Well, where Nik Prince was concerned, attack was the only defence left to her.
‘Not at all,’ he dismissed stiffly. ‘As I pointed out to you last week, such a course of action would only bring about exactly what you’re hoping to avoid. Publicity,’ he reminded at her questioning look.
Her eyes widened. ‘Are you threatening me?’
‘Believe it or not, no. No,’ he repeated firmly as she continued to look at him sceptically. ‘But even if that reporter earlier had no idea who you are, I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’m looking for J. I. Watson. And if I could find you, then so can someone else.’
Oh, he was unquestionably right about that. Except they weren’t talking about ‘someone else’ at the moment, they were talking about him!
‘Let’s concentrate on you for the moment, shall we?’ Her voice was saccharine-sweet. ‘Because if you force me into making this into a legal matter, then I can assure you I will never give you the film rights to No Ordinary Boy. In fact,’ she added as he would have spoken, ‘I’ll find out who your biggest rival is and give them to him!’
Nik’s gaze narrowed as he looked at her for several long minutes. ‘You really would do that, wouldn’t you?’ he finally said.
At this moment? Angry with herself. Angry with him. Oh, yes, right now she was more than capable of doing something like that.
Tomorrow might be something else entirely…
Although she had no intention of letting the arrogant Nik Prince see that. ‘If I’m forced to.’ She nodded abruptly.
He drew in a harsh breath. ‘Fine. Let’s get you out of here, then, shall we? And then—’
‘I’m more than capable of getting myself out of here,’ she assured him. ‘After all, as you’ve already pointed out, it’s you the press are after, not me!’
Although just how long that would last was anybody’s guess. Which meant she had some very serious decisions to make during the next couple of days. Decisions she was no nearer making now than she had been a year ago…
‘It’s only a matter of time, Ji—Juliet,’ Nik corrected pointedly as his words echoed her thoughts. ‘It was bad enough the first time around, but the mad clamour to find J. I. Watson will start all over again, more intensely, once the second “Ordinary Boy” book is published…’
‘What do you know about the second “Boy” book?’ she cut in sharply, every inch of her tensing warily as that icy grey gaze suddenly eluded hers.
Nik made an impatient movement. ‘Well, of course there will be a second book—’ ‘There’s no “of course” about it,’ she said slowly, becoming more sure by the minute that he knew she had already submitted the second manuscript. Just as she was sure that only someone at Stephens Publishing could have told him that…
‘Oh, for—’ Nik broke off his angry exclamation as the telephone began to ring.
Three times. Just as before. And then ringing off. Just as before.
‘Your brother seems to be becoming a little—anxious, at the delay,’ Jinx said derisively. ‘I suggest you go down and alleviate that anxiety for him.’
‘And you?’ Nik frowned. ‘Where are you going?’
‘I don’t believe that is any of your business! But I actually intend going out exactly the way I came in—straight out the front door! You’re the one they want a story on, Nik—not me. And as far as I’m concerned, they can have you!’ she declared before letting herself out of the suite and heading for the lift.
She certainly wasn’t going to be part of Nik’s story. Either now or in the future. Although she had come very close to becoming exactly that, Jinx realized heavily as the lift descended. She had been so close—too close!—to giving in to the desire he had aroused in her, to just forgetting everything else.
How he would have liked that! Not only would he have managed to find J. I. Watson where everyone else had failed, but he would also believe he had managed to get her into his bed!
Jinx closed her eyes, swaying slightly as she thought of her arousal earlier, her need for the feel of Nik’s body against hers, inside hers, loving her, possessing her, until she could think of nothing else.
Had it been only the loneliness of the last eighteen months, that necessary feeling of distance between herself and other people, that had caused her intense reaction to Nik? Or had it been something else?
Please let it not be anything else!
Falling in love with a man like Nik Prince, besides being a totally insane thing for her to do, would also be complete anathema to the anonymity of J. I. Watson.
If she needed further proof, the crowd of people gathered around Zak Prince and the stunning blonde at his side as Jinx stepped from the lift into the reception area, the reporter of earlier included, was more than enough to convince her of that!
Jinx strode straight through the reception area, outside to where a row of taxis stood waiting, nodding her thanks to the doorman as he opened the back door of the first one for her to get inside. Only starting to breathe easily again once that door had been closed behind her.
‘Where to, love?’ the driver prompted cheerfully.
‘Fold Street, please,’ Jinx told him. ‘Stephens Publishing on Fold Street,’ she repeated firmly before sitting back to stare sightlessly out of the window.
Well, that went well, Nik told himself disgustedly as the door closed decisively behind Jinx, having had no choice but to stand impotently by and watch as she walked out of his life.
Or thought she did.
There was no way, absolutely no way he was letting Jinx just walk away from him like that. Because she was J. I. Watson. Because he still wanted the movie rights to No Ordinary Boy.
At least, that was what he told himself. But another part of him knew that it was because he wanted Jinx Nixon, wanted her in his bed, with no interruptions, for as long as it took to sate both himself and her. Maybe then he would be able to get her out of his head, out of the dreams he had been having about her this last week, naked and willing as he made love to her in every imaginative way he could think of.
He had never allowed a woman to get between him and his work. And Jinx Nixon was going to be no exception.
‘What the hell happened to you?’ Zak demanded a few minutes later as Nik opened the door to let him into his suite. ‘I kept the press busy for as long as I possibly could—much to Damson Grey’s delight. Yes, that is who spent the night with me.’ Zak grinned at Nik’s disgusted snort. ‘And, believe me, her body more than lives up to her name!’ His grin widened as he threw himself down into one of the armchairs to look up at Nik.
He was one of the scruffiest men Nik had ever seen, both on and off the screen. It never ceased to amaze Nik how his brother drew women to him like a magnet. Of course, it could have something to do with Zak’s golden good looks: overlong blond hair, laughing blue eyes set in a face so handsome he was almost beautiful, his body long and loose-limbed in the faded denims and baggy black tee shirt.
‘So where is she?’ Zak prompted as he looked conspiratorially around the suite. ‘Still hiding in the bedroom?’
To Nik’s self-disgust, he found himself tensing resentfully at this offhand remark directed at Jinx. ‘She was never in the bedroom,’ he bit out reprovingly.
‘She wasn’t?’ Zak’s eyes widened speculatively. ‘So where is she now?’ he asked before Nik could give him another cutting reply.
‘I have no idea,’ Nik answered him honestly. ‘She walked out of here about five minutes ago. In fact, you may have seen her on her way out.’ He frowned as the thought occurred to him.