Playing His Dangerous Game

She crossed her arms and raised one eyebrow. ‘If you’re trying reverse psychology on me then it won’t work. I’m a grown adult, able to decide when and where I go without reporting in to somebody else.’

His dark eyes glinted. ‘Are you? An adult, that is? If so, then prove it.’

She frowned. ‘And how am I supposed to do that?’

‘Don’t go back to the club.’

Shara raised an eyebrow. ‘And what will that prove?’

‘It will prove you’re adult enough to put your safety ahead of having a good time,’ Royce said calmly.

The word ‘adult’ rankled. She wasn’t a child. Her marriage had made her grow up—fast.

She knew what she was doing; she was making a stand.

She was sick and tired of the men in her life—first her father and then her husband—telling her what to do.

She didn’t need to add a bossy bodyguard to the list.

If she slunk off to her room with her tail between her legs then wasn’t she just handing over her power to Royce?

Well, she’d been there, done that, and she’d suffered because of it.

She could, and she would, make her own decisions.

Mr Just Plain Royce had better start getting used to it.

And why was she calling him that anyway?

Plain was ordinary. Easily overlooked. Royce was neither of those things. In fact just the opposite.

‘I don’t have to prove anything to you,’ she said, clasping her hands together in front of her. ‘I’m twenty-three years old. I am an adult. And if you think insulting me will force me to co-operate then you’re sorely mistaken.’

He held up his hands, a small smile twisting his mouth.

‘That accusation is well and truly misdirected, I can assure you. That kind of strategy would never work with you. I know that.’

She raised a brow. ‘And how do you know that?’

Royce shrugged. ‘Because I’ve seen you in action. First at the club and then again here.’

She gave him a puzzled frown. ‘Meaning?’

‘Meaning that using reverse psychology on you would have the reverse effect.’ He waved a hand, with a glint in his eyes that made her want to hit him. ‘You’re determined not to co-operate no matter what. It doesn’t matter what I say or do, you’re going to do your own thing and to hell with everyone else. If I push all it will do is make you dig your heels in even more.’

Shara gnashed her teeth.

She had a sneaking suspicion that Royce was right—although it would take someone pulling out her fingernails before she’d admit it.

‘You haven’t got a clue what you’re talking about,’ she flung at him. At that moment the old grandfather clock in the entrance hall struck the hour. Shara glanced at her watch. ‘Well, it looks like you’re going to get your way. I’m not going back to the club. Not because you say I shouldn’t, but because it’s late and I’m tired. Goodnight.’

Without another word she spun on her heel to leave the room, but his next words stopped her. ‘Before you go perhaps you’d like to tell me which bedroom is yours.’

Slowly she turned back to face him. Her heart was beating with slow, heavy thumps. ‘Why on earth do you want to know that?’

‘Because I’ll be taking up residence in the room next to yours, of course.’

A hand made its way to the base of her throat, where she could feel the beat of her pulse under her skin. For a moment she’d thought …

Well, she wasn’t sure exactly what she’d thought.

But whatever it was it had made her go hot all over.

Her hands slammed down on her hips. ‘You most certainly will not!’

Royce gestured to the corner of the room. A large black suitcase she hadn’t noticed before was sitting there. ‘I most certainly will.’

She shook her head. ‘I don’t understand.’

‘I’ll be living here for the duration. I—’

‘Living here …? You can’t do that!’

‘Why not?’

‘Well, because you just can’t.’ Shara blinked rapidly, the blinks timing perfectly with the increased rhythm of her heart.

It was out of the question.

Out of the question for any number of reasons—one of which she didn’t want to examine too closely because she suspected it had something to do with the little curl of sensation she experienced low in the pit of her belly every time she looked at him.

‘Well, I’m afraid what you want doesn’t come into it. As your father is aware, I have a policy of up close and personal at the Royce Agency.’

‘What does that mean?’ Shara asked suspiciously, her brain leapfrogging into all sorts of thoughts. Just how personal did they get at this agency of his?

