“That color suits you,” he murmured.
Nervously, she said the first thing that came to mind. “Vinnie’s has some great things.”
A crease formed between his eyebrows. “Vinnie’s? I don’t think I’ve heard of them.”
She couldn’t help herself. She laughed. “St. Vincent de Paul. You know, they run a lot of the secondhand stores.”
His expression faltered. “You’re wearing a used dress?”
“Unheard of in your world, no doubt,” she said, oddly not taking offense. He really didn’t know any better. “It’s clean and they have some great stuff. Seriously, lots of people buy secondhand goods from them. It works out well all around. People have decent clothes to wear that they might not be able to afford, and the money goes back into charity.”
He stood there looking at her as if she was speaking another language, and she laughed again at his confusion. This guy had no idea of the real world. Not everyone could afford caviar and champagne.
Out of the blue, his gaze intensified on her face, then dropped down to her lips. The flame returned to his eyes. She could feel her smile slip away as he slowly brought his head toward her. She couldn’t seem to move, not even to put aside the glass she cradled in her hands.
He placed his lips on hers and stilled, and it was the most incredible thing she’d ever experienced. He didn’t touch her with anything but his mouth, yet he was oddly touching her in other ways she didn’t want to think about. How was this happening?
And then his brandy tongue nudged her lips open. She didn’t resist. She couldn’t, and he began long, mesmerizing slides over her. He did it in right measures too, not to tease, but exploring her…just right…so right…mouth-to-mouth as his warm breath shimmied through her, holding her suspended in time…until the moment she’d be able to take a breath on her own again.
He slowly drew back, a watchful expression about him. She took that first breath then, aware something had clicked between them. A blink later, his eyes filled with male satisfaction. Jenna stiffened, not wanting him to get the wrong impression here. She wasn’t available for long kisses that lingered.
“I should slap your face.”
“Mmm, kinky.”
Her chin rose. “Just because I didn’t slap your face doesn’t mean I’ll let you get away with it again.”
Challenge flared in his eyes, then banked, his sensual mouth curving upward. “In other words, you don’t want to be my mistress and I’d better not expect you to be?”
“Exactly.”
“Fair enough.”
She managed a snort. What the hell was he playing at?
He arched a brow. “You look surprised.”
“I am. I didn’t expect you’d give up so easily.”
“Who said I had?” He smiled…but a moment later it was gone. “Stay the night.”
“Wh-what? Didn’t we just agree—”
“It’s getting late. You can sleep in the spare room.”
She searched his face, not sure what she was looking for precisely. “Is all this really necessary, Adam?”
“Unfortunately, yes. It’s only just occurred to me, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Chelsea appears on my doorstep tomorrow morning to see if you’re still here.”
Unease rippled through Jenna. “There’s a name for this. It’s called stalking.”
“It’s beginning to appear that way, yet I really have no proof of anything. Every time she calls me, or even if she were to come here tomorrow, she has Todd as her excuse. Nothing she does right now would hold up in court.” He grimaced. “Not that I want it to get that far.”
“Maybe you might need to say something to Todd?” She wasn’t sure why, but she didn’t mention her suspicions that Todd might be aware of something going on with Chelsea.
“Not yet. Hopefully having you around will make her come to her senses.”
“And if it doesn’t?”
“I’ll worry about that if it happens.”
All at once, any arguments for going home didn’t seem so important. She put her glass down on the small table. “I think I’d like to go to bed now,” she said, then schooled her features, trying not to show how intimate that sounded.
He merely nodded, looking pleased that she was staying. “I’ll find you something to sleep in.”
“Thank you.” She waited for him to comment, surprised when he didn’t take the opportunity to make some sort of sexy remark.
“But do me a favor,” he finally said. “Don’t put the light on in the bedroom, just in case.”
She lifted a brow. “In case?”
“In case Todd and Chelsea see it. They know the penthouse. They can see it from the road.” A pulse ticked in his temple. “Bloody hell! I hate living like this.”
In spite of everything, she had to have some sympathy for him. He was used to living in a media fishbowl, but no doubt he’d always been able to rely on his close friends.
Until now.
Now his closest friend and wife were the very ones he had to keep at arm’s length.
It was strange having a woman spend the night in his apartment and not in his bed, Adam mused, returning to the balcony after showing Jenna to the spare room and pouring himself another small measure of brandy. In the darkness he took a seat on the lounger until his skin cooled under the late-night breeze. It was no use going to his room and undressing. Not yet. Not with thoughts of Jenna slipping his T-shirt over her head and down her delicious body, as she would be doing right this minute.
Groaning, he told himself to push the thought to the side, but it was darn hard pushing any thoughts about Jenna to the side. She was so beautiful and had looked gorgeous in that gown tonight, whether it was secondhand or not. She’d been such an asset at the ball, holding her own with everyone, including Chelsea…including him. He hadn’t had such an enjoyable time with a woman for a long time, especially at these affairs, where everyone was someone and no one fully relaxed from being on show.
