for Gill,’ Kate hurried into speech, hearing the words in some disbelief, sure she couldn’t really have spoken them. But what was she supposed to say, what could she say? This is a perfect stranger I spent two days with three months ago? No, she couldn’t say that, and she hoped Jared would have enough decency not to say it either.
He remained silent, although his mocking blue eyes passed from her to Richard, and then back again.
‘Well, don’t be long, darling.’ Richard spoke impatiently. ‘It shouldn’t take all night to explain that Gill lives in the flat below.’ He turned and returned to the lounge to finish his drink, obviously considering the matter settled.
But it was far from being that! Jared crossed his arms across his chest, leaning casually against the door-frame. ‘Who was that?’ he drawled.
Kate flushed at his derisive tone. ‘Richard is a friend—–’
‘I gathered that—darling!’
Her eyes flashed like molten gold. ‘Then you must also have gathered that your presence here is a complete surprise to me.’ She gripped her hands tightly together in front of her, the rigidity of her shoulders thrusting her breasts forward beneath the black dress, the nipples hardened in her emotional tension.
‘It is?’ He raised dark brows, the dark lashes about deep blue eyes ridiculously long for a man. ‘You surely didn’t think I was going to disappear out of your life?’
‘Why not?’ she snapped tautly. ‘You have for the last three months.’
‘I told you I was going to North America; it was something I couldn’t get out of. But I asked you to come with me,’ he reminded her.
‘Yes, well—–’ she avoided his searching gaze, ‘I had no intention of hitch-hiking around Canada for three months with a man I’d only just met!’
‘Hitch-hiking?’ he repeated with a frown. ‘Who said anything about hitch-hiking?’
Her gaze moved scathingly over his casual attire, the faded denims even patched in a couple of places. He was decidedly out of place in the tasteful elegance of her home, the exact opposite of Richard’s sophistication, despite the fact that the two men were of a similar age, both in their mid-thirties.
‘Oh, I see,’ Jared derided tauntingly as he correctly read her scorn. ‘You don’t think I’m capable of affording any other form of transport. Are you a snob, Katharine Mary Collier?’ His eyes were narrowed again.
‘No, of course not!’ She flushed in spite of herself. ‘You told me yourself that you live on your wits, and I just—–’
‘Don’t believe in roughing it with someone like me when you can ride around with friend Richard in the Porsche. That is his car outside, isn’t it?’ he mocked.
‘Yes. But—–’
‘Nice car.’
‘He thinks so,’ she said stiffly.
‘And you, do you think so too?’ His voice was taut.
‘Of course,’ she bit out. ‘Look, Mr Rourke—–’
‘Mr?’ he derided mockingly. ‘Really, Kate, you’re being ridiculous now. I doubt your friend can hear us out here, it’s quite safe to call me Jared when we’re alone.’
‘All right, Jared,’ bright spots of angry colour darkened her cheeks, her eyes gleaming, ‘Richard is my friend, and why you’ve had to come here and try and cause trouble I have no idea.’
His eyes widened. ‘What trouble have I tried to cause? I wasn’t to know you would have your boyfriend here.’
‘You could have called first!’
‘It took me long enough to find out your real name and address, let alone your telephone number!’
‘How did you find out my name and address?’ she frowned.
‘It wasn’t easy,’ he shrugged. ‘But I remembered you said you were in advertising. I have a few connections in the business world,’ he ignored her scathing snort, ‘people who owe me a few favours. Luckily there aren’t too many redhaired beauties like you in advertising. It was a simple matter to visit all the ones who fitted the description. You were third on the list.’
‘The fact that I did give you a false name should have told you something,’ she snapped.
‘Oh, it did,’ he nodded unconcernedly. ‘It told me you didn’t mind spending a couple of days with me, but you didn’t want any of your high-class friends to find out about it.’
Kate glanced towards the lounge with a hunted look in her eyes. ‘Will you please keep your voice down?’ she hissed vehemently. ‘I don’t want Richard to hear.’
‘No, we mustn’t have that, must we?’ he taunted. ‘Tell me, Kate—–’
‘Darling, are we—Are you still here?’ Richard frowned his irritation as he saw the other man at the door. ‘Hasn’t Kate explained to you that Gill lives downstairs?’ His arm went possessively about her slender waist.
‘Kate’s explanation was very exact,’ Jared told the other man tautly.
‘Then if you’ll excuse us,’ Richard said haughtily, ‘we happen to be going out.’
Kate bit her lip anxiously at the derogatory tone of Richard’s voice. One thing she had learnt about Jared Rourke, if he had something to say then he said it. Richard’s disdainful attitude was guaranteed to spark the Irish temper lurking in the icy blue eyes. She waited for the explosion that would ruin all her carefully laid plans, plans that would make her Richard’s wife. But not if Jared told him about their meeting three months ago, not if he told him about the two days—and nights—they had spent together.
‘Then I won’t keep you any longer.’ Jared pushed away from the doorframe in one lithe movement. I mustn’t keep Gill waiting,’ he added wickedly.
Richard looked uncomfortable at the suggestive tone in the other man’s voice. ‘Er—no. Well, glad to have been able to help you, Mr—–?’
‘Rourke,’ Jared supplied, his expression mocking as he looked at Kate. ‘Thank you, Miss Collier. I’ll tell Gill how helpful you’ve been.’
Kate was left with the impression that it was a possibility that Jared would tell Gill exactly that—and he didn’t even know Gill! Not yet, anyway. She knew from experience that that wasn’t necessarily a drawback as far as Jared was concerned; once he made his mind up to do something he did it, regardless. It could be Gill’s lucky night—if she liked attractive Irishmen, that is. Strangely that thought didn’t please Kate at all.
He gave a brief wave of his hand as he stepped into the lift, his blue eyes burning with mocking mischief as he pressed the button to close the doors. Kate watched the lift floor numbers above the doors, her mouth tightening as it stopped on the floor below. Damn him, he was going to see Gill! He had gone to all the trouble of seeking her out, and now he had gone to the flat of a woman he didn’t even know.
She closed the door with forceful anger, wondering why Jared should go through the lengthy process of finding her only to meekly leave again. It didn’t seem like the man she knew. But going to see Gill he was! She knew better than most what a sensual man Jared Rourke was, how much he enjoyed women.
‘Odd-looking man,’ Richard said thoughtfully.
Kate gave him a sharp look. ‘Odd?’ she questioned his choice of word.
‘Well, he must be my age,’ Richard derided with a twist of his lips, ‘and yet he looked like some damned hippie.’
Jared’s casual clothing hardly made him a hippie, in fact the tight denims suited him, as did the rakish hairstyle, the leather jacket emphasising the width of his shoulders.