‘What’s he like?’ her mother asked.
‘James Bond,’ popped straight out of Laura’s mouth.
‘What? Loaded and dangerous?’ Eddie queried.
She grinned at him. ‘Plus gorgeous and sexy.’
He rolled his eyes. ‘Don’t you go falling for him, Laura. That’s bad territory.’
‘Yes, be careful,’ her mother quickly warned, her eyes anxious again. ‘Your father might want you to like this man. There has to be some motive behind inviting him here today.’
‘Could be that marrying the boss’s daughter is on Jake Freedman’s agenda,’ Eddie put in, grinning wolfishly, then snapping his teeth to make the point.
Marriage?
Never!
She’d walked out of every relationship she’d had once the guy started making demands on her, which always happened sooner or later. From what she’d witnessed at home, marriage was an endless string of demands, plus abuse thrown in if the demands weren’t met. No man was ever going to own her as his wife.
She rolled her eyes back at Eddie. ‘I’m not so easy to gobble up. I’ll be feeding him lunch. He can whistle for anything more from me.’
‘Humphrey Bogart,’ her mother murmured.
‘What?’
‘Humphrey Bogart. He whistled for Lauren Bacall. It was in an old movie.’
‘Well, I haven’t seen it.’
‘Did he get her in the end?’ Eddie asked.
‘Yes.’
‘No doubt she wanted to be got,’ Laura said, giving her brother a quelling look. ‘Different story.’
‘I’ll be watching the mouth of Dad’s man of the moment,’ he tossed back at her, wicked teasing in his eyes. ‘If he starts whistling…’
‘It’s more likely the man of the moment is about to be used to show you up as a footloose lightweight, Eddie, so watch your own mouth.’
‘I don’t know…I don’t know…’ their mother fretted.
‘It’s okay, Mum,’ Eddie quickly soothed. ‘Laura and I have put our walls up and nothing is going to crack them today. Just you relax now. We’re both on guard.’
It was a relief to hear Eddie so sure that his protective armour was in place. Laura wished she could say the same for herself. Despite what her mind dictated, as soon as they came into view of the two men on the patio and she caught Jake Freedman’s gaze on her, there was no wall at all to hold off the sexual chemistry he triggered in her.
Immediately she felt a wild tingling in her breasts, shooting her nipples into hard bullets. Her hips started swaying provocatively, driven by some primitive instinct to show off her femininity. Heat whooshed to the apex of her thighs and somehow melted the normal strength in her legs. Her toes curled. And turbulent temptation crashed through every bit of common sense that told her to keep away from this man.
She would love to have him.
Regardless of how wrong it would be.
She would love to have him.
Just for the experience!
JAKE found it difficult to tear his gaze away from Laura to make a quick assessment of the other two people he was about to meet. The mother was more or less what he expected of Alex Costarella’s wife—a lady-of-the-manor type who undoubtedly kept his house as beautifully as she kept herself—but the son was a surprise…unkempt, longish black hair, designer stubble, clothes indicative of a bikie. Obviously Eddie didn’t toe his father’s line, either.
Two rebellious children and one submissive wife.
Was he supposed to tame Laura, draw her into becoming the kind of woman her father would approve of, sharing his world instead of striking out on her own, pleasing herself?
He looked at her again and felt a tightening in his groin. She was, without a doubt, the most desirable woman he’d ever come into contact with, dangerous to play with, yet the idea of drawing her away from her father made her all the more tempting. It was fair justice for Costarella to feel the loss of someone dear to him as well as the loss of the business that gave him the power to wreck people’s lives.
He was acutely aware of Laura watching him as her father performed the introductions, weighing up how he responded to her family.
‘Alicia, my wife…’
‘Delighted to meet you,’ Jake rolled out with a smile.
She returned it but there was a wary look in her eyes as she replied, ‘Welcome to our home.’
‘And my son, Eddie, who obviously didn’t bother to shave this morning, not even for his mother.’
The acid criticism was brushed off with a nonchalant grin. ‘Couldn’t do it, Dad. We’re shooting tomorrow. Got to stay in character.’ He turned the grin to Jake as he offered his hand. ‘I guess you’re the son my father should have had, Jake. Happy days, man!’
Jake laughed and took his hand, shaking his head as he replied, ‘Don’t know about that but thanks for the good wishes, Eddie.’
‘You’re welcome.’
‘Eddie is an actor,’ Laura put in proudly. ‘He plays the bad boy in The Wild and the Wonderful.’
Jake frowned apologetically. ‘I’m sorry. I don’t know the show.’
Her father snorted. ‘It’s rubbish. A TV soapie.’
‘Rubbish or not, I enjoy doing it,’ Eddie declared, totally unabashed. ‘How about you, Jake? Do you enjoy doing what you do?’
‘It’s challenging. I guess acting is, too,’ he said, careful to be even-handed in his reply.
‘Totally absurd la-la-land,’ Costarella jeered. ‘Jake and I deal with the real world, Eddie.’
‘Well, Dad, lots of people like to have a break from the real world and I help give it to them.’ He deftly turned attention back to the guest. ‘How do you relax from the pressure-cooker of work, Jake?’
Jake found himself liking Laura’s brother. He stood up for himself and was clearly his own man. ‘Something physical does the trick for me,’ he answered.
‘Yeah, got to say sex does it for me, too,’ Eddie drawled, eyes twinkling with reckless mischief.
‘Eddie!’
The shocked cry from his mother brought a swift apology. ‘Sorry, Mum. It’s all Laura’s fault, saying Jake was sexy.’
‘Did she now?’ Costarella said with satisfaction.
‘Eddie!’ Laura cried in exasperation. ‘I told you to watch your mouth.’
Jake turned to her, curious to see the reaction to her brother’s claim. Her eyes were flashing furious sparks and her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment. As she met his gaze, her chin tilted defiantly and her own tongue let loose.
‘Don’t