Stolen Feelings
Stolen Feelings
Margaret Mayo
Kiss and tell… It should have been the job of a lifetime! But when Julie found herself on a Pacific island working with Cameron Storm, it was anything but paradise. Oh, Cameron was gorgeous, all right… and didn't he know it?Julie's only defense against a broken heart was to pretend to be a married woman. But deception had its price… and Cameron made sure that Julie paid. He ignored her wedding ring and went right on kissing her!
Table of Contents
Cover Page (#ub8de6d93-b744-5ffd-a80a-e7937b0685c1)
Excerpt (#uff130842-be68-5601-8811-9fc4dc95e28e)
About the Author (#u6afa77fc-0dbf-5513-a9f2-33f1dd01c6eb)
Title Page (#uf105d1f8-9742-57f8-af8f-ec46ef3c9f87)
CHAPTER ONE (#u73ee0b6f-bada-5225-929b-9b8c40ae67d5)
CHAPTER TWO (#ub308a805-fd25-5e78-b024-f2e62fd2c022)
CHAPTER THREE (#u7a436fbf-d05e-55dd-b9e4-17efa7457745)
CHAPTER FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SIX (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWELVE (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
“You’re a highly dangerous lady, Julie!”
“I beg your pardon?” What was Cameron talking about? She had never been guilty of being provocative in her life!
“Are you ever true to one person, Julie?”
“I think you’re crazy,” she said sharply. “I think you’re trying to cover up your own weakness.”
Blue eyes narrowed warningly. “Weakness, Julie?”
“Yes, weakness,” she snapped. “Only a man with no self-control would kiss a—a woman who isn’t free!”
Born in the industrial heart of England, MARGARET MAYO now lives with her husband in a pretty Staffordshire canalside village. Once a secretary, she turned her hand to writing her books both at home and in exotic locations, combining her hobby of photography with research.
Stolen Feelings
Margaret Mayo
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
CHAPTER ONE (#ulink_2f6fa5f8-ffc6-51ac-920b-cc265eca0fe9)
JULIE found her patience growing thin. Where the devil was Ian? He had promised to meet her. She had stood here for almost half an hour in the searing heat and, apart from a handful of people going about their daily business, the small harbour was deserted.
She heard the Jeep before it came into sight. It sounded as though it was being driven flat out, as though someone was in a great hurry. She watched frowningly as the vehicle came hurtling towards her, as the brakes were slammed on and the Jeep swung around so that it was ready to take off again.
The man who jumped out was much taller and broader than her brother, packed with hard muscle, deeply tanned, with jet-black hair cut brutally short. He looked at her piercingly and questioningly for several seconds, as if he was not entirely sure that she was the person he had come to pick up. ‘Julie Drummond?’ There was something in his tone that sounded odd, and his harsh, frowning face suggested that he was not happy about having to make this journey.
Julie was tall also, but she nevertheless needed to lift her head to look up at this man. ‘Yes, that’s me,’ she declared firmly.
His eyes narrowed on her unnervingly for a second before he growled, ‘Let’s get going.’ He picked up her suitcase and tossed it unceremoniously into the back of the battered Jeep, waited with obvious impatience while she clambered in, and then took off again at the same breakneck speed.
‘I do want to get there in one piece,’ Julie announced testily, bracing herself with both hands. She was already bad-tempered at being kept waiting and this man was putting the fear of hell into her.
A pair of the deepest blue eyes she had ever seen swivelled in her direction. They were the nicest part about him, she decided; the rest of his face was all hard, uncompromising angles. ‘You’re quite safe,’ he told her coldly.
It didn’t feel like it to her. ‘What’s the hurry?’ she questioned.
‘I have other more important things to do,’ came the harsh response.
‘And you object to being sent to pick me up, is that it?’ she asked sharply. ‘Where’s Ian? I thought he was coming?’ This man was totally objectionable. She was dusty and hot and tired, her long black hair clung limply and damply to her head, instead of cascading in its usual riot of waves, and the last thing she wanted was to feel unwelcome.
‘Your husband is stranded on Pinz6n,’ he told her. ‘He should have returned last night but the boat developed engine trouble. He will hopefully be back later today.’
Julie did not like the emphasis he put on the word ‘husband’—almost as though he knew that she was masquerading as Ian’s wife! There was no way he could, of course, unless Ian himself had said something, and that was unlikely; it had to be her conscience. But she touched the wedding-ring she was wearing, twisting it uneasily. It was a cheap one, bought to add credibility to their story, and it did not feel right on her finger.
When her twin brother had first applied for the job as Cameron Storm’s research assistant in the Galapagos Islands he hadn’t realised that the eminent ecologist was seeking a husband and wife team.
‘He apparently needs someone to type out his notes and maintain accurate daily records,’ Ian had told her when he returned from his interview, ‘and also to do the cooking.’
‘A cook?’ Julie had looked at her brother in astonishment. ‘You’re asking me to come with you as Cameron Storm’s cook? Heavens, Ian, that’s not my line at all.’
‘But you are looking for a job; you know you hate being out of work, and you are an accomplished typist,’ he’d pointed out. ‘This means such a lot to me.’
Her brother, also interested in ecology, but nowhere near as experienced and knowledgeable as Cameron Storm, was besotted with the idea of going out to the Galapagos Islands. He had been ever since, as a schoolboy, he’d read about Charles Darwin’s visit there.
Although Ian and Julie were roughly the same height, his hair was not quite so dark, and he had a rounder face and a much stockier figure; they didn’t even look like brother and sister, let alone twins.
‘There’s so much to find out,’ he said to Julie. ‘A short holiday would serve no purpose. I need to be able to live there to do any good.’
They shared the same house in the village of Barlaston in Staffordshire, England, where the great Wedgwood pottery factory was situated. The Wedgwoods and the Darwins had always been great friends and there had been a lot of intermarriage between the two families over the years—Charles Darwin marrying his cousin, Emma Wedgwood, in the 1830s.
It was this vague connection with Charles Darwin and Barlaston that had increased her brother’s interest, even though Charles Darwin had lived in Shrewsbury as a young man. ‘I’ll never get another chance to work with someone as expert and experienced as Cameron Storm,’ he went on. ‘I shall learn so much—it’s fantastic. Please, please say you’ll come.’
‘It could be what I need, I suppose,’ said Julie. In fact, it was the perfect escape, but she wasn’t telling Ian that yet. Immersing herself in a new job and new surroundings would be a great help in trying to forget her bitter break-up with Roger. It was the deceit that troubled her—pretending to be married; she did not like that one little bit.
‘Didn’t you tell Cameron Storm that you and Julie had split up?’ she asked Ian. It was confusing that her sister-in-law had the same Christian name, though convenient for Ian, now that he wanted her to masquerade as his wife.
‘Goodness, no!’ he exclaimed. ‘The man believes in the sanctity of marriage. He thinks it should be for life.’
‘Is he not married himself?’
Ian shook his head.
‘Why? Is he as ugly as sin? Will no one have him?’
‘Hardly,’ laughed Ian. ‘He’s a handsome devil but he’s dedicated to his work. I don’t think he wants the complications of a single girl on the team. Too many of them make a bee-line for him.’
‘So why doesn’t he get a male secretary?’ Julie asked. ‘And a male cook?’
‘I don’t know,’ replied Ian tetchily. ‘All I know is that he said the job’s mine if Julie comes with me. But Julie can’t come, can she? So I want you to take her place.’ He gave one of his most appealing smiles. ‘We’re so close, Sis, no one will ever know.’
He was right, they were close; they always had been. More so when their parents had divorced fifteen years ago, when she and Ian were only eleven years old. Oddly, there had never been any indication that there was anything wrong with their parents’ marriage—no arguments, no bad vibes, nothing—until the day their father had upped and gone, and that was the last she and Ian had seen of him.
The break-up had remained a mystery, their mother always maintaining a strict silence about the whole affair, but Julie guessed that her father had gone off with another woman. It was only now that Ian had experienced a similar trauma, and she was trying to deal with her own broken affair, that Julie was learning to understand how much her mother had suffered.
‘What if Cameron Storm finds out I’m not your wife?’ she asked her brother worriedly.
‘How will he?’ he fenced. ‘You’ve both the same name, so there’s no chance of a slip-up there, and although I have met Cameron in the past he’s never met Julie. There’s no possible way he can find out. Oh, please, Sis, my life depends on it.’
He was being overly dramatic, but Julie had been concerned about her twin ever since his wife had walked out. She had actually never felt the other Julie was right for him, but he had been besotted, and before they had known each other three months they were married.
He had never stopped loving her either, she truly was the only girl in the world for him, but her eye had strayed after less than eighteen months of marriage, and Ian had arrived home from work one day to discover that she had run off with his best friend.
He had been distraught and had come to his sister in tears. He had even been prepared to forgive his wife but she had announced that their marriage was over, that she did not love him any more and that she wanted a divorce.
Today was the first time Julie had seen her brother show enthusiasm for anything since—but, even though she felt quite excited herself at the thought of going out to the Galapagos Islands, she was still not convinced that pretending to be her brother’s wife was a good thing to do. Surely honesty would be the best policy?
‘Just think of it as one big, long holiday,’ he urged. ‘You’ll be able to completely forget that swine Roger. You’ll be able to relax totally while we’re out in the field, and I doubt Cameron’s notes will be vast. You’ll be able to sunbathe and swim and generally enjoy yourself.’
Finally she had dispelled her misgivings and agreed, and now here she was, sitting beside this big, irritating man, almost melting with the heat, resenting the fact that he looked as cool and comfortable as it if were springtime in England.
‘And who are you?’ she asked, hoping the whole team wasn’t going to be as hostile. She had envisaged a happy, friendly group of people, had let Ian persuade her that the whole thing would be fun. She could only hope that no one else would be this disagreeable.
She had looked the Galapagos Islands up when her brother had first mentioned them—in the Pacific, all volcanic, belonging to Ecuador, straddling the equator, almost totally a National Park, only of significance to people who were interested in natural history.
Thick brows rose. ‘I’m sorry, didn’t I introduce myself?’ A faint mocking smile curved a mouth that was generously wide. ‘I’m Cameron Storm.’
‘Oh!’ Julie swallowed hard. ‘I didn’t realise.’
‘Obviously.’
She tried to think what she had said to him, and hoped she hadn’t jeopardised her brother’s chances.
‘Ian didn’t tell me what a firebrand you were. I have a good team here, Mrs Drummond. I hope you’re not going to disrupt things with your hasty temper?’
There it was again, a veiled reference to her marital status. Julie began to feel worried, but she showed none of it; she had to speak to Ian first. ‘I don’t have a hasty temper,’ she fired back, and then laughed. ‘Standing around for half an hour in this heat isn’t my idea of fun. I’d begun to think Ian had forgotten I was arriving today.’
‘Ian didn’t forget,’ he reassured her. ‘He was desperately worried when he couldn’t get back—you’re a very lucky woman having a man love you so much.’ His eyes were watchful on her face as he spoke. ‘We have a radio system, of course, to keep in touch with each other, and he asked if someone else could pick you up.’
‘You didn’t have to come yourself,’ she pointed out.
‘I was the only man at camp.’
‘I’m sorry if I’ve inconvenienced you.’ She rested her hazel eyes on him for a brief moment. So this was Cameron Storm, the man her brother deeply admired and respected. Ian had said he was handsome and she couldn’t deny that, but he had failed to tell her that he was an impatient man also, that he didn’t like things that upset his routine, and he certainly wasn’t happy about having to fetch her today.
‘Forget it, Mrs Drummond, it’s done now.’
‘Please, call me Julie.’ The deception, which had always bothered her, was disturbing her more with each second that passed.
‘Here we are.’ He brought the Jeep to a shuddering halt at a campsite set well back on a white sandy beach, brown canvas tents pitched in regimental order.
Julie looked at the scene in complete and utter dismay. ‘Is this it? Is this where we’re to live?’ She was unable to hide her consternation, feeling suddenly let down. Ian could have told her. He had let her come out here without giving her any idea at all that she would be expected to rough it for the next twelve months.
Dark, mocking brows rose. ‘What did you expect, the Ritz?’ And he looked her up and down in her obviously expensive white dress and the totally impractical high-heeled sandals.
Her eyes flashed. ‘No one told me.’
‘Then blame Ian, not me,’ he retorted. ‘Let me show you your tent.’
Most of them were open-sided, but the one he took her to in the far corner was thankfully enclosed and would afford her some degree of privacy—until she poked her head inside and saw Ian’s possessions! She almost blurted out there and then that she and Ian weren’t married, only the fact that she knew her twin would be furious stopping her. She had already done enough damage by speaking to Cameron Storm as though he was a nobody.
‘I’ll leave you to get settled,’ he said, a touch of humour lurking on his lips.
Julie looked into the intent blueness of his eyes, and to her utter, utter astonishment felt a faint pull of atttraction. Lord, what was happening? Something like this would be fatal; it would completely ruin her brother’s chances of staying here and furthering his career.
Besides, she had come out here to get over Roger, not to trip headlong into another relationship. Her chin came up. ‘And then what?’ She did not realise how aggressive her voice sounded.
An eyebrow slid smoothly upwards. ‘Nothing much for today. I’ll show you the tent I use as an office and when Raul, our present cook, returns you will be able to see how things are run in the kitchen.’
Julie frowned, a suspicion dawning. ‘How many am I expected to cook for?’
‘Why, all of us.’ He looked surprised at her question.
‘And how many is all of us?’
‘At the moment about twenty.’
‘Twenty?’ she echoed. ‘I didn’t know that; it wasn’t the impression I got. I actually thought, naive as it seems, that you’d rented a house and needed a cook-cum-typist.’
He gave a bark of laughter, and it was surprising how it softened the harsh lines of his face and made him look more human. ‘Actually you’re half right. You, Ian and myself are moving to Isla Fragata, or Vulcan Island as it is more commonly known.’
‘Just the three of us?’ she asked cautiously.
‘Yes.’ He grew serious again. ‘It should prove very—interesting, from many points of view. Ian is very eager to learn, but—’ his tone sharpened ‘—his success depends upon you.’
Julie frowned. ‘Me? What do you mean?’
‘You’re fully aware of my stipulation?’
‘That you wouldn’t take him on your team if I didn’t come too?’
‘That’s right.’
‘I can’t understand why,’ Julie said strongly. ‘If you’re afraid of being chased by single girls you could have employed a man.’
‘Afraid, Mrs Drummond? Me?’ He looked considerably amused.
Julie shrugged. ‘Ian said that was the reason.’
