A Touch of Notoriety(53)

‘We leave in one hour,’ Raphael repeated harshly before striding forcefully out of the kitchen.

Beth’s shoulders slumped the moment she was alone, tears scalding the backs of her eyes, and she reached out to grasp the edge of the kitchen table as her knees threatened to buckle beneath her, her conversation with Raphael, and the strain that existed between them now, having taken an emotional toll on her she was simply too tired to cope with.

Despite those shocking revelations in their conversation just now, Raphael had, to all intents and purposes, become a stranger to her these past twelve hours. He was no longer that mocking man she had known in Argentina, or the diligent bodyguard whose presence had annoyed and yet comforted her, both in Argentina and since they’d come to England. And he certainly wasn’t the sensual lover of the night before, the man who had driven her insane with pleasure. Instead he was a man who now made it clear, with every word he spoke, that he wanted nothing more to do with her on a personal level.

And the pain of that realisation was worse than the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach—

‘Sorry, Miss Navarro, I thought Raphael was in here?’

Beth turned slowly to find that Rodney had let himself into the house by the kitchen door without her even being aware of it. Because she was so lost in her own misery. The misery of being in love with a man who made it more than clear that he didn’t want to be with her.

She straightened determinedly as she gave the security guard a forced smile. ‘I think he went to Cesar’s study.’

‘That’s fine.’ The burly man nodded. ‘Perhaps you can tell me what time we’re leaving for the airport.’

Beth stilled. ‘What time we’re leaving for the airport?’

Rodney gave her a reassuring smile. ‘I’m taking over as head of your security detail as from today.’

Beth felt all the colour drain from her cheeks. ‘You are?’ She knew she sounded like a parrot, and a slightly ridiculous one at that, but she was too stunned by what Rodney had just said to be able to pretend otherwise.

Rodney nodded happily, obviously completely unaware of Beth’s distress at his disclosure. ‘Raphael and I arranged it with Cesar last night.’

Last night? During Raphael’s telephone conversation with Cesar at the inn, or after the humiliation Beth had suffered at Raphael’s obvious rush to get them out of there once he had discovered she was still a virgin and, as such, untouchable?

Did it really matter when Raphael had arranged for Rodney to take over her security? The fact that he had done so spoke volumes; Raphael was no longer willing to even continue acting as her bodyguard.

She gave Rodney a tight smile. ‘That’s nice. Have you been to Argentina before?’

‘No, but I’m really looking forward to it.’ He grinned.

‘Why don’t we sit down and have a coffee together while we wait for Raphael to—to finish whatever it is he’s doing, and I can tell you the little I know about it?’ Beth suggested with a lightness she was far from feeling.

‘That sounds great!’ Rodney pulled out a chair and sat down at the kitchen table while Beth busied herself pouring them both a coffee before sitting down opposite him and commencing to tell him some of the sights she had seen on her last visit to Argentina.

* * *

Which was precisely where Raphael found the two of them when he entered the kitchen forty minutes later.

He came to a halt in the kitchen doorway as he heard Beth laughing at something Rodney had just said to her. A relaxed and companionable laugh, so unlike the tension that had existed between himself and Beth since the previous evening.

Raphael still felt slightly numbed by how close he had come to taking Beth’s precious virginity. And he was disgusted with himself for the intensity, the raw carnality, of his lovemaking. Not only was Beth an innocent, but Raphael had since realised, as his thoughts had gone over and over the sequence of their lovemaking last night, Beth wasn’t just still a virgin but completely physically inexperienced.

Oh, no doubt she had shared a few passionate kisses with young men of her own age in the past, maybe even a little light petting, but nothing along the scale of Raphael’s depth of lovemaking; in those circumstances, he was lucky she hadn’t run screaming from the inn in total terror of his sexual demands!

He also, despite his denials, felt decidedly uncomfortable about their conversation earlier, in regard to his lack of decisive action regarding the rift between himself and his father. Perhaps it was time, after all, that he did as Beth had suggested and buried his pride before visiting his father?