скачать книгу бесплатно
“Look, I don’t want anything to do with my brother and that’s the way I like it.”
She took a step back. “Oh.”
Tension filled the air and hung there for a few seconds before Brant appeared to make himself relax. Then he leaned over and took something out of the drawer in his desk. “I have a Christmas present for you.”
Her heart jumped in her throat. “A … a present?”
He held out the small package toward her. “I gave Evelyn one, too. Can’t let the best two PAs in town not know they’re appreciated.”
His tone held something biting, though she knew it was intended for her, not Evelyn. But she accepted the gift anyway. Phillip had given Evelyn a present, so what was wrong in Brant giving her one?
Then she met his eyes and she knew that everything was wrong about this. This wasn’t because of her work. It was because he wanted her. This was a man wanting his woman and telling her in the only way he could.
Her hands shook as she undid the wrapping paper and lifted the lid on the small box inscribed with the top jeweler’s name in Australia. She gasped when she saw the small medallion nestled on a velvet bed amongst the gold chain.
“It’s not a diamond necklace,” he said with cutting emphasis, “but it should keep you safe on your journey home.”
“It’s a St. Christopher medallion,” she murmured, pushing his cynicism aside, touched by the charming gift. “Thank you. It’s lovely. I’ll make sure I put it on before I leave.”
“Let me,” he rasped.
Her breath hitched. Could she bear to have him touch her, no matter how briefly? Oh, how she wanted this. Was this one little thing too much to ask?
“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice shaky.
He came around the desk and took the present out of her hands. “Turn around.”
She did, and for a long moment everything in the room went quiet. Her heart skipped a beat. She could feel him standing there looking at her, his warm breath flowing over the nape of her neck, making her light-headed. If she leaned back, his arms would snake around her and then … Oh, for heaven’s sake, Kia, get a grip on yourself, she scolded inwardly.
The package rustled and then the gold chain came around her neck. The medallion lovingly touched the base of her throat, cooling her skin.
He placed his hands on her shoulders and slowly turned her around to face him.
“Merry Christmas, Kia,” he said hoarsely, moving in to kiss her.
She lifted her lips. She had to. An avalanche could be coming their way and she’d still wait for that kiss.
His lips touched hers briefly. So brief that it should have been a chaste kiss. But every pore of her skin felt him there, acknowledged him, cried out for more.
He moved back and their eyes locked. Her throat seemed to close at the intense desire written in his eyes and the struggle within him not to take her.
He stepped back with a low sound in his throat that seemed to wrench from deep inside him. It broke the spell of the moment.
She drew in a shaky breath. “Merry Christmas to you, too, Brant.”
A muscle knotted in his jaw as he walked back around to the other side of the desk. “I hope you get everything you want.”
If ever there was a time for not getting what she wished for, it was now. When she wanted him.
She spun around and hurried toward the door, needing to get out of there.
“Have a good holiday, Kia … even without your fiancé.”
Kia stopped to glance at him and saw the look in his eyes was harder than ever. She tensed. They were right back where they’d started. And that was fine with her.
“I intend to,” she said coolly and left the room.
Kia normally loved being with her family at Christmas. Neighbors dropped by for a Christmas drink in the morning, and her sister, Melanie, came around for lunch with her husband and young son. The weather usually proved to be hot at this time of year, so a variety of seafood and salads was the order of the day, followed by an English-style trifle that her mother made to perfection. A treat her stepfather loved. All very normal and comforting. Usually.
So why did she feel as though something was missing this year? It was a nagging thought inside her that remained there throughout the day and began again when she woke on Boxing Day. She felt restless. As if she should be some place else but didn’t know where.
It wasn’t until a barbecue lunch in the backyard, where she was playing peekaboo with her six-month-old nephew, that she looked up and her heart dropped to her feet. The laughter died on her lips. And suddenly she knew what had been missing. Brant. He stood near the corner of the house, watching her, his eyes piercing the distance between them. Her family faded from her mind.
“Who’s that?” she heard her mother say, and all at once Kia realized he was there. He wasn’t a figment of her imagination. And here she was dressed in denim jeans and a stretch knit top, far from the businesslike persona she kept for the office and even for Phillip.
