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‘Isn’t that a personal question? Isn’t one of your rules that this isn’t about getting to know one another?’

‘A practical question. If you have trouble finding someone to look after your cat then I’ll pay for you to put it in a cattery. Whichever one you like.’

‘Rosie’s a she, not an it. I wouldn’t dream of putting her in a cattery. She’s very nervous. She has separation issues. I can ask one of my friends to pop over and feed her. Don’t worry, I won’t breathe a word of why I’ve suddenly gone AWOL. I won’t even tell my mum.’

‘There’s just one more area I think we should cover…’

‘Aside from the details about flights and stuff? Will you email me the information? I realise this isn’t going to be some kind of holiday jaunt but what shall I pack?’

‘You won’t have to pack very much at all and all casual clothes for hot weather. We won’t be painting the town red. It’s unlikely you’ll see much apart from the inside of my houses.’

‘One more thing, I need to be back here in time to do some last-minute Christmas shopping. I guess, so you do too?’

Javier briefly dropped his gaze. When he looked back up at her, his expression was shuttered.

‘I can take or leave this particular time of the year,’ he said evenly. ‘Overcommercialised, overrated and not over quickly enough for my liking.’

‘Gosh!’

‘But you’ll be back by the middle of the month so you and your credit card will have more than enough time to go wild in the shops. Moving on to what I need to say to you before I…’ he glanced at his watch, ‘…get my driver to swing by for me.’

‘Why are you so cynical about Christmas? Do you mind my asking?’

‘I do, as it happens, but now that you have asked…’

Hope held her breath, waiting for a confidence she was suddenly extremely keen to hear.

‘I won’t be telling you what to do aside from this—personal questions that stray from the subject of my brother won’t be welcomed. Oh. Something else…’ He fidgeted, glanced at the now empty bottle and then back to her.

She stared at him in silence with her chin propped in her hands.

For a couple of seconds, Javier was blown off course as he appreciated the clear green of her eyes, the soft tumble of her hair and the mildly curious expression on her face.

This was not a woman hanging onto his every word.

He almost didn’t need to warn her off him, which was what he always did with the women he went out with.

He might not in any way, shape or form be going out with the woman impartially inspecting him now but they were going to be spending time in one another’s company and it paid to have clarity when it came to certain things.

‘It’s important that what’s going on here remains in perspective…’ he said, tailing off. The speech that always came so naturally at the onset of any relationship suddenly felt like a struggle as she held his eyes calmly.

Of course he felt clumsy! This wasn’t a relationship but the warning still had to be given.

‘Go on.’

‘I wouldn’t want you to think that boundaries can be overstepped.’

‘Why would I be interested in overstepping boundaries?’

* * *

As Javier continued to stare at her, Hope realised that she knew just what was going through his head.

He was a catch, he knew he was a catch and he was warning her against seeing him in that light!

Maybe sooner or later he expected all women to end up falling at his feet because he was such a catch.

‘Ah…’ she said with an exhale. ‘I see where you’re going with this. You think I might be in danger of losing my head to the fascinating Javier Mendoza.’