One-Click Buy: November Harlequin Presents

by Susan Stephens

  But she needn’t have worried—Mr Know-it-all was equal to the situation, and when midnight finally arrived, and everyone jumped to their feet and cheered, and started singing the ancient song, Jed was immediately by her side, raising his glass in a toast.

  ‘Happy New Year, Cryssie,’ he said, above the noise. ‘Let it be a good one for all of us.’

  And that was it. The moment had passed, and she hadn’t had to do anything! Jed was back in his place, smiling darkly across at her with that infuriatingly superior expression on his face which spoke volumes—and which implied that he knew exactly what she’d been thinking!

  Why had she allowed herself to get in such a sweat? she thought crossly. Anyone would think she was eighteen again! Her hand trembled slightly as she sipped her drink. Would it have been so awful to perhaps feel Jed’s warm hands at the nape of her neck, pulling her towards him? To feel his lips touch hers, if only for a moment? Or to sense his heart beating against her chest for a fraction of a second? She checked her thoughts abruptly. What on earth was the matter with her—was she drunk? Yes, that must be it! These sort of imaginings were not part of the deal between her and Jeremy Hunter. So why, then, was she feeling so…let down, so left out, so…undesired? Go on, admit it, she told herself fiercely. Why was she feeling so damned disappointed?

  It was getting on for 1:00 a.m. when the manager used the loud speaker system to address the still almost full gathering; only a few couples having already left.

  ‘Ladies and gents…guys…’ he began, as someone raised a drunken cheer. ‘I have been passing the word around, but as it’s nearly time to call it a day I should warn you that it’s not getting any better outside, and some of you are going to have difficulty getting home tonight.’

  Mild consternation greeted his words, and people began to stand up. Cryssie frowned as she looked across at Jed.

  ‘What’s going on? What is it?’ she asked.

  ‘Oh—just that it’s been snowing on and off for most of the evening, that’s all,’ he said casually. ‘But as there’s nothing anyone can do about that I wasn’t going to spoil the occasion by bothering you with the information.’

  Snow! That was news to her! But she realised she hadn’t heard any weather forecasts over the last day or so. ‘What did he mean that we’d have difficulty getting home?’ she asked childishly. ‘Your car is well equipped to deal with changes in the weather, isn’t it?’

  She wished that she didn’t feel so unlike herself as she spoke…so strange…But then, was that a surprise? She’d never drunk champagne before in her life, and her usual wisdom and common sense seemed to have deserted her in allowing Jed to refill her glass all the evening. Neither had she ever spent this most poignant night of the year with such a handsome member of the opposite sex! It was certainly the funniest business meeting she’d ever attended!

  She tried to get to her feet, then sat down again hurriedly.

  He picked up a large jug of water and poured some into a glass. ‘Here—dilute the alcohol a bit,’ he ordered. ‘I’ll go outside and take a look.’ He held her anxious gaze for a second, a rush of something he couldn’t explain sweeping over him. ‘Don’t worry—Crystal,’ he said evenly, and his use of her name made her glower. ‘It’ll be okay.’

  It had better be okay, she thought, as she sipped at the water. But of course it would…Even the weather wouldn’t dare interfere with Mr Jeremy Hunter’s plans! He’ll get it sorted, she reassured herself. And anyway, the Laurels wasn’t that far away from home…only about five or six miles, if she’d judged the distance right. Home! Why wasn’t she there now, safely tucked up in bed?

  There was a general hubbub in the room as everyone made plans to leave, and presently Jed returned to the table, an unusually rueful expression on his face.

  ‘You’ve been ages,’ Cryssie said, looking up at him. ‘What have you been doing—building a snowman?’

  ‘No, nor taking part in any snowball fights either,’ he replied pleasantly. ‘I’ve been checking with the police about the prospect of our journey home. This blizzard—or rather, the intensity of it—was totally unexpected. A few showers were anticipated, that’s all, with more to follow mid-week. But nothing like this. And it’s still coming down—you can hardly see your hand in front of your face. Several of the higher roads are already impassable, and the ploughs won’t be out until the morning—if then.’ He ran a hand through his hair, which was wet and speckled with glistening white flakes. The unusually dishevelled look gave him an alluringly boyish appearance, Cryssie thought briefly.

