by Sandra Field
‘My room?’ he prompted, and she berated herself for allowing him to divert her into forgetting what she was doing.
Without a word, she led the way down the short hallway which gave access to the bedrooms and bathroom.
‘Bathroom,’ she declared as she passed the first door. ‘This is the guest bedroom,’ she added, opening the next door along and switching on the light. ‘You should be comfortable in there.’
‘I’m sure I shall,’ he agreed, walking past her to drop his bag on the bed and glance around. ‘Very restful. Which room is yours?’
‘The one across the hall,’ she revealed reluctantly. ‘The third bedroom is now my office.’ She indicated the door at the end with a nod of her head.
‘I’ll have a better look around in the morning. There is just one other thing, though. Do you possess a dressing gown you can wear?’
Shelby frowned faintly. ‘Yes. Why?’
‘Good. It will spare my blushes if we should bump into each other on the way to the bathroom,’ he retorted with a glint in his eye.
She caught her breath at that. ‘I have my own bathroom,’ she pointed out quickly, then had a mental vision of bumping into him in the morning whilst they were both in their night-clothes. Assuming he wore pyjamas. Automatically she looked at him doubtfully, whereupon Gray shook his head.
‘Not since I was a small boy,’ he responded, looking as if he was having trouble holding back a grin.
Her chin dropped. ‘But you can’t walk about here…’ She waved her hands as words failed her.
‘Buck naked?’ he supplied for her, and the grin began to tweak the corner of his mouth. ‘Don’t worry. I thought it would be best not to put temptation in your way, so I brought plenty of boxer shorts with me.’
She underwent a moment of relief before the rest of what he had said struck home. Of all the nerve! ‘What do you mean, put temptation in my way? There isn’t anything the least bit tempting about you!’ Which was a lie.
‘That’s reassuring. I wouldn’t want you to take advantage of the situation and pounce on me,’ Gray retorted mockingly, and Shelby had never felt more like hitting him.
‘I do not pounce on men,’ she informed him, stressing each word.
His response to that was to shake his head. ‘That’s a shame. You might enjoy it!’
He was running rings around her, and Shelby felt like a floundering fish caught on the end of his line. ‘So help me, Gray. If you don’t shut up, I’ll…’ Annoyingly, nothing came to mind and she was left staring at him helplessly.
‘You’ll what? Slap me? Kiss me?’ he suggested, and that last had her stomach turning over and her heart doing a diving flip-flop.
‘Why would I want to kiss you?’ she demanded to know. ‘You’re not my type!’ she added, and both of them knew it was a downright lie. ‘Oh, I knew this was a mistake. I should never have agreed to this ridiculous plan.’
Gray shook his head. ‘Too late to back out now, Red. You gave your word and I’m holding you to it. I respect your father too much to leave him in the lurch. He’s had to worry too much about you over the years as it is. If I can take some of it off his shoulders now, I will. So get used to the idea. I’m here to stay for the foreseeable future.’ With which reminder he closed the bedroom door in her face.
Shelby was left gaping at the wood impotently. She was tempted to hammer on the door and make him explain what he had just said. But, before she could do so, a tweak of conscience stayed her hand. She didn’t have to ask him. She knew she was responsible for more than one of her father’s grey hairs.
Retreating into her bedroom, she closed the door gently then rested back against it, chewing her lip. It wasn’t comfortable remembering the crazy things she had done. Gray’s indifference to her had had a backlash. She had needed to prove to herself that she was attractive. So what if he didn’t know she was alive, there were plenty more fish in the sea. She had gone out to catch all she could—and had been very successful at it. Of course, she had thrown a lot back. After all, catching them had been the point. Pretty soon she had known that she could have any man she wanted. All she had to do was crook her finger.
Wincing, Shelby straightened up and shook her head in disbelief at her own behaviour. She had gone off the rails with a vengeance. She had wielded her power like a weapon, elated by the notion that she was invincible. The world was her oyster. So she had partied and played for all she was worth, and ignored every sensible word her father had said in his attempts to bring her to her senses. That hadn’t happened until Gray had taken a hand.
