Kia mentally rolled her eyes, but she had to admit her father would never have married her mother if she hadn’t been a looker. Her mother had the warmest of natures, too. She hadn’t deserved to be treated so badly.
Marlene blushed with pleasure. “Thank you, Mr. Matthews.”
He darted a wry glance at Kia that said like mother, like daughter for calling him “mister,” then turned back to her mother. “Call me Brant.”
Marlene nodded. “Well, Brant. Come over and meet the rest of Kia’s family.” She slipped her arm through his and began walking toward the others. “Have you had lunch yet?”
“Yes, but thanks for the offer.”
“Then have a drink. It’s Christmas, after all.” She gave a warm smile. “Besides, we want to get to know Kia’s boss.” She leaned slightly closer to Brant. “We worry about her up there in Darwin by herself.”
He smiled. “No need to worry. We’re keeping a very close eye on her,” he said, and Kia’s heart lurched at the hidden meaning behind those words. Suddenly her jeans felt too tight and her pink top too skimpy.
“Oh, I’m so pleased to hear that.” They reached the others. “Brant, this is my husband, Gerald.” The two men sized each other up and shook hands. “And this is Kia’s sister, Melanie. And her husband…”
Kia gritted her teeth as she watched the females succumb to Brant’s charm like a line of dominoes toppling over. The men weren’t so accommodating at first, but before long Brant had them eating out of the palm of his hand, too. Did this man know no bounds?
“So why have you come to see Kia?” her stepfather asked, and Kia saw that maybe Brant hadn’t quite charmed the older man as much as she’d thought. She smiled at Gerald, loving him all the more for his protection.
“There’s a major problem at the office and I need Kia’s help. She’s been working on the project with Ph—” He hesitated, then smiled at Kia. “She knows it by heart and I can’t do it without her. I have no choice but to beg her to return to the office with me. Believe me, I wouldn’t ask her if it wasn’t important.”
“Of course you wouldn’t,” her mother said. She glanced at her daughter. “Darling, are you still doing your studies?”
Brant’s ears pricked up. “Studies?”
Kia groaned inwardly. “I’m learning Chinese.”
“And she’s doing very well, too,” Marlene said proudly. “She’s got quite a knack for languages and is already fluent in French and Italian.”
Brant regarded her with a speculative gaze. “You really are a mystery at times, aren’t you?” he said, but she could see a slight hardness back in those eyes.
He glanced at his watch. “We’d better be going.”
She nodded. “I’ll just get my things together.” She left him talking to the others, a little regretful that she hadn’t had more time to spend with her family. But, on the other hand, helping out in a time of crisis was a small sacrifice to make for the good of the company.
Then she thought of working alone with Brant when they got back to Darwin and she pushed aside a level of excitement that had nothing to do with the challenge of the project and everything to do with the man himself. She swallowed hard. Correction. This wasn’t a small sacrifice. This was going to be a big one.
Her hands shook as she quickly showered before slipping into a floral-print shirtdress with a short-sleeved jacket that was easy-wearing for travel but stylish enough for the office. Not bothering with stockings, she stepped into high-heeled sandals that complimented her long, tanned legs. A light touch of makeup and a quick deft of her hand to twist her hair up and she was ready. For battle. For Brant.
“Perhaps you can explain something to me,” he said once they were seated in the plush jet and were heading back to Darwin.
Warning shivers started going up and down her spine. “Like what?”
“Like why you didn’t tell your family about Phillip?”
She tried not to flinch. “Oh. That.”
“Yes. That.”
Her cheeks reddened. “I just want to be sure, that’s all.”
He straightened in his seat, on full alert now. “You’re not sure?”
“Yes, of course I am,” she said quickly. “It’s just that it all happened so fast. I don’t want my family to worry and I know they would.”
A moment’s pause, then he said, “Tell me. Do you love Phil?”
If she hesitated, she was lost. “Yes.”
His jaw clenched. “When do you plan on telling them?”
“When the time is right. Thank you for not saying anything today. It would have been…awkward.”
God, she didn’t like lying, but what else could she do? If she told the truth, Brant would go all out to seduce her. She’d be putty in his hands and she had no doubt she’d enjoy it. But that would be just a physical release. It wouldn’t be enough. She needed more from a man than a quick roll in the hay.
Besides, this wasn’t just about her. She couldn’t give the game away yet. How could she tell Brant the truth and dump all this on Phillip’s shoulders without giving him any warning? She didn’t think she was better than Phillip, but she couldn’t do to him what he’d done to her. No, she’d have to wait until he returned to the office in another two weeks. She just hoped she survived until then.
“I’m sure they’d be happy for you,” Brant said. “Phillip’s a great catch.”
“Yes.” She ignored the cynical tone to his voice, not quite up to verbally fencing with him right now.
About to look away, something about him grabbed her attention and she was surprised to catch a bleak look in his eyes before his gaze dropped to the papers in his lap. An odd feeling of sympathy caught at her heartstrings. Was his coming to fetch her more than just the problem at work? Had he been feeling lonely, despite a “friend” inviting him for Christmas lunch?
“Did you have a nice Christmas, Brant?”
His gaze shot toward her. “Why?”
“I just wondered.”
His smooth look made her wish she’d kept her mouth shut. “Yes, I was kept very…busy.”
She winced inwardly. “I see.” He was a womanizer, so he’d been with a woman most likely. She understood him only too well. He was just like her father.