скачать книгу бесплатно
Well, she’d got her wish.
Before they’d parted at the lifts in the foyer Sam had said what a lovely time he’d had, and he would really like to spend tomorrow with her before conducting his business and flying out of the country.
She should’ve said no.
She should’ve mumbled some excuse about preparing her speech for Sunday.
She should’ve turned frigid like she had when any guy had come near her since Ellis.
Instead, she’d smiled and blushed and nodded and made a complete fool of herself.
What was she thinking?
‘You weren’t,’ she mumbled, wondering if she could plead a headache tomorrow morning, knowing that would be the wimp’s way out.
Since when had she ever done wimpy?
Determined to ignore the niggle of misgiving that she’d just made an impulsive decision with her heart rather than her head, she logged on to her emails, eager to bury herself in business and forget her fascination with Sam and their impending date.
Scanning through the usual requests for quotes, her gaze focussed on one bearing the heading ‘Welcome to Adhara’. Her best friend Eloise had been whisked away to live in the tiny desert country since her marriage to royalty, and had been begging her to visit ever since.
However, this email wasn’t another of Lou’s badgering missives. Instead, it had come from Ned Wilson, her biggest client in Australia—the media mogul who had a thing for Middle Eastern architecture, and who’d been hounding her every step to turn his Sydney-harbour mansion into a replica of something out of Arabian Nights.
Her finger slipped off the laptop’s mouse as she read the email. Ned wanted his mansion to be authentic, had discovered the only mosaics he’d consider having in his home, and had booked her a trip to Adhara.
Shaking her head in disbelief, she reread the email. It wasn’t a request, it was an order, and considering Ned Wilson could make or break careers—and had done so quite publicly in the past—it looked like she had little choice.
She hated any guy thinking he could control her, yet, with the promise of Ned’s renovated mansion sending her reputation through the glass ceiling, she’d swallow her pride for once and do what he wanted. Architecture was predominantly male-oriented and she battled for recognition with every job.
Taking a few calming breaths before she fired off a response, Bria checked out the information Ned had attached to the email. Though she hated his high-handedness in organising this trip without asking, she couldn’t help but be fascinated by the sweeping desert sands, the white-washed buildings and the quaint market places.
She’d always been fascinated by exotic places and their architecture, and it looked like she was about to get an up-close-and-personal view of Adhara whether she wanted it or not.
Sighing, she fired off a second email, to Lou this time, informing her of the upcoming visit. Her friend would be ecstatic, though considering the business nature of the trip she seriously doubted they’d have much time for doing what they loved best: lounging around, sharing gossip and packets of chocolate Tim-Tams.
All in all, this trip wouldn’t be too bad. Ned could’ve sent her to the outer reaches of the Sahara on a whim, rather than a country where she knew someone, and once she completed his house her reputation as an architect would soar.
Nothing like positive publicity to build a career, she thought, and, feeling more upbeat than she had a few minutes ago, Bria logged off and padded into the bathroom, her mind filled with images of endless stretches of desert—quickly replaced by a man with mesmerising dark eyes.
CHAPTER THREE
‘HOW gorgeous.’
Bria’s first glimpse of the Victorian rose garden took her breath away.
At least, that was her excuse and she was sticking to it.
No way could the slight breathless feeling tightening her chest have anything to do with the guy by her side, no matter how perfect he seemed.
‘I agree. Gorgeous,’ Sam said, his dark-eyed gaze fixed firmly on her, and not wavering towards the beautiful blooms for a second.
Heat crept into her cheeks, and Bria silently chastised herself for reacting like a blushing schoolgirl to a compliment from a suave man.
So, Sam had charm. She’d figured that out pretty quick-smart over dinner last night, and for guys like him paying compliments didn’t mean a thing. It came as naturally to them as breathing.
‘Shall we keep walking?’
She barely waited for his nod, eager to escape the enigmatic smile playing about his mouth as she headed into the garden. Losing herself among the stunning blooms would be infinitely better than losing herself in the seductive power of his smile.
‘There is so much colour, so much beauty,’ he said, his reverent tone stopping her in her tracks, and she turned, surprised to see him stooping low and inhaling the fragrance of a magnificent red rose the size of a fist.
She’d never expected an international businessman to take time out to smell the roses, literally, and seeing Sam softly caress the petals of the perfect blood-red bloom brought an unexpected lump to her throat.
Oh, no… No, no, no!
She didn’t do emotion when it came to guys, never had, and, considering she’d barely known Sam twenty-four hours, letting him breach the iron-clad barriers around her heart would be beyond foolish.
Men were great in the boardroom, so-so in the bedroom, and had no clues when it came to her needs. Which was why she’d eventually tired of Ellis, no matter how convenient it had been to share some of her life with him in London.
Considering his true colours, she’d been lucky she hadn’t let him into her heart despite the occasional yearning for something more, something beyond the rather cool relationship they’d had.
As for Sam, falling for a guy she barely knew would be the ultimate insanity, especially considering he lived on the opposite side of the planet and was a walking, talking advertisement for everything she mistrusted in a guy.
Clearing her throat, she grabbed at a nice, safe topic to clear her befuddled head.
‘I’m off on a really interesting trip once this conference is finished,’ she said, unable to stop her gaze drifting to his butt as he bent over the rose, knowing it wasn’t the tailored fit of his casual khaki trousers that held it but the perfection outlined beneath the cotton.
‘Where are you going?’
He straightened and she shifted her gaze in record time, the heat in her cheeks intensifying as he locked gazes with her, and she had the uncanny feeling he could read her mind.