She handed Dominic to her sister and jumped up. “It’s okay, Mum. It’s one of my bosses. I’ll be right back.”
She raced toward him, her hand going to her throat as something occurred to her. Something must be wrong. Terribly wrong.
“Phillip?” she croaked as she got closer.
Irritation flickered across his face, then disappeared. “Relax. He’s okay, as far as I know.”
She moistened her lips. “Then what are you doing here?” It had to be something important if he’d flown from the north of the continent to the south, over three thousand kilometers.
“The Anderson project needs redoing. Phillip must have been having a bad day when he met with them, because he got all their instructions wrong. If we don’t present them with another option by Thursday morning, we lose the account.”
Kia remembered she’d been a bit uneasy about that particular project. She’d even said something to Phillip about it and gotten her head snapped off at the time.
“I’ve got a ton of work ahead of me and I need a PA.”
She frowned. “What about Evelyn?”
He smiled without humor. “Remember that medallion I gave her that was supposed to keep her safe? It didn’t work. She came down with a stomach virus yesterday morning. It looks like she’ll be out of action for the rest of the week.”
She grimaced. “Poor Evelyn.” But why did she suspect he was pleased about this? Not about Evelyn being sick but about needing her as replacement. Probably because he was enjoying ruining her holiday like this.
Her eyebrow lifted. “Why not hire a temp?”
“This project is too important, Kia. The company will still survive if we lose them as a client, but I’m not sure about Phil. How do you think he’s going to feel if he finds out what’s happened? He’s pretty down at the moment.” He had her with that and they both knew it. “No, I need you to come back to Darwin and help me out. I flew down last night and I’ve got a jet waiting at the airport now. I’ll pay you triple time, of course.”
She waved a dismissive hand. “I don’t care about the money.”
“Then think of it as repayment for the security alarm.”
Her shoulders tensed. “You said that was already paid in full,” she reminded him, though she still had every intention of paying off the debt herself, and in cash. “Or is this one of those debts that only seem to compound interest?”
A half smile crossed his face. “Perhaps.”
“Kia, love,” her mother’s voice said behind her, and Kia froze. “Why not bring your boss over to meet the family?”
Kia leaned toward Brant. “Please don’t mention Phillip,” she whispered.
“What?” he muttered.
“They don’t know about him.” She saw his flash of surprise just before she swung around to face her mother to make the introductions.
But surprised or not, he soon recovered. Kia watched him turning on the charm, but she knew he’d be asking some hard questions when they were alone.
“I can certainly see where Kia gets her looks,” he told her mother with a warm smile that only seemed to be available for other women.
Kia mentally rolled her eyes, but she had to admit her father would never have married her mother if she hadn’t been a looker. Her mother had the warmest of natures, too. She hadn’t deserved to be treated so badly.
Marlene blushed with pleasure. “Thank you, Mr. Matthews.”
He darted a wry glance at Kia that said like mother, like daughter for calling him “mister,” then turned back to her mother. “Call me Brant.”
Marlene nodded. “Well, Brant. Come over and meet the rest of Kia’s family.” She slipped her arm through his and began walking toward the others. “Have you had lunch yet?”
“Yes, but thanks for the offer.”
“Then have a drink. It’s Christmas, after all.” She gave a warm smile. “Besides, we want to get to know Kia’s boss.” She leaned slightly closer to Brant. “We worry about her up there in Darwin by herself.”
He smiled. “No need to worry. We’re keeping a very close eye on her,” he said, and Kia’s heart lurched at the hidden meaning behind those words. Suddenly her jeans felt too tight and her pink top too skimpy.
“Oh, I’m so pleased to hear that.” They reached the others. “Brant, this is my husband, Gerald.” The two men sized each other up and shook hands. “And this is Kia’s sister, Melanie. And her husband …”
Kia gritted her teeth as she watched the females succumb to Brant’s charm like a line of dominoes toppling over. The men weren’t so accommodating at first, but before long Brant had them eating out of the palm of his hand, too. Did this man know no bounds?
“So why have you come to see Kia?” her stepfather asked, and Kia saw that maybe Brant hadn’t quite charmed the older man as much as she’d thought. She smiled at Gerald, loving him all the more for his protection.
