No regrets about making the dinner date, Aristide was already thinking as he sank in beside her. The blue of her eyes matched the dress or maybe the blue of the dress heightened the colour of her eyes. He blinked, wondering why he was abstracted enough to think such a thing while simultaneously acknowledging that she was even more beautiful than he remembered her being only hours earlier, pale hair like rumpled silk lying across her narrow shoulders, a heart-shaped silver locket at her delicate collarbone. Somehow his brain conjured up an image of sapphires there instead.
‘So, it seems that I’ve misunderstood who you are somewhere along the way,’ Tabby remarked stiffly, intimidated by the level of opulence in the big vehicle. ‘I believed that you worked for Millwrights—’
‘No, I own Millwrights. They run audits for me,’ Aristide told her casually. ‘I did wonder what was happening this morning when nobody appeared for my benefit, but your charming company was a plus and I let it go.’
Tabby breathed in deep and slow, steadying her nerves. ‘Then may I ask why you were at Traxis today?’
‘I bought it over—’
‘Traxis?’ Tabby gasped in surprise and consternation because it was an international company. ‘Youownit?’
Good heavens, had she allowed herself to be chatted up by her new employer?
‘If you’re my boss, I shouldn’t be here with you!’ Tabby exclaimed in dismay. ‘If you stop the car, I’ll get out here—’
Aristide studied her in wonderment. ‘Are you mad? I’m not your boss. I won’t be taking much of an active part in running Traxis. My role is behind the scenes. I buy companies, reorganise them and then move on to the next,’ he explained levelly.
Her heart still beating very fast at the belief that she was not only way out of her depth with such a guy but also doing something wrong in going out with him, Tabby stared back at him anxiously. ‘I’m still not sure I should be with you—’
A big lean brown hand closed over hers where she had braced her own on the seat. ‘Relax,angelos mou,’ he urged. ‘Of course you should be with me tonight. It’s what you want…and what I want. Why should anything else come into it?’
Chapter Two
‘IT’S WHAT YOU WANT…and what I want.’
That was the indisputable truth, Tabby conceded. But Aristide made it sound so simple, although wasn’t it simple? she asked herself. Two young people surrendering to an attraction and getting together, two people unlikely, it seemed, to meet again. It was just he wasn’t the more ordinary salaried guy she had assumed he was, no, he was evidently quite wealthy. But ought she to hold that difference against him? My goodness, Violet would enjoy this story…
Only as soon as Tabby thought that, she reddened, knowing that there was no way she would be sharing this particular story with her sister. She suspected that her twin would be a little shocked by what she was about to do, not judgemental, of course, but definitely surprised. It was more likely a tale she would tell somewhere down the road after this fake-marriage nonsense was behind her and life had returned to normal.
Aristide was still holding her hand, she registered, and she liked that, liked that quiet connection so much that it was a disappointment when he freed her fingers and the limo stopped and it was clear that they were about to leave the car.
A faint darker line of colour scored Aristide’s cheekbones as he curved a guiding hand to her slender back on the way into the exclusive restaurant. Once again he was wondering what was wrong with him because it was a challenge to keep his hands off her, even in a non-sexual way. What was that about? Maybe he would find out what she was doing over the weekend, extend their future. No, he told himself harshly, that would be getting into relationship territory and he wasn’t going in that directionever again.
As they were greeted at the door like important people and led through the packed tables, her companion acknowledging several comments, Tabby felt severely underdressed for the first time in her life. Her little cotton sundress didn’t cut the mustard amongst company that wore glittering jewels and cocktail-type frocks. Cheeks warm, she sank down at the secluded table, grateful they weren’t in the centre of the dining room where she had already spotted a couple of famous television actors.
Aristide could read her expressive face as easily as a book. The surroundings intimidated her and he should’ve put more thought into their location. Since he hadn’t, he endeavoured to tease and entertain her while she perused the menu. Before very long, her easy smile was back and she was laughing. He couldn’t take his attention off her and it felt too intense for him and a shard of uneasiness pierced him afresh. He didn’t want to be involved, he didn’t want togetinvolved and he was handing out the wrong signals, wasn’t he? One night or even two was his limit and he didn’t wish to mislead her. Striving to cool his attitude, he became quieter.
Tabby was mesmerised by Aristide, the ease of his manners, the witty edge to his conversation, the way his attention never once strayed from her even though there were two very beautiful, well-dressed women at a nearby table. And when it was time to leave and she only then thought of what lay ahead, she found herself getting nervous and quieter as well.
She knew that she could say that she wanted to go home and Aristide was unlikely to say anything, she reckoned. He had been way too kind to her to suddenly turn nasty, she reasoned. The only problem was that she didn’twantto leave Aristide behind, didn’t want to backtrack and never know what it would be like tobewith him. And that seemed to be telling her that, for her, he was the right guy.
‘Where are we going?’ she asked uncertainly as the limo drove off again.
‘To my home here. It’s an apartment,’ Aristide imparted, releasing his belt and leaning closer. ‘I’m not sure that I can contain myself that long. I want to kiss you—’
A faint scent of cologne assailed her nostrils, reminding her of icy forest nights and, beneath it, the aroma of clean, husky male. He smelled so good she wanted to bottle him and sniff that scent like an addict. ‘Go ahead,’ she framed raggedly, meeting eyes like dark beaten gold in the lights flickering through the tinted windows of the dark streets outside.
His mouth closed over hers and she was electrified from that first moment. It was that connection she had sought and waited for and never found. Her heart was beating so fast it seemed to be in her ears. He kissed her breathless, his tongue delving deep, teaching her other longings, other needs, spurring a building tightness between her slender thighs.
‘We’re here…’
Aristide was, once again, unsettled as he had forgotten where they were. He climbed out, hugely aroused, struggling not to recall that the last time he had kissed anyone like that, he had been about sixteen or so. And his first thought, a kneejerk reaction, was ‘send her home’. It was followed by the awareness that there was no way he could do that without discovering what it was about Tabby Blessington that sent him into a tailspin. He would find out that it was simply a stronger than usual case of sexual attraction, he told himself soothingly.
‘My goodness, how long were we doing that for?’ Tabby mumbled as he ushered her into the lift.
‘I don’t care,’ Aristide admitted, reaching for her again to cover her kiss-swollen lips with his own.
Feeling his lean, powerful physique sealed to hers unleashed another whole set of effects in Tabby. He virtually carried her through a door into the apartment and she was blind and mute, seeing nothing, saying nothing, only wanting the taste of him back on her lips and the feel of him against her.