‘You probably haven’t heard of it. It’s a tiny country called Adhara. One of my clients is mad for Middle Eastern architecture and wants his house to be perfect, so has basically ordered me to go over there. Plus, my best friend lives there, so it should be great.’
Sam stiffened, his gaze snapping to hers before he smiled, a genuinely warm smile which reached his eyes and turned them to molten chocolate, despite the flicker of something mysterious in their depths.
‘Actually, I have heard of it. It’s a beautiful country.’
‘You’ve been there?’
He hesitated a moment before nodding.
‘My business takes me to many places in the world. It’s one of the perks.’
‘Same here,’ she said, wondering if she could pump him for more information than she’d gleaned from the stuff Ned had sent through last night.
Adhara piqued her curiosity, and from what she’d seen of the desert land on the Net she knew designing the perfect house for Ned Wilson would be a challenge she was more than up for.
‘Though I must admit travelling to a place like Adhara wouldn’t have been my first choice, unless I was practically ordered to go.’
‘Why?’
Bria shrugged, somewhat disconcerted by Sam’s penetrating stare, more so by her compulsion to divulge her thoughts to a man she barely knew.
‘Honestly? From the snippets I’ve gleaned from Lou, my best friend, I have this vision of a tiny country something along the lines of Monaco. You know, the type of place ruled by an insular, powerful family controlling everyone and everything. I guess I’ve never gone in for that sort of thing.’
Sam’s lips thinned, as if he didn’t approve of her thoughts. Not surprising, considering he was an influential businessman living in London who probably thrived on controlling everything, from his work to his social life.
‘If you haven’t been there how can you judge the country?’
If his grim expression hadn’t been a dead giveaway that he didn’t approve, the bitter edge to his words would.
‘I suppose you think I’m way too judgemental, huh?’
She deliberately kept her tone light, not wanting anything to spoil the special day they’d had.
It had definitely been far too long since she’d spent any time with a guy, let alone one as impressive as Sam, and she’d lost her ability to keep things cool.
‘Everyone is entitled to their own views,’ he said, the tension in his shoulders relaxing as he stepped to her side. ‘But I will be interested to hear what you think of Adhara once you’re there.’
‘Uh-huh,’ she mumbled, knowing that wouldn’t happen.
She wouldn’t keep in touch with Sam.
What was the point?
London and Sydney were poles apart. She’d already tried living on the other side of the world once before, and look where that had got her.
‘Shall we have our picnic now?’
Glad to hear Sam’s jovial tone, she nodded and looked up, surprised by the glint of purpose in his eyes.
His gaze was too potent.
He was standing too close.
And when she took a deep breath to clear her head his subtle scent, faintly reminiscent of sandalwood mingled with the heady rose fragrance surrounding them, had her leaning towards him to savour more.
‘Bria?’
He reached out and placed a finger beneath her chin, gently tilting her head up till she had no option but to stare into his eyes, mesmerised by the flicker of excitement in their obsidian depths.
A sizzle of heat licked along her veins, making her want to close the short distance between them, plant her lips against his and see if they tasted as good as they looked.
He had a finely shaped mouth, the type of mouth made for delivering important news, for imparting smooth words, for soul-deep, soul-destroying kisses…
‘Shall we eat now?’
He spoke so softly she barely heard, and through the fog of insane need clouding her brain she registered several fleeting thoughts at once.
I want to kiss him.
I want to know more about him.
I want to spend more time with him.
Instead, she stepped away, breaking the tenuous contact between them, knowing what she wanted and what she got were usually at opposite ends of her life’s spectrum.
‘Sounds good. I’m starving,’ she said, heading for the picnic blanket they’d set up under a nearby oak tree, more than a little annoyed this man had the power to breach her emotional barriers without trying.
‘Your country is beautiful.’
Bria tore her gaze from the magnificent setting sun and turned towards Sam, as dazzled by his gorgeousness as the purple, ochre and golden dusk descending around them.
‘It is. They don’t call Australia “the lucky country” for nothing.’
An indefinable emotion flickered in the dark depths of his eyes before he smiled.
‘At this moment I am the lucky one.’
Bria returned his smile, revelling in the splendour of the moment, knowing it was too late to play coy or pretend she didn’t understand what he implied.
She’d spent the most incredible, magical day with Sam, and the sparks sizzling between them had been difficult to ignore. He hadn’t overstepped the mark once, and she’d had to physically refrain from launching herself at him several times.
How ironic she was emotionally frigid yet so responsive physically to his potent presence.
‘Are you flattering me?’
He shrugged, the simple action pulling his white polo-shirt up, and displaying a tantalising glimpse of flat, tanned stomach for an all-too-brief second.
‘I am merely stating the truth.’
‘So you’ve enjoyed today?’
His steady stare sent a ripple of awareness down her spine.
‘More than you could possibly know.’
‘I’ve had a good time too,’ she said, turning back to lean on the elaborate balustrade of the Mansion, concentrating on the view before she burned up from the inside out.
Not dating for so long had been a stupid move, if this was how she reacted to a guy after knowing him for less than two days. She never behaved like this, she usually made sure of it.
Isolating her heart, protecting her emotions, were learned responses and they’d served her just fine. No use tampering with a foolproof survival mechanism, no matter how tempting the guy.
‘It is a shame it has to end.’
She couldn’t agree more but, the sooner she put an end to her whimsical, nonsensical yearning where Sam was concerned, the better.
Instilling the right amount of regret into her voice, she said, ‘Yes, but I must prepare my presentation tonight.’
