Falling for Mr Wrong (2 page)

“You’re an Aussie? So far from home.”

“I love travelling.” A slight exaggeration but hey, after evading relentless reporters, lies and half-truths now easily rolled off her tongue. She had no option until she cleared her name. Swallowing again, she tried to inject some enthusiasm into her voice. “And where are you from?”
Don’t say England
.
Don’t say England
. Stupid really as his accent gave him away.

“England.” The single word punched and deflated her lungs as effectively as a sharpened arrow.

Sweat broke out above her lip as she contemplated excuses on how to escape, run far—far away.

Oblivious to her discomfort, he continued. “I came to Israel with my sister. She’s having fun and I’m working on a forced holiday break. She believes working too hard is not good for one’s soul.” His stance was relaxed, with his arms loosely hanging by his side as his smile grew wide at the mention of his sister.

Her mouth dried. Perhaps, the getaway could wait. Perhaps he didn’t read the gutter press? Perhaps, he wasn’t from London and hadn’t heard about her, the
Naughty Nanny
.

A slow smile stretched across his lips making her thoughts jumble. Not every guy wanted a piece of her. Nate seemed so normal, so nice, so easy going.

She maintained a strong eye contact with him and went through all the pluses.

Cute. Tick.

Family guy. Tick.

If he was single she’d give him a third tick and hit the trifecta.

“A workaholic on holidays.” She nodded. “You must be climbing the walls what with the relaxing spa treatments, beach and therapeutic mud baths.”

He laughed. Strong, throaty. Deep timbres in his voice made her think back about them on her fantasy date. “Thank goodness for the internet.”

Curious, she nibbled her lip, “Why didn’t you just say no? My brothers never listen to me.”

“You don’t know my sister,” he shrugged.

“You’re spending time in this luxurious resort, which is my idea of heaven. You’re making it sound like you’ve been incarcerated on a diet of bread and water.”

He laughed again. She liked that. He got an extra tick for laughing at her jokes.

“So how long are
you
here for?”

“Just the day.” She sighed. “This place is amazing. Have you tried the saltwater and sulfur pools?”

“Not yet. You?”

“I’m going there after I wash off. How much fun was it floating in the Dead Sea?” she said not bothering to hide her eagerness. She really was the quintessential tourist even if she was on the run and hiding out.

He gave her a wink that made her swoon with delight. “I did enjoy the float, although I was worried about splashing salt water and burning my eyes.”

“I wore goggles.”

“Clever and pretty.”

Pretty?
His compliment made her heart sigh.

“Wish I could take credit but I read the suggestion in…in, I read it somewhere.” Gosh, his gorgeousness made her stumble over words. She needed to pretend he wasn’t so good looking and act like the sensible woman she was. Not so easy every time their gazes met and she drowned in the blueness of his eyes.

“I must admit, I didn’t read anything.” A smile curved his lips.

Perspiration clung to the back of her neck. Her skin, clammy and sticky. Lifting her hair into a ponytail with her hand provided some relief, the gentle breeze washed over her neck, cooling her skin.

“You’re exactly like my brothers. They never read instructions or ask for directions. Those characteristics must be in-built in your male DNA.”

“Perhaps.” He shrugged.

“Are your brothers here?” He looked around.

“No, they’re in…” She paused before correcting herself. “They’re back home.”

“In Australia?”

She nodded.

Time to say goodbye. She’d taken a risk and everything was fine. But soon she’d need to head back to the sanctuary of her safe hide-out. Always the chatter-box, she couldn’t risk saying something she shouldn’t. And with Nate, she felt comfortable, way too comfortable. It was good to be around him, but the tension of watching everything she had said made her head hurt. She couldn’t afford a mistake, she had already done that. And look where she’d ended up, ended up in trouble. Strife with a capital S.

His charming manners and effortless ease, making her comfortable, would slip under her purposely erected defences. Stealing another look made her skin tingle. Yup. Definitely way too charming. With reluctance she said, “I’d better go and wash this dried mud off.” She raised her now stiff arms in front of him.

