Читать книгу The Millionaire's Agenda - Kathryn Ross, Kathryn Ross - Страница 7

THE clouds seemed unusually low in the sky; there was a strange yellow cast to them that reflected off the roads, giving London a sepia glow. A smoky shroud hung over the Houses of Parliament and swirled over the river Thames, and in amongst this eerie setting there was the usual chaotic, very modern Friday-night scramble for people to get home.

Usually Chloe would be amongst the crush of people heading down into the underground. Her flat was central and she didn’t generally bother with her car because of this traffic. Today, however, she had wanted the solitude of her own vehicle, which was just as well, she thought now as she switched on her radio to catch the traffic reports. Steven couldn’t have risked not meeting with Renaldo.

It seemed to take for ever before Chloe was out of the jams and heading south. She wondered if Steven ever got fed up with this long business of commuting every day. Then she turned her car into the picturesque village of Hemsworth, with its thatched cottages and village green, and remembered why he might think this journey was worth it.

As she turned into Steven’s driveway the light was fading fast and the first flurry of snow started to hit the wind-screen. The ivy-clad Georgian manor was a welcome sight, its mullioned windows alight with welcoming warmth.

She pulled the car to a halt and hurried up to the front door, battling against the sudden gust of a bitter breeze that blew snow into her eyes and mouth. She lifted her hand towards the heavy knocker on the red front door but it swung open before she could use it.

‘Thank heavens you’re here.’ Gina was already dressed in a heavy coat; she was pulling on gloves and a woollen hat over her thick dark hair as she spoke.

‘I got here as quickly as I could.’ Chloe stepped into the warmth of the house.

‘I know; Steven phoned me and told me how long you’d be,’ the girl murmured tearfully. ‘Thanks for coming, Chloe. I’m just so worried about Dad.’

‘I hope he’s OK.’

Gina nodded and hurried out of the door. ‘Try and phone Steven tomorrow some time; let him know how things are,’ Chloe called after her as she ran across the driveway towards her car.

Gina waved, but whatever she called back was lost in the wind.

Chloe turned her attention back into the house. Beth stood further down the hallway. She looked like a little lost soul: her long blonde curls were rumpled, as if she had been standing on her head, and she was wearing a pair of dungarees and a pink jumper and only one shoe on her foot; the other dangled in her hand as if she been in the process of trying to put it on. Chloe got the distinct impression that she had wanted to go with Gina.

‘Hello, Beth.’ Chloe grinned at her, putting a determinedly cheerful tone in her voice as she pushed the door closed behind her. ‘My goodness, but it’s cold outside. I’m glad I’m here with you in this nice warm house.’

‘Is Daddy coming home soon?’ The bright blue eyes gazed up at her solemnly.

‘Yes, Daddy will be home very soon.’ Chloe took off her coat and hung it up. ‘He’s just got one more meeting. Meanwhile, I’m going to look after you.’

Beth made no reply to that. Chloe crouched down so that she was on eye level with the little girl. ‘Have you had your supper yet?’

Beth shook her head. ‘Gina was going to make sausage and chips.’

‘That sounds great. Shall I make that for us?’

‘If you want.’

‘Come on, then. You lead the way to the kitchen.’

Beth was very quiet, Chloe thought as they walked down the hallway. She wondered if she was just feeling shy. Although Beth had met her on several occasions when she’d had to come out to the house on business, the little girl didn’t know her that well.

Chloe had never been in Steven’s kitchen before. It was enormous, with a huge refectory table at one end and so many cupboards that it took ages to find something as simple as a cup. She remembered Steven telling her that this house had once been the old vicarage, and a path led directly through the gardens to the picturesque church of St Mary. It wasn’t hard to imagine the vicar’s wife in here, baking scones for the village fête. The house had a lovely, homely atmosphere.

‘Gina was crying before you came,’ Beth said as she watched her filling the kettle and opening and closing doors.

‘That’s because she’s worried about her dad.’

Beth sat on one of the chairs at the table. ‘Will Gina’s daddy die?’ she asked suddenly, and her voice wobbled precariously.

Chloe looked over at her, and suddenly she knew why she was quieter than usual; she wasn’t shy, she was worried. ‘He’s very poorly, but people get sick and then they get better again when they take the right medicine.’

‘Or they go to heaven like Mummy.’ Beth kicked her foot against the leg of the table. ‘I don’t want my daddy to be sick and go to hospital.’

Chloe went across to her and knelt down beside her. ‘Your daddy is fine, Beth,’ she said gently. ‘He’s back at the office working really hard.’

‘He hasn’t gone to hospital?’

‘No, darling, he’s his usual self. A bit grouchy now and then, but on the whole wonderful.’

