His Cinderella Mistress

by Carole Mortimer

  Max straightened, that smile back on his lips as he looked down at her admiringly. ‘Very graciously said,’ he told her appreciatively.

  January gave a mocking inclination of her head, determined not to let him see that his proximity was unnerving her. Even if it was! ‘I like to think so,’ she dryly returned his own comment of a few minutes ago.

  He chuckled appreciatively. ‘I’ll have a drink waiting for you at the bar when you have your break. John tells me that you usually prefer a sparkling water.’

  She gave an irritated frown at the thought of this man discussing her likes and dislikes with a third person, even someone as innocuous as John. ‘The whole point of my having a break is to give me a few minutes to relax.’ Something she certainly couldn’t do around him!

  ‘Then we won’t talk,’ he promised lightly.

  No one could have accused him of being a chatter-box the previous evening! But this man didn’t need to say anything to totally disrupt her equilibrium; just having him sitting there staring at her was enough to make her nervous.

  ‘Fine,’ she accepted tautly.

  Max looked at her consideringly for several long seconds. ‘The last time you agreed with me so readily you made an escape out the back door,’ he said slowly.

  January felt the guilty colour warm her cheeks; she had said and done exactly that, hadn’t she…?

  ‘Well, this time I won’t,’ she assured him impatiently. ‘Okay?’

  ‘Okay,’ he acknowledged with a slight inclination of his head. ‘By the way…’ he paused before leaving ‘…you have the most incredibly sexy voice, speaking or singing, that I have ever heard,’ he told her softly before walking away.

  Oh, very conducive to calming her already frayed nerves—she didn’t think!

  Better, Max, he congratulated himself as he resumed his seat on a stool at the bar. Much better. Just the right balance of humour and determination. All he had to do now was keep it up for the next few hours!

  All! When January had walked into the room a short time ago wearing that figure-hugging black dress, showing a long expanse of shapely legs beneath its knee-length, he had literally stopped breathing for several seconds, the blood singing heatedly in his veins, and as for the rest of his body—! That sort of response just at the sight of a woman hadn’t happened to him since he was a raw teenager!

  But he had regrouped, he assured himself, had spoken to her confidently and yet not too forcefully, infusing humour into the banter they had exchanged.

  And then he had told her how sexy he found the sound of her voice!

  Okay, okay, so he had slipped back a little there. But it had been worth it—if only to see the warm colour that had suffused her cheeks, the sparkle in those incredibly beautiful grey eyes!

  At thirty-seven, Max had known many beautiful and accomplished women, been involved with several of them, but those women had been far too worldly-wise themselves to blush at something that was said to them; it was refreshing to know that January wasn’t such a sophisticate.

  How old was she? he wondered. Mid-twenties, probably, he decided. Not too young that he felt guilty over this single-minded interest he had found in her, but not too old that she had forgotten how to blush at a compliment.

  ‘Great girl, isn’t she?’ The barman spoke admiringly as he stood polishing glasses in preparation for the busy evening ahead, obviously having followed Max’s line of vision. ‘Not in the least stand-offish like some of the singers we’ve had in here in the past,’ John added with a pointed grimace.

  Max sensed that John could be a great source of information about January. If Max chose to pursue it. Which he didn’t…

  For some reason he felt a great need to get to know January for himself, to unpeal each protective layer, until he knew her totally. Like that parcel in the children’s game where you took one wrapper off at a time as the music stopped, until at last you arrived at the treasure within.

  Once again he thanked his lucky stars that his good friend Jude wasn’t about to witness his interest in January; he had no doubt that the other man would have found it highly amusing to see Max floundering around in the throes of this unexpected attraction!

  Amusing? He doubted Jude would be able to stop laughing for a week!

  Although Max’s total lack of success so far in the main reason for his being here would probably wipe that smile from the other man’s face, Max conceded with a frown as he thought of his meeting earlier today. A more stubborn, unyielding—! Not that he had given up, not for a moment—it was just going to take a little longer to accomplish what he had come here to do than he had at first supposed. But now that he had met January, that delay certainly wasn’t a drawback, as far as he was concerned!

