The Hunter(29)

“My appetite has mysteriously disappeared,” he said cautiously. “I am tempted to open another bottle of wine or switch to something stronger but I doubt that would be a good idea on an empty stomach.”



“Probably not but in the absence of any other ideas, I think we should seriously consider it.”



“Miss Prince, are you trying to lead me astray?” he said, using my words from earlier.



I laughed. “Would you let me if I did try?” No! No flirting .. No freaking him out!



He closed his eyes and I thought that I had blown it. He shook his head slowly. “After today, I wouldn’t like to second guess what I would or wouldn’t let you do. I am breaking rules at every turn where you are concerned.”



Oh! That was unexpected! What rules?



“And what rules would they be?” I decided to push my luck seeing as he hadn’t yet freaked out.



He shrugged. “Where do I begin?”



“At the beginning? Not that you have to give me your life story or anything!”



His face clouded over suddenly. What did I say?



“I will settle for the beginning of our acquaintance,” he said and his features resumed their impassive expression.



Why do I get the feeling that it’s a mask that you regularly wear?



“God Issy, when you appeared out of the elevator and collided with me, my world turned upside down. You are the most beautiful woman that I have ever seen and the way that you were dressed … it ought to be illegal.” He raked his hand through his hair. “And then your reaction to me. I couldn’t figure out whether you found me attractive or whether you were petrified of me.”



“Both,” I said simply.



He raised his eyebrows and considered my response for a second. “When I left you, I assumed that my life would continue as it always had. I like continuity in my life. I like routine. I like control. I never expected for a second that a chance encounter with a beautiful woman would change that. How wrong I was.”



“What do you mean?” I hung on his every word. Have I affected him in the same way that he has affected me?



“I dreamt of you that night,” he whispered, looking as though he was admitting carrying out a major felony.



“Really? I think I dreamt of you too.”



“You think?”



“Well, when I woke, I could picture your face as clearly as if you were stood right in front of me.”



He raised his eyebrows in surprise. “If I am honest, I did more than picture your face in my dream,” he drained his glass, avoiding my eye. Then he stood and walked over to the far side of his office.



Oooooh, did you now? What did you do? Oh god, what did you do?



He returned with a fresh bottle of wine in one hand and a bottle of cognac in the other. He held them up.



“If we are doing the whole confessional thing, then I think that a brandy might be in order,” I said, knowing that drinking spirits on an empty stomach really was a bad idea but wanting to continue this interesting conversation.



He wandered back over to the concealed drinks cabinet and I watched him go. That is one sexy ass! And he moves with such athletic grace … Ooooh he can perform athletic movements with me any day!



He returned with two crystal tumblers containing large measures of cognac and again we clinked glasses as he sat down.



“Where were we?” he said, taking a sip.



“You were about to tell me more about your dream,” I quipped.



He laughed. A rich, deep sound that was infectious. “Oh really! I think that you were about to make a confession too.”



I pulled a face and took a sip of my drink. Oh, that’s better. “I have a question. How did you disappear so quickly? I locked my office door and you had vanished.”



“I have a private elevator not far from your office,” he grinned. “Did you think I was a magician?”



“No, a phantom.” Shit! Shit! Shit! I grimaced in mortification.



“A phantom!” He guffawed in delight.



I couldn’t help but laugh with him. “Okay, it isn’t that funny. Look at it from my perspective. I called in to drop some designs off at my office, thinking that the building was empty. I crashed into you but as I was about to apologize, I saw the look on your face … you looked so angry that I couldn‘t speak. I felt a connection to you but I had no idea who you were. You are dark and handsome, you were dressed in black and then you vanished without a trace.”



Then, I felt your presence in the elevator the next morning when I was returning to my office. I couldn‘t see you but I felt the same pull that I had experienced the day before when we first met. Then I stepped out of the car and turned to look, as the doors were closing and I thought I saw you but I couldn‘t be sure. I thought I was losing my mind. Thinking of you as a phantom, helped to restore my sanity. So yeah, you were my phantom!”