Cameron Storm’s mouth twisted cynically. ‘I suppose it was a natural assumption, but he’s wide of the mark. The truth is I did not think it fair to part him from his wife for twelve long months; it could put his—marriage in jeopardy.’
He paused a moment, as though expecting her to say something. Julie hid her unease but remained silent. He couldn’t possibly know that she wasn’t Ian’s wife, she was being too sensitive.
‘Besides,’ he went on briskly, ‘I happened to need someone with your qualifications. You can—er—type, I presume?’
Julie inclined her head, her eyes flashing her impatience at such a question.
‘You’re not exactly what I expected,’ he added surprisingly. ‘I rather thought Ian’s wife was a blonde; I don’t know why. But then—’ he grinned widely, showing amazingly white teeth ‘—it’s amazing what you can get out of a bottle.’
Julie could not believe this man. He was totally confusing her and she wanted to get away from him, she wanted to speak to Ian, she wanted to ask him what, if anything, he had said. God, already it was so difficult.
‘All I ask,’ he said, the humour gone now, his voice brusque, ‘is that you don’t let your husband down.’
Taken by surprise, she asked sharply, ‘And what is that supposed to mean?’
‘I think you know.’ His blue eyes narrowed upon hers and Julie felt a quiver of unease. Another thought struck her. Surely he wasn’t aware that she already felt a faint pull of attraction? Surely she hadn’t given herself away in this short space of time? He didn’t think, he couldn’t think, that she was like this with every man she met? Could he?
‘If you can’t cope,’ he added crisply, ‘say so now and you and Ian can go back to England before we get started.’
Julie deliberately misinterpreted him. ‘I have no doubt at all that I can cope with the job.’ It had taken them ages to get their permits to stay and work here; Ian would never forgive her if she fouled things up now.
‘And everything else?’ he persisted, and this time there was no doubt what he meant.
‘But of course.’ She kept her eyes steady on his.
‘And may I suggest that you do something with your hair.’ His eyes raked over its long length. ‘Either tie it up or get the scissors to it. It’s totally impractical in this heat.’
She tossed her head. ‘You don’t have to tell me, I’ve already found that out. I have every intention of tying my hair back just as soon as I’ve had a shower and changed.’
‘Showered?’ He looked at her as though she were out of her mind. ‘There are no mod cons here.’
Julie felt slightly foolish, but she was damned if she would show it. She lifted her chin defensively. ‘Whatever.’
In the privacy of the tent Julie flung herself down on one of the camp-beds and wondered what she had let herself in for. Apart from the difficulty of the masquerade, she had never imagined anything like this. Had Ian known they would be sleeping under canvas? Had he deliberately misled her? Or had he thought it would be different too?
Throughout the flight from England to Ecuador she had tried to imagine what life in the Galapagos Islands would be like. Nothing had prepared her for camping out on the beach. She actually did not like sleeping under canvas.
When they were young, she and Ian had gone on a camping holiday with their parents and a violent thunderstorm had blown down the tent in the middle of the night. Several dozen frightened cows had come charging through their camp and frightened her even more than the storm. They had never managed to persuade her to sleep under canvas again.
It was a pity, Julie thought now, that she and Ian had not been able to fly out here together. They’d actually had difficulty in getting flights, and in the end he had come out more than a week before her.
She had stayed one night in Ecuador at a hotel in Quito, and had somehow expected things to be equally as civilised here. Perhaps, if she had thought about it properly, she would have realised that it wasn’t possible, that living in a tent was far more practical when it was necessary to move camp from one island to another—except that she hadn’t known they would be moving!
It was hot inside the tent and totally airless, and it was easy to see why most of them had no sides—obviously Cameron had thought that she and Ian needed their privacy!
Eventually she sat up and hugged her knees and looked about her. There was not exactly a lot of room and only one small area to store and hang their clothes. She had brought far too much, most of it totally impractical. When would she ever wear dresses, for instance? And high heels? She had thought they would dine out sometimes, that it wouldn’t be all work and no play. It certainly didn’t look like that now.
She knew that Santa Cruz was the second largest island and the main tourist centre, with the Charles Darwin Research Station stituated here, but she hadn’t really understood how remote their camp was going to be. And she was afraid to imagine what it was going to be like when they went to Vulcan Island. The stress would be intolerable.
Julie pulled off her dress and contemplated slipping into the sea as she desperately needed to cool down. Then the thought that Cameron Storm might be out there watching made her quickly change her mind. She would manage without, for the time being.
She opened her suitcase and tugged out a T-shirt and shorts. She saw no point at all in unpacking if they would shortly be on the move. She fished her comb out of her bag and raked it through her hair, twisting its length into a knot on top of her head which she fixed securely with a few hairpins.
When she ventured outside, Cameron, surprisingly and pleasingly, was nowhere in sight and she was able to wander through the campsite at will. She found the kitchen supplies tent and a stove that was run by Calor gas, which she supposed she was going to have to learn to use.
Intense fury ran through her. She wasn’t the world’s best cook, and it wasn’t a task she particularly enjoyed. If Ian had deliberately let her believe she was cooking only for the three of them, if he had known all along what he was letting her in for, then he would certainly get a piece of her mind.
‘I’m glad you did as you were told.’
Julie turned quickly at the sound of Cameron’s voice. He had come up so quietly behind her that her senses triggered in faint alarm. ‘What do you mean?’ she asked with a frown.
‘Your hair.’
Involuntarily she touched it, tempted to remind him again that she would have done so anyway, but deciding there was no point in provoking further antagonism. This was a very small community—and would be smaller still far too soon! It was best that they maintain some sort of halfway decent relationship.
He looked at her appraisingly and insolently, not missing one inch of her body, starting at the tips of her toes and working his way slowly upwards, pausing to rest on the pert thrust of her breasts before finally meeting her furious hazel eyes.
‘You’re too damned beautiful,’ he growled, and it wasn’t a compliment. ‘I’m not sure that it was a good idea after all; you could prove an unfortunate distraction.’
Julie knew he wasn’t talking about himself. In the short time she had spent in Cameron’s company she had got the impression that he was always in control, always in complete charge of his life, and that no woman, however attractive, would be allowed to intrude.
‘I’m sorry we did not meet when I was in England recently,’ he added.
‘Because then you wouldn’t have insisted that I accompany Ian, is that it?’ she asked crisply. ‘I think you’re being very insulting, Mr Storm, I can assure you I do not have a roving eye. I’m not interested in other men. I’m very happy as things are.’
Before Roger she had had no steady boyfriends. After what had happened to her mother she had always sworn she would never get married. But it had happened, she had fallen in love, and had really thought she had found the ideal man—until Roger’s jealously got the better of him.
He hadn’t been able to bear her to even talk to another man. At first she had been flattered, thought it proved how much he loved her, but when he had accused her of having an affair, when he would not listen when she’d explained that Tod Martin was a lifelong friend of the family and had taken her out for a meal because they hadn’t seen each other for over twelve months, she had ended their relationship.
He had been very acrimonious, and their argument had hurt her deeply, causing her many sleepless nights.
‘Is that so?’ Cameron’s brows rose mockingly, as though he thought otherwise, as though he thought she would have a field day with twenty men to take her choice from. ‘You’re happy with Ian?’
It was the glint in his eye that did it. Why he should have this instant damning opinion of her, she did not know. ‘I am, very much so,’ she told him furiously. ‘What have I done, Mr Storm, to deserve such offensive comments?’
He actually looked amused. ‘You’ve done nothing—yet.’
‘You’re just being prepared?’
‘Something like that,’ he admitted, his lips quirking.
Julie lifted her chin and glared. ‘You will find that I shall do nothing except my work—to the best of my ability. Is that good enough?’
‘I guess it will have to be.’ Their eyes met and challenged, and then, with a sudden, surprising change of subject, he said, ‘Ian is just the person I need to assist me. I am currently documenting the life of the fur seals. They are becoming an endangered species, as he’s probably told you?’
‘Actually no,’ replied Julie. ‘I’ve no idea what sort of work you do.’
He looked suprised, and immediately launched into an explanation. ‘It’s El Niño which is the problem,’ he told her. ‘A warm current which comes at around Christmas-time. It doesn’t normally have too much effect, but once every six or seven years the flow is exceptionally large; rainfall and temperatures soar and all the fish move away. Consequently its catastrophic for life that depends on the sea.’
‘Such as the fur seals,’ she acknowledged.
‘That’s right, and seabirds and marine iguanas. Most of the young die because they can’t feed and it takes many years for things to get back to normal—if ever.’
He was a totally different man when he was talking about his work—gone was the mockery and the hardness. It was very evident that he genuinely cared about wildlife. She relaxed and smiled. ‘You’re very passionate about your work, Mr Storm.’
‘It is my one and only interest in life,’ he admitted, and then, with another abrupt change of subject, ‘I was actually suprised to hear Ian had got married. I thought he was an equally earnest young man, intent only on furthering his career. When I first met him a couple of years ago there wasn’t even a girl on the scene. He mentioned to me then about coming out here.’
Julie smiled faintly, uncomfortably. ‘It did happen rather suddenly.’
‘He seemed very sure that you would come with him. Did you take much persuading?’ His deep blue eyes were watchful on hers and Julie shifted uneasily. The heat was getting to her; there wasn’t even a breeze to counteract the sun’s intensity. It was high overhead and she hadn’t eaten or drunk anything since breakfast. She had flown the six hundred miles from Ecuador to the island of Baltra, and then taken the ferry here to Santa Cruz, and now she was both hungry and thirsty and didn’t really want to stand talking to Cameron Storm.
‘I didn’t actually jump at it,’ she admitted. But that had only been because of the deception. Otherwise it had come at a perfect time.
‘Because you didn’t want to give up your job?’
Julie shook her head. ‘Actually, I’m between jobs; I was made redundant a few months ago.’
‘So it was loyalty to your husband?’ There was a cynical tone to his voice now.
‘Of course,’ she snapped.
‘But you don’t share his interest in ecology?’
‘No. Does it matter?’
His mouth twisted. ‘Not so long as you don’t whinge all the time. This is hardly the place for someone who…’
Julie heard no more. His words receded and were lost as the heat pounded in her head. Everything began to spin, round and round, faster and faster, until finally she lost her balance.
CHAPTER TWO (#ulink_894edac6-3426-5c2c-abf3-273e0393c263)
JULIE felt herself being held against a hard, masculine body by arms that were strong and supportive, and yet surprisingly gentle. She was led to a canvas chair in the shade and a glass of water pushed into her hand.
She took a long, much needed drink and immediately her glass was refilled. ‘I shouldn’t have kept you out in the sun,’ Cameron said. ‘I’m used to it; I forget. It is easy to become dehydrated. You must drink plenty of liquids and take salt tablets if necessary. We always keep a supply.’
‘Thank you,’ said Julie.
‘Are you hungry also? When did you last eat?’
‘Not since my breakfast at seven, as a matter of fact,’ she told him, ‘but I can easily get myself something. I’m feeling much better now.’ In fact she felt normal again and stood up.
But Cameron pushed her back down, and with a wry twist of his lips said, ‘I’d advise you to make the most of it. After this you’ll get no help from anyone.’
He disappeared into the tent and came back with a bread roll, a chunk of cheese and an apple, and a glass of orange juice. Julie ate ravenously, though she wasn’t too pleased with the fact that Cameron sat watching her.
‘When did you say you expect Ian back?’ she asked, taking a bite from the rosy apple.
He lifted his broad shoulders in an easy shrug. ‘Some time today, as soon as he’s fixed the engine, unless it’s not as simple as he first thought and I have to send out an engineer.’
‘And this man, Raul, will he do the cooking?’
‘Tonight, yes.’ His blue eyes were level on hers. ‘Also tomorrow, and then he’s taking a break.’
She felt better now she had eaten, not half so prickly, and she grinned. ‘I hope you’ve all got cast-iron stomachs, because I’m not promising anything.’
‘Have I been landed with a woman who cannot cook?’ he growled suspiciously.
‘Oh, yes, I can cook,’ she said, still smiling, ‘but I’ve never done it for the multitudes before. It’s the quantities that are worrying me. You’ll probably have either too little or too much until I get into the swing of it.’
He did not look amused, and as soon as she had finished eating he took her to the tent where all the records were kept. There were a couple of desks, a portable typewriter sitting on one of them, filing cabinets and an odd assortment of cupboards. ‘This is where you’ll be working for the time being.’
Julie looked at everything critically.
‘We’re way behind with the notes already,’ he told her. ‘They’re all here, handwritten, but I’d like them typed out. You can start whenever you like.’
She half suspected that he meant now. ‘Has your typist taken a break as well?’ she asked impishly.
He allowed himself a faint, dry smile. ‘We all try to do our own, but it can be a bit chaotic. We need someone to restore order. I trust you’re capable?’
‘I guess I can manage,’ she said. For six years she had been secretary to the managing director of a large manufacturing Company—until they had been taken over and her services were no longer required. She had always been praised for her efficiency.
‘I want things brought up to date before we leave for Vulcan,’ he announced, his tone crisp and businesslike.
It sounded as thought he had a lot of hard work lined up for her, thought Julie. ‘I’ll begin tomorrow,’ she said. ‘I’d like to rest now, if you don’t mind.’
The truth was she needed to get away from him. He was the most physical man she had ever met. Despite his less than welcoming attitude, he still somehow managed to excite her. Even with Roger she had not felt this instant attraction. It was unreal—and fatal!
He inclined his head. ‘Very well.’
After half an hour, though, Julie became restless. She was virtually hiding from Cameron Storm and that was stupid. Surely she could handle these emotions without betraying herself?
She emerged from the tent, and to her dismay he was out there, standing just a few yards away, not looking in her direction, seeming to be deep in thought, but as if he sensed her presence he turned, and their eyes met for a brief, tension-packed second.
‘I thought I’d take a walk into Puerto Ayora,’ she said, pasting a brilliant smile to her lips. ‘I shan’t have much time for shopping once I start work, and there are a couple of things I might need. Is it far?’
‘Too far to walk,’ he growled.
‘Then perhaps I could borrow the Jeep?’ she asked brightly.
But her smile didn’t charm him. Instead, he scowled ferociously and rasped, ‘The last thing I want is you getting lost. I’d better take you.’
It was clear he was offering out of a sense of duty, but Julie wanted to get away from him, not spend more time together. One of the reasons she had come out here was to get over a broken heart, not find herself attracted to someone else. It was a disaster waiting to happen and she had to stop it right here and now. ‘That’s not necessary,’ she protested firmly, ‘I’ll be perfectly all right by myself.’
