Her Passionate Protector

“Drink?” Brodie offered, opening a cupboard. “Gin, beer, wine—white or red?”

Sienna settled for white wine and he poured two. After handing hers over, he plunked himself down in one of the two-seaters. Lounging back with his long legs spread in front of him, he inquired, “Do you like nasi goreng?”

“It’s a rice dish, isn’t it? I think so. I like rice.”

“Good.” He raised his glass. “To the Maiden’s Prayer and a more successful voyage for us than her last one.”

“I should hope so!” Sienna said, and tasted the wine—cool, fruity and with a pleasant zing to it.

He drank some of his wine and lowered the glass. “How long have you known Camille?”

“A couple of years, since I started at Rusden.” Longer than her husband had known her. “I hope Rogan appreciates her.”

“He does. Rogue’s a lucky man. She’s gorgeous.”

“She is beautiful.” Sienna didn’t have Camille’s spectacular looks, only she had never been short of men to take an interest. But she’d become wary of being too eager and open, of giving too much and receiving too little. She would never fall into that trap again.

“So are you,” Brodie said.

“Please, I don’t need any empty compliments.”

“The compliment,” he said, “was sincere. Clumsy,” he acknowledged with a wry grin, “but sincere.”

Sienna couldn’t help a small laugh at his chagrined expression.

He picked up his glass and said, “I’ll start the rice.”

“Can I help?”

“Nope. I told you, all you have to do is appreciate while I work.”

Not hard, she thought. Any female—and she was one—could hardly fail to appreciate a man as good-looking as Brodie, especially when he was cooking for her, with evident enjoyment and expertise. As a seduction technique it was probably almost fail-safe. Not that he seemed to have any such intention at the moment.

She moved to one of the wicker chairs and they talked about the planned voyage while he chopped and sautéed and added ingredients to the mixture simmering on the stove.

He refilled her glass and she began to feel pleasantly relaxed, resting her elbows on the counter in front of her while a tempting aroma filled the big room, and night began to darken the corners.

Brodie switched on lights in the kitchen, but behind her the room remained shadowed.

He handed her a fork and put two well-filled plates on the counter, then pulled out a stool from under it and sat down opposite her, offering red wine.

“I’ll stick to white,” she said, allowing him to refill her glass again. She’d be walking to the Imperial so wasn’t too bothered about drinking, but would make this the last glass. She didn’t want to go reeling back to the hotel. And besides, experience and the tug of reluctant attraction that Brodie engendered in her was a warning to take care not to let down her accustomed guard over her emotions.

The nasi goreng was fragrant, spicy and delicious, but she couldn’t quite finish the pile he’d heaped on her plate, pushing the remains away regretfully.

“You don’t like my cooking?” he growled.

“It’s wonderful, but just a bit too much for me.” She looked up and realized he’d been teasing.

“You didn’t do too badly,” he conceded.

He put crackers and a couple of cheeses on the counter, which she nibbled while he made coffee.

“Shall we sit over there?” he suggested when he’d poured it, indicating the darkened sitting room. “There’s a light switch by the door if you want to turn it on.”

Wondering if he’d noticed her slight hesitation, Sienna flicked the switch, then settled on one end of the big sofa.

Brodie took the other end. “We could watch some TV if you like,” he offered.

“I don’t mind, if you want to.”

“Not specially. Most of it’s pretty depressing.”

Brodie probably didn’t allow himself to be depressed often. He seemed like the kind of person who tackled life head-on and if something bothered him he’d do something about it, not sit around thinking how awful it was. The way Sienna tried to organize her own life. She didn’t want to sink into the kind of despair that had engulfed her mother after her father’s defection, which still dimmed her enjoyment of life and prevented her from moving forward. A long time ago Sienna and her brother had realized that they were little compensation for the loss of a husband.

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