She tossed her hair back over her shoulders in a haughty manner, giving him an ice-cool glare. ‘For?’
‘You know exactly what for.’
She shifted her gaze, picked a pen off the desk and turned it over in her slender hands as if it was something of enormous interest to her. ‘I was wondering what you’re up to next weekend.’
He leaned back in the leather chair and balanced one ankle over his thigh. ‘My calendar is pretty heavily booked. What did you have in mind?’
Her grey-blue eyes came back to his. ‘I have a function I need to attend in Gloucester. I was hoping you’d come with me—you know, to keep up appearances.’
‘What sort of function?’
‘Just a drinks thing.’
Jake steepled his fingers against his nose and mouth. The little minx was up to something but he would play along. He might even get another kiss or two out of her. ‘Sure, why not?’
She put the pen down. ‘I’m going to head back to London now.’
He felt a swooping sensation of disappointment in his gut. It would be deadly boring staying here without her to spar with. They hadn’t had any time together without anyone else around for years. He hadn’t realised how much he was enjoying it until the prospect of it ending now loomed. But there would be other opportunities as long as this charade continued. And he was going to make the most of them. ‘You’re not staying till morning?’
‘No, I have stuff to do at the boutique first thing and I don’t want to get caught up in traffic.’
Jake suspected she was wary of spending any more time with him in case she betrayed her desire for him. He wasn’t being overly smug about it. He could see it as plain as day. It mirrored his raging lust for her. Not that he was going to act on it but it sure was a heap of fun making her think he was. ‘Are you going to see Myles?’
Her gaze slipped out of reach of his. ‘Not yet. We agreed on a month’s break.’
‘A lot can happen in a month.’
Her lips tightened as if she was trying to remove the sensation of his on them. ‘I know what I’m doing.’
‘Do you?’
Her eyes clashed with his. ‘I know you think relationships are a complete waste of time but commitment is important to me.’
‘He’s not the right man for you,’ Jake said.
Her hands went to her slim hips in a combative pose. ‘And I suppose you think you’re an expert on who exactly would be?’
He pushed back his chair to come around to her side of the desk. She took half a step backwards but the antique globe was in the way. Her eyes drifted to his mouth and her darting tongue took a layer of lip-gloss off her lips. ‘If Myles was the right man for you he’d be down here right now with his hands at my throat.’
Her eyes glittered with enmity. ‘Not all men resort to Neanderthal tactics to claim a partner.’
He took a fistful of her silky hair and gently anchored her. ‘If I was in love with you I would do whatever it took to get you back.’
Her eyelids went to half-mast as her gaze zeroed in on his mouth for a moment. ‘Men like you don’t know the meaning of the word love. Lust is the only currency you deal in.’
Jake glided his hand down from her hair to cup her cheek, his thumb moving over the creamy perfection of her skin like the slow arm of a metronome. He watched as her pupils enlarged like widening pools of black ink, her mouth parting, her soft, milky breath coming out in a soundless gasp. ‘There’s nothing wrong with a bit of lust. It’s the litmus test of a good relationship.’
‘You don’t have relationships,’ she said, still looking at his mouth. ‘You have encounters that don’t last longer than it takes to change a light bulb.’
He gave a slanted smile. ‘Who needs a light bulb when we’ve got this sort of electricity going on?’
She pursed her lips. ‘Don’t even think about it.’
He brushed his thumb across her bunched up lips. ‘I think about it all the time. How it would feel to have you scraping your nails down my back as I make you come.’
She gave a tiny shudder. Blinked. Swallowed. ‘I’d much rather scrape them down your arrogant face.’
Jake smiled. ‘Liar. You’re thinking about it now, aren’t you? You’re thinking about how hot I make you feel. How turned on. I bet if I slipped my fingers into you now you’d be dripping wet for me.’
Twin pools of pink flagged her cheekbones. ‘It’s not going to happen, Jake,’ she said through tight lips. ‘I’m engaged to another man.’
‘Maybe you’ll feel different once you’re wearing my ring. I’ll pick you up at lunchtime tomorrow at the boutique. Be ready at two p.m.’