Page 40 of The Tycoon's Ultimate Conquest
‘I think it’s time to go,’ he said without preamble.
‘But I’m not ready to leave yet.’
‘Tough. It’s been over four hours, which is two hours longer than I usually stay at these things.’
‘I’m having fun. There’s no need for us to leave together, is there?’ Rose squinted at his darkly disapproving expression. ‘I know,’ she pressed on, ‘we came together, in a manner of speaking, but it’s not as though we’re on a date and there are so many more interesting people I still want to meet.’
‘Repeat. Tough. Anyway, don’t you think you’ve had your fill of interesting people? Or is the entire room interesting after a few glasses of Chablis?’
‘Not fair.’
Art shifted uncomfortably, recognising that she had a point. He raked his fingers through his hair and shot her a frowning glance. ‘I apologise.’ He tugged and undid the bow tie. ‘But you’ve had a few drinks and you’re not accustomed to that. I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving you here on your own to get on with the rest of what remains of the evening.’
‘Do you think the poor little country girl might end up making a fool of herself? These shoes are killing me, by the way. Are there any chairs around here?’
‘I think the poor little country girl might end up finding herself in slightly more hot water than she bargained for. And not many chairs, no. The expectation is for networking, not falling asleep in an armchair.’
‘What do you mean about me finding myself in hot water?’
‘You’re sexy when you get angry.’
Rose blushed and pouted. ‘Don’t try to change the subject. What do you mean? I’m more than capable of taking care of myself. I’ve been doing it most of my life.’
‘This isn’t a quiet, sleepy village in the middle of nowhere.’ Art didn’t care how this sounded. There was no way he was going to leave her here on her own. The thought of predators circling her, moving in for the kill, made him see red. She was stunning and part of her appeal was the fact that she was so natural, so utterly without pretence, so patently open and honest. Aligned to her intelligence and her dramatic looks...well, it was a recipe for disaster in the big, bad city. If she didn’t see that, then it was just as well that she had him around to see it on her behalf.
‘I’d noticed, now that you mention it.’
‘Have you paid any attention to the number of lechers who have been hanging around you all evening?’
‘Haveyou?’
Art flushed. ‘You came with me. I can’t be blamed for wanting to look out for you.’
Rose’s mouth twitched.
Art noted the way her pupils dilated and her eyes widened. He clocked the way her breath hitched and was suddenly turned on in a way that shocked him in its ferocity.
‘Should I be grateful?’ Rose breathed huskily.
‘Don’t.’
‘Don’t what?’ The entire roomful of people could have evaporated. There was just the two of them, locked in a bubble in which he was acutely sensitive to every fleeting expression on her face, to the rasping of her breath and the deep, deep longing in her eyes.
‘Don’t look at me as though you want to touch me. Do that and you’re playing with fire.’
‘I started playing with fire the minute you came into my life,’ Rose said in a tone of complete honesty.
‘We should go,’ Art told her roughly, leading the way, his hand cupping her elbow.
She was coming on to him. He felt it and, much as he would have liked nothing better than to have followed up on those hot little signals she was giving off, a tipsy Rose wasn’t going to do. He wanted her sober and desperate for him, the way he was desperate for her. Nothing else would do.
It was cool and crisp outside and his car was waiting. Art propelled her into it and slid alongside her in the back seat.
‘Do you think you have to show me to my door just in case I get waylaid by some of those lecherous men you seem to think are waiting around every corner for a country bumpkin like me?’
‘How did you guess?’
‘It’s the dress. It stands out. When you said that it was going to be smart I had no idea what to buy. I didn’t think that everyone would show up in black.’