Beth giggled at that, and looked a lot happier.

Smiling, Chloe went back to making the dinner. ‘You know, you remind me of someone in a nursery rhyme,’ she said. ‘Someone with one shoe on and one shoe off—was it Humpty Dumpty?’

Beth thought about this for a moment then shook her head.

‘Was it the three blind mice?’

Beth giggled. ‘Mice don’t wear shoes, silly.’

It was strange how the sound of a child’s laughter was so infectious. Chloe found herself smiling as she worked. And it was only later, after they had eaten and she was clearing away the dishes, that she realised that for the first time in weeks she had gone several hours without thinking once about Nile.

Steven closed the front door with a feeling of relief. What a night, he thought, shaking the snow off his coat before hanging it up in the vestibule.

‘Hello?’ He walked down the hallway, expecting to find Chloe in the lounge. He was impatient to talk to her about this business of her leaving. But all the lights were off in the lounge and the fire was dwindling down to just a red glow.

He retraced his steps and went upstairs.

The bedside lamp was still on in Beth’s room and it cast a warm pink light over the patchwork quilt and the peacefully sleeping child. Steven went over to tuck her in and kiss her cheek. Then his eyes moved to Chloe, who was curled up in the chair next to her. She was also fast asleep.

He wondered suddenly if he had been working her too hard recently. Perhaps he was even a little bit guilty of taking her for granted? That would change if he could persuade her to stay, he told himself.

His eyes moved over her. She looked vulnerable in sleep; her glasses were pushed up on top of her head, and she looked different without them. Steven noticed the delicate heart-shape of her face, and the fact that her cheekbones were well-defined. Her dark lashes looked incredibly long against the pallor of her skin. Her mouth curved in a soft smile. She was exceptionally pretty—why had he never noticed that before?

He smiled as he noted Beth’s storybook balancing from her fingertips, about to drop at any moment to the floor. But as he took the book from her he frowned as he noticed for the first time that she was no longer wearing her engagement ring. How long had that been missing?

Now he came to think about it, she hadn’t been her usual bouncy self these last few weeks. Her customary cheerful optimism that usually made him smile had been completely absent.

‘Chloe?’ He touched her arm gently, feeling almost protective about her; she looked so young and vulnerable sleeping there. ‘Chloe, honey, wake up.’

Her eyes flickered open; bright sapphire-blue, they stared up at him and for a moment he felt as disorientated as she looked. She had the most gorgeous eyes…why had he never noticed that before either?

‘Nile…?’ She murmured the name huskily.

‘No, it’s Steven. You’re at my house, remember?’

‘Oh…yes.’ If there was a faint flicker of disappointment in her eyes her lashes came down swiftly to hide her emotions. ‘I’m sorry, I don’t usually doze off like that. I guess I must be making up for the fact that I’ve had some sleepless nights recently.’

He watched as she tried to gather herself together, smoothing down her skirt, slipping her feet back into her shoes and then running her fingers over the arms of the chair as she searched for her glasses.

‘Have you seen my glasses anywhere?’ she murmured, looking around her in an unfocused way.

He reached out and pulled them down from the top of her head, smiling as he noticed the bright flush of embarrassment in her cheeks.

‘Sorry…I haven’t woken up yet.’

‘Stop apologising. I should be apologising to you for keeping you here so late.’ He sat on the edge of the bed, his knees almost touching hers. ‘Thanks for coming over here, Chloe.’

‘That’s OK. I don’t mind at all.’

Unless it was her imagination, Steven seemed to be looking at her very intently, most unlike the way he usually looked at her. She felt such a mess. She tried to push her hair back neatly into place as tendrils escaped to curl softly around her face. ‘What time is it?’

He glanced at his gold wrist-watch. ‘Almost ten o’clock.’

Steven glanced back up at her and something about the way his dark eyes moved over her face made her stomach dip.

Maybe it was his close proximity but Chloe felt suddenly very conscious of him, very aware of the raw power of his masculinity.

He smiled. ‘Come on downstairs and we’ll have a drink.’

‘No, I’d better go.’ She stood up. ‘I’ve got loads to do at home and I want to have a shower.’

‘Chloe, you can’t go anywhere tonight,’ Steven told her softly. ‘The weather is diabolical, and so are the roads. It’s taken me ages to get home. You’re welcome to stay in the spare bedroom.’

‘It can’t be that bad, surely?’ She crossed over to look out of the bedroom window. The snow was coming down so heavily that it almost obliterated the driveway in a white-out.

‘Dire, isn’t it?’ Steven said. ‘You’d never think it was April.’

‘No, you wouldn’t.’ Chloe pulled the curtains closed and turned to look at him. ‘Guess you’re stuck with me, then.’

