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He gave a rueful smile now. ‘In other words, you have no intention of telling me where you live?’
‘None at all,’ she confirmed lightly. That was the very last thing she intended doing!
‘Then I had better make the most of my time with you this evening, hadn’t I,’ he accepted dryly.
Jinx eyed him warily. ‘Meaning?’
He gave a shrug of those powerfully broad shoulders. ‘There’s music in the other room. How about you dance with me as a start?’
A start to what? And did she really want to be that close to him, to feel the heat of his body only inches away from her own, to have him touching her, his hands touching hers, the warmth of his breath against her temple…?
‘Scared?’ he murmured knowingly.
Jinx straightened immediately, knowing he was goading her in order to achieve his goal, but at the same time unwilling to back down from a man so obviously used to having his own way. ‘Not in the least, Mr Prince,’ she assured him. ‘The truth of the matter is, I can’t remember when I last danced; I may have forgotten how.’
‘Dancing is like lovemaking,’ he told her huskily. ‘Once you’ve tried it, you never forget how!’
So, in spite of her efforts, he was obviously determined to keep this conversation on an intimate level. ‘Then I shouldn’t have any trouble, should I?’ she retorted, turning in the direction of the dining-room where a quartet was softly playing music for the guests to dance to, leaving him to come to his own conclusions concerning her last remark.
She had been right to be apprehensive about allowing this man too close, she acknowledged several minutes later. Nik Prince had ignored all the rules of social etiquette when dancing with a relative stranger, instead pulling her right against him, his arms about her waist, hands linked at the base of her spine, their bodies touching from chest to thigh as they moved slowly to the music.
As far as Jinx was concerned, they might have been the only two people dancing. She was totally aware of Nik as her hands rested on his shoulders, her efforts to maintain a distance between them completely thwarted when Nik reached up and gently laid her head against his shoulder before resting his own head against the silky softness of her hair.
‘You smell like flowers,’ he murmured close to her ear, his breath as warm as she had known it would be.
‘Lily of the Valley soap,’ she dismissed pragmatically.
He chuckled softly. ‘Are you always this romantic?’
‘Are you?’ she came back.
‘I don’t believe it’s been one of my character traits to date, no,’ he allowed ruefully. ‘But that could change,’ he added throatily.
This really hadn’t been a good idea, Jinx acknowledged with an inward groan. Nik’s legs felt hard against her softer ones, the stirring of his thighs unmistakable in such close proximity, the uneven rise and fall of his chest against hers more evidence of his increasing arousal, an arousal that caused a pounding in her own chest and a warmth between her thighs.
‘I want you,’ Nik groaned, his words accompanied by a gentle nibble against her ear lobe.
Jinx quivered with pleasure, shivers of hot and cold tumbling down her spine. But at the same time she wondered how she could put a stop to this. Because she had to stop it. Now. Before it spiralled out of control.
‘There’s a woman standing across the room who keeps staring at us,’ she told him, hoping to distract him. ‘Friend of yours?’
‘My sister, Stazy,’ Nik answered her without even raising his head, his tongue now tasting the sensitive flesh beneath her ear lobe.
‘How can you be sure?’ Jinx pursued determinedly, her voice slightly higher than usual as she fought the instinct of her body to curve itself against his, that marauding tongue now seeking the delicate curves of her ear.
Nik chuckled softly, the reverberations only increasing the pleasure of his caresses. ‘Stazy has become something of a matchmaker since her own happy marriage a year ago; she’s obviously assessing you to see if you’re suitable wife material for her eldest—and, may I say, favourite?—brother.’
Jinx pulled back abruptly, staring up at him in disbelief. And then wished she hadn’t. He really was the most ruggedly attractive man, and those grey eyes were pure silver now, shining with an intensity of emotion that was unmistakable. Desire. Arousal. For her.
Her own pupils had probably dilated until the black practically obliterated the blue. Revealing desire. Arousal. For him.
She drew in a deep breath. ‘In that case, I think it’s best that we end this now, don’t you?’ She stepped back, feeling the momentary tightening of his arms about her before he reluctantly released her, the expression in his eyes one of regret now.
‘Why don’t we just follow my earlier suggestion and leave here to continue this some place more private?’ he asked.
‘Like my home?’ Jinx challenged.
‘Sounds good.’ He nodded.
‘The home I have no intention of taking you to?’ she derided. ‘You misunderstood me a few moments ago when I said it’s time we end this now, Nik—I meant the charade.’
It was as if a shutter had come down, his eyes no longer silver but a narrowed grey, his expression deliberately—or so it seemed to Jinx—unreadable. ‘Charade?’ he echoed blandly.
