Luccy eyed him with satisfaction. ‘I don’t believe that nice is necessarily a Harper-O’Neill trait, either!’
He narrowed silver-grey eyes. ‘My grandfather obviously wasn’t a good influence on you.’
‘Don’t you think so?’ she challenged brightly. ‘I thought he was charming!’
‘Unlike his grandson?’
‘Oh, definitely,’ she retorted sweetly.
Sin shook his head ruefully. ‘Obviously the sentiment was reciprocated. My grandfather isn’t in the habit of issuing luncheon invitations to every beautiful woman he meets,’ he explained dryly at Luccy’s questioning look.
Luccy was actually quite sorry that she hadn’t been able to accept the older man’s invitation. Surprisingly she had liked his forthright manner. But it really would be better if she went back to England as soon as possible.
Tonight had shown her irrefutably that the less she had to do with Sin, or his family, the better…
She turned away. ‘I really do have to go and circulate now, Sin—’
‘Where are you staying tonight?’ he asked suddenly.
Luccy eyed him warily. ‘Why do you want to know?’
Sin gave a humourless smile. ‘I thought I might offer to see you back to your hotel later this evening.’
As Luccy was actually staying at this particular hotel he wouldn’t have far to go!
But she had absolutely no intention of revealing that she had a suite booked on the fourth floor above them. As she had no intention of being alone anywhere with Sin, this evening or at any other time.
Coward, a little voice taunted inside her head.
Maybe. But she was too physically aware of Sin, remembered all too clearly where that physical attraction had taken her the last time they were alone in a hotel suite together, to want to tempt providence a second time.
Or herself!
‘I wasn’t intending to leave just yet,’ she informed him. ‘And even if I were, you would be the last person I would want to have take me back to my hotel!’ she added insultingly.
Sin narrowed his gaze on her, knowing that the flush in her cheeks was no longer caused by anger, the blue of her eyes now mistily shimmering, her breasts swelling creamily over the scooped neckline of her gown.
Luccy was aroused by him.
As Sin was once again aroused by her.
And considering they were both consenting adults, with absolutely no illusions between them this time concerning their motives, he didn’t see why the hell they shouldn’t have each other if it was what they both wanted!
‘Let’s get out of here.’ He firmly repeated his earlier suggestion.
‘No.’
‘Luccy.’ Sin became very still as he looked down at her with glittering silver eyes. ‘We can do this the hard way or the easy way. It’s your choice.’
Luccy looked up at him searchingly, knowing by the tightness of his mouth and that angry glitter in his eyes that he meant what he said.
But she meant what she had said, too! ‘Then it will have to be the hard way.’ She faced him challengingly.
Sin’s gaze narrowed on her speculatively for several long seconds, and whatever he saw there in her expression was enough to relax some of his tension. ‘At this moment you want me as much as I want you,’ he murmured confidently.
She could deny it, of course. But what would be the point…?
Instead she gave him a mocking smile. ‘And does the spoilt little rich boy always get what he wants?’
‘No.’ His teeth showed in a humourless smile of his own. ‘But Jacob Sinclair the Third does!’
‘Really?’ Luccy gave a softly derisive laugh. ‘Then he’s going to be awfully disappointed when he finally realises I’ve turned him down, isn’t he?’
Sin really couldn’t help but admire this woman. Almost as much as he desired her…
He quirked dark brows. ‘You’re leaving some time tomorrow, you said?’
‘Yes, that’s right,’ she confirmed warily.
‘I could always offer to fly you home on the Sinclair jet when you’re ready to leave.’
‘Is that supposed to impress me?’ she scorned.
‘It sure as hell impresses me every time I climb aboard it!’
‘It’s an indulgence I think I’ll manage to forgo, thanks,’ Luccy told him with saccharine sweetness.
This man—the Sinclair family, at least—owned their own jet!
She was way, way, way out of her depth…
She gave a bright meaningless smile as she prepared to leave. ‘I’m sure I don’t have to lie and say what a pleasure it’s been to see you again?’
He grinned unconcernedly. ‘The pleasure has been all mine, I assure you.’
‘If you enjoy being with a woman who holds you in nothing but contempt, then, yes, it would appear so,’ Luccy snapped.
His eyes narrowed dangerously, telling Luccy that she had probably gone too far with that last remark.
‘If you won’t have lunch with my grandfather tomorrow perhaps you would have it with me, instead,’ he bit out coldly.
Luccy’s eyes widened. ‘Why on earth would I want to do that?’
Sin shrugged. ‘Perhaps because you would like to be the one given the photographic contract with PAN when it’s reviewed next month?’
Luccy frowned. ‘We both know that isn’t going to happen.’
‘Do we?’
Luccy looked at him searchingly, noting the challenge in his expression, the hard twist to his mouth. ‘Yes,’ she finally sighed. ‘It’s common gossip that Roy Bailey wants that contract.’
‘What Bailey wants and what he gets could be two different things. I really do have the final say on who gets the contract, Luccy,’ he said.
Luccy raised incredulous brows. ‘Are you by any chance using blackmail into forcing me to have lunch with you tomorrow, Mr Sinclair?’
‘I believe the word you prefer is leverage. And the answer to that is yes,’ he confirmed unapologetically.
This man—He—Ooh! Luccy gritted her teeth to keep the words back. She could never remember feeling so frustratedly angry before! What she wanted to do was tell this man what he could do with his contract, but caution warned her that it would be better if she was on the other side of the Atlantic—well out of Sin’s reach—when he learnt that she had already told Darren Richards she had no interest in signing another contract with PAN even if it was offered to her.