on my life now, to coming into my home like this. Well, let me tell you—–’
‘Tell me later, Kate,’ he encouraged throatily, one hand grasping her wrist as he pulled her easily down into the chair with him. ‘God, you’re more beautiful than ever,’ he groaned before his mouth claimed hers, the pressure of his body above hers forcing her back into the chair.
She didn’t want to respond to him, knew that she should push him away, and yet at her first tentative rejection of him her mouth began to part under his, her arms moving up about his neck as her fingers became entangled in the thick dark hair at his nape.
‘Beautiful,’ he murmured against her throat, slipping the silver jacket from her shoulders to seek out the hollows there, his lips trailing a fire down to the curve of her breasts, his hands on her hips drawing her in to him, telling her of his arousal.
As she gazed down at the dark head below her, felt his lips at her breasts, she knew this was wrong, and she pushed at his chest in earnest now, fighting the languor that was coursing through her body.
‘What is it?’ Jared looked up at her with bewildered eyes, his sensual arousement obvious in their smoky blue depths. ‘What’s wrong, darling?’ He cupped either side of her face with his long sensitive hands as he searched her face.
‘I don’t want you here!’ Kate managed to struggle up from the chair and stood up, her breasts heaving beneath the black dress in her agitation. ‘You see this,’ her left hand shook as she held it out to him, the diamond in her ring sparkling its possession. ‘This means I belong to another man!’
‘Richard James?’ His voice was soft, dangerously so, the laughing blue eyes suddenly watchful.
She searched the rugged features warily, suddenly conscious of his change of mood, of the steel in his nature she hadn’t even believed possible. So far in their acquaintance Jared had given her the impression that little angered or annoyed him, that he lived a pretty easygoing existence, working when he needed to, not bothering when he didn’t, and yet at this moment he did look angry, his eyes narrowed, his nostrils flared, his mouth a taut line, the jaw beneath this rigid with tension.
What right did he have to be angry, what right did he have to be here at all! He was a drifter, a man without ties or commitment, what could he possibly give her, except the same heartache she had known in the past?
‘How did you know his name?’ she questioned haughtily. ‘You didn’t know him earlier.’
His mouth twisted as he stood up, his hands thrust into the back pockets of his denims. ‘I made the connection later between Richard and Richard James. Everyone has heard of him, seen him too. He isn’t exactly an elusive figure in the City, is he?’ Jared added mockingly.
‘Whether he is or isn’t is not important, the fact that I wear his ring is,’ she snapped.
‘Wear it again, don’t you mean?’ he drawled.
Kate frowned. ‘I don’t know what you mean …’
Jared gave a deep shrug. ‘When we met you had an indentation on that finger, as if from wearing a ring. Did you and James fall out, is that the reason you buried yourself in that hotel?’
She turned away. Jared was much more observant than she had given him credit for; she hadn’t realised he had noticed that patch of slightly paler skin on her wedding finger. But that hadn’t been from wearing Richard’s ring, she had accepted that for the first time tonight.
‘Well, is he?’
She spun round quickly as she realised how close Jared was standing, and stepped back with a frown. ‘No, he isn’t, and no, we didn’t! My reasons for being at the hotel are none of your business—–’
‘Then why did you remove his ring?’ Jared pursued relentlessly. ‘Taking the week off, were you? Having a little affair on the side?’
‘No, I wasn’t!’ Her eyes flashed her indignation. ‘Richard and I weren’t engaged then.’
Jared clasped her hand, turning it over to look at the thick platinum band. ‘No,’ he acknowledged softly. ‘The mark on your finger was thinner than this ring could have made.’ He looked up at her with a frown. ‘You wore another man’s ring here?’
She snatched her hand away, glaring at him. ‘I don’t have to tell you anything!’
He whistled softly through his even white teeth. ‘It was another man. Katharine Mary, you surprise me.’
‘Why?’ Her tone was bitter at the gentle mockery in the deliberately Irish lilt to his voice as he said her name.
‘You don’t appear to be an indecisive woman, in fact the opposite, and here you are changing fiancés like you would a blouse!’
Kate eyed him with suspicion, but his expression remained deliberately bland. ‘Are you laughing at me?’ she asked slowly.
He grinned suddenly, one of those wide boyish grins that gave him such a rakish air. ‘Whatever gave you that idea?’
Her anger boiled up to gigantic proportions. ‘What’s so funny about my previous fiancé turning out to be a louse, and the fact that Richard is one of the most powerful and richest men in London?’
‘It’s an inside joke,’ Jared taunted lightly. ‘You wouldn’t get it at all.’
‘I don’t!’ she snapped.
He shrugged. ‘I told you you wouldn’t.’
Kate gave an impatient sigh. ‘Will you just get out of here,’ she said wearily, ‘and take your Irish wit with you.’
‘Oh, I’m not Irish,’ he ignored her first request. ‘My father was, but I’m strictly English.’
‘In that case you spend little enough time here!’ she derided his need to travel.
He nodded. ‘I intend changing all that. In fact, I could just decide to settle in one place.’
‘I’m sure the social services will be relieved!’
‘Hm?’ Jared looked puzzled.
‘They’ll have a permanent address to send your dole money to!’
A smile quirked the firmness of his lips. ‘Again you surprise me, Katharine Mary. You were a little abrupt when we first met, but I don’t remember you being downright nasty.’
She met his gaze in challenge. ‘Well, now you know. And stop calling me Katharine Mary; my name is Kate.’
‘To your friends,’ he acknowledged. ‘I wasn’t sure I still came in that category.’
‘You don’t,’ she told him crossly. ‘But I haven’t been called Katharine since I was at school.’
‘I think I prefer it,’ he said thoughtfully.
She gave him a saccharine-sweet smile. ‘Isn’t it a pity your preferences don’t interest me!’
He gave a wry laugh. ‘I once told you I like your quick mind,’ he grimaced. ‘But I can tell you now that it’s starting to wear a bit thin, with those snide remarks of yours. Perhaps I prefer women without intelligence after all.’
‘I’m glad to hear it,’ she scorned. ‘I’m sure you’ve had a lot of experience with them. Now if you wouldn’t mind, we’ve been talking for over an hour; I’d like to get to bed.’
‘Good idea,’ he nodded cheerfully.
‘Well?’ she prompted as he made no effort to go.
Jared looked puzzled. ‘Well what?’
‘Shouldn’t you be going somewhere too?’ she said exasperatedly.
‘Oh, don’t mind me,’ he grinned blandly. ‘I’m not sleepy yet. I had