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She spun around to face him. Of all the arrogant … “How dare you!” she managed to say.
He merely looked amused. “How dare I be in your house? You didn’t mind me being here last night.”
She glared at him. He made it sound as if they’d been making love all night. “I’m talking about the security alarm.”
His forehead creased. “He didn’t do a good job?”
“Yes, he did a good job, but that’s not the point. He was supposed to fix the lock, not put in an alarm system.” She’d thought the man had been merely checking security risks when he’d started going from room to room. By the time she’d realized he was doing the whole thing, he’d climbed on the roof and had half the place wired.
“I thought an alarm system would be better.”
“You thought? Where do you get off ordering an alarm for me?”
“I told you. The company will pay for it.”
“It’s not the money,” she said through gritted teeth.
His eyebrows lifted with cynicism. “Really? Then what’s the problem?”
“This is my home, Brant. My private life. You’re interfering in it. You’ve no right to even be here, let alone tell someone to install an expensive piece of equipment like this. Heck, it’s not even technically my house.”
His shrug belied the hard gleam in his eyes. “Don’t make a big deal out of this, Kia. You’re Phillip’s fiancée now. He wants you to be safe.”
She tried not to wince. “Phillip knows about the alarm?”
“As you’re now his fiancée, I suggested it and he agreed. We all know it’s quite common for criminals to return to the scene of the crime. You either had to get an alarm or move.”
She flashed him a look of disdain. “Oh, really. And where would you like me to live?”
“How about with your fiancé?”
She gulped and quickly spun away to turn off the air-conditioning. Anything not to look at Brant. “Phillip and I haven’t discussed that yet.”
“That’s what Phil said.”
Relief rushed through her. “There you are then.” She remembered the security alarm and glared at him. “Anyway, you and Phillip have no right to tell me what to do or what to put in my own house. And as soon as he gets here, I’ll be making that quite clear.”
“Then you’re going to have a bit of a wait,” he said, his gaze seeming to watch her reaction. “He’s not coming. He rang and asked me to take you to the exhibition instead. He said he wasn’t feeling up to it today.”
Her stomach knotted. She didn’t want to go to the exhibition with Brant. Damn Phillip for being selfish enough not to turn up. She was beginning to think taking the easy way out was a weakness he couldn’t control.
“Why didn’t he phone me himself?”
“He said he’d tried a couple of times but kept getting the busy signal.”
She bristled with indignation. “Because the alarm was being connected to the phone line, that’s why.” She waved a dismissive hand. “Oh, it doesn’t matter. I’m not going without Phillip.”
His eyes narrowed. “Phil said one of our clients invited him to the exhibition.”
“Er … yes …” She licked her lips. “But it just wouldn’t be the same without Phillip. I’m sure they’ll understand.”
“They may, but I won’t. This is a work assignment, Kia. Think of it as payment for the security alarm.”
Her mouth tightened. So there was a catch to his free and easy statement of “the company will pay for it.”
“Perhaps I should go by myself … on behalf of the company, that is. There’s no need for you to waste your Saturday afternoon.” She didn’t want to deprive some poor besotted female of his company either.
“I wouldn’t think of it as a waste. I’d like to see the exhibition, too. Early Australian art fascinates me.”
It fascinated her, too, but she didn’t want to say so. Yet could she spend hours with him and survive the draw of his attraction? She swallowed. It looked as though she wasn’t getting a choice. But after she put in an appearance for their client, she’d make sure it was the quickest walk around the gallery on record.
An hour later she and Brant strolled through the art gallery by themselves after they’d shared an afternoon tea of pineapple scones, finger sandwiches and a delicious tropical fruit platter. Brant had been his charming self with their client and the others. A couple of times she’d even let her guard down and surprised herself by actually laughing at some of his witty remarks.
Of course, being witty and a womanizer was what he was about. That’s how men like him got women into bed, and if the looks some of the other women were giving him were anything to go by, he’d have had plenty of offers today if she hadn’t been around. Yes, he knew exactly how to charm the panties right off a woman. She stiffened. Not this woman.
“I like this painting of the early settlers,” he said now, his deep voice bringing her out of her thoughts. “I saw a print of it years ago, but the brushstrokes and paint textures are nothing compared to the original.” He turned to look at her. “It’s very evocative, don’t you agree?”
