She nodded, and without further comment began to maneuver the car back into the stream of traffic. She had the radio on and tapped the steering wheel in time to the music as she watched the traffic. He wanted to start chatting and lead the conversation toward the subject of the attraction between them, but he told himself there would be time for that when they arrived at their destination. He wanted to have that sexy, feminine body of hers in his arms again. He was pretty sure she was thinking the same. The intensity of the attraction left him in no doubt as to its mutual reciprocation, even if she was a tad tetchy about having him as her minder. The chemistry had hummed back and forth between them like live wires crackling across the floor of her father's office. Even now, with her calm, self-assured poise at the wheel of the car and the fact she was focused on the road, there was something magnetic in the atmosphere between them. Sebastian savored the anticipation and took the chance to admire her.
Gone was the elegant trouser suit from earlier, which had lodged in his memory because of the way it softly molded over her figure—a figure any full-blooded male would want to get acquainted with. She was the epitome of womanhood to a man like Sebastian, with curves in all the right places and a graceful fluidity in her movements. It made him want to experience that movement at much closer proximity. She looked just as good wearing casual gear, if not even sexier in khaki combat trousers and a tight black tank top. If he wasn't mistaken, she didn't seem to be wearing a bra, but he decided not to consider the issue for too long, lest he get fixated with it.
Her long hair was clipped up, showing off her elegant neck and the soft skin of her collarbone. A black denim jacket was lying on the back seat. She was dressed for action. He couldn't resist smiling to himself. She glanced over and, catching his smile, returned it, then quickly glanced away.
He sensed she was a bit tense. It wasn't surprising. Norton had warned him she wouldn't be keen on the company. Their encounter at The Frock and Jacket the evening before—whilst entirely delicious—only served to complicate the situation for her. It was tempting to tease her about it, but if he wanted to get her into bed—and that was his intention—he'd better not push her buttons too much. Not yet, at any rate.
"Where are we headed?"
"Arundel."
"South coast seaside town?"
"Yes, do you know it?"
"Only by reputation, I've not visited. I've been in London for four years but I'm a northerner myself. Yorkshire man, born and bred."
"It's an old, historic town west of Brighton," she explained. "Popular with tourists because of the castle and the antiques shops. You know the sort of place."
"And you have a lead there?"
"Yes. An edition of Ghost Hunter was filmed there. I want to interview anyone who remembers Quentin's visit and I also want to check out a venue the show was filmed at. It's a house that's supposed to be haunted. They did a shoot there about six months ago and when I did some research I found the house is available to rent as a self-catering holiday home. A local caretaker maintains it and it happened to be free this weekend. There weren't any vacancies at the local hotel, so I've…" she glanced over at him then away, "…rented the house for us to stay at."
The way she said it left him in no doubt that she was thinking along the same lines as he was. But her face was flushed. She was embarrassed.
"Right," he replied, stifling a more cheeky response. A weekend away with a sexy woman. What more could a man want?
They gradually edged through the south side of the city, and as they did he encouraged her to fill him in on all she knew about the missing person story and the Ghost Hunter show. Norton had told him everything the day before, but he wanted her take on it. It all sounded a bit dubious to Sebastian. Why was this soundman giving her information, in the first place? He reminded himself it was her case. He wasn't there to investigate. He was there to keep her out of trouble and away from harm. The conversation seemed to relax her somewhat. They'd almost made it out of the thicket and onto the motorway that linked London to the South Coast, when the temperature gauge began to dip into the red.
"Oh, damn." She glared at the needle on the gauge, signaled and pulled over into the next lay-by.
"Leave it to me," he said, wishing he'd insisted they go in his trusty Land Rover. He reached into the back seat, pulled a shirt out of his overnight bag and got out of the car.
"Stand back," he instructed as she joined him. With his hands wrapped in the shirt, he lifted the bonnet then quickly hauled her back with him as a huge cloud of steam escaped.