  He had the distinct impression that January was going to be an even harder conquest than the business deal he had come here to complete on Jude’s behalf!

  The piano-bar slowly filled up as the sound of January singing drifted through to the other reception rooms, a rather noisy party of young men obviously on a stag-night part of the crowd that now stood at the bar, several of those young men obviously ogling January in her sexy black dress. Giving him the hitherto unknown feelings of jealousy at the thought of any man looking at her but him!

  Which was ridiculous, considering her choice of career; the way she looked was as much a part of that career as her sexily attractive voice.

  All well and good, Max, he derided his own logic—but that still didn’t stop the need he felt to get up and wrap his jacket around her so that she was hidden from any other male eyes but his!

  ‘Whisky,’ he turned to order from John grimly. ‘Make it a double,’ he added harshly as one of the young men strolled over to chat with January as she turned the music over between songs.

  John gave him a quizzical look as he set the whisky glass down in front of Max. ‘January knows how to take care of herself,’ he offered lightly by way of advice.

  Little comfort, when Max wanted to take care of her himself. Take care of her! He wanted to pick her up in his arms, carry her up to his hotel suite and make love to her until they were both too weak to do anything else but lay satiated in each other’s arms. And then he wanted to start all over again!

  She was laughing up at the young man now, completely relaxed in his company. But it was too much for Max, just too much, when the young man bent his head to give January a less-than-brotherly kiss on the lips!

  He wasn’t even aware of crossing the room, let alone having grabbed hold of the collar of the other man’s jacket as he pulled him forcibly away from January, his face only inches away from the young man’s as he glared down at him.

  ‘Max…?’ January gasped softly from somewhere behind him. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’ she snapped incredulously.

  Max narrowed his gaze briefly on the younger man before he turned to look questioningly at January. ‘He was bothering you—’

  She was standing now, shaking her head frowningly. ‘Josh is a friend, Max,’ she murmured as she gently released his hand from the other man’s jacket. ‘He’s marrying my cousin Sara next Saturday,’ she added pointedly.

  That may be so, Max accepted grimly, but the kiss he had given January had looked far from ‘cousin-in-lawly’ to him!

  ‘You’re causing a scene,’ January muttered awkwardly.

  Several people in the now crowded bar were watching them curiously, the group of young men who had come in with Josh amongst them. Probably getting ready to come to the aid of their friend, Max conceded self-derisively.

  ‘Sorry,’ he muttered to Josh as the younger man straightened his jacket, aware that the manager, Peter Meridew, was also watching the exchange with a narrowed gaze.

  January was right, what on earth had he thought he was doing? He might know that he was more interested in January than any other woman he had ever met, but as far as she was concerned he was merely a guest at the hotel who had bought her a drink last night!

  He forced hims
elf to relax. ‘I really do apologize if I overreacted just now,’ he told the other man more amiably.

  ‘No problem,’ Josh assured him dismissively. ‘It’s nice to know that someone is looking out for January,’ he added magnanimously.

  ‘I don’t—’

  ‘Perhaps I could buy you and your friends a drink?’ Max cut in lightly on what he was sure was going to be January’s assertion that she didn’t need, or want, anyone looking out for her. ‘I’m sure January would love to join us once she’s finished this session,’ he added challengingly.

  January was more beautiful than ever when she was angry, Max discovered as he turned to her with raised brows, her eyes a deep sparkling grey, her cheeks flushed against magnolia skin, even her mouth appearing redder. And more kissable than ever, he realized uncomfortably.

  ‘The wedding is next Saturday, you say?’ He turned back to the younger man—as much for his own peace of mind as to break his gaze away from January’s fierce glare.

  ‘Three o’clock.’ Josh grinned happily. ‘You’re more than welcome to accompany January, if you would care to,’ he invited warmly.

