She unlocked the door to her apartment and flung it open, giving him a none too gentle shove inside before slamming it and whirling to face him.
Stepping into her sanctuary usually comforted her: the funky Indian floor cushions in turquoise and tangerine, the fresh fuchsia gerberas stuck in mismatched coloured bottles serving as vases, the aromatherapy candles littering every available surface.
Not tonight. Tonight, she had every intention of screwing over Jax Maroney the same way he'd been doing to her family business.
"If that's how you treat all your guests I'll pass on the coffee—"
“Shut up.” She pointed at the lowest chair, wanting him at a height disadvantage. "Take a seat. I'll be back."
He shrugged and surprisingly did as instructed, folding his six-three frame into the soft chintz. "Just for the record, I don't take kindly to orders."
His gaze started at her feet and swept upwards, deliberately lingering in places it shouldn't. "But considering you're about to slip into something more comfortable, it may be worth my while to stay."
"You're obnoxious," she said, the sting taken out of her words by an irrepressibly smug grin at his backhanded compliment.
"And you're spectacular."
Wow.
That zing of attraction between them? Zapped her in a big way.
Annoyed by her body's betrayal when she had a business score to settle, she flounced out of the room. Not that she'd everflouncedin her life, but going up against Jax Maroney brought out the worst in her.
She wanted to rattle him as much as he rattled her but something behind those coal-black eyes, an inner resistance combined with formidable will, told her she wished for the impossible.
Propping open her bedroom door with a shoe, she kept an eye on him through the slit while grabbing the nearest change of clothes she could find.
"Don't make yourself comfortable. You won't be staying long," she said, slithering out of the emerald satin, kicking off her stilettos, and gratefully slipping into a zigzag-patterned strapless jumpsuit.
"And here I was, thinking the renowned Seaborn’s would be hospitable and gracious."
As she tugged the ruche elastic bodice of the jumpsuit up, her blood chilled. He knew about her family.
The question was, how much?
Did he know her dad had died when she'd been in her early teens? That her mum had carried on the family business ever since, building it into Australia's premier jewellers? That Sapphire had juggled modelling and spokeswoman duties while studying for a business degree and master's part-time? That she'd loved being the younger sister with less responsibility and more recreation time?
The familiar guilt at her extensive social life while her sister had carried the burden of makingSeabornflourish niggled at her once again. She'd been irresponsible and carefree, while Sapphire took on too much and ended up sick.
No more.
She snatched out the clip holding her loose chignon in place and ran her fingers through her hair. She liked loose and muss. She didn't like uptight and controlled. Like her unwelcome guest.
When she stepped out of her bedroom, her wary gaze collided with his, the instant ping of attraction zapping her synapses making a mockery of her self-professed dislike.
"Zebra stripes? Interesting outfit." Amusement quirked the corners of his mouth and she resisted the urge to tug at the bodice again. "Rather fitting, what with zebras being an endangered species."
Like Seabornhung unsaid between them and she glared at him.
"You're not here for a fashion critique." She marched across the room and sat opposite him, tucking her bare feet beneath her. "And you're skipping the coffee."
His deliberately blasé expression didn't flicker but she noted coiled tension in his fingers digging into the chintz.
"Then why am I here?" He instilled enough innuendo into his silky tone to make her pulse leap.
"That's easy." She snapped her fingers. "So I can tell you exactly what I think of your professional practices and to ensure you stay the hell away from my business.”
Chapter 5
