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‘There’s food? Where did food materialise from? Or is it a matter of some tins and dried food? I’m so tired, a bowl of beans would be fine for me. I’m not fussy.’

‘No tins. There will be fresh food. I told the driver to bring a suitable dinner for us from one of the restaurants nearby. There’s a clutch of wine bars and restaurants and a few boutiques not a million miles away. I expect he’ll be here shortly. I made it clear that the faster he returned the better, bearing in mind the length of time we’ve been travelling and the fact that it’s quite late.’

‘I repeat. Different planet,’ Hope said wonderingly. This time he smiled as their eyes tangled.

‘You might find you miss this planet when you return to the one you left behind for a few days.’

‘There’s no chance of that happening,’ Hope said, suddenly confused.

She would be relieved to be back in her comfort zone where life was normal. Yes, it was exciting, he was exciting, but so was swimming with sharks. It was a taste of living on the edge that you then you backed away from because too much of it stopped being exciting and started becoming dangerous instead.

Wasn’t that why her mother had repeatedly gone for the wrong guy? Because she’d been seduced by the thrill, the excitement and a world out there that was so radically different from her own? So enthralled, so seduced, that she hadn’t been able to see the red flags?

Her incredible looks had been her passport but, in the end, the air had always been just a little to rarefied for her poor mum.

So, Javier? Staring at her, his dark eyes lazily asking her to question herself.

Never going to happen. She knew all about the dangers of stepping into a world in which you could never belong. She knew all about rich men with rich lives who played with pretty young women and then discarded them. Because, really, it was never going to go anywhere. The pretty young women were just not wise enough to figure that out.

‘What about that food?’ she asked, politely breaking the lengthening silence. ‘I’m not particularly hungry but I guess it might be a good idea to have something. You can tell me what happens next now that there’s no Carlos lurking around here in this villa.’

She folded her arms and banked down her irritation at the lazy, half smile he shot her, as though he knew every doubt and hesitation going through her head.

She wanted to tell him just how unappealing his world was to her because she’d seen enough of it to last her a lifetime.

Although, admittedly, never on this scale.

The men she remembered who had dated her mother were never like this one. Not in a million years.

She moved herself from where her feet seemed to be nailed to the floor and brushed past him. She waited for him at the bottom of the staircase.

‘Straight down to business. No small talk then?’ He grinned and walked towards her, beauty in motion.

‘I’m tired,’ Hope said shortly. ‘It’s been a long day.’

She followed him past the spacious foyer into which they had earlier entered and out towards the banks of glass, noting how he pressed his magic button so that blinds were lowered, blocking out the inky black darkness outside.

They made it to the kitchen just as his phone beeped.

‘Food’s here. Make yourself at home. The fridge is always stocked with alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.’

He vanished, leaving her a few moments to take in the surroundings.

The kitchen was the size of a football field. As with everywhere else, massive bi-fold glass doors opened out to a terrace. She felt that if she slid those doors open, she would be able to hear the sound of the sea and feel the soft saltiness of the ocean breeze on her.

Everything was obviously custom-made. A blend of rich hardwood for the cupboards and drawers, all handleless. The countertops were so highly polished that you could see your reflection in them. The marble was dramatically veined in shades of grey and very pale pink.

She was running one hand over the counter, enjoying the smooth coolness when she heard him heading to the kitchen and then she quickly removed her hand and stood, facing him.

‘No drink?’

‘I have no idea where the fridge is. It’s pretending to be a cupboard and I don’t feel comfortable nosing around.’

She stared at him as he dumped some navy blue and gold containers on the table. He hesitated, stared around him with a small frown.

‘Don’t tell me you have no idea where stuff is,’ she said slowly.

‘I know where the fridge is. What would you like?’