Accidental Engagement by Cally Green

the vases with water - and a lovely view over the garden. It also had an outside door, so that if a flower arrangement seemed to be missing a particular kind of bloom then either Anna or Claire could quickly go and cut what was needed.
    ‘Lord, yes!’ said Claire, adding a tightly furled rosebud to a display for the dining room. ‘Ever since he was a boy. They all grew up together, Mark, Serena, Elizabeth , and some of the others who’ll be at Serena’s this afternoon.’
    ‘Oh.’ Although Mark had definitely been on her side in the encounter with Serena the previous day, Anna still felt uneasy about the other woman. Serena belonged in Mark’s world. Anna did not.
    Claire, more astute than Emmy - who was resting upstairs with one of her “bad heads” - detected the note of uncertainty in Anna’s voice. She gave Anna a covert glance. ‘I shouldn't worry about Serena, if I w ere you,’ she said, adding a piece of fern to the vase. ‘Of course, she’s a great beauty. But Mark didn’t ask her to marry him. He asked you.’ She gave Anna a broad wink. ‘And a good thing, too, if you ask me. A host of little Serenas trailing across the lawns would be more than I could stand!’
    Anna laughed.
    ‘That’s better,’ said Claire approvingly.
    ‘What is?’ came a familiar voice behind them.
    Anna turned round to see Mark standing just behind her. She felt a thrill as she looked at him. He had just returned from his morning swim, courtesy of a natural lake fed by the brook behind the house, and was looking incredibly sexy. His dark hair was still damp and his lips - she felt her body tingle as she remembered the feel of them against her own - were moist. The towel slung round his shoulders hid little of his bronzed body, and her eyes moved downwards of their own volition. She took in the rest of him, from his stomach, which was well defined by highly-toned muscles, to his long, firm legs.
    ‘What are you doing in here like that?’ demanded Claire. ‘You’re dripping water all over the floor!’
    ‘Anna doesn’t seem to mind.’ He flashed her a sexy smile.
    ‘I shall make myself scarce,’ said Claire with a laugh, muttering ‘Young love!’ under her breath as she picked up her finished vase and left them alone.
    ‘Well, what are you doing in here like that?’ asked Anna with a tingling sensation as he crossed the room towards her. She could feel the dampness of his skin as he drew closer to her. It was refreshing and, at the same time, exhilarating.
    ‘Isn’t it obvious? I came to see if you wanted a swim. I would have asked you earlier, but you were still asleep.’
    ‘I’d love one,’ she said, imagining the feel of the cool water sliding over her hot skin. ‘But I can’t. I don’t have a costume.’
    ‘Then go without,’ he said with a wicked smile.
    ‘Mark! I can’t! This is Claire and Emmy’s house.’
    ‘So it is,’ he said. ‘Well, you can’t blame me for trying.’
    ‘Perhaps I could buy a swimsuit,’ said Anna thoughtfully. ‘It would be lovely to have a dip.’
    ‘There’s a small boutique at the end of the road. It’s the usual sort of local store, not a patch on the shops in town, but you might be able to find something there.’
    ‘I’m sure I can.’
    ‘Good. Then we’ll go as soon as I’m dressed. Tomorrow you’re coming swimming with me, even if I have to haul you out of bed myself!’
    The mention of bed, playful though it was, proved too much for them. Anna’s thoughts went uncontrollably to the passion that had flared between them on the previous day, and she could tell by the look in his eyes that Mark’s thoughts had gone there, too. But he did nothing to renew their physical intimacy, leaving Anna to think impatiently that the sooner her bruises healed the better. Because once she had recovered then nothing was going to keep her from Mark’s arms!
    ‘Well,’ he said, breaking the tension, ‘I’d better be getting dressed. Claire won’t thank me