LITMIR.BIZ

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may I call you Kara? It’s such a pretty name it’s a shame not to use it.’

      A pretty name! No one had ever said that to her before. A further shiver of awareness ran through her.

      ‘We cannot live together and not be on first name terms.’

      ‘What do you mean, live together?’ she asked quickly and sharply, feeling her heart give a giant leap.

      ‘A figure of speech,’ he answered, with a lazy shrug and a smile.

      A dangerous smile!

      ‘I’m talking about the hotel.’

      ‘Of course,’ she answered faintly, hoping that her room was as far away from his as possible. She had booked the whole top two floors but had not been able to stipulate who stayed in which room. They would be allocated on arrival. Except Blake’s! He always, but always, stayed in the executive suite.

      ‘I’m glad that you’re not wearing one of those terrible suits today.’

      Kara felt swift colour rise in her cheeks. She had packed two of her work suits, but she had relaxed her own rules this morning and put on jeans and a spicy pink sweater, completely unaware that the colour complemented her skin colouring and made her look alive and vibrant and very, very pretty—even though she wore no make-up and her hair was tied back in its usual functional style.

      Blake too had foregone the dark suits he wore for the office and was wearing an impeccable ivory linen suit which contrasted against the tanned darkness of his skin, making her feel deathly pale by comparison. His jacket had by now been discarded, and although his dark hair was brushed back in its usual style a few strands had been loosened by the wind, making him look younger and less fearsome—and more frighteningly human!

      ‘Why don’t you tell me a little more about yourself?’ he suggested softly.

      A frisson of something Kara failed to recognise shivered through her. It felt dangerous. ‘What is there to tell that you don’t already know?’

      ‘I know nothing,’ he said, ‘except that you apparently spend most of your time looking after your mother instead of getting out and enjoying yourself. It’s very creditable, of course, but I’m sure she would be the first to agree that you need a life of your own.’

      ‘I am not unhappy doing what I do. Since my father died she has no one—why shouldn’t I spend my time with her?’ Her voice rose defensively without her even realising it.

      ‘I’m not suggesting that you shouldn’t, but you should try and maintain a balance too. You’re like me, an only child, so at least we have something in common. What was your childhood like? Did you have lots of friends when you were younger or have you always been a stay-at-home girl?’

      ‘Pretty much,’ she admitted.

      ‘Did you have a happy childhood? What was your father like?’

      ‘Why all the questions?’ she asked, her voice unconsciously sharp. He had touched a raw spot. There was no way in this world that she was going to tell him what a rotten father she had had, and that even now he was dead he had left them with a whole host of new problems. ‘I thought we were supposed to be going over the conference notes?’ She inched away from him, curling herself into the corner, unconsciously using the defensive posture she had always adopted when her father threatened her.

      Blake’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. ‘You’re right. It should be business.’ But he could not help wondering why Kara was so averse to talking about herself—or her father. Perhaps she had loved him so much that she found the loss still painful? The way she had turned in on herself when he mentioned him suggested that.

      He had no idea how long it had been since her father’s death, but could not remember her asking for time off to attend his funeral so it must have been before she’d started working for him.

      A pity she did not want to talk. He would have enjoyed finding out more about her. She intrigued him. Overnight she had practically turned from an ugly duckling into a swan, knocking him for six in her tight-fitting jeans and hot pink sweater. He had not wanted to take his eyes off her. Unless the dark suits were her office uniform and outside of work she always dressed like this! It would be interesting to see what she had brought with her for the conference.

      He opened his laptop, staring at the screen without truly seeing it. All he could see was Kara. The intriguingly, surprisingly beautiful Kara. He could not understand why she kept her raw beauty hidden. She had truly fine features—her nose with a delightful little curve at the tip, amazing blue eyes, and a cupid’s bow of infinitely kissable lips. They all begged to be explored.

      Kara was glad that Blake had stopped asking questions. She had begun to feel suffocated—or was the rapid beat of her heart caused by a surprising and unwarranted attraction towards him? Her father had banned her from having boyfriends, and even after his death she had never found the time or the inclination. So this was the first occasion she had ever been close to a man who had shown an interest in her, and she found it a scary experience.

      When finally Blake began concentrating on the screen in front of him Kara allowed her head to drop back and closed her eyes. But it was not easy ignoring him—not when his cologne teased her nostrils, not when she knew his leg was mere inches away from hers, not when she sensed that sometimes his eyes were on her instead of his computer.

      Quite how she managed it Kara did not know, but somehow she fell asleep. She was woken by Blake’s light touch on her shoulder as he told her that they were about to land and she needed to put on her seat belt.

      Embarrassed now, she moved to her original seat and sat rigidly upright. Blake on the other hand was totally relaxed, a smile turning up the corners of his lips. Had he watched her while she slept? Kara went hot at the thought. Had her mouth fallen open? Had she looked stupid? ‘I’m sorry I fell asleep on you,’ she said quietly.

      ‘And very beautifully too. It was quite something, having you resting your head on my shoulder. My usually prim and proper PA behaving like a real woman for once.’

      Alarm raced through Kara. Her head on his shoulder! Was that what she had done? Her heart went wild, leaping within chest as though it was trying to escape. ‘I really am sorry.’

      ‘No need to apologise,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘It was my pleasure.’

      His pleasure! Another source of heat seared the surface of her skin. This was too embarrassing by far. ‘It was very rude of me.’ She sat up even straighter. ‘I didn’t sleep very well last night. That must be why.’

      ‘Was it the thought of joining me today that kept you awake?’ His grey eyes met and held hers and Kara shivered. There was something in the tone of his voice that alarmed her.

      It was wrong to judge all men by her father—but her mother had told her to be careful, that men were not always what they seemed. And all she knew about Blake was that his affairs were legend. There was no way on this earth that she wanted to become another statistic.

      But how to answer his question? ‘It was the thought of what lay ahead,’ she said, which in itself was not an outright lie. ‘I’ve never been to Italy.’

      ‘Then I will enjoy improving your education, showing you places that you have only read about or perhaps seen on the television.’

      ‘Mr Benedict.’ Kara put on her most professional demeanour. ‘I am sure we will not have time for sightseeing. You have a very full schedule.’

      His slow smile said it all. ‘There is always time for enjoyment, Kara.’

      CHAPTER TWO

      IT SEEMED like no time at all before they were being driven to their hotel, and because Kara had booked the rooms and seen photographs of it she knew what to expect. Except that the grandeur of the building actually took her breath away. The architecture was stunning. But what stopped her breathing altogether was the discovery that her room was right next door to Blake’s.

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