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‘Which makes me even more curious about what you do—or don’t—sleep in,’ he said softly, sending a second trickle down her spine to join the first.
‘We shouldn’t be having this conversation,’ she said brusquely.
‘Why?’
‘We’ve never met before.’
‘Then let’s introduce ourselves.’ He took her hand in a hard, warm clasp. ‘Tell me your name.’
Joss stared down at their hands, amazed to find herself flustered by his touch. ‘Let’s not get into names,’ she said, after a moment. ‘I don’t want to be me tonight. Just call me—Eve.’
‘Then I’ll be Adam.’ He shook her hand formally. ‘The party’s almost over. Take pity on a lonely stranger, Miss Eve, and have supper with me.’
Joss gave him a very straight look. ‘I thought you came with a friend.’
‘I did. He won’t mind.’ He bent his head to look in her eyes. ‘What was your original plan for the evening?’
Joss turned back to the view. ‘Originally I did have a date for tonight,’ she admitted shortly. ‘But it fell through. Which accounts for the lack of party spirit. Consequently—Adam—I don’t much fancy bright lights and a restaurant.’
‘Then I’ll get a meal sent up to my room here,’ he said promptly, and grinned at the incensed look she shot at him. ‘All I offer—and expect—is dinner, Eve.’
‘If I say yes to a meal in your room,’ she said bluntly, ‘you might expect a lot more than that.’
‘I was watching you long before you vanished out here,’ he reminded her. ‘I know you’re not the archetypal party girl out for a good time.’
‘Do you?’ Joss detached her hand and gave him his jacket. ‘But you have the advantage, Adam. If you watched me earlier you obviously know what I look like. I haven’t even seen your face properly yet.’
He shrugged into his jacket, then moved to the centre of the balcony. From the room inside a shaft of light fell on a strong face with an aquiline nose and a wide, firmly clenched mouth. His cheekbones were high, the eyes slanted, one heavy dark eyebrow raised towards his thick, springing hair as he bore her scrutiny.
‘Well?’ he said dryly. ‘Will I pass?’
With flying colours, she decided. ‘All right—Adam. I’d like to have supper with you,’ she said quickly, before she could change her mind. ‘But not in your room.’
He smiled wryly. ‘Then tell me which restaurant you prefer and I’ll arrange it.’
Just like that. Joss eyed him curiously, in no doubt that if this man asked for a table no restaurant, however sought after, would refuse him. She thought it over for a moment, then gave him a straight look. ‘As you’ve gathered, I’m not in party mood. But we could have supper at my place—if you like.’
His lips twitched. ‘Can you cook?’
‘I offered supper, not haute cuisine,’ she retorted.
He laughed, then moved into her shadowy corner to take her hand. ‘I’m delighted to accept your invitation, Miss Eve.’
The charge of electricity from his touch hinted at danger she chose to ignore in her present reckless mood. ‘Let’s go, then,’ Joss said briskly. ‘But not together. You first.’
He nodded. ‘Allow a discreet interval for me to thank your friends. I’ll have the car waiting at the main entrance in twenty minutes.’
When she was alone Joss leaned on the balcony for a while, almost convinced she’d imagined the encounter. But a furtive peep through the curtains showed her new acquaintance dominating the group clustered round Anna and Hugh. Very nice indeed, thought Joss, reassured, and much too tall to be a figment of anyone’s imagination. She waited until he’d gone, then emerged from her hiding place and joined Anna and Hugh.
‘We were about to send a search party for you, Joss,’ said Anna indignantly. ‘Where on earth have you been?’
‘Communing with nature on a discreet balcony,’ said Joss demurely.
‘Alone?’ asked Hugh, grinning.
‘Of course not.’ She batted her eyelashes at him. ‘Anyway, must dash—supper for two awaits. Thanks for a lovely party. See you soon.’ Joss hugged Anna, kissed Hugh’s cheek, then did the rounds, saying her goodbyes, made a detour to tidy herself up in a cloakroom, and at last took the lift down to the foyer, where a man in hotel livery ushered her outside to a waiting car.