  She stood up, still uncertain on her feet, and he automatically cupped his hand under her elbow.

  ‘I should sit there for a bit,’ he advised. ‘There’s no rush.’

  ‘What do you mean there’s no rush?’ she demanded, her voice sounding shriller than she’d meant it to. ‘Oughtn’t we to be setting off? Everyone else seems to be going,’ she added, glancing around at the now practically empty room.

  ‘Quite a few of the guests live fairly close by, apparently, and will have no problem walking home. Some might even make it in their cars, with a bit of luck—if they haven’t got that far to go. But I’m afraid those of us living in town haven’t a hope in hell.’

  ‘Well, we shall all just have to start walking back together, then,’ Cryssie said firmly. ‘There’s safety in numbers, and it shouldn’t take that long, should it?’ She stood up, suddenly feeling alert and decisive.

  ‘No, Cryssie,’ Jed said patiently. ‘I thought you were a bright girl. Just think of the dress you’re wearing, the jacket you came in, and your…um…sandals.’ He glanced down at her feet, and Cryssie winced as he itemised her rather pathetic outfit. ‘How far do you think you’d get in those?’

  ‘I take your point,’ she said stoutly. ‘But I’ll be fine—honestly,’ she added. ‘If we walk briskly I’ll keep warm enough, and wet feet aren’t the most life-threatening things in the world, are they? I’ll survive.’

  Her words sounded bright enough, but she had to admit to a sinking feeling as she spoke. It would not be easy, she realised that, trudging through snowdrifts, but what other option was there? It didn’t even occur to her to consider his own mode of dress—as equally unsuitable as hers for this sort of situation. The only thing on her mind was that they should depart from this place, and the sooner the better!

  He put his hands on her shoulders and looked down into her upturned face, into her green eyes which were bright and alive, like those of a small animal facing a predator. ‘Cryssie—I’m sorry—but there is no way we can get home tonight. It would be madness to attempt driving—we’d probably get stuck, unable to move forward or back. And walking is not an option—for either of us. It’s much too far. We shall just have to sit this out until the morning, when it’s light and we can see more clearly what’s ahead of us.’ He dropped his hands to his sides and shrugged. ‘I’m sorry. I—no one—had any idea that this would happen. It’s just one of those things.’

  Cryssie stared at him blankly for a moment, her brain suddenly refusing to function. ‘So what are we going to do, then? Stay here all night?’ she demanded. ‘We can’t do that—I must get home. They’ll wonder what’s happened—Polly will be frantic!’ Well, when she eventually wakes up, Cryssie thought briefly. Her sister was not an early riser, and hadn’t managed to get Milo his breakfast for years.

  ‘Well, I’m sure your sister will put two and two together,’ Jed said dryly. ‘Ring her now, leave a message on the answer-machine, or send her a text explaining the situation so that she knows when she wakes up. Really, Cryssie, don’t look so…dramatic,’ he added, noting her desperate expression. ‘This is not the beginning of the end of the world.’

  Cryssie plonked herself down on her chair. How on earth was she going to sit here all night making small talk with Jed Hunter? She was suddenly dead tired, and, sighing deeply, she raised her eyes to his.

  ‘Well, it’s a good thing it’s Bank Holiday tomorrow—or sh
ould I say today?’ she said. ‘Because I’m fit for nothing if I don’t get my sleep. I’m afraid you wouldn’t have your money’s worth out of me if we had to go to work in the morning.’

  ‘Oh, I’ll make sure you get your sleep,’ he assured her. ‘Even if it is to be a short night.’

  ‘And how exactly are you going to do that?’ she retorted, feeling alarmed and distinctly rattled at the way things were turning out. ‘I can’t sleep sitting up…’

  ‘You won’t have to,’ he said briefly. ‘They’re letting me have one of their rooms.’

