Читать книгу Australian Millionaires - Maxine Sullivan - Страница 11

Later that day, when Phillip’s attendant knocked on her door to pick her up to take her to the art exhibition, Kia had to take a calming breath before answering. She was furious with Brant over the locksmith he’d sent here. All the names she’d been calling him seemed too tame for the thoughts bubbling in her brain right now.

But instead of showing her feelings, she smoothed her hands down the front of her slim-fitting sleeveless dress and reached for the door handle. She wouldn’t let Brant spoil her afternoon. She’d rather eat rat poison.

“G’day, Kia.”

The breath caught in her throat. The man on the other side of the doorway emitted a sex appeal so potent it cracked through the air like a whip, invisibly wrapping around her body and almost pulling her toward him. Black trousers fitted his lower torso to perfection, a light gray polo shirt molded over his chest. He looked casual and confident. A man any woman would be proud to be seen with.

Anyone but her.

“Aren’t you going to invite me in?” Brant said, stepping past her into the house without waiting for an invitation.

She spun around to face him. Of all the arrogant … “How dare you!” she managed to say.

He merely looked amused. “How dare I be in your house? You didn’t mind me being here last night.”

She glared at him. He made it sound as if they’d been making love all night. “I’m talking about the security alarm.”

His forehead creased. “He didn’t do a good job?”

“Yes, he did a good job, but that’s not the point. He was supposed to fix the lock, not put in an alarm system.” She’d thought the man had been merely checking security risks when he’d started going from room to room. By the time she’d realized he was doing the whole thing, he’d climbed on the roof and had half the place wired.

“I thought an alarm system would be better.”

“You thought? Where do you get off ordering an alarm for me?”

“I told you. The company will pay for it.”

“It’s not the money,” she said through gritted teeth.

His eyebrows lifted with cynicism. “Really? Then what’s the problem?”

“This is my home, Brant. My private life. You’re interfering in it. You’ve no right to even be here, let alone tell someone to install an expensive piece of equipment like this. Heck, it’s not even technically my house.”

His shrug belied the hard gleam in his eyes. “Don’t make a big deal out of this, Kia. You’re Phillip’s fiancée now. He wants you to be safe.”

She tried not to wince. “Phillip knows about the alarm?”

“As you’re now his fiancée, I suggested it and he agreed. We all know it’s quite common for criminals to return to the scene of the crime. You either had to get an alarm or move.”

She flashed him a look of disdain. “Oh, really. And where would you like me to live?”

“How about with your fiancé?”

She gulped and quickly spun away to turn off the air-conditioning. Anything not to look at Brant. “Phillip and I haven’t discussed that yet.”

“That’s what Phil said.”

Relief rushed through her. “There you are then.” She remembered the security alarm and glared at him. “Anyway, you and Phillip have no right to tell me what to do or what to put in my own house. And as soon as he gets here, I’ll be making that quite clear.”

“Then you’re going to have a bit of a wait,” he said, his gaze seeming to watch her reaction. “He’s not coming. He rang and asked me to take you to the exhibition instead. He said he wasn’t feeling up to it today.”

Her stomach knotted. She didn’t want to go to the exhibition with Brant. Damn Phillip for being selfish enough not to turn up. She was beginning to think taking the easy way out was a weakness he couldn’t control.

“Why didn’t he phone me himself?”

“He said he’d tried a couple of times but kept getting the busy signal.”

She bristled with indignation. “Because the alarm was being connected to the phone line, that’s why.” She waved a dismissive hand. “Oh, it doesn’t matter. I’m not going without Phillip.”

His eyes narrowed. “Phil said one of our clients invited him to the exhibition.”

“Er … yes …” She licked her lips. “But it just wouldn’t be the same without Phillip. I’m sure they’ll understand.”

“They may, but I won’t. This is a work assignment, Kia. Think of it as payment for the security alarm.”

Her mouth tightened. So there was a catch to his free and easy statement of “the company will pay for it.”

“Perhaps I should go by myself … on behalf of the company, that is. There’s no need for you to waste your Saturday afternoon.” She didn’t want to deprive some poor besotted female of his company either.

“I wouldn’t think of it as a waste. I’d like to see the exhibition, too. Early Australian art fascinates me.”

