Читать книгу The Prince Brothers: Satisfaction Guaranteed! - Кэрол Мортимер, Кэрол Мортимер - Страница 13

WHAT a fool she had been!

It was so easy to forget, when Nik held her in his arms, when he kissed her, when he made love to her, exactly what sort of man he was. But the smoothness with which he had dealt with that reporter and photographer earlier, as well as now—with his brother’s help, of course!—had very quickly reminded her. Thank goodness!

‘Jinx—’

‘You have so many things worked out, don’t you, Nik?’ she scorned. ‘The way that you engineered that meeting at Susan and Leo’s last weekend, for example. Just how did you know I was going to be there, Nik?’ She could tell by the impatient discomfort in his expression that he would rather she hadn’t asked that particular question.

‘Jinx, you’re wasting valuable time—’

‘It’s my time to waste.’ She shrugged.

‘And mine—’

‘I don’t give a damn about your time, Nik—and I’m not leaving here until you answer my question!’ Her eyes flashed deeply blue.

He glared at her frustratedly. ‘You have to choose now to ask me that particular question?’

‘Yes!’

He sighed. ‘You’re not going to like the answer.’

‘I didn’t think for a moment that I would,’ she assured him scathingly. ‘I can reason that you were able to write directly to me to organize this morning’s meeting, because you discovered the PO box that was used for corresponding with Stephens Publishing—although I have yet to find out who your source was,’ she added coldly, deciding it was past time she had words with the publisher. ‘But it doesn’t follow that that would tell you I would be at Susan and Leo’s the weekend before last—Wait a minute! You had me followed from the post office earlier that week when I had lunch with Susan, didn’t you?’ she realized slowly as Nik looked decidedly uncomfortable now. ‘Which means, to know about her anniversary party on Saturday, you must also have had Susan checked out…’

There was no other way he could possibly have found out what her own plans were for that weekend. She had realized his being there at all was too much of a coincidence, but she certainly hadn’t realized the lengths to which he had gone—!

‘Didn’t you?’ she breathed incredulously.

‘Jinx—’

‘You did.’ She nodded furiously. ‘And my name is Juliet. Or Dr Nixon, if you prefer. Never Jinx as far as you are concerned,’ she bit out, grabbing her bag from where she had placed it earlier and walking determinedly to the door. She paused there, turning to glare at him. ‘If you—or anyone employed by you,’ she added scornfully, ‘attempt to come near me again, then that harassment charge I threatened you with last week will become a reality!’

She was so angry that at that moment she could cheerfully have hit him—and felt all the better for it. She simply couldn’t believe that anyone could behave in such an underhand way. Or that she could have allowed herself to kiss, and be kissed, by such a man.

He shook his head. ‘You’re being totally unreasonable—’

‘I’m being unreasonable?’ she hissed. ‘Your own behaviour borders on obsessional. Hit a raw nerve, did I?’ she spat out as he seemed to pale slightly.

Good, came her inner—childish?—response. But it was about time he knew what it felt like to be on the receiving end for a change. She felt as if she had only just been managing to keep half a step in front of him for the last week and a half—it seemed only fair that she had now decided to turn and challenge him!

What was the old saying—‘attack is the best form of defence’…?

Well, where Nik Prince was concerned, attack was the only defence left to her.

‘Not at all,’ he dismissed stiffly. ‘As I pointed out to you last week, such a course of action would only bring about exactly what you’re hoping to avoid. Publicity,’ he reminded at her questioning look.

Her eyes widened. ‘Are you threatening me?’

‘Believe it or not, no. No,’ he repeated firmly as she continued to look at him sceptically. ‘But even if that reporter earlier had no idea who you are, I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’m looking for J. I. Watson. And if I could find you, then so can someone else.’

Oh, he was unquestionably right about that. Except they weren’t talking about ‘someone else’ at the moment, they were talking about him!

‘Let’s concentrate on you for the moment, shall we?’ Her voice was saccharine-sweet. ‘Because if you force me into making this into a legal matter, then I can assure you I will never give you the film rights to No Ordinary Boy. In fact,’ she added as he would have spoken, ‘I’ll find out who your biggest rival is and give them to him!’

Nik’s gaze narrowed as he looked at her for several long minutes. ‘You really would do that, wouldn’t you?’ he finally said.

At this moment? Angry with herself. Angry with him. Oh, yes, right now she was more than capable of doing something like that.

Tomorrow might be something else entirely…

Although she had no intention of letting the arrogant Nik Prince see that. ‘If I’m forced to.’ She nodded abruptly.

He drew in a harsh breath. ‘Fine. Let’s get you out of here, then, shall we? And then—’

‘I’m more than capable of getting myself out of here,’ she assured him. ‘After all, as you’ve already pointed out, it’s you the press are after, not me!’