‘Well, I’m hoping so.’

The tone of his voice seemed strangely weighted on those words and he was watching her with an intensity that she really wasn’t used to.

‘Chloe, you are not thinking of handing in your notice at work, are you?’

The abrupt question took her aback. ‘Why are you asking me that?’

‘I was looking for the list for the accounts department and I found that letter from Brittas in your desk,’ he said quietly.

‘Oh…I see.’ She felt her skin colouring with embarrassment as she remembered leaving the letter there in order to answer it in her lunch hour, but lunch had been overtaken by work and she hadn’t got around to it. ‘I was going to talk to you about that this afternoon—’

‘So are you thinking of leaving?’ Steven stood up from the bed. ‘Look, whatever Brittas are offering I’ll better,’ he said sharply.

The intensity of his tone startled her. ‘Well, actually, I wasn’t going to hand in my notice. I was going to ask you for a pay rise,’ she said truthfully.

‘Really?’ He pushed a hand through the darkness of his hair. ‘Thank God for that; you gave me quite a jolt.’

‘Did I?’ She was quite touched by the note of sincere relief in his voice. Then she smiled teasingly. ‘Enough of a jolt to give me a pay rise?’

He laughed. ‘Yes, Chloe…definitely enough for a pay rise. I’ll get on to the accounts department first thing on Monday.’

‘Thanks.’ She smiled. ‘When I was trying to get a minute of your time today to ask you this I never thought for one moment our conversation would end in Beth’s bedroom.’

‘No…it’s been a bit of a strange day all around.’

‘How did you get on with Renaldo?’ she asked.

His lips slanted wryly. ‘OK…I think. Renaldo is one tough cookie.’

‘Did he mention the meeting with the bank last week?’ She put her hand up to her hair as she felt it escaping the confines of its clips.

‘Yes, he did…’

Her hair wouldn’t go back in the clips, so impatiently she just let it loose, running her hand through the silky length as it tumbled around her shoulders. ‘I don’t suppose he brought those extra accounts with him?’

Her mind was firmly focused on the conversation, but Steven’s wasn’t. He was distracted by the way her hair had fallen in a long swathe around her shoulders. He noticed the golden lights amongst the darker strands of honey, giving it a rich vibrancy.

‘Steven?’

‘Huh?’

‘Did he mention the extra accounts?’

‘Yes…’ Steven stared at her abstractedly. He could hardly believe how beautiful she looked with her hair down. He shook his head as he realised she was waiting for him to expand on the subject. ‘Sorry, Chloe, I’m really tired. My brain seems to have gone into shut-down mode.’

‘I’m not surprised; you’ve been in that office since eight this morning.’

‘Yes, well, hopefully I’ll just have a couple more weeks like this and then everything will settle down once this acquisition has gone through.’

Chloe nodded. She watched as he loosened his tie, then ran his hand over the back of his neck. ‘Do you want me to make you a sandwich while you freshen up?’ she asked impulsively.

He looked as if he was about to decline the offer, then he shrugged. ‘Thanks, Chloe; I reckon I’m well and truly in your debt today.’

‘Watch it or I might ask for another rise.’ She grinned at him, a hint of mischief playing in her blue eyes now.

He watched as she moved over to check on Beth. Her fingers brushed gently to sweep a stray strand of golden curls from the child’s face, and then she bent to kiss her forehead.

The gesture was completely natural and so tenderly instinctive that it startled him. Why, he couldn’t have said; there was just something in the picture she presented, something familiar about the tableau of the sleeping child and the woman watching over her that jolted something inside him. Maybe it was the long golden hair that hid her face… Stephanie’s hair had been long and golden, just like Chloe’s.

‘Was Beth good for you?’ Abruptly he tried to snap out of whatever held him transfixed. He was overtired, he told himself briskly.

‘Yes, she was fine.’ She straightened and looked over at him. ‘You’re very lucky; she’s a lovely child.’

‘Well…I think so.’ Steven shrugged. ‘But then, I’m biased.’ His eyes flicked to the book he had taken from her hand earlier. ‘How many times did she get you to read The Elves and the Shoemaker?’

Chloe laughed. ‘Only four.’

‘You’re obviously a soft touch—I bow out at twice.’ He grinned at her and she smiled back.

She had a lovely smile, he thought contemplatively, perfect white teeth and a soft, sensual curve to her lips.

Chloe noticed the way his gaze rested on her lips for a second too long. The dark gaze was so intent that she felt herself tingle with awareness. Then their eyes met and she felt a delicious, shivery sensuality jolt through her body from nowhere. She couldn’t have been any more surprised by the feeling than if she had reached out and touched an electric current.

