Bedded At His Convenience
Margaret Mayo
Hunter Donahoe is sexier than ever, and he's out for revenge on the pretty young wife who abandoned their marriage. Keisha needs cash, and Hunter has plenty. He makes Keisha an offer: she can work for him, no strings attached… But Hunter has other ideas when he sweeps her away to his Spanish villa. She'll be his personal assistant by day– and his mistress by night!
Bedded At His Convenience
Margaret Mayo
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER ONE
‘I CAN’T GO to a party!’ declared Keisha firmly, glaring at her friend. ‘I have nothing to wear. Nor do I have any money. And I’m about to be thrown out of my house. Why are you asking me?’
‘Because it’s exactly what you need,’ insisted Gillian, her voice firm. ‘You’ve been out of the social circle for far too long.’
‘And I’m in no position to enter it again,’ countered Keisha, green eyes flashing her irritation that Gillian had even thought about asking her.
But Gillian ignored her friend’s denial. ‘You can borrow one of my dresses.’
At one time the other woman’s clothes wouldn’t have fitted her, but the pounds had dropped off Keisha during the last three years. Gone were her voluptuous curves, and instead she was painfully thin. With her pale complexion and long ash-blonde hair, Keisha sometimes thought that she looked like a wraith. ‘I still don’t want to go,’ she maintained, her lips pressed firmly together.
‘I’m relying on you,’ retorted Gillian. ‘No way am I going to sit in alone when there’s a party to go to. Come on, we haven’t been out together for ages. Please? Do it for me?’
Keisha smiled weakly, beginning to feel selfish. Gillian had been a good friend, and she had been looking forward to this party. Would it really hurt her to make the effort?
‘OK, I’ll go. But just for you!’
Arriving at the party later that evening, Keisha felt good for the first time in ages. Gillian had worked wonders with her appearance, styling her long blonde hair into a sophisticated chignon, and applying just the right amount of make-up to highlight Keisha’s amazing eyes. Gillian had also made sure that Keisha wore something that flattered her thin frame, instead of drawing attention to her weight loss.
Slowly Keisha began to relax, and to enjoy herself. The last three years had been hard, and this party was exactly what she needed—time to have a bit of fun!
But as Keisha stood assessing the many glamorous people present at the party she quickly realised she had made a huge mistake. Standing on the other side of the room was Hunter Donahue. The blood drained from Keisha’s face and she wanted to turn tail and run. But already it was too late. Narrowed eyes were fixed in her direction, and a frown was furrowing an already darkened brow. Keisha’s stomach curled into a tight knot.
She turned to her friend, but Gillian was talking to someone else. When Keisha looked back in Hunter’s direction she discovered, much to her relief, that he had disappeared.
Until a hand touched her shoulder!
She shivered, goosebumps standing out on her bare arms like corn stubble in a freshly harvested field.
‘What are you doing here?’
Oh, that voice! That beautiful deep voice! Why did it still have the power to send shivers of a very different kind through her? So many pleasures they had shared, so much excitement. But things had gone drastically wrong and she had fled their marriage three years ago. She hadn’t seen him since.
She tried not to think about the great sex they’d shared—which was hard with someone as physically gorgeous as Hunter—lifting her chin instead, and looking coolly into the blue depths of his eyes.
Still beautiful eyes, she couldn’t help thinking. Come-to-bed eyes. Eyes that had been used very much to his advantage! Oh, hell, why was she thinking like this when they were divorced?
‘Who are you with?’
He didn’t look too pleased to see her either, thought Keisha, although she couldn’t help wondering whether he felt any of the old sparks—or whether she was the only one who remembered how fantastic those first months of marriage had been.
‘Who is he?’ Hunter’s eyes scanned the crowded room as he persisted in finding out who her companion was.
The party was being held in one of London’s top hotels. Keisha remembered Gillian telling her what it was in aid of, but for the life of her she couldn’t remember why all these businessmen were gathered together.
‘It isn’t a he, it’s a she,’ Keisha answered. ‘Do you have a problem with me being here?’ She let her wide green eyes rest on his cool blue ones, her chin tilted as she looked up at him. He certainly didn’t look pleased. In fact he looked as though she was the last person on earth he wanted to see again.
And she could hardly blame him when she was the one who’d done the walking.
‘No, I don’t have a problem,’ he answered. ‘I’m shocked, I guess. You’ve changed, Keisha. You’ve lost weight. I hardly recognised you.’
She lifted her too-thin shoulders and let them drop again. ‘I’m sure it’s no concern of yours.’
Hunter, on the other hand, had put on a few pounds. Not too much, possibly all muscle—as though he still worked out on a daily basis. He looked good. Far too arresting for her peace of mind!
‘On the contrary,’ he said, much to her surprise, ‘it is very much my concern. I’m interested in what you’ve been doing since you—deserted me.’ He lifted her hand and made a show of studying it. ‘No ring, I see. So you haven’t married again?’
Keisha shook her head, snatching her hand free, alarmed at the flurry of feelings that his touch had triggered. Feelings that she had thought were dead. And had now learned were very much alive. Hunter, she was discovering, was not a man who could be dismissed easily.
If ever!
Keisha told herself that she was being ridiculous. Why couldn’t she dismiss him? Their marriage had failed. They were divorced. He meant nothing to her any more.
‘I don’t suppose I can flatter myself that your loss of weight has anything to do with me?’
His devastating blue eyes looked deeply into hers and her throat tightened, pulses beginning to pound. She had run away because he’d neglected her, because he’d worked too hard and she’d rarely seen him—and because he had been seeing another woman.
Not because she had fallen out of love.
Three years was a long time. She ought to be over him. She had thought she was. And now she was shattered to discover that some of those feelings were still alive.
Keisha couldn’t help wondering whether Hunter was experiencing any similar feelings. Lord help her if he was, because if he turned his fatal charm on her she wouldn’t be able to resist. It had taken her but a few seconds to discover that.
Her only consolation was that she was older and wiser. She tossed her head and flashed her green eyes magnificently. ‘As if!’ And she took a step backwards.
Over Hunter’s shoulder she saw Gillian glance in her direction. What she wouldn’t give to call her friend over and suggest that they leave. But to do so would alert him to her unease, and that was the last thing she wanted. She needed to remain cool and aloof, and not let him see by even the flicker of an eyelash that he could still stir her senses.
Even though she’d always sworn as a young girl that she would never get married—her father had come and gone, finally disappearing into the ether when she was only nine, so her lasting impression of men was that they were never there when they were needed—she’d been totally bowled over by this man, by his softly spoken words and his eyes full of promise.
Keisha had left school at eighteen—there had been no money for university or higher education; she’d needed to earn a living. Her mother had suffered from bouts of depression ever since her husband had left and had never worked. Therefore Keisha had felt it her duty to get a job—even though she would have liked nothing better than to join her friends at university.
She’d found employment as an office junior at Hunter’s advertising agency. Every female had been in love with the boss; even the guys had admired him. He’d had jet-black hair and dancing blue eyes, and the looks of a film star. Not that he’d seemed aware of it; he hadn’t been big-headed or vain. Just totally at ease with himself.
