The plane throttled back its engines, and as it did, Tally’s excitement revved up. She’d known spending the week apart from Cash would be hard but hadn’t been prepared for just how torturous she would find it. The press attention had been relentless—the irony of that not lost on her—and a tiny voice kept nagging at the back of her mind, telling her she’d made a mistake turning down Cash’s offer to move in.

The plane taxied to a stop, and as she reached the bottom of the stairs, Isaac already had a car waiting. He took her bag and popped it into the boot. She shook her head at his offer of the backseat and climbed into the front instead.

“Good flight, Miss McKenzie?”

“Yes, thank you, Isaac. And please, it’s Tally.”

“I’d be more comfortable with Miss McKenzie if you don’t mind,” he said formally, although his accompanying smile was warm and friendly.

“Of course not. How far is it to Cash’s?”

“About thirty minutes.”

Tally settled into the soft leather seat and gazed out of the window as the urbanisation of the airport and surrounding areas gave way to rolling green fields and dappled grey clouds. She’d imagined the years of war between the British government and the IRA would have resulted in a ravaged landscape, but the truth was far from that. Northern Ireland was beautiful, and Tally couldn’t shake the feeling she was home.

“Here we are.” Isaac pressed a remote on the dash, which opened a set of huge iron gates.

Tally had imagined Cash’s home to be a sprawling country mansion with perfectly manicured lawns, ivy creeping around the chimney pot, and winter pansies and spring flowers giving a spray of colour from within trim borders.

It wasn’t anything like that. The car swept up a winding driveway, eventually opening out to reveal a large modern structure that would have fit right in on Grand Designs. The first thing that struck her was the amount of glass. The house was spread over three stories, and from her limited viewpoint, the inside was very contemporary, all sleek lines and state-of-the-art furniture, although she had been right about the trim borders full of colourful winter flowers.

Isaac opened her door, and she climbed out, her eyes darting everywhere, trying to take it all in. He lifted her weekend bag from the boot, shaking his head instantly when she held her hand out.

“Allow me, Miss McKenzie,” he said with a bob of his head.

Tally stifled a giggle as the front door opened. Cash strode out and pulled her against his chest. He kissed the top of her head. “Finally,” he muttered. “Thanks, Isaac. I’ll take it from here. Enjoy your weekend off.”

Isaac passed her bag to Cash. “Are you sure you don’t need me to take Miss McKenzie back to the airport on Sunday?”

“No. I’ve got it. See you Monday morning.” He draped an arm over her shoulder. “Come on. I can’t wait to show you around.”

His boyish enthusiasm was infectious as they moved through the house. Cash briefly pointed out each room, giving her little chance to linger. When he opened what felt like the twentieth door, she grinned.

“Don’t you prefer to play outside?” she said, nodding at the indoor court.

“This isn’t London,” he replied with a smile. “We have about fifty per cent more rain, and it’s bloody cold most of the year. I wouldn’t get much use from an outside court.”

She followed him into a large hallway different from the one she’d seen earlier. He led her up a sweeping staircase with walnut treads that seemed to float in mid air and a glass balustrade with a light oak bannister. She brushed her hand over the polished wood, which felt smooth beneath her fingers.

He quickly showed her around the guest bedrooms on the first floor. As they reached the top floor, Cash opened a door at the end of the hallway and ushered her inside.

“The master suite,” he said, following her gaze, which had fallen upon an enormous bed in the next room. He grinned. “I’ll pop your bag down here. You can unpack later.”

Driven by an overwhelming urge to tease him, she rested her hands low on her hips and raised her eyebrows. “Somewhat presumptuous, don’t you think? I did notice three other guest bedrooms on the floor below.”

For the briefest of moments, he appeared surprised, and then his arm shot out and he grabbed her around the waist, pulling her close to his body. “There’s a lock on the door to this area of the house, and I’m not afraid to use it,” he said with a brilliant smile that made her knees tremble and a swarm of butterflies set up camp in her belly. He bent his head, his lips hovering over hers without touching. She held her breath. The anticipation was almost painful.

“God, I’ve missed you,” he whispered.

