Men didn’t wear fashionable charcoal-grey Italian suits and crisp white shirts and red silk ties and glossy handmade leather shoes unless they were achievers. Not that Matt seemed to care a damn about fashion. He simply wore the kind of clothes that had the stamp of money and sophistication as carelessly as if they were cast-off jeans and old T-shirts. His naturally fastidious nature wouldn’t allow him to appear in scuffed shoes or a crumpled jacket. Beyond that, Lisa doubted whether he thought twice about what he was wearing. It probably never occurred to him that his clothes, like everything else about him, projected an aura of breeding and good taste and old money. All the things Lisa had once thought were as out of date as dinosaurs. So why did she get this perverse thrill of pride and pleasure at seeing Matt beside her, looking so self-assured, so smugly arrogant, so certain of his place in the universe? It baffled her. For the first time in her life she felt small, fragile, deliciously feminine, overpowered by the uncompromising masculinity of the man who accompanied her. And the awful thing was that she loved every moment of it. You’d better watch out, Lisa! she warned herself silently. Matt Lansdon is conservative, traditional and narrow-minded. He’s not the right kind of man for you. And even if he was, there’s no way he’d ever marry an artist. She almost gasped as the full significance of her thoughts dawned on her. Who said anything about marriage, anyway? she told herself fiercely.
By the time the golden grass and tree-clad hills gave way to straggling suburbs, and the wide, blue expanse of the Derwent River came into view, Lisa felt like a nervous wreck. It was exhausting talking to yourself. It was even worse sitting in the confined interior of a car with a man who emanated sex appeal like some toxic, nuclear radiation. She wished passionately that she had simply stayed at the farm, but she could not help feeling a treacherous thrill of pleasure when Matt opened the car door in the boat yard car park and stood gazing down at her with a faint smile.
‘Come and see my boat,’ he invited.
She followed him down the sloping path that led to the slip yard and tried to keep her mind on tuna fishing. It wasn’t easy. The estuary spread out before her like a lake of beaten gold in the glow of the setting sun. The warm, clovelike scent of stocks rose from the garden of a whitewashed Georgian cottage overlooking the slip yard, and the air echoed with interesting sounds. The wire stays of moored yachts clanging against the masts in a sudden puff of sea breeze, waves slapping on the rocks, seagulls shrieking, the sound of a dog barking in a back garden, a mother calling her children in to tea. Lisa paused at the top of the bank and looked at Matt, standing silhouetted against the white hull of the fishing boat on the slips. In that moment a pang of longing as sharp as a physical pain pierced her. I love him, she thought. I want to stay here and be part of all this with him. I want him to claim me as his woman, his wife, the mother of his children. Oh, heavens, what a fool I am!
‘Lisa? Are you coming down?’
With a small shudder she regained her composure and picked her way down the bank to join him. He introduced her to the boat builder and, to cover her embarrassment, Lisa asked a lot of babbling questions.
‘Have you been involved in tuna fishing long? What’s wrong with the boat? Did anyone get hurt when it was damaged? Is tuna fishing dangerous?’
Matt frowned slightly, as if perplexed about why she wouldn’t meet his eyes. And no wonder, thought Lisa irritably. I must look like a total moron glancing up at him every ten seconds and blushing like a tomato when he looks at me.
‘I’ve owned boats in the Pirates Bay fleet for thirteen years now,’ Matt replied evenly. ‘This one dragged its anchor and ran aground on rocks. The bow was holed, but luckily nobody was hurt. Of course, the sea can always be very cruel and dangerous. My cousin Graham was lost overboard in heavy weather several years ago. It hit us all pretty hard.’
His gaze took on a grim, distant quality, then he shrugged suddenly with the ghost of a smile.
‘Well, there’s no point being morbid,’ he said. Turning to the boat builder, he shook hands with him. ‘Thanks, Russell. You’ve done a great job in a very short time. I appreciate the speed.’
‘No worries, mate. You’ve always been a real good bloke to deal with, so I reckon I owe you something. Nice meeting you, Lisa.’
