LITMIR.BIZ

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      ‘That’s a relief.’ He held out a hand and smiled. ‘Zac Valenti—pleased to meet you.’

      His smile had the wattage of the sun at full blast. Rose had to stop herself from blurting out, I know exactly who you are.

      She took a deep breath. ‘I’m Rose.’

      His hand engulfed hers. Warm and strong. Slightly rough. He was no soft city boy. Between her legs, her flesh jumped in response.

      ‘Just Rose?’

      She was about to supply her second name when she thought of something and panic made her belly swoop. He might recognise her name—she and her father had worked for his family. She thought quickly and said, ‘Murphy. Rose Murphy.’ It had been her mother’s maiden name.

      ‘With a name and colouring like that you can’t be anything but Irish.’

      Rose was sweating. ‘My parents emigrated here just before I was born.’

      She pulled her hand back from his. Even though she’d met him now she still couldn’t do this. She was out of her depth, her league…her everything. Shouldn’t men like Zac Valenti have cordons of bodyguards around them? Yet he didn’t. He was like a lone wolf. This had been a crazy plan and one she couldn’t possibly execute.

      She stepped back.

      ‘Where are you going?’

      Her tongue felt too large for her mouth. ‘I have to…go…’ she said lamely.

      ‘Without a dance?’

      He extended his hand again and now Rose felt a different kind of panic surge. ‘I don’t dance.’

      ‘I find that hard to believe—who doesn’t know how to dance?’

      Someone who grew up watching the girls in her class go to dance classes and who buried her envy because she knew her parents couldn’t afford to send her.

      Suddenly angry at being in this position, and in this place, Rose said sharply, ‘Well, I don’t…and I really should go.’

      She turned away, only to feel a hand closing around her arm, tugging her back. Damn the man. Why wouldn’t he just let her go? Already she was feeling remorse for being sharp. This had nothing to do with him. Well, it did…but he wasn’t aware of her nefarious intentions.

      Oh, God. She felt nauseous.

      He’d put his hands on her arms now, and she looked up into that classically perfect face.

      He was concerned. ‘I didn’t mean to offend you.’

      Predictably, Rose’s brain cells were scrambling again under that blue gaze. ‘You didn’t. I was being silly—I’m sorry.’

      His mouth tipped up again in that sexy way. ‘Was that our first fight?’

      Rose’s belly swooped alarmingly. ‘You’re very smooth,’ she remarked dryly, even as she battled surprise that he wasn’t more…arrogant. She’d had no idea he would be so charming or flirtatious. She hadn’t expected to like him.

      But then, she thought with uncharacteristic cynicism, if she’d been there as one of the impeccably clad waitresses he really wouldn’t have looked twice at her. And she wasn’t so naive she couldn’t see that underneath the suave exterior were the sharp talons of his own cynicism. A man like him, from a world like this…? His mother was right: they didn’t come more jaded.

      He smiled, oblivious to her inner turmoil. ‘I try.’

      Then he slid his hands down her arms, slowly enough to make her breath quicken and her skin prickle into goosebumps. Especially when he brushed against the sides of her breasts.

      He took her hand in his and started to lead her towards the dance floor, where couples were swaying cheek to cheek to the seductive tones of sultry jazz.

      Rose put her other hand over his and tried to tug free. Aware of a lot of curious looks, she whispered desperately, ‘Really, I’ve never—’

      He sent her a look over his shoulder, stopping her words. ‘Trust me.’

      They were on the dance floor now, and Zac swung Rose round until she was in front of him. She looked at him helplessly. He took her right hand and held it in his and slid his other arm around her back, up high, his hand spreading out over bare skin. And then he pulled her close and she stumbled forward slightly, right into his taut, lean body.

      Every thought left her head. Why she was there. What she was there for. Who she was. All she was aware of was how it felt to be held so close to this man, every inch of his tall body, hard and muscled, against her much softer one.

      Her breasts were pressed against his chest. His hand was making small subtle movements against the skin of her back. And they were moving, going around in a circle across the floor. Rose couldn’t actually feel her feet. She was floating.

      Her nipples had tightened to hard points, pressing against her dress. She’d never been so aware of herself as a woman before. She blushed and ducked her head. A finger came under her chin, tipping her face up again. Even in spite of the mask she could see that Valenti looked incredulous.

      He shook his head and frowned. ‘Are you for real?’

      ‘Of course I’m real,’ Rose answered automatically, becoming aware of her surroundings again as she saw a woman gliding past, a condescending expression in her eyes as she looked Rose over from behind her own ornate mask. She tensed in his arms. ‘Look, Mr Valenti, I really should—’

      He pulled her closer and growled, ‘It’s Zac. Mr Valenti makes me sound like an old man. And I’m not an old man—yet.’

      She looked up at him and gulped. He most certainly was not an old man. He was young and dynamic and virile. And she couldn’t believe she was in his arms. Even though this had been the exact objective of the evening…

      ‘Do you know,’ he said, ‘you’re the only woman here who isn’t wearing one piece of jewellery?’

      Rose immediately scrambled to think of something to say under that incisive blue gaze. ‘I…er…I’d be afraid of losing something.’

      Zac shook his head again in that slightly incredulous way. ‘Your jewels aren’t insured?’

      Rose cursed herself. Of course, every woman here would have insured each priceless jewel she owned to within an inch of its life. However, the only precious jewellery she owned was her mother’s engagement ring, and that had more sentimental value than real value.

      She affected what she hoped was an air of nonchalance and fudged telling the truth with deflection. ‘The current trend is that less is more.’

      Zac’s hand moved then, slowly down her back, his fingers trailing along her spine down to where her back started to curve just above her dress, and her entire body flushed with heat.

      He said throatily, ‘I couldn’t agree more.’

      Run—quick, run! said a voice in Rose’s head. She was playing a high-stakes game and she was not remotely prepared or ready. And yet, a small stark voice reminded her, she didn’t have much of a choice. If she wanted her beloved father to get better. To live.

      ‘What do you say we get out of here? Go somewhere a little less…stuffy.’

      Zac’s voice cut through her troubled thoughts and feelings of guilt. She wasn’t a dishonest person and she’d never told a lie in her life. Yet right now she was actively engaged in deceiving this man with every word that came out of her mouth. With her very presence.

      But the huge room did feel as if it was closing in on them. The heat was stifling. Weakly choosing more time to think about her predicament, Rose said, ‘Yes, I’d like that.’

      Zac smiled, and it had a quality to it that wasn’t remotely civilised. But before she could change her

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