‘It means I’m guarding you, not your house.’ He shrugged his broad shoulders. ‘I’ll be of absolutely no use to you if I’m sitting outside in my car and your ex-husband breaks in through the back door, will I?’

‘I guess not.’ The suggestion was enough to send a shiver of fear slicing down her spine. It was something that hadn’t occurred to her. The very idea of Steve breaking in filled her with dread. She swallowed, clasping her hands tightly together in front of her. ‘I just expected—’

‘That it would be just like on TV?’ he finished resignedly, sounding as though he’d heard it all a million times before. ‘Well, it’s not. You either show me where you sleep or I’ll find out for myself. Either way, I’m staying. And I’m staying where I can keep an eye on you.’

‘Have it your own way,’ Shara muttered.

If Royce intended to hang around there wasn’t much she could do about it. He was too big for her to throw out. And there was no use complaining to the police because he had her father’s permission to be here—something that one phone call would establish.

All she could do was call her father in the morning and see if she could change his mind.

If she couldn’t she’d just have to put up with the situation as best she could. She’d put up with a hell of a lot worse.

This was no big deal.

All she had to do was ignore Royce.

Just go about her business as if he wasn’t there.

Except she had the uneasy feeling Royce wasn’t going to be easy to ignore.

‘I certainly shall,’ Royce said.

He spoke with the kind of confidence Shara envied. That I’m-sure-of-my-place-in-the-world kind of confidence. The kind that made every decision he made rock-solid and unbreakable. He knew exactly where he was going—and how to get there.

By contrast, Shara didn’t have a clue where she was going.

Even though she was only twenty-three, she’d taken so many wrong turns in her life it was ridiculous. She felt like a player in a Snakes and Ladders game who always landed on the snake’s head and slid back down to the tail.

She felt as if that had just happened again.

Her attempt to stand up for herself and control her own destiny had just been ripped out from underneath her and she’d landed flat on her face—again.

‘You’d better follow me,’ she said through gritted teeth.

She spun on her heel and stalked from the room.

Royce picked up his suitcase and followed her.

‘This is my room,’ Shara said, indicating a door with a wave of her hand. ‘You can sleep next door. The room is made up. I’ll just check that you have some towels.’

‘Thank you.’

She inclined her head and went inside. Assured that he had everything he needed, she walked to the door, pausing just inside the doorway. ‘Goodnight.’

‘Goodnight, Shara.’

The way he said her name made her toes curl in her sandals. She hurried from the room.

An hour later she lay, staring up at the ceiling.

For weeks, if not months, her last thought before going to sleep had been about Steve and the hell he’d put her through—was still putting her through.

But tonight was different.

For the first time in a long time she wasn’t thinking about her ex-husband.

Another man had super-imposed himself in her mind’s eye.

A large man called Just Plain Royce.

CHAPTER TWO

THE next morning Shara followed the smell of cooking bacon to the kitchen.

Since their housekeeper only came in on weekdays, and didn’t help herself to breakfast when she was there, Shara knew exactly who was cooking.

Just Plain Royce.

She was tempted to go back to her room and wait until he’d finished, but that smacked a little too strongly of running away so she squared her shoulders determinedly and walked in.

Royce was standing at the stove, his back to the door. He was wearing well-washed denim jeans and a tight white T-shirt, both of which hugged his muscle-packed body.

Of their own volition her eyes made a sweeping perusal—from his still wet hair, down the strong planes of his back, to his backside and legs.

Her heart kerthumped—then did it again.

He really was a fine figure of a man. Although the fact that she kept on noticing annoyed the hell out of her.

‘You’ve made yourself at home,’ she said sarcastically.

He half turned towards her, one thick dark eyebrow raised. ‘I hope you don’t expect me to live here and not eat?’

She shrugged. ‘I’d prefer it if you weren’t living here at all, but we’ve already had that argument so there’s no point having it again, is there?’

‘I suppose not.’ He paused for a moment and then asked, ‘Did you call your father?’

‘Yes. You must have known I would.’

‘I did. And what did he say?’

Her father had said a lot. About how he was concerned about her. About how he knew what was best for her.

Etc. Etc. Etc.