She fumbled for words when she saw the piece of work he was referring to. “Um … yes.”
He arched a brow. “You sound surprised?”
A thrill raced through her, but she managed to shrug as if it were no big deal. “It’s my favorite painting.”
“And you didn’t expect us to have the same tastes, right?” He paused, his blue eyes darkening. “I think we’d have a lot in common if we looked closely.”
She moistened suddenly dry lips. “Yes. Phillip, for one thing.”
He gave a slightly bitter smile. “Ah, Phillip. We’ll always have him in common, won’t we?” He turned back to the painting. “Tell me. Why is this your favorite?”
Obviously he wanted to keep things on an even keel, and she was only too happy to oblige. Yet she couldn’t help but feel a burst of excitement that he found the imagery of the painting as touching as she did. Perhaps there was more to him than met the eye.
She turned to the painting and let her gaze wander over the picture of their pioneer ancestors, losing herself in its sheer vibrancy and color. “I’d say it’s because it personifies the Outback spirit. That it’s possible to overcome any obstacle, no matter how big or daunting.”
“So you like challenges?” he pounced.
She drew in a shaky breath. Always the predator. He just couldn’t help himself. “Some challenges,” she admitted.
“I like certain challenges, too,” he drawled, his eyes intense. “If somebody tells me I can’t have something, then that’s when I want it.”
And he wanted her. He had no need to say it out loud. The wanting poured from him like a familiar scent.
She plastered a smile on her lips. “Then you’d better get used to disappointment,” she quipped, knowing her first instincts about him were correct. She hadn’t misjudged him. Not in the slightest.
A few hours later the two of them sat at an outdoor café not far from the exhibition, sipping at fruit daiquiris. The pre-Christmas festivities were still continuing, and people were out in force and in holiday mode, enjoying a stroll along the sail-shaded Smith Street Mall, listening to a busker play her guitar, watching a mime artist perform.
Brant couldn’t have cared less where they were or who was nearby. His concentration was solely and fully on one person. Kia looked as beautiful as always, with her blond hair pulled back in a French knot, and wearing a lemon-colored dress that displayed the elegant line of her neck and showed off her tanned shoulders and arms.
But something else about her today set his pulse spinning like a top. Watching her talk to the others at the gallery, he’d glimpsed an innocence in her lovely eyes that had been at odds with the knowing look in them, as if she couldn’t quite hide the sweet beneath the spice. Yet sweet was hardly a word he’d expect to use about Kia Benton.
He swallowed some of his drink, then decided he didn’t need any more intoxication right now. Apart from a brief time last night and again this morning, he’d never really been alone with her like this before. It had gone to his head—no, his body. His state of constant arousal was killing him.
And she knew it. That’s why she wasn’t quite facing him as she sat sipping her daiquiri, her body turned slightly toward the crowd.
But she was only fooling herself. There could be a brick wall between them and the attraction would still seep through. Didn’t she know there was no stopping it? Not unless they made love and got it out of their systems, and then he had the feeling it would probably only intensify.
“Tell me more about your father,” he said, suddenly interested in what made her tick.
She raised a wry eyebrow. “Why?”
He gave a smile. “Are you this suspicious of everyone or is it just me?”
“Just you,” she said, her lips curving into a sexy smile that was as unexpected as was her words. God. She was lovely, with her smooth cheekbones, perfect nose, eyes that could dazzle a man with just one look and a deliciously tempting mouth.
She put her glass down, and when she looked up again her face had sobered. “There’s nothing much to tell. My father thinks he’s one of the beautiful people. He can’t stand being around someone who isn’t.”
Brant frowned. “You’re still his daughter.”
Her slim shoulders tensed. “The only reason he wants me around is because he thinks it’s good for his image.”
All at once something occurred to him. “Good Lord. Your father isn’t Lloyd Benton, is he?”
If it were possible, she tensed even more. “The one and only.”
Now he knew where she was coming from. Lloyd Benton owned the biggest fleet of used-car yards up and down the east coast of Australia. He was constantly in the newspapers with some young thing hanging off his arm—usually his current wife but not always. The man gave sleaze an added dimension.
“He’s your father?”
She raised her chin in the air. “I won’t apologize for him.”
“I don’t expect you to.”