But Cameron was insistent. ‘I happen to think it is. Come, let us go.’
His tone was sharp, and unhappily she dodged back into the tent for her bag before climbing into the Jeep beside him. To her consternation she felt his presence even more strongly than before, something invisible and intangible pulling her towards him. It caused an alien tightening in the pit of her stomach, a fractional quickening of her pulses. Even the masculine smell of him was like an aphrodisiac.
‘I don’t know what you are expecting to buy in Puerto Ayora.’ His deep voice broke the spell. ‘There are shops there, yes, but it’s not a busy cosmopolitan town.’ It was almost an accusation, as though he thought her only interest would be in expensive perfumes and designer clothes. Her fault, she supposed, for turning up in something that was far more suited to Paris then the beach.
‘I realise that,’ she said lightly, ‘but I thought I’d get some more sun-block, just in case.’ Although her hair was dark her skin was suprisingly fair. ‘I’m sure you wouldn’t like it if I got sunburnt and was unable to work.’
Her attempt at humour failed. ‘You’re absolutely right,’ he snarled.
‘And I presume there are no shops where we’re going?’
He gave a snarl of humourless laughter. ‘Vulcan is not even inhabited.’
Meaning it would be just the three of them; completely, totally alone! The thought sent a further shiver of apprehension down Julie’s spine.
The houses in Puerto Ayora were all flat-roofed and single-storeyed, well-built and painted either deep pink or white, although most of them looked as though they could do with another coat of paint. Conversely, there were the odd one or two quite pretty houses, well looked after, with lawns, and various shrubs and trees that were definitely not endemic to the islands.
There were actually all sorts of shops, far more than she had anticipated, selling everything from essential foodstuffs to cheap souvenirs. Cameron stopped outside one and picked up a straw hat which he perched on top of her head. ‘You’d better take that,’ he said drily.
Julie looked at herself in the tiny mirror provided and burst out laughing. ‘I don’t think so.’ But she tried on another, and even Cameron agreed it suited her much better.
She would have liked to linger longer, but sensed his impatience once her purchases were made, and it was really no fun in the circumstances. Why he was trailing around after her, she did not know. Why couldn’t he have stayed in the Jeep? Except that Cameron Storm did not strike her as the type of man who would sit around waiting for a woman.
Back in the vehicle, she again felt the pull of his powerful magnetism, but did not realise she was in grave danger of giving herself away until he told her to relax.
‘You’re sitting there with your hands clenched, looking as though you’re ready to do battle.’
‘I’m just not used to bumping around in a Jeep,’ she improvised quickly. He was again driving as though there were no tomorrow.
His lips twisted, as if he found her explanation less than credible, and she expected some further caustic comment. Surprisingly, though, he remained silent for the rest of the journey.
To her relief, Ian had returned in their absence. He came to meet her, pulling her into his arms, giving, she thought, a very creditable show of having greatly missed his supposed wife.
Julie squinted at Cameron over Ian’s shoulder and saw him watching them closely, a deeply disturbing frown on his face. Wasn’t Ian’s performance convincing enough? She felt a quiver of unease, and once in the tent that they were to share Julie voiced her misgivings. ‘I have a feeling he knows.’
‘How can he?’ Ian asked fiercely. ‘It’s all in your mind.’
‘He was watching us like a hawk.’
‘You’ve not said anything to make him suspicious?’
‘No. Have you? He said some mighty funny things when we first met.’
‘Of course not,’ Ian assured her. ‘What do you take me for, a fool? I want this job more than anything in the world. You’re just jumpy, that’s all. Once you’ve settled in everything will be fine.’
They were sitting facing each other on the edge of their camp-beds and she looked at him urgently. ‘Neither did he insist you bring me for the reason you thought.’
Ian frowned.
‘It’s not because he’s wary of single girls, it’s because he didn’t want to split us up for so long.’
‘Is that what he said?’ queried Ian sharply.
‘Yes.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Of course I’m sure.’
He shook his head, mystified. ‘I don’t see how I could have made such a mistake. He quite clearly stated that he preferred a married woman in the camp.’
‘So what are we going to do?’ she asked, twisting the ring on her finger. ‘Are we going to tell him?’
Ian shook his head. ‘Most definitely not. He’s a very straight man who hates deceit. He could easily send us both home for obtaining work under false pretences. I think we should sit tight and say nothing.’
Julie was not so sure; she really did think honesty would be best policy. ‘He might not send us back,’ she said pleadingly.
‘I can’t take the risk,’ answered Ian. ‘Besides, even if he didn’t send us home I’d be worried to death about you.’
Julie frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
‘The guys here are a nice enough bunch, but I’ve heard a few moans about there being no available women. Wearing a wedding-ring will be your best protection. After Roger I don’t think you’d be happy having to fight off further advances.’
‘Perish the thought,’ she said strongly. ‘I’m off men forever.’ Which was why her reaction to Cameron was all the more amazing. It was definitely something she had to fight and she had no intention of telling her twin about it.
‘So we’ll carry on as we are?’
She nodded, and Ian leapt across and pulled her into his arms. ‘Thank you, Sis. Thank you.’ There was a bond between them that was much stronger than that between ordinary brothers and sisters, and when she thought back to all his heartache, to his months of unhappiness, and the change in him when this trip was planned, this was the least she could do.
It was such a little deceit, it couldn’t possibly hurt anyone, and if he was right about the men complaining about their enforced celibacy, then being Mrs Drummond was exactly what she needed.
‘I’m sorry to break up such a tender little reunion, but there’s work to be done out here.’ Cameron Storm’s caustic voice cut into her thoughts. Through the opening of the tent he could see them quite clearly.
Julie pulled out of her brother’s arms. ‘He’s all yours.’
And Ian stood up and looked guilty. ‘I’m sorry, Cameron, it’s just that——’
‘I know, I know, you haven’t seen each other for over a week,’ he responded curtly, ‘but there’ll be plenty of time for that later. I want to see your records. I want to discuss your findings on Pinzón yesterday.’
His tone seemed unnecessarily sharp, thought Julie, but she was glad he had seen her and Ian together.
She looked longingly again at the sea, at the white sandy beach shelving gently down to it. Cameron and her brother were deep in conversation some yards away, she needn’t feel fearful now of him watching her.
Her mind made up, Julie slipped out of her clothes and into her bikini—cream and deep red stripes, bought especially to come out here, when she had thought she would be doing plenty of sunbathing! It enhanced her curves, revealed the flatness of her stomach and the slenderness of her hips. But she had been mistaken in thinking that she could take a swim unnoticed. As she ran lightly across the sand two pairs of eyes swivelled in her direction.
The water, inviting though it looked, was so icy-cold it took her breath away, but because she was being watched Julie pretended not to be affected. She was a strong swimmer and swam a hundred yards or more away from the beach before stopping and floating on her back.
By now she had got used to the temperature, although it was still too cold to stay in for very long. The sun waimed her upturned face and the sky was a very deep azure. She looked back at the beach, dotted with its brown tents. It was backed by volcanic rock and the occasional shrub.
A little further out Julie thought she saw the shape of a fin cutting through the water, and had a sudden mental image of being eaten by a shark. It was enough to panic her into returning to shore as quickly as her arms and legs would take her, and when she got there Cameron Storm was waiting.
‘I saw a shark,’ she panted. ‘Why didn’t you warn me?’
To her amazement he smiled, even though a trifle grimly.
“There are sharks in these waters, yes,’ he announced matter-of-factly, ‘but no one has ever been attacked. There are too many fish for them to be interested in humans, though I would recommend leaving the water if you cut or graze yourself.’
Julie was not convinced. There was always a first time.
‘Have you no other swimwear?’
His brusque question took her by surprise. ‘Well, yes, but why?’
‘Because wearing something as skimpy as that in front of a group of men who haven’t seen a woman in months is asking for trouble.’
Although he was confirming Ian’s fears, Julie deeply resented his attitude. ‘Is it really me you’re concerned for?’ she asked fiercely. ‘Or the fact that your team might have their mind taken off their work?’ He had no right dictating like this. First of all her hair, now her bikini—what next would he complain about?
‘Both,’ he snarled.
Her hazel eyes were steady on his. ‘Since there’s no one about at this moment I cannot see what your problem is, Mr Storm. Are you sure it’s not your blood pressure that’s rising?’ It was unwise to speak to him like this, she knew, but he was being impossible.
Cameron completely ignored her question. ‘So long as you restrict your swimming activities to when there is no one else about I shall say no more.’
Their eyes met, his hard and unreadable, with no indication what real thoughts were going through his mind. She maintained the contact for several seconds, then with a toss of her head she turned and walked away.
Thankfully Ian was not in the tent, so she was able to towel herself dry and pull her T-shirt and shorts back on. She rubbed most of the moisture out of her hair and then scraped it severely back in a ponytail.
By now Raul had arrived to begin preparations for the evening meal. The tawny-skinned local boy did not speak any English but he had a permanent smile and whistled softly to himself as he worked. Rather than stand and watch, Julie helped scrub endless potatoes, which were put in the ovens to be baked in their jackets, she filleted fish and laid the long trestle-tables where everyone ate.
And when all that was done she went looking for Ian. She found him in the ‘office’, busy scribbling notes. He looked up and smiled. ‘Did you enjoy your swim?’
‘Until Cameron Storm told me off.’
‘For what?’ he asked with a frown.
‘Wearing a bikini. I might tempt the other men, he said. What the hell does he think I am? A sex siren?’
A deep voice came from behind. ‘I think you don’t know the power of your beautiful body.’
She whirled and met the mocking force of blue eyes.
‘I don’t think you realise the danger you could be putting yourself in,’ he said quietly, and then to Ian, ‘Your wife is too beautiful for her own good. I congratulate you, but I hadn’t foreseen it could be a problem.’
‘If I’m a problem to you I’ll go back home,’ Julie retorted at once, wondering if Ian had noticed his emphasis on the word wife, or whether she was imagining it because of her unease over the situation.
A muscle jerked in the big man’s jaw. ‘That won’t be necessary.’
And Ian added a frantic plea. ‘Of course not, Julie, it’s just a matter of being sensible. I’m proud of you, but I wouldn’t like it either if I thought the rest of the team were ogling you.’ His eyes pleaded with her to calm down.
But she hated him siding with Cameron, even though she knew he was right. ‘I’m to make myself as unattractive as possible, is that what you’re saying?’
Ian looked appalled, and it was clear he felt that she was putting his job in jeopardy. Cameron, on the other hand, laughed. ‘What a spitfire you’ve chosen for yourself, Ian. I’ll leave you to deal with her.’
When he had gone Ian looked at Julie wornedly. ‘How could you speak to Cameron Storm like that? Don’t you realise you could be jeopardising my whole future?’
She shook her head in angry frustration. ‘He just rubs me up the wrong way.’
‘Please,’ he pleaded, ‘try to get on with him, even if you don’t like him. For my sake.’
But Julie was still in high dudgeon. ‘I’ll try, but it will be mighty impossible. If he thinks he can dictate to me then he’s mistaken.’ And so saying, she flounced out of the tent.
To her dismay Cameron was standing right outside; she almost cannoned into him, would have done so if he hadn’t put out an arm to stop her. ‘What’s the rush?’ There was still a quirk to his lips, a faint light of amusement in his eyes.
She shook herself free, but not before she felt a dangerous tingle of electricity. ‘No rush,’ she told him, trying her hardest to maintain some degreee of dignity. After her disastrous affair with Roger she could not understand how or why this was happening. It revealed a vulnerability she hadn’t expected, and it was this very defencelessness that was making her snappy.
‘Are you saying that you always charge around like a bull in a china shop?’
Julie’s eyes flashed. ‘Only when I’m angry.’
Cameron Storm had generous bushy brows and they rose now, his deep blue thickly fringed eyes intent on her face. ‘You don’t take kindly to being told what to do, do you?’
‘Not when I think it’s unnecessary.’ She held his gaze, stood that little bit straighter, her chin defiantly high.
‘It’s for your own good—for your own protection, in fact.’
Aware that Ian could hear every word, Julie knew she had to be careful. ‘But I’m not a fool,’ she insisted. ‘I am aware that there are certain bounds of decency when there’s one woman among several men. You can be assured I will conduct myself with absolute decorum.’
His eyes held hers for several more long, spine-tingling seconds. ‘That is good to hear.’
Julie was the first to look away. She felt like scooting back to her tent, wanting time to free herself of these anguished feelings; instead she strolled unhurriedly towards the kitchen to see how Raul was getting on.
By the time the first of the men began to filter back the meal was almost ready. Ian introduced her to each one in turn, and judging by their admiring looks Julie could well understand both his and Cameron’s concern.
They were a mixed bunch, ranging in age from early twenties to mid-fifties. Cameron was the definite leader, although, to give him his due, he did not act as the big chief. He was at one with the men and they got on well together. It was easy to understand his misgivings when she had suddenly appeared in their midst.
Julie had never really thought of herself as being beautiful. She had good bone-structure, yes, but she had always considered her face pretty ordinary, her eyes a little too small, her mouth a little too wide. Her hair was her best feature. Thick and black and glossy, she wore it without a fringe, normally falling in a cascade of luxuriant waves down her back. Now, of course, it was scraped tightly and unbecomingly back and confined in a band.
As they sat down to eat she was aware of Cameron’s eyes on her. He was diagonally opposite, with Ian on her right and a blond giant of a man, who had been introduced as Jake, on her left. ‘Jake hails from Australia and he’s an expert on lichens.’ Ian informed her.
‘I’m afraid I don’t know anything about them,’ Julie apologised.
Jake laughed. ‘I guesss you’ll learn all sorts of things by the time you’ve finished typing our notes.’
‘I expect so,’ Julie acknowledged.
‘Ian’s lucky you were able to come with him.’
‘Are you married yourself?’ asked Julie. Jake was nearer forty than thirty, probably much the same age as Cameron, with a good body and blue eyes too, although they were nowhere near as deep and powerful.
She felt Cameron’s eyes on her again now, and it was almost as though he was warning her not to get too friendly, which was ridiculous. What was she supposed to do—talk to no one? Or was it her imagination? Was she imagining criticism when none was there?
‘I was,’ the man admitted with a wry smile. ‘It didn’t work out. Maggie objected to the fact that I spent so much time away. It’s wrong to marry someone who’s in a completely different job; they simply don’t understand.’
‘So no one here is married?’ she asked.
‘No, that’s not right,’ he replied. ‘Ray over there is.’ He nodded towards the oldest of the team. ‘But his wife doesn’t mind him being away. She runs her own business and has plenty to do. And Sim, he’s married. He could have brought his wife, she’s a biologist as well, but she’s working on another project, and then there’s young Andy, he’s only been married six months.’