She expected him to kiss her then, but he simply looked into her eyes, his gaze darting from one to the other before he bypassed her mouth altogether and locked his lips onto her neck. Her head fell backwards as wave after wave of desire consumed her. When he finally reached her lips, she was ready, immediately opening her mouth beneath his. She was out of breath when he stopped.

“What do you want first? Food or sex?”

She glanced down at his crotch.

He chuckled. “Good choice.”

 

* * *

 

Tally turned onto her front and rested her chin on her hands. Cash was lying on his back, his arms casually behind his head. His eyes were closed, allowing her the luxury of exploring every inch of him.

“Have I passed?”

She slowly lifted her gaze until her eyes met his. He was watching her from beneath half-closed lids.

“With flying colours,” she said, leaning over to plant a kiss on his chest. Her belly grumbled painfully.

“Hungry?”

“Very.” She kissed him again, moving lower with each touch of her lips to his warm skin.

He stretched and groaned softly.

“I could do this all night,” she said.

“I could let you, but your rumbling stomach is deafening me, so I think I’d better feed you.”

She pouted. “It isn’t that loud.”

“Sorry, what?” Cash said, holding a hand behind his ear. Tally took a swipe at him, but he was too quick. He jumped out of bed and picked up her bag then removed her clothes and laid them on the bed, sifting through them with a frown. “Where’s your nightwear?”

She hugged her knees to her chest and flashed him a cheeky grin. “Didn’t bring any.”

“Oh, baby. You’re my kind of girl.” He disappeared through a set of oak doors on the far side of the bedroom, returning with a crisp, pale-blue shirt. “Here. Save you getting dressed. I quite like the idea of you wearing my clothes.”

She slipped the shirt over her naked body and lifted her arm to sniff the sleeve. “Mmm, it smells of you.”

A hiss of air shot from between Cash’s teeth. “What are you trying to do to me?”

He pulled the sides of the shirt together and slowly fastened it, his fingers lightly brushing her skin as he threaded each button through its matching buttonhole. When he’d finished, he turned back to her small pile of clothes and threw her some clean underwear. “Put these on too. Otherwise, I won’t be able to concentrate over dinner.”

She couldn’t help wearing a triumphant grin all the way downstairs. It did her confidence no harm when Cash showed her the depth of his attraction.

Inside the kitchen, Cash pulled out a chair at the breakfast bar and indicated for her to sit as he poured two large glasses of chilled wine. As the cold liquid slid down her throat, a warm glow spread through her insides. Cash slipped on a pair of oven gloves and removed the most wonderfully fragrant casserole. He placed it on a mat in front of her.

Her empty stomach growled appreciatively as the smell reached her. “Did you cook that?”

“If I said yes, would you believe me?”

“I would have if you’d just replied ‘yes.’”

He laughed and reached for a ladle. After spooning a healthy portion of the beef casserole into two deep dishes, he handed one to her. “You have Anna to thank for that.”

“Anna?”

“My housekeeper. She’s a legend.”

As a spike of jealousy hit her, she looked down and couldn’t help wondering if she’d have the same reaction with every woman associated with Cash, because it was starting to get on her nerves. She dug her fork in a piece of beef, murmuring approval as the meat fell apart in her mouth. She might be jealous of Anna, but boy, the woman could cook.

“I couldn’t cope without her. She’s an absolute rock.”

Tally glanced over at a wooden block full of kitchen knives and wondered if she should pass him one so he could shove it hard between her shoulder blades.

“Natalia.”

She met his gaze. He was grinning and shaking his head at the same time.

“Anna is sixty-two. A fox in her day, no doubt, but I don’t think toy boys are her thing.”

A warm flush crept over her cheeks. Annoyed at how easily he read her, she dropped her head and stabbed another piece of beef.

“Natalia.”

This time she kept her head bent. “What?”

Cash nudged her chin upwards with his forefinger until she had no choice but to meet his gaze. His eyes held a softness that did funny things to her insides. He leaned over the breakfast bar, brushed his lips against hers, and whispered, “Don’t you get it? There will only ever be you for me.”