The Outback Wedding Takeover. Emma Darcy

public restaurant was not a good idea. It wasn’t as safe as having a private dinner…just the two of them…alone together.

      Kathryn took a deep breath, trying to quell the uncomfortable sense of being disloyal to Jeremy. There was no denying Mitch Tyler was different but she shouldn’t be comparing, shouldn’t feel excited by the prospect of spending an evening with this incredibly mesmerising man.

      ‘I like to cook,’ he went on. ‘It’s relaxing. And I like to go home after a long day at work.’ He threw a grin at her. ‘Trust me. I’m a good cook. Though I’ll let you help if you want to.’

      ‘Okay.’ She smiled back, quite charmed by the idea of preparing a meal together. A harmless activity, she decided. Nothing Jeremy could criticise.

      The fax came through. Mitch filed it, then arranged for a courier to take the photograph with an accompanying request for a meeting to Victor Chappel. Satisfied that he’d set the ball rolling for a successful outcome, he called a taxi and by the time he and Kathryn emerged from his chambers, the car was waiting for them.

      He held the passenger door open for her and waited until she was settled in her seat before getting in beside her. Sharing the suddenly enclosed space with him instantly set Kathryn’s pulse racing. He was a big man with a heart-joltingly powerful presence, and far too attractive for her peace of mind. Feeling absurdly nervous about being with him, she fumbled with her seat belt, unable to fit it correctly into its locking slot.

      ‘Let me,’ he murmured, leaning over to help.

      Rather than appear hopelessly inept she surrendered the task to him and instantly caught a whiff of some seductive male cologne as his face came closer to hers. She stared at his jawline, noting he had a five o’clock shadow and thinking he probably had hair on his chest, too. Would it be thick like the hair on his head, like his eyelashes?

      ‘There. All fastened,’ he said, the thick lashes lifting, his eyes locking onto hers, smiling eyes that simmered with warm pleasure in this simple act of looking after her, ensuring her safety.

      Or was it more than that?

      Her heart was galloping.

      ‘Thank you.’ She had to push out the words. They were barely a whisper.

      ‘You’re welcome,’ he answered—a reply that anyone could have made. Yet somehow it seemed to encompass the sense that she was welcome in his life. He wanted her there. And it stirred in Kathryn a disturbingly strong desire to be there, too. Which she tried to dismiss as crazy. They’d only just met today. And she was committed to spending the rest of her life with Jeremy Haynes!

      Mitch forced himself to settle back in his seat before he did the unforgiveable and kissed those very kissable lips. He’d given his word that she could trust him to act honourably, so any kind of sexual contact was out. Best not to touch her. Or even get too close. He had to keep temptation at bay, concentrate on mind games. Though he didn’t want to play games with her, either. He wanted…to immerse himself in Kathryn Ledger and all that she was.

      ‘What’s your fiancé’s name?’ he asked, a streak of jealousy provoking him into finding out more about his rival. ‘Jeremy…?’

      ‘Haynes.’

      Mitch had never heard of him. ‘Where do you live with him?’

      ‘Pyrmont. An apartment overlooking the harbour.’

      The guy had money then. Which was to be expected. Kathryn was quite a high flyer herself, running Ric’s company in Sydney when he was overseas.

      ‘Actually, the block of apartments does have security,’ she added. ‘You need a card to get into the elevator. If you just took me home…’

      ‘No.’ He flashed her a commanding look. ‘Being alone is not a good idea.’

      She was fiddling with her ring again, not looking at him.

      Mitch cursed himself for reminding her of the man she planned to marry. ‘I promised Ric I’d take care of you, Kathryn,’ he quickly pressed.

      She shook her head slightly, heaved a sigh, then ruefully conceded, ‘And I promised him I’d go with you.’

      ‘Is that such a hardship?’ he half-mocked.

      She grimaced. ‘I’m sorry. I guess I sound ungracious. It’s very kind of you to offer me the hospitality of your home.’

      ‘It’s not about kindness, Kathryn,’ he whipped in, hating the remote politeness of her words.

      ‘I know.’ She flashed a wry glance at him. ‘It would be easier if you were more…’

      ‘More what? I’ll try to oblige,’ he promised, attempting to tease her out of her withdrawal.

      ‘Older, fatherly, ugly, or just plain obnoxious,’ she threw at him in an exasperated rush.

      His heart danced with sheer joy. She was admitting an attraction. Beyond any doubt now. A wicked grin broke out. ‘I can certainly be obnoxious if it will make you feel more comfortable.’

      She laughed, a nervous little gurgle. ‘I don’t think play-acting will do it. In fact…’ Her eyes were seriously curious. ‘…I’d like you to tell me about yourself. Your family. You mentioned a married sister.’

      She wants to know me.

      Normally Mitch didn’t talk about his personal background. Who he was now—a barrister building a formidable reputation with every court appearance—seemed sufficient in itself for most people. If it wasn’t, he simply declined to give out information that was none of their business. Yet it was different with Kathryn. He only had this one night to forge a bond that would hopefully overshadow whatever she had with her fiancé.

      So he told her about Jenny, how she’d taken on the responsibility of caring for their disabled mother after their father had deserted them, how they’d managed on a social services pension, supplemented by handcrafts done by his mother and whatever Mitch could earn from a paper-boy run and cleaning cars—any jobs he could get after school hours. Tutoring had paid well, when he’d got older.

      They’d been a tight-knit little family. Jenny had eventually trained as a nurse and married a doctor who currently had a practice at Gosford, on the Central Coast. Their mother had died of a stroke soon after the wedding, six years ago. Jenny now had a son and a daughter, both beautiful children.

      He didn’t mention the rape or the assault that had taken him to Gundamurra. That was deeply private, both to him and Jenny. Neither of them ever spoke of it. She’d moved past it, was happy in her life, and Mitch was content with that. Though he’d never forget it himself. One day he might tell Kathryn…if they ever reached that point of intimacy.

      The taxi pulled up in front of his house. Woollahra was an old suburb of Sydney, fashionable now because of its proximity to the city centre, but most of the houses were of terrace construction, as they were in Surry Hills which had been considered almost a slum area with very cheap rentals in his boyhood. Though that had changed, too, for the same reason—close to the CBD, renovations upgrading the real estate.