She hadn’t known that was what he was doing. Her father had had to go away to Europe on business for a month, leaving her alone. Gray had taken to calling in to see how she was doing, and had gradually showed her a side of himself that he had previously reserved for the women in his life. Oh, he had been so good at it. His wicked flirting had drawn her like a moth to a flame. He had charmed her with incredible ease, because her heart was aching for him. So when he had eventually invited her to dinner there had been no thought of saying no. It had been perfect, even down to his goodnight kiss.
Soon they had been having lunch together too, as well as dinner every night. She had been in seventh heaven. His kisses had melted her bones, and made her want so much more, but Gray had told her he didn’t want to rush things. Of course, by then she had believed that he really cared for her, and it had been like a dream come true. They had been the happiest few weeks of her life. She had had every hope of them leading to something more as time had gone.
Then her father had returned, and the first thing he had wanted to know was if she was still seeing Nick Colby, a young man he had heartily disapproved of. Shelby had actually forgotten all about him. Hadn’t seen him at all since Gray had started calling. So, of course she had told her father that she wasn’t.
Her father had swept her into a bear hug and smiled down at her. ‘That’s wonderful, darling. Gray must have said something right,’ he remarked and, seeing her confused expression, went on to explain. ‘I asked him to have a word with you whilst I was away. He said he would see what he could do. That young man is worth his weight in gold,’ he added cheerfully, and went on to talk about other things.
Shelby scarcely heard him. She was dying inside. Whilst her heart cracked wide open, she acknowledged that Gray certainly had done something. He had lied and connived, pretending to feel something for her when he didn’t—all so that she would stop seeing the man her father didn’t care for! She had never felt so betrayed. The pain was almost unbearable. The only thing which salved her pride was the knowledge that Gray didn’t know the full extent of her feelings for him. He knew she wanted him, but that was all.
So when she went in search of him at his office she was able to face him without falling apart. He looked surprised when she walked in, then his smile of welcome faded under the icy glare she sent him.
‘What’s up?’ Gray asked cautiously, and she laughed harshly.
The game,’ she returned smartly. Unable to sit, she paced backwards and forwards in front of the desk. ‘Dad’s back. He was awfully pleased when he heard I was no longer seeing Nick. Seems to me you’re in for a bonus!’ she added, rounding on him, so angry she could scream.
Gray’s face had frozen into an expressionless mask. ‘Take it easy, Shelby. Things aren’t quite what they seem,’ he started to say, but she jumped on that immediately.
‘You mean he didn’t ask you to find a way to make me stop seeing Nick?’ she demanded, and the question started a muscle flexing in his jaw.
‘Yes, he asked me,’ Gray confirmed, and the hurt of it reached the very depths of her.
Her green eyes withered him. ‘My God, I despise you. I thought you had some integrity, but then you do this. How far would you have gone, Gray? Would you have slept with me, just to make sure?’
Gray came around the desk to her, but when he would have placed his hands on her shoulders she backed away. He drew in a deep brea
th. ‘I can explain, if you’ll let me,’ he told her, but she had heard enough.
‘What can you say that I would believe? It’s all lies. Everything you’ve said and done has been lies. I wouldn’t trust you to tell me what time of day it was.’
She had walked out then, before the emotions she was feeling overtook her. The pain had gone deep but she had cried in private, putting on a brave face for the world. She had been such a fool, believing his lies, but it wouldn’t happen again. Yet for all she hated him for what he had done, stopping loving him wasn’t so easy.
One good thing had come out of it, though. She had made important decisions to change her life. Much to her father’s relief, she had stopped partying, finished college and put that part of her life behind her for good.
As for Gray, she could neither forgive nor forget. Nor stop wanting him, if tonight was anything to go by.