Although just how long that would last was anybody’s guess. Which meant she had some very serious decisions to make during the next couple of days. Decisions she was no nearer making now than she had been a year ago…

‘It’s only a matter of time, Ji—Juliet,’ Nik corrected pointedly as his words echoed her thoughts. ‘It was bad enough the first time around, but the mad clamour to find J. I. Watson will start all over again, more intensely, once the second “Ordinary Boy” book is published…’

‘What do you know about the second “Boy” book?’ she cut in sharply, every inch of her tensing warily as that icy grey gaze suddenly eluded hers.

Nik made an impatient movement. ‘Well, of course there will be a second book—’ ‘There’s no “of course” about it,’ she said slowly, becoming more sure by the minute that he knew she had already submitted the second manuscript. Just as she was sure that only someone at Stephens Publishing could have told him that…

‘Oh, for—’ Nik broke off his angry exclamation as the telephone began to ring.

Three times. Just as before. And then ringing off. Just as before.

‘Your brother seems to be becoming a little—anxious, at the delay,’ Jinx said derisively. ‘I suggest you go down and alleviate that anxiety for him.’

‘And you?’ Nik frowned. ‘Where are you going?’

‘I don’t believe that is any of your business! But I actually intend going out exactly the way I came in—straight out the front door! You’re the one they want a story on, Nik—not me. And as far as I’m concerned, they can have you!’ she declared before letting herself out of the suite and heading for the lift.

She certainly wasn’t going to be part of Nik’s story. Either now or in the future. Although she had come very close to becoming exactly that, Jinx realized heavily as the lift descended. She had been so close—too close!—to giving in to the desire he had aroused in her, to just forgetting everything else.

How he would have liked that! Not only would he have managed to find J. I. Watson where everyone else had failed, but he would also believe he had managed to get her into his bed!

Jinx closed her eyes, swaying slightly as she thought of her arousal earlier, her need for the feel of Nik’s body against hers, inside hers, loving her, possessing her, until she could think of nothing else.

Had it been only the loneliness of the last eighteen months, that necessary feeling of distance between herself and other people, that had caused her intense reaction to Nik? Or had it been something else?

Please let it not be anything else!

Falling in love with a man like Nik Prince, besides being a totally insane thing for her to do, would also be complete anathema to the anonymity of J. I. Watson.

If she needed further proof, the crowd of people gathered around Zak Prince and the stunning blonde at his side as Jinx stepped from the lift into the reception area, the reporter of earlier included, was more than enough to convince her of that!

Jinx strode straight through the reception area, outside to where a row of taxis stood waiting, nodding her thanks to the doorman as he opened the back door of the first one for her to get inside. Only starting to breathe easily again once that door had been closed behind her.

‘Where to, love?’ the driver prompted cheerfully.

‘Fold Street, please,’ Jinx told him. ‘Stephens Publishing on Fold Street,’ she repeated firmly before sitting back to stare sightlessly out of the window.

Well, that went well, Nik told himself disgustedly as the door closed decisively behind Jinx, having had no choice but to stand impotently by and watch as she walked out of his life.

Or thought she did.

There was no way, absolutely no way he was letting Jinx just walk away from him like that. Because she was J. I. Watson. Because he still wanted the movie rights to No Ordinary Boy.

At least, that was what he told himself. But another part of him knew that it was because he wanted Jinx Nixon, wanted her in his bed, with no interruptions, for as long as it took to sate both himself and her. Maybe then he would be able to get her out of his head, out of the dreams he had been having about her this last week, naked and willing as he made love to her in every imaginative way he could think of.

He had never allowed a woman to get between him and his work. And Jinx Nixon was going to be no exception.

‘What the hell happened to you?’ Zak demanded a few minutes later as Nik opened the door to let him into his suite. ‘I kept the press busy for as long as I possibly could—much to Damson Grey’s delight. Yes, that is who spent the night with me.’ Zak grinned at Nik’s disgusted snort. ‘And, believe me, her body more than lives up to her name!’ His grin widened as he threw himself down into one of the armchairs to look up at Nik.

He was one of the scruffiest men Nik had ever seen, both on and off the screen. It never ceased to amaze Nik how his brother drew women to him like a magnet. Of course, it could have something to do with Zak’s golden good looks: overlong blond hair, laughing blue eyes set in a face so handsome he was almost beautiful, his body long and loose-limbed in the faded denims and baggy black tee shirt.

‘So where is she?’ Zak prompted as he looked conspiratorially around the suite. ‘Still hiding in the bedroom?’

