He put his arm round her waist, and she felt his muscles bunch as he lifted her clear of her shoes, balancing her on his hip. She could feel the warmth of his body burning through her thin dress—and—even more troubling—the immediacy of her own response.
He smiled into her eyes. ‘I’ll do a trade with you,’ he said softly. ‘Have dinner with me tonight, and I’ll not only rescue your footwear, Cinderella, but I’ll also resist the temptation to dump you on your charming backside in the mud.’
Her arm tightened round his neck in pure alarm. ‘You wouldn’t dare.’
He allowed her to slip—just a fraction—and she gasped, half in panic and half at the increased intimacy of the contact, aware that her dress had ridden up round her thighs and that he knew it too.
‘Well?’ he said. ‘Is it a deal?’
She was silent for a moment, her mind churning. Then, ‘I suppose so,’ she muttered.
‘I’ve had more gracious acceptances.’ There was a touch of wryness in his tone. ‘But I guess I’ll have to settle for what I can get—for now, at least.’ He paused. ‘Shall we say eight o’clock? They should have finished removing the bodies from the Banqueting Suite by then.’
Cat flushed, setting her mouth. ‘I did ask you to forget what I said.’
‘Impossible,’ he said. ‘But I will try not to refer to it again.’
‘Thank you.’ She hesitated. ‘You’re quite sure that you want to eat here?’ She was genuinely surprised at the suggestion. The Anscote Manor Hotel was quietly luxurious, and it had a fine reputation for its food—with prices to match.
‘You think they’ll refuse to serve me?’ He shook his head. ‘They’re quite democratic. There won’t be a problem.’
Perhaps they even offered discount to staff, Cat thought, although it seemed unlikely on a busy summer evening. But if they were refused entry it would let her off the hook.
‘Very well,’ she acknowledged tonelessly. ‘Eight it is, then.’
He carried her to a patch of dry grass and set her down, then went back for her shoes. He knelt, freeing each heel with great gentleness, then produced a handkerchief from his hip pocket and wiped them both carefully.
He brought them to her. ‘Give me your foot,’ he directed, sinking down on to one knee, and mutely she obeyed, resting a hand momentarily on his shoulder as he fitted the sandals back on for her. Finding, as she did so, that she was fighting an impulse to let her fingers stray over the crispness of his dark hair, or inside the collar of his shirt, and explore the taut muscularity of his shoulders. Feeling a strange trembling weakness stir deep inside her.
Oh, God, she told herself in a silent whisper. I cannot—cannot allow this to happen…
‘There,’ he said. ‘As good as new.’
‘Thank you,’ Cat said, pulling herself together with an effort. ‘But that’s more than can be said for those jeans—or your handkerchief.’ She regarded the glistening muddy streaks on both items with disfavour. ‘You’d better have them laundered and send me the bill.’
‘You pay for your clothes,’ he reminded her. ‘I pay for my own laundry. But it was a kind thought.’
‘Yes—well.’ She offered him a swift, meaningless smile. ‘I’ll—see you later.’
‘You can count on it.’ He paused. ‘But I think we’ve forgotten something. I don’t know your name. You don’t know mine.’
‘Is it strictly necessary?’ she asked with spurious brightness. ‘After all—ships that pass in the night and all that.’ She shrugged. ‘It might even be—more exciting not to know.’
‘Well, we all have our own separate ideas of excitement,’ he said with a touch of dryness. ‘But I’d still like to know what you’re called.’
‘Then it’s Catherine,’ she said reluctantly. ‘But I’m always known as Cat.’
His brows lifted. ‘Not Cathy—or Kate?’
‘Absolutely not. It’s because of the story.’ She shrugged again. ‘Someone once told me I was like The Cat That Walked By Itself.’
‘I wonder if that’s true.’ He looked back at her, half frowning. ‘I suppose you have a surname as well?’
‘And I’m sure you do too,’ she said evenly. ‘But we’re not going to use them—and that’s my part of the deal. First names only.’
He said slowly, ‘Very well. If that’s how you want it.’ He paused. ‘And I’m Liam. Sometimes known as Lee, but only to my intimates. So I’m afraid you don’t qualify.’
‘I’ll try and get over the disappointment. Besides, I’d probably be lost in the crowd anyway,’ Cat told him coolly. ‘And now I’d better get back to the killing fields.’ She hesitated. ‘So where do you want us to meet—this evening?’
‘Don’t worry about that.’ His faint smile did not reach his eyes. ‘When the time comes—I’ll find you.’
And he turned and walked away, leaving Cat staring after him, her face expressionless but a thousand alarm bells ringing in her brain.
CHAPTER TWO
I MUST be losing my grip, Cat thought grimly as she made her way back to the hotel, trying not to hurry too obviously in case he was watching from somewhere. Because this is a serious overreaction on my part.
It was ludicrous to feel like this—as if she was helpless, or threatened in some way. Because that was far from the case. She, Cat Adamson, was quite capable of taking care of herself.
And, yes, Liam—or Lee-to-his-intimates—was undeniably loaded with attraction, but he was by no means irresistible. In her scheme of things no man was.
No doubt he’d sampled all the local talent and decided to spread his net a little wider. A born opportunist, she told herself scathingly, who would benefit from the set-down she was planning to administer. Not that he was likely to see it that way, of course. But she doubted it would do any real harm to the male arrogance flourishing under all that dangerous charm.
What was it he’d said? I guess I’ll have to settle for what I can get—for now, at least…
What was that supposed to mean? she wondered. Not that she was ever going to find out, because, whatever she might have said, she wasn’t keeping this date.
Instead, she would simply cancel the room she’d booked for the night and be back in London before he even knew she was gone. And that would draw a final line under an episode which had disturbed her far more than she wanted to admit.
At the terrace steps she hesitated, taking a quick look back over her shoulder. But he was nowhere to be seen, she realised with a quick sigh of relief. Probably his tea-break, or whatever, was over, and he’d decided to return to work. She could only hope he wasn’t operating anywhere near the car park.
She stepped back into the Banqueting Suite, and straight into a wall of noise. The music had begun and people were dancing, their faces flushed and grinning, their buttonholes and corsages wilting in the heat.
Cat found her hand seized by the best man, Freddie’s recently divorced older brother. ‘I’ve been looking for you all over the place.’ He smiled at her winningly, eagerly. ‘Come and dance.’
She complied, because there was no real reason not to, even though she suspected she was going to find herself the target of some pretty determined flirting. His wife had left him for her boss, and Tony was clearly anxious to re-establish his own pulling power as a result.