Julie frowned. So why hadn’t Cameron suggested this boy bring his wife as well? Unless, of course, she had no skills that were necessary to their research; Cameron wouldn’t want to carry dead weight. ‘What does Andy’s wife do?’ she asked.
‘She’s a nurse, I believe,’ Jake answered, ‘working on a cruise liner. It’s where they met. They’re used to spending time apart. He reckons it’s more than worthwhile when they do get together.’
‘Do you miss not having a woman in your life?’
‘Hell, yes, sometimes.’ His eyes twinkled at her. ‘It’s going to be refreshing having you here.’
‘Don’t get any ideas,’ she warned him, though she smiled as she spoke. ‘Ian packs quite a punch.’
‘Just joshing,’ he said. ‘I wouldn’t jeopardise my job. This is an ongoing project—biologists come and go, some don’t stay long, some for years. Cameron loves the place.’
They both looked across the table as they spoke and Cameron’s eyes were upon them, narrowed and assessing, though he smiled and acknowledged Jake.
‘I was just telling Julie how much I enjoy my work here,’ said the Australian, seeing nothing wrong in Cameron’s expression.
‘It would be unprofitable if you didn’t,’ agreed Cameron drily. ‘We can only hope that Mrs Drummond enjoys her work too.’
The emphasis on her marital status this time, she decided, was a warning to Jake that she was a married woman. She turned to Ian at her other side, and he smiled warmly and touched her hand. ‘All right?’ he asked quietly.
She nodded, and tried to concentrate on her meal, but it was difficult with Cameron sitting so near. She was relieved when it was all over, when she was able to help Raul clear away and wash up.
By this time it was dark, no long twilight like in England, but a rapid descent of the sun and then total darkness. It was still only a little after seven.
Solar lamps, that had been sitting in the sun all day gathering energy, were switched on and the whole camp looked festive. The men sat around in groups talking and Julie found herself alone with Ian and Cameron. It had been a long day, though, and she felt tired, and after an hour listening to the two men talk shop, trying to ignore the fact that her body was responding to Cameron’s in a way that made her feel uncomfortable, she yawned and stretched, and declared that she was going to bed.
Ian dutifully gave her a kiss on the cheek. ‘You poor darling, you’ve had a tiring day. I’ll try not to wake you when I turn in.’
She smiled. ‘Goodnight, Ian.’ And then she turned to Cameron and bade him goodnight too.
Their eyes met and held briefly. ‘Goodnight, Julie.’
But she did not sleep, she was far too aware of this man who had made such an impact on her life in such a short space of time. She could only be thankful that there were no reciprocal feelings; that would have been hell. There was no way then that she could have gone on with this charade.
When Ian came to bed a couple of hours later she pretended to be asleep. Almost within minutes his breathing deepened; he was happy here, there was absolutely nothing on his conscience to keep him awake.
Julie tossed and turned and in the end decided to get some fresh air. It was noticeably cooler now and she pulled a cardigan about her shoulders. There were no lights, every tent was in darkness; she felt quite safe.
She walked down to the shore and stood listening to the lap of the waves, watching the pattern of reflections from a full, silvery moon, totally unprepared when a harsh voice came out of the darkness.
‘Mrs Drummond, what the hell do you think you are doing?’
CHAPTER THREE (#ulink_1c0be8e2-29d6-53f3-8a44-b670001f1b67)
JULIE had heard no movement behind her; Cameron had approached with all the stealth of a tiger. She swung around, her heart hammering unsteadily in her breast. ‘I’m not doing anything.’
‘It looks to me as though you’re asking for trouble,’ he growled.
She frowned. ‘What do you mean?’ He was still wearing the same shirt and trousers as earlier, though whether he had pulled them on again when he saw her, or whether he had not yet gone to bed, Julie had no idea. She did not even know what time it was.
Cameron’s eyes glittered. ‘I’m sure you’re not unaware that the moon shining on you renders your nightdress virtually transparent. And that knitted thing doesn’t hide much.’
Julie’s heart went into panic. How long had he stood watching her before making his presence known? And how much could he see? ‘I couldn’t sleep,’ she retorted defensively, clutching the cardigan tightly around her throat as if by so doing it gave her some form of protection.
‘It cannot have escaped your notice that most of the tents are open-sided. If any of the men are awake they will not have failed to see you out here.’
And he thought she was doing it deliberately! Her chin came up. ‘Then they will not have failed to see that you followed me. What do you think they will make of that?’ And why was his opinion of her so very, very low?
The chiselled planes of his face grew harder and more angular; his mouth tightened. ‘If they have assessed the situation correctly they will know I have come to warn you.’ His voice was dangerously low, a threatening growl that shivered across Julie’s cruelly exposed nerve-endings.
She held the neck of her cardigan with both hands, her arms pressed close to her sides,
‘You have been here less than twelve hours, Mrs Drummond,’ he went on, ‘and already you are becoming a nuisance.’
His constant formality unnerved her. Despite Ian’s confidence, she felt sure Cameron suspected all was not as it should be. He watched them too closely, too often, and always there was calculation in his eyes. Why he should be suspicious, she did not know, but she was sure he was.
He moved so that his back was to the moon instead of hers, and she imagined it was to see her face more clearly, put her at an even bigger disadvantage.
She gave a tiny laugh, recalling Ian’s plea that she try to get on with his boss. ‘Why is it that I cannot seem to do anything right?’
Brows lifted. ‘Surely it’s a matter of basic intelligence?’
‘Haven’t you ever had women working here before?’
He inclined his head. ‘Yes, we’ve had female scientists.’
‘And were you as much on their backs as you are mine?’
His mouth twisted. ‘It wasn’t necessary. For one thing they did not flaunt themselves.’
‘Flaunt?’ echoed Julie, all her good intentions fading. ‘Is that what you think I’m doing? Heavens, Mr Storm, you’re seeing things that are not there.’
‘I don’t think so,’ he answered. ‘No woman can be as subliminally unaware of what she is doing as you’re suggesting.’
Julie shook her head violently, her hair, which she had taken out of its pins when she went to bed, falling forward over her face. ‘What’s the point in trying to defend myself,’ she asked crossly, ‘when you’ll believe only what you want to believe? I’m going back to bed.’
But before she had even turned he reached out, and to her utter amazement began stroking back the hair from her face. ‘Your hair looks blue in the moonlight,’ he muttered. ‘It has the gloss of a raven’s wing.’
So had his, she thought. It was odd that her hair should be the same colour as Cameron’s, whereas her twin’s was so much lighter. He seemed mesmerised by it, and when his fingers accidentally brushed her cheek Julie felt as though a thousand volts of electricity had shot through her.
At exactly the same instant Cameron withdrew, as though he had felt her reaction—or as though he had been testing her! Was this what it was all about? Was this why he had joined her, why he had touched her? Was he checking her loyalty to Ian?
Julie’s heart thudded fit to burst and she looked into his eyes with something approaching panic, praying with all her heart that he hadn’t sensed her reaction. It seemed forever that they held each other’s gaze, even though it could have been for no more than a fraction of a second. Then with a cry like a startled bird Julie raced back to her tent.
‘Julie!’ Cameron’s low voice came to her in the velvety softness of the night, but she ignored it. Whatever he had to say could only be to her shame, to her detriment. She had been in very grave danger of giving herself away, of putting Ian’s job at risk.
Upon reaching the tent, she dived inside and threw herself down on the bed. Her heart pounded so loudly that it echoed in her ears, her pulses raced and every limb trembled. And all because of one man! All because Cameron Storm had touched her! It didn’t bear thinking about.
‘Where have you been?’ Ian’s gruff, sleepy voice startled her.
‘Did I wake you? I’m sorry. I—I couldn’t sleep so I went for a walk.’ She tried desperately to control her breathing.
‘Oh.’ He seemed satisfied, turned over, and was asleep again within seconds.
It seemed an aeon before Julie finally drifted into sleep, her mind tormented, her very sanity threatened. She must never let herself get into such a volatile situation again. She even began to wonder whether it had been her imagination. that Cameron had touched her and sparked off this reaction. Whatever, he was a dangerous man, and she had to steer clear of him.
Ian was awake and dressed before Julie even stirred. He touched her shoulder. ‘Time to get up, Sis.’
Her eyes shot wide instantly.
‘You’re supposed to be helping with cooking breakfast, and there are packed lunches to be put up. If you don’t want to incur Cameron’s wrath again you’d better get moving.’
Mention of her protagonist’s name was enough to galvanise Julie into action, and by the time the rest of the team put in an appearance the trestle-tables were laid, sausages and eggs cooked, bread sliced, tea and coffee made. All with Raul’s help, of course. His indefatigable cheerfulness had helped restore her equilibrium.
She did not sit down with them this morning, instead remaining in the kitchen making sandwiches. The sides of the tent, which were rolled down when it wasn’t in use because, she had been told, mocking-birds or even sea-lions came to steal food, were up out of the way and she could see Cameron sitting at the table with the other men.
Jake came across to wish her a cheerful good morning. ‘You sure are a sight for sore eyes.’
She gave him a warm smile. ‘Thank you, kind sir.’ His friendliness was like balm to her unsettled thoughts.
‘I hear you’ll be leaving for Vulcan soon, that’s a pity. I shall miss you. You’re the best thing that’s happened to us for a long time.’
‘You’re an old flatterer,’ she said, but she appreciated his compliment all the same.
He stayed talking for several more minutes before going to his seat and Julie was taken completely by surprise when Cameron suddenly appeared at her side. ‘Are you encouraging Jake?’ he asked harshly.
The question was so unexpected that her mouth fell open. ‘Of course not.’
‘He seems mighty friendly.’
‘And why shouldn’t he be?’ she asked. ‘Am I supposed to speak to no one but you and Ian?’
‘I don’t want you giving them the wrong impression.’
She frowned. ‘And that is?’
‘That the bit of gold on your finger makes no difference.’
‘How dare you?’ Julie was sorely tempted to raise her hand to his cheek, except that it would have the unfortunate effect of attracting everyone’s attention, and she wanted to avoid that at all costs. This battle between her and Cameron was personal.
‘Just make sure that you watch what you’re doing,’ he growled. ‘And why aren’t you eating with the rest of us?’
‘Because I need to finish the lunches,’ she said quietly.
He frowned as he looked at the shadows beneath her eyes. ‘If you refrained from midnight walks you might be able to get up in time to organise yourself.’
Julie felt the reproof was unfounded. ‘I only walked because I couldn’t sleep, but you need never fear that my work will suffer because of it.’
‘It had better not.’
His tone seemed unnecessarily sharp and she guessed that it was really because of Jake. They had laughed a lot and he must have compared it with their own, often aggressive relationship. No other man had ever stirred her like this, and she could only suppose it was fear of being found out that put her on the defensive—and also the very real emotions he managed to evoke in her.
After breakfast, Ian asked what Cameron had said. ‘I thought he looked a bit uptight.’
She shrugged. ‘He was checking that I can cope, that’s all.’ Best not to tell her brother about their unfortunate meeting last night, or his accusations regarding Jake.
Ian’s frown changed to a smile. ‘He’s a real nice guy when you get to know him. He’s always concerned about his fellow men.’
Julie’s smile was much weaker than her twin’s. ‘I’ll reserve judgement.’
‘You’ll learn to like him,’ said Ian confidently. ‘Everyone does. No one’s ever said a bad word against him.’
The men began to drift away, until finally there was only Cameron left. A dreadful feeling began to settle in the pit of Julie’s stomach. Even Raul had gone back to his village; she was completely alone, completely at his mercy. ‘Aren’t you joining your men?’ she asked, trying to keep her tone light and cheerful.
‘There are things I need to explain.’
‘Typing out notes doesn’t need any explanations.’ She felt sure he was using this as an excuse to antagonise her further.
‘There are other matters.’
He had already opened the sides of the tent until there was no more than a roof and they stepped beneath it now and Julie sat down at the desk. Regardless of its open sides, Cameron still seemed to fill the area with his presence, her awareness of him so powerful that she knew it would be impossible to concentrate on any single task until he left her alone.
He indicated an untidy pile of handwritten notes—a huge pile! “These all belong to the various members of the team; I trust you’ll be able to read their writing.’
Julie said nothing.
‘And this, here, is my work. I’ve kept my own field-study notes reasonably up to date, as you can see. But I seem to have got way behind with the book I am writing.’
‘Book?’ This did surprise Julie. Nothing had been said about a book.
‘Perhaps I forgot to mention it,’ he announced lazily.
Or perhaps it had been deliberate! Perhaps he hadn’t wanted her to know exactly how much work was involved; perhaps he had thought it would scare her away! And he desperately needed a typist, that much was very evident. ‘What is it about?’ she asked curiously.
‘What else but these islands?’ Again his whole demeanour changed, his eyes lighting with pleasure in the work he was doing. ‘There have been dozens of books written about the unique wildlife found here—I’ve written several myself, each one specialising in a different subject. This one is dedicated to my dear friends, the fur seals.’
‘It’s just about them, nothing else?’ she asked in amazement. How much could be written about such animals?
‘Just the fur seals,’ he agreed, the harsh angles of his face softened by a caring smile.
Julie wondered what it would feel like to have him smile at her like that? Best not to know. It could be devastating.
‘Apart from the catastrophic effects of El Niño,’ he continued, ‘they were brought dangerously nearly to extinction in the eighteen hundreds. One fur seal hunter boasted of killing five thousand seals in two months. Can you believe that?’ There was anger now, fury at the thoughtless acts of these men.
He showed her drawings too, and Julie looked at them in amazement. “These are good. Did you do them?’
He inclined his head in acknowledgement.
‘You’re very talented.’
He lifted his shoulders modestly. ‘As you can see, there is a lot of typing to be done; everything is behind, and I have a five-week deadline for my book. I still have the last chapter to finish, but that won’t take long.’
‘You certainly intend to keep me busy.’
Well-marked brows rose. ‘Isn’t that what you’re here for?’
‘Well, yes,’ he said, ‘but I did think I’d have some time to myself.’ And how she wished that she had not been so eager to sit down—it put her at a definite disadvantage.
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию (https://www.litres.ru/margaret-mayo-3/stolen-feelings/) на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
Margaret Mayo
Kiss and tell… It should have been the job of a lifetime! But when Julie found herself on a Pacific island working with Cameron Storm, it was anything but paradise. Oh, Cameron was gorgeous, all right… and didn't he know it?Julie's only defense against a broken heart was to pretend to be a married woman. But deception had its price… and Cameron made sure that Julie paid. He ignored her wedding ring and went right on kissing her!
