Page 4 of Suddenly Married

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“After you,” Luc said, opening the door of the limo.

Kira slid inside, and he followed her. She expected him to sit across from her in the spacious vehicle, but he slid next to her. She caught a whiff of his manly, expensive cologne, once again enjoying the notes of dark wood and bamboo, with a hint of leather. Clearing her throat, she scooted away from him, putting as much space between them as she could without opening the door and leaving.

“Problem?” he asked, closing the partition.

The car started moving.

“You’re very close to me. It’s not necessary. Whenever you interact with your peers at work, especially women, don’t be too close to them. Always be professional and appropriate. There’s nothing wrong with a nice buffer zone,” she said, then added a smile so she wouldn’t sound so damn condescending.

His brows narrowed. “Buffer zone?”

“Yes. I’ll be your guinea pig. From now on, we can talk and interact within an arm’s length. Or two arms.” Or perhaps with a blindfold so she wouldn’t have to look at him and be distracted by his maleness. Hell.

He immediately went to the sit across from her. “Like this?” he asked.

She sucked in a breath. Was he mocking her? Looking at him was actually more of a liability than inhaling his scent. The man was freaking sexy in the black suit with gray striped shirt. The first button was open, and she guessed it was part of the collar. He didn’t need to wear ties, though it was certainly a good way to hide his thick, tanned neck.

Maybe he sensed his beauty made her uncomfortable, for he flashed her a grin that could melt ice mountains.

“Why are you smiling?” she asked, then a second later, chastised herself for it.

“Because your role now makes perfect sense. You’re like a pleasant companion with good advice.”

Who was being condescending now? His words stung more than they should, but she cleared her throat again, adamant on not showing it. Ever since her childhood, she’d always been the boring, sensible Jones girl. Shelby had gathered all the attention, first because of her disease and then after she beat cancer, because of her sassy personality. Her heart shrank to the size of a pearl. She’d come all this way from Texas to become her own person, but maybe she couldn’t run from how uninteresting she was. Even strangers could tell—Richard, the PR person, had, and now, Luc. But somehow it hurts more when Luc says it. “Yes. That’s a good way to look at it,” she said, proud of her even tone.

“I have to prewarn you, I’m not good at following advice.”

No kidding. She forced a smile.“It’s okay. I’ll consider you a challenge.”

“I think of you the same way,” he said, throwing her words back at her. He didn’t say anything else, but he flashed her a dangerous glance… filled with amusement and defiance. Like small torches lit in the depths of his eyes, his gaze heating her skin. “So tell me more about yourself. Have you worked for Montague Corp. for long?”

“No. I was hired on a temp basis until your father presented me with this wonderful opportunity.” A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity she had to grab with both hands. How else would she find a way to help Poppy so she could have a clean slate financially and also start saving for opening her own business one day?

“Ah. Very interesting,” he said and glanced at her like he could read her deepest secrets.

A wave of warmth spread across her cheeks and neck, and she didn’t even know why. She shifted in her seat, willing her body to cooperate with her brain. She hated that her internal temperature rose when he looked at her, or talked to her, or—

“Any boyfriends?”

Not since my last would-be boyfriend left me for my sister.She quivered, the image of finding Andrew and Shelby naked in her bed still fresh in her mind. “This is not the kind of question you should be asking someone who’s working for you, Mr. Beauford,” she said, squaring her shoulders. “It’s inappropriate.”

He smiled. “I’ll take that as a no.”

“You’re not a good listener, are you?”

“Oh, that’s where you’re wrong, Kira… I listen beyond the words. I pay attention to everything else. To body language and what it tells me.”

She swallowed. Hard. Part of her wondered if he was just playing with her, testing her about how much of a stickler she would be. How tough she’d be on him. But the other part… thrills of trepidation ran down her spine. She didn’t fear him describing how he perceived her body language as far as he was concerned… she feared he’d be right.

Her throat felt tight and dry, and she pushed down the lump of apprehension. “Well, then if this heir-of-an-empire thing doesn’t work for you, you should moonlight as a mind reader,” she said in an even voice, resolute to keep her power—or whatever little bit of it she had left.

“I prefer using my talents for my own advantage.”

Using his talents had gotten him into his mess. She bit the tip of her tongue to keep from spilling the words out. She crossed her legs and looked out the window as the limo drove through the streets of Manhattan. She’d learn how to deal with this untamable man in front of her—after all, Poppy’s future and hers depended on it.

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