Her mouth twisted humourlessly. ‘Look, I know who you are, and you know who I am. I’m not sure how you know—’ yet! ‘—but I do know it’s totally ridiculous for us to continue with this charade.’
Those grey eyes narrowed even more, several emotions flickering in their depths, but too briefly for her to analyze.
‘Besides,’ she added coldly, ‘I really see no point in your continuing this seduction act any further.’
‘Act?’ He sounded outraged. ‘Do you really think I can just manufacture my attraction to you?’
‘I think, Mr Prince, that you are capable of manufacturing anything you feel the inclination to,’ she told him candidly, at the same time aware that her attraction to him had been anything but manufactured! ‘Now, if you will excuse me, I think my lift is preparing to leave.’ She had just spotted Dick and Janet saying their goodnights to the other guests. ‘But for the record, Mr Prince,’ she paused to add huskily, ‘as predicted, having now met you “in person”, the answer is still an emphatic no! There will be no movie.’
His mouth thinned. ‘Isn’t that for your father to say, and not you?’
Jinx continued to look at him for several long seconds before giving a slow shake of her head. ‘In the circumstances, no, I don’t think so,’ she answered cautiously.
‘What do you mean?’ he challenged.
She met his gaze steadily. ‘My father isn’t a well man, Mr Prince.’
‘But all I want is his signature on a piece of paper.’
She gave a humourless smile. ‘A signature that would no doubt give you exclusive film rights to No Ordinary Boy!’
‘Yes,’ he bit out, at least sensible enough not to try to deny that was his true interest in pursuing her this evening.
‘That isn’t going to happen, Mr Prince—’
‘Will you call me Nik, damn it?’ he cut in harshly. ‘In the circumstances anything else certainly is ridiculous!’
Jinx didn’t need to ask what circumstances he was referring to; their physical response to each other during that dance certainly made a nonsense of any future formality between them.
‘Mr Prince. Nik. It’s all the same to me.’ She gave a dismissive shrug. ‘In either case, the answer is still no.’
‘As I told James Stephens earlier in the week, I never take no for an answer,’ he warned her grimly.
She drew in a sharp breath, unable to hide her surprise at the mention of the publisher. But then how else could Nik have discovered that J. I. Watson’s real name was J. I. Nixon?
‘James Stephens was the one who told you J. I. Watson’s real name?’ ‘James is far too much of a professional to ever do a thing like that,’ Nik reproved.
That was something, at least. If Nik Prince’s answer had been anything but the one he had just given her then she would have made sure that the second J. I. Watson manuscript, which was even now being prepared for editing, never made it onto James Stephens’s desk.
But it was still pretty obvious that someone at Stephens Publishing had to have revealed that confidential information to Nik Prince. The question was, who…?
‘Tell me, Mr Prince…’ she gave him a considering look ‘…what is it that you find so difficult to understand about the word no?’
‘As far as I can recall, it’s not a word that’s ever been in my big brother’s vocabulary,’ a female voice chimed in lightly.
Jinx turned to look at Nik Prince’s sister, Stazy Hunter, as she moved to stand next to her brother. The younger woman was extremely beautiful, her red hair almost as bright as Jinx’s own. In fact, Stazy Hunter looked a far nicer person altogether than her eldest brother!
‘Not at all,’ Nik came back smoothly. ‘I’m just a positive person rather than a negative one.’
Well, he could be as positive as he wanted as far as Jinx was concerned, because the answer to his request was no, and it would remain no.
‘If you’ll both excuse me…’ She gave Stazy Hunter a vague smile, shot Nik Prince a look of warning, before moving determinedly away from them, inwardly shaken by how close he had got to her.
Too close.
In more ways than one!
Nik frowned frustratedly as he watched Jinx join a mid-dle-aged couple across the room, his gaze narrowing as he considered his two choices of action. One, he could let Jinx just walk out of his life, also taking her knowledge of J. I. Watson with her. Or two, he could make sure that he left with her!
‘Do me a favour, will you, Staze?’ He turned urgently to his sister.
She looked slightly surprised. ‘Of course. If I can. What—’
‘Persuade your charming husband that it’s time for the two of you to leave.’
Stazy looked nonplussed. ‘But it’s still early, Nik; what on earth will I tell Susan and Leo—?’
‘I don’t care what you tell them,’ he cut in forcefully, starting to panic slightly as he could see Jinx and the older couple were coming to the end of their goodbyes. ‘Your house is on fire. You need to take your husband home and seduce him—’
‘Jordan doesn’t need any seducing,’ Stazy assured him happily.