And yet being around Jenna could never relax a man. Not unless it was in the aftermath of making love to her, and even then he suspected he’d want her again immediately too much to relax. Hell, after kissing her twice tonight, and after dancing with her, he didn’t just suspect it. He knew he would want her again right away. No question.
God, he’d better stop thinking about her or he’d never get to bed. He needed all the sleep he could get, not just because she was in his apartment tonight, but with her being in his life for the next month. He had the feeling he was going to be sleep deprived from now on. Whether he was sexually deprived, too, was up to Jenna.
And at least there was one thing. Jenna was keeping his worries about Chelsea at bay. And that meant she was serving her purpose.
He’d chosen well.
Four
Jenna had undressed by the light of the city last night as Adam had asked, so she awoke the next morning to the full sun streaming through the glass panes. It was Saturday, but this wasn’t like her usual Saturdays. She normally didn’t wake in an unfamiliar bed in the apartment of a man she barely knew, wearing that man’s shirt. A man it was wise to keep at a distance.
The very thought had her tossing back the blankets and sliding out of the sheets, the T-shirt she’d slipped into last night after Adam had left the room grazing her thigh. He hadn’t commented on the balcony, but as he’d handed her one of his shirts, the look in his eyes said he was fully aware of what she’d be wearing to bed.
Warmth stole under her skin at the memory.
Then she spotted her evening gown draped over a chair, and reality returned. There was nothing worse than waking up and realizing you had to dress in yesterday’s clothes. At least she’d had the forethought to wash out her panties before going to bed last night, and they were now wearable again.
In the guest bathroom she showered, then brushed her teeth with a new toothbrush she found in the vanity cabinet. Thankfully she had some makeup in her purse, and she began to feel more hum
an as she slipped her own clothes back on. After that she went to look for Adam in the main living area. If he wasn’t about, she’d leave a note and take a cab home. She rather hoped he’d gone out.
It was interesting that she didn’t see any photographs of Adam’s late wife around the place. As much as he was in the public eye, she was discovering he was a very private person. Of course grief was a very private thing after all, she thought. She remembered hearing of the accident and thinking it a tragedy, but never in a million years would she have believed she’d meet the man, let alone pretend to be his mistress and wake up in his apartment. Life had certainly taken a turn she hadn’t expected.
Nor needed.
Adam was at the breakfast bar, eating cereal and fresh fruit. He looked fresh enough to eat himself, and so damn handsome, but she pretended not to notice as she placed her purse on the coffee table.
He looked up, observed her deep blue evening dress, and furnished her a lazy smile. “Ahh, the morning after.”
“Exactly,” she said with a grimace.
“Yet you still manage to look gorgeous.”
“A little bleary-eyed this morning, aren’t we?” she mocked.
He laughed. “Did you sleep well?”
“As well as could be expected.” It was amazing she’d slept at all, considering the circumstances.
“I hope you didn’t feel the need to lock your door?”
“Actually, no, I didn’t.” She figured that if he’d been going to make a move on her, he would have pressed for more during that kiss on his balcony.
God help her, but she’d never drink brandy again without thinking of it. Of him. She was doomed to forever remember.
“Did Chelsea turn up, by any chance?” she asked. It had been the reason he’d asked her to sleep here last night.
His whole face became hard-edged again. “No, thank heavens. She’s the last thing I need.” Then he visibly forced himself to relax with a smile. “And now…about today. Are you doing anything special?”
She was suddenly wary. “It depends.”
“I have to go to the Carlton Gardens this afternoon. My family is sponsoring a gardening exhibit at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show and I said I’d drop by while my parents are out of town. I’d like you to come with me. We can take a walk around the gardens afterward. It’s quite something.”
Jenna could see her leisure time over the next month being swallowed up by him and his engagements. “You didn’t think to mention this before?”
His brow furrowed. “Don’t you have anything to wear? We’ll stop by one of the boutiques.”
She made a dismissive gesture. “No, that’s not the problem.”
“You don’t like flowers?”
“I love flowers, but that’s not the point. I didn’t think all this was going to take up so much of my time.”
His mouth tightened. “No, the point is that it’s a good idea to be seen together again after last night. It’ll put us in other people’s minds as a couple.”
His words sank in and she sighed heavily. “I guess so.”
“Your enthusiasm becomes you,” he drawled.
She ignored that as her eye caught sight of the newspaper beside him. “Is there anything in that about the ball?” she said a little anxiously as she moved a few feet farther toward him.
“No. There’s some pictures, but we managed to miss out this time.”
“Good.” Her parents and her sister-in-law might have known about her date last night, but she was still glad not to have her and Adam’s picture splashed across the papers. She really wasn’t interested in that kind of notoriety.
He frowned. “I assume your question means you haven’t told your parents about me then?”
“I told them,” she said, disabusing him of the idea. “But only about the ball. They don’t know about Stewart and the money.” She realized instantly her mistake in saying too much. She pulled a face. “Darn. I shouldn’t have told you that.”
A hint of steel momentarily glinted in his eyes. “We’re in the same boat, remember. My parents don’t know about it, either.”
