A Perfect Husband by Fiona Brand Page A

loose white shirt, his hair ruffled as if he’d dragged his fingers through it repeatedly, strol ed into the room.
    For a confused moment Lilah had difficulty grasping that Zane was actual y here, then the meaning of his presence sank in. “You’re the Atraeus who had me detained.”
    The official left, the door closing quietly behind him.
    Zane frowned. “Who were you expecting? Lucas?”
    The flatness of Zane’s voice was faintly shocking. Lilah couldn’t help thinking it was a long way from the teasing grin and the seductive huskiness of Saturday night. “As far as I know, Lucas is stil in Sydney.”
    Zane placed a newspaper, which had been tucked under one arm, down on the desktop.
    The glaring headline, Lucas Atraeus Installs Mistress on Isle of Medinos, made her bristle. When she had flown out of Sydney, she had hoped she was leaving al of that behind.
    Folding the paper over, she threw it in the trashcan beside the desk. “I haven’t seen that one. They don’t hand out Sydney gossip sheets as part of the in-flight entertainment.”
    Zane perched on the edge of the desk, arms folded across his chest. “Who knew that you were flying out to Medinos?”
    Lilah located her handbag and stored her passport in a secure pocket. Making a quick exit lugging a large suitcase, a carry-on bag, her laptop and her handbag would be difficult, but she was ready to give it a go. “Quite a lot of people. It wasn’t a secret.”
    Zane looked briefly irritated as she tried to harness her laptop to the suitcase using a set of buckles that was clearly inadequate for the job. “That’s not helpful.”
    “It wasn’t meant to be.” She hauled on a dainty strap and final y had the laptop secure.
    “So who do you think could have leaked the information that you were moving to Medinos to the press?”
    She moved on to the carry-on case, which posed a problem. She was going to need a trol ey after al .
    “You don’t have to worry about the luggage. I’l carry it for you.”
    Anger flowed through her at the implication that she could have sold the story. “I prefer to manage on my own.”
    “You don’t have to, since I’m here to pick you up.” With efficient movements, Zane unhooked the laptop and used the straps to neatly attach the carry-on case to the large suitcase.
    Lilah reclaimed her laptop. “I don’t get it. You didn’t come around or cal , and now—”
    “I cal ed. Your phone didn’t seem to be working.”
    She tried to get her tired brain around the astounding fact that Zane hadn’t abandoned her, entirely. Although, there was nothing loverlike about his demeanor now. A lightbulb went on in her head. “Don’t tel me you thought I could have leaked the story because I’m angling to be Lucas’s mistress?”
    “Or to break Lucas and Carla up.”
    For a vibrating moment she struggled against the desire to empty what was left of her coffee down his front. Instead, she set her laptop down and, stepping close, ran her finger down Zane’s chest, pausing over the steady thud of his heart. “Why would I, when as you so eloquently put it, I’ve already got the real thing?”
    Heat flared in his gaze. His fingers closed around her wrist, trapping her palm against the wal of his chest. “Past tense, Lilah. You were the one who walked out.”
    Shock reverberated through her that he could possibly have wanted her to stay. “I didn’t think you were…serious.”
    His gaze was unnervingly steady. “One-night stands are not exactly my thing.”
    The heat from his chest burned into her palm. “So al those stories in the press about you and who knows how many gorgeous women are untrue?”
    His free hand curled around her nape. He reeled her in a little closer. “Mostly.”
    Honest, but stil dangerous. Distantly, she registered that this was what she had so badly wanted from Zane two days ago. He had final y come after her and in true pirate fashion was seemingly intent on dragging her back to bed. “So, in