Her gaze ran smack bang into the now dirtied shirt and impressive pecs. Couldn’t he do up his buttons? How could she remain focused with
that
on display? She cleared her throat. “I’m sorry about your shirt. Can I give you money to have it cleaned?”

“You can repay the favour by having dinner with me tonight.” The bone-melting curve of his full lips obliterated any strength left in her calf muscles.

What?
Her pulse spiked in surprise. “Dinner?” Her throat clenched in a cocktail of delight, fear and angst.

“Yes, you know, food, conversation. I hear it’s quite popular.” The thumb from his clean hand circled through the side belt buckle loop of his shorts. His stance was informal, laid-back.

So close to him, she gazed into the aquamarine of his eyes, the colour matched the blueness of the Dead Sea. A girl could drown in the depths of those eyes. She shrugged. “It might be a little difficult.”

He took a step back. “I should’ve guessed you had a boyfriend.” He raised his brow.

“A boyfriend?” She stifled the urge to laugh. “No, I’m single.” She shook her head slowly from side-to-side. Time to focus on nice, dependable guys…like the one standing in front of her.

“So you can meet me?” The skin between his brows furrowed making Tilly wonder if a woman had ever said no to him. She inwardly rolled her eyes. How many sane women would say
no
to a date with a man who effortlessly wore his confidence and conviction?

None.

The sun must have fried her thinking cells.

“I’m not staying at this hotel but…” She paused, unwilling to reveal where she was staying. How could she trust him? A stranger. “I’m meeting a friend later so I’m sorry, I’ll have to pass. But thank you.”

To her own ears, it was a poor excuse. The ‘old’ fake friend routine. But she was not ready to trust this handsome specimen of maleness, even if he had saved her, was interested in her and invited her out for dinner.

She was a fool. Cursing under her breath, debating whether she could change her mind. Why couldn’t she just say yes? What was the harm in having dinner? After a week of hiding out, surely she was yesterday’s news. Besides, she had been so careful, the media would never find her
here
.

His left eyebrow arched. “How about a drink and then I’ll organise for the resort’s shuttle to return you to your hotel?”

She bit her lip so not to correct him. Hostel not hotel. The offer was hard to pass up. “I don’t want to inconvenience you.”

“You’ll be doing me a favour. My sister is busy so instead of my own company, I’ll have the pleasure of yours.”

Holy smokes. A bolt of excitement mixed with a tinge of disbelief ripped through her. She had all but rejected him and he was
still
interested. The invitation was hers for the taking.

Snatch it.

Take it.

“A drink sounds good.”

His smile broadened. “I’ll meet you at six in the lobby.” He paused. “I’ve got to go, I’ve got a ton of work.”

“Must be important to make you miss the mud baths,” her lips twitched in amusement.

“Hmmm, yes.”

“Your boss is a tyrant?”

“Some of the time,” he winked at her. “Bye.”

Her heart fluttered and she tried hard not to grin. “Bye.” She waved. “See you at six.”

Her attention remained glued to his swagger as he made his way back to the hotel. Now out of sight, Tilly released a breath she had not realised she was holding.

Her smile arced from ear to ear. Excitement quivered in her knees making its way up all the way up to her throat. Her life was about to turn round and get better. Finally. After being let down so many times, she was in charge, she was making decisions, she was making things right. Coming to Israel was the best decision, not only evading the media but finding a purpose to her life. And now she had a date with a real life knight in shining armour. He may not have a steed, armour or a sword but he did have perfect bone structure and a sexy smile that could have him gracing advertising billboards. Best of all he did not know who she was, nor had he recognised her. Perhaps he was not from London? Or perhaps he did not read the muck the press printed day after day.

Wow, wow-wee!

Spinning in a circle, her arms out reminiscent of Maria singing atop the mountain in the
Sound of Music
. She stopped and burst out laughing. She could not wait to tell her aunt about her date and klutzy twist and fall performance. It would have to wait until she returned to Jerusalem. It was one of those stories that would best be relayed in person rather than over the phone. Besides, her aunt would still be at work.

Walking back to collect her things, reality descended with a slow, sucking realisation. Was she doing the right thing? Was she allowing her hormones to dictate rather than letting common sense prevail?