When Keisha had dropped a folder full of papers he had helped her pick them up and she had been flattered. But when their eyes had locked momentarily she’d felt a thrill of something unexpected. And when, a couple of days later, he’d asked her out on a date she’d been overcome.
Of course she hadn’t refused him; who would have? Even though she’d felt that he was out of her league! She had thought that it would be a one-off date, that he would quickly realise how young and immature she was. But it hadn’t worked out like that. One date had followed another, followed swiftly by a proposal, and three months later, just after her nineteenth birthday, they’d been married.
It hadn’t been a big flamboyant wedding, just a quiet ceremony in their local church. Her mother had bought herself a new outfit, and Keisha had worn a white satin dress that had fitted her like a dream. It had been a beautiful day from start to finish, the best in her life, and Keisha knew that she would remember it for ever. She would tell her children about it—and her grandchildren.
In the headiness of new-found love she had forgotten all about her promise to herself never to get married, never to trust the opposite sex. This was the man for her; of that she had been very sure. He would never let her down the way her father had her mother. And she had got swept along by the excitement of the occasion.
It had been the talk of the office. Love at first sight and a whirlwind affair. The other girls had been green with envy, but most of the men had been relieved because, as they’d jokingly said, they no longer needed to keep an eye on their girlfriends or wives.
‘So what is it that has caused you to fade away like a wispy cloud?’
Hunter’s voice broke into her thoughts, and she was grateful because she didn’t want to think about what might have been. It had been a fairytale love affair, a fairytale wedding, and then poof! Gone! Exploded like a firework. Nothing left except memories.
‘I doubt you’d be interested,’ she said, deliberately keeping her chin high and her tone cool.
‘Believe me, I would.’ His head was bent towards her, his voice a low rumble in his throat.
His voice had urged her on so many times into the most wonderful and magical love sessions. It was deep and sexy; he had mastered the art of turning bones into jelly and blood into water. His voice had made her his prisoner. When he’d spoken to her like that she would have done anything for him.
Even now she could feel the fine threads of his web closing around her.
‘I owe you nothing,’ she said firmly. ‘And I’d really like you to go away and leave me to enjoy myself.’
Hunter had no intention of leaving Keisha’s side. When he’d seen her enter the room he had been unable to believe his eyes. Her disappearing act had been so final that he had thought never to see her again.
Three years ago he’d been captivated by her youthful innocence, by her lovely heart-shaped face and her infinitely kissable lips. He had been unable to get her out of his mind, and when she’d accepted his proposal he’d been the happiest man alive.
It hadn’t occurred to him that she wasn’t yet ready to be bound by the confines of marriage. That jealousy and insecurity would be their downfall. All he’d known was that he loved her and wanted her by his side for the rest of his life.
At his insistence Keisha had given up her job and moved into his apartment in the City. A few months later they’d moved into a beautiful house in Surrey, and he’d been happier than he’d ever been in his life. So when, just after their first wedding anniversary, Keisha had walked out on him, he’d been gutted.
He’d known she wasn’t happy with the long hours he worked. Maybe it had been wrong to insist that she give up her job—but how could he have kept his attention on his work with his beautiful, sexy wife within arm’s reach?
When she’d complained that she had nothing to do, when she’d declared that there were only so many times she could visit her mother or trail around the shops, he had suggested she find herself a hobby.
What he hadn’t expected was for her to join a gym, and it had worried him when he overheard her on the phone to her friend Gillian, saying how sexy the men there were. And more especially when she’d mentioned one man in particular. But when he’d questioned her she had declared that he was no more than a friend. That he was in fact happily married.
‘Why don’t you join too, then you can meet him?’ she’d suggested. ‘His name’s Marc Collins. He’s actually a friend of someone I went to school with.’
But he had declined the offer, accepting that if she was prepared for them to meet then he had nothing to worry about.
Conversely, he had known that Keisha harboured ideas that he was seeing another woman—they’d had enough arguments about it. But he’d thought she’d accepted that there was no one else.
How wrong he had been!
He had returned home one evening at about a quarter to midnight, after working solidly on a new advertising campaign, and she had dropped her bombshell. She had told him that she was leaving. And her eyes had been so cold and distant that he’d found it hard to believe she was the same girl who had been so passionately in love with him.
He had looked at her in total disbelief. ‘Keisha, tell me you’re joking.’
But she hadn’t been. They’d talked long into the night and he’d used all his powers of persuasion before he had finally made her promise that she would stay. That night they’d had the best sex ever—their love life had always been amazing, but that had been something different. It had felt as though they were renewing their vows, and he’d gone to work the next day feeling ten feet tall, fully confident that they had resolved their differences.
But that evening when he’d got home she’d gone.
He’d phoned her mother. He’d phoned everyone who might know where she was. Without result. At first he’d been worried, and he’d thought about calling the police. Until he’d realised that she couldn’t exactly be classed as a missing person. She’d walked out because she wasn’t happy.
She had fooled him into feeling safe.
Gradually his concern had turned to anger. How could she do this to him? Why? He had thought their love was indestructible.
Then he’d found out that it had nothing to do with the long hours he kept, or her delusions about other women. She’d used that as an excuse. She was the one who’d been having an adulterous affair. She’d said that her male friend was just that—a friend, a married friend—and he’d believed her. But he’d spotted her out on the street with her arms locked around his neck—at least he’d presumed it was the same guy. Even if it wasn’t, she’d clearly been infatuated with whoever it was.
She had been blatantly kissing him! In broad daylight!
Blood had fizzed in front of his eyes; he’d felt both revulsion and humiliation. She’d lied to him. His fury had known no bounds. He’d wanted to march up to her and wring her neck. And he’d wanted to knock the living daylights out of the guy embracing her. But he hadn’t. What would have been the point in causing a scene when their marriage was over? He had more dignity than that.
Instead he had watched as they’d walked off, hand in hand.
It was the hardest thing he’d ever done. Hurt had sliced into his heart as fiercely as if she’d stabbed him with a knife. And with hurt had come guilt. Maybe it was his fault? Maybe if he’d spent more time with her she wouldn’t have gone off with someone else? She wouldn’t have felt the need for male company.
There had been so many maybes and so much heartache that his head had spun. For days he’d done nothing but blame himself, until finally he’d grown convinced that it was not all his fault. It took two to break up a marriage. Keisha was as much to blame as he was. She had lied about her platonic relationship. She had accused him of two-timing her. And yet she had been doing exactly the same thing.
He had wondered how long her affair had been going on. He’d tried to pinpoint the time their marriage had started to go downhill. It certainly hadn’t been smooth going. They’d had many arguments about his long hours, and she’d become totally convinced he was seeing another woman. He’d tried to convince her that she was wrong, but clearly he’d failed. Perhaps she’d thought that what was good enough for the goose was good enough for the gander?
Except that he’d never cheated on her. Which made her defection doubly hard to bear.