Telling herself she was a hopeless case, Shelby sighed and kicked off her shoes. Her shoulders and neck ached with the tension the last few hours had induced, but she had a cure for that. Stripping off her clothes, she padded into the en suite bathroom to shower, standing under the warm spray until most of the tightness had gone. Then she dried herself and slipped into a thigh-length strappy silk nightie. About to head to the kitchen for a drink, she remembered just in time that she was not alone, and slipped into the silk robe she kept hanging on the bathroom door.
Locking up as she went, she finally made it to the kitchen and made herself a cup of herb tea. Then she headed back towards her bedroom, coming to an abrupt halt in the middle of the lounge when she saw Gray prowling around. He had stripped off his coat and was wearing a sleeveless black vest that showed off his muscular arms and chest. As she had only ever seen him fully clothed before tonight, Shelby found her eyes riveted to the powerful chest and broad shoulders and her stomach twisted as her senses responded to the sensual male lure.
Gray had stopped also, and now stood with hands braced on his hips as he studied her in his turn. ‘Nice robe,’ he told her after a second or two. ‘Doesn’t hide much, but I guess you know that already.’
Actually, Shelby hadn’t known anything of the sort and her nerves skittered rather deliciously at his words. However, she did drop a hand to her waist, checking that the belt was still securely tied. Then she stood her ground. No man was going to make her run for cover like a blushing schoolgirl.
‘Did you expect me to be wearing one of those neck to toe winceyette ones my granny used to have?’
A wolfish twitch of the lips came and went. ‘Not any more,’ he declared wickedly. ‘This is a much better idea. You always did have a body to die for, Red,’ Gray observed reminiscently, and her blood started to pulse thickly through her veins.
She hid her response behind a challengingly raised eyebrow. ‘Strange, I don’t remember you struggling to keep your hands off it.’ Quite the contrary. When he had kissed her, he had been careful not to go too far. At the time, she had been touched by this sign of caring. Later, she had realised it was due to the fact that he didn’t really want a physical relationship with her.
Gray shrugged a shoulder. ‘The situation was an awkward one for me. It didn’t mean I wasn’t attracted to you. No red-blooded male could fail to want you, and I’m as red-blooded as the next man. However, I had to be cautious.’
Shelby laughed dryly. ‘I know. If you went too far you could have lost your job. That was a narrow line you were treading, trying to keep both of us sweet!’ she returned with derision.
This time he smiled wryly. ‘You’ll never know how many cold showers I had over you.’
She wasn’t foolish enough to believe that. ‘Sure, and you probably had a lot of sleepless nights, too.’
‘More than my fair share, as it happens,’ he returned smoothly, but she didn’t believe that either.
‘You never lost sleep over me, Gray. You didn’t care enough about me for that!’ It hurt to say it, so she quickly changed the conversation. ‘What are you doing out here, anyway?’ she asked curiously.
‘Same as you, Red. Admiring the view,’ he replied mockingly. ‘Have you seen enough, or would you like me to take off something else?’ he came back wickedly.
Her eyes flashed at him over the top of the mug as she took a sip to moisten a mouth gone suddenly dry. A reckless part of her urged her to call his bluff, but she resisted it. ‘I’ll pass, if you don’t mind. Leave me with my fantasies. Reality turns out to be disappointing.’
‘Strange, that wasn’t the message I was getting a moment ago,’ Gray countered, and she laughed.
‘Put it down to a trick of the light. Now, tell me what you were really doing. I thought you were going to bed,’ Shelby pointed out.
‘Just doing my rounds. Checking the doors and windows are locked for the night.’
‘I did that already.’
Gray held up his hands, pacifying her before she took umbrage. ‘I’m sure you did, but I need to know the apartment is secure.’
She had sense enough to know he was right. She also saw that this was her opportunity to retreat gracefully. ‘I’ll leave you to it, then. Goodnight.’ She crossed the room and thought she had made it safely when his soft words followed her down the hall.
‘Sweet dreams,’ he said, and Shelby could swear she heard soft laughter follow.
