She could see that he was controlling his temper only with an effort, but she was beyond caring whether she upset him. He’d upset her twice in the past twenty-four hours. ‘I’m getting a little tired of waiting for you in hotel rooms, Ben. And we didn’t agree to anything. You gave orders, told me what to do. Since I didn’t agree and you don’t always return when you say you will, I decided to go out on my own.’

He scowled at her. ‘I’ve been worried sick about you. Perth, like every other large city, has its share of muggings and crime, you know.’

She shrugged again. ‘I thought you didn’t want a clinging wife. I distinctly recall you telling me that.’ She started taking her clothes off.

‘I’d prefer to know where my wife is, especially when she’s out after dark in a strange city. You left no message, you know, not a single word.’

‘Sorry. I forgot.’ She turned on the water and stepped into the shower, effectively cutting off further questions. A few tears slid down her face, but by dint of concentrating on her grievances, she managed to stop her stupid tendency to weep.

The shower screen opened and a naked body joined her under the water. ‘Oh, hell, Megan, I missed you this afternoon!’

‘Did you really?’ She stared at him through a blur of spray. He seemed to fill the whole shower space. A shiver of excitement ran down her spine and the antagonism started to fade.

‘Of course I missed you!’ He pulled her into his arms and kissed her wet face. ‘Here, let me wash your back.’ He took the soap out of her hand, turned her gently round and began to wash her body with slow, sensuous movements.

She felt bewildered. He was behaving as if he really did care about her. Why didn’t he say something affectionate, then?

When he pulled her against him, she lost the battle to think.

Dropping the soap, he trapped her in the corner, took her face in his hands and pinned her to the tiles with a thrust of his lean hips, rocking against her belly, his arousal an urgent throb against her softness.

‘Stop,’ she muttered half-heartedly.

‘Why should we?’ he demanded. ‘Your body shows you’re enjoying it as much as I am.’

She tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but the way he was standing made it impossible. ‘Ben, I’ she began, but his mouth covered hers and stopped any further protests.

Suddenly there seemed to be only the two of them and the warm hissing water in the whole world. She sighed and put her arms round him, leaning her wet face against the damp skin of his shoulder and blinking the water from her eyes. ‘Oh, Ben, I only went out because I was so fed up,’ she confessed. ‘I was missing you, too.’