He had no idea how much she’d changed from the girl who used to live with him. And she couldn’t tell him without revealing things she didn’t want him to know.

He knew her marriage had been bad, but he had no idea how bad.

‘You’re still here, aren’t you?’ she said by way of answer.

‘I guess I am,’ he said neutrally, turning back to the stove.

Shara eyed the frying pan and the small mountain of chopped items on the cutting board waiting to be cooked. ‘When is the army arriving?’

Royce shrugged his broad shoulders. His muscles rippled under his T-shirt, doing strange things to Shara’s tummy muscles. ‘I’m a big man. I need lots of food. And since I work out regularly it’s important to keep up my intake of protein and carbohydrates.’ He waved a spatula through the air. ‘Do you want some?’

Shara shuddered and made her way to the fridge. ‘No. Unlike you, I have a small appetite. Fruit and yoghurt suits me just fine.’

He made a sound that was indecipherable.

Shara turned away from the fridge with a punnet of strawberries in one hand and a tub of yoghurt in the other. ‘What does ugh mean?’

‘Nothing. I just don’t approve of women who think they can live on the smell of an oily rag and just pick at their food. The human body needs good nutrition to be at its best.’

Shara dumped her items on the granite benchtop with more force than was necessary. ‘You’re jumping to conclusions. Do I look like the kind of woman who just picks at her food?’

As soon as the words left her mouth Shara regretted them.

Royce turned to face her. His chocolate brown eyes travelled from the crown of her head to the tips of her toes.

He missed nothing in between. Not a single thing.

Shara knew he didn’t because she felt that look as if it were a caress.

Her skin stretched tight in every place his eyes touched. Her nerve-endings prickled. Even her nipples tightened in the confines of her bra.

The sensation in her tummy flickered to life again. Only this time it was like the flame on the stove. A solid burn that made her want to press her hand against her stomach.

Finally their gazes reconnected.

Something flared deep in his eyes—something that made her tremble with reaction.

‘No, you don’t look like a woman on a constant diet.’ Was it her imagination or was the timbre of his voice lower than it had been moments before? ‘I approve.’

Her heart thumped.

What did that mean?

I approve.

Approved of what?

The fact that she didn’t diet?

Or did he approve of her body?

The fact that it might be the latter made a rush of hot blood hurtle through her system.

She wanted to look away, but her eyes just wouldn’t obey. They remained locked on Royce as if they were glued there.

Royce didn’t look away either.

The air between them began to pulse, as if a soundless drum were beating.

It wasn’t until she saw the thick plume of dark smoke rising up behind him that she broke out of her trance-like state. ‘Royce! The pan!’

Royce cursed and spun on his heel. With swift efficiency he turned off the gas, swiped a dishcloth from the bench and flapped it in the air to dissipate the smoke.

Bending down, he inspected the contents of the frying pan.

Straightening, he threw her a mind-numbing smile over his shoulder. ‘It’s a good job I like my bacon crispy,’ he said, picking up a spatula and scooping the bacon on to a plate.

Shara eyed the results. ‘That’s not crispy. That’s dead.’

Royce shrugged. ‘Each to their own. I happen to like it that way.’

‘Are you sure you’re not just saying that because you’ve burnt it? It takes a man to admit when he’s wrong.’

His eyes glinted. ‘No, I’m not fibbing. This really is the way I like it.’

Shara grimaced. ‘I suppose you like your fried eggs with a runny yolk too?’

He flashed her a grin that made her go weak at the knees. ‘You bet. Is there any other way to have them?’

Shara smiled back. Then, realising what she was doing, she forced her mouth into a straight line.

This man was not her friend. He wasn’t exactly her enemy either. But he was standing between her and something she wanted—which was the right to make her own decisions. That right was something most people took for granted. It wasn’t until it was taken away from you that you realised how much you valued it.

‘I like mine cooked through,’ she muttered, and turned away.

Grabbing a chopping board, she began cutting strawberries with all the attention a surgeon would give to the most complicated and delicate operation.

They worked silently for a while. Much as she tried, Shara couldn’t stop her eyes from straying back to him.

