Then when he kissed her again, it was anything but sweet. His body, hard and firm, pressed against hers made her weak with desire and when her lips parted involuntarily, heeding no caution to the voices shouting their warnings in her head. He bombarded her mouth with hot, searching kisses. If he hadn’t been holding her in his arms, she thought she might collapse on the spot. It was only the realization that she’d been about to walk out the door, not knowing if or when she might see him again, brought her up short.
“What are we doing, Rory?” Her breathing was labored, her tone accusatory as she turned her back on him, not wanting to meet his gaze, not wanting to see the fire there. His hand found her shoulder, but she brushed it aside, knowing if she felt his strong arms around her again, all her resolve would slip away. She spun around, making fists with her hands on her hips, forcing herself to look him in the face. Too close, way to close. She took another step backward, wanting to run, wanting to put as much distance as she could between herself and Rory, but the magnetic pull was almost too powerful to resist. His deep blue eyes roved her face beseechingly and the wide, generous mouth, the one that had delivered such exquisite kisses, was set in a seductive smile. His huge frame, which seemed to have magnified tenfold in the last few moments, blocked her escape.
Rory laughed ruefully, shaking his head in mock despair, a huge sigh of exasperation escaping his lips.
“For someone who’s supposed to be an expert in matchmaking, you really have no idea, do you?”
“What?” she said, heat fanning her cheeks, a tight coil of anger unwinding in her chest. Humiliation bristled on her skin. Why hadn’t she just kept on walking, out of that door and out of his life forever?
“Why are you fighting this thing? How did you ever expect to find me a wife if you can’t see the most obvious signs right under your nose?”
Fire burned up her skin as tears pricked at the back of her eyes. She bit on the inside of her cheek to fight away the emotion bubbling beneath the surface. Okay, so she may have screwed up her personal life, but no one was going to tell her she hadn’t made a success of the bureau. When Paul had left, she’d put her heart and soul into that business, working twelve-hour days to make it into the flourishing company it was today. There were dozens of happy couples who could testify to the fact. Who the hell was Rory, telling her she couldn’t do her job? She dug deep.
“You’re being very unfair.” Kissing her had been unfair. His tall, broad frame standing over her, his gaze sweeping the length of her body caressing her from a distance was unfair. “I did everything I could to help find you a bride, Rory. I introduced you to some lovely girls. It’s hardly my fault that none of those girls could meet your high expectations.”
Rory let out a huge sigh of exasperation.
“I know you did. But that’s exactly the problem, Molls, it is your fault. You were the one person who came up to my high expectations. I didn’t need to look any further once I’d met you.”
She gasped audibly, hating him for his easy charm, hating the way it made her feel. Hated the way her body was reacting treacherously to what he was telling her. His words sounded so convincing and seductive, but she couldn’t trust him. There was a trail of discarded broken hearts in his wake that was testimony to that fact. Now, she looked him squarely in the eye, unable to avoid the amused glint hovering there.
“No, Rory, don’t. There’s no point to all of this. You’re going to America. You’ve made it clear you don’t want to use the services of the marriage bureau anymore. We won’t need to see each other anymore. Is there really anything left to say?”
Her heartbeat thundered and her cheeks flared with heat.
“Oh no, you don’t,” he said, grabbing her masterfully by the arm. “We have plenty left to say to each other.”
He pulled her closer toward him, clasping her face in his hands.
“There’s this.” With his dark, brooding eyes full of intent, his lips found hers, kissing her with an intensity that sent ripples of pleasure the length of her body.
She had no defenses, all her strength seeped out of her into Rory’s arms, her mind quickly giving up on trying to make sense of what was happening, but simply surrendering to the moment. His arms around her were strong, managing to feel both secure and wildly dangerous at the same time. His scent of raw physical masculinity was as unfamiliar as it was seductive.
“Rory?” she gasped, as they paused for breath, looking into each other’s eyes for answers.
