‘Thirty-five,’ he corrected.
‘It’s ridiculous in a grown man whatever his age.’ Her eyes flashed.
Aaron grinned. ‘But cute, huh?’
‘It is not cute!’
‘You know I’m beginning to think that something was left out of your expensive education,’ he frowned.
‘Oh yes?’ she scorned.
‘A sense of humour,’ he taunted. ‘It can help you through a lot of awkward occasions.’
‘No doubt you’ve had great need of your warped sense of humour over the years!’
‘Not nice,’ he reproved. ‘Okay,’ he shrugged. ‘I can see you definitely aren’t amused. It was the telephone number that brought me here.’
She frowned. ‘What telephone number?’
‘This telephone number, of course.’ His voice was edged with impatience.
She shook her head. ‘I know for a fact that I didn’t mention this telephone number.’
‘I watched you dial. I have a good memory for numbers, and this was an easy one to remember. As soon as you left my suite I called here and made my own reservation, with a table for four, of course.’
‘How enterprising of you,’ she bit out, annoyed that he had used the same subterfuge she had when obtaining the number of his hotel room.
‘I thought so,’ he nodded.
‘Well, now that you’ve had your little game could Bill and I leave?’ she said with sarcasm.
‘Bill and you, sure. But if you walk out of here alone—as you were thinking of doing just now—you’ll only embarrass Bill and Erin. That is, unless they’ve already left,’ he added softly.
Charly gave him a sharp look. ‘What do you mean by that?’
‘Haven’t you noticed the way they’ve been looking at each other all evening? They’re attracted to each other.’
She frowned, having noticed nothing. ‘You’re imagining things,’ she scoffed.
‘I’m not,’ he shook his head confidently. ‘Perhaps you were too interested in me to notice them.’
‘I don’t think so,’ she drawled derisively.
‘No, perhaps not,’ he conceded dryly. ‘But I know Erin well enough to realise when she likes a man, and Bill Shaw seems to return the interest. I hope you aren’t too upset about it?’ he taunted.
She bit her tongue to stop herself denying being in the least affected by Bill Shaw’s interest in Erin or any other woman. Last night she had almost made love with this man; it was better for her defences if he continued to believe he was only one of many in her life instead of the only man to affect her in that way since the beginning of her marriage to James. She had enough complications in her life without Aaron Grantley knowing he was the first man she had been physically attracted to in years!
‘Perhaps if you hadn’t insisted on monopolising quite so much of my attention they wouldn’t have found the time to become attracted to each other,’ she said coldly.
Aaron’s eyes widened. ‘You are upset.’
She looked at him unflinchingly. ‘What did you expect me to be?’
‘You didn’t seem that interested in him earlier,’ he frowned.
‘I’m not a very demonstrative person.’ Her icy gaze dared him to dispute that claim. He didn’t. And she didn’t know if she was angry or relieved that he didn’t! After last night he had to know she could be very demonstrative, but she didn’t want him to talk about that time she had spent in his arms. And yet she didn’t like the idea of him perhaps not realising how deeply she had been aroused. It was a no-win situation, and she impatiently dismissed it from her mind. ‘But if you don’t mind, we’ll leave now.’ It was a statement, not a request.
Bill gave her a curious look once they returned to the table, and she couldn’t help wondering if her cheeks were as red as their heat implied they were.
‘Sorry to be so long,’ Aaron told the other couple cheerfully. ‘Once Charly and I start talking about old times we forget the time.’ He looked at her challengingly.
She didn’t resume her seat back at the table. ‘Bill, are you ready to leave now?’ she asked tightly.
He looked startled by the request. ‘It’s early yet,’ he frowned. ‘Erin and I were just discussing going on somewhere to dance.’
Her mouth tightened. ‘I’m not in the mood for dancing.’
‘Neither am I,’ Aaron said with satisfaction. ‘So I’ll go home with Charly and you can take Erin dancing,’ he told the other man.
‘Oh, I couldn’t let you do that.’ Bill shook his head. ‘Rocharlle is here with me; I’ll drive home with her.’