Somehow he’d picked up the pieces of his life; working harder than ever, trying to forget her, not even letting her petition for a quick divorce disturb him. And he’d thought he had succeeded.
But now, seeing her again, feeling her betrayal all over again, he knew that somehow—he didn’t know how yet—he wanted to hurt her as she had hurt him. He didn’t love her any more—how could he when she’d turned to another man? But he was determined that she would get her comeuppance. One way or another!
‘I have no intention of going away, Keisha,’ he said on a rough growl, trying to hide the anger that was building up inside him. ‘As a matter of fact I’d like to dance with you.’ The band had struck up and was playing a slow waltz, and without giving her time to refuse Hunter took her hand and pulled her on to the tiny square of polished floor.
At first, as fierce memories lingered, he held her more tightly than perhaps he should have done. But gradually he relaxed, and so did Keisha, and as they swayed to the music, as he deliberately talked about anything except themselves, he discovered that she wasn’t entirely immune to him. Deep down inside something was still there.
Not love; he doubted now whether she ever had loved him. Probably the glamour of marrying the boss had seduced her. But there was definitely something physical happening—it had been a big part of their relationship, a massive part.
And it could work to his advantage!
Keisha was disappointed with the way her body was behaving. How could she feel anything for Hunter after all this time? It didn’t make sense. When the music stopped she headed swiftly away from him.
But not fast enough. Hunter caught her hand. ‘What’s the hurry? The evening’s only just beginning.’
‘Maybe for you, but not for me,’ she retorted, wrenching free. Gillian would get an earful; that was for sure. The last man in the world she had wanted to meet again was her ex husband.
Their marriage had been a huge mistake. She’d been far too young and inexperienced for the likes of Hunter. In actual fact he had been married to his work, and for light relief he’d chosen far more sophisticated women than herself. She had come a sad second best. She had wished for the moon and got only the stars. And, although she’d now discovered that she still had feelings for him, she didn’t want to be caught in his trap again.
Hunter, however, was totally unmoved; he was even smiling, though she observed that it didn’t quite reach his eyes. ‘Tell me—who is the good lady instrumental in us meeting again?’
‘It’s Gillian, actually. Do you remember her?’ asked Keisha. ‘But I wish she’d never persuaded me to come.’
‘That’s a pity,’ he said pleasantly. ‘I’m of the opposite opinion myself.’
Keisha looked into his intense blue eyes. They were quite the most magnificent eyes she had ever seen on a man. They had been part of his attraction in the first place, long-lashed and beautifully shaped, eyes that had made her feel very special.
And still could!
Damn him!
She looked around for Gillian, but her friend was nowhere in sight.
‘Are you saying that you are pleased to see me?’ she asked, looking frowningly up at him
Hunter was tall, six feet four, while she was twelve inches shorter. She had loved the difference in their heights. Loved it when he’d picked her up and twirled her around. When he’d hugged her to him, resting his chin on her head.
‘Surprised and pleased,’ he answered. ‘I want to know what you’ve been doing this last three years.’ Suddenly his face darkened, and long, strong fingers gripped her upper arms. ‘Exactly what you’ve been doing.’
Keisha felt sudden fear. This was a side of Hunter she’d not seen before. ‘Let me go,’ she protested. ‘What are you doing? You’re hurting me.’
‘I’m taking you somewhere quiet,’ he growled. ‘Where we can talk undisturbed.’
His words were soft, but they were laced with steel, and Keisha felt a shiver of apprehension. If only Gillian were in sight she could rush over to her and insist they go home. But her friend had disappeared, and Keisha couldn’t help wondering whether she had seen her with Hunter and made a tactful exit.
Gillian knew all about her divorce, of course; they had been friends for years. Gillian, however, thought Hunter was the bee’s knees, and couldn’t understand why Keisha would want to live without him. She had often urged her to get in touch and try to patch things up.
But Keisha had been adamant that it wouldn’t work.
With her elbow held in a vice-like grip, Hunter guided her through the laughing, talking crowd to a secluded corner. When he pushed her down onto a chair she looked mutinously into his face. ‘This is a complete waste of time,’ she declared.
‘I don’t think so.’ He took a couple of glasses of champagne from a hovering waiter and pushed one across a low table towards her.
Keisha didn’t want the drink, but something made her pick it up and down the whole lot in one swallow.
Hunter gave a satisfied little smile.
In three years he had matured quite dramatically. His glossy black hair, which had been almost shoulder length, was now brutally short. It showed no sign of receding, but there were a few distinguishing grey hairs at his temples.
He’d used to have twinkling eyes, but now they were serious. His thick level brows hadn’t changed, but his mouth no longer smiled in that mysterious way that had churned her insides. She had used to think that he looked like a dashing highwayman. Now he was a coolly contained businessman, very much in control of himself and all those around him.
And why was she noticing all this when she didn’t even want to be here? Damn! He was too much under her skin; she had never really forgotten him, especially the exciting times they’d spent together in bed. She wondered whether there was any other man in this whole world who could stir her senses so gloriously.
But marriage wasn’t just about sex. A couple needed to be friends and companions as well. And most importantly of all there needed to be trust. Which was something that had been sadly lacking in their relationship.
‘More champagne?’
Keisha nodded, and Hunter hailed another waiter.
‘Do you like what you see?’
She instantly averted her eyes, uneasy that she had been openly studying him, but more embarrassed that he had noticed. ‘You have a few grey hairs,’ she announced.
‘I guess it’s because I’ve been working hard. My business has grown dramatically. I have offices in Europe now, and I’m hoping to open one in New York next year. I’m hardly ever at home.’
‘Why don’t I find that surprising?’ she asked drily.
Hunter hissed sudden anger. ‘You knew that I had no choice if I wanted to get ahead. Really, Keisha, your attitude’s not changed one iota. Maybe I had a merciful release? You’re not cut out to be an executive’s wife.’
Keisha said nothing, picking up her glass and taking a sip of the sparkling wine. Then she twirled the crystal flute between her fingers and stared down at the tiny bubbles.
‘So it’s not the fact you’ve been missing me that’s caused you to lose so much weight?’ he asked, his blue eyes intent upon hers. ‘It’s someone else who’s done this to you?’
Wouldn’t it be good if she could disappear as quickly and completely as the bubbles in her glass, thought Keisha. Pop—they had gone! No more fear that they would be swallowed whole and live the rest of their lives swimming through miles of tubes—just as she was now swimming through years of revived memories.
Ignoring his question, she said, ‘Actually, I’m pleased for you. You deserve success.’ Yet even to her own ears she did not sound sincere.
‘For that I thank you,’ he acknowledged quietly, inclining his head. ‘So, now that you know what I’ve been doing, tell me what you’ve been up to. Your mother told me you’d moved away.’
Keisha’s eyes widened in stunned disbelief. ‘You spoke to my mother?’
‘What did you think?’ he asked, both brows rising this time, his eyes very wide and questioning. ‘That I wouldn’t come looking for you?’
‘She never told me.’ Keisha could hardly believe that her parent had kept secret the fact that Hunter had been searching for her. And the worst part was that now she could never thank her.
