Page 22

And perhaps she wasn't either, he thought, his mouth drying as she tilted the glass and parted her lips and gave him a glimpse of her tongue.

Then she dropped her head back, giving him a glorious view of her neck, and took a long swallow of champagne.

As she brought her head back up she darted her tongue out to catch a drop of liquid that clung to her lower lip and let it linger before sweeping it along a bit.

Will's gaze automatically dipped to trace the movement and his mind went fuzzy.

And then went even fuzzier at the light shining in the depths of her eyes.

'You've done an incredible job,' he said, barely able to speak.

'It's been an absolute pleasure.'

God. Had her gaze just darted to his groin? Whether he'd been imagining things or not, the job that immediately sprang into Will's mind was not of the professional kind. 'I'm glad you think so.'

'Did you know today's my birthday?'

Will blinked and rubbed his jaw. 'I didn't. Happy birthday.'

'I certainly hope it will be.'

She shot him another smouldering glance and Will felt his skin prickle. 'Did you get anything nice?'

'My mother sent me an arnica plant.'

'Why?'

'I have absolutely no idea. Still, it could have been worse. At one point she asked me if I'd like a goat.'

'Not hugely convenient.'

'No.' Bella shuddered and Will tried not to notice the way her body moved. 'Imagine the mess.'

'And the noise.'

'Well, quite.' She paused. 'You know what I'd really like?' His body tightened at the drop in her voice. 'I can't imagine,' he murmured.

'Can't you?'

She shot him a scorching look from beneath her lashes and Will gritted his teeth.

What was going on here? How was he to maintain his principled stance when she was in this foxy frame of mind?

And why was she in this foxy frame of mind anyway?

As bewilderment and frustration spun through him Will had finally had enough. 'What are you doing, Bella?'

She smiled up at him and arched an eyebrow. 'Toying with the idea of seducing you.'

For a moment Will thought he must have misheard.

But the punch of desire that struck him in the stomach and robbed him of breath told him he hadn't.

Dammit, why couldn't she have done all this before he'd decided he couldn't pursue an affair with her?

Say, when he'd first suggested it back at that restaurant. Her timing really was abysmal. 'I see.'

'If I decided to go through with it, would I succeed?'

God, probably. Will curled his hands into fists, set his jaw and reminded himself of all the excellent reasons why she wouldn't. 'No.'

'OK,' she said, nodding slowly and batting her eyelashes up at him. 'I guess I could let you seduce me if you'd prefer.'

His entire body tensed. 'Definitely not.'

Her smile faltered a little. 'Oh. Right…' She bit her lip and frowned. 'Why not?'

'It wouldn't be right.'

For a moment Bella simply stared at him. 'Scruples, Will?'

'Looks like it, doesn't it?'

She blinked. 'But why? I want you. I think you want me. So what's the problem?'

He did want her. Oh, how he wanted her… 'I'm not the man you seem to think I am.'

Bella gave her head a quick shake and then smiled. 'Oh dear,' she said softly. 'First Phoebe, now you.'

'What?'

'Phoebe warned me off you.'

Will fought down the stab of irritation that that aroused. 'She was right to do so.'

'Surely you can't be that bad?'

Judging by the light sparkling in the depths of her eyes, Bella was clearly hoping that he was as bad as could be. It was time to show her his true colours.

Taking in a quick sharp breath, Will drew himself up to his full height and looked down at her. 'I lied, Bella.'

Her eyes widened. 'About what?'

'This evening.'

She tilted her head and looked up at him and Will felt as if she could see right into the depths of his soul. 'In what way?'

'It was my idea. The whole thing.' He pulled his hands out of his pockets and waved them in the direction of the display cases before raking them through his hair and then shoving them back in his pockets. 'Caroline didn't promise the collection to anyone.'

'She didn't?'

He shook his head, his eyes blazing into hers as he tried to make her see. 'I did. I was the one who rang the director of the museum. I was the one who told him he could exhibit it.'

