Kate Hewitt - Bad Blood

‘I don’t regret last night. At least not the part where you were naked and uninhibited. That bit was incredible. You were incredible.’ He took a breath. ‘And I’m sorry I hurt you this morning.’

‘I’m not going to say it’s OK.’

‘I don’t expect you to.’

With a sniff, she tilted her head and looked up at him. ‘So what happens now? Jacob is back, Nathaniel. You can’t change that and you can’t run from the past for ever.’

‘I’m not running. I just wasn’t in the mood for the whole family reunion thing.’

‘Surely the press must know about your father? Did you really manage to keep that quiet?’

‘It gets dug up periodically. I’m hoping that a Sapphire win will make them bury it and focus on my career rather than my personal life.’

‘That’s why you want to win a Sapphire so badly? To distract the press?’

‘It’s one reason.’ Nathaniel stood for a moment, staring towards the water. He should tell her . He should just tell her the rest of his story.

The sound of a helicopter cut through their conversation and she glanced up at the sky. ‘Looks like your ride to Rio is here.’

‘Our ride.’ He stroked his fingers through her hair. ‘You’re coming with me.’

She pulled away from him. ‘I don’t think so. I’ll be fine here.’

‘I want you with me.’ Just how much he wanted her with him shook him to the core. Jumping out of an aeroplane or scaling a sheer cliff face seemed less daunting than plunging into a relationship with Katie. ‘You’ll love Rio. It’s the most exciting city in the world. Please.’

She rubbed her foot over the sand, drawing a pattern. ‘If I came where would we stay?’

‘We’ll crash in Rafael’s penthouse.’

‘Who is Rafael?’

‘Another half-brother. As you can see, I’m plagued by half-brothers, but they do come in handy when you want somewhere exclusive and private to stay.’

‘Rafael?’ She looked dazed. ‘How many wives did your father have?’

‘Four? No, I think it might have been three, but it gets confusing because of all the mistresses. Do those count?’ Nathaniel slid his fingers through hers and they started to walk back along the beach. ‘His bedroom was busier than Hollywood Boulevard on Sapphire night.’

‘So is Rafael younger?’

‘We’re the same age. He’s the son of the woman my father slept with while my mother was expecting me.’

She stopped walking. ‘He—oh, my God. But you’re close?’

‘Close?’ Nathaniel frowned at the question. ‘I live in LA and he lives in Brazil. I have no idea how far that is. Ten thousand kilometres? More?’

‘No, I mean—’

‘Oh, you mean close as in brothers. That’s a typically Katie question.’ He didn’t know whether to be amused or exasperated that she wanted everyone to bond. ‘I use his place in Rio. He crashes at mine in LA If we happen to overlap, then we go and get drunk together. If you call that close, then we’re close. Does that satisfy the rules of Katie-land?’

Her expression was serious. ‘That must be a difficult relationship.’

‘What’s difficult about it?’

‘Well, because—’

‘Because my father slept with his mother? That wasn’t Rafael’s fault. He wasn’t there.’ Nathaniel gave a sardonic smile. ‘At least, not until nine months afterwards. And now that’s enough about my family. There’s only so much reminiscing I can stand in one day and we’re definitely into injury time.’

‘So, will I meet Rafael?’

She was imagining happy family gatherings. ‘No chance. We’re going to Rio so that we can have steaming-hot sex in the land of the steaming-hot samba.’

‘I’ve never even danced the samba.’

‘Don’t worry—’ he flashed her a smile and took her hand as they walked along the beach ‘—I’m going to teach you. The way you move your hips, you’ll be a natural.’

‘This place is incredible.’ Katie stared at the view from the terrace of the exclusive penthouse apartment. ‘Your brother must be very successful.’

‘He’s slowly taking over the technology world.’ Nathaniel leaned on the balcony and scanned the beach. ‘Rafael and I have got drunk on this balcony more times than I want to remember. Whatever you do, don’t touch anything. He’s a techno genius and this whole place is run by gadgets. If you sneeze some piece of electrical equipment will probably hand you a tissue. I’ve told him that the day he invents an app for my phone that will kill photographers, I’ll invest in his company.’ He slid his hand behind her neck and brought his mouth down on hers and Katie gave a low moan.

All he had to do was kiss her and she melted every time .

She was a total pushover.

Disturbed by that thought, she eased away from him. Last night she’d given him everything. Today she was a little more cautious. ‘Are we going sightseeing?’

‘Of course. This is Rio.’

Nathaniel took her everywhere. They drank in the spectacular views from Pão de Açúcar, Sugarloaf Mountain, and ate in a beachside restaurant packed with locals.

When they arrived back at the apartment it was late and Katie automatically walked towards the bedroom but he closed his fingers around her wrist.

‘Rio is just waking up. Tempted as I am at the thought of an early night—’ his kiss was swift but devastating ‘—we’re going to samba school.’

‘School? It’s almost midnight.’

‘It isn’t a school in the sense that you mean. The samba schools are part of the neighbourhood where people go to dance. Part of Rio’s culture. They’re all rehearsing for the Carnival in a few weeks’ time. Here—’ he picked up a box that had been delivered earlier ‘—I bought you something to wear.’

‘You’re in jeans.’ Delving through layers of tissue paper, she retrieved a short dress in a vibrant shade of electric blue, dipping to the waist and ending in a flared skirt. ‘I might as well go naked.’

‘There’s something else in the box.’

Katie shifted the tissue paper and found an emerald-green sequined bikini top. She blinked. ‘Gosh. That’s—’

‘Perfect for dancing the samba.’

She hadn’t worn brown since she’d arrived in South America. And that was because of Nathaniel. He’d brought colour into her life . Being with him had given her confidence. ‘I love it.’ Katie examined the flow and texture of the fabric and then disappeared into the bedroom to change.

Nathaniel followed her and she was conscious of him watching her as she pulled on the dress. ‘Stop staring.’

‘You have fantastic legs.’

‘All the better for dancing.’ She met his eyes in the mirror. Felt the sharp stab of chemistry . ‘Shall we go?’

It was the most exciting evening of her life, although whether it was the dancing or just being with Nathaniel, she didn’t know.

The samba was an innately sexual dance and Nathaniel was a hotly sexual man. Those heavy-lidded blue eyes and that slow, masculine smile soon drew the attention of every woman in the room—that and his enviable sense of rhythm and the effortless way he moved. He danced with a natural grace and an unapologetic sensuality that blurred the lines between bedroom and ballroom. Dancing with him was a hedonistic experience that was a full-on assault of her senses and Katie felt her head and her heart spin as their eyes held and their bodies touched.

Drowning in those blue eyes, Katie suddenly wanted to be alone with him. ‘Can we go home?’

‘You’re not enjoying the samba, angel?’ His smile was slow and knowing and her heart was performing its own version of the samba.