Josh was fumbling with the fly of his jeans so Lucy reached forward and helped him, hurting her fingers as she tore at the metal buttons. His eyes followed hers downwards and he grinned wickedly. "I go commando. Healthier."

He shoved his jeans over his thighs and she let out a little gasp of delight and shock at the sight of his erection which was very impressive, rather beautiful, and a little overwhelming. "You're quite, um..."

He looked hurt. "Quite what?"

"Ermm. Big. That's the word. Big, but in a nice way."

His eyes lit up with pride and she forgave him this touch of masculine vanity because she was in love. He kicked off his jeans and stood between her legs as she leaned back on the table on her elbows.

"Hold on."

"What?"

Rescuing his jeans from the tiles, he pulled a foil packet from the pocket and tore it open. The sound of the packet tearing filled her with relief but also made her so wet, it was all she could do not to scream at him to touch her.

Considering his hands were not quite steady, Josh rolled on the condom almost flawlessly and then he lowered her gently to the tabletop. Above her face, his beautiful sea-blue eyes held tenderness and raw, hard-edged desire. Then he was pushing her skirt up above her waist and she vaguely heard herself begging him to rip her knickers off. There was a sound of snapping and fabric tearing, the brief sting of elastic against her skin, and then he was pushing inside her.

Chapter 29.

When they surfaced some time later, the kitchen looked like a bomb had hit it. Clothes and cutlery were scattered across the tiles and sticky coffee, paper, and broken cookies coated the floor.

Lucy spotted her knickers hanging over the edge of the dog basket.

"I'm going to make love to you on the beach," said Josh.

"Now?" she asked, her face flushing as he bent over, naked, to pick up his jeans. The paleness of his backside against the tan made him seem more human, more imperfect.

"Yes. Right now," he said, shrugging into them.

Lucy wasn't sure she could wait until she got to the beach but she didn't dare argue. "Good. I thought you'd never ask," she said, pulling on her skirt and tossing her knickers in the bin.

Outside it was almost dark, just a few final shafts of sun piercing the clouds over the sea. They almost ran down the green lane, along the edge of the creek to the dunes. Josh led her into a clearing in the beach grass and they stood together, facing each other. She helped him out of his T-shirt and he helped her out of her top. His jeans were round his ankles in no time and he was unzipping her skirt. When they were both completely naked and shivering in the evening air, he held out his hand and they sank to their knees.

"What happens next?" whispered Lucy, out of breath.

"What do you want to happen next?"

"I don't know. You tell me."

"Everything."

His arm shot out and he grabbed her wrist, pulling her down on top of him. He smelled of salt and the clean night air and his body was hard under her breasts, her thighs.

"Then, I'll show you what everything is," he whispered between kisses, "and I won't stop until I have to carry you home to Tresco."

His mouth was warm, moist. He tasted of coffee and smelled of sex. His tongue slipped inside her mouth, insistent but gentle.

"Your breasts are so beautiful," he said, and as if to show her, he dipped his head and reverentially kissed each nipple, then circled each one in turn with a warm, wet tongue. She had to shut her eyes to avoid coming right there and then.

Josh wanted to look into Lucy's eyes as he entered her. He wanted to know how she felt, revel in every flicker of sensation and emotion.

"Look at me, Lucy."

When she did, he pulled her toward him so that she was straddling his legs, and then guided her onto him. She let out a gasp and he wondered how he was going to hold back long enough to give her the pleasure she deserved. Then he pushed a little harder and she slid down further on top of him. He rocked inside her, touched her lightly with his fingers, and rocked again. She gripped his back harder, her fingers digging into his flesh. How he loved that feeling, even though it almost hurt. He loved the way he was making her feel, the way her head was thrown back, her sighs and moans, his power to make her lose control.

But he knew she had just as much power over him and he was losing control too. Any second, in fact. Now... the next cry he heard was his own as she started to squeeze him tighter and tighter. Her body shuddered with intense pleasure and then she was throbbing around him and making him come harder than he'd ever come before.

It was virtually dark when they finally gathered up their clothes and wandered back toward the farmhouse, Josh's arm around her waist. Only as they made their way along the green lane in the dusk did Lucy realize how cold she was. Josh must have felt her shiver because he turned to her, his eyes full of concern.

"Do you want my T-shirt on over your top?"

"But you'll be freezing then."

"I don't care."

She stopped and kissed him on the lips. "But I do and it's not far home now."

At the end of the lane, the chimneys of the farmhouse came into view and Josh stopped.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"I need to know what's next."

Her heart flipped and a tingle ran down her spine. "We're going back for a hot shower, I hope," she said. "And to see if Tally is OK after witnessing us wrecking half the kitchen."

He stroked her hair as she gazed up at him. "A shower sounds great, Lucy, but you know I didn't mean that."

Of course she knew. She knew exactly what he meant.

"I know I said-claimed-I didn't want to get involved after I'd split with Sara, but I was talking crap. I thought it was too soon, but what I know now is that I've thought about you for a long time."

"I've thought about you too. Night and day."

"I know we're complete opposites. I'm just a country boy, not a city highflier, and you're ambitious. You want to leave and go back to London. I understand that but, Lucy, you need to know, I'm in big trouble here."

Her heart nearly leapt out of her chest. She wasn't sure whether what he'd just said-what he seemed to be trying to say-scared or thrilled her. He cared for her, maybe felt something much more than that. He expected something from her and she realized as he kissed her and held her in the cool, dark night, that this time she didn't want to run. She wanted to say yes, as much as she'd ever wanted to say no to Nick.

"Lucy, we need to get things straight between us."