  ‘Uh? What do you mean?’ she asked stupidly. ‘This is not a hotel—it’s a restaurant.’

  ‘It’s a hotel-restaurant—with a few rooms. Four, to be exact,’ Jed explained patiently. ‘And we, and a few others, have been lucky enough to be allotted one. The less fortunate will be making themselves comfortable wherever they can.’

  Naturally! Cryssie thought at once. He’d said he had a financial interest in the place, so they’d make sure Jed Hunter’s needs were taken care of!

  Just then, the manager came up to them. ‘Everything’s ready for you, Mr Hunter,’ the man said. ‘Room one—at the top of the staircase.’ He smiled down at Cryssie. ‘These are not the usual circumstances under which we welcome our guests,’ he said cheerfully, ‘but it’s a very comfortable room—the best one, actually,’ he added. ‘You’ll find everything you need there.’

  ‘Thanks, Mark,’ Jed said, taking Cryssie’s arm firmly and pulling her to her feet. ‘We’ll be fine. Thank you for accommodating us.’

  Cryssie stared up at him, open-mouthed and incredulous. ‘Now, hang on a minute—’ she began, but he cut in.

  ‘Come on…darling,’ he said lightly, and there was a warning note in the word. ‘It’s way past your bedtime. Goodnight, Mark—and thanks again,’ he added, to the man’s retreating back.

  Come on what? Who? I’m not his darling, she thought wildly, anger beginning to take over. Did he really think she was going to spend the night alone with him—as if it was the most natural thing in the world? Well, it might be natural for him to share his bed with the female companion of the moment, but her life was not like that! And it never would be!

  ‘Now, you look here—’ she began, trotting briskly along the carpeted hallway in an attempt to keep up with his determined stride, trying to free her arm from his strong grasp. ‘If you think for a single minute that I—’

  ‘Don’t make a scene, Cryssie,’ he said roughly. ‘I’m known in this place.’

  So, whatever else happened, Mr Jeremy Hunter mustn’t lose face! If she ‘made a scene’, as he put it, and refused to go along with his plans, it would make him look so small, so uncool! So humiliated! That any woman wouldn’t want to be whisked off to bed with him was unthinkable! After all, this was the twenty-first century. Who demanded single rooms in this day and age? She doubted whether there was a female in the world who wouldn’t jump at the chance to be in her position!

  She felt completely and utterly helpless as he marched her up the stairs, and inserted the key to their room, opening the door and pushing her inside in front of him.

  ‘Mmm,’ he said appreciatively. ‘This looks cosy enough, don’t you think?’ He glanced across at the large double bed, then looked down at her quizzically. ‘Which side do you prefer?’

  He was laughing at her now—teasing her—that was obvious. His black eyes were dancing with merriment, and that just served to make her give him a piece of her mind.

  ‘If you think—for one second—that I’m going to spend the night here, with you…I mean…it’s unthinkable!’ she began.

  He raised one dark eyebrow. ‘So? What are you going to do? Spend it outside on the landing? That would be most uncomfortable, not to say ungrateful, and bewildering to the management. They’ll think this room isn’t good enough for madam.’

  She looked at him witheringly, but before she could speak again he said more tersely, ‘Don’t be a foolish girl, Cryssie. You’re tired and you need some rest, and this is obviously the best—the only—way out of this.’ He looked down at her steadily. ‘Don’t get so uptight. It’ll all look different in the morning.’

  ‘Let’s hope you’re right,’ she said flatly. ‘You might think that this is all part of a jolly evening, Jeremy,’ she said furiously, then stopped short as she heard herself utter his name. Because it was the first time she had called him anything at all.

  ‘Please—do call me Jed,’ he said amiably, as he began to loosen his bow tie. ‘All my friends do. And after tonight I think we really will be like…old friends—don’t you?’

  She hoped she wasn’t reading more into that than he meant! But if he did have any big ideas he was going to be disappointed! She realised that this incredible evening had proved one thing—she didn’t care if she had a job next week or not. It no longer seemed that important. And if it meant she’d be told to find something else—well, it was just too bad. She would not be manipulated by this man. He seemed able to manipulate everyone else, but she wouldn’t let him get away with it this time!