Did it matter? It was a drink, half an hour to an hour tops and then she could return to the boredom of her hostel room. Fortunately, there were plenty of overseas guests but none from London. So far so good. So what if she was grinning from ear to ear idiotically because a handsome stranger had saved her, then asked her out?

Her chest puffed with pride. She managed to outwit the London tabloids and regain her freedom. No longer would she be threatened or have her safety compromised. All she had to do was avoid the press and not stand out from the crowd. Be like everyone else.

She was in Israel where life ambled by and no one knew or cared who she was. Why shouldn’t she enjoy the joy of a dream date?

The press would not find her here. They were either in Australia or still in London. Leaving those clues on social media had been a stroke of genius and by not contacting her family directly, they could effectively say they did not know where she was. Brilliant!

Scratching her now prickling skin, the mud had dried and started flaking off. Time to clean up. While walking to the outdoor showers, she recalled the luscious sheen of Nate’s skin as he emerged from the water. A spiral of lust uncoiled in her tummy making her shudder. She gasped, stopped walking and clutched a near-by hand rail. Her breasts grew heavy as her breathing picked up a notch. Lust? She smiled as the newly recognised emotion flooded her veins and she closed her eyes enjoying the sensation. Wow. Opening her eyes, she stole a look from side-to-side and was happy no one had noticed her odd behaviour.

Never before had a man had
that
effect on her. Never. And soon, she would be having a drink with him. She could not wipe the smile stretching across her face, even if she wanted to. Boy oh boy!

Nate stood in his room punching the air, still quite unable to believe he had found her so soon. It is not as though he could walk around in a suit in his quest searching for her. After all, he was not in London. So he acted like a tourist, even going for a swim and then the cry of a woman had brought out his inner hero. He had sprinted over, almost stumbling when he came face to face with London’s infamous
Naughty Nanny
. Tilly Walker.

She did not come across as the man-eater the tabloids had painted her to be, rather more like the girl next door. An overused cliché but it did fit. Nate rubbed the back of his neck. Talk about luck! He owed his Jerusalem colleague big time.

He grinned at the cleverness of his instinct, picking Israel as Tilly’s country of choice to hide out. Having discovered Tilly’s great aunt had spent a lifetime volunteering and taking devout, international visitors on spiritual guides around the holy sites in Jerusalem, there was no doubt in his mind that Tilly would come here. His colleague in Jerusalem had kept an eye on Tilly over the past few days till he had been able to fly in. She had spent the past week helping out her aunt, but yesterday had purchased a bus ticket to Ein Gedi.

His sister and decoy, Bea, had complained non-stop about the rush in leaving London and he had dissed her grievances by checking into the most luxurious hotel in the area. Appeasing her with a luxury stay, he was able to look for Tilly on his own.

What an opportunity. The Naughty Nanny would be his biggest scoop ever. He was bringing Sebastian’s sanctimonious smug smile down. Muck may not stick to him but shots would. And the ammunition of choice was the truth. Sebastian Porter, MP, a candidate to be Prime Minister, had turned the media on to Tilly. Sebastian had managed to come out of the affair as having been wronged, victimised and mistreated. But he knew better – it was a lie. He and Sebastian had history.

As a political bloggist for one of London’s biggest newspapers, he respected the story and did not do sensationalism. But this time it was personal. He needed insight that only she could provide and he was going to get it.

Once he gained Tilly’s trust, he would dig deep. Very deep.

Nate’s heartbeat quickened. He had waited years for revenge, to get back at Sebastian and it was so close he could taste it.

A glimmer of excitement zipped through his spine.

This was going to be one hell of an assignment.

Leaning against the cool marble column, Nate tapped his toe while waiting for Tilly in the hotel foyer. He still could not believe that he had found her and he had to restrain himself from jumping in the air every few seconds.

Time to slip into his professional, patient persona. The one he used when interviewing MPs and other political candidates. Friendly but not too friendly. Just friendly enough to reel them and have them divulge everything he needed to know.

Shaking his head, he could not quite believe his luck. The girl he had saved this afternoon was London’s infamous Naughty Nanny.