‘She wouldn’t tell me where you were either,’ he responded. ‘She said that if I tried to find you I’d have her to deal with. She’s a tough cookie, your mother. Lord knows what sort of tale you spun her. She spoke to me as though I were some sort of perverted idiot.’
Keisha was amazed that her mother had stood up for her like that. Not that it would have stopped Hunter if he’d been really determined. She compressed her lips and tears threatened. ‘My mother died recently.’
‘Oh!’ he said. ‘I didn’t know. I’m sorry to hear that.’
And he looked it. Compassion softened his face and she had the feeling that he wanted to pull her into his arms. She hoped he wouldn’t. She didn’t want to experience the warmth of his body, his steady heartbeat, or the pleasure it could give her. Thinking about her mother made her vulnerable. She wished he hadn’t brought the subject up.
‘Don’t be,’ she said sharply. ‘She was very ill towards the end. It was a merciful release.’
‘You must miss her.’
Keisha nodded.
‘So where are you living now?’
‘In my mother’s house,’ answered Keisha reluctantly. Though for how much longer was one of the things worrying her.
‘And is there a man in your life?’
It was Keisha’s turn to lift a brow, and she noticed that he was watching her face closely. She hoped he wasn’t thinking of suggesting she move back in with him, that they try again. Heaven help her! ‘I hardly think it’s any business of yours.’
His brows lifted again, but he didn’t pursue the subject. Though she had a feeling she hadn’t heard the last of it.
There had been no man in her life since Hunter. For the first twelve months she had been too fragile, and since then she had nursed her sick mother and had had no time for boyfriends.
And she didn’t want any more of these personal questions.
‘I’m getting out of here,’ she declared, scrambling to her feet. ‘I’ll call a taxi. If you see Gillian tell her I’ve gone.’
But Hunter stopped her. ‘If you insist on going then I will take you myself,’ he said, in that deep, sexy voice that impinged on her nerve-ends every time she heard it. It was low and persuasive at this moment, snaring her, and when he caught her wrist and held on to it while he too rose from his chair Keisha knew she was lost.
He had a stranglehold on both her body and her senses.
There was no escape.
CHAPTER TWO
HUNTER’S CAR WAS black and sleek and luxurious. It smelled of leather and his cologne, and as Keisha sank into the seat beside him she marvelled at how far he had come in the last few years.
And she could have been a part of it if she hadn’t left him.
The thought gave her no pleasure. He might have all the trappings of wealth, perhaps even more money than he knew what to do with, but was he truly happy? ‘Have you married again?’ she asked bluntly. There was no ring on his finger either, and there’d been no beauty hanging on to his arm. Surely there would have been if he’d got either a wife or a girlfriend?
‘I’ve had no time,’ he answered, slanting a tight, smiling glance in her direction.
‘You’re married to money—is that it?’ she enquired, keeping her voice honey sweet and her eyes on the road in front of them. It annoyed her that simply by looking at him he disturbed her senses.
He was one of that band of men who could turn a woman’s head without even trying. He had certainly turned hers—quite magnificently! She had thought herself the luckiest girl in the world when he’d asked her to marry him.
‘Money isn’t my slave, if that’s what you’re suggesting,’ he answered smoothly. ‘I enjoy being successful, I admit that, and I enjoy being able to go anywhere or do anything, but it isn’t the be all and end all of my life.’
‘So why haven’t you remarried?’ she asked, turning to look at him as his lips gave a rueful smile. ‘It can’t be because there’s a shortage of women in your life.’
‘Of course not,’ he answered smoothly. ‘I could have my pick of maybe a dozen girls at any one time—it comes with the territory.’ He shot her a sharply dangerous glance. ‘But it’s not worth it. I learned my lesson many years ago.’
‘Are you suggesting that I flung myself at you?’ Keisha’s tone was indignant. If anyone had done the pursuing it had been Hunter. Not that she hadn’t enjoyed the chase!
‘You’re saying that you didn’t drop that file deliberately?’ he asked. ‘Come on, Keisha, it’s the oldest trick in the book. Of course I didn’t realise it at the time, but…’ He gave a tiny shrug and let his words fade into thin air.
‘Would I have walked out on you if I’d married you for your money?’ Keisha asked with a questioning stare. ‘I don’t think so, Hunter. You’re talking rubbish.’
It was a relief when they pulled up outside her house. It was a two-up-and-two-down terraced property, very modest but very comfortable, and her mother had loved it.
‘Thank you for the lift,’ she said, opening the door and scrambling out almost before he had stopped the car. ‘You won’t forget to tell Gillian that I’ve come home?’
‘I’m sure she carries her mobile, you’d best call her yourself,’ he said drily, sliding out the other side and following her up the short path.
‘You don’t have to see me in,’ declared Keisha in panic. This was the very last thing she wanted. She had left the party to get away from Hunter, not have him pressing further attentions on her.
‘A gentleman would never allow a lady to enter an empty house alone.’
Keisha put her key in the lock and opened the door a few inches, but before she could tell him that she was safe and he could go his hand reached over her shoulder and pushed the door wider. With his other hand in the small of her back, he urged her inside.
‘There is absolutely no need for this,’ she insisted, tossing her head in desperation. ‘As you can see, all’s well. You can go back to your party.’
But Hunter had other ideas. His smile was cruel. ‘We’re long overdue a serious conversation. Have you any idea how I felt when you walked out on me?’
‘I don’t want to talk to you.’ Keisha flashed desperate green eyes. ‘You and I have nothing further to say to each other. I thank you for the lift, but now I want you to go.’
‘Are you going to make me?’ He folded his arms across his broad chest and dared her to challenge him. He was all male, strong and indomitable, and Keisha knew that she was fighting a losing battle.
She heaved a sigh of despair. ‘You’re wasting your time. You know the reason I left. We can do nothing but go over old ground.’
‘Then it’s old ground we go over,’ he answered simply.
There was no entrance hall at the property. The door led straight into a living room filled with old but much loved furniture. It was small, but felt even smaller with Hunter inside. ‘Please, sit down,’ she said faintly. ‘I’ll make us some coffee.’
She needed breathing space. He filled it with his presence, leaving her nowhere to hide.
Hunter needed no second bidding. Off came his dinner jacket and bow tie, and the top three buttons of his shirt were undone before he relaxed into an old leather chair.
Keisha gave an inward groan. She hadn’t meant to give him an invitation to make himself comfortable. The matter was getting out of hand; he looked as though he was ready to stay for hours.
She gritted her teeth and fled the room.
When she returned Hunter’s head had dropped back and his eyes were closed. Heaven forbid that he was asleep, she thought. From experience she knew that he was a heavy sleeper; there would be no getting rid of him. He would be here the whole night!
But as she put the cups down on a side table Hunter opened heavy eyelids. His slow smile was predatory, and uneasiness sent a chill down her spine. He had something in mind and she had no idea what.
She perched on the edge of a chair, as far away from him as she could get in this tiny room, and waited.
‘You look as though you’re afraid of me,’ he said. ‘Why is that, I wonder?’