  ‘You—’

  ‘Why don’t we go back to the bar and talk about that?’ Max suggested firmly at what he guessed was going to be January’s heated refusal to that suggestion. ‘We really shouldn’t interrupt you any longer,’ he told her dismissively, turning away with Josh to walk back to the bar.

  But he was aware of January’s glaring gaze every step of the way!

  Was equally sure that her next choice of song, something about ‘surviving’ and being ‘able to take care of herself’, was in direct response to what she believed to be his heavy-handed interference a few minutes ago.

  So much for his keeping the evening light and amusing, he acknowledged self-derisively. He very much doubted that she would consider his almost punching her cousin-in-law-to-be in the mouth as either ‘light’ or ‘amusing’!

  Nevertheless, he couldn’t resist raising his whisky glass in a toast to her as the song came to an end, receiving a narrow-eyed glare in return.

  Max grinned in response. He couldn’t help himself. Persuading her into a relationship with him was not going to be easy. But he had never backed down from a challenge in his life before, and he wasn’t about to start now.

  Besides, he might not have had too successful a day but, all things considered, it hadn’t been a bad evening so far. If all else failed where January was concerned, he could always fall back on the definite invitation he had received from Josh to attend the family wedding the following Saturday!

  CHAPTER THREE

  ‘YOU can’t possibly go to the wedding with me next Saturday,’ January told Max firmly as she sat down at the table opposite him, the opportunity to tell him exactly this being the only reason she had agreed to have a drink with him at the end of the evening in the first place.

  He eyed her with some amusement, blue eyes dark with suppressed laughter. ‘Why can’t I?’ he returned mildly. ‘Josh seemed perfectly sincere about the invitation.’

  ‘I’m sure that he was,’ January acknowledged disgruntledly, more than a little annoyed with her cousin-in-law-to-be for offhandedly having made the invitation at all. Kissing her as a stag-night bet was one thing, inviting Max to come to the wedding with her was something else entirely. ‘It simply isn’t possible,’ she insisted determinedly.

  ‘Why isn’t it?’ he prompted softly. ‘I didn’t get the impression, based on the fact that Josh made the invitation, that you intended going with anyone else,’ he added hardly.

  ‘Well, you were wrong,’ January told him stubbornly. ‘I’m going with my family,’ she enlightened impatiently as she saw the way his gaze narrowed speculatively. ‘Taking a complete stranger to the wedding with me would be tantamount to making some sort of announcement to the rest of my family,’ she added irritably as he returned her gaze blandly now. ‘An inappropriate announcement!’ She glared her annoyance at his inability not to have seen that in the first place.

  He might have shown a marked interest in her the last two evenings, but she was sure he wouldn’t want to give either her or her family that particular impression!

  ‘It’s a week away, January.’ He shrugged. ‘A lot can happen in a week,’ he added enigmatically.

  A lot always ‘happened’ in her week, her work on the farm and the singing at the hotel in the evenings keeping her more than busy—but this man, with his powerful good looks, and his rich sophistication, simply did not ‘happen’ in that life!

  ‘I said no, Max,’ she reiterated firmly. ‘And I meant no.’ She took a sip of her sparkling water, feeling in need of something a little stronger, but unable to do so when she still had to drive home.

  ‘Whatever,’ he dismissed uninterestedly. ‘You were good this evening, January,’ he changed the subject abruptly. ‘Despite having been very soundly kissed in the middle of it,’ he added hardly.

  ‘It was a bet, Max.’ January sighed, too tired and irritable to simply tell him to mind his own business. ‘A stag-night dare,’ she enlarged. ‘I was at school with most of that group; they thought it a great laugh to dare Josh to kiss me.’

  In fact, Peter Meridew had had cause to speak to Josh and several of his friends before the end of the evening, claiming their rowdiness was disturbing the other guests.

  Max gave her a look that told her precisely how unfunny he had found the whole incident, too!

  Peter Meridew was one thing, but what did it really matter what Max thought? Or said, for that matter. He was a guest at the hotel—for how long, she had no idea—but pretty soon he was going to move on. And when he did, he was not going to leave a broken-hearted singer/farmer behind him!

