‘Climb out of the box, Aggie. So the dress isn’t essential. Big deal. Try a little frivolity now and again.’ He couldn’t help himself. His gaze drifted down to her full lips. It seemed that even when she was getting on his nerves she still contrived to turn him on.
‘You think I’m dull!’
‘I think this is a ridiculous place to have an ongoing conversation about matters that have already been sorted. Standing in the snow. The last thing either of us need is to succumb to an attack of winter flu.’
With her concerns casually swatted away, and her pride not too gently and very firmly put in its place, Aggie spun round on her heels without a backward glance.
She could imagine his amusement at her contradictory behaviour. One minute she was gracefully accepting his largesse, the next minute she was ranting and railing against it. It made no sense. It was the very opposite of the determined, cool, always sensible person she considered herself to be.
But then, she was realising that in his presence that determined, cool and always sensible person went into hiding.
Annoyed with herself, she did what she had to do in town, including purchasing some very functional underwear, and once back at the bed and breakfast she retreated up to her bedroom with a pot of tea. The landline at the hotel to which they were heading was still down and neither could she make contact with her brother on his mobile.
At this juncture, she should have been wringing her hands in worry at the prospect of the scene that would imminently unfold. She should have been depressed at the thought of Luiz doing his worst and bracing herself for a showdown that might result in her having to pick up the pieces. Her fierce protectiveness of her brother should have kicked in.
Instead, as she settled in the chair by the window with her cup of tea, she found herself thinking of Luiz and remembering the brush of his lips on hers. One fleeting kiss that had galvanised all the nerve-endings in her body.
She found herself looking forward to seeing him downstairs, even though she knew that it was entirely wrong to do so. Fighting the urge to bathe and change as quickly as possible, she took her time instead and arrived in the dining room half an hour after their agreed time.
She paused by the door and gathered herself. Luiz was in the clothes he had presumably bought after they had parted company, a pair of black jeans and a black, round-necked jumper. He had pushed his chair back and in front of him was his laptop, at which he was staring with a slight frown.
He looked every inch the tycoon, controlling his empire from a distance. He was a man who could have any woman he wanted. To look at him was to know that beyond a shadow of a doubt. So why was she getting into such a tizzy at the sight of him? He had kissed her to shut her up, and here she was, reacting as though he had swept her off her feet and transported her to his bed.
Luiz looked up and caught her in the act of staring. He shut his computer and in the space of a few seconds had clocked the new jeans, tighter than her previous ones, and one of the new, more brightly coloured long-sleeved T-shirts that clung in a way she probably hadn’t noticed. It was warm in the dining room. No need for a thick jumper.
‘I hope I’m not interrupting your work,’ Aggie said, settling in the chair opposite him. There was a bottle of wine chilling in a bucket next to the table and she eyed it suspiciously. Now was definitely not the time to over-indulge.
‘All finished, and you’ll be pleased to know that the deal is more or less done and dusted. Jobs saved. Happy employees. A few lucky ones might even get pay rises. What did you buy in town after you left me?’
He poured her some wine and she fiddled with the stem of the glass.
‘A few toys,’ Aggie confessed. ‘Things to take to the home. The children don’t get a lot of treats. I thought it would be nice if I brought some with me. I shall wrap them; it’ll be hugely exciting for them. ‘Course, I couldn’t really splash out, but I managed to find a shop with nothing in it over a fiver.’
Luiz watched the animation on her face. This was what the women he dated lacked. They had all been beautiful. In some cases, they had graced the covers of magazines. But, compared to Aggie’s mobile, expressive face, theirs seemed in recollection lifeless and empty. Like mannequins. Was it any wonder that he had tired of them so quickly?
‘Nothing over a fiver,’ he murmured, transfixed by her absorption in what she was saying.
Having pondered the mystery of why he found her so compellingly attractive, Luiz now concluded that it was because she offered more than a pretty face and a sexy body. He had always tired easily of the women he had gone out with. No problem there; he didn’t want any of them hanging around for ever. But the fact that Chloe, who had hardly been long-term, could be classified as one of his more enduring relationships was saying to him that his jaded palate needed a change of scene.
Aggie might not conform to what he usually looked for but she certainly represented a change of scene. In every possible way.
‘Why are you looking at me like that?’ Aggie asked suspiciously.
‘I was just thinking about my own excessive Christmases.’ He spread his hands in a self-deprecating gesture. ‘I am beginning to see why you think I might live in an ivory tower.’
Aggie smiled. ‘Coming from you, that’s a big admission.’
‘Perhaps it’s one of the down sides of being born into money.’ As admissions went, this was one of his biggest, and he meant it.
‘Well, if I’m being perfectly honest…’ Aggie leaned towards him, her face warm and appreciative, her defence system instantly defused by a glimpse of the man who could admit to shortcomings. ‘I’ve always thought that pursuing money was a waste of time. ‘Course, it’s not the be-all and end-all, but I really enjoyed myself in that boutique today.’
‘Which bit of it did you enjoy the most?’
‘I’ve never actually sat on a chair and had anyone bring clothes to me for my inspection. Is that how it works with you?’
‘I don’t have time to sit on chairs while people bring me clothes to inspect,’ Luiz said wryly. ‘I have a tailor. He has my measurements and will make suits whenever I want them. I also have accounts at the major high-end shops. If I need anything, I just have to ask. There are people there who know the kind of things I want. Did you enjoy modelling the clothes for me?’
‘Well…um…’ Aggie went bright red. ‘That was a first for me as well. I mean, I guess you wanted to see what you were paying for. That sounds awful. It’s not what I meant.’
‘I know what you meant.’ He sipped some of his wine and regarded her thoughtfully over the rim of his glass. ‘I would gladly have paid for the privilege of seeing you model those clothes for me,’ he murmured. ‘Although my guess is that you would have been outraged at any such suggestion. Frankly, it was a bit of a shame that there was any audience at all. Aside from myself, naturally. If it had been just the two of us, I would have insisted you remove your bra when you tried that dress on, for starters.’
Aggie’s mouth fell open and she stared at him in disbelieving shock.
‘You don’t mean that,’ she said faintly.
‘Of course I do.’ He looked surprised that she should disbelieve him.
‘Why are you saying these things?’
‘I’m saying what I mean. I don’t know how it’s happened, but I find myself violently attracted to you, and the reason I feel I can tell you this is because I know you feel the same towards me.’
‘I do not!’
‘Allow me to put that to the test, Aggie.’
This time there was nothing fleeting or gentle about his kiss. It wasn’t designed to distract her. It was designed to prove a point, and she was as defenceless against its urgent power as she would have been against a