Although politely made the offer was none the less reluctant. ‘I have my car and can take myself home, thank you,’ she snapped, her eyes flashing silver, looking from Aaron to Bill and then back again. ‘I’m not some simpleton who needs an escort home.’
‘That isn’t very nice, Charly.’ Green eyes danced with fun at her anger, and she realised that by showing her anger at Bill as well as Aaron she had played into the latter’s hands.
She turned to Bill with a warm smile. ‘I really would like to go home now, I have a headache,’ she told him softly. ‘But please feel free to take Erin dancing,’ her smile included the younger woman, ‘I really don’t need an escort for the short drive home.’
‘I think I’ll come with you anyway.’ Aaron mocked the fact that he had been right about the other couple’s attraction to each other.
Her eyes frosted over, her smile fading. ‘I’d rather go alone.’
He shrugged. ‘Okay, I’ll see you at the apartment later.’
She felt herself pale even as she gasped, glancing worriedly at Bill. ‘Don’t be silly, Aaron,’ she dismissed lightly, ‘of course you won’t be seeing me at my apartment later.’ She gave the stunned Bill a reassuring smile.
‘Sweetheart, this argument of ours is ridiculous,’ he told her cajolingly, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes. ‘I told you earlier that Erin is only my secretary.’
So he had persuaded the other woman to come along with him by telling her she had left in a jealous huff! She had wondered how he persuaded Erin to go along with his plan after telling her they were engaged.
‘Earlier?’ Bill looked even more puzzled. ‘Rocharlle, I don’t understand what’s going on?’
She gave a defeated sigh. ‘I’m sure Aaron will explain everything to you once I’ve left!’ She turned and walked out of the room without a backward glance, although she sensed admiring green eyes following her every move.
Damn the man. He had completely ruined her evening with a pleasantly interesting man, and she hated to think what lies he was now telling Bill. She hadn’t thought there would be such repercussions from her initial vengeful announcement to Molly only a week ago. By this time tomorrow, with Bill obviously told of the bogus engagement, the whole of the business-world would know about it!
‘Slow down!’ Aaron caught up with her just as she got out on to the pavement, holding on to her arm.
She shook off his hand. ‘You deliberately made a fool of me in there!’ she bit out through clenched teeth.
‘I didn’t need to,’ he drawled. ‘You managed that quite well on your own!’
‘Why you—’
‘Charly, you’re so confused right now you don’t know what you want,’ he chided.
‘I’ve always despised women who claim to be confused all the time!’ she snapped.
‘You aren’t confused all the time,’ he teased. ‘Just right now. You don’t know whether to be mad at me for following you to the restaurant, because I had Erin with me, or because I told Bill we’re engaged.’
She looked at him fiercely. ‘I’m mad at you for all those things. You made me look like a spitefully jealous child to Erin and a confused idiot to Bill. And I’m not used to being thought of as either!’
‘Poor Charly.’ He caressed the hair at her temple, his expression indulgent.
She flinched from his touch. ‘I’m not “poor” anything—’
&
nbsp; ‘Oh yes, you are,’ he nodded regretfully. ‘You’ve had to be strong since your husband and daughter died. It’s time you let someone else take charge for a while.’
‘You?’ she scorned.
‘Me,’ he confirmed arrogantly.
Her mouth twisted. ‘When James died I swore no one else would ever “take charge” of my life,’ she told him coldly. ‘No one else ever has.’
‘Until now.’
She looked at him with narrowed assessing eyes. ‘I’ll admit you’re making a nuisance of yourself, but that’s all you are doing.’
Aaron sighed. ‘Is Matt the only man that can get through to you?’
‘At the moment, yes.’ Matt posed no threat, offered only friendship, a friendship she greatly valued.
He shrugged acceptance of the situation. ‘The way you said that tells me that it won’t always be that way. And I can be very persistent.’
‘I know that,’ she said dryly.
‘Will you drive me to my hotel; Erin and I came in a taxi.’
She sighed. ‘Very well. And after this I don’t want to see you again until next Friday,’ she warned. ‘No more popping up to my apartment when you feel like it, and no more friendly confidences to Molly about our future life together. Is that agreed?’
