Minding Amy (6 page)

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."