Page 6 of Her Diamond Deal with the CEO

‘I suppose, yes.’

‘So how does flip-flop man fit into that?’

‘Who?’ She glanced over at him, frowning, momentarily distracted from the traffic.

‘The guy whose shoes I’m wearing.’

She had forgotten all about the flip-flops. ‘Oh, those...they belong to my little brother. He lives with me.’

‘Little?’ He raised an eyebrow.

‘I meant little in age, not size.’

Thinking about Oliver, she felt some of the tension of the morning drop from her body. He had been taller than her since he was thirteen years old. Now, at nineteen, he was six feet two, broad and handsome like their dad but with their mother’s smile. He was the one good thing in her life. The one thing she hadn’t messed up.

‘How does your boyfriend feel about living with your kid brother?’

She felt her body still. There was one of two ways she could answer that question. Tell him the truth, which was that she was single. Or tell him that it was none of his business, but if she did that he would think she was single anyway.

‘I don’t have a boyfriend.’ His blond hair was fluttering in the breeze and she tried to make her voice sound as casual as he looked. Oliver was the only man in her life right now, and, given her track record with men, it would be safer for it to stay that way.

‘But as we’re discussing partners, there is going to be someone who can sit with you while you sleep—’

‘Isn’t that your turn?’

‘What? No—’

Caught off guard, she glanced towards him, shaking her head, but he was already reaching over to take hold of the steering wheel, jerking it left into the oncoming traffic. There was a blaring, overlapping eruption of horns.

‘What is wrong with you?’ She pushed his hand from the wheel. ‘Do you have some sort of death wish?’

‘You were going the wrong way.’

‘The hotel is in that direction,’ she snapped.

‘Yeah, about that.’ Flopping back in his seat, he screwed up his face. ‘I could do with keeping this little episode off the radar so I was thinking I might come back to yours.’

CHAPTER TWO

SERIOUSLY?

Slamming her foot on the brakes, Ondine turned sharply to face him. ‘Come back to mine?’

She could see her distorted reflection in the lens of her sunglasses, and irritably she reached over and snatched them from his face.

‘Calm down,’ he protested. ‘I didn’t mean it like that—’

A vivid image of what ‘that’ might look like with Jack popped into her head and she blinked it away. In the rear-view mirror, she could see the driver behind them mouthing something. ‘Don’t tell me to calm down—’

‘I’m sorry.’ Jack leaned forward, his golden eyes fixing on her face. ‘I just don’t want to go back to Whitecaps looking like this.’ He gestured towards his bloodstained shirt. ‘They’re no different from the Solace. Someone will call my grandfather and I don’t need him getting upset.’

Behind them, the driver had decided to reiterate his frustration by pressing his horn repeatedly. She watched Jack turn, a muscle pulsing in his cheek, and abruptly the hooting stopped.

‘Look, I know I was a jerk earlier, and you probably want to get shot of me, but I really need somewhere to sleep for a couple of hours. On my own, just to be clear,’ he added.

Ondine stared at him, her hands tightening around the steering wheel to steady herself. He was right. She did want to get shot of him. Because Jack Walcott was a dare and a temptation all wrapped up like the most beautiful present under a Christmas tree. And because she could still feel the imprint of his mouth on hers. Only where would he go if she said no?

As if sensing her weakness, he locked eyes with hers. ‘Please, Ondine.’

---