As he switched off Beth’s bedside lamp she turned away from him and went out into the hallway. That feeling just now was all in her imagination, she told herself crossly. Steven never looked at her with anything but the most cursory of attention. In fact, although he was always polite and respectful, she got the distinct impression that he saw her more as a piece of the office furniture than a woman.

He followed her out onto the landing. ‘While we’re up here I’ll show you your room,’ he said cordially as he led the way further down the landing and opened another door.

Chloe glanced around, noting the restful lilac colour on the walls and the white bed linen on the enormous double bed. ‘Gina sometimes uses it if she has to stay over when I’m away on business. There’s an en suite bathroom through there.’ He nodded to a door at the far side of the built-in wardrobes. ‘Just make yourself at home. Go and have a shower if you want…that’s what I’m going to do now.’

‘OK…thanks.’ She smiled at him and then felt that awkward sensation of awareness again. What the hell was the matter with her? she wondered. Maybe it was just the unusual situation. She was used to standing across a desk from him, discussing work. Finding herself in a whole different environment was bound to make her a bit edgy, a bit shy of him. Possibly that was what had been wrong with her back in Beth’s room as well, she realised suddenly.

‘I won’t be long.’ As Steven headed into his bedroom Chloe made her way downstairs. There was no point having a shower now, she thought, because she had nothing to change into.

She made a pot of tea and quickly made some sandwiches with some ham she had found in the fridge earlier. Then as she waited for the tea to brew she flicked through the CDs sitting beside the small music centre. Steven had similar taste in music to her, she noticed, and on impulse she put one in the CD player and pressed ‘play’.

Upstairs in his room, Steven heard the distant sound of the haunting romantic ballad and he frowned. The song that was playing had been his wife’s favourite. He remembered when they had first been married how he’d used to tease her about the fact that she played it over and over again…

He saw her green eyes laughing at him.

He took off the jacket of his suit and then his tie, trying to ignore the prickling sensation that was running down his spine. Chloe was nothing like his late wife. He was just tired and Stephanie was close to his mind because of the anniversary…that was all it was.

Chloe flicked the ‘repeat’ button so that the song would play over again. She hadn’t heard the tune in ages and it was one of her favourites. She stared out at the snow falling past the kitchen window, so white against the blackness of the sky.

She wondered where Nile was. He could at least have got in contact to explain about the money, to apologise. Surely he owed her that much?

The music snapped off behind her and she whirled around. Steven was next to the music centre.

‘Sorry, Steven…was that disturbing Beth?’

‘No, Beth could sleep through an earthquake.’ He hesitated for a second before adding, ‘I’ve just got a bit of a headache.’

‘Probably all that paperwork today.’ Chloe went across to pour the tea.

‘I think I’ll have something a bit stronger than tea,’ Steven said, opening one of the cupboards. ‘I’ve got a bottle of whisky in here…somewhere.’

Chloe was about to tell him that if he had a headache whisky was not the best thing to drink, then thought better of the comment. Steven didn’t need her counsel.

She noticed that he had changed into jeans and a blue shirt and his hair was still damp from the shower. Chloe had never seen him dressed in such casual attire before; it suited him—made him look more boyishly attractive.

‘Care to join me?’ Steven asked, looking up from his perusal of the drinks cupboard.

She shook her head. ‘I’ll stick to the tea,’ she said with a smile. ‘I’m not a whisky drinker.’

‘In fact, no bad habits at all?’

‘I wouldn’t go that far.’ She wondered if there had been a dry edge to that question. Did Steven Cavendish think she was boring? The idea needled her. ‘In fact, I’ve got more than my fair share of faults.’

His eyebrows rose. ‘Name one, then?’ he asked with a grin.

‘I could name loads,’ she retorted swiftly, ‘but, as you’re my boss, I don’t think that would be a very good idea.’

His dark eyes glimmered with amusement. ‘You’re on your best behaviour around me…is that it?’

‘Of course.’

He smiled and turned back to his contemplation of the cupboard. ‘How about a glass of red wine, then?’ He held up a bottle and looked around at her. ‘Come on, help me out—am I sailing anywhere near a weakness here?’

She laughed at the absurdity of the question and then found herself acceding. ‘A glass of red wine would be nice.’

‘Great; I hate to drink alone.’ Steven transferred the drinks and his sandwiches onto a tray. ‘Let’s go and sit in the other room and relax for a moment.’

The lounge was in darkness. Chloe turned on one of the side lamps as Steven put the tray down and went over to stoke up the fire.

She sat in one of the comfortable royal-blue chairs and watched as he encouraged the dying embers in the grate then threw on a few logs. As the blaze sprang to life the flames hissed and spat greedily in the silence of the room.

‘There’s nothing like a real fire,’ she murmured.