Table of Contents
Cover Page (#ub8de6d93-b744-5ffd-a80a-e7937b0685c1)
Excerpt (#uff130842-be68-5601-8811-9fc4dc95e28e)
About the Author (#u6afa77fc-0dbf-5513-a9f2-33f1dd01c6eb)
Title Page (#uf105d1f8-9742-57f8-af8f-ec46ef3c9f87)
CHAPTER ONE (#u73ee0b6f-bada-5225-929b-9b8c40ae67d5)
CHAPTER TWO (#ub308a805-fd25-5e78-b024-f2e62fd2c022)
CHAPTER THREE (#u7a436fbf-d05e-55dd-b9e4-17efa7457745)
CHAPTER FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SIX (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWELVE (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
“You’re a highly dangerous lady, Julie!”
“I beg your pardon?” What was Cameron talking about? She had never been guilty of being provocative in her life!
“Are you ever true to one person, Julie?”
“I think you’re crazy,” she said sharply. “I think you’re trying to cover up your own weakness.”
Blue eyes narrowed warningly. “Weakness, Julie?”
“Yes, weakness,” she snapped. “Only a man with no self-control would kiss a—a woman who isn’t free!”
Born in the industrial heart of England, MARGARET MAYO now lives with her husband in a pretty Staffordshire canalside village. Once a secretary, she turned her hand to writing her books both at home and in exotic locations, combining her hobby of photography with research.
Stolen Feelings
Margaret Mayo
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
CHAPTER ONE (#ulink_2f6fa5f8-ffc6-51ac-920b-cc265eca0fe9)
JULIE found her patience growing thin. Where the devil was Ian? He had promised to meet her. She had stood here for almost half an hour in the searing heat and, apart from a handful of people going about their daily business, the small harbour was deserted.
She heard the Jeep before it came into sight. It sounded as though it was being driven flat out, as though someone was in a great hurry. She watched frowningly as the vehicle came hurtling towards her, as the brakes were slammed on and the Jeep swung around so that it was ready to take off again.
The man who jumped out was much taller and broader than her brother, packed with hard muscle, deeply tanned, with jet-black hair cut brutally short. He looked at her piercingly and questioningly for several seconds, as if he was not entirely sure that she was the person he had come to pick up. ‘Julie Drummond?’ There was something in his tone that sounded odd, and his harsh, frowning face suggested that he was not happy about having to make this journey.
Julie was tall also, but she nevertheless needed to lift her head to look up at this man. ‘Yes, that’s me,’ she declared firmly.
His eyes narrowed on her unnervingly for a second before he growled, ‘Let’s get going.’ He picked up her suitcase and tossed it unceremoniously into the back of the battered Jeep, waited with obvious impatience while she clambered in, and then took off again at the same breakneck speed.
‘I do want to get there in one piece,’ Julie announced testily, bracing herself with both hands. She was already bad-tempered at being kept waiting and this man was putting the fear of hell into her.
A pair of the deepest blue eyes she had ever seen swivelled in her direction. They were the nicest part about him, she decided; the rest of his face was all hard, uncompromising angles. ‘You’re quite safe,’ he told her coldly.
It didn’t feel like it to her. ‘What’s the hurry?’ she questioned.
‘I have other more important things to do,’ came the harsh response.
‘And you object to being sent to pick me up, is that it?’ she asked sharply. ‘Where’s Ian? I thought he was coming?’ This man was totally objectionable. She was dusty and hot and tired, her long black hair clung limply and damply to her head, instead of cascading in its usual riot of waves, and the last thing she wanted was to feel unwelcome.
‘Your husband is stranded on Pinz6n,’ he told her. ‘He should have returned last night but the boat developed engine trouble. He will hopefully be back later today.’
Julie did not like the emphasis he put on the word ‘husband’—almost as though he knew that she was masquerading as Ian’s wife! There was no way he could, of course, unless Ian himself had said something, and that was unlikely; it had to be her conscience. But she touched the wedding-ring she was wearing, twisting it uneasily. It was a cheap one, bought to add credibility to their story, and it did not feel right on her finger.
When her twin brother had first applied for the job as Cameron Storm’s research assistant in the Galapagos Islands he hadn’t realised that the eminent ecologist was seeking a husband and wife team.
‘He apparently needs someone to type out his notes and maintain accurate daily records,’ Ian had told her when he returned from his interview, ‘and also to do the cooking.’
‘A cook?’ Julie had looked at her brother in astonishment. ‘You’re asking me to come with you as Cameron Storm’s cook? Heavens, Ian, that’s not my line at all.’
‘But you are looking for a job; you know you hate being out of work, and you are an accomplished typist,’ he’d pointed out. ‘This means such a lot to me.’
Her brother, also interested in ecology, but nowhere near as experienced and knowledgeable as Cameron Storm, was besotted with the idea of going out to the Galapagos Islands. He had been ever since, as a schoolboy, he’d read about Charles Darwin’s visit there.
Although Ian and Julie were roughly the same height, his hair was not quite so dark, and he had a rounder face and a much stockier figure; they didn’t even look like brother and sister, let alone twins.
‘There’s so much to find out,’ he said to Julie. ‘A short holiday would serve no purpose. I need to be able to live there to do any good.’
They shared the same house in the village of Barlaston in Staffordshire, England, where the great Wedgwood pottery factory was situated. The Wedgwoods and the Darwins had always been great friends and there had been a lot of intermarriage between the two families over the years—Charles Darwin marrying his cousin, Emma Wedgwood, in the 1830s.
It was this vague connection with Charles Darwin and Barlaston that had increased her brother’s interest, even though Charles Darwin had lived in Shrewsbury as a young man. ‘I’ll never get another chance to work with someone as expert and experienced as Cameron Storm,’ he went on. ‘I shall learn so much—it’s fantastic. Please, please say you’ll come.’
‘It could be what I need, I suppose,’ said Julie. In fact, it was the perfect escape, but she wasn’t telling Ian that yet. Immersing herself in a new job and new surroundings would be a great help in trying to forget her bitter break-up with Roger. It was the deceit that troubled her—pretending to be married; she did not like that one little bit.
‘Didn’t you tell Cameron Storm that you and Julie had split up?’ she asked Ian. It was confusing that her sister-in-law had the same Christian name, though convenient for Ian, now that he wanted her to masquerade as his wife.
‘Goodness, no!’ he exclaimed. ‘The man believes in the sanctity of marriage. He thinks it should be for life.’
‘Is he not married himself?’
Ian shook his head.
‘Why? Is he as ugly as sin? Will no one have him?’
‘Hardly,’ laughed Ian. ‘He’s a handsome devil but he’s dedicated to his work. I don’t think he wants the complications of a single girl on the team. Too many of them make a bee-line for him.’
‘So why doesn’t he get a male secretary?’ Julie asked. ‘And a male cook?’
‘I don’t know,’ replied Ian tetchily. ‘All I know is that he said the job’s mine if Julie comes with me. But Julie can’t come, can she? So I want you to take her place.’ He gave one of his most appealing smiles. ‘We’re so close, Sis, no one will ever know.’
He was right, they were close; they always had been. More so when their parents had divorced fifteen years ago, when she and Ian were only eleven years old. Oddly, there had never been any indication that there was anything wrong with their parents’ marriage—no arguments, no bad vibes, nothing—until the day their father had upped and gone, and that was the last she and Ian had seen of him.
The break-up had remained a mystery, their mother always maintaining a strict silence about the whole affair, but Julie guessed that her father had gone off with another woman. It was only now that Ian had experienced a similar trauma, and she was trying to deal with her own broken affair, that Julie was learning to understand how much her mother had suffered.
‘What if Cameron Storm finds out I’m not your wife?’ she asked her brother worriedly.
‘How will he?’ he fenced. ‘You’ve both the same name, so there’s no chance of a slip-up there, and although I have met Cameron in the past he’s never met Julie. There’s no possible way he can find out. Oh, please, Sis, my life depends on it.’
He was being overly dramatic, but Julie had been concerned about her twin ever since his wife had walked out. She had actually never felt the other Julie was right for him, but he had been besotted, and before they had known each other three months they were married.
He had never stopped loving her either, she truly was the only girl in the world for him, but her eye had strayed after less than eighteen months of marriage, and Ian had arrived home from work one day to discover that she had run off with his best friend.
He had been distraught and had come to his sister in tears. He had even been prepared to forgive his wife but she had announced that their marriage was over, that she did not love him any more and that she wanted a divorce.
Today was the first time Julie had seen her brother show enthusiasm for anything since—but, even though she felt quite excited herself at the thought of going out to the Galapagos Islands, she was still not convinced that pretending to be her brother’s wife was a good thing to do. Surely honesty would be the best policy?
‘Just think of it as one big, long holiday,’ he urged. ‘You’ll be able to completely forget that swine Roger. You’ll be able to relax totally while we’re out in the field, and I doubt Cameron’s notes will be vast. You’ll be able to sunbathe and swim and generally enjoy yourself.’
Finally she had dispelled her misgivings and agreed, and now here she was, sitting beside this big, irritating man, almost melting with the heat, resenting the fact that he looked as cool and comfortable as it if were springtime in England.
‘And who are you?’ she asked, hoping the whole team wasn’t going to be as hostile. She had envisaged a happy, friendly group of people, had let Ian persuade her that the whole thing would be fun. She could only hope that no one else would be this disagreeable.
She had looked the Galapagos Islands up when her brother had first mentioned them—in the Pacific, all volcanic, belonging to Ecuador, straddling the equator, almost totally a National Park, only of significance to people who were interested in natural history.
Thick brows rose. ‘I’m sorry, didn’t I introduce myself?’ A faint mocking smile curved a mouth that was generously wide. ‘I’m Cameron Storm.’
‘Oh!’ Julie swallowed hard. ‘I didn’t realise.’
‘Obviously.’
She tried to think what she had said to him, and hoped she hadn’t jeopardised her brother’s chances.
‘Ian didn’t tell me what a firebrand you were. I have a good team here, Mrs Drummond. I hope you’re not going to disrupt things with your hasty temper?’
There it was again, a veiled reference to her marital status. Julie began to feel worried, but she showed none of it; she had to speak to Ian first. ‘I don’t have a hasty temper,’ she fired back, and then laughed. ‘Standing around for half an hour in this heat isn’t my idea of fun. I’d begun to think Ian had forgotten I was arriving today.’
‘Ian didn’t forget,’ he reassured her. ‘He was desperately worried when he couldn’t get back—you’re a very lucky woman having a man love you so much.’ His eyes were watchful on her face as he spoke. ‘We have a radio system, of course, to keep in touch with each other, and he asked if someone else could pick you up.’
‘You didn’t have to come yourself,’ she pointed out.
‘I was the only man at camp.’
‘I’m sorry if I’ve inconvenienced you.’ She rested her hazel eyes on him for a brief moment. So this was Cameron Storm, the man her brother deeply admired and respected. Ian had said he was handsome and she couldn’t deny that, but he had failed to tell her that he was an impatient man also, that he didn’t like things that upset his routine, and he certainly wasn’t happy about having to fetch her today.
‘Forget it, Mrs Drummond, it’s done now.’
‘Please, call me Julie.’ The deception, which had always bothered her, was disturbing her more with each second that passed.
‘Here we are.’ He brought the Jeep to a shuddering halt at a campsite set well back on a white sandy beach, brown canvas tents pitched in regimental order.
Julie looked at the scene in complete and utter dismay. ‘Is this it? Is this where we’re to live?’ She was unable to hide her consternation, feeling suddenly let down. Ian could have told her. He had let her come out here without giving her any idea at all that she would be expected to rough it for the next twelve months.
Dark, mocking brows rose. ‘What did you expect, the Ritz?’ And he looked her up and down in her obviously expensive white dress and the totally impractical high-heeled sandals.
Her eyes flashed. ‘No one told me.’
‘Then blame Ian, not me,’ he retorted. ‘Let me show you your tent.’
Most of them were open-sided, but the one he took her to in the far corner was thankfully enclosed and would afford her some degree of privacy—until she poked her head inside and saw Ian’s possessions! She almost blurted out there and then that she and Ian weren’t married, only the fact that she knew her twin would be furious stopping her. She had already done enough damage by speaking to Cameron Storm as though he was a nobody.
‘I’ll leave you to get settled,’ he said, a touch of humour lurking on his lips.
Julie looked into the intent blueness of his eyes, and to her utter, utter astonishment felt a faint pull of atttraction. Lord, what was happening? Something like this would be fatal; it would completely ruin her brother’s chances of staying here and furthering his career.
Besides, she had come out here to get over Roger, not to trip headlong into another relationship. Her chin came up. ‘And then what?’ She did not realise how aggressive her voice sounded.
An eyebrow slid smoothly upwards. ‘Nothing much for today. I’ll show you the tent I use as an office and when Raul, our present cook, returns you will be able to see how things are run in the kitchen.’
Julie frowned, a suspicion dawning. ‘How many am I expected to cook for?’
‘Why, all of us.’ He looked surprised at her question.
‘And how many is all of us?’
‘At the moment about twenty.’
‘Twenty?’ she echoed. ‘I didn’t know that; it wasn’t the impression I got. I actually thought, naive as it seems, that you’d rented a house and needed a cook-cum-typist.’
He gave a bark of laughter, and it was surprising how it softened the harsh lines of his face and made him look more human. ‘Actually you’re half right. You, Ian and myself are moving to Isla Fragata, or Vulcan Island as it is more commonly known.’
‘Just the three of us?’ she asked cautiously.
‘Yes.’ He grew serious again. ‘It should prove very—interesting, from many points of view. Ian is very eager to learn, but—’ his tone sharpened ‘—his success depends upon you.’
Julie frowned. ‘Me? What do you mean?’
‘You’re fully aware of my stipulation?’
‘That you wouldn’t take him on your team if I didn’t come too?’
‘That’s right.’
‘I can’t understand why,’ Julie said strongly. ‘If you’re afraid of being chased by single girls you could have employed a man.’
‘Afraid, Mrs Drummond? Me?’ He looked considerably amused.
Julie shrugged. ‘Ian said that was the reason.’
Cameron Storm’s mouth twisted cynically. ‘I suppose it was a natural assumption, but he’s wide of the mark. The truth is I did not think it fair to part him from his wife for twelve long months; it could put his—marriage in jeopardy.’
He paused a moment, as though expecting her to say something. Julie hid her unease but remained silent. He couldn’t possibly know that she wasn’t Ian’s wife, she was being too sensitive.
