chic in a beautiful blue chiffon cocktail dress spangled with gold swirls that was also brand-new. Not only that, her mother’s hair was cut differently and exquisitely styled, her make-up was perfect and her nails freshly manicured, leaving her elder daughter in no doubt that she’d spent hours in a beauty parlour some time today.
But Barbara Harris was obviously happy and excited and as always, managing to infect everyone with her special brand of joie de vivre. It was a laughing, light-hearted throng in the room. And even Domenica, who had a very good idea of how much her mother would have splurged one way and another, felt her ire diminishing, although she would have loved to be able to hold on to it as Barbara kissed her and whispered that she was not to be cross because Angus Keir was quite delightful!
Then she took Domenica’s hand and towed her across the room to Angus’s side, saying gaily, ‘Here she is at last, Mr Keir! I knew she wouldn’t let me down. Stay put, Dom, I’ll get you some champers.’
Domenica took a deep breath and rubbed her nose to make sure it behaved itself. ‘Hi.’ She contrived to smile whimsically. ‘How are you? This is a bit of a surprise.’
‘So I gathered but I’m very well, thank you, Domenica,’ he returned, looking down at her quizzically. ‘Would I be right in assuming you warned your mother off me?’
‘Yes, as a matter of fact you would,’ she answered ruefully, although still managing to project good humour and taking the glass her mother put into her hand. ‘But if I’d known you were here, I would have worn high heels.’ She took a sip of champagne and wondered what had possessed her to say this.
Because Angus Keir allowed his grey gaze to wander down her figure in the short black dress to her shoes, then he let it drift upwards again, to linger on the bare skin of her shoulders and the curve of her breasts beneath the fine black material before he looked into her eyes wryly. ‘Why?’
‘Dom always has trouble finding men tall enough for her, Mr Keir,’ Barbara explained. ‘I expect that’s what she means, don’t you, dear?’
‘I do!’ Domenica confirmed, feeling like a clown but unable to help herself. ‘Thank you very much for paying for my car, by the way, but I wish you hadn’t.’
‘What’s this?’ Barbara pricked up her ears but was fortunately waylaid by a couple who had to leave early.
And she moved away leaving Angus and her daughter in a pool of silence. He was wearing a dark suit this evening with a white shirt and a plain maroon tie. And there was something about him that made Domenica feel suddenly tongue-tied and oddly helpless, and very much reminded of the three uncomfortable weeks that had passed since she’d last seen him. Because while she mightn’t have seen him, she’d been unable to rid her mind of him.
So she stared down at the glass in her hand stupidly until he said quietly, ‘You look sensational.’
She raised her eyes to his in some confusion and put a hand to her head. ‘I was sure I looked a mess! It was such a rush I hardly had time to brush my hair.’
A faint smile touched his mouth. ‘I guess it’s the kind of hair that would look gorgeous in any circumstances.’ His gaze rested on the glory of her dark hair, then he focused on her eyes. ‘Even straight out of bed.’
‘It is…’ she cleared her throat ‘…easy hair, probably because it’s thick and has a mind of its own.’ Then she closed her eyes briefly at the inference of what he’d said, and added barely audibly, ‘Don’t.’
He raised an eyebrow. ‘Speculate?’
She nodded, concentrating on her glass again.
‘I’ve been unable to stop myself from speculating about us for three weeks, Domenica.’
Her lashes lifted and their gazes locked. And her mother’s lovely lounge at Rose Bay and all the party-goers in it receded even further as they exchanged a long, straight, telling look. Telling because she couldn’t cut the contact much as she might have wished to and, for whatever reason, neither did he. It was also an unspoken admission that, at that moment, there might as well have been just the two of them in the room.
Because all her senses were receiving signals, she thought dazedly. It wasn’t only visual, it was much more. It was as if a slow tide of recognition was running through her that told her she enjoyed crossing swords with this man. She enjoyed pitting her intelligence against his, she would enjoy worsting him in a verbal fight, but she would also, she knew, enjoy going to bed with him.
And demonstrating, heaven help her, she thought, that she was more than a match for his sheer, utterly sexy masculinity that no conservative charcoal suit and plain maroon tie could hide.
But just as the colour began to flow into her cheeks at these wild, wanton thoughts that were not particularly like her, Christy came to her aid.
‘Excuse me,’ she said politely.
Domenica wrenched her gaze from Angus Keir but not before she had the curious satisfaction of seeing him move his shoulders almost restlessly at the interruption.
Then she was introducing Christy to him only to be told they’d already met, and finding herself taking several deep breaths in an effort to compose herself.
‘I believe Mum contacted you out of the blue?’ Christy said to him in her direct manner.
‘Yes,’ he agreed. ‘She said that, much as she loved both her daughters, she was finding their instincts for caution a little hard to take and she’d be only too happy to have my advice.’
Domenica and Christy exchanged frustrated glances, and once again it was Christy who came to the rescue. ‘I guess this all came as a bit of a surprise and that’s why we thought we oughtn’t to rush into anything, Mr Keir.’
‘Of course,’ he murmured. ‘I quite understand.’ But the glint in his grey eyes that Domenica was on the receiving end of said something else—it was unmistakably satirical.
She drained her champagne to stop herself from making any hot and unwise utterances, and replied evenly, ‘You were right about Blacktown, Mr Keir, that much I have established, and we’re very grateful for it. Whether we—’
‘Darlings!’ Barbara interrupted, coming back into their midst. ‘I hope you’re not talking business? I don’t think it’s the right time or place. Perhaps we could set aside an evening later this week. Would you care to come to dinner on Friday, Angus?’ She gazed at him appealingly.
‘I would have loved to but unfortunately I’ll be in Perth. The following Friday would be fine, however. Thank you.’
Barbara looked gratified but Domenica compressed her lips as he shot her the most wickedly amused glance this time.
‘I was wondering if you’d like to have dinner with me later this evening, though, Domenica?’ he continued. ‘We could discuss Blacktown further in the meantime.’
‘I’m so sorry—’ she spoke without any plan, the words just seemed to come of their own accord ‘—but I’m otherwise engaged this evening.’
‘Oh, what a pity,’ Barbara said. ‘Well, let’s circulate, shall we? Angus, can I introduce you to one of my oldest friends?’ And she took him away leaving Domenica staring at his retreating back, and her sister