  Because she would be deceiving herself if she didn’t admit—inwardly, at least!—that she had found his earlier behaviour, in jumping to her supposed rescue, highly chivalrous. An old-fashioned description, perhaps, but that was exactly how it had seemed at the time. No wonder those ladies of old had swooned into the arms of their saviour! And she didn’t doubt for a moment that Max would have carried out his intention to knock Josh to the floor if she hadn’t stepped in and explained the situation.

  ‘It’s late.’ She gave a weary sigh, pushing her long dark hair back over her shoulder, looking over to give John a sympathetic smile as he cleaned the bar prior to his own shift ending for the night. ‘I really should be on my way.’ She wasn’t as late as last night, obviously, but she definitely felt more tired.

  More emotional? Possibly. One thing she did know: she had better get herself as far away from Max as possible—now!—or risk giving in to that emotion.

  Max gave an inclination of his head, his gaze once more as intense as it had been the previous evening. ‘You do look as if you’ve had enough for one night, would you allow me to order you a taxi?’

  She gave a rueful smile. ‘There would be little point in that.’ Tempting as the offer was to relinquish the hour-long drive into someone else’s more than capable hands. ‘I don’t work tomorrow evening, so it would simply mean another drive out tomorrow to pick up my car.’

  ‘I wouldn’t mind picking you up.’ Max shrugged. ‘That way, you could introduce me to the rest of your family,’ he added pointedly.

  And that way he would no longer be the ‘complete stranger’ to them she had accused him of being earlier! Very clever, she acknowledged admiringly—if totally out of the question.

  ‘I don’t think so, thanks.’ She smiled as she stood up to put an end to the conversation.

  Max stood up, too, easily towering over her. ‘It really isn’t a problem,’ he assured her smoothly. ‘Besides, John was telling me earlier that you have some sort of stalker in the area…?’ He frowned as the two of them gave the barman a friendly wave before walking out into the reception area.

  He did have a point there. So far, the Night Striker had only attacked women in quiet, country areas, and while the hotel car park hardly qualified as that it was p
retty deserted this time of night…

  ‘Hmm,’ she acknowledged with a grimace. ‘Six attacks in the last six months.’

  Max’s eyes darkened at the knowledge. ‘Then, if you really do insist on driving yourself home…? That’s what I thought,’ he acknowledged dryly as she gave an affirmative nod. ‘In that case, there is no way I’m going to let you walk out to the car park alone while I go upstairs to my warm and cosy hotel suite.’

  ‘It’s quite well lit,’ she assured him.

  ‘I still don’t feel happy about letting you walk to your car unescorted,’ he insisted firmly.

  She could see by his determined expression that it would be no use pointing out that it was something she normally did three nights of the week. Every week. That she would do again once he had left the hotel…

  ‘You’re starting to sound like my elder sister May now!’ January teased as Max moved to drape her coat around her shoulders in preparation for going outside in the cold winter air.

  He gave a start of surprise. ‘I’m not sure I like sounding like someone’s elder sister!’

  January laughed softly. ‘Will it help if I tell you I’m very attached to both my sisters?’

  ‘It might,’ he conceded slowly. ‘Here, let me help you,’ he offered as she struggled to put her arms into the sleeves of her coat as the cold wind outside penetrated the thin material of her dress.

  Helping her into her coat was good manners, January acknowledged frowningly; allowing his arm to drape casually across her shoulders as they walked over to her car was something else entirely!

  Not that she wasn’t grateful for the added warmth of his body so close to hers—it was that closeness that bothered her. Disturbed her. Excited her!

  She had never met anyone quite like Max before, finding his air of sophistication, his complete air of confidence, those overpoweringly good looks, enticing to say the least.

  Admit it, January, she derided herself; you’re intrigued by the man, in spite of yourself!

  Intrigued? Her heart was pounding, her pulse racing, the flush that warmed her cheeks owing nothing to the cold and everything to Max’s proximity.