Nik winced. ‘I really didn’t need to hear that.’ He was still coming to terms with the fact that his little sister was married at all, let alone to a man as powerful and experienced as Jordan Hunter. ‘Okay, find your own excuse, but think of something soon, hmm!’
‘Fine.’ Stazy held up soothing hands. ‘I take it you aren’t coming back with us, after all?’
‘You take it correct,’ he confirmed grimly, his gaze still fixed on Jinx. ‘But whatever you’re going to do, do it quickly, will you?’ Jinx was starting to move towards the door now!
‘I’m gone,’ his sister assured him—before doing exactly that.
And by the speed with which his sister and brother-in-law made their excuses to their host and hostess, before immediately leaving, Nik had a feeling that the suggestion of seduction might have worked on Jordan, after all!
Nik shook his head. Stazy had made her choice, and it was a choice he wholeheartedly approved of; it was his own problem if he was still having trouble coming to terms with another man being more important to Stazy than he was.
At this moment he had a much more serious situation to deal with!
‘Sorry I was delayed.’ He hurried to Jinx’s side just as she reached the front door, taking a firm hold of her arm before turning to smile warmly at the older couple who accompanied her. ‘I hope you don’t mind including me in that offer of a lift home?’ His tone was deliberately charming. ‘My sister was going to drop me at my hotel, but she and Jordan had to get straight back to their house—some sort of emergency…’
The couple shot each other a briefly knowing look before assuring him they didn’t mind at all, that there was plenty of room for him in their car.
Not that Nik had thought they would be a problem; it was Jinx’s response that could turn this situation around.
He raised questioning brows as he looked down at her, his expression deceptively calm, only the tightening of his fingers on her arm showing evidence of his inner uncertainty as to what her next move would be.
Her eyes were purple as she looked right back at him, anger flaring in their depths, even though she too managed to look outwardly calm.
Come on, Jinx, Nik inwardly encouraged; at least give me a chance.
If he lost sight of her now, then he would have to start all over again tomorrow. Not that he minded doing that, but it would save a hell of a lot of time if she would just be a little more cooperative now.
‘Actually—’ she turned back to the older couple, smiling ‘—it really isn’t that far. Nik and I can easily walk it.’
‘Are you sure, Jinx?’ The other woman frowned her uncertainty with the suggestion. ‘It’s at least a couple of miles,’ she explained to Nik.
‘But it’s such a lovely evening.’ Jinx released her arm from Nik’s grasp to lightly link it with his. ‘I think it would be so much more fun to walk. Don’t you, Nik?’ she asked sweetly.
Beware the smile of an angry female, he acknowledged ruefully, at the same time happy to fall in with whatever Jinx suggested—as long as it included him. ‘Much more fun,’ he agreed dryly; a two-mile walk through the Saturday-night revelry of London sounded more like hell to him, but if it ultimately ended up at Jinx’s home, the home she shared with her father, then he was willing to put himself through it if she was.
If it ultimately ended up at Jinx’s home…
Somehow, after what she had said to him earlier, he had a feeling that wasn’t her intention.
‘Tell me,’ he murmured softly once they had been walking together in silence for some minutes through the balmy streets, Jinx’s arm still linked with his own, despite her efforts to release it, ‘will we be crossing any bridges on this fun walk home?’
‘Several,’ she snapped back tautly, obviously not happy with his reluctance to release her.
‘That’s what I thought.’ He grimaced—having a distinct feeling she was considering pushing him over the side of one.
‘One thing I can assure you of, Nik,’ she bit out tautly. ‘I’m not violent.’
‘Just private, hmm?’ he said knowingly.
‘Just private.’
‘I’ve heard several people refer to you as Jinx this evening,’ he said in an effort to divert her thoughts.
‘Close friends, yes,’ she confirmed stiffly—obviously not counting him amongst their number.
Nik disregarded that for the moment; she might not think they were going to be close friends, but he knew better! ‘How on earth did you come by such an unusual nickname?’
She shot him a mocking glance. ‘Changing the subject?’
‘Rapidly,’ he confirmed, laughter gleaming in his eyes; the chances of this petitely beautiful woman being able to force his six-foot-three, one-hundred-and-eighty-pound frame over the parapet of a bridge were ludicrous to say the least. Which wasn’t to say she wouldn’t give it a damn good try!
She gave an uninterested shrug. ‘When I went to school the other children quickly latched onto the fact that my initial was J. followed by Nixon, and when you say the two of them together…’ She trailed off pointedly, giving him a sideways glance. ‘You aren’t coming home with me, you know.’
