How old are you?’ She looked over her shoulder at him. Her words had a hint of goading that she couldn’t quite control. ‘Thirty-five? Thirty-eight? Forty, maybe?’
‘I’ll be thirty in December.’
‘My condolences,’ she quipped, but the spark in his eyes undermined her efforts to keep her interest in him at bay.
She stopped in front of the sink with her back turned to him, and simply didn’t know what to do. His awareness of her was palpable, and she responded to that awareness on a deep, instinctual level.
Her life plan didn’t include involvements with men who dodged commitment. No matter how much those men might—incomprehensibly—attract her.
She remained still and silent, and hoped he would ease back. Give her the breathing space she needed. She did not want him to move closer and answer her earlier question of how it would feel if he closed the distance between them completely.
Instead of moving away, he made a soft sound of frustration and shifted closer. ‘What is it about you? I can’t be in the same room as you without—’
‘It’s nothing. Nothing at all.’ She spun around, aggravation, curiosity and awareness bursting out at her seams. She had to get away before she did something stupid. Like welcome his closeness.
He shook his head. ‘You don’t believe that.’
‘I have to.’ Instead of getting clear of him, in her haste she smacked straight into him.
They both gasped. His hands encircled her upper arms. His deep blue eyes stared into her grey ones. Desire burned for her in that gaze.
All right. She admitted it. She wanted him to kiss her until they both stopped breathing. So there. It didn’t mean they should actually do it.
As though sensing her confusion, he stepped forward. Feet braced apart, he brought her into the cradle of his body.
She should have resisted, but couldn’t. Could only speak words to try to negate her body’s betrayal. ‘I don’t want this. We don’t even know each other.’
‘Don’t we? I feel as though I know you.’ His confusion rang in his voice. ‘You’re so familiar to me that it seems I’ve always known you.’
His words echoed the feeling deep inside her.
He inhaled deeply against her hair and sighed. ‘Your hair drives me mad. I want to unwind it. Let it fall, and see how long it is. I want to tug out those damned chopsticks and—’
She finally found words. Resistance. ‘We shouldn’t be doing this.’ Her breath caught in a sexy little sound in the back of her throat. Hoping he hadn’t heard it, she pushed free of his hold. ‘We’re just two people brought together by a common goal. To get Henry better.’
‘I agree, but I think we both know there’s more at work here than that. I don’t understand it, really. In general I don’t go for women who…’ He waved a hand, apparently unable to articulate just how incomprehensible he found his attraction to her.
Well, thanks for nothing, Mr Nate Barrett! ‘It’s all right,’ she assured him with more than a hint of antagonism in her tone. ‘I find you repulsive on a personal level, too.’
‘I guess I asked for that. I’m afraid being around you—wanting you—appears to affect my communication skills.’ After a long moment spent searching her expression, he seemed to come to a conclusion.
‘Something about me, or about being attracted to me, scares you. What is it?’ Although the question was asked in a silken tone, it scraped over her like gravel shifting in a dry, abandoned streambed. Because it was way too close to the truth for comfort.
‘You don’t scare me. Why would you? You’re just here to fill in while Henry gets better.’ She tried to inject strength into her tone. ‘I can assure you—’
‘Something has you determined to keep me at a distance.’ He pushed one hand through his thick hair, ruffling it. ‘If not fear, then what, exactly? We’re attracted to each other. You clearly don’t want a deep involvement with me. I don’t want that, either, but we could enjoy the moment. What would it hurt?’
‘I’m not into casual liaisons with virtual strangers.’ His words had stung her, but she should have known. Should have expected exactly this from a man who had deserted his grandfather without the slightest hesitation.
His glance roved over her again—assessing, thoughtful. He spoke without acknowledging her words. ‘Or is it all men that you want to keep at bay?’
‘Just because I haven’t had any serious relationships…’ She would be able to commit if the circumstances were right. ‘If you must know, I simply haven’t met the appropriate man yet. When I do I’ll know it, and I won’t hesitate to put myself at his mercy.’
‘Well, well.’ His eyebrows lifted.
She wanted to knock that I know what’s going on inside your poor misguided psyche look right off his face.
The man was delving into her deepest secrets. Pulling them out to the harsh light of examination. He had no right to do that. Nor to expect her to fall into his arms for the day or week or two that he would be here.
Her temper flared and words poured out. ‘You don’t scare me, Nate. I simply don’t particularly like you.
‘You abandoned your grandfather for over six years. It took a stroke for you to return. What do you expect me to say? I’m not interested in the kind of relationship you just insulted me by offering.’
The more she said, the more her hurt and anger burned and the more words came out. ‘I don’t want any kind of relationship with you, outside the minimum needed for us to function together in the office while you’re here.
‘In fairness, I’m sure I’m not the kind of woman you could possibly want, either. I think it’s best if we forget all of this. Now, please excuse me. The business meeting needs to be organised.’
CHAPTER FOUR
‘AT LEAST Margaret has given it a rest today.’ Nate hit the appropriate key to shut off his computer with more force than finesse.
The screen went black, and he got to his feet, retrieved his suit jacket and shrugged into it. His outdoor coat followed. Five days had never been more of a trial. Nor more stimulating, a voice in his brain added, much to his disgust.
Hell, not because of Margaret. The woman was a pariah. He hoped he had finally convinced her to stop phoning the office and sending him emails in her pathetic, transparent attempts to rekindle something between them that had never existed in the first place.
Her barely veiled efforts to find out about the financial affairs of the company he brushed off utterly.
His firm of lawyers had made it clear that she would get nowhere if she tried again to have Henry declared unfit, or to get financial control of anything outside of her allowance. She simply needed to accept defeat.
‘Thank you, Mr Dimitri. Mr Barrett may not have time to attend, but I’ll bring your advertising affair to his attention.’ The sound of Chrissy’s voice as she wound up a call in the next room stirred Nate’s senses.
He heard her moving about the room, no doubt gathering the truckload of things she ferried to and from the office daily.
That use of the word affair brought instant recall of his heated words with her at the start of the week when he’d tried to make her see they could be good together.
‘Are you about finished in there?’ He rapped out the question as he snatched up his briefcase. ‘I can’t lock the strongroom until I know you’re done.’
And locking the strongroom and getting out of here is something I really want to