thinking,’ he remarked, just as her mind was in the middle of listing the qualities of his that she found the most appealing and attractive.
She smiled with a guilty blush. ‘I was remembering that I once asked you why you were still single and you didn’t really give me an answer. Have you ever had a long-term relationship?’
‘No.’ He shifted a little uncomfortably in his seat, settled again, then paused to take a sip of his strong black coffee.
Sophia was intrigued by his apparent reticence. ‘Why not?’ she asked bluntly.
‘I guess up until recently I’ve never felt the desire to commit to anyone. No doubt there are many people who would think that’s extremely selfish. My sister has despaired of me from time to time,’ he said candidly, shrugging his shoulders. ‘Don’t get me wrong,’ he added quickly, seeing her frown, ‘I don’t play the field … nothing like that. It’s just that I’ve never met anyone that I wanted to be with for more than a few dates. And I’ve devoted most of my time to building my business.’
With a little flare of satisfied heat warming her insides at the realisation that he’d been referring to her when he’d stated that ‘up until recently’ he’d never felt the desire to commit to anyone, Sophia leaned forward a little, unconsciously inviting more candid revelations about his feelings and his life. ‘And what is your business, Jarrett?’
‘In simple terms, I buy and sell land.’
‘Locally, you mean?’
His arresting smile was modestly wry. ‘All over the world,’ he confessed.
‘Goodness … no wonder you haven’t had time for romantic relationships. Such a global undertaking must surely demand a huge amount of time and energy? How will you manage things if you ever do settle down with someone?’
She almost held her breath as she waited for his answer, wishing that it didn’t suddenly matter quite so much as it did.
His returning glance was completely frank. ‘It’s fortunate that I have several very competent and skilled people working for me, so it wouldn’t be a problem to delegate a little more in order to free up more time. Especially if I’m ever lucky enough to have a family.’
The unexpectedly revealing comment had the effect of silencing the next question that hovered on Sophia’s lips and it made her heart gallop. Reminding herself to get a grip, and not to let her hopes run away with her, she unconsciously added another lump of brown sugar to her coffee and took a deep sip. It was far too sweet and she couldn’t help grimacing.
Jarrett laughed, and Sophia blushed to the roots of her hair when she realised he had seen her sour-faced expression.
‘I was wondering if you usually made a habit of putting five lumps of sugar in your coffee. I surmised that you clearly just had a very sweet tooth,’ he teased.
‘I’m afraid I lost count of how many I put in,’ she murmured, colouring hotly.
‘I’ll order you a fresh cup.’ About to beckon a waiter, Jarrett hesitated when Sophia reached out and touched his hand.
‘Please don’t,’ she said earnestly. ‘It would probably keep me up all night anyway, and I need my sleep.’
‘In that case I’ll pay our bill and we’ll go.’
Brushing back her hair from the side of her face, she nervously let her eyes meet his as she wondered what the protocol was these days on dating a man if he’d bought a woman a meal. Was he going to expect much more than a goodnight kiss?
A short while later, as they were sitting in the car in the impressive shadow of High Ridge, Sophia turned to her handsome companion and sighed. ‘So there really hasn’t been anyone you’ve been serious about in the whole of your romantic history?’
‘That’s right,’ Jarrett answered. A thread of anxiety rippled through him that she might not believe him—that she might think he was just making it up to pique her interest.
‘And you’ve never been lonely? Being on your own, I mean?’
The question made Jarrett smile. He knew perfectly well what she was asking him. ‘If by lonely you mean have I ever felt the need for some female company to share my bed, then, yes. I have.’
‘And presumably there’s been no shortage of takers?’
Even in the dimly lit interior of the car, her blush was endearingly delightful. From the roots of his hair to the tips of his toes, Jarrett’s whole body tightened. ‘Can we talk about something else?’ he suggested lightly. ‘For instance, are you going to invite me in for a coffee? I know you implied that too much caffeine keeps you awake, but I wouldn’t say no to another cup if you’re offering.’ He knew his smile was boyishly hopeful.
Sweeping her hair behind her ear, Sophia was suddenly wary. ‘Can we do that another time, maybe? I really am feeling rather tired tonight.’
‘Why didn’t you mention that earlier?’
‘Because I was feeling fine then … it’s only just hit me now we’ve arrived home. By the way, I’ve really enjoyed our evening together and the lovely meal. Thank you. It was so nice to be taken out to dinner. I can’t remember the last time I did such a normal thing.’
‘It was my pleasure. My hope is that we’ll have many more evenings like this together. Are you okay?’ he asked, frowning. The wary look hadn’t retreated, he saw.
‘Yes, I’m fine. A good night’s sleep will sort me out, I’m sure.’
‘I’ll walk you to your door, then.’
‘There’s no need … thanks all the same.’
Sophia was already taking her keys out of her purse. As she glanced up again, Jarrett saw she appeared to be thinking hard about something.
‘Do you still see any of the women who kept you company when you were lonely?’ she quizzed him.
He might have known she wouldn’t let him off lightly. She was behaving like every other woman who had the bit between her teeth about something. But in Sophia’s case her need to know about this particular facet of his past was entirely justified, he thought—because she knew only too well the pitfalls of being with someone who couldn’t be relied upon except to hurt her.
‘No, I don’t. I already told you I never dated anyone for very long, but neither did I cold-heartedly desert them. When we parted it was always mutual. The kind of women I saw were usually from the corporate world, as time-poor as me because they were immersed in their careers, wanting to make a name for themselves. Having a romantic relationship was never going to be top of their list of priorities.’
There had been one liaison where the woman in question had got a little bit too attached to the idea of deepening her association with him, Jarrett recalled wincingly, but he had told her as diplomatically and as kindly as possible that he couldn’t consider it. She hadn’t guessed that he was holding out for the woman of his dreams, and he wondered if she would have been surprised that he secretly harboured such a romantic ideal.
‘Did you ever want more than just a mutually satisfying
