

Elspeth came back to the villa with Mack later that day. He was attentive and solicitous with only marginally less fussing over her than her mother would do. He helped get her comfortable on a lounger on a shady section of the terrace and then brought her out a refreshing cup of tea and a plate of fresh fruit.

‘Here you go.’ He set it down next to her. ‘Is there anything else I can get you?’

‘No. This is lovely, thanks.’

He reached for something inside his white chinos’ pocket. ‘I bought you a little gift.’ He handed her a rectangular dark blue velvet jewellery case. ‘I hope you like them.’

Elspeth took the box with bated breath. The box was too large to be a ring box and she was annoyed with herself for even hoping a ring could be in there. She prised open the lid to find a beautiful diamond and sapphire pendant and matching droplet earrings. They were stunningly beautiful, quite easily the most gorgeous she had ever seen. She didn’t dare think about how much they had cost. Her twin was used to wearing ridiculously expensive jewellery, but Elspeth was not and wondered if she ever could. ‘Oh, my goodness... Oh, Mack, you shouldn’t have. I can’t accept these. They’re too much.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous. I want you to have them. Consider them a “get well” gift.’

Elspeth glanced up at him as a thought occurred to her. An uncomfortable thought that triggered a tiny flicker of anger. ‘Are you sure they’re not a bribe?’

He gave a sudden frown. ‘A bribe? What do you mean?’

She closed the lid of the box with a little snap and handed it back to him. ‘I know what you’re doing. You want me to move in with you and this is a way to convince me. But I don’t want gifts.’

‘What do you want?’ His voice had a raw edge to it, but his expression was shuttered. And he ignored the box in her outstretched hand.

Elspeth put the box on the table next to the lounger, and then swung her legs over so she was in a sitting position. ‘I want more than expensive jewellery. I want to know how you feel about me.’

‘I told you how I feel about you. I enjoy your company. I like being with you. I care about you.’

Elspeth rose from the lounger to put some distance between them. ‘You barely know me, Mack. We only met a handful of days ago. And for part of that I was pretending to be my twin. How can you be sure you care about me, the real me?’

Mack stood and came over to her, taking both of her hands in his. ‘I know the real you. That’s who I’ve developed feelings for—you, only you.’

‘Are you saying you’re in love with me?’

There was a beat or two of silence. Too long a silence. A heartbreaking silence that told her all she needed to know.

‘I’m saying I’d like our fling to continue for as long as we both enjoy each other’s company.’ His expression remained inscrutable but she sensed a carefully restrained tension in him.

‘I know how silly this is going to sound but I can’t accept your offer,’ Elspeth said, pulling her hands out of his. ‘I want more than a let’s-see-how-it-goes relationship. I want more than someone to enjoy my company. I want more than someone to care about me. I want the sort of love that most people aspire to. But you’ve ruled that sort of love out. The love that binds two people together for a lifetime.’

He sent one of his hands through his hair in an agitated manner. ‘Isn’t it a little too early to be talking about marriage?’

She gave him a challenging look. ‘Would there ever be a time when you’d be agreeable to talk about it? You said you never wanted to settle down. You’ve already ruled out the possibility, so how can I wait in hope that you might one day change your mind?’

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