It fascinated her, too, but she didn’t want to say so. Yet could she spend hours with him and survive the draw of his attraction? She swallowed. It looked as though she wasn’t getting a choice. But after she put in an appearance for their client, she’d make sure it was the quickest walk around the gallery on record.

An hour later she and Brant strolled through the art gallery by themselves after they’d shared an afternoon tea of pineapple scones, finger sandwiches and a delicious tropical fruit platter. Brant had been his charming self with their client and the others. A couple of times she’d even let her guard down and surprised herself by actually laughing at some of his witty remarks.

Of course, being witty and a womanizer was what he was about. That’s how men like him got women into bed, and if the looks some of the other women were giving him were anything to go by, he’d have had plenty of offers today if she hadn’t been around. Yes, he knew exactly how to charm the panties right off a woman. She stiffened. Not this woman.

“I like this painting of the early settlers,” he said now, his deep voice bringing her out of her thoughts. “I saw a print of it years ago, but the brushstrokes and paint textures are nothing compared to the original.” He turned to look at her. “It’s very evocative, don’t you agree?”

She fumbled for words when she saw the piece of work he was referring to. “Um … yes.”

He arched a brow. “You sound surprised?”

A thrill raced through her, but she managed to shrug as if it were no big deal. “It’s my favorite painting.”

“And you didn’t expect us to have the same tastes, right?” He paused, his blue eyes darkening. “I think we’d have a lot in common if we looked closely.”

She moistened suddenly dry lips. “Yes. Phillip, for one thing.”

He gave a slightly bitter smile. “Ah, Phillip. We’ll always have him in common, won’t we?” He turned back to the painting. “Tell me. Why is this your favorite?”

Obviously he wanted to keep things on an even keel, and she was only too happy to oblige. Yet she couldn’t help but feel a burst of excitement that he found the imagery of the painting as touching as she did. Perhaps there was more to him than met the eye.

She turned to the painting and let her gaze wander over the picture of their pioneer ancestors, losing herself in its sheer vibrancy and color. “I’d say it’s because it personifies the Outback spirit. That it’s possible to overcome any obstacle, no matter how big or daunting.”

“So you like challenges?” he pounced.

She drew in a shaky breath. Always the predator. He just couldn’t help himself. “Some challenges,” she admitted.

“I like certain challenges, too,” he drawled, his eyes intense. “If somebody tells me I can’t have something, then that’s when I want it.”

And he wanted her. He had no need to say it out loud. The wanting poured from him like a familiar scent.

She plastered a smile on her lips. “Then you’d better get used to disappointment,” she quipped, knowing her first instincts about him were correct. She hadn’t misjudged him. Not in the slightest.

A few hours later the two of them sat at an outdoor café not far from the exhibition, sipping at fruit daiquiris. The pre-Christmas festivities were still continuing, and people were out in force and in holiday mode, enjoying a stroll along the sail-shaded Smith Street Mall, listening to a busker play her guitar, watching a mime artist perform.

Brant couldn’t have cared less where they were or who was nearby. His concentration was solely and fully on one person. Kia looked as beautiful as always, with her blond hair pulled back in a French knot, and wearing a lemon-colored dress that displayed the elegant line of her neck and showed off her tanned shoulders and arms.

But something else about her today set his pulse spinning like a top. Watching her talk to the others at the gallery, he’d glimpsed an innocence in her lovely eyes that had been at odds with the knowing look in them, as if she couldn’t quite hide the sweet beneath the spice. Yet sweet was hardly a word he’d expect to use about Kia Benton.

He swallowed some of his drink, then decided he didn’t need any more intoxication right now. Apart from a brief time last night and again this morning, he’d never really been alone with her like this before. It had gone to his head—no, his body. His state of constant arousal was killing him.

And she knew it. That’s why she wasn’t quite facing him as she sat sipping her daiquiri, her body turned slightly toward the crowd.

But she was only fooling herself. There could be a brick wall between them and the attraction would still seep through. Didn’t she know there was no stopping it? Not unless they made love and got it out of their systems, and then he had the feeling it would probably only intensify.

“Tell me more about your father,” he said, suddenly interested in what made her tick.

She raised a wry eyebrow. “Why?”

He gave a smile. “Are you this suspicious of everyone or is it just me?”

