and his gut clenched with how badly he still wanted her.
Maybe he should tell her the truth now and be done with it.
But then, where was the fun in that?
‘Give me some time to clean up, take a look at your proposal and we can discuss it over a Shirley Temple.’
He scored another direct hit with reference to her favourite drink back then, her lips compressing into an unimpressed line.
‘This isn’t some trip down memory lane. This is business.’
His glance strayed to her lips, lush and pouting, before sweeping back to her eyes, registering the shock of arousal that made a mockery of their business.
‘So you keep saying. Business. Ri-i-ight.’
To his surprise, she laughed. ‘You haven’t changed a bit. Still the charmer.’
She was wrong, dead wrong.
He’d changed and, come five o’clock, she’d discover exactly how much.
Propping on the bonnet, he crossed his ankles. ‘Is it working?’
‘Nope, I’m immune to rebel charmers these days.’
‘Pity.’
His glance slid over her, taking in every delicious curve, earning another blush.
‘How long are you in town for?’
‘For as long as it takes.’
She’d gone cold again. Retreating back into the business at hand…
His glance swept the distant cane fields he loved so much, encompassing the sugar cane that was as much a part of him as his Italian heritage, wondering what she’d make of him once she discovered his real business these days.
Would she be impressed? Probably, though in all fairness what he did or where he came from had never been an issue with her.
They’d been friends before lovers in the old days, travelling on the same bus to school every day even though she’d attended the private grammar school and he’d gone to the local high school.
She’d pretended to ignore him at first so he’d done his best to rile her with constant taunts about everything from her shiny shoes to her long red pigtails. And when her fiery temper had sparked her into retaliating by ramming his bike with hers, their friendship had been cemented.
She’d never given a damn about the gaping hole in their social circles: the richest girl in the district hooking up with the Italian working-class farm boy.
But other people had. He’d heard the whispers, the innuendos, about her slumming it with him before she got married to a suitable man.
He’d let it taint what they had, had ended it for good before things got out of control. But he’d never forgotten how dating her had made him feel. Simply, he’d wanted to be a better man for her.
All ancient history, and as he refocused he knew that impulsive kiss was a stupid move.
He didn’t do impulsive any more. Every decision he made was carefully weighed, evaluated and executed with the utmost precision. He wasn’t at the top of his game these days for nothing.
Pushing off the car, he tapped the bonnet.
‘You better get going. Give me a chance to finish up here and meet you later.’
‘Fine.’
He opened the car door for her and watched as she buckled up. Déjà vu hit and an irresistible impulse came over him in spite of all the resolutions he’d just made. He leaned in quickly through the open window.
‘Hey, Red?’
‘Yeah?’
He grinned and tweaked her nose just as he used to. ‘You kiss even better than I remember.’
Before she could respond, he straightened, chuckling at the instant indignation sparking her beautiful eyes as he strode towards the farmhouse.
Chapter Two
BRITTANY pressed her hands to her flushed cheeks as Nick strode away.
The man was a menace.
In less than ten minutes he’d managed to unbalance her, unhinge her and undermine her.
As for that kiss…she thunked her head on the steering wheel, twice, for good measure.
Not only had she stood there and let him do it, she’d responded! Like a woman who hadn’t been kissed in a very long time.
Which in all honesty was probably true considering she’d been so focused on the managing director position coming up for grabs she hadn’t dated in yonks.
But that didn’t excuse her eager response, nor did the total and utter meltdown she’d experienced the second his lips had touched hers.
‘Ice Princess my butt,’ she muttered, releasing the brake and sending gravel flying before heading back down the drive.
Sneaking a peek in the rear-vision mirror, she wasn’t surprised to see Nick staring over his shoulder with a grin as wide as the Sydney Harbour Bridge plastered across his smug face.
She clamped her lips shut on a host of expletives and headed for the main highway.
In a way, she was glad he’d suggested they meet at her hotel to discuss her proposal. She’d be much better prepared to face him again in the cool elegance of the Phant-A-Sea’s front bar than inside the cosy farmhouse that held a host of memories.
Wonderful, heartfelt memories of sitting across from him at the handmade wooden dining table, tearing into steaming ciabatta hot from the oven, dipping it into olive oil and balsamic vinegar, licking the drips off each other’s fingers…
Cuddling up on the worn chintz sofa, watching old black and white Laurel and Hardy movies and laughing themselves silly.
Clearing the family room of its mismatched lounge chairs and scarred coffee table stacked with newspapers and magazines so they could dance body to body to their favourite crooning country singer.
The memories were so real, so poignant that her eyes misted over and she blinked, caught up in the magic of the past when she should be focused on the future.
Her future as Managing Director of Sell depended on it.
Come five o’clock, she’d make sure Nick Mancini with his sexy smile and flashing dimples and hot body knew exactly the type of businesswoman he was dealing with.
Brittany sipped at her sugar-cane juice as she glanced around the Phant-A-Sea’s bar.
She’d stayed in some gorgeous hotels around the world but this one was something else. From its sandstone-tiled entrance to its pristine whitewashed exterior,
