Page 25 of The Charmer

Liking someone and enjoying their company wasn’t conducive to kicking their butt out the door, and that’s exactly what she’d have to do after hearing his pitch.

So no more socialising.

Starting now.

“What do you think, Mr. Vance?” Sofia frowned at Ariel before flashing a charming smile at Cooper.

“I think it’s a great idea.” Cooper’s challenging stare made Ariel’s right foot twitch to kick his sexy butt. “Thanks for the invitation.”

“Bene. That’s settled. Now, why don’t we go in and I can give you the details?”

Ignoring Sofia’s triumphant grin and Cooper’s smug smile, Ariel sighed in resignation and unlocked the front door.

Two against one wasn’t fair.

But then, since when had anything in her life been fair?

Chapter Seventeen

“Ishould never have agreed to this,” Ariel muttered at her reflection, wishing she could wield a mascara wand with the same expertise as a paint brush.

She’d never gone in for makeup. She much preferred painting canvases than painting her face. Then again, tonight called for a confidence mask, and if the barest foundation, sheer blue eye-shadow, a quick lashing of mascara, and pale pink lip gloss would help quell the butterflies dancing a tango in her belly, she’d use it.

Seeing Cooper at Sofia’s charity event was one thing but agreeing to accompany him? Madness.

Right on cue, a knock at the front door had her casting one last regretful glance at her reflection in the mirror before she picked up her embroidered silver evening purse and flicked off the lights.

Though how hard could tonight be? She’d wait around for the portrait unveiling, make polite small talk with a bunch of rich phoneys, then bolt back here in a taxi, leaving Cooper with his cronies.

Easy.

However, the moment she opened the door and saw Cooper wearing a designer tux and a sexy smile, she knew nothing about this evening would be easy. The way her pulse accelerated and her heart flip-flopped, nothing could be further from the truth.

“You look beautiful.”

His soft, almost reverent voice strummed her skin like a gentle caress and she shivered with delight that she could evoke a reaction like that from a guy like him as he stepped into the doorway, blocking out the sounds of busy Brunswick Street, and took hold of her hand.

“It’s vintage,” she said, a totally inane remark as she stood frozen, her hand captured in his, enjoying the physical contact way too much.

“It suits you.”

The admiration in his appreciative gaze made her hold onto his hand too long and she sighed in relief when he released it. Short-lived, because once his hand was free, he skimmed his palm over the sheer chiffon of her dress cascading in handkerchief layers from her waist to the floor.

“You look like a beautiful waterfall. Fresh, vibrant, invigorating.”

“And you need to move into the twenty-first century,” she said, disarmed by his charm. “With lines like that, I’m not surprised you spend all your time with your head buried behind a computer.”

She didn’t mean to sound so cutting but she didn’t handle compliments well. Especially compliments from a guy standing way too close and smelling like a dream.

To her surprise, he chuckled rather than rebuke her. “You’re not going to spoil tonight with that smart mouth of yours. Insult me all you like but I’m not biting.”

More’s the pity.

He smirked as if reading her mind and she propelled him out the door, anything to put some much needed distance between them. Even seated in his car would be better than having him invade her personal space. Not that she minded exactly, but if they didn’t get a move on, she’d be tempted to rush back into the gallery, slip into shorts and a poncho, and have a TV dinner while watching her favourite DIY house renovation show.

Boring but safe. The complete antithesis of allowing Cooper to drape her hand in the crook of his elbow and lead her to his low-slung sports car parked around the corner.

Exciting and dangerous. Yeah, that was Cooper through and through and for a girl who liked being dull and safe she was enticed at the prospect of living a little for once.

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