“Just you,” she said, her lips curving into a sexy smile that was as unexpected as was her words. God. She was lovely, with her smooth cheekbones, perfect nose, eyes that could dazzle a man with just one look and a deliciously tempting mouth.

She put her glass down, and when she looked up again her face had sobered. “There’s nothing much to tell. My father thinks he’s one of the beautiful people. He can’t stand being around someone who isn’t.”

Brant frowned. “You’re still his daughter.”

Her slim shoulders tensed. “The only reason he wants me around is because he thinks it’s good for his image.”

All at once something occurred to him. “Good Lord. Your father isn’t Lloyd Benton, is he?”

If it were possible, she tensed even more. “The one and only.”

Now he knew where she was coming from. Lloyd Benton owned the biggest fleet of used-car yards up and down the east coast of Australia. He was constantly in the newspapers with some young thing hanging off his arm—usually his current wife but not always. The man gave sleaze an added dimension.

“He’s your father?”

She raised her chin in the air. “I won’t apologize for him.”

“I don’t expect you to.”

No wonder she didn’t seem to hold men in high regard. Well, some men. He freely admitted that men like himself, who took one look and wanted to take her to bed, would only confirm her low opinion of the male species. Dammit, suddenly he was seeing another side to this woman that he wasn’t sure he wanted to see.

“It certainly explains a lot about you and Phillip.”

She tensed. “If you mean I want to marry someone who doesn’t have to bed every beautiful woman he meets, then you’re dead right. Phillip’s a nice man.” Her gaze dropped to her glass, then up again. “He’ll be a wonderful father and a faithful husband.”

“You didn’t say you loved him.” And he found that interesting. Very interesting.

“That goes without saying.”

“Does it?”

“Yes.”

And perhaps it was all an act. Perhaps working on people for sympathy was how she wormed her way into men’s beds … and their hearts. Perhaps it was all about paying back her father for being so weak.

“What about you?” she said, catching him off guard. “Are your parents still alive, Brant?”

He had no wish to talk about himself. “No. They died when I was eighteen.”

Sympathy flashed in her eyes. “I’m sorry. Any brothers or sisters?”

His jaw tightened. “A brother. And before you ask, he’s younger than me by a couple of years.” He looked at his watch and stood up. “Come on. Let’s go. It’s getting late.”

For a moment, surprise mixed with hurt appeared in her eyes, then cynicism took over. “Got a date, no doubt.”

“No doubt.” He didn’t tell her he was getting together with his two best mates for dinner, though Flynn and Damien would no doubt find it amusing that they were to be his “date” this evening.

Not that he’d tell them. The three of them had grown up together on the same street in this town—had shared everything from stories of their first kiss to their first million—but Kia Benton was one thing he wasn’t about to share with his rich and successful friends.

“Phillip Reid, how could you!” Kia exclaimed the next day as she swept into his study. She’d been phoning him on and off since returning from the art exhibition yesterday. He hadn’t answered, but she suspected he’d been at home. He’d been feeling low so she’d given him a reprieve, but now she had a few words to say to him whether he still felt bad or not.

He looked up and winced. “What can I say, Kia? I’m sorry.”

She stopped right in front of his desk. “I don’t like being used,” she said through gritted teeth.

His dark brows drew together. “I wasn’t … I didn’t mean …”

“Yes, you did.” She slapped the box containing the diamond necklace down in front of him. “Don’t try and fool me, Phillip. You gave me this because you knew Lynette was going to be at the party. And then you had Brant dance with me so she’d see who you’d brought as your partner. And to top things off, you tell everyone we’re engaged and leave me high and dry to field all sorts of questions.”

He looked thoroughly shamefaced and embarrassed. “I really am sorry. I didn’t mean for it to go so far.”

She was nowhere near ready to forgive him. Not after what she’d been through. “And yesterday? What happened to coming to the art exhibition with me?”

He swallowed hard as he leaned back in his wheelchair. “I’m sorry. I just wasn’t up to going out.” Then he looked confused. “Didn’t Brant take you? He said he would.”

“Yes, but I’d rather have gone by myself,” she said sourly, preferring not to think about how much she’d enjoyed herself. She had to remember Brant could charm any woman into having a good time.