‘You’re late,’ growled an impatient voice as she slid into the passenger seat.
‘Sorry. Couldn’t get away.’ Joss gave him her address with sudden reluctance, hoping this wasn’t a colossal mistake.
‘I’d begun to think you’d changed your mind,’ said Adam as he drove away.
He was very nearly right. ‘If so I would have sent a message,’ she said crisply.
‘Ah. A woman of principle!’
‘I try to be.’ Joss turned a long look on the forceful profile, and saw the wide mouth twist a little.
‘I hear you, Eve, loud and clear.’
‘Good. What happened to the friend, by the way?’
‘When told I was dining with a ravishing lady he sent me on my way with his blessing.’
Joss laughed. ‘You’re obviously very old friends.’
‘We’ve known each other all our lives.’
‘Like Anna and me.’ She sighed. ‘I just hope Hugh makes her happy.’
‘Is there any reason why he shouldn’t?’
‘None that I know of. I like him very much.’
‘Then it’s marriage itself you distrust?’
‘Not exactly. But Anna is so certain they’ll live happily ever after. And all too often people don’t.’
‘Leave your friend to her quite obviously besotted fiancé and concentrate on yourself, Eve.’
‘Thanks for the advice,’ she said tartly, and made polite small talk until they arrived at a modern apartment building sitting in surprising harmony with its Victorian Notting Hill neighbours.
Adam parked the car, then followed Joss into one of the lifts in the rather stark, functional foyer.
‘I live on the sixth floor,’ she said, feeling a definite qualm as the door closed to pen her in the small space with her large escort.
Adam frowned down at her. ‘You’re not comfortable with this, are you?’
‘Not entirely,’ she admitted.
He shrugged. ‘In which case I’ll just see you safely to your door and fade into the night.’
Joss felt sudden remorse. ‘Certainly not,’ she said firmly. ‘I invited you to supper so I’ll provide it.’ She looked at him questioningly. ‘Would you really have left me at my door?’
‘If you’d wanted that, yes. But with great reluctance.’ He pressed her hand in reassurance. ‘I keep my word, Eve.’
‘If I didn’t believe that I wouldn’t have invited you here,’ she assured him.
Inside the flat, Joss led her visitor past her closed bedroom door and switched on lights as she took him along a narrow hall into a sitting room with tall windows looking out over communal gardens. The room was large, with free-standing shelves crammed with books, and a pair of brass lamps perched precariously on the top shelf. Otherwise there was only a small sofa and a large floor cushion.
‘Please sit down,’ said Joss. Half empty or not, the room looked a lot smaller than usual with her visitor standing like a lighthouse in the middle of it. ‘Supper’s no problem because I did some shopping today. But I wasn’t expecting company so all I can offer you in the way of a drink is red wine—or possibly some whisky.’
‘Wine sounds good.’ Adam let himself down on the sofa, and stretched out his endless legs. ‘If it’s red it should breathe, so I’ll wait until the meal. Can I help?’
Joss shook her head, chuckling. ‘No room for giants in my kitchen. I’ll open the wine first, then throw a meal together. Shan’t be long.’
As she worked swiftly Joss decided she liked the look of her unexpected guest very much. Not handsome, exactly, but the navy blue eyes, dark hair and chiselled features appealed to her strongly. So did the air of confidence he wore as casually as his Savile Row suit. She tossed a green salad with oil and vinegar, carved a cold roast chicken, sliced and buttered an entire small loaf, and put a hunk of cheese on a plate. She shared the chicken salad between two dinner plates on a forty-sixty basis, put them on a tray with silver, napkins and glasses, added the bread, cheese and wine, and a bowl of fruit, then went back to the sitting room and put the tray on the floor.
Her guest swung round from his absorption in her bookshelves to smile at her. ‘A wide range of literature,’ he commented.
