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‘Indeed it is.’ The waiter beamed. ‘When’s the wedding taking place?’
‘In three weeks’ time,’ she said, still smiling dreamily, hoping to throw Jasper off balance. ‘I’m so happy I can hardly stand it.’
‘Congratulations to both of you,’ the waiter said.
Jasper had to wait until the waiter had moved on before he could speak. ‘Listen, little lady,’ he growled. ‘You can stop that lash fluttering routine right now. I want people to think this is a genuine match, not some trumped-up plan for you to make a fool out of me every chance you get.’
‘No one’s going to buy it, you know,’ she said, glaring at him again.
‘Your ex just did.’
‘Only because I wanted him to,’ she said with a lift of her chin. ‘It was a matter of pride.’
‘Yeah, well, I have my pride too, and if you so much as hint that our marriage is not real in every sense of the word I’ll rip that salon out from under your feet faster than a waxing strip on a client’s you know what.’
‘You wouldn’t dare!’
His eyes glinted warningly. ‘Just watch me, cupcake.’
Another waiter came over with menus and two crusty bread rolls and set them on the table before moving off again.
Hayley took a hefty slug of her champagne before asking with eyes narrowed in suspicion, ‘What do you mean “real in every sense of the word”? You’re not expecting me to sleep with you, are you?’
He sent her a look of disdain. ‘Absolutely not.’
Hayley hoped her surprise at the vehemence in his tone didn’t show on her face. ‘Good, because I wouldn’t do it if you paid me.’
‘I wouldn’t do it if I had to pay you,’ he countered. ‘Firstly because I’ve never had to buy my way into a woman’s bed before, and secondly it’d be a complete waste of money as I’m not the least bit attracted to a bad-tempered, spoilt little brat who should have grown up years ago.’
Hayley lowered her gaze, wondering why his emphatic statement had stung so much. Personality-clash issues aside, and even though she wasn’t a vain sort of person, she knew she was OK-looking; clients told her so all the time, raving about her creamy complexion and thick dark curly hair and her blue-green eyes that changed colour with every mood. She knew her figure needed a little work, but her twice-weekly Pilates class was hopefully going to take care of that … well, it would once she got around to attending more regularly.
‘Good, because I’m not attracted to you either,’ she said, picking up her champagne again, hoping he couldn’t see the lie for what it was. She might hate him but her body seemed to have a completely different angle on things. She could even feel it now, pulsing with awareness with him sitting so close.
‘Better keep it that way,’ he said. ‘I wouldn’t want you to get any ideas about making this marriage permanent. We only have to live together for a month. Any longer than that and we’d probably kill each other.’
She rolled her eyes in scorn. ‘You really have had that ego of yours massaged a little too often, haven’t you?’
‘No more than any other Sydney billionaire bachelor.’
‘Yeah, that’d be right.’ She curled her lip again. ‘It’s your money they’re after, you know.’
‘And here I was thinking it was the mind-blowing sex,’ he drawled.
Hayley knew her cheeks were bright red but carried on regardless. ‘You know, I really hate men like you. You think that just because you’ve got money you can have whatever you want.’
‘I can have whatever I want.’
‘I can refuse to marry you, and then you won’t,’ she challenged him recklessly.
‘You wouldn’t dare.’
She sent him a glittering look. ‘Oh, I dare all right,’ she said.
Jasper leaned forward and captured one of her hands in his. ‘Yes, you could, but there would be consequences. Do you need me to spell them out to you again?’
Hayley felt her stomach turn over itself as his long tanned fingers curled around hers, their latent strength unmistakable even though his hold was deceptively gentle.
His eyes were dark pools of mystery, shadows lurking there that secretly terrified her. He was a ruthless businessman. He had made his fortune as a property developer before he was out of his twenties and now, at thirty-three, was at his prime both professionally and personally.
