THE DEAL by Marsh, Nicola (electronic reader txt) 📕

“Yeah, that was it.”

She had no idea if he believed her flippant response as stared at her for a moment longer than necessary before turning away. “I thought so. You play the seductive girlfriend role so well, you’ll have to add ‘actress’ to your list of talents. For a moment you had me fooled.”

For a moment, she wanted to tell him the truth, that she’s love to get up close and personal. Instead, she opened the door and stepped out. “I’m a woman of many talents. The sooner you work that out, the better.”

His cool stare doused her fiery imagination like a bucket of cold water. So much for getting along. Though she’d wanted to look good for him tonight, it didn’t extend to giving him herself on a platter, no matter how much she wanted to. After all, he was the expert on selecting and sampling his women from a veritable smorgasbord before having his fill and moving on to the next delectable morsel. She had no intention of being his entree, main or dessert. Ever.

“Tonight’s important to me. Thanks for being here.”

She noted the uncertainty flicker in his eyes, showing a vulnerability that touched her heart.

“No problem.” If she kept her cool, there’d be little chance of dropping her defences again. Let him flirt all he liked, she’d be ready for him.

However, as she tried to ignore her racing pulse at the touch of his guiding hand in the small of her back, Kara realised there was a problem. A huge problem.

And he was walking straight towards them.

Five

“How’s my favourite interior designer these days?”

Steve Rockwell kissed her cheek and Kara’s first instinct was to pull away. Instead, she schooled her features into a polite mask and smiled.

“Fine thanks, Steve. How are you?”

“All the better for seeing you. You’re stunning as usual.”

His appraising scrutiny made her uncomfortable. He’d always made her feel this way: gauche, awkward, not good enough. Her only comfort was the feel of Matt’s hand in the small of her back. She ignored Steve’s compliment. He hadn’t changed a bit. The same unruly blond hair, grey eyes, immaculate suit and smooth lines. He looked a millions bucks and knew it. Pity he didn’t have a heart.

“I’d like you to meet a friend of mine. Steve, this is Matt Byrne.”

Steve glared at Matt, his eyes turning an icy pewter. “What are you doing here, Byrne? Crawl out from under your rock again?”

Her stomach twisted in surprise. Her head swivelled between both men and she saw Matt’s usual mask of composure slip as he tightened his grip on her back.

“Haven’t lost any of your charm I see, Rockwell.” The coldness in his voice could’ve frozen the Antarctic twice over.

“Why would I waste my charm on the likes of you? I’d rather focus them on the lovely woman at your side.”

Matt slid an arm around her shoulders and hugged her closer, leaving Kara no option other than to snuggle. “That’s the smartest thing you’ve said in a long while, Rockwell. Kara isn’t just lovely, she’s warm, gorgeous and funny. She’s also my girlfriend.”

Steve snorted. “Poor girl. Obviously doesn’t know you too well. How long till you chalk her up as conquest number one hundred?”

Matt’s fingers dug into Kara’s shoulder. “You son-of-a-bi—”

“Whoa, I’m still here, guys. As much as I’d like to stay and chat, I’m leaving you to sort out which boy has the biggest toy. Matt, I’ll see you inside.”

Furious, Kara strode away, head held high, hoping her knees would hold out till she reached the safety of the restaurant. She wasn’t a prize to be flaunted and she’d be damned if she ended up as a notch on anyone’s bedpost.

“Hey, wait up.” Matt grabbed her arm and spun her around. “I’m on your side.”

“That guy’s a jerk.” She wrenched her arm free. “And I didn’t like being paraded as your girlfriend. I’m not your current ‘show and tell’ exhibit.”

His eyes narrowed at her show of defiance. “You are my girlfriend or have you forgotten our little agreement? Perhaps you need reminding?”

Before she could utter a word, his lips crushed hers in an all-demanding, all-consuming kiss. No tender giving, no seduction, the commanding kiss reminded her exactly how willing she was to pretend to be anything he damn well liked. His hands moulded to her butt and pulled her against him. Resistance was a fleeting thought and quickly discarded as she clung to him, her hands slipping beneath his jacket to caress the hard contours of his chest. Heat radiated through the crisp cotton, drawing her in like the ocean on a hot summer’s day.

The kiss deepened as his tongue coaxed its way into her mouth, the darting tip taking her excitement up a notch. She burned, focussed on nothing but his tongue, his hands, his body. She’d hankered for this kiss since her first taste of him on her eighteenth birthday and her dreams didn’t come close to the toe-curling reality.

It took several seconds for the slow applause to penetrate her passion-hazed mind.

“Nice display, you two. Pity you weren’t into exhibitionism when you were with me, Kara. Would’ve made our love life a lot more fun.”

Matt clenched his fists and she sensed he was itching to punch her supercilious ex right on his patrician nose.

“Don’t you ever speak to Kara like that again,” Matt said quietly, his barely controlled anger evident in the set of his jaw.

She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The scene was ludicrous, like something out of a B-grade movie. “Let’s go, Matt.”

“Sure. Just one more thing.” He glared at Steve, derision etched into every line