‘My main extravagance. Do sit down again.’ She smiled in apology as she poured the wine. ‘I’m afraid it’s a picnic. You may live to regret not having your hotel dinner.’
‘I doubt it.’ Adam received his plate with approval. ‘What could possibly be better than this?’ He looked up, the indigo eyes holding hers. ‘Thank you, Eve.’
‘My pleasure,’ she said lightly, then curled up on the floor cushion to eat her own meal, realising this was the truth. After resigning herself to a solitary evening, probably not even bothering to eat at all, the present circumstances were a vast improvement.
‘For me,’ said Adam, raising his glass to her in toast, ‘it’s a pleasure—and a privilege—I never anticipated when I first set eyes on you tonight.’
‘When was that?’
‘The moment I arrived. You stood out from the crowd.’
‘Because I’m tall,’ said Joss, resigned. ‘But how on earth did I come to miss someone of your dimensions?’
‘We were late. And it was the hair I noticed, not your height. You had your back to me, but you were facing a mirror. I could see that narrow face of yours framed in it, and wondered why the eyes were at such odds with the smiling mouth. The contradiction intrigued me.’
‘I’m glad I didn’t know,’ said Joss with feeling. ‘Rather like being caught on Candid Camera. I hope I was behaving myself?’
‘Of course you were. The perfect guest.’ Adam helped himself to more bread. ‘But I could tell you weren’t in party mood. I was surprised—and impressed—that you stuck it out so long.’
‘So you saw me disappear,’ said Joss thoughtfully.
He nodded. ‘At which point inspiration struck. At worst, I reasoned, you would send me packing.’
‘And at best?’
‘The privilege of talking to you.’ He gave her a direct look. ‘My imagination never got as far as this.’
‘Chicken salad and questionable claret?’ she said flippantly.
‘Exactly. Now, tell me why you asked me back here tonight.’
Joss shot him a warning look. ‘Certainly not to share my bed.’
‘I thought we’d sorted that out already,’ he said impatiently. ‘Listen to me, Eve. In basic terms, I swear I won’t leap on you the moment we’ve finished supper, or at any other time—is that blunt enough for you?’
Blunt and very reassuring, decided Joss. ‘Yes. Thank you.’
He eyed her searchingly. ‘You’ve obviously had bad experiences in the past in this kind of situation?’
She shook her head. ‘I never invite men here for supper.’ Which was true enough.
He frowned. ‘Never?’
‘Never.’
‘Then why me?’
‘Because you were in the right place at the right time,’ she said candidly. ‘I was in need of company tonight, and you offered yours.’
Adam leaned forward, one of the heavy brows raised. ‘You mean I happened to be nearest, that any man would have done?’
‘Certainly not,’ she snapped, and jumped up. ‘You were kind. I liked that. But, best of all, you’re very tall.’
He looked amused. ‘Is height a vital requirement?’
‘No. But for me it’s a definite plan. I’m five feet ten, with a passion for high heels.’
Adam laughed as he refilled their glasses, and took very little persuading to finish off the bread and cheese. She offered him the fruit bowl. ‘Have one of these to go with it.’
His lips twitched as he took a shiny red apple. ‘Very appropriate, Eve. Will my life change for ever after one taste?’
‘Try it and see.’ Joss smiled and sank down to her cushion again as his strong white teeth crunched into the apple. ‘Sorry there wasn’t any pudding.’
‘This is all a man could ask for. Company included,’ he added. ‘Do you feel better now?’
‘Yes. I haven’t been eating well lately.’
‘I didn’t mean the food.’
‘I know. And since you ask, yes, I do feel better.’
‘Good.’ Adam finished everything on his plate and put it on the tray. ‘Shall I take this out to your kitchen for you?’
She shook her head. ‘Leave it. I’ll see to it later.’
‘Much later.’ He looked at her steadily. ‘I’ve no intention of leaving yet.’
