from a camera startled her into flinching.
Kain’s hand cupped her elbow more firmly. ‘Throw them a smile,’ he advised with an edge of cynicism in his deep voice. ‘That’s all you have to do—look elegant and confident. You can do that.’
Keeping her eyes fixed on the activity in the Birdcage, she forced a smile as she tossed off a reply. ‘I’ll have you know I have to suffer to get this elegant! These shoes are killers on the grass.’ Shoe porn, Maire had called the grey sandals with their vertigo-inducing heels.
He glanced down. Something flickered in his hard eyes, but his voice was bland when he said, ‘From a spectator’s viewpoint, the sight of your feet in them is definitely worth the pain.’
Why did it seem this conversation was being conducted on two levels—one with words, the other with the subtle shift of tone and emphasis and the silent language of movement and gesture?
To her relief someone caught his attention and he turned away from her. Reluctantly Sable had to admire the way he dealt with the journalists and photographers—his charm not hiding an uncompromising authority.
Eventually he left her to lead the horse around the enclosure in a lap of honour. Sable watched them stride out with matching masculine grace, the sun striking blue highlights from the horse’s glossy hide and from Kain’s head.
‘Two of a kind.’ Half-envious, half-humorous, the trainer echoed her thoughts from beside her.
Sable took in a deep breath, calling on her surface gloss of sophistication. Until then she’d been stumbling along like any green girl, but now, with Kain’s presence removed, she could regroup her forces.
‘Does the horse have grey eyes?’ she enquired, smiling to show she was joking.
He gave a snort of laughter. ‘No, but he’s a tough beast, and when he makes up his mind it’s damned hard to change it. And he’s honest; once he’s committed, he throws his heart into every race.’
‘What more could you want in a horse? Or a man?’ she returned lightly. ‘Isn’t it a glorious day?’
Kain and the horse headed back as the trainer smiled at her. ‘One of the best,’ he agreed, stepping out to take the reins from Kain’s lean hand.
Kain said, ‘Right, let’s go.’
They started to leave, only to have a photographer call, ‘One more, Kain.’
He turned his head and said coolly, ‘Of course,’ and before Sable could move out of range he scooped her against his lean body and held her, smiling down into her startled eyes and saying, ‘This one’s for the social pages. Relax and think of the publicity for Maire.’
Far too conscious of his strength against her, she felt herself stiffen. The chatter of the crowd dulled; inwardly cringing, she sensed avid eyes on them both.
‘Smile,’ he commanded quietly, the handsome face amused.
Her brows lifted. ‘Why?’
‘Because if you don’t everyone who sees this is going to think you’re besotted.’ And when she responded with a haughty glare he bent his head to say even more softly, ‘Perhaps I should kiss you.’
CHAPTER TWO
‘DON’T you dare,’ Sable hissed, but some wild emotion leapt into shocking life inside her. Kain’s arctic eyes narrowed, and she froze, her heart hammering.
The photographer’s voice jarred her back into reality. ‘Hey, that’s great! Thank you.’
The moment Kain’s arm relaxed Sable twisted away. Summoning a smile took all of her concentration, but there was no way to hide the lingering heat that burned her cheeks.
What the hell did Kain Gerard think he was playing at?
And why did he cause such novel turmoil inside her?
‘Maire should be pleased with that,’ he said with no visible sign of emotion.
Sable suppressed the urge to say that for someone who’d denied seeking publicity he’d almost courted it for the older woman. Instead she murmured, ‘You’re very kind to her.’
His mouth twisted. ‘She was a friend of my mother’s and I admire her entrepreneurial spirit.’
Well, she knew only too well how strong and tight the circle of influential people could be.
Maire came up, her slightly perplexed gaze going from one face to the other. ‘Thank you, Kain,’ she said swiftly. ‘You’ve been great. Are you ready to leave, Sable?’
‘Yes.’ Sable kept her voice level, hoping neither realised she felt as though she’d just been thrown a lifeline. Without letting her smile reach her eyes, she turned to Kain and said formally, ‘Thank you for an interesting experience.’
‘My pleasure entirely.’
His smooth, amused voice infuriated her.
Kain watched her walk gracefully away, only a certain rigidity to her slender body indicating that she was angry. She was looking down at the woman beside her with what seemed genuine interest.
Nice going, he thought, although threatening to kiss her in front of thousands of people and a media audience might not have been a good move.
But it had been worth it for that moment when she’d let her guard slip and he’d seen the heat kindle in her dark eyes. Like it or not—and he suspected she didn’t—she was very definitely aware of him.
So things were going his way. And he was, he thought with cold, controlled satisfaction, a much tougher challenge than Brent.
After changing into her own clothes, Sable refused Maire’s offer of a lift and walked off to catch a bus, her feet in their flat sandals fervently thanking her with each step. Smiling at the thought, she promised them that when she got home she’d soak them in something warm and soothing.
‘I think I like this look even more,’ Kain Gerard said from behind her.
She froze, her heart rate increasing madly. He smiled lazily down, but his grey eyes were hooded against the sun, and the smile held something she distrusted.
He commented, ‘Very cool, very…innocent.’
The cynical intonation to the last word made her angry.White happened to suit her and the dress was a favourite of hers. ‘That’s long out of date,’ she said, infusing the words with a faint scorn.
‘The dress?’ He swung into place beside her.
Sable thought seriously of telling him she didn’t want his company, only to give a mental shrug. The bus queue was no place for billionaires; he’d leave soon enough.
She replied, ‘The connection of white with chastity.’
Kain gave her an amused glance. Furious with herself, Sable pretended to examine a large purple car that was proceeding with stately dignity down the road. Stupid! Why hadn’t she just ignored his provocative
