EDEN stared at him with open-mouthed amazement. Not because he had lied when he said he had a business dinner, she couldn’t give a damn about that; she was amazed because of what Tim had said about his sister and this man. If what Tim said was true, and she had no reason to doubt it, then the fact that this man was also involved with Isobel Morton put no restrictions on him at all.
The two men were shaking hands. ‘Good to see you again, Jason.’ Tim’s pleasure in meeting the other man again was obvious.
‘Tim,’ Jason Earle nodded his greeting.
‘Let me introduce you to Eden,’ Tim said with pride. ‘Eden, this is Jason Earle. Jason, my girl-friend, Eden Shaw.’
‘Miss Shaw,’ Jason Earle’s handshake was very formal, although the mocking enquiry in those steely grey eyes was not.
‘Mr Earle,’ she returned equally formally.
Claire sat down in the chair Jason pulled out for her, smiling goodhumouredly. ‘I hope you two are going to drop this Mr and Miss bit,’ she laughed. ‘Eden and Jason would be so much more friendly.’
Eden was well aware of that, which was why she intended to continue calling him Mr Earle. She had no wish to be friendly with him now or at any other time. How could he turn up here with Claire when according to her mother he was supposed to be escorting Isobel Morton? Didn’t he care if the other woman found out about Claire? Obviously not, by his behaviour in meeting Claire openly. He was probably as sure of Isobel Morton’s feelings towards him as he was of Claire’s.
He sat between Claire and herself, very much the man in control as he ordered drinks for them all. He turned to Claire. ‘Miss Shaw and I are not friends, and so unless she asks me to I couldn’t possibly call her by her first name.’
‘Oh, don’t be so chilling, Jason,’ Claire glowed up at him, looking much younger than her thirty years. ‘Forget your stiff English manners for once.’
He smiled at her. ‘It isn’t a question of my stiff English manners,’ he told her smoothly. ‘Miss Shaw may prefer me to be formal.’ He turned to look at her, those cold grey eyes seeming to read her thoughts.
‘Eden doesn’t mind, do you, honey?’ Tim put in.
Her eyes flashed her dislike as those steely grey eyes continued to look at her. Jason Earle had deliberately put her in this position, his quiet mockery telling her he knew exactly what she had intended doing. She looked away from him with a tightening of her mouth, sipping her drink before answering. ‘No, I don’t mind,’ she said finally. ‘Why should I?’
Jason Earle bowed his head in mock acknowledgement. ‘Thank you—Eden.’
She gave him a brittle smile. ‘That’s perfectly all right—Jason.’
‘Good, that’s settled then,’ Claire settled more comfortably in her seat, her hand reaching out to entwine with Jason’s. ‘We’ve just had a lovely meal, haven’t we, darling?’
‘It was—enjoyable,’ he agreed.
Claire laughed. ‘How you English love to understate things! But perhaps it wasn’t the meal that was so enjoyable, perhaps it was the company.’
‘You flatter me, my dear.’
Eden looked away, sickened by the adoration Claire made no effort to hide. It probably wouldn’t have been so bad if Claire wasn’t normally such a levelheaded person, but to see her so captivated by this man was completely out of character. And Jason Earle accepted her adoration as his due, played with her emotions like a master fiddler.
Eden’s contempt for the man grew as the evening progressed, and a couple of times she had to actually bite her tongue to stop herself being openly rude to him. She stood up with a certain amount of relief when Tim once again asked her to dance.
Jason Earle stood up too. ‘Would you mind if I had this dance with Eden?’ His request was directed at Tim.
Tim raised surprised eyebrows, giving his sister a quick look. He shrugged. ‘I suppose not. Eden?’
She drew a ragged breath, her annoyance deepening at the challenge she could read in Jason Earle’s expression. ‘I have no objection,’ she accepted coolly.
He guided her to a space on the dance floor, pulling her into his arms to move slowly to the rhythm of the music. The top of her head on a level with his chin, Eden was very aware of the tangy smell of his aftershave and the less tangible smell of his body, a completely male smell that wasn’t unpleasant, in fact, the opposite.
The group on the stage was one she particularly liked, their music soft and romantic, and she had to stop herself from relaxing against the taut hardness of this man’s body, to resist the temptation to yield against the arms clasped about her waist. She had been surprised by the way he had made no effort to dance more formally, holding her lightly to him, his warm breath softly fanning the hair at her temple.
The tension between them was unmistakable and finally Eden could stand it no longer, throwing back her head to look at him. ‘Your business dinner turned out to be more enjoyable than you anticipated,’ she said sarcastically.
‘Not at all,’ he returned smoothly, meeting her gaze unflinchingly. ‘I always enjoy my dinners with Claire.’
Her mouth turned back sneeringly. ‘So Tim has been telling me.’
He smiled, a completely natural smile that made her breath catch in her throat. He really was a most attractive individual, and perhaps Claire’s infatuation with him wasn’t so difficult to accept after all. ‘I’m sure he has,’ he acknowledged softly.
Eden looked away from that smiling mouth, determined not to be affected by the charm he could display when he chose to. ‘You really had no need to lie about your dinner date being a business one,’ she told him. ‘We didn’t particularly want you to stay anyway.’
Jason laughed softly. ‘Leash your claws, little girl,’ he advised softly. ‘My dinner with Claire was exactly what I said it was—business.’
‘Oh yes?’ she scorned, her golden eyes disbelieving.
‘Yes,’ he nodded. ‘Claire works for me.’
Her eyes widened. ‘For you?’
‘I own the magazine she runs.’
‘Oh!’ She couldn’t deny that this information had taken her by surprise, but really she ought to have made the connection herself. ‘I see. But would Isobel Morton see your—dinner in the same light?’ she enquired sweetly.
His mouth tightened into a thin line. ‘Meaning?’
‘Oh, I’m sure you know what I mean, Mr Earle.’
‘No, you tell me.’
Eden shrugged. ‘It’s public knowledge that you’re going to marry my father’s widow.’
‘Is it now?’ he queried softly.
‘Oh yes. Do you think she would approve of you seeing Claire?’
‘Do you intend telling her?’
‘Me?’ She couldn’t hide her surprise. ‘Why should I tell her, I’ve never met her and already I dislike her. She broke up my parents’ marriage, she and my grandfather. Besides, it’s nothing to do with me.’
‘I couldn’t agree more,’ he said grimly, his arms tightening painfully about her waist and so pulling