had got involved with Carl she had done so believing him to be the steady, dependable type. It had been ages before she had invited him into her bed. She’d wanted to be sure about him.
But how could you be sure about anybody? It had turned out that he had just seen her as a challenge. Once he’d taken her to bed and the thrill of the chase had gone, he’d been ready to move on to the next conquest.
Life was one big learning curve, she thought now as she looked across at Alexi. And she didn’t want to learn anything more about heartache.
‘We need to get on with those timetables.’ She changed the subject swiftly away from the personal angle. She needed to take her lead from Alexi and be motivated solely by business. ‘And I’ve been thinking about what plans we could incorporate to make the strategy for increasing business greener.’
‘Have you, now?’
‘Yes, and I have a few ideas that I think we should explore.’
‘I’m remembering now why I wanted you for this job.’
Was he being facetious, or was he just thinking about work? It was hard to tell.
The colour in her skin heightened slightly, but she continued on, her voice brisk and determined. He watched as she picked up the papers she had left on the seat beside her.
He noticed the way she bit down on her lower lip as she scanned through the pages.
He’d forgotten that she did that when she was trying to focus. Forgotten how businesslike she could sound, and yet how vulnerable she could look. How confident and grown up she could act and yet how lost she could seem.
There was something almost innocent about her. He remembered thinking that the first time he’d taken her to bed. Despite her glib words about being happy with a no-strings affair, he’d always suspected she’d spoken the words to mask a bruised heart.
She hadn’t been a virgin, but she’d been untutored in the art of love-making. She’d been almost tentatively afraid of giving herself to him, yet at the same time eager and willing for his kiss, his touch.
He’d found the combination explosive, had enjoyed drawing her out, teaching her how to please him.
Just thinking about it now made him want her all the more.
She looked up at him and he forced himself to concentrate on what she was saying. Work had to come first.
However, one thing was clear—he couldn’t wait too long before taking her to his bed again; his body was getting impatient. He felt edgy with need. And that was a situation he was very unused to.
CHAPTER FOUR
WHEN Katie opened her eyes and glanced out of the aircraft window she could see the lights of Manhattan shimmering against the darkness of the sky.
‘We’ll be touching down in twenty minutes,’ Alexi told her as he packed away the papers he’d been working on.
She must have fallen asleep, she realised with a start. How had she managed that when he’d been sitting opposite her working all night? She’d been determined not to give in to the overwhelming waves of tiredness—even when Alexi had told her to put her work away and make the seat into a bed she had resolutely refused. She hadn’t wanted to let her guard down around him for even one minute, had wanted to remain confident and poised. Now look at her! She self-consciously put a hand up to her hair, trying to smooth back the long, silky strands that had escaped to curl around her face. She felt a complete wreck.
Her eyes connected with Alexi’s across the narrow divide, and she felt the tension that had twisted between them all night flare instantly into life again.
‘Gosh, I didn’t mean to fall asleep,’ she murmured. ‘Did you finish the timetable?’
‘Yes, it’s all in order. You probably should have got your head down properly. I hope you can function at our meeting.’
The cool words irritated her. Typical that he should only be worried about the business that lay ahead and not about her welfare!
‘If you can function, then I’m damn sure I can,’ she murmured.
Her sparkly determination made him smile, and for a moment he allowed his eyes to slip over her. She’d been curled up like a kitten within stroking distance, and she had been driving him out of his mind—so much so that he’d had to ban himself from looking at her, because no work had been done whilst he’d been drinking her in like a mind-altering drug.
The smooth perfection of her skin had fascinated him, as had the long, thick darkness of her lashes, the soft curve of her lips. He even liked the messed-up way her hair was curling around her face. It was saucy and sexy, and that was before his eyes had travelled downwards to her sumptuous curves.
With difficulty he concentrated his gaze upwards and noticed suddenly that she seemed very pale.
Katie looked away from him and tried to concentrate on something other than the wave of nausea that had unexpectedly swept over her. What on earth was the matter with her? She couldn’t be ill, not here. Not in front of him! How embarrassing would that be? Panic-stricken, she took a few deep breaths, and to her relief the feeling started to subside. She was just tired, she told herself soothingly. Apart from the hour’s sleep, she’d been almost permanently on the go for the last twenty-four. A new job, a high-pressured meeting followed by piles of paperwork and then a flight to New York—all that plus Alexi. No wonder she didn’t feel well!
And the time spent working with Alexi had been difficult, to say the least. After the initial conversation, they’d hardly exchanged a word that wasn’t connected with what they were doing. The ease with which they had once worked together had definitely gone.
Katie tried to tell herself that the worst was behind her now. A long, refreshing shower and a sleep in a comfortable bed for a few hours would probably sort her out.
She looked at her wristwatch and adjusted the time back five hours to New York time. It was like that film Groundhog Day, she thought; just when you thought the long hours of darkness were nearly over, it was back to the small hours of the morning.
She glanced over and found Alexi still watching her. ‘What time is our meeting?’ she asked awkwardly.
‘Nine-thirty. So we’ll have time to get to my apartment and catch some sleep.’
‘Your apartment?’ She tried to make her voice light. ‘I assumed we would be staying at a hotel!’ Preferably with rooms on different floors, she thought frantically.
‘No, I have an apartment by Central Park. It’s very convenient.’
The jet was making its final descent, the engine noises screaming a bit like her nerves. But at least it covered the tense silence that now lay between them. She closed her eyes and tried to pretend she was somewhere else—anywhere else but here with him.
But instead of thinking relaxing, comforting thoughts her mind was now racing over the fact that they were going to be alone in an apartment.
The plane touched down on the runway with a heavy thud and a screech of brakes. As it taxied to a halt, they started to gather their belongings,
