time, How dare he play God with her life? But when her father wanted things his way he could be a dangerous adversary. Now she understood the significance of Philip’s words when they’d first met. He’d known Peter would be against them forming a relationship from the start. Could the reason for him wanting it to remain merely a physical one be because he knew there was no hope for them? What man would want to wage a war against a prominent businessman simply to date his daughter? Particularly when the man was good-looking enough have any woman he wanted.
She should have known their liaison had been doomed from the start, but the regret she felt hurt far more than she ever thought it would. Nicole had come to feel something for Philip Pelayo, something more than desire, something so deep it touched the very core of her being.
Please let him still want me, she pleaded silently, as she turned abruptly away from her father. She didn’t want to listen to him anymore. All she wanted was to feel Philip’s strong arms around her, to see his golden brown eyes melting into her own as they did moments before he kissed her.
“Where are you going? I haven’t finished with you yet,” Peter bellowed.
“Well, I have,” she snapped back.
Suddenly there was a screech from above, followed by a loud thump.
“I told you the deck was wet,” a male voice reproved.
Nicole hurried top-side to see Trisha sprawled against the cabin, gripping her ankle. She moaned loudly, “God that hurts.”
Philip was beside her in an instant. “Let me have a look,” he commanded. “Can you move it?”
“Yes- yes- but it hurts- Owww!” she grimaced, as he proceeded to undo the strap of her sandal.
“What’s she done?” Peter asked. coming up behind Nicole. “That thump was loud enough to wake dead sea dogs.”
Nicole seethed. How dare he make light of the situation after the argument they’d just had.
“A bad sprain by the look of it. We had better get some ice onto it and have a doctor look at it,” Philip said without looking up.
“I’ll get it,” Jim offered, hurrying past Nicole and her father. The worried expression on his face was enough to confirm he’d grown quite fond of Trisha over the past few days.
Peter told Robert to hail a taxi. When they had one waiting, he urged Jim and Nicole to accompany her. Then he turned to Philip. “I want to talk to you.”
Philip glanced at Nicole. She stared back at him. This could be the last time she ever saw him, she thought sadly. She held no hope of a future for them. Her father would make sure of it. Philip smiled and blew her a kiss. Then he turned to follow Peter back to the yacht.
Nicole watched his departing back, feeling a sharp pain in her heart, as she realized she would probably never see him again. Any moment now her father would order him to stay away from her, possibly even threaten him. What man would want to take that kind of a risk?
It was a long wait for them at the doctor’s surgery. There were three people before Trisha, so it was close to an hour before she was called in.
“She’s been in there for ages. I sure hope Philip was right about it just being a sprain,” Jim remarked finally, breaking the endless silence between them. Nicole glanced up from the magazine article she’d been perusing.
“So do I,” she murmured.
“Even if it is, I doubt she’ll be able to go on your trip.”
Nicole hadn’t given their holiday an ounce of thought all afternoon, and wondered if she should just cancel it. It would mean her father would lose his money, which would serve him right, but then she’d miss out on seeing some of Australia’s most spectacular wilderness. Nicole wondered for a moment if he’d let her go on her own. She didn’t care if he objected. How dare he treat her like a child! She made her decision then and there. She’d go to spite him.
The surgery door opened, and Trisha emerged with a crutch under each arm and her ankle swathed in
She should have known their liaison had been doomed from the start, but the regret she felt hurt far more than she ever thought it would. Nicole had come to feel something for Philip Pelayo, something more than desire, something so deep it touched the very core of her being.
Please let him still want me, she pleaded silently, as she turned abruptly away from her father. She didn’t want to listen to him anymore. All she wanted was to feel Philip’s strong arms around her, to see his golden brown eyes melting into her own as they did moments before he kissed her.
“Where are you going? I haven’t finished with you yet,” Peter bellowed.
“Well, I have,” she snapped back.
Suddenly there was a screech from above, followed by a loud thump.
“I told you the deck was wet,” a male voice reproved.
Nicole hurried top-side to see Trisha sprawled against the cabin, gripping her ankle. She moaned loudly, “God that hurts.”
Philip was beside her in an instant. “Let me have a look,” he commanded. “Can you move it?”
“Yes- yes- but it hurts- Owww!” she grimaced, as he proceeded to undo the strap of her sandal.
“What’s she done?” Peter asked. coming up behind Nicole. “That thump was loud enough to wake dead sea dogs.”
Nicole seethed. How dare he make light of the situation after the argument they’d just had.
“A bad sprain by the look of it. We had better get some ice onto it and have a doctor look at it,” Philip said without looking up.
“I’ll get it,” Jim offered, hurrying past Nicole and her father. The worried expression on his face was enough to confirm he’d grown quite fond of Trisha over the past few days.
Peter told Robert to hail a taxi. When they had one waiting, he urged Jim and Nicole to accompany her. Then he turned to Philip. “I want to talk to you.”
Philip glanced at Nicole. She stared back at him. This could be the last time she ever saw him, she thought sadly. She held no hope of a future for them. Her father would make sure of it. Philip smiled and blew her a kiss. Then he turned to follow Peter back to the yacht.
Nicole watched his departing back, feeling a sharp pain in her heart, as she realized she would probably never see him again. Any moment now her father would order him to stay away from her, possibly even threaten him. What man would want to take that kind of a risk?
It was a long wait for them at the doctor’s surgery. There were three people before Trisha, so it was close to an hour before she was called in.
“She’s been in there for ages. I sure hope Philip was right about it just being a sprain,” Jim remarked finally, breaking the endless silence between them. Nicole glanced up from the magazine article she’d been perusing.
“So do I,” she murmured.
“Even if it is, I doubt she’ll be able to go on your trip.”
Nicole hadn’t given their holiday an ounce of thought all afternoon, and wondered if she should just cancel it. It would mean her father would lose his money, which would serve him right, but then she’d miss out on seeing some of Australia’s most spectacular wilderness. Nicole wondered for a moment if he’d let her go on her own. She didn’t care if he objected. How dare he treat her like a child! She made her decision then and there. She’d go to spite him.
The surgery door opened, and Trisha emerged with a crutch under each arm and her ankle swathed in
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