A speculative look came into Phillip’s eyes. “Are you upset because I didn’t go? Or because Brant did?”

Kia tensed, then forced herself to relax. “It’s awkward spending time with one’s boss,” she said, avoiding a direct answer.

“You don’t mind spending time with me.”

She shrugged. “You’re different.”

“Look, if there’s something between you two—”

Somehow she managed to hide her panic. “Don’t be an idiot, Phillip. And, by the way, what’s the deal about my security alarm? I don’t remember giving either of you permission to put one in my place.”

Phillip frowned, falling for the diversion. “It was the only thing to do, seeing you’re my … er … fiancée. Brant would have been suspicious otherwise.”

Her teeth set on edge. “Engaged or not, I am not some feeble female who can’t take care of myself,” she said with more bravado than she’d felt the other night after the robbery. “And if Brant thinks he—”

“So this is about Brant?” Phillip said, pushing his wheelchair back from the desk, looking very much the all-knowing male now that the heat had been taken off him.

She realized she’d given too much away. “Phillip, will you stop this. I don’t know what’s come over you today.”

He wheeled his chair around the desk and toward her. “He gets to you, doesn’t he?”

She gave a hollow laugh. “Of course not.”

“And I’ve gone and spoiled it for you by telling everyone you’re my fiancée.” He stopped a few feet in front of her and thumped his hands on the armrests in helpless anger. “Hell. This is all such a bloody mess.”

“That’s an understatement.” She just wished he’d stopped to think things through before making drastic announcements like they were engaged. “The question is, what are we going to do about it?”

He looked up at her, his expression thoroughly wretched. “I’m not sure.”

“This can’t go on, Phillip.”

“I know. God, we were just supposed to be a couple for one date.”

Sympathy started to soften her. “Phillip, you didn’t know Lynette’s father was going to be at that dinner.”

“Yeah, but I knew he shared the same business circles. Dammit, I shouldn’t have asked you to continue with the charade after that. It wasn’t fair of me.” He looked down at his leg and his lips twisted. “Pity the accident got in the way and ruined everything. But this …” He gestured at the plaster from toe to thigh. “I know Lynette. She would’ve convinced herself that I needed her. And then she would have convinced me. I couldn’t let that happen.” He took a shuddering breath. “She deserves better than a cripple for the rest of her life.”

“Oh, Phillip.” She crouched down in front of his wheelchair. “Don’t say that. A limp does not make you a cripple.”

He took a deep breath. “Sorry. I’m just full of self-pity today.”

“Look,” she said, thinking hard. “Let’s wait until after Christmas, then we’ll make an announcement that things didn’t work out after all.”

His eyes lit up, then drooped just as quick. “But your name will end up being mud. No one will care about the details, especially not the press. They’ll just know you broke off the engagement during a bad time for me.” He grimaced. “I’m sorry, Kia. I never meant for any of this to happen.”

She squeezed his hand, trying not to think about all this being made public to the people of Darwin. “Let’s ride it out, Phillip. In the meantime, we’ll carry on for another week until Christmas. I heard you tell Mary that you were going home to Queensland for the holidays anyway. That’ll give us some breathing space.”

Intense relief surged across his face. “Good idea.”

All at once Kia couldn’t help but think that Brant would never let anyone else sort out his problems for him the way Phillip was doing here. Brant would have taken charge and done what he had to do. Actually, on second thought, he would never have gotten himself in this situation in the first place. Brant relied on no one except himself. He needed no one.

Just like her.

“Don’t let him get to you, Kia.”

She feigned ignorance. “Who?”

“Brant.”

She pretended to be unconcerned. “I wish you’d stop implying that there’s something going on between me and Brant. There isn’t. End of story.”

Is it? Phillip’s eyes asked, but she promptly looked away. She wasn’t about to tell him she suspected he was right.

The next week leading up to Christmas proved difficult for Kia. Not only was she extremely busy tidying things up at work so that she could enjoy their two-week closure over the holidays, but Brant seemed to sense something amiss between her and Phillip. She had the funny feeling he was homing in for the kill.

Then, just as she thought she might be able to relax, the airline phoned at the exact moment Brant walked into her office. They were checking to see if there was anything else they could do to assist Phillip on his trip to Queensland tomorrow.