“I’ve wanted you ever since that very first day when you rudely woke me up in your office, looking like an angel, a very sexy angel admittedly.” He shook his head as if conjuring up an image that was almost too tempting to contemplate. “Honestly, I didn’t know what had hit me. I still don’t. I’ve spent every waking moment since and a fair few sleeping moments too, thinking about you. I’ve been far too distracted by you and your funny little ways to even think about going out with anyone else.”
Was it true? She’d spent a lot of time thinking about him too, but that was because he was her most difficult and demanding client. And an international heartthrob to boot. What woman wouldn’t have had their head turned? And his heartthrob status was never more apparent than this morning as he stood in his boxers and T-shirt, the outline of taut, defined muscles clearly visible beneath the tight cotton fabric. With a will of their own, her fingers ran down the front of his chest as if checking that her eyes weren’t really deceiving her. A smile of satisfaction appeared on Rory’s face.
His mop of dark brown hair fell carelessly across one eye and the shadow of stubble across his jawline, that moments before had brushed roughly against her face, lent him a dangerous, cavalier air.
Of course she’d entertained ridiculous fantasies about kissing Rory, imagined what it must be like to be his girlfriend, but that’s all it ever was in her mind, a fantasy. She couldn’t believe for one moment that he would have any feelings for her.
And now here she was acting out every woman’s fantasy. In Rory’s swish penthouse flat. She caught a glimpse of her body in the clothes borrowed from Rory, only wishing the wardrobe department had gone to more trouble for her starring role.
She’d allowed herself to nurse a full-on crush, but what he was saying now, the way he’d kissed her, simply didn’t make any sense. The way he was looking at her too, as though he might devour her again at any moment, but this time, with no respite, was making her head woozy.
“I don’t have funny little ways,” she said weakly, not knowing what else to say.
Rory threw back his head and laughed.
“Oh, but you do, Molls.” His loosened his hold, picking up her hands in his and planting a kiss on her fingertips. “You’re so closed off that you won’t let anybody in. Certainly not me. You hide behind the bureau and your self-imposed company policy, rules and regulations to even notice when someone shows an interest in you! What exactly do I have to do to make you realize what I feel about you?
She scowled at him, trying to make sense of his words.
“Hell, you didn’t even realize that the drippy guy from the office was besotted with you when it’s plain to see by everyone else.”
“Aaron is not drippy,” she said, feeling a pang of loyalty to her friend, still unable to believe he harbored any feelings other than friendship for her. She turned away from him, his masculine proximity almost too much to resist. “But that’s beside the point,” she said, not wanting to even contemplate that thought now. Too many other disturbing images and thoughts were swarming her head. The thought of Rory thinking about her for all these months. “All I wanted to do was my job to the best of my ability. To find you a wife like you asked me to. This has never been about me. I’m sorry if you feel I’ve been closed off, as you call it, but I have to keep an element of professional distance from my clients. I can’t be falling in love with them all.”
Rory shrugged, a smile lighting up his face.
“I’m not asking you to, Molls. I’m
only asking you to fall in love with me.” He held his arms open, offering himself up to her.
Her insides swirled at his easy charm, at the way his words flowed effortlessly and seductively. At that moment she hated him for standing there looking like God’s gift, as though no woman could ever possibly resist him. Flirting was second nature to him, she’d known that from the very first day she’d met him, but this was taking it to a whole different level.
The trouble was that it was everything she wanted to hear, making her insides molten with desire, but she fought the feelings threatening to take over her body.
“Ha, don’t be ridiculous,” she said, sounding much brighter and much more in control than she felt. “I would be totally the wrong type of woman for you.”
“How do you know that if you won’t even give it a chance? You’re presuming you know what it is I need from a partner, but really you haven’t got a clue. You tried to fix me up with a research scientist whose idea of fun is scrabbling around on mountains, remember? Don’t you think I would know better than anyone who would be suited for me?” There was a smile on his face, but she caught the admonition in his voice.
