'Ouch.' He smiled, a lazy, sexy smile, before saying, 'I rather walked into that one, didn't I? You don't trust me an inch, do you, my fiery little puritan?'
She didn't like the 'puritan' bit; she wasn't sure if she liked the 'fiery' bit either if it came to it-it suggested a lack of control, and that wasn't at all the image she wanted to present to him. She took a long, silent pull of air, counted to ten, and then said sweetly, 'I'm sure you're an absolutely trustworthy employer, Mr Mallen,' before walking smartly to the door. 'Shall we bring up my things?'
He was grinning as he followed her out of the flat and down the stairs, and as she caught sight of his face she tried, desperately, to hang on to the anger and hurt-it was all the protection she had-but it was difficult He was so seductive when he was like this, and although she knew he was a virtuoso in the seduction techniques it was head knowledge, not heart, and didn't help at all against that magnetic pull he exerted as naturally as breathing.
'I'll take your cases up and leave you to get settled in,' Hawk said as they reached the car. 'There's a few phone calls I need to make.'
'Oh, but I thought we were going into the office?' She was flustered and it showed. 'I can just leave my things-'
'The day's over.' It was; dusk was already falling rapidly into the square, tingeing it with a bluey-grey softness, and there was the bite of frost in the air. 'I'm going to call in and inform Antoinette of the new arrangements, make those calls, and then pick up some bare essentials for you on my way back to my hotel. Okay? One day is going to make no difference one way or the other, Joanne. Go up, unpack, have a bath and relax until you.hear my knock.'
'Hawk, there's no need; I can pop out myself-'
'Just do it, Joanne, will you?' he said with pointed weariness. 'You won the major battle today;
He didn't look humble-in fact the word was ludicrous when applied to Hawk Mallen, Joanne thought wryly-but he had made his point and she nodded quietly. 'All right. Thank you.'
She saw the dark eyebrows rise sardonically at her meekness and fought against smiling. She couldn't afford to soften in any way, shape or form; this was a battle, and she was fighting as much against herself and her weakening emotions where this man was concerned as against Hawk himself. He was just so dangerous, fascinatingly, hypnotically dangerous, and utterly ruthless in his desire to conquer, and if he ever had an inkling of the true state of her feelings for him… The thought propelled her into the house ahead of him and up the stairs as though the devil himself were after her.
Once alone amid her strewn possessions, Joanne stopped for a moment in her unpacking as she caught sight of herself in the bedroom mirror, noting the tension frown that marred her forehead.
Hawk was right; once she finished unpacking the first thing on the agenda was a hot bath, and she could wash her hair, change, spoil herself a little. He wouldn't be back for at least a couple of hours and the headache that was beginning to drum at the back of her eyelids needed soaking away. She nodded at the serious-faced girl in the mirror.
And once Hawk had dropped a few provisions off she'd fix something light to eat with a hot drink, and probably take it to bed with one of the books she'd brought with her from England. A nice relaxing night in her new home… She glanced round the pretty room in varying shades of lemon and ivory before leaving the suitcases and walking through to the sitting room again. She had been right to insist on moving from that first apartment, she told herself with a feeling of deep relief. She could be herself here, in this little oasis from the pressures that would undoubtedly come her way as Bergique & Son's new manageress. In fact she could have been happy-if only a certain tall, blue-eyed individual hadn't blazed on her horizon like a threatening black meteor.
The threatening black meteor was back at just gone seven, his arms full of groceries and his face-although she didn't like the tender pang that accompanied the thought-grey with tiredness.
Joanne, on the other hand, had bathed, washed her hair and spent a contented hour or two arranging her belongings before crashing out in front of the TV. The resulting feeling of guilt was overpowering, and when he placed the bags in the kitchen, remarking as he did so, 'There's a couple of bottles of good wine in that lot, and steaks and so on,' her following words were inevitable.
'Would…would you like to stay for a meal?' she asked hesitantly.
'Great.' It was immediate and satisfied, and although she knew he had set the whole thing up she couldn't be angry. He
'What about the car, the driver?' She gestured at the window to the square outside. 'Aren't you going to tell him?'
'I came by taxi.' His eyes glinted wickedly.
'And you didn't think to ask it to wait?' she murmured sarcastically. 'How fortunate I suggested you stay.'
'I had faith in your compassion.' He smiled slowly. 'Where's the corkscrew?'
She gave up. He couldn't be shamed; she should have known-he was impossible!
'Here.' She opened a drawer and gave him the corkscrew. 'But it's just dinner, okay? I'm as tired as you are and I need my bed.'
'I need your bed, Joanne,' he said, with a ridiculously lewd expression that was supposed to make her laugh.
It did, but it also sent her heart thudding as a cold clear warning hit her brain. Don't forget, he's never more dangerous than when he's amusing and charming, like now. You've no defence against this man but he doesn't know that, so play it cool and keep things easy.
The red wine was mellow and fruity, the sort that tasted of a thousand summer days and must have cost a small fortune. With Hawk perched on a breakfast stool watching her while she worked, preparing a salad to go with the steaks, Joanne consumed two glasses without even being aware of it, until her head became a little muzzy and she found herself giggling at something he said.
'I think I need some food.' She took a couple of raw mushrooms and popped them into her mouth, one by one. 'What on earth's in that wine anyway?'
'Just grapes and sugar and-'
'You know what I mean,' she admonished gravely. 'You aren't trying to get me tipsy, are you?'
'Would I?' The sapphire-blue eyes were laughing at her and it should have mattered-but it didn't.
She nodded solemnly, but then, in the next moment, he had taken the salad bowl and set it to one side, folding her into his body without saying a word.
Joanne's mistake was in opening her mouth to protest, because he simply seized the chance to plunder it, his tongue sending tremors of desire into every nerve and sinew.
He had already taken off his jacket and tie, his shirt open at the neck, and as her palms pressed against his chest she could feel the prickle of dark body hair under the silk and the combination was unbearably erotic.
'You're beautiful, Joanne, just beautiful,' he whispered softly as his mouth nibbled at her lower lip. 'You've no idea what you do to me.'
She had, oh, she had, if it was just a fraction of what he did to her, she thought helplessly.
'I could eat you alive, do you know that?' His mouth moved to her earlobe and she thought she would die. 'Every single inch of you.' His hand covered her breast, caressing it slowly through the thin cotton of the T-shirt she had changed into, and immediately the tip flowered beneath his expert fingers, aching and ripe.
She arched against him, her hands going up to his shoulders as she pressed herself against the hardness of his body, and then, as a sizzle and a splutter from the grill touched her senses, she jerked away, her voice agitated. 'The steaks! I can't burn the steaks on my first night here; what would Madame Lemoine think?'
'Damn Madame Lemoine.' But he let her move away and rescue the food, settling himself back on his stool as he purposefully poured them both another glass of wine, although Joanne determined not to have another drop until she had eaten.
They ate at the tiny dining-room table that was barely big enough for two, and Joanne made sure the third glass of wine lasted until dessert, a wonderful chocolate mousse piped with thick fresh cream that tasted
