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'Do you?' she persisted.
There was a flicker in the silver-blue eyes, a veiling of his thoughts, and then he said, ' Yes, I do. But I have been very remiss-this is neither the time nor the place for such a conversation, and you must be anxious to meet everyone now you are here.'
'It's all right-'
'No, it isn't. Forgive me.' He had retreated again, and so completely it was like a slap in the face.
The next two hours sped by in a whirl of introductions, numerous offices, social pleasantries and different faces, and over it all, every minute, every second, Joanne was aware of Hawk's dark, brooding presence on the perimeter of her gaze.
There was a subdued furore everywhere they went- less to do with her appearance than with Hawk's, Joanne reflected wryly-and plenty of sycophantic chit-chat that indicated everyone was well aware of the precarious state of the firm and why new blood had been brought in. Pierre was conspicuous by his absence and his sylph-like secretary, Antoinette, a slender, graceful nineteen-year-old who stared at Joanne with great dark eyes and a carefully blank face, made his apologies in a neutral voice that gave nothing away.
Nevertheless, Joanne was aware the French girl didn't like her, and the knowledge was a little disconcerting, considering they would be working closely together in the future.
She would perhaps have been a little more concerned about Antoinette, the somewhat slipshod air of the firm in general, and her growing certainty that the job was going to be even harder than she had expected, if a large segment of her mind hadn't been taken up with Hawk's amazing revelation about his parents. His father's betrayal and his mother's anguish had affected him deeply, that much was obvious, but she couldn't rid herself of the impression that there was something more he hadn't told her, another complication that had driven the deep lines of cynicism into the sides of that sensuous mouth.
But he wouldn't tell her if there was. She glanced across at him now as he stood talking to Antoinette on the other side of the room, the beautiful French girl clearly hanging on his every word. Intuition told her he regretted revealing as much as he had already, and he wouldn't thank her for the impulse which had prompted it. He was a loner, the original wolf who walked alone, and to get mixed up with a man like him would be emotional suicide, even if she didn't love him.
Love him? The shock of the thought caused her to stare glassy-eyed at the young man who was trying to engage her in conversation, and she must have gone white because he immediately suggested she sit down, that he fetch her a glass of water, or perhaps she needed some fresh air? 'It has been a long day for you.' The French voice with its sexy accent was ingratiatingly concerned. 'Yes?'
'Yes.' She aimed for a lightness she was far from feeling. 'But productive.' Act normally, put this to the back of your mind till later, talk, smile…
It was another half an hour before Hawk suggested he take her to the apartment which had been rented for her as part of the job package, and every single muscle in her face and body was so tense she felt like one giant ache. She couldn't risk the luxury of thinking; she was working on automatic and dealing purely with the absolute present-what she could see and hear and feel. If she started to think she would become petrified, or burst into tears, or shout and scream, and none of the options were attractive.
'You handled that just fine.' The American drawl was more obvious than normal as they walked out of the building and over to the car which had just been brought round to the front. 'I'm impressed.'
'Are they, though?' She smiled as she said it but he caught the underlying tension that made her voice over-bright.
'I think so.' He opened the car door for her and the piercing blue gaze watched her as she slid into the back of the car. 'And if they're not they soon will be.' He was leaning on the top of the door as he spoke and for a moment their eyes caught and held before he straightened, shutting the door with a soft slam.
Why did he have to do that-be so…nice? she asked herself savagely as he walked round the back of the car and slid into the seat beside her, tapping the glass divide once he was seated and indicating for the driver to pull away. Solicitude and tact didn't come naturally with Hawk Mallen-she had observed him in action for weeks and a barracuda couldn't be more ruthless-and it made the gentleness he had just displayed terribly seductive.
The late afternoon sky had darkened in the last hour, black storm clouds looming threateningly in the October twilight, but Joanne could see the slender spire of the Notre Dame, the Grande Dame of Paris, against the grey sky as the first drops of rain began to splatter against the car windows.
'We're in for a storm.' Hawk glanced at her, his male bulk big and alien in the car's interior. 'I was going to suggest we tour round for a while, see some of the sights and have a meal, but perhaps you'd rather go straight to the apartment?'
'Yes, please.' In spite of the spaciousness within the limousine his nearness was making her breathless.
'Your alacrity is a little dampening,' he said drily, his sapphire eyes glittering in the darkness of his face. 'Is my company really so hard to take?'
'I didn't mean it like that,' she protested weakly.
'No?' He smiled, that wonderfully elusive sexy smile that he used so rarely but with such devastating effect. 'Then I might get a cup of coffee in your new home?'
'But what about him?' She gestured agitatedly at the driver.
'Three's a crowd if that's what you mean, but don't worry, I have no intention of making the poor guy hang about waiting for me,' Hawk said easily. 'I'll get a cab from your place to my hotel, okay?'
Her place. She stared at him, her brain refusing to function. 'But…' He wasn't going to take no for an answer; she could see it in the sudden narrowing of his eyes. 'I haven't anything in; I haven't even seen the apartment yet-'
'No problem.' His gaze traced the outline of her lips, making her flesh tingle. 'I had the concierge take care of that.'
'Oh.' That was that, then; Hawk Mallen had spoken and the rest of the world could only obey-
'I know I should wait until I am asked, but I have the nasty feeling I would wait a long time, Joanne.' His voice was suspiciously humble now as though he had lead her thoughts-which he had-but in spite of the knowledge she was being duped she just couldn't resist the little-boy charm.
'Well, if you've the time…' she said helplessly, the anger that had risen at his arrogance magically gone.
'That I have.' He grinned suddenly, his eyes wicked. 'The pleasure of a few minutes in your company is worth any sacrifice-'
