He zoomed straight in on it.”Being independent is safer than trusting anyone, Erin?”
“When the people you should be able to count on keep shuffling you around for their convenience, you learn independence pretty darned quick,” she answered with considerable heat, feeling him burrowing under her skin, going deeper and deeper.”And that’s probably what’s in store for Thomas Harper,” she added emphatically, trying to move this conversation onto the track it should be taking.
Needing action to break the highly charged current flowing between them, she turned and grabbed the bottle of water, proceeding to fill one of the glasses provided with a long, cool drink.
“I’m sorry. I should have done that for you.”
The apology grated on her frayed nerves.”Why?” she shot at him.
He shrugged, his mouth twitching into a bemused little smile.”It’s what a gentleman does for a lady.”
“And what does a lady do for a gentleman in your world, Peter?”
She goes to bed with him.
The cynical thought was in her mind, even as she posed the question.
Nevertheless, it came as a shock when she read it in his eyes, the sudden simmer of desire directed straight at her.
Even his smile seemed sensually seductive as he answered,” In my world a gentleman looks after a lady who answers his needs.” Her mind was in an absolute whirl.”What need am I answering?” shot straight out of her mouth.
“My need to talk with you.”
His reply was so smooth, his expression shifting so swiftly to serious sincerity, Erin wondered if she’d imagined the hot flash of desire. But her skin was still tingling from it.
Fortunately the waitress arrived at their table to take their meal orders, diverting Peter Ramsey’s attention and giving Erin a breathing space.
She needed a blast of oxygen in her brain to clear her confusion and get some reasonable perspective on what had eventuated from this meeting so far.
She had paraded her wish to be desirable to him with blatant honesty.
He hadn’t liked it.
Yet now…did he find a hard-to-get scenario more stimulating—the challenge of winning over resistance? Perhaps he’d had too many women offering themselves to him on a platter and he’d envisaged her being different—more of a novelty for him, like her choice of this restaurant.
She sighed.
Nothing in real life was simple.
Which was why she much preferred living in the stories she made up in her mind. She had total control over how her characters acted and what their response to each other would be.
“Erin ?”
Peter’s prompt snapped her out of fantasy and back to the immediate demands of the present. She smiled at the waitress.”I’ll have the Chil i Jam Prawns.”
“You like hot?” Peter queried.
“Chil i Jam is more spicy than hot,” Erin informed him.
“I’ll have the same,” he instructed the waitress who ticked off the order and departed to take it to the kitchen.
Peter flashed a devil-may-care grin at Erin.”I like spicy.”
Her stomach cramped, battling the butterflies that were suddenly swarming through it. That grin…the wickedly sexy sparkle in his eyes…he was applyingspicy to her…had to be…yet…
She cocked her head, looking askance at him, trying to be more objective—sensible—about what Peter Ramsey was doing here.”Why do I get the feeling you’re being adventurous tonight?”
He laughed and Erin felt the sheer joy of the sound rippling through her, stroking chords of pleasure that totally erased the dark swirl of confusion and left her earlier feelings about this man bubbling brightly in her mind.
He shone above every other man she’d met.
She wanted to experience everything about him.
So her best course was to try to relax and roll with whatever he wanted to say and do, see where it led.
Chapter 4
She had that look of curious wonder in her lovely green eyes again—almost childlike in its wishful search for understanding.
It tugged at Peter. He barely resisted the urge to tell her,” You’re my adventure, Erin Lavel e.” That truth could very well offend her, make her withdraw from him, halt his progress in finding out more about her. So far, it was all good. No boyfriend.
What family she had—divorced parents—had no strong claim on her. She was free to do whatever she chose, and tonight she’d chosen to have dinner with him before going off to a party.
Not that she would get to that party.
Peter was determined on holding her with him.
“Today has not been my usual scene,” he conceded, aware she wanted to be given a reasonable explanation for his actions.”But it has felt surprisingly good and I guess I want to finish it up still feeling good.”
“Why were you in the park?” she asked, pinning him down to detail.
Because you were there.
Would she be flattered to hear that?
Or frightened?
His hunting instincts warned it was better to get closer to her before showing his hand. He shrugged and answered,” The whim of a moment.
I’d spent the morning at Randwick Racecourse, meeting with my trainer. The Autumn Racing Carnival is coming up and he wanted to discuss the form of the horses I own. I was driving back into the city, thinking what a beautiful day it was.” His smile invited her to smile back at him as he added,” The urge to stop and smell the roses came upon me.”
She laughed at his whimsy.”There are no roses in that park.”
“Fresh air then,” he supplanted.”You don’t get fresh air and sunshine in boardrooms.” Her eyes danced with amusement.”When was the last time you played hookey from your usual life?” He shook his head.”I can’t remember.”
“And it still feels good—” she gestured to their downmarket surroundings “—being here?” His eyes lightly teased as he answered,” How could it not when a princess sweeps in, wanting to bring joy to a child for evermore?”
“Oh!” Her hands flew up to cup cheeks that suddenly bloomed rose-red.”You really were listening to me tell that story!”
“You had those children—and me—totally rapt.”
“You liked it?” She glowed with delight, as though such an accolade was totally unexpected and an immense pleasure.
“You have a very special gift, Erin,” he assured her.
“That’s one of my favourite stories. I’m so glad it…” She stopped, frowned as though having second thoughts about the rush of uninhibited enthusiasm. Her lashes lowered and he caught the sense that she was hiding something from him.