‘Because you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t have some ulterior motive.’
An eyebrow rose. ‘Don’t you think you’re being fanciful?’ And he paused before adding, ‘As I said before, I’m merely being a gentleman.’
Keisha’s lips twisted into a disbelieving smile. ‘Seeing me home was gentlemanly, but making yourself comfortable is not. You’re not welcome here, Hunter.’
‘As you’ve made very clear,’ he acknowledged. ‘But surely a little conversation over a cup of coffee is nothing to worry about?’
It was when the man was Hunter Donahue!
‘Why are you showing such an interest in me after all this time?’ she asked, picking up her cup and saucer and holding on to them as though they were a lifeline. She needed a barrier between them—a brick wall would have been preferable! He was unnerving her with his intense blue eyes and thoughtful stare.
‘I didn’t expect you to walk out on me—not after our conversation,’ he said. ‘It wasn’t a very adult thing to do, was it? Unless, of course, there was some other reason that you left?’ His voice sharpened, became crisp and suspicious. ‘Something—or maybe someone—you didn’t tell me about?’
‘I simply couldn’t put up with your lifestyle,’ she flared. Had he no idea how abandoned she’d felt? Or how hurt she’d been? Or how foolish she’d felt for agreeing to marry him in the first place when he was so far out of her league? Her emotions had been all over the place—and he’d simply never seen it.
‘I saw more of our neighbour than I did you,’ she added defensively. ‘Maybe if you’d let me carry on working it wouldn’t have been so bad, but—’
‘Which neighbour?’ he cut in sharply.
‘Oh, for heaven’s sake!’ exclaimed Keisha. ‘What’s that got to do with it? Mrs Smith—she used to pop round for a cup of tea now and then. Sometimes I’d take her shopping. She was very bad on her feet. But you wouldn’t know that, would you?’ she asked sarcastically. ‘You were never home long enough to get to know your neighbours.’
‘OK, enough about this Mrs Smith,’ he said. ‘I’m more interested in where you ran away to. Your mother was very protective of your privacy.’
‘What did you expect?’ asked Keisha. ‘Actually, I’m surprised you had time to search for me.’
His brows drew into a harsh frown. ‘You really believe I thought so little of you—and our marriage?’
Keisha shrugged. ‘It’s the impression you gave.’
‘You didn’t think it strange that I didn’t try to find you?’
‘I did, yes,’ she admitted. ‘But it simply confirmed my belief that you put your work first. Or that maybe you were relieved I’d given you the freedom to carry on your affairs?’
Hunter hissed his anger, and he was silent for several long seconds, fighting his inner tension. Finally he sighed. ‘It just goes to prove that you never really knew me. Where did you go?’
‘Scotland,’ she admitted quietly and reluctantly. ‘I rented a cottage and found myself a job.’
There must have been something in her voice, because Hunter frowned, his brows drawing together in total incredulity. ‘Scotland? About as far away as you could go without leaving the country. What did your mother think about you living so far away?’
‘We were in touch daily.’
‘But you didn’t come back down to see her?’ His tone was growing more and more disbelieving. And his voice was getting louder and louder.
‘I did occasionally,’ she admitted. ‘Naturally I’d have much rather she came to me, but she wasn’t in—’
‘You were afraid of bumping into me?’ he interrupted abrasively.
Keisha didn’t have to answer; it was there in her eyes.
‘Do you still hate me, Keisha?’
‘I’ve never hated you, Hunter,’ she answered, quietly and truthfully. ‘I simply wasn’t happy in our marriage. I wanted more from life.’
‘But you don’t love me either?’ His voice was equally low, and his eyes never left hers.
Keisha shook her head, at the same time shaking off the sensation of closeness that had suddenly overwhelmed her. ‘No!’ She shifted uneasily. Because, although she didn’t love him, she still found him devastatingly sexy. He still managed to arouse feelings inside her body that she would rather were not there.
A tiny smile played about Hunter’s generous lips.
Heaven help her if he ever found out the truth, Keisha thought to herself! One inch of encouragement and he would have her in his bed again before she could even think about it.
‘So what sort of work did you do in Scotland?’
Keisha was relieved that he’d changed the subject. Their conversation had been getting far too intimate for her liking.
‘I worked in an advertising office.’
Hunter’s brows rose. ‘Perhaps I know them?’
‘I wouldn’t think so,’ she said. ‘They were very small.’
‘Were you happy there?’
Keisha nodded.
‘And you had a boyfriend to keep you company?’
She let her breath out noisily. ‘Why do you keep asking? Of what interest is it to you?’
Hunter lifted his shoulders in a lazy shrug, his lips twisting at the corners. ‘Perhaps I just want to find out whether he—they—matched up to me?’ But although he gave the impression of being relaxed there was a tautness about him that Keisha could not help but notice.
He didn’t like to think that she’d been with any other man.
‘Such conceit!’ she tossed scornfully.
And nor did she want to think about the good times they’d had. No one could ever match up to him; that was a fact. ‘How about you?’ she asked, turning the tables. ‘How many girlfriends have you had?’
Dark brows rose. ‘Why should I have had any when the only girl I’ve ever truly loved walked out on me?’
Keisha’s head jerked. ‘Don’t try to fool me. There have always been other women in your life.’
Blue eyes met green. ‘I’m very serious. You’ve no idea, Keisha, how much you hurt me. When you filed for divorce I couldn’t believe it. I thought that when you’d had time to think things over you’d come back to me.’
‘Then you are either very stupid or very naïve,’ she declared strongly. ‘And I must be incredibly stupid to be sitting here having this conversation with you. It’s a complete waste of time.’
‘I’d like to take you out.’
Keisha closed her eyes briefly. There was one part of her, very deep down inside, that wanted to say yes. The part she had thought was dead and now found was very much alive. But the sane part of her mind knew what a mistake it would be.
Hunter had a massive ego if he really thought she would agree. ‘You’re unreal,’ she said.
‘Am I?’ he asked, his mouth curving into a smile. ‘Touch me. You’ll soon find out how real I am.’
‘You know what I’m talking about.’
‘No, I don’t. Tell me.’ He spread his hands expansively. ‘We have the whole evening.’
Keisha felt as though she would die from asphyxiation if he didn’t go soon. He was taking all the air from the room, filling it with a black fear that was totally inexplicable. Unless it was the feelings he was still able to invoke inside her that she was afraid of.
It was not a thought she found any pleasure in. In fact it both alarmed and horrified her. ‘No, we don’t have the whole evening,’ she said, quietly but firmly. ‘I want you to drink your coffee and go.’ She picked up her cup and took a swallow before realising that it was still too hot.
Gallantly, though, she did not show it. She waited for him to follow suit, and willed him to scald his throat. She wanted him to suffer as she had suffered. He still seemed to have no idea how much he had hurt her.
Although maybe—and it was just a little maybe—she was the one at fault. The simple truth was that she really hadn’t been mature enough for marriage. She’d had an idealistic dream of time spent together, of long, exciting love sessions, of making babies, and Hunter always at her side. When it hadn’t turned out like that, when he’d spent more time working than he had with her, when he’d come home smelling of someone else’s perfume, she’d known their marriage was over and had run like a scared cat.
