Playing His Dangerous Game by Tina Duncan Page A

security system—a system
he
had personally installed—had alerted him to the fact that Shara was sneaking out of the house, he’d been furious.
    Stupid
and
thoughtless
were two of the more polite words that had sprung into his mind. So too were
irresponsible
and
reckless
.
    The stunt she’d pulled had reinforced his opinion that she was spoilt and self-absorbed, but their conversation just now forced him to acknowledge that that wasn’t entirely true.
    Shara had refused a bodyguard out of a misdirected sense of self-preservation. Scraping back the surface had revealed a woman who was strong and courageous.
    Because it took courage to admit when you were wrong.
    And it took courage
and
strength to face your fears.
    And that was exactly what Shara was doing.
    She might have gone about it the wrong way, but she
was
trying.
    He couldn’t help but admire her for that.
    ‘Coffee, I think,’ Royce said when they entered the house. ‘Unless you’d prefer something stronger?’
    Shara shook her head, sending her hair swirling around her shoulders. ‘I don’t need anything stronger. I’m not going to fall apart on you again.’ She smiled a twisted kind of smile. ‘One meltdown a day is my limit.’
    He laughed, pleased that she wasn’t taking herself too seriously. ‘You didn’t have a meltdown. You just—’
    ‘Had a meltdown,’ she said dryly.
    Whatever it was she’d had, she’d regrouped marvellously.
    He shrugged. ‘Everyone has a release valve that goes off occasionally. That’s what keeps us sane.’
    ‘I can’t see
you
bawling your eyes out.’
    Royce grimaced. ‘I must admit I prefer hitting the gym.’
    ‘Maybe I’ll think about doing the same thing next time.’ She picked up the kettle. ‘How do you take your coffee?’
    Royce told her, and watched as she bustled around the kitchen.
    She moved with an easy grace that obviously came naturally. It was a pleasure watching her move about.
    ‘So, if you don’t hit the gym, what do you do to relax when the pressure is on?’ he asked.
    ‘Listen to music,’ she replied promptly.
    ‘What kind?’
    She shrugged. ‘Nothing too heavy. I like pop and light classical music. If I close my eyes I can lose myself in a song. It’s a great way to escape—if only for a little while.’
    Royce remembered the way Shara had been swaying and twirling to the music the previous evening. He cocked an eyebrow. ‘Is that what you were doing in the club last night? Trying to escape?’
    She grimaced. ‘
Trying
being the operative word. Except I kept getting interrupted. First by Tony and then by you.’
    ‘Tony is the guy you gave short shrift to?’
    She plonked a mug down in front of him with more forcethan necessary. The coffee rolled around the edge of the cup but somehow managed not to spill.
    ‘That’s a rather cutting remark,’ she said, taking a seat opposite him.
    ‘I’m just calling it as I saw it,’ he returned unapologetically.
    He’d been on the receiving end of that kind of dismissal once before and he knew how it felt. Fiona had laughed in his face for thinking she’d ever been serious about him. That laugh had cut him to the quick.
    ‘Well, for your information, Tony has been making a nuisance of himself. He won’t take no for an answer. Last night I had to tell him straight to leave me alone.’
    ‘I see,’ he said, digesting this new piece of information and realising that it put a different slant on the scene he’d witnessed.
    ‘Or are you one of those guys who thinks that no means yes?’ Shara asked, breaking in on his thoughts. ‘Because if you are then we’re not going to get on at all.’
    Royce held up his hands. ‘Not me. No means no in any language. I have a strong sense of right and wrong. It’s one of the things that led me to starting my business.’
    ‘Good.’ She tapped her fingertips on the tabletop. ‘If Tony had two brain cells to rub together he would have backed off earlier. The ink is barely dry on my