The floor was the palest marble streaked with grey. The furniture was intricately carved cherry wood inlaid with mother of pearl. The furnishings were red. Not dull red, not blood-red, but a bright primary-colour-wheel red. The floor rug, the drapes, the bed…yes, indeed, the bed was undeniably red, with enough cushions and pillows piled against the headboard to furnish a small orphanage.
‘I thought you said there was a sofa as well,’ she said at last.
‘There was,’ said Nick, frowning. ‘It used to be over by the far wall.’
Well, there certainly wasn’t one there now. Nothing in this room but a bed. A big red bed.
‘The Chinese consider red a fortuitous colour,’ said Nick. ‘It’s supposed to bring good luck.’
‘Good,’ she muttered. Because they were definitely going to need it if they were going to be sharing that bed. ‘Mind if I take first shower?’
‘Go ahead.’ Nick gestured towards a door to her right.
The bathroom was marble too, all marble, with gold taps, red towels and the biggest glass-walled shower cubicle she’d ever seen. Two shower rosettes in that cubicle. Two of them, side by side, commanding her attention the way the bed had in the other room.
‘Or we could shower together and save time,’ he said from the doorway.
Did he honestly think that getting wet and naked with him was going to save time? She slid him a glance. He was leaning against the doorframe, his smile crooked and his eyes dark.
No, he didn’t think that either.
Nick knew women. Knew the feel of them in his arms and in his bed. More than that, he liked women and they could generally be counted on to like him right back. But he’d never met a woman who affected him the way Hallie Bennett did. Hell, when she was in his arms it was all he could do to recall his own name, let alone the terms of their agreement.
So she was amusing…women often were.
So she was beautiful…there were plenty of women out there who were that too.
But since when had he ever wanted to watch a woman’s face for ever, just so he wouldn’t miss whatever she came out with next? Since when had a woman ever distracted him from his work and his goals for the company? Since when had a woman ever had that kind of power over him? Since never, that was when. And he didn’t like it, not one little bit.
Hallie Bennett was here to solve his woman problems, not cause more.
By the time she emerged from the bathroom, sleek and elegant in a moss-green sheath, he was thoroughly riled. It didn’t help that he knew he was being unreasonable, that she’d only been doing what they’d agreed on in the first place. It certainly didn’t help that she took one look at him and judged his mood in an instant.
‘Pick a topic, any topic,’ she said airily. ‘Religion, politics, whatever you like. I’m sure we can come to a disagreement about something.’
‘Sport,’ he said abruptly. There wasn’t a woman of his acquaintance who could talk sense when it came to sport.
‘Of course, there’s only one real sport and that’s soccer,’ she stated firmly.
‘Football,’ he corrected.
‘Whatever. I favour Brazil, myself.’
‘Because they win?’
‘No.’ Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. ‘I’m pretty sure it has something to do with the green and gold uniform.’
‘You support Brazil because of the colour of their shirts?’ Now they were getting somewhere. ‘That’s ridiculous.’
‘Would you rather I supported them because they’re fascinating to watch and consistently produce some of the finest strikers in the world?’
‘Er, no. That would defeat the entire purpose of the conversation. I’m trying to find something to dislike about you.’
‘Ah.’ And with a very sweet smile. ‘About the shower…I’m afraid I used all the hot water.’
‘Hmph.’ Even that wasn’t a problem, he thought glumly as he gathered up his shaving kit and stalked towards the bathroom. A cold shower was just what he needed.
The shower helped. Helped enough so that when they went downstairs Nick was cool, calm and back in control. He could do this. They could do this. It was far too late to back out now. They had to do this.
John Tey arrived home from work with Kai at his side just as they stepped onto the terrace so it was introductions all round with Hallie making all the right noises: assuring their host that Jasmine had made them more than welcome in his absence, that the trip had not been at all tiring and that, yes, she was definitely looking forward to her stay, and delivering it all with such warm approachability that John Tey didn’t stand a chance.