The car wasn't the only thing overheating. Admiring her from a distance made him keen and warm, closer proximity and his body heat reached levels that endangered the local vegetation. She let out a gasp and looked up at him. Her eyes were like dark chocolate melting and her upturned mouth looked inviting, her lips slightly parted in surprise. A raindrop hit her cheek, making her gently flinch. He wanted to lick it away. With one careful finger, he gently smoothed the drop of rain from her cheek. Her lips parted, exposing the plump inner curve of her lower lip and the tip of her tongue. The look of her was making him hard.
"The car," she breathed, when the engine sizzled and popped behind them.
Sebastian hovered on the precipice, trying to get a grip. The way she was staring at him right then had his blood rushing south. As a result his brain was suffering severe deficit.
"Yes," he murmured, setting her to one side as he turned back to the engine. He carefully removed the radiator cap. "We’re going to need water."
"I've got some Evian in the boot, will that do?"
"That will do just fine." He smiled. She was a city girl, through and through. "We'll have to leave it for a few minutes until it cools down first."
They abandoned the car and sat on the grassy bank at the side of the road. The spot might have been idyllic if it hadn’t been marred by the occasional cars flying by at breakneck speed. Twilight was upon them and the night sky had begun to flicker into life.
Sebastian watched her fingers ruffling through the grass and followed the lines of her body with his gaze. "It shouldn't be too long before we can get started again."
"It's okay." She shrugged, eyeing his body from under her lashes as she replied. "I can ignore the fumes and the less than salubrious surroundings."
"Yes. I can think of better venues for a second date."
"Date?" Her eyebrows lifted, a half smile hovering around her mouth, as if she was confused by his comment. "Oh…I see." Her gaze dropped.
It was the first time either of them had made direct reference to their meeting at the pub since they'd left London. Sebastian chuckled quietly. He probably shouldn't have reminded her about her little faux pas the evening before, but she looked so damn sexy when she got annoyed.
She shuffled uncomfortably, her pale complexion beautifully enhanced by bright flashes of color high on her cheekbones. The tension between them was growing. "You're not going to let me forget that, are you?"
"No, because I don’t want to forget it."
There was such a perturbed look in her eyes it made him want her, badly. "Actually," he added, "it's the third date, if you include the meeting we had with Norton senior."
She glared at him. "Let it go, or I'll send you home and go on alone."
Now that was something he'd love to see her trying to do, but he managed to resist comment. He peered at the traffic for a moment then decided to change his approach. "Tell me, what does a high-flying London journo like you do to chill out?"
The tension in her expression eased somewhat. "You'd probably laugh."
He shrugged, relieved that he'd managed to redirect the conversation. "Go on…what is it, Pilates, float tanks?"
"Not even close."
"I know, you bake cakes for the local church." Ah, she smiled that beautiful smile. It made him feel mellow and content somewhere deep inside—while the challenging look in her eyes brought about an altogether different feeling in a more southerly region
.
"No, not quite. It's my mother who bakes cakes. I do some voluntary work that's different to my day job. I teach Tae Kwan Do to the local kids at a community center youth club." She glanced at him to see his reaction. "It keeps them off the streets."
"An admirable pastime." He allowed himself to look at her body, top to toe. "And it goes some way in explaining the gorgeous figure."
Her mouth opened but she thought twice about it and didn't say anything.
His gaze rested momentarily on her cleavage. He could see the rapid rise and fall of her breathing. Man, she was hot.
"I'll see to that water now." He stood up. "You can get back in the car."
"Keep cool," he muttered to himself, as he slowly topped up the radiator. It wasn't easy. An extreme sense of physical desire had him in its grip and he couldn't stay focused as a result. Once he'd secured everything, he climbed into the car and shut the door. "Should get us there."
She nodded at him from the driver's seat. "Excellent."
She put the key in the transmission then pushed back some stray tendrils of hair that had fallen around her face, giving him a look at the soft curve of her jaw and the long line of her throat. He wanted to touch her. He remembered her hands resting up against his chest in the bar and the inviting look in her eyes.
"So, what you do to 'chill out' Sebastian?" She pulled her seat belt into position.
