“Brant—” she warned, only to have the ring of the telephone interrupt her.
“Answer that,” he said and left the house before she could get another word in. What he found interesting was that she hadn’t mentioned staying at Phillip’s place, when that would be the ideal solution. Perhaps she was holding out for a white wedding, he mused cynically.
Chapter Four
Later that day, when Phillip’s attendant knocked on her door to pick her up to take her to the art exhibition, Kia had to take a calming breath before answering. She was furious with Brant over the locksmith he’d sent here. All the names she’d been calling him seemed too tame for the thoughts bubbling in her brain right now.
But instead of showing her feelings, she smoothed her hands down the front of her slim-fitting sleeveless dress and reached for the door handle. She wouldn’t let Brant spoil her afternoon. She’d rather eat rat poison.
“G’day, Kia.”
The breath caught in her throat. The man on the other side of the doorway emitted a sex appeal so potent it cracked through the air like a whip, invisibly wrapping around her body and almost pulling her toward him. Black trousers fitted his lower torso to perfection, a light gray polo shirt molded over his chest. He looked casual and confident. A man any woman would be proud to be seen with.
Anyone but her.
“Aren’t you going to invite me in?” Brant said, stepping past her into the house without waiting for an invitation.
She spun around to face him. Of all the arrogant…“How dare you!” she managed to say.
He merely looked amused. “How dare I be in your house? You didn’t mind me being here last night.”
She glared at him. He made it sound as if they’d been making love all night. “I’m talking about the security alarm.”
His forehead creased. “He didn’t do a good job?”
“Yes, he did a good job, but that’s not the point. He was supposed to fix the lock, not put in an alarm system.” She’d thought the man had been merely checking security risks when he’d started going from room to room. By the time she’d realized he was doing the whole thing, he’d climbed on the roof and had half the place wired.
“I thought an alarm system would be better.”
“You thought? Where do you get off ordering an alarm for me?”
“I told you. The company will pay for it.”
“It’s not the money,” she said through gritted teeth.
His eyebrows lifted with cynicism. “Really? Then what’s the problem?”
“This is my home, Brant. My private life. You’re interfering in it. You’ve no right to even be here, let alone tell someone to install an expensive piece of equipment like this. Heck, it’s not even technically my house.”
His shrug belied the hard gleam in his eyes. “Don’t make a big deal out of this, Kia. You’re Phillip’s fiancée now. He wants you to be safe.”
She tried not to wince. “Phillip knows about the alarm?”
“As you’re now his fiancée, I suggested it and he agreed. We all know it’s quite common for criminals to return to the scene of the crime. You either had to get an alarm or move.”
She flashed him a look of disdain. “Oh, really. And where would you like me to live?”
“How about with your fiancé?”
She gulped and quickly spun away to turn off the air-conditioning. Anything not to look at Brant. “Phillip and I haven’t discussed that yet.”
“That’s what Phil said.”
Relief rushed through her. “There you are then.” She remembered the security alarm and glared at him.
“Anyway, you and Phillip have no right to tell me what to do or what to put in my own house. And as soon as he gets here, I’ll be making that quite clear.”
“Then you’re going to have a bit of a wait,” he said, his gaze seeming to watch her reaction. “He’s not coming. He rang and asked me to take you to the exhibition instead. He said he wasn’t feeling up to it today.”
Her stomach knotted. She didn’t want to go to the exhibition with Brant. Damn Phillip for being selfish enough not to turn up. She was beginning to think taking the easy way out was a weakness he couldn’t control.
“Why didn’t he phone me himself?”
“He said he’d tried a couple of times but kept getting the busy signal.”
She bristled with indignation. “Because the alarm was being connected to the phone line, that’s why.”
She waved a dismissive hand. “Oh, it doesn’t matter. I’m not going without Phillip.”
His eyes narrowed. “Phil said one of our clients invited him to the exhibition.”
“Er…yes…” She licked her lips. “But it just wouldn’t be the same without Phillip. I’m sure they’ll understand.”
“They may, but I won’t. This is a work assignment, Kia. Think of it as payment for the security alarm.”
Her mouth tightened. So there was a catch to his free and easy statement of “the company will pay for it.”
“Perhaps I should go by myself…on behalf of the company, that is. There’s no need for you to waste your Saturday afternoon.” She didn’t want to deprive some poor besotted female of his company either.
“I wouldn’t think of it as a waste. I’d like to see the exhibition, too. Early Australian art fascinates me.”
It fascinated her, too, but she didn’t want to say so. Yet could she spend hours with him and survive the draw of his attraction? She swallowed. It looked as though she wasn’t getting a choice. But after she put in an appearance for their client, she’d make sure it was the quickest walk around the gallery on record.
An hour later she and Brant strolled through the art gallery by themselves after they’d shared an afternoon tea of pineapple scones, finger sandwiches and a delicious tropical fruit platter. Brant had been his charming self with their client and the others. A couple of times she’d even let her guard down and surprised herself by actually laughing at some of his witty remarks.
Of course, being witty and a womanizer was what he was about. That’s how men like him got women into bed, and if the looks some of the other women were giving him were anything to go by, he’d have had plenty of offers today if she hadn’t been around. Yes, he knew exactly how to charm the panties right off a woman. She stiffened. Not this woman.