She couldn’t stay here now. She had to leave. She couldn’t possibly have seen the man she had thought she had—that person was far removed from the Hunter family—but it was enough that she had thought she recognised him.
She should never have accepted Jordan’s invitation in the first place!
‘I have to go, Jordan.’ She pulled abruptly out of his arms, already searching for the exit
Jordan looked stunned, frowning darkly once again. ‘Stazy—’
‘It’s been lovely,’ she told him distractedly—untruthfully! ‘We must do this again some time,’ she went on hurriedly, knowing she had no intention of seeing him again.
Escape! She had to get away!
Jordan’s mouth twisted. ‘I don’t have any more brothers’ weddings to invite you to!’ he said sardonically, looking totally perplexed by her need to leave so soon.
Stazy barely glanced at him, having located the door now, and began threading her way through the people to reach it. If she could just—
‘Stazy, what the hell are you doing?’ Jordan caught up with her as she got out into the hallway, swinging her round to face him, his humour of a few minutes ago once again replaced by brooding intensity. ‘I brought you here, I’ll take you home again,’ he stated harshly.
She understood his dilemma; his date walking out on him, quite so publicly, was the last thing he needed! But she couldn’t help that; she simply couldn’t stay here, felt too upset.
‘You can’t leave yet, Jordan.’ She shook her head. ‘But I—I have to go now!’
‘I’ll drive you home—’
‘No!’ she refused agitatedly. ‘Now please let me go—’
‘Having trouble, Jordan?’ came a gently sarcastic female voice. ‘And I always thought you had more luck with women than this.’
Jordan’s hand left Stazy’s arm as if she had stung him, his face a furiously cold mask as he turned to look at the other woman who now stood in the corridor.
Stazy looked at her too, intrigued by the effect she had had on Jordan. Tiny and blonde, she was absolutely beautiful, her face as small and perfect as a doll’s, dominated by huge brown eyes. Eyes that met Jordan’s accusing gaze unflinchingly...
‘What the hell are you doing here, Stella?’ he ground out insultingly, every inch of his body taut.
Stazy groaned inwardly; if he ever looked at her in that disgusted way, she would want to shrivel up and die! As it was, desperate as she was to leave, she felt frozen to the spot, caught in a frozen tableau with these two people, one furiously angry, the other seeming completely unconcerned. In fact, the woman looked positively gleeful at Jordan’s fury!
The woman lifted her shoulders carelessly, the perfection of her dainty figure shown to advantage by the black dress she wore. ‘Where else would I be on Jonathan’s wedding day?’ she returned.
So she knew Jonathan too. This was all becoming too complicated for Stazy. And complications were things she was anxious to avoid at this time in her life. ‘I really do have to go, Jordan.’ She touched his arm to attract his attention; she had the distinct impression he had once again forgotten her existence! ‘I’ll catch up with you later,’ she said in parting.
‘Try leaving a shoe on the stairs on your way out,’ the woman told her disparagingly. ‘I’m told that usually works!’ Her gaze was openly challenging as she looked Stazy up and down.
Stazy paused long enough to give her a narrow-eyed glance. Whoever she was, and whatever she meant to Jordan, or the charming Jonathan, Stazy certainly didn’t like this lady’s implication that Stazy was Cinderella to Jordan’s Prince Charming!
She coldly returned the older woman’s gaze. ‘I’m afraid I’m all out of glass slippers,’ she responded smartly. ‘And I haven’t kissed a prince yet that hasn’t turned into a frog! Have fun,’ she told Jordan breezily before turning and walking unhurriedly away, her head held high.
CHAPTER TWO
JORDAN watched Stazy leave, really watched her, seeing her as more than just the beautiful redhead who lived next door to him, and whom he had only really noticed for the first time yesterday.
There was no doubt she was beautiful: those candid blue eyes, the sprinkling of freckles across the bridge of her tiny nose, her wide, smiling mouth. Or that she moved with the natural grace of her countrywomen, her legs long and shapely, her figure stunning in a fitted blue dress.
Those were the reasons he had chosen to invite Stazy Walker to accompany him here this evening. But he had just realised there was a lot more to her than surface beauty. A lot more...
‘Don’t tell me you’re smitten, Jordan?’ the woman at his side said disgustedly. ‘The Hunter men are falling like flies!’
Jordan turned to Stella, his eyes as hard as the metal they resembled. ‘And what does that have to do with you?’ he said impatiently, all too aware of Stazy’s comment ‘I’ll catch up with you later’; unfortunately, something much more immediate had his attention now. A pity he hadn’t realised earlier that Stazy’s temperament matched her long, fiery-red hair. Later, he promised himself.
‘My darling boy—’
‘I am not your “darling” anything,’ he snarled, his expression contemptuous, completely unmoved by Stella’s kittenish looks; in her case, they were only skindeep! Literally. As her favourite cosmetic surgeon knew only too well! Hell, she looked little older than he did, forty at the most, and yet of course she was much older than that... ‘I suggest we get out of here.’ He firmly grasped her arm as he closed the door behind him, turning her to leave. ‘Before anyone else becomes aware of your presence.’
Stella stood her ground in the hallway. ‘I’m not going anywhere, Jordan,’ she resisted. ‘I want to see Jonathan on his wedding day. And, of course, Jarrett—’
‘Aren’t you rather presuming that any of us want to see you?’ Jarrett rasped harshly from behind them, having quietly left the reception room to join them. ‘And in the circumstances that’s presuming all too damned much! You’re an uninvited guest, Stella,’ he added coldly, looking down the length of his arrogant nose at her. ‘I suggest you leave right now—before I have you thrown out!’
Jordan looked admiringly at his oldest brother. As usual, Jarrett wasn’t pulling his punches. Stella now had an unattractive flush to her cheeks, her eyes glittering dangerously at Jarrett’s insulting tone, meeting his gaze challengingly. But, nonetheless, Jordan was in no doubt who would win this particular battle of wills!
‘You wouldn’t do that, Jarrett.’ Stella was finally the one to speak—and not as confidently as her words implied, either.
Jarrett’s mouth thinned. ‘Try me,’ he returned softly, meeting her defiance unflinchingly.
‘But I haven’t even seen Jonathan yet,’ Stella protested. ‘Or met his bride—’
‘And you aren’t about to, either,’ Jarrett bit back. ‘In another couple of hours Jonathan and Gaye will leave the reception. So far they have had a perfect day; I don’t intend letting you ruin it for them!’
‘That’s a very cruel thing to say to me, Jarrett. But then you always were unfeeling,’ Stella told him emotionally.
As displays went, it was certainly a good one, Jordan acknowledged cynically; tears swam in those huge brown eyes, and her chin quivered ever so slightly in an effort to control herself. But Jordan knew as well as Jarrett did that it was all an act; Stella had never cared for anyone else in the whole of her life, and she was too damned old to change now—despite her cosmetic surgeon!
Jordan’s mouth