To Nik’s self-disgust, he found himself tensing resentfully at this offhand remark directed at Jinx. ‘She was never in the bedroom,’ he bit out reprovingly.

‘She wasn’t?’ Zak’s eyes widened speculatively. ‘So where is she now?’ he asked before Nik could give him another cutting reply.

‘I have no idea,’ Nik answered him honestly. ‘She walked out of here about five minutes ago. In fact, you may have seen her on her way out.’ He frowned as the thought occurred to him.

Zak gave the idea some thought, his brow clearing suddenly. ‘Tiny little thing? Long red hair, very deep blue eyes? A very kissable—’

‘That’s enough!’ Nik growled.

Zak’s eyes widened. ‘Yep, I guess that was the one,’ he teased. ‘And you never made it as far as the bedroom? Maybe that’s why you’re in such a foul mood, big brother. Self-denial isn’t good for a man of your advanced years!’

Zak could say that again! Not the part about his advanced years, of course, but this constant frustration certainly wasn’t doing anything for his mood.

Although Nik’s discomfort was nothing compared to his concern now for Jinx and what she would do next. Because he didn’t doubt that she intended doing something.

‘Will you excuse me, Zak?’ he murmured distractedly. ‘I have to go out for a while.’ He picked up his brown leather jacket and pulled it on over his shirt, checking in his trouser pockets for his wallet.

‘Going after the beautiful—what is her name?’ Zak queried.

‘Her name is Juliet. And stay away from her, little brother. Well away.’ He scowled darkly.

Zak’s grin was wider than ever. ‘Wow, this is a first! Can I use your phone? I have to ring Rik at Stazy’s and tell him—’

‘Use your own phone,’ Nik snapped. ‘And tell Rik what, exactly?’

‘That our BB has been bowled over by a five-foot nothing of a woman with the body of Venus, of course.’ Zak stood up, heading for the bar, taking out a cola and drinking it straight from the bottle.

‘Help yourself!’ Nik drawled, giving an impatient shake of his head. ‘And I would hold off telling Rik anything, if I were you,’ he added as he headed for the door. ‘Things aren’t always what they seem, Zak.’

His brother frowned meditatively. ‘Now you’ve really got me curious…!’

That wasn’t quite the idea; the last thing Nik needed right now was Zak and Rik on his case. He was confused enough about Jinx as it was!

‘Feel like telling me where you’re going?’ Zak quirked mocking brows.

‘Nope.’

Zak shrugged. ‘Maybe I’ll catch up with you later.’

‘Maybe,’ he echoed, frowning heavily as he left the hotel suite.

Where would Jinx have gone after she left him? Home? Or somewhere else? Bearing in mind how angry she had been when she’d left, he had a feeling it wasn’t the former. If he were in Jinx’s shoes, he’d go—

‘Fold Street,’ he told the taxi driver as he got in the back of the black vehicle. ‘Stephens Publishing,’ he added tersely.

The journey seemed interminable, the taxi meeting every conceivable hold-up possible, from someone falling off their bicycle to a set of failed traffic lights. All of which only served to increase Nik’s impatience to boiling point.

Jinx had been in a furious mood when she’d left—because of him, admittedly, but he had a definite feeling that anger might spill over onto whomever she spoke to next. If his guess was correct, and Jinx had gone to Stephens Publishing, then, after months of never even meeting his author, James wasn’t going to know what hit him!

Maybe they would be lucky and James would be out of the office!

No such luck, Nik groaned inwardly after the receptionist had called James Stephens’s secretary and okayed him to go up.

Maybe he was wrong, after all, Nik reasoned on the way up in the lift; the secretary would hardly have allowed him up if there were a full-scale battle going on in James’s office.

In which case, he had better do some quick thinking as to what he was doing here!

‘You can go right in,’ James’s secretary looked up to tell him smilingly as he strode into the office.

Great; besides feeling rather foolish for having rushed over here in order to save Jinx from herself by telling James Stephens exactly what she thought of him and his publishing company, Nik was also no nearer to knowing what to tell the other man about his own reason for being here!

‘Come in, Nik,’ James welcomed him brightly, having stood up to come round his desk and shake Nik by the hand, effectively blocking Nik’s view of the rest of the office so he couldn’t see whether or not Jinx was actually here.

James smiled at him warmly. ‘How fortunate that you should arrive just now.’ He beamed. ‘You’re not going to believe this, but I can actually introduce you to our author J. I. Watson at last!’ He finally stepped to one side, leaving Nik with a clear view of Jinx as she sat in the chair facing the other man’s desk.

She was sitting sideways in the chair at the moment, that clear violet-blue gaze coldly mocking as she looked up at him challengingly.

Affording Nik little pleasure in knowing he had been right in his surmise as to where she had gone after leaving him…!