She frowned and he felt something like regret lodge in his chest. 'Why?'

'Attrition.'

'What?'

'Attrition. Erosion by friction.'

'Yes, I'm aware of what it is,' she said. 'But what does it have to do with anything?'

'Everything,' he said abruptly. 'I've spent the last three weeks wanting to wear you down.'

'I see.' She paused. Pondered his words for a second. 'And why would you want to wear me down?'

'To get you to see things from my point of view.' Even as he said it he felt like a heel, and shame rolled around inside him. 'To persuade you to have an affair with me. You were so determined to deny the chemistry between us, it wound me up.'

She gave him a sexy little smile, took a step closer and put a hand on his chest. Every one of his senses was filled with her and a tremor went through him. 'Games, Will?'

A muscle hammered in his jaw and he curled his hands into fists. 'Perhaps.'

'I see… Was the whole thing a set-up? Right from the start?'

'God, no. Just this evening.'

She shot him a sultry smile and moved her hand down his chest and around to his back. 'Good. Then that's OK.'

Will was so bewitched by the feel of her hand idly stroking his back that at first he didn't register what she'd said. And then it filtered into his head and he made himself focus. OK? Didn't she care that he'd lied? What about the honesty she'd said she was so keen on? 'Don't you mind?'

'Not particularly. Actually I'm rather flattered that you'd go to such lengths to get me into bed.' She grinned. 'And it's worked, hasn't it? Because I want exactly that too.'

'It's not going to happen.' Her hand could stop that. In fact he ought to remove it. And he would. In a minute.

'Hmm. Now who's the one denying the chemistry?'

'I don't deny it. I'm simply not going to do anything about it.'

'Why not?'

A muscle ticced in his jaw. 'You were right. I'd only hurt you.' Not to mention what she could do to him. Was already doing to him just by putting her hand on him.

She tilted her head and regarded him for so long that Will's insides began to curdle. 'I appreciate you're trying to be noble,' she said, 'but don't you think that's for me to decide?'

Will tensed. 'I'm not going to change, Bella.'

'I know that. I don't want you to. And neither am I. All I want is a quick fling.'

He frowned. His heart thumped. A quick fling? Was she for real? 'No, you don't.'

Bella let out a frustrated sigh and withdrew her hand to fold her arms over her chest. 'I'm getting a bit fed up with people telling me what I want. Look, I've thought it through, at length, and I want some torrid sex. With you. Assuming you're up for it of course.'

Oh, he was up for it. More than up for it. So up for it in fact that he was in agony. And just like that his paltry defences, the ones that he hadn't yet had the time to fortify, crumbled.

A fling didn't have to hurt anyone, did it? Bella seemed to know what she wanted, and if she'd really thought it through as she claimed then he ought to respect that. She wasn't stupid; she was perfectly aware of what an affair with him would be about.

And as for him, well, he'd had affairs before.

Plenty of them in the last few years. And not once had he got his fingers burnt.

So why did it need to be any different with Bella?

As long as he kept his head, stuck to electrifying sex and avoided any kind of personal conversation, he'd be fine. They both would be.

'And then what?' he murmured as the possibility of an affair with Bella heated his blood and sent desire ricocheting around him.

'We go our separate ways.' She tilted her head. 'I haven't changed what I want,' she said, 'and I'm not going to. I still want to get married. I still want security and stability. However, in the absence of any progress on that front, I feel like some fun. Hot temporary fun. Do you object?'

Object? He could hardly think straight. 'How could I possibly object?' he said hoarsely.

'Good.' Bella grinned. 'So…do you need to stick around any longer?'

And continue to suffer from aching frustration as well as having to muster up some kind of response to all the platitudes he'd received about how great it was that the collection was finally on display and what a wonderful commemoration of his father's life it was? No way. 'No.'

Bella gave him a slow smile and her eyes shimmered. 'Then I'll go and get my coat, shall I?'