‘Besides,’ he went on briskly, ‘I happened to need someone with your qualifications. You can—er—type, I presume?’
Julie inclined her head, her eyes flashing her impatience at such a question.
‘You’re not exactly what I expected,’ he added surprisingly. ‘I rather thought Ian’s wife was a blonde; I don’t know why. But then—’ he grinned widely, showing amazingly white teeth ‘—it’s amazing what you can get out of a bottle.’
Julie could not believe this man. He was totally confusing her and she wanted to get away from him, she wanted to speak to Ian, she wanted to ask him what, if anything, he had said. God, already it was so difficult.
‘All I ask,’ he said, the humour gone now, his voice brusque, ‘is that you don’t let your husband down.’
Taken by surprise, she asked sharply, ‘And what is that supposed to mean?’
‘I think you know.’ His blue eyes narrowed upon hers and Julie felt a quiver of unease. Another thought struck her. Surely he wasn’t aware that she already felt a faint pull of attraction? Surely she hadn’t given herself away in this short space of time? He didn’t think, he couldn’t think, that she was like this with every man she met? Could he?
‘If you can’t cope,’ he added crisply, ‘say so now and you and Ian can go back to England before we get started.’
Julie deliberately misinterpreted him. ‘I have no doubt at all that I can cope with the job.’ It had taken them ages to get their permits to stay and work here; Ian would never forgive her if she fouled things up now.
‘And everything else?’ he persisted, and this time there was no doubt what he meant.
‘But of course.’ She kept her eyes steady on his.
‘And may I suggest that you do something with your hair.’ His eyes raked over its long length. ‘Either tie it up or get the scissors to it. It’s totally impractical in this heat.’
She tossed her head. ‘You don’t have to tell me, I’ve already found that out. I have every intention of tying my hair back just as soon as I’ve had a shower and changed.’
‘Showered?’ He looked at her as though she were out of her mind. ‘There are no mod cons here.’
Julie felt slightly foolish, but she was damned if she would show it. She lifted her chin defensively. ‘Whatever.’
In the privacy of the tent Julie flung herself down on one of the camp-beds and wondered what she had let herself in for. Apart from the difficulty of the masquerade, she had never imagined anything like this. Had Ian known they would be sleeping under canvas? Had he deliberately misled her? Or had he thought it would be different too?
Throughout the flight from England to Ecuador she had tried to imagine what life in the Galapagos Islands would be like. Nothing had prepared her for camping out on the beach. She actually did not like sleeping under canvas.
When they were young, she and Ian had gone on a camping holiday with their parents and a violent thunderstorm had blown down the tent in the middle of the night. Several dozen frightened cows had come charging through their camp and frightened her even more than the storm. They had never managed to persuade her to sleep under canvas again.
It was a pity, Julie thought now, that she and Ian had not been able to fly out here together. They’d actually had difficulty in getting flights, and in the end he had come out more than a week before her.
She had stayed one night in Ecuador at a hotel in Quito, and had somehow expected things to be equally as civilised here. Perhaps, if she had thought about it properly, she would have realised that it wasn’t possible, that living in a tent was far more practical when it was necessary to move camp from one island to another—except that she hadn’t known they would be moving!
It was hot inside the tent and totally airless, and it was easy to see why most of them had no sides—obviously Cameron had thought that she and Ian needed their privacy!
Eventually she sat up and hugged her knees and looked about her. There was not exactly a lot of room and only one small area to store and hang their clothes. She had brought far too much, most of it totally impractical. When would she ever wear dresses, for instance? And high heels? She had thought they would dine out sometimes, that it wouldn’t be all work and no play. It certainly didn’t look like that now.
She knew that Santa Cruz was the second largest island and the main tourist centre, with the Charles Darwin Research Station stituated here, but she hadn’t really understood how remote their camp was going to be. And she was afraid to imagine what it was going to be like when they went to Vulcan Island. The stress would be intolerable.
Julie pulled off her dress and contemplated slipping into the sea as she desperately needed to cool down. Then the thought that Cameron Storm might be out there watching made her quickly change her mind. She would manage without, for the time being.
She opened her suitcase and tugged out a T-shirt and shorts. She saw no point at all in unpacking if they would shortly be on the move. She fished her comb out of her bag and raked it through her hair, twisting its length into a knot on top of her head which she fixed securely with a few hairpins.
When she ventured outside, Cameron, surprisingly and pleasingly, was nowhere in sight and she was able to wander through the campsite at will. She found the kitchen supplies tent and a stove that was run by Calor gas, which she supposed she was going to have to learn to use.
Intense fury ran through her. She wasn’t the world’s best cook, and it wasn’t a task she particularly enjoyed. If Ian had deliberately let her believe she was cooking only for the three of them, if he had known all along what he was letting her in for, then he would certainly get a piece of her mind.
‘I’m glad you did as you were told.’
Julie turned quickly at the sound of Cameron’s voice. He had come up so quietly behind her that her senses triggered in faint alarm. ‘What do you mean?’ she asked with a frown.
‘Your hair.’
Involuntarily she touched it, tempted to remind him again that she would have done so anyway, but deciding there was no point in provoking further antagonism. This was a very small community—and would be smaller still far too soon! It was best that they maintain some sort of halfway decent relationship.
He looked at her appraisingly and insolently, not missing one inch of her body, starting at the tips of her toes and working his way slowly upwards, pausing to rest on the pert thrust of her breasts before finally meeting her furious hazel eyes.
‘You’re too damned beautiful,’ he growled, and it wasn’t a compliment. ‘I’m not sure that it was a good idea after all; you could prove an unfortunate distraction.’
Julie knew he wasn’t talking about himself. In the short time she had spent in Cameron’s company she had got the impression that he was always in control, always in complete charge of his life, and that no woman, however attractive, would be allowed to intrude.
‘I’m sorry we did not meet when I was in England recently,’ he added.
‘Because then you wouldn’t have insisted that I accompany Ian, is that it?’ she asked crisply. ‘I think you’re being very insulting, Mr Storm, I can assure you I do not have a roving eye. I’m not interested in other men. I’m very happy as things are.’
Before Roger she had had no steady boyfriends. After what had happened to her mother she had always sworn she would never get married. But it had happened, she had fallen in love, and had really thought she had found the ideal man—until Roger’s jealously got the better of him.
He hadn’t been able to bear her to even talk to another man. At first she had been flattered, thought it proved how much he loved her, but when he had accused her of having an affair, when he would not listen when she’d explained that Tod Martin was a lifelong friend of the family and had taken her out for a meal because they hadn’t seen each other for over twelve months, she had ended their relationship.
He had been very acrimonious, and their argument had hurt her deeply, causing her many sleepless nights.
‘Is that so?’ Cameron’s brows rose mockingly, as though he thought otherwise, as though he thought she would have a field day with twenty men to take her choice from. ‘You’re happy with Ian?’
It was the glint in his eye that did it. Why he should have this instant damning opinion of her, she did not know. ‘I am, very much so,’ she told him furiously. ‘What have I done, Mr Storm, to deserve such offensive comments?’
He actually looked amused. ‘You’ve done nothing—yet.’
‘You’re just being prepared?’
‘Something like that,’ he admitted, his lips quirking.
Julie lifted her chin and glared. ‘You will find that I shall do nothing except my work—to the best of my ability. Is that good enough?’
‘I guess it will have to be.’ Their eyes met and challenged, and then, with a sudden, surprising change of subject, he said, ‘Ian is just the person I need to assist me. I am currently documenting the life of the fur seals. They are becoming an endangered species, as he’s probably told you?’
‘Actually no,’ replied Julie. ‘I’ve no idea what sort of work you do.’
He looked suprised, and immediately launched into an explanation. ‘It’s El Niño which is the problem,’ he told her. ‘A warm current which comes at around Christmas-time. It doesn’t normally have too much effect, but once every six or seven years the flow is exceptionally large; rainfall and temperatures soar and all the fish move away. Consequently its catastrophic for life that depends on the sea.’
‘Such as the fur seals,’ she acknowledged.
‘That’s right, and seabirds and marine iguanas. Most of the young die because they can’t feed and it takes many years for things to get back to normal—if ever.’
He was a totally different man when he was talking about his work—gone was the mockery and the hardness. It was very evident that he genuinely cared about wildlife. She relaxed and smiled. ‘You’re very passionate about your work, Mr Storm.’
‘It is my one and only interest in life,’ he admitted, and then, with another abrupt change of subject, ‘I was actually suprised to hear Ian had got married. I thought he was an equally earnest young man, intent only on furthering his career. When I first met him a couple of years ago there wasn’t even a girl on the scene. He mentioned to me then about coming out here.’
Julie smiled faintly, uncomfortably. ‘It did happen rather suddenly.’
‘He seemed very sure that you would come with him. Did you take much persuading?’ His deep blue eyes were watchful on hers and Julie shifted uneasily. The heat was getting to her; there wasn’t even a breeze to counteract the sun’s intensity. It was high overhead and she hadn’t eaten or drunk anything since breakfast. She had flown the six hundred miles from Ecuador to the island of Baltra, and then taken the ferry here to Santa Cruz, and now she was both hungry and thirsty and didn’t really want to stand talking to Cameron Storm.
‘I didn’t actually jump at it,’ she admitted. But that had only been because of the deception. Otherwise it had come at a perfect time.
‘Because you didn’t want to give up your job?’
Julie shook her head. ‘Actually, I’m between jobs; I was made redundant a few months ago.’
‘So it was loyalty to your husband?’ There was a cynical tone to his voice now.
‘Of course,’ she snapped.
‘But you don’t share his interest in ecology?’
‘No. Does it matter?’
His mouth twisted. ‘Not so long as you don’t whinge all the time. This is hardly the place for someone who…’
Julie heard no more. His words receded and were lost as the heat pounded in her head. Everything began to spin, round and round, faster and faster, until finally she lost her balance.
CHAPTER TWO (#ulink_894edac6-3426-5c2c-abf3-273e0393c263)
JULIE felt herself being held against a hard, masculine body by arms that were strong and supportive, and yet surprisingly gentle. She was led to a canvas chair in the shade and a glass of water pushed into her hand.
She took a long, much needed drink and immediately her glass was refilled. ‘I shouldn’t have kept you out in the sun,’ Cameron said. ‘I’m used to it; I forget. It is easy to become dehydrated. You must drink plenty of liquids and take salt tablets if necessary. We always keep a supply.’
‘Thank you,’ said Julie.
‘Are you hungry also? When did you last eat?’
‘Not since my breakfast at seven, as a matter of fact,’ she told him, ‘but I can easily get myself something. I’m feeling much better now.’ In fact she felt normal again and stood up.
But Cameron pushed her back down, and with a wry twist of his lips said, ‘I’d advise you to make the most of it. After this you’ll get no help from anyone.’
He disappeared into the tent and came back with a bread roll, a chunk of cheese and an apple, and a glass of orange juice. Julie ate ravenously, though she wasn’t too pleased with the fact that Cameron sat watching her.
‘When did you say you expect Ian back?’ she asked, taking a bite from the rosy apple.
He lifted his broad shoulders in an easy shrug. ‘Some time today, as soon as he’s fixed the engine, unless it’s not as simple as he first thought and I have to send out an engineer.’
‘And this man, Raul, will he do the cooking?’
‘Tonight, yes.’ His blue eyes were level on hers. ‘Also tomorrow, and then he’s taking a break.’
She felt better now she had eaten, not half so prickly, and she grinned. ‘I hope you’ve all got cast-iron stomachs, because I’m not promising anything.’
‘Have I been landed with a woman who cannot cook?’ he growled suspiciously.
‘Oh, yes, I can cook,’ she said, still smiling, ‘but I’ve never done it for the multitudes before. It’s the quantities that are worrying me. You’ll probably have either too little or too much until I get into the swing of it.’
He did not look amused, and as soon as she had finished eating he took her to the tent where all the records were kept. There were a couple of desks, a portable typewriter sitting on one of them, filing cabinets and an odd assortment of cupboards. ‘This is where you’ll be working for the time being.’
Julie looked at everything critically.
‘We’re way behind with the notes already,’ he told her. ‘They’re all here, handwritten, but I’d like them typed out. You can start whenever you like.’
She half suspected that he meant now. ‘Has your typist taken a break as well?’ she asked impishly.
He allowed himself a faint, dry smile. ‘We all try to do our own, but it can be a bit chaotic. We need someone to restore order. I trust you’re capable?’
‘I guess I can manage,’ she said. For six years she had been secretary to the managing director of a large manufacturing Company—until they had been taken over and her services were no longer required. She had always been praised for her efficiency.
‘I want things brought up to date before we leave for Vulcan,’ he announced, his tone crisp and businesslike.
It sounded as thought he had a lot of hard work lined up for her, thought Julie. ‘I’ll begin tomorrow,’ she said. ‘I’d like to rest now, if you don’t mind.’
The truth was she needed to get away from him. He was the most physical man she had ever met. Despite his less than welcoming attitude, he still somehow managed to excite her. Even with Roger she had not felt this instant attraction. It was unreal—and fatal!
He inclined his head. ‘Very well.’
After half an hour, though, Julie became restless. She was virtually hiding from Cameron Storm and that was stupid. Surely she could handle these emotions without betraying herself?
She emerged from the tent, and to her dismay he was out there, standing just a few yards away, not looking in her direction, seeming to be deep in thought, but as if he sensed her presence he turned, and their eyes met for a brief, tension-packed second.
‘I thought I’d take a walk into Puerto Ayora,’ she said, pasting a brilliant smile to her lips. ‘I shan’t have much time for shopping once I start work, and there are a couple of things I might need. Is it far?’
‘Too far to walk,’ he growled.
‘Then perhaps I could borrow the Jeep?’ she asked brightly.
But her smile didn’t charm him. Instead, he scowled ferociously and rasped, ‘The last thing I want is you getting lost. I’d better take you.’
It was clear he was offering out of a sense of duty, but Julie wanted to get away from him, not spend more time together. One of the reasons she had come out here was to get over a broken heart, not find herself attracted to someone else. It was a disaster waiting to happen and she had to stop it right here and now. ‘That’s not necessary,’ she protested firmly, ‘I’ll be perfectly all right by myself.’
But Cameron was insistent. ‘I happen to think it is. Come, let us go.’
His tone was sharp, and unhappily she dodged back into the tent for her bag before climbing into the Jeep beside him. To her consternation she felt his presence even more strongly than before, something invisible and intangible pulling her towards him. It caused an alien tightening in the pit of her stomach, a fractional quickening of her pulses. Even the masculine smell of him was like an aphrodisiac.