‘What do I get out of the deal?’
She smiled. ‘A lift back to your hotel.’
Aaron frowned. ‘That doesn’t seem a very fair deal on my side.’
‘It isn’t,’ she acknowledged smoothly.
‘Then what makes you think I’ll agree to it?’ he derided mockingly.
‘It’s almost impossible to get a taxi here this time of night, and it’s just starting to rain?’
Appreciation for her show of humour shone in his eyes. ‘That was pure Charly Allenby,’ he grinned. ‘And you have yourself a deal.’
She turned to him frowningly as they hurried to her car. ‘I wish you would get the idea out of your head that I’m two different personalities.’ She unlocked the door, both of them hurrying inside the car, the rain falling heavier now. ‘I’m just me, Charly Hart.’
‘You have never been “just” anybody in your life,’ he mocked. ‘What did I tell you?’ he added with satisfaction.
‘What—?’ She followed his line of vision, just in time to see Bill and Erin crossing the car park to his car a short distance away. ‘Her brother won’t mind about the owner of an electronics company?’ she derided, manoeuvring her car out into the flow of slow traffic, visibility poor.
‘I won’t tell him if she doesn’t,’ Aaron dismissed. ‘I’d offer to drive,’ he murmured as the traffic slowed almost to a stop, the rain, with typical English weather unpredictability, turning to hail, ‘but I don’t want to run the risk of being called a chauvinistic pig again.’
She gave him a brief grin. ‘Did I once call you that?’ she mocked.
‘You know you did,’ he said dryly.
She shook her head. ‘I only called you a male chauvinist, you added the pig. Why did you follow me tonight, Aaron?’ she asked abruptly.
‘The truth?’
‘I never ask for anything less,’ she bit out sharply.
‘We have unfinished business,’ he shrugged. ‘I’m not about to let any other man collect on that.’
Her mouth tightened as she knew what business he was referring to!
‘Tell me, Charly.’ He turned completely in his seat to look at her. ‘If Erin and I hadn’t broken up your evening would you have slept with Bill Shaw tonight?’
‘I don’t have to answer that!’ she snapped.
‘You don’t have to,’ he agreed softly. ‘But I’d like you to.’
‘I’ve already told you Bill is a business acquaintance,’ she dismissed.
‘That doesn’t answer my initial question,’ he pointed out determinedly.
‘The truth?’ she delayed.
Aaron nodded, his gaze compelling. ‘I never ask for anything less either.’
She moistened her lips, knowing he was stubborn enough to just keep asking until he got the answer he demanded. ‘No,’ she answered abruptly.
His breath left his body in a relieved sigh. ‘Thank you.’ His hand rested lightly on her thigh, gently caressing.
The now familiar heat coursed through her body at his touch, and she stiffened resentfully. ‘Aaron—’
‘No, don’t spoil it,’ he interrupted, his fingertips on her lips.
‘I don’t want you—’
‘Please,’ he instructed gently, turning her to face him as she stopped the car outside the front of his hotel. ‘Good night, Lady,’ he kissed her gently, getting out of the car to stand on the steps watching her as she accelerated away.
CHAPTER SEVEN
‘YOU have to see that it’s worth it, Ian.’ She looked at the middle-aged man for his opinion.
He continued to look around the old stone building. ‘Shevton’s demands still seem excessive to me,’ he finally commented.
Richard Shevton was now asking a ridiculous price for his old family home, both Charly and Aaron still determined to own it. As her lawyer and adviser Ian had questioned her need for this particular house, and she had brought him down here today to show him just how suitable it was for Matt’s purposes.
Charly liked Ian, had always respected his opinion in the past, but she knew about this he was wrong. ‘Pay him,’ she instructed.
He shrugged. ‘If you say so. But Grantley seems to be as determined as you are.’
She knew all about Aaron’s determination, wasn’t she fictitiously engaged to him because of that same determination to stop Matt making a fool of himself over her! ‘The price now asked must be going past the realms of viability for the hotel he has in mind,’ she dismissed. ‘He’ll have to back down soon.’