Kia tried to sound as if she were talking to a client. She didn’t want Brant to know she wasn’t joining Phillip at this stage. “Thank you, but I believe everything’s under control.”

“What about on arrival in Brisbane?” the woman persisted on the other end of the line. “Can we arrange transport from the airport?”

“That’s kind of you, but there will be someone to meet him,” she said, then could have kicked herself when the look in Brant’s eyes sharpened.

“That’s fine then. But please let us know if there’s anything we can do.”

“Thank you, I will.” Kia hung up, swallowed, then planted a polite smile on her face. “Can I help you, Mr. Matthews?”

His mouth thinned. “You can’t keep calling me ‘mister’ for the next twenty years.”

She kept a reign on her temper. “Who knows where any of us will be by then?”

“You’ll be married to Phillip, of course.”

She’d forgotten that was what he’d think. “Yes, of course.”

“Who was on the telephone just now?”

Her heart thumped as she quickly began to tidy up some papers. “Oh, no one you should worry about.”

A pair of hands flattened on the desk in front of her, stilling her. “That was someone from the airline, wasn’t it?”

She drew a shaky breath and looked up into blue eyes that were riveted on her face. The caress of his warm breath on her cheeks stirred her senses. “Yes.”

“So you’re not on the same flight as Phillip?” he demanded, shooting each word at her with the precision of gunfire.

“No.”

“Are you catching another flight?”

“Yes.” To Adelaide.

“To Queensland?”

She lifted her chin in the air and decided she’d had enough of this. “I’m not going to Queensland. I’m spending Christmas with my family in Adelaide.”

He leaned in that little bit closer. “So you’re not spending Christmas with your new fiancé?”

She resisted shrinking back in her chair. “Not this year, no.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean why?”

Anger flared in his eyes as he pushed himself back from the desk and straightened. “It’s usual for an engaged couple to spend Christmas together.”

“We’re not a usual couple.” She realized what she said too late. “I’d already made other arrangements,” she pointed out as she slowly began to breathe again.

An odd glint appeared in his eyes. “I’d have thought you wouldn’t want to let him out of your sight.”

“I trust Phillip,” she said, slightly puzzled by his question. It wasn’t as though Phillip would be out nightclubbing every night. Now if it was Brant who was her fiancé …

“But do you trust Lynette Kelly?” he purred.

Shock ran through her. Had he guessed that Lynette still had feelings for Phillip? Did he know things hadn’t really been settled between them?

“Lynette and Phillip are no longer an item,” she said coolly, and before he could say anything further she handed him a piece of paper. “I believe this belongs to you, Mr. Matthews.”

His face hardened. “Kia, I swear if you call me Mr. Matthews one more time …” He trailed off as he opened the slip of paper. His head shot up. “What’s this?”

“A check for my security alarm.” She’d rung the man who’d come to her home only to find out the bill had already been paid.

Cynicism entered his eyes. “Forget it. You paid for it by coming to the art exhibition, remember?”

Yes, so why did she deserve that mocking look in his eyes? “I’m sorry, I don’t see it that way. Not even as Phillip’s fiancée.”

“My offer was non-negotiable.” He ripped it in two.

She got to her feet and walked to a cabinet too close to Brant to get her purse. “Fine. I’ll write another one and give it to Phillip.”

“No need for drama, Kia. Let it go.”

“Mr. Matthews, if you think you can do what you like—”

He captured her arm with his warm hand, sending a slew of shivers racing over her spine. “Listen, if I did what I’d really like—”

“Is everything all right in here?”

Kia drew a ragged breath before she looked up to see Phillip had wheeled to the office door and was looking at them in concern. She stepped sideways and Brant dropped his hand.

Somehow she planted a stiff smile on her lips. “Yes, everything’s fine. I was just reminding Mr. Matthews that you’re going to Queensland tomorrow.”

“The name’s Brant,” Brant snapped and stormed out of the office.

Phillip raised his brows as he looked at Kia. “Sure you don’t want to come with me tomorrow? It might be safer.”

Kia shook her head. There was no place on earth safe for her. Not another state. Not another country. No, she’d just have to polish her armor and pray that Brant had better things to do on Christmas Eve than harass her.

And if she believed that, then maybe Santa Claus really did exist.