  ‘Let’s get one thing straight,’ she said tartly. ‘I am not your darling, thank you very much, and I take exception to your use of the word.’

  ‘Okay,’ he said evenly. ‘I only called you that to save us both unnecessary embarrassment. It would have looked far worse to give the impression that we were comparative strangers about to share a room than to make it look as if we were—well, happily acquainted, shall we say?’

  Cryssie had to admit that he had a point. Suddenly her shoulders drooped, and for an awful moment she thought she was going to burst into tears. But she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her crumble. She wasn’t finished yet! Instead, she marched over to the two-seater settee under the window and threw her bag down on to it.

  ‘It will give me great pleasure to allow you to have the use of the bed yourself, Jed,’ she said defiantly, ‘because I won’t be sleeping on either side.’ She glanced down. ‘This will suit me just great, as long as I can have a blanket and a pillow.’ She glared up at him. ‘I’ll be fine,’ she added, realising that although in one way she felt absolutely shattered, she was now wide awake and in charge of her emotions, and it filled her with a sense of superiority.

  He shook his head gently from side to side as she spoke, as he might at a difficult child. ‘We could put something down the middle of the bed, you know—to keep us well apart…’ he began, then stopped as she turned to give him another mouthful. ‘Okay, okay, Cryssie—anything you say,’ he said quickly. He took off his jacket and draped it over the back of a chair, and Cryssie swallowed. Was the man going to start undressing in front of her? she thought. ‘Why don’t you use the facilities first?’ he added, in a conciliatory tone. ‘Take your time. Don’t mind me.’

  Thankful for the chance to escape before he took off anything else, Cryssie went immediately into the adjoining bathroom and shut and locked the door. Sitting on the edge of the bath for a moment, with her head in her hands, she wondered how on earth she’d landed in this predicament. The stuff of silly dreams! Whatever would Polly say if she ever dared tell her—or anyone else, for that matter—how, where and with whom she’d been forced to spend the night?

  Standing up slowly, she looked around her. Hung up against the door were two white towelling robes—great! She would sleep very comfortably in one of those, she thought. She slipped out of her dress and underwear, thinking that it was a bit late to have a bath, but a warm shower suddenly seemed irresistible. She switched it on, grateful for all the complementary toiletries there on the shelf, and she soaped and shampooed luxuriously, suddenly feeling up-beat for a brief second or two. After all, she’d never stayed in a place like this, nor spent a night in any hotel in her life. This was luxury, and she should try and enjoy it, she told herself.

  Then she thought of what—or who—was on the other side of the door, and her mood plummeted again instantly. She’d better hurry and tak
e up her position on that sofa—and pray that morning and a rapid thaw would come quickly! And that this whole episode could be over with and forgotten—if that were possible!

  Using one of the several huge white fluffy towels, she dried herself, and her hair, as best she could…there didn’t seem to be a hairdryer—completing the exercise with the liberal use of the powder and fragrances so thoughtfully supplied. Then, taking a deep breath, she opened the door softly, peeping out, hoping that Jed would be already fast asleep, and that no more words need be said that night.

  No such luck. As she emerged he was there, totally undressed apart from a pair of boxers, stretched out casually on the bed, with his hands clasped behind his head. Cryssie caught her breath, for even with the quickest of glances that she’d shot him she was breathtakingly aware of the mat of dark hair under his armpits and across his sun-tanned chest, of his long legs and taut, muscular thighs, all encompassing a finely toned and athletic, vigorous body.

  She averted her eyes quickly, before there was time to admire anything else! And he watched her as she padded across the room in her bare feet. He smiled inwardly. She was certainly nature unadorned, he thought, with her long, damp hair curling around her shoulders, her body completely concealed amongst the folds of the over-sized robe. Yet, oddly, the healthily natural picture she presented was as acutely desirable as any of the women he’d ever met.

  He swung his legs over the side of the bed and made for the bathroom. ‘You smell wonderful,’ he said, glancing across at her.