No wonder she didn’t seem to hold men in high regard. Well, some men. He freely admitted that men like himself, who took one look and wanted to take her to bed, would only confirm her low opinion of the male species. Dammit, suddenly he was seeing another side to this woman that he wasn’t sure he wanted to see.
“It certainly explains a lot about you and Phillip.”
She tensed. “If you mean I want to marry someone who doesn’t have to bed every beautiful woman he meets, then you’re dead right. Phillip’s a nice man.” Her gaze dropped to her glass, then up again. “He’ll be a wonderful father and a faithful husband.”
“You didn’t say you loved him.” And he found that interesting. Very interesting.
“That goes without saying.”
“Does it?”
“Yes.”
And perhaps it was all an act. Perhaps working on people for sympathy was how she wormed her way into men’s beds … and their hearts. Perhaps it was all about paying back her father for being so weak.
“What about you?” she said, catching him off guard. “Are your parents still alive, Brant?”
He had no wish to talk about himself. “No. They died when I was eighteen.”
Sympathy flashed in her eyes. “I’m sorry. Any brothers or sisters?”
His jaw tightened. “A brother. And before you ask, he’s younger than me by a couple of years.” He looked at his watch and stood up. “Come on. Let’s go. It’s getting late.”
For a moment, surprise mixed with hurt appeared in her eyes, then cynicism took over. “Got a date, no doubt.”
“No doubt.” He didn’t tell her he was getting together with his two best mates for dinner, though Flynn and Damien would no doubt find it amusing that they were to be his “date” this evening.
Not that he’d tell them. The three of them had grown up together on the same street in this town—had shared everything from stories of their first kiss to their first million—but Kia Benton was one thing he wasn’t about to share with his rich and successful friends.
“Phillip Reid, how could you!” Kia exclaimed the next day as she swept into his study. She’d been phoning him on and off since returning from the art exhibition yesterday. He hadn’t answered, but she suspected he’d been at home. He’d been feeling low so she’d given him a reprieve, but now she had a few words to say to him whether he still felt bad or not.
He looked up and winced. “What can I say, Kia? I’m sorry.”
She stopped right in front of his desk. “I don’t like being used,” she said through gritted teeth.
His dark brows drew together. “I wasn’t … I didn’t mean …”
“Yes, you did.” She slapped the box containing the diamond necklace down in front of him. “Don’t try and fool me, Phillip. You gave me this because you knew Lynette was going to be at the party. And then you had Brant dance with me so she’d see who you’d brought as your partner. And to top things off, you tell everyone we’re engaged and leave me high and dry to field all sorts of questions.”
He looked thoroughly shamefaced and embarrassed. “I really am sorry. I didn’t mean for it to go so far.”
She was nowhere near ready to forgive him. Not after what she’d been through. “And yesterday? What happened to coming to the art exhibition with me?”
He swallowed hard as he leaned back in his wheelchair. “I’m sorry. I just wasn’t up to going out.” Then he looked confused. “Didn’t Brant take you? He said he would.”
“Yes, but I’d rather have gone by myself,” she said sourly, preferring not to think about how much she’d enjoyed herself. She had to remember Brant could charm any woman into having a good time.
A speculative look came into Phillip’s eyes. “Are you upset because I didn’t go? Or because Brant did?”
Kia tensed, then forced herself to relax. “It’s awkward spending time with one’s boss,” she said, avoiding a direct answer.
“You don’t mind spending time with me.”
She shrugged. “You’re different.”
“Look, if there’s something between you two—”
Somehow she managed to hide her panic. “Don’t be an idiot, Phillip. And, by the way, what’s the deal about my security alarm? I don’t remember giving either of you permission to put one in my place.”
Phillip frowned, falling for the diversion. “It was the only thing to do, seeing you’re my … er … fiancée. Brant would have been suspicious otherwise.”
Her teeth set on edge. “Engaged or not, I am not some feeble female who can’t take care of myself,” she said with more bravado than she’d felt the other night after the robbery. “And if Brant thinks he—”
“So this is about Brant?” Phillip said, pushing his wheelchair back from the desk, looking very much the all-knowing male now that the heat had been taken off him.
She realized she’d given too much away. “Phillip, will you stop this. I don’t know what’s come over you today.”