Not only that, though, she’d had visions of her mother’s unhappy marriage—of a husband who neglected her, who was absent far more often than he was at home. Maybe for different reasons than Hunter’s, but even so it would almost have been like history repeating itself. It had ruined her mother’s health, and Keisha had been afraid that her own sanity would be at risk if she continued in her marriage any longer.
Hunter took one sip of his coffee and then put the cup back down. ‘Maybe I will go. Maybe tomorrow would be a better time to talk—when you’re in a more receptive frame of mind. I’ll pick you up at ten.’
And with that sweeping statement, before she could even say a word, he grabbed his jacket and walked out of the house.
Keisha was left feeling utterly inadequate. Why hadn’t she spoken? Why hadn’t she told him that she never wanted to see him again? Now she would be compelled to face him in the morning—and what was the betting that he wouldn’t take no for an answer a second time?
Sleep evaded her that night. Instead her mind went back to her first date with Hunter…
At twenty-nine, Hunter Donahue had been much older and far more sophisticated than Keisha, and when he’d turned up at her house looking suave and elegant, in dark trousers and a white shirt, she had felt sudden panic.
‘Wh-where are we going?’ she asked huskily as he escorted her out to his car.
‘The world’s our oyster. Where would you like to go?’
‘I don’t know,’ she whispered. ‘I’ll leave it up to you.’ Heavens, she was so nervous.
Hunter smiled, a lovely warm smile that began to melt the fear in her heart. ‘I know a nice quiet little restaurant by the river. Would that suit?’
Keisha nodded.
It was the beginning of a whirlwind affair. His kisses were to die for and his lovemaking out of this world. And when he proposed to her after they’d been going out for only a few weeks she could hardly believe it.
‘Are you serious?’ she asked. She wanted to say yes, she wanted to shout it from the rooftops, but she had to be sure first. This was a tremendous step.
‘Extremely serious,’ he answered, and his eyes told her that it was true. They were the most intense blue she had ever seen them, and he looked at her with so much love that she felt she would die.
Their wedding was a fairytale dream, and their honeymoon in Madeira out of this world, but what she hadn’t realised was that Hunter was obsessed with making money, and over the following months he spent so many hours at his office that she hardly saw him.
She felt distinctly lonely and neglected. She tried to keep herself busy, but there was a limit to what she could do, and even going to the gym didn’t help. She began to wonder whether he had tired of her, whether it was an affair that was keeping him away. He was sometimes too exhausted to make love, which was such a change from the rampant male he’d been in the early weeks of their marriage that there had to be something different happening in his life.
And when one night he returned home and she smelled another woman’s perfume on him her heart fell with a thud into the pit of her stomach.
‘Have you been with another woman?’ she asked fiercely, pulling away from his kiss and staring into the blueness of his eyes.
‘God, no!’ he exclaimed at once. ‘As if I’d do that.’
‘I can smell perfume on you.’
‘Maybe,’ he acknowledged with a shrug. ‘I’ve been entertaining a female client.’
‘And you got so close that her perfume is lingering on your clothes?’
Hunter pursed his lips wryly. ‘Actually, she—’
But Keisha didn’t want to listen to excuses. ‘Did you take her to bed?’ she asked swiftly.
Hunter stiffened, his blue eyes suddenly fierce and condemning. ‘Are you questioning my integrity? Don’t you love me enough to trust me?’
‘Of course I love you,’ she replied, noticing that he hadn’t actually answered her question. ‘The trouble is I love you too much. I miss you.’ It was a plea from her heart. ‘I want you, Hunter, so badly. I don’t want any other woman to have you.’
‘And none shall,’ he declared gruffly, folding her in his arms and kissing her soundly. That night his lovemaking was better than ever. And when he began to keep more reasonable hours Keisha knew that she had been mistaken.
But after a few weeks the late nights started all over again, and her insecurity grew to such an extent that she couldn’t help tackling him. ‘Who is it this time that’s keeping you away from me?’ she demanded to know. She had waited up for him and began her attack the moment he entered the house. ‘The same woman or someone else?’
Hunter frowned harshly. ‘Keisha, I will not allow these ridiculous accusations. What the hell’s the matter with you? Have I ever given you reason to think that I’m having an affair?’
‘Yes—you had perfume on you,’ she riposted quickly.
‘And do I have a woman’s perfume on me now?’ he asked, pulling her close. ‘Go on, smell me! Do I?’
Keisha had to confess that he didn’t. ‘I can’t think of any other reason why you keep such ridiculous hours if it’s not a woman,’ she retorted. ‘It’s not as though you need the money. Your company’s doing very well.’
‘And why is it doing well?’ he asked fiercely. ‘Because I put in all the hours God gives to make it that way. It’s my driving force—haven’t you realised that yet? And while we’re on the subject of infidelity, perhaps I should be the one questioning you?’
Keisha head jerked and she frowned. What was he talking about?
‘Do you realise how often you mention Marc Collins these days?’
‘Do I?’ she asked. She wasn’t aware of it.
‘Yes, you do,’ he answered, his voice abrasive, his eyes accusing. ‘And you seem to be going to the gym far more frequently. Maybe I’m the one who has reason to be suspicious?’
Keisha laughed. ‘Really, Hunter, he’s just a friend. I told you that. Don’t you believe that a woman can have a male friend?’ Hunter was never around long enough for her to have a decent conversation. She needed someone to talk to, and Marc was always willing to lend an ear.
‘Not a woman as sexy as you,’ he growled, and he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Hot, passionate kisses, punishing kisses. And soon Marc was forgotten. Everything was forgotten—except the heady excitement of exploring each other’s bodies.
Somehow they seesawed their way through marriage for almost twelve months. There were times when everything went along smoothly and she was the happiest woman alive, and others when her uncertainties reared their ugly heads and they had unholy rows.
Finally Keisha was forced to accept that enough was enough. She couldn’t punish herself any longer.
CHAPTER THREE
‘I’M LEAVING YOU, Hunter.’
A frown sliced into Hunter’s brow, so deep that it might have been cut by a razor, and he stared at her in total disbelief. ‘Keisha, tell me you’re joking.’
‘I’m deadly serious,’ she said quietly.
‘But why?’ He looked genuinely surprised.
‘Do I have to spell it out?’ she asked impatiently. ‘Isn’t it obvious? The rows we’ve been having, the hours you keep. I can’t put up with it any longer. I want a husband who cares.’
It was partly her own fault, she realised that. She ought never to have married so young, and especially not to a man who thought more of his work than he did her. But that didn’t alter the fact that she was dreadfully unhappy.
‘Keisha, of course I care about you.’ He tried to take her into his arms but she pushed him away. ‘I love you deeply,’ he told her, his expression confirming his words. ‘You’re the best part of my life.’
Her eyes flared a brilliant green. ‘Then it’s a pity you haven’t thought about that before. Because I don’t want to be married to you any longer. My bags are already packed. I’m leaving first thing in the morning.’