For such a big man Royce moved with silent gracefulness, each movement precise and self-assured. Somehow she knew he’d make love the same way.

She flushed, dropping her lashes. She didn’t know where the thought had come from but she wished it would go back there.

His competency as a lover was of no interest to her.

Why should it be?

She was over men.

Shara took a seat at the breakfast table and began eating. Royce joined her a few minutes later with a plate piled high with food.

‘So, tell me about this ex of yours,’ he suggested softly, when he’d demolished half of the plate with considerable gusto.

The mention of her ex-husband almost made her choke on a strawberry. ‘He’s not my favourite topic of conversation.’

‘Perhaps not.’ He took a bite of mushroom. ‘But the more I know about him the easier it will be for me to do my job.’

Shara angled her chin into the air. ‘I don’t care. I don’t want to talk about him. Besides, I’ve already told you that I don’t want a bodyguard, so why would I want to make your job easier for you?’

She had no intention of answering personal questions.

Painful questions.

And she had no intention of helping him. She didn’t want him around, poking his nose in her business. It would be safer—for all of them—if he quit and left her alone.

His expression remained unchanged but his eyes had hardened. ‘Maybe because it’s the polite thing to do? Maybe because it would give two strangers sharing breakfast something to talk about?’

Shara stared at him over the top of her spoon. ‘Actually, I think it’s impolite to ask someone you’ve just met personal and intrusive questions. If you feel we must talk then I can think of at least a dozen more interesting topics than my ex-husband. What about the weather? Or the exorbitant price of petrol—which in my opinion has gotten way out of control?’

Royce snapped off the blackened end of a rasher of bacon, popped it in his mouth and chewed. When he’d swallowed, he said, ‘I’d much rather talk about Steve Brady.’

Shara put her spoon down on the table less than gently. ‘And I wouldn’t. Now, unless you want to talk about something else, I’m leaving.’

Royce sighed. ‘Stubborn.’

‘Yes.’

And she wasn’t about to apologise for it.

She had to protect herself.

No matter what it took.

Royce sighed again—even more heavily. ‘Will you at least tell me about how Brady is harassing you?’

Shara sat back against her seat. ‘Didn’t my father tell you?’

‘He mentioned a few phone calls and the fact that the guy has been seen hanging around outside the house.’

Shara stared back steadily, keeping her expression neutral. ‘Well, there’s nothing more to tell. Dad has summed it up nicely. Which is why hiring you is a complete and utter over-reaction.’

She’d tried telling her father that but he hadn’t listened. Maybe he sensed that things were worse than what she’d told him.

‘I’ve known Gerard for a number of years,’ Royce said. ‘He’s not the type to over-react.’

Her chin angled into the air. ‘Well, in this case he has.’

Royce stared back at her. ‘I’ll be the judge of that.’

Royce received ample evidence of Steve Brady’s harassment several hours later. He walked into the lounge room, where Shara was sitting flipping through a magazine, just as the phone rang.

He noticed the way she jumped like a scalded cat, and watched as the colour drained out of her face.

‘Leave it,’ Royce ordered as Shara reached a hand towards the phone.

‘Leave it?’ Shara asked. ‘Why?’

‘You think it’s him, don’t you?’ Royce asked. ‘Your ex?’

A frown creased the smooth skin of her forehead as she nodded her head slowly.

‘Let it ring,’ he dismissed.

‘Why?’

Royce sank down on the lounger opposite and stretched his legs out in front of him. ‘Because I said so.’

Her chin jutted. ‘That’s not good enough. I’m not a puppy dog. You can’t order me to sit, beg or roll over any time you feel like it. If you want me to do something I suggest you remember two things.’

He lifted a brow, trying to ignore how damned sexy she looked. ‘And what would those be?’

Her chin lifted even higher. She uncrossed her legs and then recrossed them the other way. The action pulled the fabric of her Capri pants tight around her hips. Royce tried not to stare.

‘There’s this movie I saw once. It’s about a guy whose life is going nowhere until he signs up for a self-help programme based on one simple covenant, which is to say yes to anything and everything. It begins to transform his life.’