As she followed Matt to the car, Lisa sucked thoughtfully on her lower lip. However much she might try to tell herself that Tim’s uncle was an ogre, she knew deep down that it wasn’t true. Matt had seemed genuinely distressed by his cousin’s death, even though it had happened several years ago. And, what was more, that boat builder had obviously felt a deep respect and liking for him. It just didn’t fit with the image she had of a man who was overbearing, hard to get along with and indifferent to other people’s feelings. Then the memory of Andrea flashed into her mind and she felt deeply confused. What was the truth about Matt Lansdon? Was he reliable and worthy of trust, or callous and exploitative? Lisa was still wondering as they arrived in the Asian restaurant at the casino.
By now the sun had set, although a pale green twilight was lingering around the hills on the opposite shore. The restaurant lights were deliberately kept low, in order not to detract from the panorama outside. The flickering table lamps gave the room an atmosphere of mystery that fascinated Lisa, so that her head swivelled as the maître d’hôtel showed them to one of the best tables overlooking the water. He summoned a waiter to take their orders for drinks and then withdrew.
‘What an amazing place!’ exclaimed Lisa as she looked at the Chinese screens and hanging lanterns that adorned the room. ‘You would almost believe we were in Hong Kong.’
‘You wouldn’t get such an uninterrupted view in Hong Kong!’ said Matt with a chuckle as he leaned comfortably back in his chair. ‘Too many skyscrapers in front of the harbour.’
‘You sound as if you’ve been there,’ said Lisa.
He shrugged. ‘I spent three years there.’
‘Really?’ she asked with interest. ‘What were you doing?’
‘A business venture. My farm and fishing fleet in Tasmania were under control and I was bored, so I thought I’d open a factory in Hong Kong manufacturing small computer components.’
Lisa’s mouth fell open.
‘You’re amazing,’ she said frankly. ‘Not a bit like the way Tim described you. So, tell me, what was it like living in Hong Kong?’
‘Exciting,’ replied Matt. ‘It’s a pity you weren’t there with me. You would have loved it, especially since you enjoy exotic food.’
It’s a pity you weren’t there with me. The words echoed in Lisa’s ears. There was a tantalizing hint of intimacy about them, but Matt didn’t give her time to linger over his meaning.
‘Still, I’m sure we can find something exotic for you to eat here tonight,’ he continued. ‘I’d like to make it an evening for you to remember.’
It was certainly that. In fact it was magical. As they worked their way through spring rolls, crab meat soup, Peking duck, braised vegetables and other delights, Lisa realized that she had far more in common with Matt than she had ever dreamed possible. Not only was he knowledgeable about art and opera, but he had travelled in every part of the globe that she had ever visited and far more besides. Tim’s sarcastic dismissal of his uncle as a grumpy old grazier was obviously light-years away from the truth. There was no doubt that Matt Lansdon could ride a horse and muster cattle and mend fences, but there was far more to him than that. So much more that when Lisa found herself waltzing slowly around the ballroom floor clasped against him just before midnight, she knew that she was falling dizzily, hopelessly in love with him. But the most memorable moment of all came when they returned to the farm and Matt helped her out of the car and stood looking gravely down at her in the moonlight. Lisa’s heart fluttered wildly as he took a step closer. Almost as if he didn’t trust himself to touch her, he clenched his hands at his sides.
‘I wish you’d change your mind and stay on, Lisa,’ he said harshly. ‘Will you think about it?’
She opened her mouth to speak, but her throat felt dry and tight.
‘Yes,’ she whispered at last.
She did think about it. In fact she thought about it all night, so that she was quite unable to sleep for the turbulent sense of exhilaration and apprehension that gripped her. Obviously she had been quite wrong in her assessment of Matt. In the beginning she had thought he was ruthless and calculating and she had felt quite certain that he disapproved of her. Well, now she felt equally certain that she had misjudged him. Even if Matt had been genuinely suspicious of her at first, he had obviously changed his mind. He had had the courage to start afresh and reveal his growing regard for her quite openly. Shouldn’t she be equally brave? Yet before she and Matt could have an honest relationship of any kind, there was one major hurdle she would have to clear. Shortly after dawn she took a hard decision. She would tell Matt the whole truth about herself and Tim and the deception they had practised on him. If Matt still wanted her to stay on after that, she would.
