Emma Darcy: The Bridal Bargain

“You now have a cut-off day,” Tony went on. “You can book a flight to Sydney on Friday evening. You’ll forfeit your pay and a reference if you leave before then. Understand me?”

Chris crumpled. “Yeah, yeah. I just thought…”

“I want a smooth changeover, Chris.”

“Okay!” He sighed and turned back to Hannah. “Don’t get me wrong. It’s a great job. I just need to be elsewhere.”

She nodded sympathetically. “I will appreciate your staying on to show me how to handle everything, Chris.”

“No sweat,” he muttered, but it obviously was. The absent Johnny definitely had the screws on him.

The others streamed into the office and having settled the departure issue with Chris, Tony proceeded to introduce her to the rest of the crew. They seemed a cheerful bunch and Hannah felt only good vibrations coming her way, no reservations about her fitting the role she’d taken on.

She was very conscious of Tony watching, and hoped he was pleased with the quick and easy connections made and the positive mood engendered by them. In any tourist business, it was important to promote an air of friendly approachability. Keeping a happy face was second nature to Hannah and today it was very easy for her to exude happiness.

A lovely new place to explore.

A new job to keep her going.

A new man who might just be Mr Right…if her heart was telling her true!

“Hey! Great dimples!” David Hampson, the skipper remarked. He was the last one to be introduced, the senior man on the crew, and very good-looking with bright brown eyes and a charming grin which he swung from her to Tony. “I think you’ve picked us up an asset here.”

It earned a frown. “What we need is great cooking.”

“Granted,” David cheerfully agreed, returning a sparkling gaze to Hannah. “But give it to us served with dimples and it’ll put a fine edge on our appetites.”

She laughed, liking his good-humoured teasing.

“Are you ready to move now, Hannah? Got everything you need?” Tony shot at her, cutting off the laughter.

“Yes.” She quickly picked up the plastic bag which contained her uniforms and a pile of print-outs on the Kingtripper cruises.

“Right!” He addressed the crew. “I expect you all to look after Hannah tomorrow, without her becoming a distraction to what you should be doing. Just keep everything running smoothly. Okay?”

They chorused assent.

His gaze sliced to her. “Let’s go. I’ll take you to your accommodation now so you can get settled and ready for work in the morning.”

“See you all tomorrow,” she tossed at everyone and quickly accompanied Tony out to the walkway through the shopping mall, her heart fluttering at his rush to be on the move again.

“Where’s your luggage?” he asked.

“This way.” She waved to the left and he was off at a stride that demanded she keep up. A glance flashed at his profile told her his mouth was grimly set again. “Thanks for your support back there,” she said tentatively, grateful for his stand with Chris.

“I hope you’re not going to be trouble, Hannah,” he grated out.

“Trouble?” she echoed, flustered by this negative reading which she hadn’t been expecting.

He beetled a warning look at her. “David Hampson is married. He’s got two children.”

“Well, that’s very nice for him,” she replied, still mystified by the almost accusing manner.

“Yes. Let’s keep it that way.” His chin jutted forward, along with his gaze as they walked on.

It took a while for his meaning to filter in. Tony King saw her as a threat to David Hampson’s marriage? Why on earth would he think that? Because David had made a comment about her dimples? That was ridiculous…wasn’t it?

“You know, it’s not my fault I’ve got dimples,” she said testingly. “I was born with them.”

“And a lot else, besides,” he muttered darkly.

It was too much for Hannah. “Do you have a problem with me?”

“No.” His chin jutted even more forward. “Why would I have a problem?”

“I don’t know.” She frowned over the puzzle. He’d been distant towards her ever since… “Maybe if you’d been making the choice, I wouldn’t have been given the job.”

“I have the utmost faith in my grandmother’s judgement,” he declared as though not the slightest doubt had ever entered his mind.

“Well, that’s a relief!” She heaved a sigh to get rid of that bit of unnecessary tension. “It’s not a good feeling working for someone who doesn’t want you.”

“No question that I want you,” he said very dryly.

“That’s okay then.” She felt much better, and to relieve any worries he might have about her, she said, “Generally I get on very well with people.”

“So I noticed.”

“And I don’t believe in messing with anyone’s marriage.” Not even Flynn’s and Jodie’s.

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“I certainly wouldn’t enter into any flirtation with David.”

“Fine!”

“Sally filled me in on Chris’s situation so I understand about that, but is there anything else I should know about the crew so I don’t put a foot wrong?”

“Nothing that springs to mind.”

“You’re not going to warn me off Eric or Jai or Keith?”

“Tracy might well throw you to the sharks if you get your teeth into Jai.” A sharp glance. “Do you fancy him?”

How could she fancy any of them with him around? Didn’t he know he outshone them by about a million megawatts? “I thought they were all attractive people, but they didn’t ring any special bells for me,” she answered honestly.

“Who knows when the bell might toll?” he said with heavy irony.

It tolled the moment you walked into my life, Hannah thought, but she wasn’t sure Tony King was ready to hear that, particularly when he seemed to have some funny ideas about her…like she was some kind of honey-pot who drew men from other women. Which was really strange, because no one had ever cast her in the role of femme fatale before. She wondered why he saw her that way?

A happy thought struck. It had to mean he found her attractive. Maybe more than just attractive if he thought other men could be tempted out of their relationships because she was there.

No question that I want you.

What if he actually meant he wanted her in a man-woman sense, not a job sense? Excitement pumped her heart faster. It almost put a skip in her step as they exited from the mall and headed towards the row of storage lockers outside another booking office. Hannah quickly found hers, unlocked it, and lifted out her backpack.

“Is that all?” Tony asked as she closed the door on the emptied locker. He looked amazed at the economical amount of her possessions.

“It is easier to travel light,” Hannah explained matter-of-factly.

He stared down at the bag near her feet as though it represented a life he couldn’t quite bring himself to believe in. His gaze shifted to her well-worn sandals, then slowly travelled up her much-washed and somewhat faded jeans. He was probably realising she had few clothes with her and they were in frequent use, but this direct re-appraisal made Hannah super-conscious of her body again.

Her knees quivered. Muscles below her stomach spasmed. By the time his scrutiny reached her bare midriff, she could feel her nipples hardening in some wild anticipation of his liking the shape of her breasts, even wanting to touch them. His gaze certainly lingered on them long enough to take her breath away. She couldn’t think of anything except how much she wanted him to really want her, and her temples were pulsing with an exhilarating excitement when he finally looked into her eyes.

But there was no suggestion of desire in his.