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'It's obvious he fancies you,' Mitch said softly. 'And give me a bit of credit for having known you for the last twenty-five years. You've fallen for him, haven't you?'
'Mitch—' She stopped abruptly, not wanting to offend him as she noticed the look of deep concern on his face. 'I really don't want to discuss this, OK? There's no chance of my getting involved with him; death wishes aren't my style, all right?'
'You're sure about that?' Mitch asked quietly. She nodded quickly, her face bleak, and then sniffed dismally as her brother hugged her hard. 'Good girl.' He wagged his head as he imitated a line from one of their favourite TV programmes. 'You know it makes sense. And soon all this will just be history.'
'Yes.' He was trying to help but failing miserably, and she worked like a beaver for the rest of the day, forcing herself on until she was ready to drop.
Mitch and the others disappeared home just after five but she worked on until six in the kitchen, laying out the utensils and dishes needed to prepare the fresh salads and sauces, and then walked through to the flat for a long, hot bath and am early night.
She needed to be up at five the next morning, Mitch and the others were arriving at six, and by the end of tomorrow it would all be over. The agency staff had taken over in the main house—she knew that Mrs Goode had arranged a formal dinner for eight o'clock—but as far as she was concerned the only thing that held any appeal was her bed.
She lay for over an hour in the warm, soapy water, adding fresh bubbles whenever the others dispersed, and, after washing her hair, climbed out and swaddled herself in a huge bathsheet while she ate a simple meal of cheese on toast followed by fresh fruit. She felt exhausted and drained, but mercifully it seemed to have numbed her mind, and when she fell into bed, at just after eight, she sank immediately into a deep, dreamless sleep which made it all the more difficult to surface two hours later to the relentless knocking on her front door.
She stumbled through to the lounge after pulling her robe tightly round her, mote asleep than awake, and opened the door in a daze. 'Yes?' It took her a few seconds to focus and then she saw Reece's dark, angry face a few inches from her own. 'What's wrong?'
'Wrong?' He smiled nastily as be brushed past her into the flat without so much as a by-your-leave. 'Why should anything be wrong?'
'Reece!' She was instantly and furiously awake as she watched him walk through and give a cursory glance at the small bedroom before coming back into the lounge. 'What on earth do you think you're doing? I'm tired, I've got to be up early in the morning and I haven't got time to play guessing-games. What do you want?'
'I thought—' He stopped abruptly and she was surprised to see a dark stain of red colour on the high male cheekbones. 'Were you asleep?' he prevaricated flatly.
'Of course I was asleep.' She brushed her hair back from her face as she took in his big dark body in a formal dinner suit that made him look like all her Christmases rolled into one. 'And, for the third time, what's wrong?'
'It was just that—' He stopped again. 'Oh, hell…' He rubbed his hand across his face and looked at her with narrowed eyes. 'Donnie wasn't around and no one seemed to know where he was, and I just thought—'
'You thought he was here with me?' she asked in tones of absolute amazement. 'Why—?' She shook her head angrily. 'No, don't answer that. Surely you knew I wouldn't encourage a virtual stranger in here last thing at night? It's not even my flat, for goodness' sake.'
'You didn't do a bad job of encouraging him this morning,' he said tightly as he gazed into her angry violet eyes. 'From where I was standing it seemed the two of you were hitting it off just fine.'
'Well, you were obviously standing in the wrong place, then,' she snapped back furiously, 'And, anyway, what gives you the right to barge in here all guns firing without even checking your facts? I wouldn't dream of asking one of your guests in here. It would be totally unethical. I am your employee after all.'
'And that's why you wouldn't ask him in, because it's unethical?' he asked grimly as he scowled at her darkly.
'That and otter reasons.' She drew herself up proudly, although the effect was somewhat diminished by the voluminous towelling robe that had always been a couple of sizes too big.
'Like?'
'Like I don't know the man, I don't want to know the man, and I don't happen to be the sort of woman to put myself in a precarious position with someone I've just met,' she said angrily. 'For goodness' sake, Reece!' She shut her eyes for a moment as sheer hot rage flooded her limbs. 'What exactly do you think I am?'
'Gorgeous.' All the darkness had left his face as she had spoken and now the deep, husky quality of his voice sent her nerves jumping as she looked up into his eyes. 'Unbelievably gorgeous. What about someone you haven't just met?' he asked softly.
'What?'
'Would they be allowed in? Just for a cup of coffee?' he asked humbly. She stared at him suspiciously. Reece Vance breathing fire and damnation was one thing, but in this conciliatory, meek mood? He was ten times more dangerous.
'I don't think—'
'Just a cup of coffee and then I'll go,' he smiled disarmingly.
It was the smile that did it. She saw it so rarely that it melted her resistance like bright sun on ice, and she knew t
hat he'd won. He knew it too. His smile widened and he moved to close the door that was still open. 'I'll have mine black,' he said lazily as he sprawled out on the small sofa in the lounge. 'And I really am very sorry, Miriam. I just didn't want Donnie… bothering you in any way.'
'He hasn't,' she said shortly as she walked through to the kitchen and took a long, deep breath to calm her racing heartbeat. Dammit, she was playing with fire here.
This was a ridiculous situation and she should never have put herself in such a position—
'You look lovely when you've just woken up.' He had come to lean lazily against the kitchen door, watching her with keen, hooded eyes as she fumbled about in the cupboards for coffee and sugar. 'I knew you would.'