‘There’s something romantic about it, isn’t there?’ he agreed. ‘During the day we have to keep the fireguard on because of Beth, but in the evening, when she’s in bed, it’s nice to sit and gaze into the flames.’

By ‘we’ she presumed he was referring to Helen.

He sat on the floor and opened the bottle of red wine before leaving it to warm by the flames for a moment. ‘If this snow keeps up I doubt I’ll be able to go to Manchester tomorrow.’

‘I thought you said a little bit of snow wouldn’t affect the company jet?’ she reminded him light-heartedly.

He glanced up at her and grinned. ‘I was wrong, wasn’t I?’

‘Gosh, Mr Cavendish is admitting to being wrong!’ She turned laughing eyes towards the patio windows. ‘Are there pigs flying around out there in that snow?’

‘Less of the sarcasm, Ms Brown,’ he reprimanded with a glint of humour in his eyes. ‘May I remind you that according to that little speech you made in the kitchen you are supposed to be on your best behaviour around me?’

‘Sorry…don’t know what came over me.’ With a smile she settled herself even more comfortably in her chair. ‘Must be approaching the witching hour or something.’

Steven smiled back and leaned against a chair as he poured the wine. ‘Tell you what, I’m glad it is approaching the witching hour; I’ve seen enough of that office over these last few weeks to last me a lifetime.’

‘It has been very tense in there,’ Chloe agreed. She took off her glasses and put them down next to her on the coffee table.

‘So let’s drink to Friday, then,’ Steven suggested lightly as he passed her wine across to her. ‘And my wonderful PA, of course, without whom my office would disintegrate into chaos.’ He raised his own glass in salute.

Smiling, she took a sip of the wine; it was warm and mellow against her throat.

For a while they sat in companionable silence. The room was in semi-darkness, and she glanced around, admiring the elegance of the decor.

All the rooms were very big in this house, possibly because it had been built in a bygone era, where style and space had been more important than practical considerations such as how much the land cost. She admired the beautifully framed watercolours on the plain cream walls, the Louis XV fireplace and the ornate marble surround, the huge mirror stretching up to the ornate coving around the high ceilings.

‘You have a beautiful home,’ she remarked absently.

He smiled. ‘You sound as if you’ve never been here before.’

‘Well, they have always been flying visits, haven’t they? Usually when we are both so stretched with work that we’ve had to use every available minute to catch up with things by working from your office here.’

‘Yes, I suppose you are right.’ He glanced over at her thoughtfully. ‘I rely on you quite heavily sometimes, don’t I?’

She shrugged. ‘No more than any other boss relies on his PA.’

Steven decided that wasn’t quite true. Thinking that Chloe was leaving today had made him review exactly what he had with her.

He watched the way the firelight played over her face. Her skin had a smooth, creamy quality. She looked very young, and as her eyes lifted to look over at him there was a vulnerable air about her that intrigued him. And what about her engagement ring?

‘I hope I haven’t disrupted your weekend too much,’ he said casually. ‘What were your original plans for tonight?’

‘They were nothing special. I’m glad I was able to step into the breach. Did you find that list for the accounts department, by the way?’

He noted how she swiftly changed the personal question back to business. Now he came to think about it, Chloe did that a lot.

She was a wonderful PA, probably the best he had ever employed. He knew he could trust her implicitly, yet she kept herself to herself more than any other woman he had ever met.

If someone had asked him two years ago, when he’d been having problems with a personal assistant who’d had a crush on him and blushed every time he spoke to her, what his ideal PA would be he would have said someone like Chloe, someone who got on with the job and didn’t have any personal interest in him. Yet perversely, now that he had exactly the right person in the job, he found himself wanting her to talk to him a bit more about something other than work. She had this kind of closed-off look about her, a ‘do not touch’ attitude.

‘Yes, I found the list, thank you.’ He took a sip of his wine before saying slowly, ‘But let’s not talk about work tonight. I’ve had enough of that all week.’

‘As work is our common denominator, there might be a few long silences if we do that.’ She tried to laugh off the request, because in truth it made her feel nervously self-conscious.

Steven noted the sudden colour in her cheeks and knew he had ruffled her a little with the remark. He had no intention of overstepping the boundaries of their working relationship…for one thing, he didn’t believe in mixing business with pleasure. Yet his curiosity was aroused sufficiently to want to push those boundaries aside for just a while, just to quell the sudden need to know what exactly lay behind Chloe’s businesslike façade.

‘Maybe we have a few other things in common that we have yet to discover,’ he said lightly.

‘Like a love of old houses and fine wine?’ She kept her voice equally light.

‘There you are, we’ve found two things we have in common already.’