"Skiing or snow boarding once a year, canoeing once a month. On a daily basis I have to deal with a rather demanding household pet." He broke into a grin when he saw the curious look on her face. "It's proven to be good for stress, stroking a cat, and luckily she enjoys the physical contact as much as I do."
He lifted his eyebrows at her, inviting a response.
"Lucky kitty," she replied, her tone laden with sarcasm. "Let's get on our way then, shall we."
She might as well have waved a red flag at him. Sebastian wanted her. It was time to cut to the chase.
"Amy." He put his hand on her arm to stop her turning the key in the ignition. "There's something I wanted to say. Roger was disappointed when you didn't turn up to meet him, and I can understand why. I'd be pretty upset myself if I'd missed out on a date with someone as attractive as you."
That had her attention. She stared at him, her expression morphing. "You spoke to Roger…that's why you weren't surprised it was me this morning?"
She looked as if someone had just explained the meaning of life to her.
"Of course I did, I wanted to find out who you were. When I did, I realized we'd be meeting again today, which was great news."
She stared at him intently for an age, in silence, a frown drawing her delicately arched eyebrows together. "Mr. Armitage, are you coming on to me?"
"Oh, yes, I surely am." He couldn't help laughing.
"Excuse me, but what's funny?" Once again she looked annoyed.
"It's just that you practically threw yourself into my arms last night and now you're asking me if I'm coming on to you. You have to admit it’s funny."
She quickly turned away from him and looked straight ahead into the distance.
He'd taken a misstep there. "Hey, I didn't mean anything–"
"I did not throw myself at you," she interrupted in a low voice spoken through gritted teeth. Her hands clutched at the steering wheel. "And even if I had done, I only did it because I thought you were someone else."
Her frown deepened as she delivered the determined statement. Understandably, she had dug her own pit nice and deep with that little gem.
"Okay, okay." He held up his hands in a sign of surrender, biting his lip to stop himself from teasing her about it some more. "But what's the problem about me coming on to you? You obviously didn't run screaming last night when you thought I was your date." Argue your way out of that one, missie.
"That was different." After a few moments she turned and met his gaze directly, her chin lifted.
"Why?"
"Because, I …" She took a deep breath. "Because that was then, and we're working together now and I need to be professional about this, otherwise I risk messing up."
Oh, yes, she was very beautiful indeed, with those defiant eyes and the shadow of annoyance still high on her cheeks. The desire he felt had turned into something more like extreme longing.
Sebastian couldn't resist any longer. He leaned over and gently kissed her cheek. Her breath was warm on his face. He traced a path with his mouth down toward her jaw. Her head sank back in response. He kissed the skin beneath her ear. She smelled of jasmine, and desire, unmistakable. He could hear the withheld whimper in her throat. He could sense the anxiety coursing over her skin. She was hot and responsive—she was everything that made his blood turn to fire.
"You're not going to deny there's a bit of mutual attraction going on here, are you?" he murmured against her skin.
"I wouldn't argue with that, but this is about work and I'd appreciate it if you made an attempt to act professionally."
He slid his hands in and around her waist. She gave a soft whimper at his touch, belying her attempt at a cool reply.
"Sure, I could do that." He felt her breathing grow shallow as he gently grasped her waist in his hands. "But you don’t have to work all the time, and you were looking to have some fun on your blind date." He kissed her throat. "Why not have your fun with me instead?"
She didn't respond, didn’t deny him.
"No strings," he added, reminding her of her remark in the pub.
He lifted his head to look at her. Her eyes were half-closed, her pupils dilated and dark with desire. She shook her head at him—her hands gripping the steering wheel tighter still—determined it seemed to resist him, despite her obvious arousal.
"I can't," she repeated, and with that she turned the key in the ignition, signaled, pulled out and put her foot to the floor.
Her nipples were poking through the fabric of her top, her face flushed and her hair mussed. Sebastian glanced away out of the passenger window and smiled to himself. It was only a matter of time until she was on her back and begging for him. He'd put money on it.
