Chapter Nineteen

Toyin shook her head. There's only one way

to deal with it and I can't keep avoiding it for ever.

There's no point in me trying to concoct another

life-it won't make any difference. And maybe it's 

time to stop running. She clutched the blanket a lit-

tle tighter to her breasts. "To let Drake know I'ma

grown-up now and can make my own decisions, To

tell him that I need to forge a new future for myself"

His eyes narrowed. 

And do you know what that

future will be?"

Not yet. I'd just hoped..."

"Hoped what?" he questioned as her words tailed

away.

She shrugged. 'I don't know. After my fairly suc-

cessful stab at independence, it's a pity I have to re-

turn being pursued by the press. I'd hoped to make a

more...controlled arrival.

Unless you refuse to play ball;' he said slowly.

"What do you mean?"

*Why should the damned press back you into a

corner? he demanded. Why go back earlier than

originally planned?"

That was pretty much on the cards the minute

you returned unexpectedly to Poonbarra. I don't re-

ally have any alternative, Massimo. I can't stay here. 

And I can't face the thought of turning up somewhere else

just before Christmas, with a load of news-hungry

journalists on my tail."

There was a pause. Unless you came to New York

with me for Christmas."

Toyin tried to squash the leap of hope in her heart

as she met his shadowed gaze. 'But you must have

plans?"

'None I can't get out of. The only thing

set in stone is my Boxing Day ski trip to Vermont.

 But New York

is the most anonymous city in the world and I can

have my PR people make sure nobody bothers you.' I don't know,' she said, even though she was filled

with an excitement she was trying very hard to contain.

The city is beautiful during the holidays,' he continued softly. 'And I think there's a lot more sex we

need to have before I'm willing to let you go. I'm not

offering you a home, Toyin-as long as you under-

stand that. Just a temporary shelter.

Her smile didn't falter, even though the baldness

of his statement left her in no doubt of his feelings for

her. But surely it was better to know exactly where

she stood. And he was offering her a solution, wasn't

he? Practical help in the form of a Christmas break

in a city she'd never visited, rather than a scandal-

wrapped return to her island home. There was no

contest, really.

I'd like that' she said.

'Good. In that case, I'll have my jet prepared. His

eyes gleamed as he unzipped his jeans and started

walking towards her. 'And in the meantime. ..why

don't you lose the blanket? '

THIS HIGH UP, the snowy winter light was on the

harsher side of bright. A penthouse apartment high

in the sky-far above the streets and away from the

sounds of the New York traffic. Chosen specifically

for its isolation and for the fact that nobody could

see you, or hear you. An apartment Massimo had never

shared with anyone.

Until now.

He stared at Toyin's back, silhouetted against the

Manhattan skyline as she watched the ant-like people

far below. His home, his space, his life. A fortress of

a place which up until now had always been invio-

late. People came here rarely because hospitality on

home turf had never been his thing.

 He preferred to

take people out to dinner, rather than be stuck with

guests who wouldn't take the hint and go home. The

same with lovers, too. Not for him the awkward morn-

ing ritual of trying to remove a woman who wanted

to stay.

Why had he invited Toyin here? He ran his gaze

over the gleam of her bare legs. Because he felt partly

responsible for the arrival of the press in the Cotswolds? Yes. And the sexual chemistry between them had been an added incentive. Why turn his back on a

physical compatibility which was as good as theirs?

But it was more than that. He'd confided in her. Told

her stuff he'd never told anyone else. Stuff which

had stirred up feelings inside him which had left a

raw and gaping void. He'd thought exposing his se-

crets would make the darkness go away, but he had

been wrong. He told himself he just needed time. And

that maybe having Toyin here with him was noth-

ing but an insurance policy. A charm offensive to

get her onside and make sure she kept those secrets

close to her heart.