“There’s a major problem at the office and I need Kia’s help. She’s been working on the project with Ph—” He hesitated, then smiled at Kia. “She knows it by heart and I can’t do it without her. I have no choice but to beg her to return to the office with me. Believe me, I wouldn’t ask her if it wasn’t important.”
“Of course you wouldn’t,” her mother said. She glanced at her daughter. “Darling, are you still doing your studies?”
Brant’s ears pricked up. “Studies?”
Kia groaned inwardly. “I’m learning Chinese.”
“And she’s doing very well, too,” Marlene said proudly. “She’s got quite a knack for languages and is already fluent in French and Italian.”
Brant regarded her with a speculative gaze. “You really are a mystery at times, aren’t you?” he said, but she could see a slight hardness back in those eyes.
He glanced at his watch. “We’d better be going.”
She nodded. “I’ll just get my things together.” She left him talking to the others, a little regretful that she hadn’t had more time to spend with her family. But, on the other hand, helping out in a time of crisis was a small sacrifice to make for the good of the company.
Then she thought of working alone with Brant when they got back to Darwin and she pushed aside a level of excitement that had nothing to do with the challenge of the project and everything to do with the man himself. She swallowed hard. Correction. This wasn’t a small sacrifice. This was going to be a big one.
Her hands shook as she quickly showered before slipping into a floral-print shirtdress with a short-sleeved jacket that was easy-wearing for travel but stylish enough for the office. Not bothering with stockings, she stepped into high-heeled sandals that complimented her long, tanned legs. A light touch of makeup and a quick deft of her hand to twist her hair up and she was ready. For battle. For Brant.
“Perhaps you can explain something to me,” he said once they were seated in the plush jet and were heading back to Darwin.
Warning shivers started going up and down her spine. “Like what?”
“Like why you didn’t tell your family about Phillip?”
She tried not to flinch. “Oh. That.”
“Yes. That.”
Her cheeks reddened. “I just want to be sure, that’s all.”
He straightened in his seat, on full alert now. “You’re not sure?”
“Yes, of course I am,” she said quickly. “It’s just that it all happened so fast. I don’t want my family to worry and I know they would.”
A moment’s pause, then he said, “Tell me. Do you love Phil?”
If she hesitated, she was lost. “Yes.”
His jaw clenched. “When do you plan on telling them?”
“When the time is right. Thank you for not saying anything today. It would have been … awkward.”
God, she didn’t like lying, but what else could she do? If she told the truth, Brant would go all out to seduce her. She’d be putty in his hands and she had no doubt she’d enjoy it. But that would be just a physical release. It wouldn’t be enough. She needed more from a man than a quick roll in the hay.
Besides, this wasn’t just about her. She couldn’t give the game away yet. How could she tell Brant the truth and dump all this on Phillip’s shoulders without giving him any warning? She didn’t think she was better than Phillip, but she couldn’t do to him what he’d done to her. No, she’d have to wait until he returned to the office in another two weeks. She just hoped she survived until then.
“I’m sure they’d be happy for you,” Brant said. “Phillip’s a great catch.”
“Yes.” She ignored the cynical tone to his voice, not quite up to verbally fencing with him right now.
About to look away, something about him grabbed her attention and she was surprised to catch a bleak look in his eyes before his gaze dropped to the papers in his lap. An odd feeling of sympathy caught at her heartstrings. Was his coming to fetch her more than just the problem at work? Had he been feeling lonely, despite a “friend” inviting him for Christmas lunch?
“Did you have a nice Christmas, Brant?”
His gaze shot toward her. “Why?”
“I just wondered.”
His smooth look made her wish she’d kept her mouth shut. “Yes, I was kept very … busy.”
She winced inwardly. “I see.” He was a womanizer, so he’d been with a woman most likely. She understood him only too well. He was just like her father.
Nine o’clock that evening Brant decided to wrap things up for the day. Exhausted, he eased back in his leather chair and flexed his fingers. He could hear the clack of the keyboard in the outer office and knew that no matter how tired he was he would still want Kia Benton.
Even today, when he’d caught her offguard at her mother’s place, she’d made his stomach knot with desire. Hell, he could still remember how he’d felt when he’d seen her dressed so casually in those tight jeans that lovingly hugged her body. She’d looked so different. So carefree and friendly.