‘I don’t know what you are expecting to buy in Puerto Ayora.’ His deep voice broke the spell. ‘There are shops there, yes, but it’s not a busy cosmopolitan town.’ It was almost an accusation, as though he thought her only interest would be in expensive perfumes and designer clothes. Her fault, she supposed, for turning up in something that was far more suited to Paris then the beach.
‘I realise that,’ she said lightly, ‘but I thought I’d get some more sun-block, just in case.’ Although her hair was dark her skin was suprisingly fair. ‘I’m sure you wouldn’t like it if I got sunburnt and was unable to work.’
Her attempt at humour failed. ‘You’re absolutely right,’ he snarled.
‘And I presume there are no shops where we’re going?’
He gave a snarl of humourless laughter. ‘Vulcan is not even inhabited.’
Meaning it would be just the three of them; completely, totally alone! The thought sent a further shiver of apprehension down Julie’s spine.
The houses in Puerto Ayora were all flat-roofed and single-storeyed, well-built and painted either deep pink or white, although most of them looked as though they could do with another coat of paint. Conversely, there were the odd one or two quite pretty houses, well looked after, with lawns, and various shrubs and trees that were definitely not endemic to the islands.
There were actually all sorts of shops, far more than she had anticipated, selling everything from essential foodstuffs to cheap souvenirs. Cameron stopped outside one and picked up a straw hat which he perched on top of her head. ‘You’d better take that,’ he said drily.
Julie looked at herself in the tiny mirror provided and burst out laughing. ‘I don’t think so.’ But she tried on another, and even Cameron agreed it suited her much better.
She would have liked to linger longer, but sensed his impatience once her purchases were made, and it was really no fun in the circumstances. Why he was trailing around after her, she did not know. Why couldn’t he have stayed in the Jeep? Except that Cameron Storm did not strike her as the type of man who would sit around waiting for a woman.
Back in the vehicle, she again felt the pull of his powerful magnetism, but did not realise she was in grave danger of giving herself away until he told her to relax.
‘You’re sitting there with your hands clenched, looking as though you’re ready to do battle.’
‘I’m just not used to bumping around in a Jeep,’ she improvised quickly. He was again driving as though there were no tomorrow.
His lips twisted, as if he found her explanation less than credible, and she expected some further caustic comment. Surprisingly, though, he remained silent for the rest of the journey.
To her relief, Ian had returned in their absence. He came to meet her, pulling her into his arms, giving, she thought, a very creditable show of having greatly missed his supposed wife.
Julie squinted at Cameron over Ian’s shoulder and saw him watching them closely, a deeply disturbing frown on his face. Wasn’t Ian’s performance convincing enough? She felt a quiver of unease, and once in the tent that they were to share Julie voiced her misgivings. ‘I have a feeling he knows.’
‘How can he?’ Ian asked fiercely. ‘It’s all in your mind.’
‘He was watching us like a hawk.’
‘You’ve not said anything to make him suspicious?’
‘No. Have you? He said some mighty funny things when we first met.’
‘Of course not,’ Ian assured her. ‘What do you take me for, a fool? I want this job more than anything in the world. You’re just jumpy, that’s all. Once you’ve settled in everything will be fine.’
They were sitting facing each other on the edge of their camp-beds and she looked at him urgently. ‘Neither did he insist you bring me for the reason you thought.’
Ian frowned.
‘It’s not because he’s wary of single girls, it’s because he didn’t want to split us up for so long.’
‘Is that what he said?’ queried Ian sharply.
‘Yes.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Of course I’m sure.’
He shook his head, mystified. ‘I don’t see how I could have made such a mistake. He quite clearly stated that he preferred a married woman in the camp.’
‘So what are we going to do?’ she asked, twisting the ring on her finger. ‘Are we going to tell him?’
Ian shook his head. ‘Most definitely not. He’s a very straight man who hates deceit. He could easily send us both home for obtaining work under false pretences. I think we should sit tight and say nothing.’
Julie was not so sure; she really did think honesty would be best policy. ‘He might not send us back,’ she said pleadingly.
‘I can’t take the risk,’ answered Ian. ‘Besides, even if he didn’t send us home I’d be worried to death about you.’
Julie frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
‘The guys here are a nice enough bunch, but I’ve heard a few moans about there being no available women. Wearing a wedding-ring will be your best protection. After Roger I don’t think you’d be happy having to fight off further advances.’
‘Perish the thought,’ she said strongly. ‘I’m off men forever.’ Which was why her reaction to Cameron was all the more amazing. It was definitely something she had to fight and she had no intention of telling her twin about it.
‘So we’ll carry on as we are?’
She nodded, and Ian leapt across and pulled her into his arms. ‘Thank you, Sis. Thank you.’ There was a bond between them that was much stronger than that between ordinary brothers and sisters, and when she thought back to all his heartache, to his months of unhappiness, and the change in him when this trip was planned, this was the least she could do.
It was such a little deceit, it couldn’t possibly hurt anyone, and if he was right about the men complaining about their enforced celibacy, then being Mrs Drummond was exactly what she needed.
‘I’m sorry to break up such a tender little reunion, but there’s work to be done out here.’ Cameron Storm’s caustic voice cut into her thoughts. Through the opening of the tent he could see them quite clearly.
Julie pulled out of her brother’s arms. ‘He’s all yours.’
And Ian stood up and looked guilty. ‘I’m sorry, Cameron, it’s just that——’
‘I know, I know, you haven’t seen each other for over a week,’ he responded curtly, ‘but there’ll be plenty of time for that later. I want to see your records. I want to discuss your findings on Pinzón yesterday.’
His tone seemed unnecessarily sharp, thought Julie, but she was glad he had seen her and Ian together.
She looked longingly again at the sea, at the white sandy beach shelving gently down to it. Cameron and her brother were deep in conversation some yards away, she needn’t feel fearful now of him watching her.
Her mind made up, Julie slipped out of her clothes and into her bikini—cream and deep red stripes, bought especially to come out here, when she had thought she would be doing plenty of sunbathing! It enhanced her curves, revealed the flatness of her stomach and the slenderness of her hips. But she had been mistaken in thinking that she could take a swim unnoticed. As she ran lightly across the sand two pairs of eyes swivelled in her direction.
The water, inviting though it looked, was so icy-cold it took her breath away, but because she was being watched Julie pretended not to be affected. She was a strong swimmer and swam a hundred yards or more away from the beach before stopping and floating on her back.
By now she had got used to the temperature, although it was still too cold to stay in for very long. The sun waimed her upturned face and the sky was a very deep azure. She looked back at the beach, dotted with its brown tents. It was backed by volcanic rock and the occasional shrub.
A little further out Julie thought she saw the shape of a fin cutting through the water, and had a sudden mental image of being eaten by a shark. It was enough to panic her into returning to shore as quickly as her arms and legs would take her, and when she got there Cameron Storm was waiting.
‘I saw a shark,’ she panted. ‘Why didn’t you warn me?’
To her amazement he smiled, even though a trifle grimly.
“There are sharks in these waters, yes,’ he announced matter-of-factly, ‘but no one has ever been attacked. There are too many fish for them to be interested in humans, though I would recommend leaving the water if you cut or graze yourself.’
Julie was not convinced. There was always a first time.
‘Have you no other swimwear?’
His brusque question took her by surprise. ‘Well, yes, but why?’
‘Because wearing something as skimpy as that in front of a group of men who haven’t seen a woman in months is asking for trouble.’
Although he was confirming Ian’s fears, Julie deeply resented his attitude. ‘Is it really me you’re concerned for?’ she asked fiercely. ‘Or the fact that your team might have their mind taken off their work?’ He had no right dictating like this. First of all her hair, now her bikini—what next would he complain about?
‘Both,’ he snarled.
Her hazel eyes were steady on his. ‘Since there’s no one about at this moment I cannot see what your problem is, Mr Storm. Are you sure it’s not your blood pressure that’s rising?’ It was unwise to speak to him like this, she knew, but he was being impossible.
Cameron completely ignored her question. ‘So long as you restrict your swimming activities to when there is no one else about I shall say no more.’
Their eyes met, his hard and unreadable, with no indication what real thoughts were going through his mind. She maintained the contact for several seconds, then with a toss of her head she turned and walked away.
Thankfully Ian was not in the tent, so she was able to towel herself dry and pull her T-shirt and shorts back on. She rubbed most of the moisture out of her hair and then scraped it severely back in a ponytail.
By now Raul had arrived to begin preparations for the evening meal. The tawny-skinned local boy did not speak any English but he had a permanent smile and whistled softly to himself as he worked. Rather than stand and watch, Julie helped scrub endless potatoes, which were put in the ovens to be baked in their jackets, she filleted fish and laid the long trestle-tables where everyone ate.
And when all that was done she went looking for Ian. She found him in the ‘office’, busy scribbling notes. He looked up and smiled. ‘Did you enjoy your swim?’
‘Until Cameron Storm told me off.’
‘For what?’ he asked with a frown.
‘Wearing a bikini. I might tempt the other men, he said. What the hell does he think I am? A sex siren?’
A deep voice came from behind. ‘I think you don’t know the power of your beautiful body.’
She whirled and met the mocking force of blue eyes.
‘I don’t think you realise the danger you could be putting yourself in,’ he said quietly, and then to Ian, ‘Your wife is too beautiful for her own good. I congratulate you, but I hadn’t foreseen it could be a problem.’
‘If I’m a problem to you I’ll go back home,’ Julie retorted at once, wondering if Ian had noticed his emphasis on the word wife, or whether she was imagining it because of her unease over the situation.
A muscle jerked in the big man’s jaw. ‘That won’t be necessary.’
And Ian added a frantic plea. ‘Of course not, Julie, it’s just a matter of being sensible. I’m proud of you, but I wouldn’t like it either if I thought the rest of the team were ogling you.’ His eyes pleaded with her to calm down.
But she hated him siding with Cameron, even though she knew he was right. ‘I’m to make myself as unattractive as possible, is that what you’re saying?’
Ian looked appalled, and it was clear he felt that she was putting his job in jeopardy. Cameron, on the other hand, laughed. ‘What a spitfire you’ve chosen for yourself, Ian. I’ll leave you to deal with her.’
When he had gone Ian looked at Julie wornedly. ‘How could you speak to Cameron Storm like that? Don’t you realise you could be jeopardising my whole future?’
She shook her head in angry frustration. ‘He just rubs me up the wrong way.’
‘Please,’ he pleaded, ‘try to get on with him, even if you don’t like him. For my sake.’
But Julie was still in high dudgeon. ‘I’ll try, but it will be mighty impossible. If he thinks he can dictate to me then he’s mistaken.’ And so saying, she flounced out of the tent.
To her dismay Cameron was standing right outside; she almost cannoned into him, would have done so if he hadn’t put out an arm to stop her. ‘What’s the rush?’ There was still a quirk to his lips, a faint light of amusement in his eyes.
She shook herself free, but not before she felt a dangerous tingle of electricity. ‘No rush,’ she told him, trying her hardest to maintain some degreee of dignity. After her disastrous affair with Roger she could not understand how or why this was happening. It revealed a vulnerability she hadn’t expected, and it was this very defencelessness that was making her snappy.
‘Are you saying that you always charge around like a bull in a china shop?’
Julie’s eyes flashed. ‘Only when I’m angry.’
Cameron Storm had generous bushy brows and they rose now, his deep blue thickly fringed eyes intent on her face. ‘You don’t take kindly to being told what to do, do you?’
‘Not when I think it’s unnecessary.’ She held his gaze, stood that little bit straighter, her chin defiantly high.
‘It’s for your own good—for your own protection, in fact.’
Aware that Ian could hear every word, Julie knew she had to be careful. ‘But I’m not a fool,’ she insisted. ‘I am aware that there are certain bounds of decency when there’s one woman among several men. You can be assured I will conduct myself with absolute decorum.’
His eyes held hers for several more long, spine-tingling seconds. ‘That is good to hear.’
Julie was the first to look away. She felt like scooting back to her tent, wanting time to free herself of these anguished feelings; instead she strolled unhurriedly towards the kitchen to see how Raul was getting on.
By the time the first of the men began to filter back the meal was almost ready. Ian introduced her to each one in turn, and judging by their admiring looks Julie could well understand both his and Cameron’s concern.
They were a mixed bunch, ranging in age from early twenties to mid-fifties. Cameron was the definite leader, although, to give him his due, he did not act as the big chief. He was at one with the men and they got on well together. It was easy to understand his misgivings when she had suddenly appeared in their midst.
Julie had never really thought of herself as being beautiful. She had good bone-structure, yes, but she had always considered her face pretty ordinary, her eyes a little too small, her mouth a little too wide. Her hair was her best feature. Thick and black and glossy, she wore it without a fringe, normally falling in a cascade of luxuriant waves down her back. Now, of course, it was scraped tightly and unbecomingly back and confined in a band.
As they sat down to eat she was aware of Cameron’s eyes on her. He was diagonally opposite, with Ian on her right and a blond giant of a man, who had been introduced as Jake, on her left. ‘Jake hails from Australia and he’s an expert on lichens.’ Ian informed her.
‘I’m afraid I don’t know anything about them,’ Julie apologised.
Jake laughed. ‘I guesss you’ll learn all sorts of things by the time you’ve finished typing our notes.’
‘I expect so,’ Julie acknowledged.
‘Ian’s lucky you were able to come with him.’
‘Are you married yourself?’ asked Julie. Jake was nearer forty than thirty, probably much the same age as Cameron, with a good body and blue eyes too, although they were nowhere near as deep and powerful.
She felt Cameron’s eyes on her again now, and it was almost as though he was warning her not to get too friendly, which was ridiculous. What was she supposed to do—talk to no one? Or was it her imagination? Was she imagining criticism when none was there?
‘I was,’ the man admitted with a wry smile. ‘It didn’t work out. Maggie objected to the fact that I spent so much time away. It’s wrong to marry someone who’s in a completely different job; they simply don’t understand.’
‘So no one here is married?’ she asked.
‘No, that’s not right,’ he replied. ‘Ray over there is.’ He nodded towards the oldest of the team. ‘But his wife doesn’t mind him being away. She runs her own business and has plenty to do. And Sim, he’s married. He could have brought his wife, she’s a biologist as well, but she’s working on another project, and then there’s young Andy, he’s only been married six months.’
Julie frowned. So why hadn’t Cameron suggested this boy bring his wife as well? Unless, of course, she had no skills that were necessary to their research; Cameron wouldn’t want to carry dead weight. ‘What does Andy’s wife do?’ she asked.