“I was only doing my best.” She sighed, pools of heat prickling her cheeks. “Our lives are poles apart, Rory. You’re jetting off to America for goodness knows how long, but my life’s here in London. It would never work.”
“We could give it a try. You could come with me.”
“What?”
“Come with me to America. Just think how fantastic that would be. I know we could make it work.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said, outraged by his arrogance. “I have a business to run. I can’t simply pack my bags and go to the other side of the world on a whim.”
Rory dropped his head, gazing up at the ceiling, a sigh escaping his lips.
“So it’s true,” he said resignedly. “You’re not a romantic at heart.”
“It’s not about being a romantic. It’s about being realistic.” And however tempting Rory’s suggestion was, she knew she could never in a hundred years do something like that. Spontaneity wasn’t her strong point and if she were being honest with herself, what Rory was suggesting scared her completely witless. “It’s all very well you saying these things now, but what happens five years down the line when you meet and fall in love with a beautiful actress on set? Or you give in to the drink again and go back to your old ways?”
“Molly, that’s never going to happen. I’m in love with you. For today and forever. It’s all I’ve ever wanted and now that I’ve found you, I’m hardly likely to throw it all away on a whim. And as for the drinking, I’ve told you, there’s no way I’m going back there. But honestly, Molls, there are no guarantees. None of us can predict what’s going to happen in the future. When you fall in love, it’s a risk you have to take. I’m definitely prepared to take that risk for you. I only hope you can find it in your heart to do the same for me.”
“Oh, Rory!” It was everything she’d ever wanted too, but the hurt she carried from the past hovered over her shoulder. She needed to get away, to try to make sense of what Rory was telling her.
She dashed off to the bedroom, quickly gathering up her clothes and stuffing them in her bag before facing him again.
“I think it’s best if I leave now, before…” Before she said something she might regret. Or worse still, before she did something she may regret by giving into the heady temptation assaulting both her mind and her body. Before her life changed forever.
She took a deep breath, glancing at her watch. “Have a good trip, Rory.”
Rory’s brow furrowed, displeasure flickering across his features.
“Fair enough. All I ask is that you think about what I’ve said. I should be going too,” he said, a resigned tone to his voice. “I need to drop Bella off. “
Molly sighed inwardly, disappointed at his casual abandonment of the moment. A light had gone off in his eyes and he made no further attempt at persuading her otherwise. It was game over as far as he was concerned. On to bigger and brighter things.
“I’ll give you a call.” He didn’t even try to kiss her this time. The tenderness and longing that had been so evident in his features earlier had been replaced with a mask of impassivity.
“Sure,” she said, not believing him for one moment, knowing that this was a final goodbye, that their paths were unlikely to cross ever again. She sucked on her lips, determined not to let Rory see her gathering tears. “Have a good time, won’t you?” The words almost caught in her throat.
Molly’s stomach clenched with anxiety and longing. Even before she walked out the door, she knew she’d made the wrong decision.
Chapter Ten
“Are you all right?” Pippa wandered into the office with a steaming mug of tea, placing it carefully on Molly’s desk.
“Fine, perfectly fine, thank you, yes.” She continued tapping away on her keyboard, realizing as she said the words that she was probably overdoing it a tad. “Why do you ask?”
“Well, it’s just that you’ve been very quiet, distracted, away with the fairies for a while now.”
“Really? Nope, there’s nothing wrong at all,” said Molly, far too casually.
“Oh, come on, you can’t fool me, Molly. You haven’t been your normal self these last few weeks, you’ve seemed a bit, I dunno, low. Downbeat? Downcast? Ever since, in fact, our high-profile celebrity client, Mr. Campbell, did his vanishing trick. I knew he’d be trouble, that one.”