Chapter Four
"About bleedin' time," the caretaker declared as she swung open the heavy front door.
Amy gave an inward sigh. She could really do with a break right about now. She was feeling horribly tense and bedraggled after that testing journey with Sebastian. Now she had an angry caretaker to deal with. The disgruntled woman stood at the top of the steps, marring Amy's first view into the elegant town house where they would be spending the weekend. Glancing past her, she caught sight of an impressive Victorian hallway.
"I've got my own life to lead, you know," the woman declared, loudly. She pulled on an ancient blue raincoat as she spoke.
"I'm sorry," Amy responded, as she wondered how many more obstacles she would have to surmount before she could even begin this job. "Our car overheated and we had to stop." Even as she said it she realized she should have phoned, but she'd been far too distracted by Mr. Full-on Machismo.
The caretaker waved her hand dismissively.
"You're 'ere now. The downstairs bedroom is made up and there's another two upstairs." She glanced at Amy, then at Sebastian who was getting their bags from the parked car. "Just the two of you is it?"
"Yes."
"Downstairs bedroom is nicest," she whispered, as if she was letting Amy in on a secret, then she resumed her loud, cantankerous instructions, including Sebastian in her audience as he approached. "I've set everything up for you and there are some of them fancy continental breakfasts in the fridge. I'll be over in the morning to check on you. Any questions you've got had better wait till then." With that she stomped down the steps without a backward glance.
"British hospitality at its best, ay?" Sebastian commented, as he joined Amy at the top of the steps, her laptop briefcase and their overnight bags easily held in one hand.
The caretaker could have been Godzilla for all Amy cared, and her bed a tent on the cliffs. She had
bigger worries. Once again they were alone. Unbidden arousal flooded her. She nodded, trying to avoid eye contact. She couldn't. He magnetized her. What hope did she have of focusing on the job with him around? She'd have to phone home and request he be removed. And then Dad will take the job away too. She was well and truly stuck between a rock and a hard place.
"Come on," Sebastian urged. "Let's go inside, check the place out."
Was he making an effort? Perhaps. She wandered inside, scanning the décor. The hallway was decorated in dark colors, with a large staircase that swept up with a line of elaborate banisters, deep crimson carpet and portraits lining the walls. To the right hand side of the stairs a corridor ran away into darkness. On the left side of the staircase two doors stood ajar, each allowing a beam of light to escape into the gloomy hallway. Amy followed the light.
"Wow," she said, when she emerged into a sitting room. The room was overtly Gothic, with a huge stone fireplace, Victorian furnishings, and framed pictures on the walls. A single candle burning by the fireplace gave an illusion of warmth. She turned round to face Sebastian. He was standing in the doorway, his hand up against the doorframe, watching her. The white open-neck shirt he wore with jeans were casual compared to his smart outfit of the morning meeting, but he still looked dapper, and incredibly sexy, as if he had stepped out of a photo shoot.
"It's amazing," she murmured.
He nodded, but he was looking at her. "I think I saw a shop on the way in. How about I go and pick up a bottle of wine while you get settled in?"
He was leaving her alone, but he was buying wine. Every move he made had her wondering what was going on in his mind. Would he respect her request to be more professional? A glass of wine did sound good though. She nodded. "I'll check the place out while you're gone."
He didn't move for a moment, his gaze making a slow path over her body. He smiled at her, his eyebrows lifting. "I won't be gone long."
Once he was gone she went back out into the hall and picked up her laptop bag. She carried it into the sitting room, where she'd spied a writing desk she could set it up on, for the following day's work. She planned to spend Saturday scouring the town for information about the Ghost Hunter crew's visit, then come back to start her feature. She would get quotes from the Arundel townsfolk, before giving a full description of the house and posing a number of questions for the readers. She'd planned the story as a two-part feature. In this stage she would open with the background of the Ghost Hunter show and Quentin's disappearance, then lead into the local hearsay on Quentin's visit, and finish with a description of the house and its supernatural elements.
Minding Amy Page 4
