out of my personal life, Nik!’ she cut in coldly.
‘I’m already in it—’
‘Then I suggest you get out of it again!’ she practically shouted. ‘I don’t need you, Nik, or your amateur psychiatry concerning my father; I believe I am the best judge of what is and isn’t good for him! I just don’t need you in my life…full stop!’ She glared at him.
He drew in an angry breath. ‘That wasn’t the impression I got a few minutes ago—’
‘Oh, let’s bring that into it, shall we?’ she scoffed. ‘So I’m attracted to you; so what? Why is it that men feel they can differentiate between love and lust, but we women can’t? Because I assure you that we can, Nik.’ She gave a humourless laugh, angry with herself as much as him for the way she had once again given in to the desire she felt for him. ‘I can,’ she claimed, her gaze challenging now as she met his.
Nik wanted to shake her. Wanted to grasp her shoulders and shake her until her teeth rattled.
Lust. She lusted after him?
No woman had ever said anything like that to him ever before—even if it had happened to be the truth! And, coming from Jinx, he found that he didn’t like having it said to him now, either!
‘What’s the matter, Nik?’ she taunted his silence. ‘Don’t you like having the tables turned on you?’
No, he damn well didn’t! It was an unpleasant experience to be told that someone—Jinx!—lusted after him.
At the same time he could accept the irony of it. Wasn’t it how he had always conducted his own personal relationships, feeling desire without the love?
Maybe it was, but that was still no explanation for the resentment he felt at having this five-foot-one-inch of a woman say the same thing to him…
He drew in a controlling breath. ‘Not particularly,’ he acknowledged. ‘I’m also not sure it’s the way for a nicely brought up young lady to be talking,’ he mocked, knowing by the way the colour suddenly blazed in her cheeks that he had scored a direct hit with his barb.
But did he really want to score direct hits where Jinx was concerned? Wasn’t that just guaranteed to alienate her even more?
It was too late to realize that, Nik admitted ruefully as her expression became haughtily remote, violet eyes turning to icy blue. ‘Probably not,’ she accepted tersely. ‘Now I really think it’s time for you to leave, Nik.’
After which she would be at great pains to make sure the two of them never met again.
It was there in the resolve of her expression, in the coldness of her eyes, the defensive stance of her body.
But he knew where she lived now; he could always—
No, he couldn’t, he accepted heavily. That would make him as bad as the reporter and photographer lying in wait for her outside.
Which brought him back to his initial point…
‘Jinx, you really can’t stay here—’
‘I really can, Nik,’ she insisted. ‘In any case,’ she continued firmly as he would have spoken, ‘whether I decide to go or stay is really none of your business.’
He wanted to make it his business, wanted to pick Jinx up, throw her over his shoulder and carry her away from here. Be a regular caveman, in fact—which would go down with Jinx about as well as a lead balloon!
But the alternative was leaving her and her father here at the mercy of the press…
He drew in a deep breath. ‘I have a friend—well, he’s more like family, I suppose—it’s a bit complicated,’ he tried to explain, sure that now wasn’t the right time to be discussing his sometimes complicated family tree. ‘Have you ever heard of Ben Travis?’ he asked instead.
‘Should I have done?’ Jinx returned cautiously.
‘Probably not—although he is married to Marilyn Palmer.’
Jinx’s eyes widened. ‘The famous Hollywood actress?’
‘The one and only.’ Nik nodded. ‘And Marilyn’s daughter, Gaye, is married to the brother of Stazy’s husband, Jordan Hunter.’
‘The acting world is almost incestuous, isn’t it?’ Jinx scorned.
Nik felt the anger flare in his gaze, his mouth tightening to a thin line. ‘Ben is a psychiatrist—’
‘I’ve already told you, my father doesn’t need a psychiatrist,’ Jinx interrupted. ‘Time and love are all he needs. And a little peace and quiet to go with it,’ she added pointedly.
Meaning she really wanted him to leave now. Not that he hadn’t thought she’d meant it in the first place, but now she absolutely wanted him out of her home. And her life…? Unfortunately, yes.
Nik sighed. ‘Can I call you later?’
Jinx’s gaze narrowed suspiciously. ‘Why?’
He made an impatient movement. ‘So that I can check that everything is okay!’
‘And why shouldn’t it be?’
‘Jinx, will you just try being a little less defensive for a few minutes and actually think?’ Nik exploded in frustration. ‘If I leave—when I leave,’ he amended as Jinx raised mocking brows, ‘if, as I suspect, the reporter and her buddy continue to hang around outside, then I’m going to need to know about it—’
‘Why?’
He really would strangle her in a minute! Which would achieve precisely nothing. But it might make him feel a lot better. If only fleetingly.
‘Okay, let me put this another way,’ he bit out, inwardly wondering how he could have been so aroused by her a few short minutes ago and now felt like throttling her! ‘I am going to call you later to see how everything is.’
‘You are?’
‘Yes, I ar—am,’ he corrected himself irritably.
She arched dark brows. ‘And exactly how do you intend doing that when you don’t have my telephone number?’
Go, Nik, he told himself. Now. Before you actually do reach out and do something you’re going to regret!
‘But I do have your telephone number, Jinx,’ he couldn’t resist assuring her triumphantly, at the same time congratulating himself on his perspicacity.
‘I don’t see how—’
‘It’s right there on your telephone,’ he pointed out, at the same time giving a rueful wince as he waited for the explosion that was sure to come.
‘You—you—’ Jinx stared at him in disbelief. ‘You really are one devious bast—’
‘When