‘You can’t do this.’ Hunter’s voice rose, loud and angry.
‘Believe me, I can,’ she retorted.
‘I won’t let you.’ He stood tall and proud, looking down at her with eyes full of fury. ‘You married me for better or for worse.’
‘Then I was a fool,’ she snapped. ‘Because I didn’t realise how bad the worse would be. I can’t take any more.’
His jaw tightened and his eyes became frighteningly black. But Keisha refused to back down. If she did so now she would be condemning herself to a lifetime of hell. She ought not to have told him that she was going; she ought to have just left.
Had she been subconsciously wondering whether he would persuade her to stay? Whether he would promise to change his habits? If so she was a fool, because Hunter would never change—not in a hundred years.
‘I love you, Keisha.’
He said it so calmly that it was scary.
‘And if you’d stop being angry for a moment you’d admit that you need me.’
If he thought that much of her he wouldn’t neglect her, thought Keisha. She wanted to be out enjoying life with him. She’d just turned twenty for goodness’ sake; she couldn’t handle these long nights in alone. The days were bad enough, but the evenings as well…
‘Yes, I do need you,’ she answered sadly. ‘That’s the whole point. I need you but I haven’t got you.’
They talked long into the night, and when they finally went to bed Hunter pulled her into his arms and made sure that she felt safe and cherished. Hunter in this mood she wouldn’t dream of leaving, but she knew that his promises never lasted.
The next morning he made her swear that she’d still be there when he got back, but Keisha had no intention of keeping her promise. As soon as he’d gone she slung her bags into her car and left the house for good.
Keisha’s retrospective thoughts had kept her awake for most of the night; nevertheless she was ready when Hunter came to pick her up the next morning. Not that she welcomed the prospect of spending time with him. If she’d known where to contact him she would have phoned and cancelled their date.
If it could be called a date!
He had coerced her into it. As far as she was concerned they had nothing to say to each other. The past was just that—past. There was no point bringing it up, discussing what might have been. It was over, done with. They were divorced. Why did he want to see her again?
He arrived at ten on the dot, devastatingly handsome in grey trousers and a white silk shirt. Despite her misgivings, Keisha’s heart skipped a beat.
She had dressed down deliberately, in a pair of white trousers and a cerise top, and she didn’t expect Hunter to pass any comment.
But he did.
‘You look good,’ he said. ‘Not at all as though you’ve spent a sleepless night wondering how you can get out of seeing me.’
Keisha frowned. How did he know that she’d lain awake? Unless, of course, he had done exactly the same. She looked carefully for shadows beneath his eyes but there none. He was the same as always. Gorgeously sexy!
There ought to be a law forbidding men to look like he did. It should never be allowed. His face was strong, with a square jaw and beautifully moulded lips. She only had to look at them to want to feel his kisses.
She gave her head a mental shake, trying to squash both her thoughts and her traitorous feelings. ‘If you had an ounce of decency you would have cancelled,’ she told him coolly. ‘In fact I don’t know why you asked me out in the first place. Talking won’t help. We’re two different people now, each with our own lives. We have nothing in common.’
‘I beg to differ.’ A wide smile stretched those kissable lips, revealing equally beautiful white teeth. Was there nothing about this man that was not perfect? Keisha asked herself.
‘We have a marriage in common.’
Keisha looked sceptically into his eyes. ‘Was it ever a real marriage?’ And, with a complete change of subject, ‘Where are we going?’
‘I thought maybe a picnic somewhere.’
Keisha looked at his smart linen trousers and expensive white shirt. ‘A picnic?’ she asked, her tone incredulous, her fine brows rising.
‘Have you any better suggestions?’
She could tell him to get lost. Would that do any good? She doubted it. ‘None,’ she answered abruptly.
‘One thing we do need is privacy,’ he said. ‘And since you don’t seem to think much of my suggestion I think maybe I’ll take you back to my house. We can picnic on my lawn, if you like,’ he added with a whimsical smile. ‘Or maybe we’ll be a bit more sophisticated and go out for lunch—after we’ve talked.’
Keisha knew she had no choice. She ought not to have opened the door to him. Or, better still, she ought to have gone out and let him fume on her doorstep. It was a ridiculous situation.
‘Or we can talk here, and then I can throw you out when I’ve had enough,’ she declared, her lips tight, her green eyes revealing inner tension. Which was enough to make her feel like an over-tight guitar string that might snap at any moment.
‘No!’ he declared firmly. ‘We need space.’
‘In case I throw something at you?’
Hunter smiled. ‘Maybe.’
And so he drove her to his house on the outskirts of the City. It wasn’t like the one they’d bought in Surrey when they’d got married. It was a mansion in all but name. Keisha’s eyes widened when she saw it. ‘You’ve certainly gone up in the world,’ she said.
It had a security gate at the end of the drive, and looked like something out of a period movie. As they drove up to the house she saw lawns leading down to the Thames, and a boat moored to a wide wooden deck.
‘Like I said, my business is doing very well for itself,’ he said. ‘It’s far exceeded my dreams.’
‘And I suppose you’re still putting in those ludicrous hours?’ she challenged. ‘Why do you need a house this size if there’s only you living here?’ What she was really asking was whether there was another woman in his life.
‘Because I entertain a lot,’ he answered. ‘I hold corporate meetings here—business weekends, in fact. It works better than booking conference rooms. I have loyal staff who do all the organising and look after my every need.’
Keisha’s brows rose. This was money talking. Real money. And here was she without a penny to call her own. Was she sorry that she was not a part of it? Or glad? Would she have enjoyed all these trappings of wealth? Who knew what might have happened if she hadn’t run out on him?
Hunter had also lain awake for a good deal of last night. He’d been flabbergasted when he saw Keisha. Considering that she had disappeared without trace, it had been like seeing an apparition. She was still beautiful, despite how thin she was, and regardless of the way she’d treated him he couldn’t help thinking how much he’d lost.
He’d thought their marriage was perfect, and had found it hard to believe that she’d wanted to leave him. When he had discovered that blaming his hard work had been nothing more than a smokescreen, when he’d seen her with her arms around another man, all hell had broken loose inside him.
And now that they’d met again he’d spent all night working out how to get his revenge. It was a simple plan, really. He would make her fall in love with him again and then he would dump her—just as callously as she had dumped him. She would experience hurt and pain and bewilderment; she would rack her brains to find out where she had failed him.
It would destroy her.
While he would feel nothing except triumph.
But first would be the very pleasurable experience of gaining her trust again. He might hate her for walking out on him, for cheating on him, for making him look like a fool, but he still ached for her sexy little body. And he fully intended to take advantage of it!
Hunter watched her face as he showed her over his house. He was proud of his achievement, and Keisha’s expression was stunned to say the least. Was she regretting walking away from all that he could have given her?
It was hard to believe that she was still living in the same tiny cottage that she’d been brought up in. He was naturally sorry to hear that her mother had died, but surely Keisha could have done better for herself? To still live in that cramped little house didn’t make sense.
