LITMIR.BIZ

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she thought about his choice of career it suited him very well. What was he, really, but a glorified salesman? A con artist. A seller of dreams. Such seminars as he conducted preyed on people’s weaknesses, making them think they could be winners too, if only they listened to him. He’d spin her a whole world of dreams too, if she let him.

      But she wasn’t going to let him. Or listen to him. He could talk all the bulldust he liked. None of it was going to get to her any more.

      ‘What are you muttering to yourself about?’

      His voice behind her came out of the blue, startling her.

      Jessie swallowed, then spun slowly round on her office chair, a cool smile at the ready.

      ‘Just thinking of all the things I have to do before Christmas,’ she said, her eyes running over the man himself for the first time that day.

      Yes, he was gorgeous. Utterly. With that air of masculine confidence which she found almost irresistible.

      But she was ready for him now, ready and armed with the knowledge of his true self.

      ‘I did offer to take you shopping,’ he said with one of his winning smiles.

      ‘So you did. And I might have to take you up on that by this time next week.’

      ‘What about this Saturday? Emily could come with us. I promise I’ll have a proper car seat by then.’

      Jessie found her own smile. A slow smile. A saucy smile. ‘Do you think you’ll be capable of getting out of bed after Friday night?’

      His blue eyes registered shock. But then he smiled back. ‘Is that a challenge of some sort?’

      ‘Let’s just say it’s been a while for me. I might take some satisfying.’

      A flicker of a frown skittered across his face. ‘Boy, when you decide to do something you do it full throttle, don’t you?’

      ‘I have a take-no-prisoners attitude to life sometimes.’

      ‘That’s what I like about you. You’re so damned honest and upfront. Except when you’re cruising bars looking for straying hubbies, that is,’ he added ruefully.

      Jessie shrugged. ‘That’s all in the past now that I have a decent job. And it’s not as though most of those guys didn’t deserve to get caught. So tell me, Kane, were you ever unfaithful to your wife?’

      ‘What a question!’

      ‘One you don’t want to answer, I see.’

      ‘No, I don’t mind answering it. I was never unfaithful. I sowed my wild oats plenty in my younger years. Once I got married, however, I put all that behind me.’

      ‘One of the good guys,’ she said just a fraction tartly.

      He frowned. ‘I take it you’re still not convinced.’

      ‘Does it matter?’

      ‘It matters to me.’

      Jessie decided this conversation was running off the rails. ‘By the way, thank you for your book. I was suitably impressed. And a little surprised. I didn’t realise you were famous.’

      ‘I’m not so famous,’ he said modestly.

      ‘But you will be. Your book is fabulous.’ Jessie knew you could never flatter a man enough. Flattery, she could handle. And flirting. Just no falling in love.

      He looked so ridiculously pleased, she felt guilty. ‘But you can’t possibly have read it yet.’

      ‘Well, not properly. But I will. Before Friday night.’

      ‘Stop talking about Friday night!’ he suddenly bit out in an agitated fashion. ‘I know it’s only three days away, but after last night it seems like an eternity. I don’t think I slept a wink.’

      He did look tired, now that she came to think of it. There were dark circles under his eyes.

      ‘I didn’t sleep very well myself,’ she confessed.

      ‘Jessie, this is ridiculous. Why should we torture ourselves? Be with me tonight. Get Dora to mind Emily. She told me last night that she’d be quite happy to mind Emily any night we wanted to go out. I asked her. I even offered to pay her but she refused. She said she’d be happy to do it any time.’

      Jessie felt both flustered and furious. ‘You had no right to go behind my back like that.’

      ‘No right to do what?’ he countered. ‘Try to organise things so that I can spend some time with a woman I’m crazy about?’

      Jessie flushed at the passion in his voice. ‘I told you. I don’t like to be rushed.’

      His sigh was ragged. ‘OK. Yes, I am rushing you. I’m sorry. It’s just that life is so short and when you see something that you really want, you have to reach out and grab it before something happens and it gets away from you.’

      ‘Is that what you tell people in your book?’

      ‘Not that I recall. This is something which has come upon me just lately. It’s possibly worse today.’

      ‘Why is it worse today?’

      ‘Would you believe my ex-wife has just been in to see me? And guess what? She’s pregnant, by some guy she doesn’t even know the name of. And she’s going to keep the baby.’ Kane shook his head in utter bewilderment.

      ‘What’s wrong with that?’ Jessie challenged. For pity’s sake, did he expect her to have an abortion? He’d divorced her because she wanted children. The man just didn’t understand how strong the maternal impulse could be. She could never have terminated her baby, and she hadn’t even been craving one at the time.

      ‘You don’t know Natalie,’ he muttered. ‘She’s not the single-mother type.’

      ‘Is there a single-mother type?’

      ‘No. I guess not. It was just so unexpected, not to mention quick. Our divorce papers only came through three months ago. You can imagine how I felt when she announced she was pregnant.’

      Actually, Jessie didn’t have to imagine anything. She’d been there and heard his reaction. He’d been worried sick that it was his.

      ‘It’s not as though you’re still in love with her,’ Jessie said impatiently. ‘Are you?’

      ‘No, of course not!’

      ‘Then her having another man’s baby is irrelevant. Leave her to her life and you get on with yours.’

      He stared at her for a second before his mouth broke into a wry grin. ‘Yes, Dr Denton. I’ll do just that. Which brings me back to tonight. What do you say, Jessie? Would you let me take you out to dinner? Just dinner.’

      That was about as believable as ‘the cheque’s in the post’!

      Jessie scooped in a deep breath whilst every pore in her screamed at her to agree. But to say yes would be the kiss of death. She’d show her weakness and then he’d have her right where he wanted her.

      ‘I’m sorry, Kane,’ she said, quite truthfully. ‘I make it a policy never to go out during the week. You’ll just have to wait. You can always have a lot of cold showers,’ she suggested with more than a hint of malice.

      Their eyes met, and held.

      ‘I don’t think there’s enough cold water in the world to fix my problem,’ he bit out. ‘Still, I guess I’ll survive. But I would suggest that if you’re going to come into work each day looking good enough to eat, then for pity’s sake, keep well out of my way!’

       CHAPTER ELEVEN

      ‘MUMMY’S

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