HER bedroom later that evening, Aimi pushed the windows wide to gather in what breeze there was, but the warmth already trapped inside her room made her feel hot and sticky all over again. Kicking off her shoes, she reached up and removed the pins that held her hair in place and the blonde locks tumbled in waves over her neck and cheeks. It felt good to let it loose, but tomorrow it would go back up again, reinforcing the look she had worked hard to maintain over the years.
In the mirror she could see the natural waves of her hair softening her features, making her look vibrantly young and alluring—carefree almost. It sent out a message that jarred on her nerves. She wasn’t that person any more. Would never allow herself to be her again. It was part of her self-imposed penance.
Turning away from her reflection, she walked into the bathroom to take a cooling shower. Feeling marginally better, she dried herself on a fluffy towel and slipped into a thigh-length silk nightie. Turning off the light, she stretched out on top of the bed. However, it proved impossible to sleep, and not just because of the heat. Alone in the humid darkness, time passed slowly and her thoughts inevitably travelled back to that moment when she had first seen Jonas. She could visualise the sheer power and magnetism of him. Just thinking about it set her nerves tingling.
‘Damn!’ she exclaimed in exasperation, shooting up into a sitting position. ‘Stop it, Aimi!’ Yet for once her brain refused to obey. It played over the look in his eyes when their gazes had locked, and once again heat swept over her with such stunning force that her stomach muscles clenched in reaction.
That had her scrambling off the bed and padding to the window to draw in deep gulps of warm air. Yet it didn’t help. The memories were too powerful. Too stunning. When she closed her eyes, she could almost feel the brush of his gaze on her lips as her tongue sought to moisten them, and she groaned helplessly.
‘For heaven’s sake, Aimi, get a grip!’ she muttered to herself. ‘You’re not going to do this! So what if the man oozes sex appeal? You cannot allow yourself to be drawn into the flames. He’s a playboy. All he wants is a body in his bed, and that isn’t going to be you!’
Aimi dragged a hand through her damp hair and sighed. Lord, it was hot! Even the water in the shower had been tepid. She longed to feel something cool against her skin and, with sudden insight, knew just where she could find it. Moments later, she had slipped on her silk robe over her nightie and was padding barefoot down the stairs, the robe flying out in her wake like the wings of an exotic bird. Her destination was the large modern kitchen, and she was relieved to find she had it to herself when she passed through the door, closing it behind her. There was no need to turn on the light, for the moonlight gave the room a silvery glow.
It took a few minutes of quietly searching through drawers and cupboards before she found what she was looking for—a napkin, which she took to the counter beside the larder-style combined refrigerator and freezer. There was a delicious blast of coldness when she opened the freezer door, seeking out the bag of ice cubes. Taking a handful, she wrapped them in the napkin, closed the freezer and sat down at the table, sighing with pleasure as she drew the ice-filled napkin over her skin.
They were moments of pure bliss and she almost purred as she wondered why she hadn’t thought of this before. Propping her feet on another chair, she hummed to herself as she lazily cooled herself down. Which was why she was miles away when the abrupt sound of someone tapping on the window made her almost jump out of her skin.
Her head shot round and, to her complete surprise, she saw Jonas standing outside the kitchen door.
‘Oh, my God!’ she gasped faintly, suddenly aware of the picture she must make, sexily draped over two chairs and wearing next to nothing. Her instinct was to rush off, but he was gesticulating to the door, clearly wanting to come in. There was nothing else she could do but put a brave face on it and comply. With a grimace of dismay, she set her napkin of ice down and padded over to the door to let him in, holding her robe together with one hand.
‘Thanks,’ he said, the moment he was inside, locking the door again. ‘I thought I was going to have to sleep on the lawn,’ he added with wry humour, which faded when he turned and looked at her standing in the moonlight, seeing her state of dishabille properly for the first time.
‘Now that’s a sight I don’t see every day!’ he breathed seductively and with obvious pleasure, whereupon Aimi hastily tied the belt of her robe and folded her arms as his blue eyes roved over her, causing her body to respond in a way he would easily recognise. She was as mortified as it was possible to be to have been caught this way. When he finally looked her in the eye again, there was a wicked gleam in the blue depths and a sensual curve to his lips. ‘Were you expecting me? I hope so—you definitely have my attention,’ he queried in a voice that vibrated along her nerves like the purr of a contented cat.
‘Naturally, you would think that!’ she shot back instantly, finding it incredibly hard to keep her composure. She felt unusually edgy and ill at ease. ‘It was hot, so I came down for some ice. I didn’t expect anyone to be about at this time of night. What were you doing out there?’
Jonas drew a hand through his hair, ruffling it rakishly, and she had to stifle a groan as the way he looked registered on her senses. She wondered if it was a calculated move or pure happenstance. Whatever, the effect was the same.
‘Like you, trying to cool down after a hotter than expected evening,’ he responded with more than a dash of irony. ‘I went down to the pool soon after you went off for your walk, and fell asleep. I was trying the doors and windows, and that was when I saw you, draped across the chairs, wearing that provocative bit of nothing.’
‘You should be thankful I was here; otherwise you would have had to stay outside,’ she told him with all the firmness she could muster. ‘And my clothes are perfectly respectable,’ she added for good measure, which drew a rakish laugh from Jonas.
‘Oh, I’m thankful all right, and there’s nothing wrong with what you’re wearing. You look good in it, and that’s the problem. How the hell am I supposed to sleep now?’ he charged sardonically, eyes gleaming flirtatiously.
Her heart lurched in sudden anxiety because the same thought had occurred to her. ‘You shouldn’t say things like that to a family employee. It’s hardly appropriate,’ she returned swiftly, determined to keep the moral high ground at all costs.
The moonlight made it easy to see the way one of his eyebrows rose mockingly and the sardonic twist of his lips. ‘Drop your arms, Aimi, and we’ll talk about appropriate behaviour,’ he taunted, and Aimi felt heat scorch her cheeks at the knowledge that he had seen her body’s response to him before she could hide it.
She watched speechlessly as he walked to the table and opened up the napkin of ice she had been using. Taking a cube, he rubbed it around his neck as he turned to look at her.
‘That was a caddish thing to say!’ she exclaimed in an attempt to sound outraged, and he laughed unrepentantly.
‘I’m sure my brother just got through telling you I am a cad!’
Aimi immediately came to Nick’s defence. ‘He did no such thing!’
Jonas didn’t look as if he believed her. ‘Really? Remind me to thank him the next time I see him,’ he said mockingly, allowing his gaze to roam over her from head to toe. Propping himself against the edge of the table, he crossed his feet and grinned provocatively. ‘You know, that bit of nothing you’re wearing leaves just enough to the imagination.’
Aimi drew in a ragged breath, knowing she ought to be able to handle the situation, yet finding it hard to remain aloof. This was the heat Nick had been talking about. It was pretty potent, and the sanest thing would be to get out of the kitchen. ‘This is pointless,’ she said shortly. ‘I think we should just go to bed.’
Something wicked flashed in his eyes. ‘Now that’s really cutting to the chase!’ he drawled sardonically, and she kicked herself for choosing her words badly.
‘I didn’t mean it like that,’ she corrected hardily.
‘However tempting the prospect