“That’s true,” she said, clamping down on her anxiety. They might be able to destroy each other’s families, but in an odd twist, their only guarantees in protecting them were each other.
All at once he lifted his foot and drew the stool out from beside him. “Come and eat some breakfast,” he said, and suddenly the focus was back on the moment again.
On them.
She looked at him, looked at the stool. If she sat down he would be right next to her. “Thanks, but I’m not really hungry.”
“You’ll need something in your stomach for the afternoon. You don’t want to be light-headed and faint. Then you will be in the papers,” he joked, but she had the feeling he knew why she didn’t want to sit beside him.
She slid onto the stool, determined to show he didn’t frighten her. “Perhaps I’ll just have some fresh fruit.”
“Help yourself.” He indicated the platter of sliced fruit then lifted the coffeepot in a silent gesture.
She nodded. “Thanks. Did you fix all this yourself?” Some how she couldn’t see him in a kitchen peeling and slicing fruit for too long. This man belonged in the boardroom—her pulse fluttered—and the bedroom.
“No. I have a housekeeper.”
Jenna concentrated on forking slices of mango and pineapple onto her plate, but she was wondering if the housekeeper had known there was someone sleeping in the spare room last night.
“Yes.”
She blinked, then glanced up at Adam. “What?”
He shot her an amused glance. “Yes, my housekeeper knew someone was sleeping in the other bedroom. I had to leave her a note so she wouldn’t disturb you.”
He’d read her mind again. Was he clairvoyant, or was she being too obvious? She hoped it wasn’t the latter.
“That would have been a novelty for her then. I’m sure the spare room doesn’t get used too often around here.”
He laughed softly. “Oh, yeah, you’re right about that.”
She couldn’t help it. A smile pulled at her lips. “A novelty for you too, I imagine.”
“Double ‘oh, yeah.’”
She chuckled and so did he. And then his eyes snagged hers. She felt like she was being pulled into them…willingly drowning….
“Er…” She dragged herself back from the brink. “Where’s your housekeeper now? Is she still here?” She’d concentrate on this.
He took a moment to answer. “She’s gone to Vic Market. She wanted to get some fresh food.”
Queen Victoria Market was the premier open-air market, brimming with Old World charm, but right now Jenna was having trouble getting past the husky charm of this man’s voice.
She took a breath and focused. She assumed the woman didn’t live here. That would definitely cramp Adam’s style.
And then a sudden thought struck her.
“How well do you know her, Adam? I mean, if Chelsea got to Diane then she could probably get to your housekeeper. Then she might tell Chelsea we didn’t sleep together last night. She could do it inadvertently.”
He was shaking his head before she’d finished speaking. “No, that wouldn’t happen. Sheryl has been with me for ten years. I trust her implicitly.” His voice said he was firm on this. No doubts at all.
She held his gaze. With his family being in the limelight it would be hard to trust people. For him to trust his housekeeper was saying something. “I’m glad.”
After they finished breakfast, Adam had to take a couple of calls and she knew it was a good time to leave. He phoned his driver to come and get her.
“Be ready at one,” he said. “Harry will collect you then.”
Jenna was ready as planned, dressed in a sleeveless linen dress topped with a summery jacket. She told herself it wasn’t like she was the queen or anything. This was just a business event, just like her dealings with Adam were business when it came
right down to it.
Still, she was nervous. If she hadn’t been with Adam, she’d have worn her good pair of jeans and sneakers and roamed around the gardens with a girlfriend. Maybe she’d have even taken Vicki and the girls, or gone with her parents. Her mother and father both liked this sort of thing.
Adam must have sensed her anxiety. “Don’t stress out,” he whispered, as he walked her along one of the many paths in the Carlton Gardens, through an explosion of colorful exhibits and displays, toward the historic Royal Exhibition Building.
She was grateful for his arm inside the Great Hall as quite a few high profile people stopped to talk to him. The one thing she did notice now—as she had last night—was that people treated you differently when you were with a Roth. No wonder the Roth men thought they were God’s gift to women. No wonder Liam had thought he was beyond reproach.
It was late afternoon before they could leave to take a walk around the outside exhibits spread over the glorious gardens. Thankfully she’d had the sense to wear comfortable, low-heeled yet stylish shoes, but trust a man not to think about her walking in high heels, she mused, as they strolled through a world of flowers and scents, past historic fountains and ornamental lakes. She glanced at him and saw him walking with his jacket thrown over his shoulder. He looked like a model for a magazine advertisement.
He caught her eye and she looked away. “The weather’s perfect today,” she said, pretending to admire the creativity of the exhibits, pretending not to notice how terrific he looked or the arm that snaked around her waist and pulled her close even as they walked. It was for show, she told herself.
“Are you glad you came?” he asked, smiling down at her.
She nodded. “Yes, I am actually.” Now the formalities were over, she meant it. The fresh air, the warm sunshine and the man beside her were potent stuff. She wasn’t silly enough to let down her guard completely, but for the moment, the stroll in the afternoon sunshine was making her feel pleasantly lazy.
High-Society Seduction Page 5