She smiled at the teasing note in his voice. ‘It does seem a bit strange for us to be relaxing like this,’ she said honestly. ‘I keep expecting a telephone to ring, or someone from one of the other departments to come barging in to ask for something.’

‘We never get a minute’s peace, do we?’ Steven agreed. ‘Naïvely I thought when I floated the company on the stock exchange four years ago that I’d be able to take more of a back seat. But I think I’m putting more hours in now as managing director than I ever did as the sole owner.’

‘Perhaps that’s the heavy price of success.’ She smiled.

‘Perhaps.’ He took a sip of his drink.

She wondered what he was thinking about as she watched the flickering firelight playing over his features. Maybe he was remembering the heady thrill of that business deal. For a man who wasn’t a chef, Steven Cavendish was a remarkably successful restaurateur.

From humble beginnings with one restaurant he had developed a style and a flair for the imaginative, setting in place the correct chef, the right location and something more…a flair for elegant dining that had struck a chord with Londoners, so that within a year the first Cavendish restaurant had been an overwhelming success and more had followed.

‘I suppose I shouldn’t complain. After Stephanie died I was glad to be working so many hours; it helped take my mind off things. In fact, there were points when I felt better in the office than I did at home. I had the peace of mind of knowing my mother was here with Beth…and at least at the office I could pretend everything was normal.’

‘It must have been a dreadful time,’ Chloe said sympathetically.

‘The worst ever.’

There was silence for a moment. Steven stared into the fire reflectively. ‘One of the reasons we bought this house was that we thought it was a fine family home. It has five bedrooms and we planned to fill them. Stephanie was from a big family and so am I. We both liked that and wanted the same…’

‘I’m so sorry, Steven.’

The gentle sympathy of her voice jerked him from his contemplation of the past. He shrugged. ‘Life goes on, Chloe. I’ve learnt to deal with it.’

Despite the calm tone, she knew that he had found his wife’s death very difficult to come to terms with. Chloe had joined the company almost twelve months after the tragedy and she was used to a rather stern and very intense boss who could be more than a little aloof on occasion, but other members of staff had told her that before his wife had died he had been a different man, that her death had made him withdraw into himself.

Sitting here next to the fire with him, she realised that she was seeing more of that real Steven Cavendish than she had in two whole years in the office. Underneath that enigmatic cloak that he wore so well, he was a nice guy. A nice guy who just happened to be very handsome as well…she thought as she studied his rather aristocratic profile, the chiselled features, square jaw-line and the sensual curve of his lips.

He glanced over and caught her staring at him. ‘What are you thinking about?’ he asked lazily.

‘Just…just how awful it must have been to lose someone you loved so much.’

‘Yes, it was.’ As he looked over at her Steven was thinking how right Chloe was—it was kind of strange to sit here talking to her like this. But the funny thing was, she was so easy to talk to. He hadn’t meant to open up to her like that; in fact, he couldn’t remember the last time he had talked to someone about Stephanie. He leaned over and topped up her wine glass. ‘Anyway, let’s not get maudlin,’ he said. ‘It’s Friday night, reason to be celebrating.’

Realising that he might not want to talk about his wife any further, Chloe took the hint and changed the subject. ‘And if this weather keeps up you might not have to go to Manchester tomorrow.’ She raised her glass.

‘Even if the weather improves I might find it difficult to go anyway…because by the looks of things Gina won’t be back tomorrow.’

‘Well, if by some miracle the weather does improve I’ll stay on tomorrow and look after Beth,’ Chloe offered.

‘Thanks, Chloe.’

‘That’s OK. Beth and I get on very well together,’ she said lightly. ‘It would be no hardship.’

Steven smiled at her. ‘Well, that’s very nice of you, but what about Nile—won’t he mind?’ The quietly asked question made her nerves jump. ‘Where’s he tonight, anyway?’

‘I don’t know.’ She smiled a trifle over-brightly. ‘Probably out drinking with his mates…’ She was aware of his dark gaze moving towards her hands, to the finger that had worn Nile’s ring. ‘We called our engagement off almost four weeks ago,’ she admitted huskily.

‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ He frowned. ‘You’ve never said a word about it.’

‘I suppose I’m still trying to get used to the idea myself. ‘And we don’t really talk about our personal lives, do we?’ she said. ‘In fact, I had a hard time even trying to talk to you about work today.’

He grimaced. ‘Sorry, Chloe; hopefully things are going to settle down soon.’

She smiled. ‘We’ve been saying that for ages. Actually, I don’t mind how busy it is—at least the days go quickly.’

‘So your break-up with Nile was very sudden, was it?’ He went back to the subject, his voice gently probing. ‘You two have been together for a long time.’

