it wouldn’t, considering what happened.’ She was beginning to sense some reluctance here. ‘Say we really were married, would you wear a ring then?’
‘You’d have to insist.’ He slid her a sideways glance. ‘You would too, wouldn’t you?’
‘Absolutely.’ She held her left hand up between them, angling her fingers so that the diamond sparkled in the light. ‘Some people actually respect the sanctity of marriage and don’t hit on a person wearing a wedding ring.’
‘Funny,’ he said dryly. ‘You don’t look that naïve’
‘Hah. It just so happens I don’t think I’m being naïve. But I do concede that if you never wear one we’ll never know.’
The clumsy young thing was back, all purring solicitousness as she asked Nick if she’d hurt him, if he was feeling all right, and was there anything, absolutely anything, she could do for him.
Honestly!
‘Oh, I think we’ve got it covered.’ Hallie smiled, sharp as a blade, as her hand- the one with those shiny rings on it – came to rest high on Nick’s trouser clad thigh. Nothing subtle about that particular manoeuvre; she was claiming ownership and the other woman knew it. ‘On second thoughts, darling, you feel a bit cold,’ she said to Nick as she squeezed gently and slid her hand a fraction higher up his thigh. Muscles jumped beneath her palm even as the rest of him went absolutely still. ‘Would you like a blanket for your lap? There’s one in the webbing in front of you.’
With an annoyed pout and a narrow-eyed glare for Hallie, the other woman made herself scarce. Not that Nick noticed. His wife had his attention now. His complete and utter attention.
‘What are you doing?’ he rasped.
‘Practising.’
‘For what? The mile-high club?’
Hallie’s smile widened. Really, his imagination was so delightfully easy to manipulate. ‘I’m practising my possessive moves for when I meet Jasmine.’
‘Well, would you mind practising with your hand somewhere else? I’m not made of stone.’
This was debatable. Right this minute, Nicholas Cooper’s thigh was hard as a rock. ‘Sorry, my mistake. I thought we agreed on physical contact in public places,’ she said as she withdrew her hand, reached for the blanket and draped it across his knees. She shouldn’t bait him; she knew it. But she couldn’t resist. ‘This is a public place,’ she said sweetly. ‘And we did have an audience.’
‘You know you’re right. You’re absolutely right,’ he said. He flicked off the overhead light, brought her hand back to his thigh and drew the blanket over his lap with a smile that was pure challenge. ‘Feel free to continue.’
Okay, so there was a slight chance she’d been asking for it. Now he was asking for it and she was tempted, very tempted, to deliver. But if she did, things would get out of hand. Or out of trousers and into hand, so to speak, and heaven only knew what would happen after that. Come to think of it, she had a pretty good idea what would happen after that …
And what if they were caught?
They’d be thrown off the plane in disgrace. A big red ‘deviant’ stamp would appear in her passport and then Interpol would sign her up for sexual misconduct reform school and Tris would find out and, oh, the horror …
Nick wasn’t the only one with a vivid imagination.
Feigning nonchalance, Hallie withdrew her hand from his thigh and reached for her glass of water. She was flustered; she was aroused; she was totally out of her league.
She was enjoying every minute of it. ‘Actually, I’ve changed my mind,’ she said.
‘Good call.’ He exhaled deeply.
‘After all, it wouldn’t do to forget that this is strictly a business arrangement.’
‘Exactly.’
Exactly. The sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach was not disappointment. Nick was her employer, nothing more, and only for one week. After that it was contract fulfilled and goodbye. Surely she could resist his considerable charms for one lousy week.
All she needed was a more professional approach.
‘So how do you want to approach this business of being married?’ she said crisply. ‘Are we aiming for warm and fuzzy or a fiery attraction of opposites?’
‘Think of yourself as a cross between a personal assistant and a German Shepherd,’ he said. ‘Supportive, loyal, and when necessary, extremely protective.’
A German Shepherd? Ugh. This new approach worked fast. ‘Anything else?’
‘Are you sure you couldn’t manage a simper?’
‘Positive.’
Nick sighed. ‘Just be yourself then. That’ll work too.’
‘Oh.’ And after a moment’s reflection, ‘That was a nice thing to say.’
‘You realize that was almost a simper?’
‘It was not.’
Nick’s answering smile was suspiciously gleeful as he flicked on his overhead light, reached for the in-flight paper and snapped it open, effectively ending the discussion.
Hallie glared at the back page of the paper. It was shaking ever so slightly. He was laughing at her, dammit. ‘That was not a simper.’
‘If you say so, dearest.’
A fiery marriage, she decided. A constant battle of words and of wits and it was a damn good thing this marriage was only going to last a week.
Any longer and she’d probably kill him.
Twelve hours and several time zones later, they touched down at Chek Lap Kok International Airport, collected their luggage, and met up with the Teys’ driver, who went by the name of Kai. They followed the silent Jet Li lookalike through the streamlined arrivals terminal, out through the huge automatic opening glass doors, and they were in Hong Kong.
‘Phew.’ Wide-eyed at the sleek steel-and-glass building they’d just emerged from, Hallie paused to gather her composure. ‘It’s cooler than I thought it would be.’
‘It’s winter,’ countered Nick. ‘If you want hot and humid, we’ll have to come back in September.’
‘Ah.’
They followed the Teys’ driver towards an illegally parked Mercedes and Hallie began to watch their guide with increasing interest. Maybe it was the easy, graceful way he moved or the way he seemed to know what was happening around them without ever seeming to notice. Maybe it was the way he loaded their suitcases into the trunk as if they were empty, which was definitely not the case. Maybe it was simply that he was gorgeous, with a quiet intensity about him that drew the eye, but … no. That wasn’t it either. He reminded her of someone.