If he only knew, she thought, coming back down to earth with a painful bump. Seeing his eyes, seeing how he felt about her, she knew that this was the moment. No matter what he thought, she had to unravel the web of deception now. She couldn't carry on lying to him any longer. She smiled at him, though inside she was feeling incredibly nervous about his reaction. "Straight sounds good to me, Josh. Let's go back to the house."

With that, she grasped his hand, hoping he wouldn't notice her trembling fingers, and led him back to the farmhouse. As they drew near, they could hear barking, faint but desperate, from inside the kitchen.

"Poor Tally," said Lucy as they rounded the corner of the building into the farmyard.

"Yeah. She must be crossing her legs for a walk and I don't quite think she can understand why."

The gate clattered behind them as Josh quickened his step and opened the oak door, letting Lucy in first. Tally almost leapt on them both, barking, tail whirring like a mini-helicopter.

"She must have thought I'd done you in," said Lucy, laughing as the dog almost licked Josh clean away.

"OK, girl," he was saying as Tally ran to the front door, pawing it in desperation.

"Lucy, I have to take her out. I'll be five minutes, I promise. Or you can come with me."

Lucy wanted his full attention when she told him what she'd done; just enough time to think how she was going to tell him but not enough to chicken out. "Five minutes? Do you promise?"

"Four and a half," he said, kissing her cheek before the wildly excited Tally shot out into the night.

When he'd shut the door behind him. Lucy surveyed the fallout from their lovemaking. Then she began to gather up newspapers and packets from the floor. Her fingers shook as she picked up the shards of broken mug off the tiles. The smell of the coffee was making her feel faintly sick, but that was nothing to the prospect of trying to unweave her web of lies. She loved him so much it hurt, physically, in her chest, in her stomach. What did he feel for her? Was it a fragile, shallow thing or something more robust and deep? The strength of her feelings for him terrified her. She felt vulnerable in a way that was almost overwhelming. They hadn't known each other that long and what if Sara was right? Now he'd had what he wanted, would he lose interest in her? As she wrapped the pieces of china in some newspaper, she heard the gate clang shut and knew it was time.

Expecting the door to open at any second, the banging of the knocker took her by surprise.

"It's open," called Lucy, depositing the broken mug in the swing bin.

There was silence and then the knocker rapped again.

"Josh, I didn't lock the door. Just push it."

As she walked forward, the door swung open onto a dark night that suddenly exploded into day.

"Lucy Gibson? It's the Gazette. Give us a smile, love."

Chapter 30.

Blinded by flashlights, Lucy tried frantically to shut the door on the photographer but the reporter had stuck his foot in the jamb.

"Go away!"

"Not until we've spoken to you. Miss Gibson, is it true you're living with Josh Standring?"

It was the reporter with the purple Mohican haircut. His breath smelled of garlic and she almost gagged. "I know you. You were outside my flat in London," she said.

He grinned, showing yellow teeth. "Clever girl. Actually, it's Ross Carmody from the Gazette. Nice place. Is it your boyfriend's?"

"He's not my boyfriend."

"But this is Mr. Standring's house, isn't it? He does live here? And you're sleeping with him." He smirked at her tousled hair, the mess in the kitchen. "Just have, by the looks of it."

"Get lost," said Lucy, trying to close the door.

"Now, that's not very hospitable, is it? Wouldn't it be better for everyone if you just let us come in and have a chat?" He smirked. "We're doing a follow-up story now that Mr. Laurentis is doing so well with his business. Don't you think people would love to know that the girl who rejected him ran off to Cornwall and has already found herself another bloke?"

"You bas-" Lucy was cut off in mid-expletive, as a black bundle of fur hurtled up the path and launched itself on Carmody. He flew backward and landed in a heap next to the geranium tub. Tally straddled the reporter's chest, snarling and barking.

"Get your dog off me!"

Josh came pounding down the path toward the door. "Lucy, are you OK? What's happened?"

"Is she OK? That's rich! What about me with this bloody dog about to munch my nuts?"

Josh spun round. "And who the fuck are you?"

"Ross Carmody, Gazette," he panted from the ground. "We just want to ask you and Miss Gibson a few questions."

Doubt and confusion flickered across Josh's face as the reporter said Lucy's name. Lucy's stomach turned over. Tally took the cue to give an impressively ferocious snarl. "Jesus, can you do something about this stupid sodding animal?" snapped Carmody.

"Tally, do something about this stupid sodding animal. Lay off him," Josh said.

In other circumstances, Lucy would have laughed but Josh was so angry, it really wasn't funny. Reluctantly, Tally slunk away, growling low in her throat.

"Stay there," said Josh, then he turned his eyes on Lucy, standing in the doorway. "Lucy, do you know who these wankers are?"

"They're reporters..."

A flash fired and Josh lunged for the camera. "Give me that, you shithead!"

Lucy thought it would have all been quite thrilling if it was a scene from a TV drama. Josh was actually rather magnificent, hurtling forward to defend her honor. But, in reality, seeing him about to commit a string of arrestable offenses on her behalf was just plain frightening. She tried to grab his arm. "Josh, no!"

He held the camera high, about to hurl it over the gate.

"Please, no. Don't let these two provoke you. You'll only make things worse."

"I don't give a toss. I want to know what the hell these bastards are doing in my garden."

Carmody pushed himself to his feet, keeping a wary eye on Tally. "So you don't know who Miss Gibson is, then?"

Josh looked like he'd been felled by an ax. He looked at Lucy then at Carmody. Lucy could see that light was dawning on him. That he was torn between anger, confusion, and loyalty to her.

"Miss Gibson? I don't know what you're talking about, and if you don't get off my place, I'll throw you out or call the law."