She could hear him moving about in his study downstairs and, feeling as if she was about to confess to murder, she pulled on her dressing gown and slippers and tiptoed down to find him. As she approached the room, she heard the sound of his upraised voice and paused for a moment in bewilderment. Then she realized that he was talking on the telephone. She hesitated, uncertain whether to knock or go away. As she turned to leave, she overheard something that made her blood chill in her veins.
‘Don’t be ridiculous, Andrea,’ exclaimed Matt in exasperation. ‘You’ve got to stop clinging to me and make a life of your own. It’s the best thing for you and Justin… No! Of course I’m not falling in love with Lisa. If you want to know the truth, it’s Tim who wants to marry her. I’m just deliberately leading her on, so I can show him how fickle she really is.’
CHAPTER FIVE
FOR a moment Lisa was so stunned that she felt nothing. Then a burning wave of anger, embarrassment and humiliation swept over her as the full sting of Matt’s words hit home. The swine! He hadn’t simply been attracted to her against his better judgment, he hadn’t even been making a straightforward attempt to seduce her openly. Instead he had been deliberately leading her on with a subtlety that was all the more cruel for being so effective. To think that she had believed his reluctance to touch her was motivated by a sense of decency! And instead it was just a deceitful trick to gain her trust so that he could make a fool of her more effectively! He had admitted as much to Andrea. The thought of Andrea made her wince. She felt almost equally indignant on the other woman’s behalf as she did on her own. For a moment she was tempted to storm into the study, slap Matt Lansdon’s face and tell him exactly what she thought of him. But that wouldn’t solve anything and it would only make her look even more ridiculous.
Controlling herself with an effort, she tiptoed upstairs and sat in her room, seething helplessly for half an hour until inspiration slowly began to take shape in the back of her mind. What she wanted was revenge. Well, why not turn Matt’s weapon back on him? He had planned to lead her on and make her fall in love with him and then humiliate her, hadn’t he? Fine! Then she would do exactly the same thing to him. Of course, it would mean that she couldn’t go back to Melbourne just yet. And she would need Tim’s help….
Matt was sitting at the dining table when she arrived downstairs for breakfast. He looked as well-groomed and suave as ever, with his dark, shining hair, his blue and white Pierre Cardin shirt and his crisp beige slacks. As Lisa entered the room he looked up and smiled at her. If she hadn’t overheard his vile conversation with Andrea a short time earlier, Lisa would have been attracted by that smile. It was exactly right for the occasion. A wry, quizzical twist of the lips with only the faintest lurking hint of sensuality. Not enough to frighten her off, oh, no, Matt Lansdon was too clever for that! Just enough to intrigue and flatter her. Remembering how he had held back from kissing her the previous evening as if he had had to struggle with his feelings, Lisa almost ground her teeth in rage. Instead she summoned enough self-control to give him exactly the same kind of smile in return. Rueful, lingering, with a touch of regret and tempestuous desire.
‘I hope I haven’t kept you waiting,’ she said in a soft, breathy voice. ‘But I promise I’ll eat my breakfast quickly. I’ve already got my bags packed for the trip home.’
‘You’re really leaving then?’ There was no mistaking the tinge of surprise and annoyance in his voice.
‘Yes.’
Lisa had thought carefully about the matter and decided her decision to stay would have far more impact if she made it at the airport rather than at the farm. Besides, that would give her the pleasure of inflicting an unnecessary hour and a half of driving each way on Matt. What was more, it had the added advantage they should be able to bring Tim home with them from the airport. If she was going to lure Matt into her nets like a nineteen thirties vamp, she had the nervous feeling that some kind of chaperon might make her feel safer. This game could turn out to be highly dangerous.
‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ said Matt huskily. He passed her the toast rack and his fingers brushed against hers so lightly that it might have been an accident. ‘Are you sure you won’t change your mind?’
‘Quite sure,’ murmured Lisa with a deliberate touch of hesitation in her voice.
