Wife for a Week(39)

‘Oh?’ She was prepared to be calm, at least for now. ‘And why is that?’

‘I don’t want you involved in this. I want you back home and safely out of the way.’

Now he was definitely starting to sound like her brothers. And she’d had such high hopes for him too. ‘What happened to we’re in this together as equals?’

‘It stopped when I found out someone was trying to kill me. You didn’t sign on for this, Hallie. I don’t want you involved.’

‘I want to stay and help,’ she said stubbornly.

‘No,’ he said, equally stubborn. ‘You can’t help with this.’

‘I did today.’

‘And look what it got you! A busted elbow and a concussion headache!’

‘I do not have a concussion headache,’ she said indignantly. ‘It’s just a normal one.’

‘Look…’ His expression softened. ‘You saved my life today; don’t think I don’t appreciate it, but I don’t want you getting hurt again. Not because of me.’

‘Fine,’ she said, waving him towards the telephone. ‘Book the plane seat.’

Five minutes later he slammed the phone down in frustration. ‘You knew there wouldn’t be any seats available,’ he said accusingly.

‘Of course I knew. It’s Chinese New Year. Everyone’s travelling to visit their families. I’m betting you couldn’t get plane tickets back to the UK any earlier than the ones we’ve already got.’ Nick’s scowl told her she was right. ‘Cheer up, Nick. It’s not that bad. You’re the one they want dead, not me. And they only might want you dead. We’re not exactly sure about that yet. I’m probably not in any danger at all.’

‘If I had any sense I’d call one of your brothers to come and get you.’

‘Well, you could,’ she said doubtfully. ‘But then you really would be a dead man.’ She glanced at her watch and groaned. ‘What are we going to do about this ball? Do you still want to go? Because if you do, we’re going to have to start getting ready.’

‘Do you?’

Hallie shrugged. She did want to attend the ball. Badly. But not if it was going to put Nick in danger. This one was his call.

‘We’re probably jumping to conclusions about someone trying to kill me,’ he said at last.

‘This is true.’

‘Kai did say he’d arrange extra security.’

Also true.

‘And I’ll be damned if I’ll stop living before I’m dead!’

She liked his attitude, she really did. ‘So we’re going?’

‘Yeah,’ said Nick. ‘We’re going.’



Hallie showered quickly, shrugged on a borrowed robe and slipped down to Jasmine’s room to get her hair done and give her the perfume. When she returned she found Nick already dressed for the ball, a handsome heartbreaker in an elegant black dinner suit that looked tailor-made for him and probably was. She should have been more immune to his looks by now, desperately wanted to be, but there was something about the combination of dark hair, dark suit, and a snowy white shirt that made her breath catch in her throat. And then he spoke.

‘Shouldn’t you be getting ready?’ he said.

And the spell was broken. ‘Keep talking,’ she ordered, scooping her gown from the closet on the way through to the bathroom. ‘I’ll be ready before you’ve finished your spiel about how bad mannered it would be to be late. Which we won’t be.’ She left the bathroom door ajar as she slipped her robe off and slid the dress over her head—all the better to hear Nick’s disgruntled mutterings by, and he didn’t disappoint.

‘You’ve got five minutes,’ he warned, but she was already up to make-up and she only needed two. Shoes next, dainty stilettos that added a good couple of inches to her height. Next a dab of the perfume Nick had given her at her pulse points and finally her wrap, amber-coloured silk a couple of shades lighter than her gown, and she was done.

One minute remaining. Time to see if Nick approved of the way the corporate wife was packaged. She entered the bedroom regally, only to find him staring out the window, trying hard to exude manly patience. ‘I’m ready,’ she said.

He turned, studied her from head to toe, and the purely masculine appreciation in his eyes was immensely gratifying. ‘You’re beautiful,’ he murmured. ‘But you’re not ready.’

‘I’m not?’

‘You forgot your jewellery.’

She had her rings on, didn’t she? Yep. Hard to miss them. ‘I really hope you’re not talking about the watch you bought me today.’