Three weeks and four days ago to be precise. Three weeks and four days without seeing his big, wide smile or hearing his warm, seductive voice at the end of the phone. Three weeks and four days when Molly couldn’t get Rory out of her mind. She’d received one single solitary email from him thanking her for her help and wishing her well for the future, but it had been noticeably short and to the point without even a single kiss after his name. A communication between two people involved in a business deal. That was all. Nothing more. Now there was no other conceivable reason to expect to hear from him, not after that last time, but a very small part of her couldn’t help hoping that she still might.
“Well, it’s nothing to do with Rory, I can assure you of that,” she said, rather too vehemently. “And he hasn’t done a vanishing trick. He’s gone to America on business. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.”
“Mmm. Do you know what we need?” said Pippa, plonking herself down in the chair opposite Molly, dumping the day’s post on her desk. “Another wedding to look forward to. It’s been a while since the last one and we could do with adding some new photos to the board up there. Is there anything in the offing?”
Molly, grateful for the distraction, ran a pen down her book of appointments that contained all her current clients, dates arranged and forthcoming events.
“Nothing as yet, but I’m hopeful for a couple of our clients. You can never tell though with these things. You can put two people together who you think will be the perfect match, but if they’re missing that vital spark of chemistry, then it’s never going to work.”
She smiled wryly, remembering Rory telling her the very same thing, wondering when he’d become such an expert on these matters.
“But you’re right, Pippa. Perhaps we need to have a new push for our existing clients. We haven’t had a group event for a while. How about we organize a theater night or a wine-tasting event? What do you think?”
Although she would never admit it to anyone, Molly had really struggled these last few weeks. From the very first day she’d set up the bureau, she’d always woken up of a morning feeling energized and optimistic about the day ahead, but just recently her enthusiasm had deserted her. And she wasn’t about to let on to Pippa, but she was right, it had started the moment Rory had left for America.
All because he’d taken up far too much of her head space and she’d allowed her personal feelings to get in the way of running her business properly. She’d been seduced and charmed by a clie
nt and although the image of him holding her in his arms and kissing her passionately would stay with her forever, shame and embarrassment that she’d allowed it to happen in the first place haunted her. The sooner she got Rory out of her head and her mind back to concentrating on what she should be doing, the better.
“Leave it with me,” said Pippa, her face lighting up at the challenge. “I’ll come up with some different options and the costs involved and we can go from there. Um”—she looked at Molly carefully—“what sorts of numbers should I cater for? I wasn’t sure if Rory was still on the membership list?”
Molly put down her pen, glancing up at Pippa, who was looking at her expectantly. She knew her friend was fishing for gossip.
“Oh, did I not mention it?” she said, casting her eyes back down, feeling uncomfortable under Pippa’s searching gaze. “Rory’s decided to surrender his membership.”
“Oh really!” Pippa exclaimed, her eyes widening. “I did wonder as you haven’t mentioned him in a while. I thought something must have happened. Did you have a row or…?”
“No, of course not!” Molly snapped impatiently. “Rory’s just incredibly busy at the moment and he came to the conclusion that it wasn’t the right time for him to do this. He has too many other commitments demanding his attention. I think he probably made the right decision.”
Pippa nodded slowly.
“Well, that makes absolute sense now. There was something about him in the paper today, but I didn’t like to mention it before in case…” She scrabbled about in the pile of post she’d left on Molly’s desk to pull out the newspaper from the bottom. “Didn’t I say it was a bit odd that he’d joined us the first place? You have to admit Rory Campbell could probably have any woman in the world that he wanted.”
Molly sighed inwardly, acknowledging that truth even though it hurt her to do so. He could have anyone in the world and yet he’d kissed her. As though he’d really meant it. As though no other woman in the world existed. It had certainly felt that way to Molly. And stupidly she’d allowed herself to believe that it had meant something special to him as well. What a fool! The data on the spreadsheet in front of her blurred into a muddled mess as tears filled her eyes.
Molly Matthews Meddles in Marriage Page 13