‘Yes; I met him just before I came to work for you, two years ago. But we were probably just not meant for each other. These things happen.’ With massive determination she tried hard to sound as if she was very together about the whole thing, and she tilted her face up and smiled.

Steven wasn’t fooled by the brave front for a minute. He noted the pallor of her skin and the bright glitter of her blue eyes. ‘Just as well to find you’re not suited now instead of after you married.’

‘Yes…that’s what I keep telling myself. But we were living together for over a year…and I did think…well, obviously I thought he was the guy for me. We’d even booked the registry office…’

‘So…if it’s not too personal a question…what happened? Was it another woman?’

She noted with grim amusement that his first surmise was that Nile had dumped her. ‘Well, not exactly, although it turns out that there is another woman in the background now…’ Maybe that other woman had been there all along and he had just picked that argument with her as an excuse to leave…and take their money, she thought grimly.

‘Well, he’s an idiot to give you up,’ Steven said briskly. ‘A complete idiot.’

The compliment took Chloe aback. She wished now that she hadn’t taken off her glasses so that she could read the darkly impassive features more clearly. ‘Thank you.’ She looked away from him, feeling suddenly embarrassed. She couldn’t really believe that she was talking like this to him; it felt really weird.

‘You’ll meet someone else, fall in love and thank your lucky stars that you didn’t marry him.’

Her lips twisted drily. ‘I didn’t realise you were such a romantic.’

‘Neither did I.’ He smiled. ‘But it sounded good, didn’t it?’

Chloe thought about that for a moment and then shook her head. ‘I don’t know about that…’

‘Why not?’

She shrugged. ‘Well, this business of the earth moving and lightning zinging through you when you kiss someone—it’s all just a big distraction, isn’t it?’

‘Distraction from what?’

‘The reality of whether you really are suited to spend the rest of your life with someone.’

‘You’re a bit young to be so cynical.’

‘I don’t think it’s cynical; I think it’s sensible.’ Chloe stared at the fire as she thought about Nile and their relationship. She had thought she had it all worked out with Nile Flynn…thought they were on exactly the same wavelength. Then came the argument four weeks ago, and she had discovered not only were they not on the same wavelength but they were tuned into entirely different frequencies.

He had accused her of being too interested in her work! It had been a ridiculous thing to say—she’d always been into her career. And, although she hadn’t said it to him, she recalled all too well that he hadn’t complained when he had needed her support for the long period during his own business difficulties. She had been the main breadwinner for well over a year. The strange thing was that now he was getting back on his feet financially again he seemed to hold that against her.

She would never understand men, she thought angrily. She hadn’t minded helping him, had been there for him both emotionally and financially. It hadn’t mattered to her who earned the most money. She had just thought that they were working in unison with the goal of their new house now well in sight.

And she had loved him; OK, there had been no wild sparks between them, there never had been. It had been more a quiet, steady kind of feeling. But Chloe had liked it like that, had liked the fact that they both had their feet on the ground; she had thought Nile felt exactly the same. He’d certainly led her to think he felt the same.

The angry rhetoric of four weeks ago had come as a total shock. It had started innocently enough because she’d been late home from work. He’d said she didn’t have enough time for him. That she had all her priorities all wrong; she put her work ahead of him. She had made one little remark about the fact that she needed her job and had to treat it seriously and he had flown into a complete rage. He had made some very disdainful and derogatory remarks about her work and it was then that she had realised suddenly that he deeply resented the fact that she had been the one to keep things together financially when work hadn’t been going well for him.

When she had suggested quietly that they sit down and discuss things he had arrogantly dismissed the idea and stormed out of the apartment.

It had been such a ridiculous argument that she had thought he might have reflected on the conversation, come back, sat down and discussed things in a more reasonable manner. But Nile hadn’t come back, or at least not while she had been there. She had returned from work the following day and all his belongings had gone, leaving no trace that he had ever shared her life.

‘I thought Nile liked the fact that I had an independent streak,’ she said, turning to look at Steven. ‘But it turned out that he didn’t like that at all.’

For a second Steven had a glimpse of such raw vulnerability in Chloe’s eyes, it was the first time he had ever seen that and it startled him slightly. Chloe was always in control, and together.

She looked away from him hastily and he was left wondering if he had imagined it.

‘Anyway, I reckon the bottom line is he’s seeing someone else. One of my friends saw him out with her not so long ago.’ She looked back sharply at Steven. ‘So much for love,’ she said pointedly. ‘I think the next man I meet I’m going to push that particular emotion even further down on my list of requirements.’

Steven surveyed her through narrowed, thoughtful eyes. ‘So what attributes would you put at the top of your list of requirements?’ he asked curiously.