Ian sighed. ‘The price has gone past the realms of viability for you too!’
She gave him an encouraging smile. ‘You know as well as I do that I can go a lot higher before it even begins to hurt me.’
‘That isn’t the point—’
‘The point is, Ian,’ she cut in firmly, ‘that I want Shevton House.’
‘Unfortunately, so do I.’
They both turned simultaneously to face Aaron, leaning against the thick stone doorway as he made the statement. He looked so arrogantly confident, so condescending, that Charly knew he had once again misunderstood her motives, that he suspected her relationship with Ian now. He suspected her relationship with every man she even spoke to! Although perhaps that wasn’t so surprising after the initial assumption he and Molly had both made about her staying at Matt’s apartment.
‘Aaron,’ she greeted abruptly as he strolled towards them.
‘The agent for the house told me you were here,’ he drawled, looking at Ian with narrowed eyes. ‘I assumed you were alone.’
Her mouth tightened. ‘It’s amazing how assumptions can so often be wrong.’
Green eyes hardened as he picked up her double meaning. ‘Not always,’ he muttered, putting out his hand to Ian, slightly taller than the lawyer, his dark blue suit and shirt perfectly tailored. ‘Charly seems to have forgotten her expensively bought manners,’ he bit out. ‘I’m Aaron Grantley,’ he introduced himself.
Ian was visibly startled, meeting the other man’s hand cautiously as he murmured his own name.
‘Ian is my lawyer,’ Charly supplied irritably as Aaron continued to look at them speculatively.
His expression didn’t change. ‘Really?’
‘Yes,’ she snapped as he didn’t even try to hide his scepticism. ‘He’s the man who has been doing my negotiating for this house.’
‘There always seems to be a man involved somewhere,’ Aaron drawled.
Ian frowned at the insult. ‘Now look here—’
‘It’s all right, Ian.’ She put her hand on his arm. ‘Perhaps you wouldn’t mind waiting for me outside?’ she suggested gently.
He looked from her to Aaron, and then back again, obviou
sly not liking what he read from the other man’s expression.
‘Please, Ian,’ she persuaded. ‘I shouldn’t be long.’
‘Very well,’ he agreed. ‘I’ll go through and have another look at the kitchens.’
Charly watched him go, knowing he resented being asked to leave. But Aaron was spoiling for a fight, and she didn’t want Ian involved in that.
She turned to Aaron with snapping eyes, ignoring the fact that her senses had leapt when she first saw him, not having seen him for the last two days. ‘Did you have to be so rude?’ she demanded coldly.
‘Rude?’ he scorned. ‘I haven’t even started! Every time I look around there’s a different man holding on to your skirt!’
Her eyes frosted over. ‘Ian was James’ lawyer, my father’s and Will Hart’s before that!’
‘So?’
‘So I’ve known him almost since I was in the cradle!’
‘The man is forty-five years old at the most,’ Aaron derided.
‘Forty-four,’ she corrected abruptly. ‘And you just embarrassed him.’
‘A little sensitive about your relationship, is he?’ Aaron scorned. ‘Is he another married one?’
She drew in an angry gasp. ‘You—’
‘Is he?’ he demanded roughly.
‘Ian is married,’ she nodded. ‘He is also the nearest thing to a best friend I’ve ever had!’
‘Besides Matt,’ Aaron’s mouth twisted. ‘Best friends are usually of your own sex.’
‘So I’m unusual,’ Charly snapped.
‘You certainly are,’ Aaron scorned harshly. ‘You have the bedroom habits of a rabbit—anyone and everyone!’
She knew she paled, could feel the colour drain out of her cheeks. ‘I didn’t have you!’ she spat out.
‘And aren’t I glad about that now,’ he nodded. ‘I’m a little more discriminating about my bed-partners!’
Each word was designed to wound, and if she really were the woman Aaron believed her to be maybe they would have done. As it was his insults were almost laughable. Even James, an expert in the art of deliberately hurting her, would never have accused her of being a sexual athlete, had known of her aversion to all men once he had finished humiliating her.
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