‘Well, that sounds very interesting, but what has that got to do with you co-operating with me?’

Her eyes—they really were the most magnificent colour—seared into his. ‘I’ve spent a year of my life with a man who has told me what to do and what not to do every minute of every day. When I walked out I made a vow not to let that happen again. So if you want me to do something I suggest you try asking me instead of telling me.’

‘Fine. Please don’t answer the phone.’ He raised the other brow this time. ‘There. Is that better?’

‘Yes. Much better,’ she said. ‘The second thing you need to remember is that I’m not going to do anything unless I know why. If you don’t want me to answer the phone the least you can do is give me a reason.’

Royce stared at her. He couldn’t argue with her approach. He was a logical, facts-and-figures kind of guy. If he were in her situation he’d react the same way.

What he did object to was the hoity-toity princess tone of voice she was using. As if she was a queen instructing one of her minions.

Normally her attitude would be water off a duck’s back. He’d accepted a long time ago that the rich liked to think they were better than everyone else.

He’d never understood the mindset that the measure of a man lay in how much money he had in his bank account or how large his investment portfolio was.

He hadn’t understood it when students at the exclusive boarding school he’d attended had made it clear that a scholarship didn’t mean that he belonged. All it meant was that some rich person had bequeathed upon him a privilege he wasn’t otherwise entitled to.

He understood the attitude even less now that he was a grown man. A successful man. For some reason he’d assumed that his achievements would earn him an automatic entrée into the exclusive club of the wealthy.

Not so.

It also seemed to matter where—or was it how?—you made your money. Inherited wealth made you part of the group; earning it yourself didn’t.

In Royce’s mind the exact opposite was true. Succeeding off your own bat held a hell of a lot more weight in his view than leeching off someone else’s success. Just as the measure of a man should be in how he acted and what he stood for rather than some meaningless dollar value.

Royce was no longer interested in being accepted by a group of people who saw the world so differently from the way he did.

So why was he letting Shara’s princess tone annoy him?

Royce wasn’t sure. So he simply nodded and said, ‘OK. I don’t want you to answer the phone because if it is your ex then answering will give him what he wants. If you refuse to pick up you cut him off at the knees, so to speak.’

‘Won’t that make him mad?’ she asked.

Royce smiled. ‘More than likely. But who cares? It sounds to me like he’s had his own way for too long. Now it’s our turn. We’re going to take control of the situation.’

He could tell from her expression that Shara was undecided about his approach, but by then it was too late. They both fell silent as the answering machine picked up the call.

There was nothing for one long minute, and then the phone was slammed down.

Shara winced.

Royce smiled.

The phone rang again almost instantly.

‘Ignore it,’ Royce said again.

This time Shara shook her head. ‘I think I’d better answer it. It might not be him.’

‘Then why didn’t they leave a message?’

‘I don’t know. But there’s one way to find out, and that’s by answering the phone.’

‘No. Not yet.’

‘This is my home, not yours. I’ll do what I like. You can’t tell me what to do.’

Royce shook his head. ‘This is your father’s house, and he’s put me in charge.’

Again it was too late for Shara to do anything. The answering machine picked up for a second time. The silence lasted for a couple of minutes this time, before the caller slammed the phone down again.

Royce watched Shara, who was studiously staring at her clenched hands.

Her hair really was magnificent. As dark as a raven’s wing and as glossy as the finest satin. His fingers itched to touch it—so much so that he curled his fingers into his palms.

The curve of her cheek was exposed. The skin was milky-white, absolutely flawless and ridiculously vulnerable.

How a cheekbone could be vulnerable Royce wasn’t exactly sure, but that was how it struck him.

The phone rang a third time.

Royce studied Shara carefully.

She was staring at the phone as if it was going to jump up and bite her.

Her body language was easy to read. It was painting a very different picture from what she’d told him that morning.

‘You lied to me earlier,’ he said, in a conversational tone that hid the anger tightening his gut.

He valued honesty above everything else. Not only did he see too much dishonesty in his line of work, but after what Fiona had done to him any form of deception was abhorrent to him.