‘Mutual respect.’ She closed her eyes for a moment as she thought about the question. ‘And he’d have to be someone who is kind and thoughtful.’

Watching her, Steven couldn’t help wondering if passion would figure anywhere on her list. He had a feeling that under the sensible, businesslike exterior she liked to portray she would have an extremely passionate side. His eyes drifted slowly down over her clothing. For one thing, he suspected that beneath those suits there was a very delectable body hidden away.

Aware that he was watching her with close attention, Chloe felt suddenly flustered and wondered why on earth she had told him all that! ‘Anyway, that’s enough about me,’ she said awkwardly. ‘Where’s Helen tonight?’ she asked, swiftly moving the conversation.

‘She’s been working on a very big case down at the crown court all week. Verdict came in today and her client has been acquitted. So I think the whole team are out celebrating.’

‘Must be a bit difficult juggling your social life sometimes,’ she considered. ‘What with Helen being such a high-flying barrister and you running Cavendish.’

‘It takes a bit of effort to co-ordinate our schedules,’ he agreed wryly.

Outside in the hallway the grandfather clock struck two, its chimes echoing through the silence of the house.

‘I didn’t realise it was that time,’ Chloe said in surprise.

‘No, neither did I.’ Steven grinned. ‘For two people who don’t usually talk about our personal lives, we’ve certainly made up on some lost ground.’

‘Yes.’ She smiled at him.

‘And it’s been very enjoyable.’

As she sipped her wine she thought how Steven was right—it was pleasurable sitting here with him like this. He was a nice guy. And there was almost something romantic about the half-light of the fire, the snow falling silently and thickly outside the patio doors. Trouble was, they were the wrong two people. He should be with Helen, she should be with Nile, she reminded herself sternly.

Her eyes moved over him contemplatively. He looked incredibly sexy in that casual attire. She wondered suddenly what it would be like to curl her fingers through the thick darkness of his hair and be kissed by him. She recoiled in shock from the thought. He was her boss! The man who barked orders and threw paperwork at her. The man who unnerved her with that dark, steady gaze. Had she taken leave of her senses?

He looked over and met her eyes and smiled. It was such a warm, attractive smile that it made her feel even more confused. Steven Cavendish was simply gorgeous, she thought hazily. But if he knew what she had just been thinking he’d be horrified, she told herself.

‘I’d better get to bed.’ Chloe finished her glass of wine.

‘We haven’t finished the bottle of wine,’ he said. ‘Stay and have another drink.’

‘I’d better not.’ She stood up and Steven also got politely to his feet.

‘Well, goodnight.’ She smiled at him a little self-consciously.

‘Goodnight.’ His gaze seemed to move from her eyes towards her lips as he spoke.

Chloe didn’t move away; something held her rooted to the spot.

He reached out and smoothed a stray strand of hair away from her eyes. It was a strangely intimate gesture and the touch of his fingers against her skin made her feel hot inside.

‘You look lovely with your hair loose like that,’ he murmured. ‘You should wear it like that more often.’

‘It…it gets in the way.’ As she stared into his eyes she felt her heart thundering against her chest.

‘You are so practical about everything,’ he said gently. ‘The way you dress…even the way you think about relationships.’ His lips slanted into a wryly teasing smile. ‘I bet you even alphabetically index your CD collection, don’t you?’

‘No…’ She smiled. ‘But it’s a very good idea…’ Her voice trailed off as he leaned closer and she realised suddenly that he was going to kiss her.

She could have moved away from him, but she didn’t want to. Some kind of madness seemed to take hold of her and she leaned forward, meeting him halfway and then responding to the soft pressure of his mouth with a rising feeling of hunger.

Being folded into his arms was the most amazing feeling. His lips were sensually provocative as they moved over hers, gently at first and then with a fiercer heat that set her on fire. She felt his body pressed hard against hers and it sent a thrill of excitement flooding through her. Chloe wanted to be closer; she wanted him to caress her body. When she felt his hands stroking up over her back she wanted to melt into him, feel his hands against her skin.

She wound her arms up and around his neck and the kiss deepened further, Steven exploring her mouth with a sensual mastery that sent her control spinning wildly. The sudden touch of his hands against the bare skin of her waist made her realise that her blouse had been pulled from the waistband of her skirt. The sensation of his hands against her naked skin made her tingle all over, her thoughts incoherent with a desire that was totally overwhelming.

She wanted him to unbutton her blouse, wanted to feel his hands moving and caressing over her breasts, which were now tight and aching with the weight of her desire.

He kissed the side of her face and found the soft, sensitive skin at her neck in a way that sent even more darts of pleasure through her.

If he continued like this she was going to want to make love totally and completely, and this was all wrong.

The knowledge hit her like a seed of sanity in a storm of desire.