The Pleasures of Winter by Evie Hunter

reporter. I don’t write cheap gossip pieces.’
    There was silence for a moment as her comment hit home. ‘Yeah, you’re right. Maybe the
National Enquirer
would run it. I’ll give them a call when I get back to LA.’
    ‘You wouldn’t dare.’ She held it together with an effort, but her endurance was running out.
    Jack ran his hand along her thigh. ‘Is that a challenge? You should know never to challenge me. You have no idea what I’m capable of.’
    Jack’s threat hung in the air as he continued to deal with the leeches. ‘All done! You were very brave.’
    His praise made her lose control entirely. Abbie turned and fell into his arms, sobbing like a baby. It didn’t matter that she was completely naked while he was fully clothed.All that mattered was the comfort of his arms around her and the strength of his broad chest as she sobbed into it.
    ‘I know, I know,’ he murmured.
    Scary Jack was gone, replaced by strong Jack who would protect her. There was something about him. Despite his sardonic exterior, underneath there was a core of strength that she could lean on. She was filled with a certainty that he was a man who would never let her down.
    ‘Baby,’ he said, with his mouth pressed against her hair. ‘The others will be here soon. Let’s get you dressed.’
    Abbie stood obediently while he dressed her, sliding her damp panties up her legs. She sat on a rock while he put on her socks, tutting when he saw the hole near her big toe.
    Before he put her boots back on, he picked an orchid and tucked it into her hair. He stood back to examine the result. ‘It’s almost as beautiful as you.’
    Abbie wanted to cry. The unexpected compliment was such a thoughtful gesture after the trauma of the leeches that she had to close her eyes against sudden tears.
    He knelt down and put on her boots, lacing them up carefully. When she was dressed, he held her in front of him and looked at her sternly. Oh shit, scary Jack was back. She wanted to drop her eyes in the face of that uncompromising gaze, but knew that would make her a coward. His voice was as serious as a libel suit when he spoke. ‘Abbie, I warned you that if you took stupid chances, there would be consequences. In future, you obey reasonable orders. Understand?’
    Her urge to say something subservient and deferential appalled her. For an unnerving moment, she felt like anaughty schoolgirl in front of the principal. There was no way she was going to let Jack boss her around, so she smirked at him and said, ‘Or what? You’ll spank me? Come off it, Jack, I messed up. It’s not as if anyone got hurt.’
    His face hardened even more. ‘You did, Abbie. You got hurt. This is not a joke. That’s how people end up dead. If you hadn’t already suffered from the leeches, there would be consequences. As it is, I think you’ve been punished enough, don’t you?’
    For a second, she wanted to drop her eyes. So she held his gaze. ‘Trust me, there’s nothing you could do which is worse than those leeches.’
    He smiled, not a pleasant smile. ‘Trust me, there is.’
    Abbie snorted. ‘Oh yeah? Bring it on, Hollywood.’
    Before Jack could answer, Kevin arrived in the clearing. ‘Do I smell cigarettes? I didn’t know you smoked, Abbie. Got any spare?’
    Jack gave him a narrow-eyed glare. Did the man specialize in those? Why had she never noticed that in his films? Although Jack Winter always played commanding lead roles, somehow she had never noticed this air of subtle menace on the screen. She was so busy wondering at the difference between the man in front of her and his screen persona that she almost missed him complaining about Kevin smoking.
    ‘I haven’t smoked for two years,’ Kevin said. ‘But this might be a good time to start again.’
    Abbie tuned out the banter between the two men while she wondered how this side of Jack had never appeared in the papers or on the E! channel. For the first time, she wanted to do an in-depth profile, not