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Maybe she was wary of marriage as a partner could walk away with a chunk of the inheritance. She might have decided to keep her options open; the money would be hers in nine years anyhow, with or without marriage. But of course waiting wouldn’t please her father or brother. They, no doubt, had plans and schemes for that money.
As Cat had gone along with their schemes in the past, maybe she was content to do so again. In that case they would be organizing some kind of arranged marriage—some deal that would prevent a new husband having a legal claim on what was theirs. The thought made a twist of distaste stir inside him.
Whatever they were planning, they were going to be very disappointed. He smiled to himself as he stepped out of the lift and rang her doorbell. He would really like to see the look on their faces the morning they woke up and realized that someone had got to the pot of gold first.
The door swung open. Cat was wearing a plain black dress that hugged her slender figure. She looked businesslike, but so sexy and breathtakingly beautiful that he almost forgot why he was here.
‘Hello, I’m nearly ready.’ She stepped back from the door, her manner brisk. ‘Come in for a moment.’
Nicholas wrenched his eyes away from her as he stepped inside and focused his attention on the surroundings.
The flat wasn’t at all what he had been expecting. He had assumed because it was in an old Victorian building that the rooms would be huge, but the place was small. She had decorated with style, however; it had a homely, welcoming feel. Bright canvases adorned the white walls and the old sofas were draped with throws and scatter cushions in a rich gold and tangerine. One alcove was filled with books and there were fresh flowers in a crystal vase on the mantelpiece.
‘Sorry to keep you waiting,’ she said coolly.
His glance moved back to her. She was perched on the arm of the sofa, slipping on a pair of high-heeled court shoes.
She had lovely legs, he noticed. They were very long and very shapely. In fact everything about her was enticing. His eyes travelled upwards over the silk stockings and the knee-length dress, noting that she wore no jewellery to adorn the square neckline. Her hair was secured in a casual twist with an amber comb. The style drew attention to the long length of her neck Cat looked over at him. She was well aware of his scrutiny and she was trying very hard not to let it unnerve her. ‘I had.’ As their eyes connected she almost forgot what she was saying. There was something almost primal in the way he was looking at her, as if he were touching her, possessing her with his gaze. It made her senses flood with wild heat and she hated that! With difficulty she maintained her poise. ‘I had difficulty getting away from the office. It’s been a very busy day.’
‘It will be a busy day on the roads too; Friday always is.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘The road to the airport will be jammed if we don’t leave soon.’
His tone was businesslike, totally at odds with the way he had just looked at her. She didn’t know if that made her feel better or not—she couldn’t work out the undercurrent between them at all. ‘I just need my passport. Won’t be a second.’
It was a relief to escape into the bedroom and, although her passport was sitting on top of her dressing table, she didn’t immediately pick it up; instead, she took a few moments to compose herself.
This feeling of desire that attacked her senses every time she looked at him was going to have to stop. For one thing, she couldn’t allow anything to mess up the opportunity of this business contract—that was all that mattered. For another Nicholas Zentenas had danger written all over him.
If she lowered her defences around him he would take what he wanted and then walk away to get on with the business of making money. She would mean less than nothing, and she wasn’t going to allow any man to treat her like that. Snatching up her passport, she returned to the lounge.
She was taken aback to find him studying the photograph that she had flung down on the sofa earlier. ‘Who’s this?’ he asked casually.
‘Nobody.’ Cat flinched as he turned it over. She knew the words Looking forward to meeting you were scrawled on the back, along with a telephone number. ‘It’s just some friend of my brother,’ she found herself adding hurriedly.
‘Trying to fix you up on a date, is he?’
The sardonic observation hit a nerve. ‘How do you know I’m not already seeing someone?’
‘As you attended a wedding party on your own last week, I assume you are unattached. Am I wrong?’
She would have liked to lie but somehow she just couldn’t so she found herself shaking her head.
The ring of his mobile phone halted the conversation and Cat was extremely glad of the interruption. How dared he ask about that photograph and her social life? It was none of his business.
As he spoke on the phone Nicholas put the photograph down on the table and she took her chance and went across to pick it up and toss it out of sight into a drawer. She didn’t want to talk about it; she didn’t even want to think about it or Michael or her father, because when she did it felt as if someone had taken a sledgehammer straight to her heart.
Nicholas watched her through narrowed eyes.
‘That was our pilot,’ he told her as he hung up. ‘Our departure is scheduled for less than an hour.’
‘Well, I’m ready.’ She slammed the drawer closed with her hip.
There was something determined about the action. ‘Got a drawer full of potential beaus in there, have you?’
‘Well, you know what brothers are like. They only want the best for their sisters.’ She matched his flippant tone but inside the lie hurt. She wished so much that was true.
Nicholas watched as she picked up her briefcase and her bag. She was one cool customer, he thought. Obviously his suspicions were correct and once more she was planning to go along with her family’s shady ideas. Daddy had probably sewn up some poor guy and got him to agree to the union for a pittance. He felt a twist of pure distaste. The words as thick as thieves sprang to mind.
Yet there was something about the way she held herself, the proud tilt of her head, the sparkle of her green eyes, that made another emotion flood through him—determination. No matter how far Carter or Michael McKenzie were prepared to go he was prepared to go, further. He was the one who would claim Cat and the inheritance.