‘What do you think?’ he asked as they finished their inside tour and began walking down towards the river.
‘It’s magnificent,’ she said.
‘And it could all have been yours,’ he responded, quietly awaiting her reaction.
Not that Keisha had ever wished for the moon. Indeed, she’d been shocked when he had asked her out on their first date. He had almost expected her to say, Who? Me? and look round to see if there was anyone behind her.
He had discovered that she worked mainly to support her mother, and although he still found it hard to understand why she had run away from him, he had found it inconceivable to believe she had left her mother in the lurch too.
Perhaps she’d been sending money to her parent? Salving her conscience that way? Whatever the situation, he’d not been able to find out about it. Keisha’s mother had kept admirably quiet about her daughter’s whereabouts. For that he respected her, even though it had angered him at the time when she’d stonewalled every enquiry he made.
Keisha must have cast him as the biggest villain out.
And now she was going to get her just deserts.
‘I’m waiting for your answer,’ he said.
Keisha frowned. ‘Did you ask me something?’
‘I said all this could have been yours. Do you have any regrets?’ He watched her face closely. It hadn’t changed much. With her green eyes and dimples and her smooth skin it still held the innocence that had first attracted him.
She shook her head vehemently. ‘None at all! I’m not materialistic—you should know that.’
‘So you prefer living in your mother’s old house?’
‘I have little choice.’
He frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean I can’t afford to move.’
Hunter looked at her closely, and for the first time saw the pain deep behind her eyes. He took her arm and led her to the rose arbour. ‘I think we need to talk.’
Keisha looked as though she didn’t want to, but he was determined to find out what had happened to make her so vulnerable. He felt fairly certain that it had nothing to do with her walking out on him.
Had the boyfriend something to do with it? Had he left her in the lurch? Anger filled him. This was the woman he had once loved; he would never have hurt her. Never! And to think that someone else had made his blood boil!
‘So why can’t you afford it?’ It was hard keeping his voice quiet and even, but he knew that if he wanted her to talk then he would have to. ‘What are you doing these days?’
Keisha shrugged. ‘Temporary work.’
‘Why haven’t you got a permanent job?’ he queried.
‘Because,’ she said, so softly that he assumed she didn’t really want him to hear, ‘I was out of work for a long time looking after my mother, and now it seems no one wants to employ me.’
‘Really?’ Far from feeling sorry for her he felt pleased. In fact he felt jubilant. Fate was on his side. She was playing right into his hands. This could work very well to his advantage. ‘Maybe I can help?’
Keisha looked at him warily. ‘I want nothing from you.’
‘Can you afford to turn me down?’ he asked, keeping his voice low and sympathetic.
He saw her brace herself; he saw her struggling with emotion. ‘I couldn’t work for you. Not again.’
Hunter allowed himself a small smile. ‘Maybe you need time to think it over?’
Keisha closed her eyes. What she ought to do was snap his hand off. She needed a good, solid job—desperately! She would be a fool not to take him up on his offer. But working for Hunter again? How soul destroying would that be?
Except that maybe she wouldn’t see much of him. He was the top man; he was very busy; he would be here, there and everywhere. Perhaps even abroad a lot of the time? She would have nothing to worry about.
She was very much aware of the clean, fresh masculine smell of him, so close to her nostrils that it was like breathing him in, filling herself with his sexy male body, allowing memories to come flooding back.
One memory in particular.
It had been their honeymoon night. They had showered after their flight, and then sat on their hotel balcony watching the incessant movement of the ocean, watching a blood-red sun slowly sink, marvelling at the drama taking place in the sky.
Their balcony hadn’t been overlooked, and both of them had been as naked as the day they were born. Hunter had warned her on the flight over that this was the way he intended to keep her for the whole seven days.
An army of butterflies had filled Keisha’s stomach at the prospect, but her inhibitions had flown once they were there, and there on their balcony the scent of Hunter had drugged her. She’d no longer wanted to watch the sea or the sky; she’d wanted to make love!
She’d drunk in the essence of him, inhaled it deep into her soul, and then she had taken him by the hand and led him through to their bedroom. What had happened afterwards had been out of this world. There on that magical island, on that first night of the rest of their life together, they had reached heights never dreamed of—and she had thought if that was what their future was going to be like then she was one hell of a happy woman.
But of course it hadn’t ended up like that, and drinking him in now, smelling that same pagan smell, feeling sensations desperately trying to make themselves known all over again, created an irrational fear.
Fear and need!
Foolish desire!
Having anything to do with Hunter was a disaster waiting to happen.
And yet she needed a job. He was her only hope! He was offering her a lifeline. It would be stupid to throw it back in his face because of something that had happened three years ago.
‘Have you thought about it?’
‘What would I be doing?’ she asked next.
Hunter gave her a devilish smile. ‘My PA is about to go on maternity leave. I’ve not yet found a replacement. You’ll do very nicely.’
Keisha was horrified. She couldn’t! She wouldn’t! She wanted distance between them, not togetherness.
‘You look shocked!’
‘I am. I can’t work that closely with you.’
‘Why ever not?’ he asked pleasantly, though she feared his pleasantness was that of a wolf about to pounce.
‘Because—because…’ Her voice tailed off miserably. She could come up with no convincing justification.
‘There, you see—you have no excuse.’ Hunter’s lips curled upwards in a gleeful smile. ‘The matter’s settled.’
‘No, it isn’t,’ declared Keisha bravely. ‘I need time to think about it. I hadn’t envisaged working so closely with you. I’ll think about it overnight and give you my decision in the morning.’
Hunter’s smile was slow and confident. ‘And we both know what it will be.’
Keisha shook her head. ‘No, we don’t. Maybe I do need a job, but I’m not that desperate.’
Mocking brows lifted. ‘Brave words, my beautiful Keisha! If what you’ve told me is true, then you’d be a fool to turn me down.’
She didn’t think so. She would be a fool to line herself up for more heartache—because surely that was what would happen? Spending time together would be disastrous.
‘You think what you like,’ she tossed irritably. ‘I’d like to go home now.’
‘But you’ve only just got here,’ he declared with a fierce frown.
‘I made a mistake. And if you don’t want to take me I’ll ring for a taxi.’
‘And spend money you can ill afford?’ he queried irritably. ‘If you’re that determined I’ll take you.’
But he wasn’t pleased, and he drove her home in grim-faced silence.
Keisha was relieved that he wasn’t speaking, because she had nothing to say to him. Her thoughts were too full. His job offer was more than generous, given their circumstances, and the practical half of her knew that she ought to jump at it. But the sane half, the half that was afraid of what might happen between them, told her she would be a fool to even think of accepting.
He drew up outside her house and finally spoke. ‘I can’t keep my offer open. I need someone straight away.’ He was in business mode now, serious and brusque. ‘Ring me first thing tomorrow or forget it.’
Keisha shot out of the car. ‘I’ll forget it.’ And she slammed the door.
So that was that, she thought as she let herself in. She’d turned down the only decent job offer she was likely to get. Was she stupid or what?
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