‘She’s a nurse, I believe,’ Jake answered, ‘working on a cruise liner. It’s where they met. They’re used to spending time apart. He reckons it’s more than worthwhile when they do get together.’
‘Do you miss not having a woman in your life?’
‘Hell, yes, sometimes.’ His eyes twinkled at her. ‘It’s going to be refreshing having you here.’
‘Don’t get any ideas,’ she warned him, though she smiled as she spoke. ‘Ian packs quite a punch.’
‘Just joshing,’ he said. ‘I wouldn’t jeopardise my job. This is an ongoing project—biologists come and go, some don’t stay long, some for years. Cameron loves the place.’
They both looked across the table as they spoke and Cameron’s eyes were upon them, narrowed and assessing, though he smiled and acknowledged Jake.
‘I was just telling Julie how much I enjoy my work here,’ said the Australian, seeing nothing wrong in Cameron’s expression.
‘It would be unprofitable if you didn’t,’ agreed Cameron drily. ‘We can only hope that Mrs Drummond enjoys her work too.’
The emphasis on her marital status this time, she decided, was a warning to Jake that she was a married woman. She turned to Ian at her other side, and he smiled warmly and touched her hand. ‘All right?’ he asked quietly.
She nodded, and tried to concentrate on her meal, but it was difficult with Cameron sitting so near. She was relieved when it was all over, when she was able to help Raul clear away and wash up.
By this time it was dark, no long twilight like in England, but a rapid descent of the sun and then total darkness. It was still only a little after seven.
Solar lamps, that had been sitting in the sun all day gathering energy, were switched on and the whole camp looked festive. The men sat around in groups talking and Julie found herself alone with Ian and Cameron. It had been a long day, though, and she felt tired, and after an hour listening to the two men talk shop, trying to ignore the fact that her body was responding to Cameron’s in a way that made her feel uncomfortable, she yawned and stretched, and declared that she was going to bed.
Ian dutifully gave her a kiss on the cheek. ‘You poor darling, you’ve had a tiring day. I’ll try not to wake you when I turn in.’
She smiled. ‘Goodnight, Ian.’ And then she turned to Cameron and bade him goodnight too.
Their eyes met and held briefly. ‘Goodnight, Julie.’
But she did not sleep, she was far too aware of this man who had made such an impact on her life in such a short space of time. She could only be thankful that there were no reciprocal feelings; that would have been hell. There was no way then that she could have gone on with this charade.
When Ian came to bed a couple of hours later she pretended to be asleep. Almost within minutes his breathing deepened; he was happy here, there was absolutely nothing on his conscience to keep him awake.
Julie tossed and turned and in the end decided to get some fresh air. It was noticeably cooler now and she pulled a cardigan about her shoulders. There were no lights, every tent was in darkness; she felt quite safe.
She walked down to the shore and stood listening to the lap of the waves, watching the pattern of reflections from a full, silvery moon, totally unprepared when a harsh voice came out of the darkness.
‘Mrs Drummond, what the hell do you think you are doing?’
CHAPTER THREE (#ulink_1c0be8e2-29d6-53f3-8a44-b670001f1b67)
JULIE had heard no movement behind her; Cameron had approached with all the stealth of a tiger. She swung around, her heart hammering unsteadily in her breast. ‘I’m not doing anything.’
‘It looks to me as though you’re asking for trouble,’ he growled.
She frowned. ‘What do you mean?’ He was still wearing the same shirt and trousers as earlier, though whether he had pulled them on again when he saw her, or whether he had not yet gone to bed, Julie had no idea. She did not even know what time it was.
Cameron’s eyes glittered. ‘I’m sure you’re not unaware that the moon shining on you renders your nightdress virtually transparent. And that knitted thing doesn’t hide much.’
Julie’s heart went into panic. How long had he stood watching her before making his presence known? And how much could he see? ‘I couldn’t sleep,’ she retorted defensively, clutching the cardigan tightly around her throat as if by so doing it gave her some form of protection.
‘It cannot have escaped your notice that most of the tents are open-sided. If any of the men are awake they will not have failed to see you out here.’
And he thought she was doing it deliberately! Her chin came up. ‘Then they will not have failed to see that you followed me. What do you think they will make of that?’ And why was his opinion of her so very, very low?
The chiselled planes of his face grew harder and more angular; his mouth tightened. ‘If they have assessed the situation correctly they will know I have come to warn you.’ His voice was dangerously low, a threatening growl that shivered across Julie’s cruelly exposed nerve-endings.
She held the neck of her cardigan with both hands, her arms pressed close to her sides,
‘You have been here less than twelve hours, Mrs Drummond,’ he went on, ‘and already you are becoming a nuisance.’
His constant formality unnerved her. Despite Ian’s confidence, she felt sure Cameron suspected all was not as it should be. He watched them too closely, too often, and always there was calculation in his eyes. Why he should be suspicious, she did not know, but she was sure he was.
He moved so that his back was to the moon instead of hers, and she imagined it was to see her face more clearly, put her at an even bigger disadvantage.
She gave a tiny laugh, recalling Ian’s plea that she try to get on with his boss. ‘Why is it that I cannot seem to do anything right?’
Brows lifted. ‘Surely it’s a matter of basic intelligence?’
‘Haven’t you ever had women working here before?’
He inclined his head. ‘Yes, we’ve had female scientists.’
‘And were you as much on their backs as you are mine?’
His mouth twisted. ‘It wasn’t necessary. For one thing they did not flaunt themselves.’
‘Flaunt?’ echoed Julie, all her good intentions fading. ‘Is that what you think I’m doing? Heavens, Mr Storm, you’re seeing things that are not there.’
‘I don’t think so,’ he answered. ‘No woman can be as subliminally unaware of what she is doing as you’re suggesting.’
Julie shook her head violently, her hair, which she had taken out of its pins when she went to bed, falling forward over her face. ‘What’s the point in trying to defend myself,’ she asked crossly, ‘when you’ll believe only what you want to believe? I’m going back to bed.’
But before she had even turned he reached out, and to her utter amazement began stroking back the hair from her face. ‘Your hair looks blue in the moonlight,’ he muttered. ‘It has the gloss of a raven’s wing.’
So had his, she thought. It was odd that her hair should be the same colour as Cameron’s, whereas her twin’s was so much lighter. He seemed mesmerised by it, and when his fingers accidentally brushed her cheek Julie felt as though a thousand volts of electricity had shot through her.
At exactly the same instant Cameron withdrew, as though he had felt her reaction—or as though he had been testing her! Was this what it was all about? Was this why he had joined her, why he had touched her? Was he checking her loyalty to Ian?
Julie’s heart thudded fit to burst and she looked into his eyes with something approaching panic, praying with all her heart that he hadn’t sensed her reaction. It seemed forever that they held each other’s gaze, even though it could have been for no more than a fraction of a second. Then with a cry like a startled bird Julie raced back to her tent.
‘Julie!’ Cameron’s low voice came to her in the velvety softness of the night, but she ignored it. Whatever he had to say could only be to her shame, to her detriment. She had been in very grave danger of giving herself away, of putting Ian’s job at risk.
Upon reaching the tent, she dived inside and threw herself down on the bed. Her heart pounded so loudly that it echoed in her ears, her pulses raced and every limb trembled. And all because of one man! All because Cameron Storm had touched her! It didn’t bear thinking about.
‘Where have you been?’ Ian’s gruff, sleepy voice startled her.
‘Did I wake you? I’m sorry. I—I couldn’t sleep so I went for a walk.’ She tried desperately to control her breathing.
‘Oh.’ He seemed satisfied, turned over, and was asleep again within seconds.
It seemed an aeon before Julie finally drifted into sleep, her mind tormented, her very sanity threatened. She must never let herself get into such a volatile situation again. She even began to wonder whether it had been her imagination. that Cameron had touched her and sparked off this reaction. Whatever, he was a dangerous man, and she had to steer clear of him.
Ian was awake and dressed before Julie even stirred. He touched her shoulder. ‘Time to get up, Sis.’
Her eyes shot wide instantly.
‘You’re supposed to be helping with cooking breakfast, and there are packed lunches to be put up. If you don’t want to incur Cameron’s wrath again you’d better get moving.’
Mention of her protagonist’s name was enough to galvanise Julie into action, and by the time the rest of the team put in an appearance the trestle-tables were laid, sausages and eggs cooked, bread sliced, tea and coffee made. All with Raul’s help, of course. His indefatigable cheerfulness had helped restore her equilibrium.
She did not sit down with them this morning, instead remaining in the kitchen making sandwiches. The sides of the tent, which were rolled down when it wasn’t in use because, she had been told, mocking-birds or even sea-lions came to steal food, were up out of the way and she could see Cameron sitting at the table with the other men.
Jake came across to wish her a cheerful good morning. ‘You sure are a sight for sore eyes.’
She gave him a warm smile. ‘Thank you, kind sir.’ His friendliness was like balm to her unsettled thoughts.
‘I hear you’ll be leaving for Vulcan soon, that’s a pity. I shall miss you. You’re the best thing that’s happened to us for a long time.’
‘You’re an old flatterer,’ she said, but she appreciated his compliment all the same.
He stayed talking for several more minutes before going to his seat and Julie was taken completely by surprise when Cameron suddenly appeared at her side. ‘Are you encouraging Jake?’ he asked harshly.
The question was so unexpected that her mouth fell open. ‘Of course not.’
‘He seems mighty friendly.’
‘And why shouldn’t he be?’ she asked. ‘Am I supposed to speak to no one but you and Ian?’
‘I don’t want you giving them the wrong impression.’
She frowned. ‘And that is?’
‘That the bit of gold on your finger makes no difference.’
‘How dare you?’ Julie was sorely tempted to raise her hand to his cheek, except that it would have the unfortunate effect of attracting everyone’s attention, and she wanted to avoid that at all costs. This battle between her and Cameron was personal.
‘Just make sure that you watch what you’re doing,’ he growled. ‘And why aren’t you eating with the rest of us?’
‘Because I need to finish the lunches,’ she said quietly.
He frowned as he looked at the shadows beneath her eyes. ‘If you refrained from midnight walks you might be able to get up in time to organise yourself.’
Julie felt the reproof was unfounded. ‘I only walked because I couldn’t sleep, but you need never fear that my work will suffer because of it.’
‘It had better not.’
His tone seemed unnecessarily sharp and she guessed that it was really because of Jake. They had laughed a lot and he must have compared it with their own, often aggressive relationship. No other man had ever stirred her like this, and she could only suppose it was fear of being found out that put her on the defensive—and also the very real emotions he managed to evoke in her.
After breakfast, Ian asked what Cameron had said. ‘I thought he looked a bit uptight.’
She shrugged. ‘He was checking that I can cope, that’s all.’ Best not to tell her brother about their unfortunate meeting last night, or his accusations regarding Jake.
Ian’s frown changed to a smile. ‘He’s a real nice guy when you get to know him. He’s always concerned about his fellow men.’
Julie’s smile was much weaker than her twin’s. ‘I’ll reserve judgement.’
‘You’ll learn to like him,’ said Ian confidently. ‘Everyone does. No one’s ever said a bad word against him.’
The men began to drift away, until finally there was only Cameron left. A dreadful feeling began to settle in the pit of Julie’s stomach. Even Raul had gone back to his village; she was completely alone, completely at his mercy. ‘Aren’t you joining your men?’ she asked, trying to keep her tone light and cheerful.
‘There are things I need to explain.’
‘Typing out notes doesn’t need any explanations.’ She felt sure he was using this as an excuse to antagonise her further.
‘There are other matters.’
He had already opened the sides of the tent until there was no more than a roof and they stepped beneath it now and Julie sat down at the desk. Regardless of its open sides, Cameron still seemed to fill the area with his presence, her awareness of him so powerful that she knew it would be impossible to concentrate on any single task until he left her alone.
He indicated an untidy pile of handwritten notes—a huge pile! “These all belong to the various members of the team; I trust you’ll be able to read their writing.’
Julie said nothing.
‘And this, here, is my work. I’ve kept my own field-study notes reasonably up to date, as you can see. But I seem to have got way behind with the book I am writing.’
‘Book?’ This did surprise Julie. Nothing had been said about a book.
‘Perhaps I forgot to mention it,’ he announced lazily.
Or perhaps it had been deliberate! Perhaps he hadn’t wanted her to know exactly how much work was involved; perhaps he had thought it would scare her away! And he desperately needed a typist, that much was very evident. ‘What is it about?’ she asked curiously.
‘What else but these islands?’ Again his whole demeanour changed, his eyes lighting with pleasure in the work he was doing. ‘There have been dozens of books written about the unique wildlife found here—I’ve written several myself, each one specialising in a different subject. This one is dedicated to my dear friends, the fur seals.’
‘It’s just about them, nothing else?’ she asked in amazement. How much could be written about such animals?
‘Just the fur seals,’ he agreed, the harsh angles of his face softened by a caring smile.
Julie wondered what it would feel like to have him smile at her like that? Best not to know. It could be devastating.
‘Apart from the catastrophic effects of El Niño,’ he continued, ‘they were brought dangerously nearly to extinction in the eighteen hundreds. One fur seal hunter boasted of killing five thousand seals in two months. Can you believe that?’ There was anger now, fury at the thoughtless acts of these men.
He showed her drawings too, and Julie looked at them in amazement. “These are good. Did you do them?’
He inclined his head in acknowledgement.
‘You’re very talented.’
He lifted his shoulders modestly. ‘As you can see, there is a lot of typing to be done; everything is behind, and I have a five-week deadline for my book. I still have the last chapter to finish, but that won’t take long.’
‘You certainly intend to keep me busy.’
Well-marked brows rose. ‘Isn’t that what you’re here for?’
‘Well, yes,’ he said, ‘but I did think I’d have some time to myself.’ And how she wished that she had not been so eager to sit down—it put her at a definite disadvantage.
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию (https://www.litres.ru/margaret-mayo-3/stolen-feelings/) на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
Margaret Mayo
Тип: электронная книга
Жанр: Современные любовные романы
Язык: на английском языке
Издательство: HarperCollins
Дата публикации: 16.04.2024
Отзывы: Пока нет Добавить отзыв
О книге: Kiss and tell… It should have been the job of a lifetime! But when Julie found herself on a Pacific island working with Cameron Storm, it was anything but paradise. Oh, Cameron was gorgeous, all right… and didn′t he know it?Julie′s only defense against a broken heart was to pretend to be a married woman. But deception had its price… and Cameron made sure that Julie paid. He ignored her wedding ring and went right on kissing her!