Trying not to think about the bed part, Jessie swallowed, kicking herself mentally for being so stupid. For not knowing that apartments this big existed. Feeling gauche and unsophisticated, she shrugged carelessly. ‘So—business must be good if you can afford a place like this.’
‘Business is fine.’
Jessie pushed her hair out of her eyes, willing to bet he’d never had anyone like her in his fancy apartment before.
It was a supremely male domain. Nothing girly here. No pink or frills or concessions towards anything soft. It was upmarket and expensive, luxurious in every sense. And surprisingly minimalist. The corners of her mouth flickered. ‘I didn’t think you could live without your gadgets. Where’s the flat-screen TV?’
‘Hidden. Why?’ Finally he turned, his handsome face devoid of expression, his dark eyes revealing nothing of his thoughts. ‘Do you want to watch something?’
‘No.’ Her eyes were fixed on the modern fireplace that was a feature of the back wall. It wasn’t lit, but the breath had become trapped in her throat and she stared for a moment, forcing herself to breathe calmly, knowing his eyes were on her. Watching. ‘Stylish.’ She forced the word between dry lips and he gave a brief nod, apparently satisfied by her response.
Shaken by how hard it was to hide her feelings from him, Jessica reminded herself that she needed to be careful.
He knew her too well. ‘This is really your home?’
‘One of them.’
Jessica tried to imagine owning more than one place like this and gave a twisted smile. She couldn’t have felt more out of place if he’d dropped her into the jungle in her cheap gold dress. In fact, she probably would have felt safer in the jungle—she was used to living amongst wild animals. But this…she glanced around the acres of space…was an alien environment.
‘You don’t need to feel uncomfortable, Jess.’
‘I don’t feel uncomfortable.’ The words were defiant and wasted because they both knew she was lying.
He sighed. ‘And you don’t need to be scared.’
‘I’m not scared.’
She was terrified.
Not of the group of men that were so intent on spilling her blood, not even of this swanky apartment. What frightened her was him.
Her feelings.
They were too tangled, too complex, too dark…
It was a cruel twist of fate that had made him her rescuer.
Suddenly she knew she couldn’t stay on this bed any longer—his bed—and she threw off the velvet cover and padded silently over to him, feeling his eyes follow her every move.
It shouldn’t have bothered her.
Men did that.
They watched her.
She’d taught herself to handle it and it no longer worried her—sometimes it was even useful because it meant that her tips were bigger. This time it was different.
This man was different.
‘Where are we?’ She wasn’t interested in where they were, but she looked out of the window because it gave her something to focus on other than the man.
It took her a moment to react because the view was so very different from what she’d been expecting. This was a rich man’s view—London at its sparkling, night-time best, a vibrant city dressed like a woman ready for a glamorous date, all high heels and diamonds.
His world.
Far beneath her, the river Thames curled in a ribbon and Jessica gave a gasp and recoiled.
As if he’d been waiting for precisely this reaction he curled strong hands over her shoulders and steadied her. ‘It’s all right.’