Their eyes met and it was like the clash of two fencing swords locking in unyielding antagonism. Lisa felt a thrill that was part rage and part aching, sexual desire throb through her at that contact. Matt Lansdon might be the most unscrupulous swine alive, but oh, Lord, he was irresistible! When he looked at her with that smoky, devouring need she felt breathless and disoriented. For one petrified moment she thought he was going to seize her wrist, haul her across the table and take her then and there. If he did, she doubted whether she would have the strength or sanity to resist. Instead, he simply rose to his feet and fetched a silver chafing dish from the sideboard. She swallowed and dropped her gaze, feeling slightly dizzy.
‘Just tell me if your plans change,’ he said.
Afterwards she could hardly remember what she had eaten. Bacon definitely. Crisp, fragrant curls of it. Fried egg? Tomato? She wasn’t sure. All she could remember was the shape of Matt’s lean brown hands holding out the dish to her with the dark hair straggling over the backs of his wrists and the indefinably threatening but enticing way that his blue eyes narrowed as he looked at her…why did he disturb her so much?
It was still very early when they sped up the highway through dew-spangled paddocks and coils of morning mist towards the airport. When they arrived, Matt took charge of her bags and ticket.
‘Let me handle the check-in for you,’ he offered blandly. ‘It’s always deadly boring. Go and have a cup of coffee and I’ll get you when it’s organized.’
Something about the glint in his eyes warned her this time and she wasn’t in the least surprised when he joined her ten minutes later with bad news.
‘I’m awfully sorry about this, Lisa, but there seems to be some kind of mix-up. They haven’t got your name down for this flight and it’s fully booked. I can’t imagine what’s happened.’
I bet you can’t, thought Lisa sourly. But I can. I wonder how much it cost you to organize this? Since she had no intention of catching the flight anyway, she wasn’t genuinely upset, but she felt she ought to put on a good show.
‘What a shame!’ she exclaimed. ‘Oh, Matt. And you promised you’d phone yesterday and confirm the booking. I thought everything you did was always so efficient.’
He frowned at this criticism.
‘Well, these things happen,’ he said with a touch of irritation. ‘There’s not much point waiting around for nothing, though, is there? I’ve already put your bags in the car, so shall we go back to the farm?’
‘Oh, not yet!’ pleaded Lisa, who was beginning to enjoy herself. ‘At least let’s wait till the plane arrives from Melbourne and takes off again. You never know, there may be a cancellation that I can get. Or Tim
may be on the incoming flight.’
Matt gave a low growl of laughter. ‘I hardly think so. You ought to face facts, my love. Tim’s deserted you.’
‘Oh, I’m sure you’re wrong,’ cooed Lisa. ‘As a matter of fact, I have the strangest hunch that Tim’s going to be on that very plane.’
Matt scowled. ‘What do you mean?’ he asked suspiciously. ‘You’re scheming something, aren’t you?’
‘Me?’ replied Lisa in a deadpan voice. ‘Of course not! I’m no more capable of scheming than you are, Matt.’
She couldn’t help being gratified by the thunderous expression on Matt’s face a few minutes later as Tim emerged on the front stairs of the plane from Melbourne. While his nephew was still striding across the tarmac, Matt glowered at Lisa.
‘You set this up, didn’t you?’ he asked angrily. ‘You knew he was coming?’
‘Oh, no. It was just feminine instinct. You know, when a woman’s planning to marry, she gets a mysterious sense of closeness to her lover. Almost like a psychic bond that—’
‘I could wring your mysterious little neck!’ snapped Matt. ‘And kindly don’t remind me that Tim is your lover. You needn’t think there will be any of that going on under my roof.’
Lisa smirked at him infuriatingly.
‘Don’t worry, Matt, we’ll be discreet,’ she promised. ‘Wasn’t it a shame that there wasn’t a seat available for me on the plane? If you were trying to keep us apart, it would have been so much easier if I had been flying off to Melbourne in a moment. As it is, I’ll just have to stay with dear Tim, won’t I?’
At that moment ‘dear Tim’ arrived to find his uncle and his flatmate quarrelling in heated undertones. He looked more alarmed than delighted when Lisa swept him into a rapturous hug and kissed him effusively. His uncle’s greeting was limited to a surly grunt, after which he strode off to look for Tim’s incoming luggage.
Mistress For Hire (Harlequin Presents) Page 9
