In out, in out, round and round and round, in an unending whirl. It wasn’t easy to control it, but she couldn’t let him see how truly rattled she was. Later, when she was alone, she could indulge in a nice, private meltdown.
‘We’ve got the best security systems in Australia,’ she said now. ‘Possibly in the whole Southern Hemisphere. Once he’s tried them, he’ll see that, and move all his property over to us.’
The city teemed, as usual. And this discussion with Nicholas was predictable, too. It showed him at his most businesslike and unemotional. The familiarity should have helped her to relax, but she was beyond that at the moment.
For Nicholas might have been mouthing business matters, but any time he looked at her his eyes were full of a powerful sensual heat that left her panting. When she had given the necessary agreement to his marriage proposal, she hadn’t considered how much he might physically want her, or that he would be totally unafraid to show it. Nor how deeply that open wanting would affect her.
Her senses responded. That was bad.
Her emotions responded. That was far worse. Hope kept trying to well up in her heart, and she kept having to squash it down again.
His emotions weren’t involved. She needed to remember that.
Endeavouring to ignore her reaction to the fire in his eyes, she forced herself to focus on the discussion. ‘If Mr Forrester is smart enough to build a business empire, surely he’s smart enough to appreciate the kind of technology Monroe’s has on offer.’
‘I appreciate your confidence in our ability, both to produce and to impress.’ His voice held a slight smile. ‘Ah.’ He slotted the car into a parking space. ‘Only a short walk away.’
‘Does everything always fall into place for you?’ She covered the wistful question with a flippant smile, not wanting him to guess how she envied the apparent smoothness of his life, while hers had been in a mess even before this day started. It was far worse now, and, like Wall Street’s Black Thursday, was only going to go downhill from this point.
Pessimistic, aren’t you?
Huh. Actually, she wasn’t being pessimistic. For once she was doing just as Nicholas would like, and assessing the situation with her rational mind. Which told her she was in up to her neck and sinking.
‘You know, I think I’ll enjoy being a married man.’ He tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow and moved into the crowd on the footpath. ‘It really will be a pleasure to get that side of my life settled. Now that I’ve taken the step, I don’t know why I didn’t do something about it ages ago.’
Claire’s rational side was quickly elbowed aside by a very personal affront. Ages ago? As in, before he’d even met her?
It’s all clinical to him. Given the circumstances, you should be grateful that’s the way he feels about it.
She didn’t feel grateful. She felt offended. Thoroughly hurt that he might have chosen some other woman and been just as happy about it.
You’re not really marrying him, remember? It’s all moot.
And this was exactly why she was going to end up in therapy.
Her fingers clenched around his forearm.
His muscles tensed in response, and that set the whole see-saw reaction in motion again. Desire, counter-desire. Emotional thrust, logical parry. She resisted the urge to tip her head back and yowl.
‘I’m glad you’re happy with your plans.’ She murmured it in the blandest tone she could manage, and then pointed to a shopfront ahead of them, determined to distract herself. ‘Have you ever been to Danny’s Bakehouse? They serve a Jamaican Cheesecake Log that’s to die for.’
And I could do with a slice right now. Or two. Or three. Scoffing cheesecake might not alter this situation, but it would suffuse it with a cheesecake-coated glow. That would surely be something positive?
‘I haven’t been there.’ Nicholas turned his head to glance at the shop, and in that moment someone bumped her in the crush, jostling her against her boss’s side.
An uneasy slither of tension climbed through her. She looked up, right into the gaze of the one person in the world she didn’t want to see.
‘Oops. Have to be careful these days.’ He wore an ill-fitting suit over a slight paunch of a stomach. His balding head of hair was slicked back with something greasy. He ran a small photocopier repair business—and he was Sophie’s blackmailer.
Gordon Haynes was a nondescript-looking man. He looked unthreatening. But when Claire searched his eyes, there was something dark and possibly unbalanced there that made her skin crawl.
This had to be a chance meeting. One that he was taking advantage of, but had not planned. She lifted her chin and stared him in those chilling eyes, refusing to let him rattle her. After the barest moment, when their gazes locked, he disappeared into the depths of the passing crowd and Claire breathed again.
‘Are you all right?’ Nicholas searched her face with his gaze. ‘Did someone bump you?’
‘I’m fine.’ She squared her shoulders and forced the encounter from her mind. ‘It was nothing.’
They made their way to the restaurant without further incident, and, once inside, quickly located the other couple and moved to join them.
‘I should have asked for a potted history.’ Claire’s fingers tightened around her bag. ‘Subjects I could raise with the wife, for starters.’
Nicholas’s proposal had thrown her so far out of reality that she hadn’t even considered how she would contribute to this lunch. She did now, and gave herself another opportunity to develop an ulcer.
‘She lives for the marina, loves shopping and sailing.’ Nicholas’s response was calm. ‘Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you’ll find something to talk about.’
‘I’m just a little on edge right now.’ The understatement made her feel slightly hysterical. She tried to maintain her poise as his hand moved to the small of her back to guide her through the maze of tables. It wasn’t easy.
A little on edge? Try a lot!
They had always maintained a strict, impersonal relationship. Now all she seemed to want was his touch. His nearness. His heart, soul, and all the family secrets. He was giving her the touch and the nearness part, and was upsetting her equilibrium in the process.
And she should have been running a mile in the other direction. Doing her best not to even think about that side of things while she worked out just how she was going to get out of this crazy situation in one piece.
What if he wanted them to be intimate before the actual marriage? Feeling the way she did about him, how would she hold back? The more she thought about things, the more complications just seemed to keep coming.
‘Naomi, Jack—may I introduce my assistant?’
In response to Nicholas’s introductions, Claire nodded her hellos to the couple already seated at the restaurant table. ‘Mrs Forrester, Mr Forrester.’
Nicholas