Back in her bedroom, she set the mug of tea down and sank on to the edge of the bed with a groan. Her legs were shaking. This was never going to be an easy situation, but now it was going to be worse. She didn’t know what game Gray was playing by telling her he was attracted to her, but she didn’t doubt he had a reason. Whatever that reason was, it didn’t stop her being drawn to him as strongly as ever.
Going by his past record, she wouldn’t put it past him to toy with her precisely because he knew she was still attracted to him. There certainly wasn’t anything noble in it. If Gray thought she would fall into his arms like a ripe plum just because he declared an interest, he was mistaken. Not after all he had done.
Unfortunately he could turn up the heat without even trying, because he was so lethally attractive. He didn’t even have to touch her to make her want him. All she had to do was close her eyes and she could see him as he was moments ago, standing in her lounge, looking mouthwateringly good.
Sweet dreams? Oh, no, she wasn’t going to have sweet dreams tonight. They were going to be hot and heavy, and very, very sexy!
CHAPTER THREE
ALTHOUGH she hadn’t expected to sleep well, Shelby awoke in the morning to realise she must have fallen asleep almost as soon as her head touched the pillow. If she had dreamt of Gray, she didn’t remember it. Which was probably just as well.
Feeling remarkably refreshed, she threw back the covers and got up. She had a long day ahead and a meeting with a new client. After that she had to check on an ongoing project. With such a full day in prospect, she knew she would need a good breakfast as she probably wouldn’t find time to stop for lunch.
Provided, of course, she was allowed to do so. Gray would be the fly in the ointment.
Cocking her head for sounds of her unwanted guest, she heard nothing and hoped that meant he was still asleep. She knew he intended to dog her footsteps today, but there was no way she could accept that. She’d have to give him the slip. Technically she would be breaking her word, and she experienced a moment’s guilt at doing so, but she could see no other way. Her brain started whirring as she stood there, finger tapping her pursed lips. What should she do? In order to outwit him, she would have to move quietly and fast. It was early yet. With any luck she could be out and away before he knew it.
The thought spurred her on to quickly slip into a lightweight silvery-grey trouser suit and a sapphire-blue sleeveless blouse. Combing her hair into a smooth swathe, she applied a light make-up and was ready to go. All she had to do now was find herself something to eat.
Turning the door handle as quietly as possible, Shelby carefully opened the door.
‘
Going somewhere?’ a voice asked mildly and, totally unprepared for it as she was, she let out a shriek loud enough to wake the dead.
Pressing a shaking hand to her chest, where her heart still thundered like a trip-hammer, Shelby positively glowered at Gray, who was leaning nonchalantly against the door post of her spare bedroom. ‘You scared the life out of me! What kind of stupid game are you playing?’
‘The very question I was just about to ask you,’ Gray responded. He was fully dressed in dark trousers and a white T-shirt that clung to his body like a second skin and outlined every toned muscle of his chest and arms. It also showed off his tanned skin perfectly. A fact her senses noted with every sign of pleasure, judging from the way her own skin prickled and the nerves in her stomach tensed. So much so that it was hard to drag her eyes away—again.
She managed it eventually and rushed to her own defence. ‘I’m not playing any sort of game,’ she denied, a faint wash of guilty colour staining her cheeks. ‘You were the one who was lurking!’
Pushing himself upright, Gray folded his arms across his chest, a move that only served to emphasis the leashed power of the man to Shelby. He had the kind of body a woman could fantasise about exploring, she decided appreciatively, and she should know. She had fantasised about him countless times over the years. At which point she caught herself up sharply when she realised where her thoughts were wandering. This was neither the time nor the place.
‘You might call it lurking, sweetheart. I prefer to call it waiting.’
Knowing she was in the wrong, her only defence was attack. ‘OK, what were you waiting for?’ she asked sharply, chin raised at a jaunty angle.
‘Knowing you as I do, I was waiting for you to do something just like this. Where do you think you were going, Red?’
She saw no reason to confirm his suspicions that she had been making a bid to escape him. ‘If you must know, I was heading for the kitchen to get some breakfast,’ she lied, and started to do that very thing.